Pet Lovers

[aprilonmain]

I have inherited a female 9 year old Papillon.  She is so sweet, active, adorable dog.  She has adapted to her new home very well. I am a senior, any advice from Papillon owners would be appreciated.

Type of dog food you feed, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[Gourmet]

You will absolutly  love  your new puppy.  I feed mine grain free Blue Buffalo or Nutru Max grain free.  I have found that other foods are not good for their coat.  I started giving my girls 1tsp of pumpkin also.  Not the baking pie one , just plain pumpkin.  Libby has one with no additives, just cooked pumpkin.  There is a big list at the vets of what not to give dogs or it should be available on line.   Have fun.

[Still Raining]

So happy for you.  She will be a wonderful companion.

I used be a pushover for friends doing senior rescues.  Alway joked that I was running a post menopause rest home, for all.

[Irish1210]

How wonderful!  Enjoy each other to the fullest : )

[Gourmet]

I forgot to mention, my puppy is allergic to topical flea meds so I have to give her the kind she eats.  Also I use Vets Best hypoallerginc shampoo.  This can be found on E Bay or at a pet store.  Also the flea meds are just called Flea Away, it is chewable.

[Foxxee]

This little cutie is listed as #8 on the most teachable, trainable dogs list between the #7 Labrador Retriever and #9 Rottweiler by Fetch WebMD.  

[MrsSB]

Seniors for seniors I always say!  

Sorry I have no specific advice for the breed.  I only had a small dog once, an adorable terrier mix.  And now we do dog sit now and then for a Maltese mix. I'm sure you'll do fine and I know others will chime in with their tips for you.

Congrats and thanks for taking her in.

[CamilleP]

@aprilonmain  If you are a long-time dog owner you should find very little difference between your new Papillon and most other dog breeds, except size, of course.  If your little girl has a full coat, I hope she is used to regular brushing and that you are continuing that, probably several times a week, if not daily.  Preventing mats and tangles is MUCH easier than dealing with them after they form.  Paps don't have extreme coats like Pomeranians or Pekes, so it should not be a dreadful chore to get into the habit of doing.  As another poster has mentioned Paps are very smart dogs, so teaching new behaviors should be easy with good techniques like positive reinforcement.

Regarding feeding, there is general consensus that grain free food is not needed unless a dog has a diagnosed allergy to any particular grain, corn being the most common allergenic grain.  Foods that formulate without grains often use a high percentage of legume flours like peas, soybeans, chickpeas, etc.  If used in too large an amount these legumes can upset the amino acid balance of a food, and if certain amino acids are inadequate, that can lead to serious heart disease which may or may not resolve with a dietary change.  Your Papillon can eat any high-quality dog food you choose to feed her, but odds are she will prefer a smaller kibble size to big chunks, of course.  Generally, I suggest not buying grocery store dog foods, but as long as you read the ingredients and avoid things like "meat meal" or "meat and bone meal" as well as this, that or the other "by-products" you will probably be fine.   Speaking in depth with your veterinarian is always a good idea, not all of them are Science Diet "pushers" any more.  Of course, if you choose a food that doesn't agree with your dog, you will want to switch to something that does. 

Congratulations on your new furbaby, I hope you have many happy years together!

[MoonieBaby]

@aprilonmain 

HOW WONDERFUL FOR YOU BOTH, MAZEL TOV!

Many happy and healthy years together - I'm so happy for you two!!!!!

[furbabylover]

@CamilleP  You sound like one dog savvy lady!!! I totally agree with you about reconsidering the advice going around now about keeping your dogs "grain free". It looks like this diet might contribute to heart problems in dogs, and these other proteins they are using as fillers, like pea protein, are now suspect for health issues as well.