I wonder why she suggested not to bring another dog into the house? That's what I was going to suggest too. It'd sure get her mind off her sadness I'd like to think. But then again, maybe dogs dont think like we do.

Wonder if a kitten would be good companionship, my dog and cat really love each other. When the cat is outside, the dog cries until we let her in.

I'm sorry she's still so sad.

Linda, not sure if I posted before, but I am so sorry about Sadie! :(

Regarding Sophie, my suggestion would be to enroll her in a basic obedience class for puppies. Most of these classes have a few minutes of puppy "play time" built into the class. She will get some training, do something new/fun and be able to have a friend or three.

Another option would be to find someone in the neighborhood that has a young puppy, hopefully a smaller breed, that Sophie could have play dates with. Personally, I see no reason why you should not get another puppy now.

Does this vet think Sophie might have "something", but just doesn't know what? I would ask.

Poor pumpkin.

I'd get her a pet/companion.

A number of years ago, a friend of mine lost her old dog, & her Cocker Spaniel's epileptic seizures got much much worse (please don't yell at me if it doesn't sound like true epilepsy, this was many years ago & that's what the vet called it).

The vet prescribed a new pet, but Katherine was traveling for her job & didn't have time to devote to a new puppy.

Also, she was afraid that Smedley would be jealous of a new puppy.

so she got him a bunny.

Smedley adored his bunny, & the seizures stopped.

Shaun-I had to make a choice between my DH and my cats 28 years ago. He is severely allergic to them. I chose him.

Cindyb va- we are in puppy classes. She loves playing with the other pups. Actually, we are in our second round of puppy classes. We wanted her to continue being with other dogs and she was too young for the other classes, so the instructor let us take the puppy class again. Granted, it is only a Pets-mart class, but she really enjoys it. I asked the Vet if she thought that something might be going on. She told me that before the labs, she was 99% sure that she was just mourning. After the labs she said that if she could ever be 100% sure of anything, it would be this.

Sylviatexas- I actually made the Vet appt. to make sure that she was healthy because we had thought about getting another pup. I think I was so shocked by her reply that I didn't ask why. I do remember her saying that doxies like to be the only pet in the family. We have always had more than one dog and most of the time one of them has been a doxie. I don't think a bunny would work in our household.
Thanks, Linda

I was horrified when we lost our dog. It was lymphoma, and totally unexpected. It took me 3 days to bring in a puppy to change the ambience in our house. It worked, and we couldn't be happier.

I'd get another dog in a heart beat unless there are financial or working reasons to the contrary.

Sammy

Linda, so sorry to hear about little Sophie. You might want to try "Satin Balls" The recipe was developed for dogs that needed to put on weight, and for dogs who had lost interest in food for one reason or another.

Satin Balls for Little Dogs

1 lb cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
1 and 1/3 cups Total cereal
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 raw egg, including shell
6 Tablespoons wheat germ
1 package Knox unflavored gelatin
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons unsulphered molasses
Pinch of salt

I used my food processor, but a blender will work too. First put the total cereal in to pulverize it. Add everything else except the hamburger and blend. Add the mixture to the hamburger (helps if the hamburger is room temperature). Use your hands to mix it up, like you would for meatloaf.

From there you can use a measuring cup to scoop out the appropriate amount, or you can form it into a skinny loaf shape and cut slices off. Keep 2 days worth in the fridge, and wrap the rest of the portions in plastic wrap and freeze. (Or portion out on cookie sheets, freeze, then put the frozen 'pucks' into a gallon ziplock.) Take them out of the freezer as needed, one day before, so they can thaw in the fridge. Nuke them to warm to room temp.

If you are concerned about the raw meat, you can cook it -- just be sure and include the fat that cooks out in the pan.

If the vet based saying not to get another dog on believing Doxie's like to be the only pet then I wouldn't put to much weight to her advice. Most of the Doxie owners we see have multiples. IF your heart is ready then I'd get her a playmate.

Lisa

I agree with the others that you should get that new puppy. That was the only thing that helped my dog's grief when his lifelong buddy passed away. And I've been amazed by how tolerant he's been of his "little sister's" rude behavior, when he wasn't really wild about other dogs before (other than his buddy).

Linda, sorry Sophie is so down. I am going to disagree with your vet only because Sophie wasn't always an only child so that disproves her theory on doxies being "only children". It might not be an immediate fix, but in my experience, dogs learn to love one another almost as quickly as humans learn to love them.

How are you handling losing Sadie? I know when I lost my old gal this past summer, the two boys picked up on it big time. I had two shadows. If I stopped short, I'd have one right on my heels. Maybe part of it is Sophie missing and Sadie and part of it may be that she knows you are mourning Sadie's loss as well? Hard to tell, but I'm with the group who feel a companion would be a great help. Sounds like Sophie is lonely despite the classes and the socialization. It's not the same as having a buddy in the house to curl up with or in our case, get into a bit of trouble with.

Best regards. I wish you well.

BTW, I also think another dog will do wonders for little Sophie, whether it's a puppy or a young adult.

We actually looked today for a young adult dog. Unfortunately, all the dogs at our shelters are large. Due to my physical disabilities, we need to stay with a small breed. The breeders we got Sadie and Sophie from do not breed but once every two years, so we are out of luck there.

We had planned on getting another puppy when spring came any way. So we will just move up our search. This is coming from someone who posted that she would never get a puppy in the winter time in Indiana.

At least Sophie did perk some up from the fluids yesterday.

Linda

I'd get another puppy too -- I think your baby would cheer up pretty fast with a friend.

FWIW, when our big male mastiff lost his girlfriend to cancer he stopped guarding the house, stopped wanting to go for walks, didn't ask for hugs or attention from us, just wanted to lie around and sleep. After 3 weeks of this behavior and a thorough check-up by the vet to rule out medical issues, we got another female mastiff. The male cheered up instantly and has not behaved similarly since. We figure he was in deep mourning.

Here is contact info for three small dog rescues in Indiana. They may be able to find you a perfect match to help alleviate Sophie's grief and bring joy back to her young life.

Dachshund Rescue of North America - Midwest
812-593-1843
Greensburg, IN 47240ÃÂ
drna@insightbb.com OR doxaroo@yahoo.com
http://www.drna.org/
http://www.drna.org/available.asp?orderby=location&CurPage=3

Second Chance Small Dog Rescue
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/IN232.html

Indy Small Dog Rescue
317-294-2448
Indianapolis, IN 46241
JRogers25@aol.com

Good luck!

Laurie

Six weeks seems like a long time for a dog to mourn. Dogs tend to live in the here and now and by this time, the dog is more than likely responding to your behavior, rather than the mourning...

You need to move past the loss of your pup, which is hard, and focus positively on the pup that you have...

I don't necessarily agree with your vet, but you need to be ready for a new dog... and a new dog may help you more than your dog...