Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[evilelf]

We recently returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Splendor. My wife had her service dog (Duncan) with her. One thing no one seems to tell you (including Carnival) which we found out the hard way...In Mexico, a rabies certificate is only good for 1 year, even though it is good for 3 years in the U.S.

 

We faxed Carnival all of the paperwork 10 days before the cruise. I called them to make sure everything was good for Duncan, and they said yes.

 

When we got to the ship, we again had to show them all of Duncans paperwork, and again we were told everything was in order.

 

On the third day of the cruise we arrived at the first port, Puerto Vallarta. We waited until late afternoon to leave the ship (it was in port until 10:00pm). As my wife inserted her sail-and-sign card into the computer to leave the ship, it set off bells. Literally, loud clanging bells. We were informed my wife was barred from leaving the ship, and we had to go back up to Guest Services.

 

At Guest Services, we asked why we were barred from leaving the ship. They checked in the computer, and told us the Mexican Government wouldn't let us leave the ship, because Duncan's rabies vaccination was not up to date. We again pulled out the form and showed them it was good for another 1 1/2 years, and they told us the certificate was only good for 1 year in Mexico.

 

My complaint is that Carnival should have notified us of this as soon as they knew about it. If we had been notified in the 10-day period between when we faxed in the paperwork and when the ship sailed, we easily could have gotten another rabies shot for Duncan. If we had been notified when we arrived at the ship, we could have left to find a local vet before the ship sailed. If we had even been notified of the problem while on the ship, we could have called ahead to a vet in Puerto Vallarta to have him meet us at the ship to give Duncan a shot. But Carnival made absolute no effort to notify us of the problem.

 

Guest Services was very apologetic, and offered to call ahead to the other 2 ports to see if there would be a problem. We instructed that if there were any problems, they should contact a vet to meet the ship. Fortunately, we had no problem at the other 2 ports (Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas).

 

When we returned from the cruise, I sent an email to Carnival Guest Care about this problem (and 1 other, where my wife slipped on Debarcation day, and after 6 phone calls to the medical center over a 1 hour period, no medical personnel, or anyone, showed up to check her out). I told them how much we enjoyed the cruise, but were disappointed in these 2 incidents. Carnival sent me back an email blaming us for the problems.

 

Regarding not being able to get off the ship in Mexico with Duncan, they reminded me that we were instructed to go to the Department of Agriculture website, for the regulations on service dogs. But I had done that. The Dept. of Agriculture site said we had to have a valid rabies certificate, which we did. It didn't state the certificate was good for only 1 year.

 

Regarding my wife slipping on the ship, not even an apology! All they said was we should have filled out the proper paperwork before leaving the ship. And for our "future knowledge", we should have called Guest Services for that. Silly me, I thought by calling the Medical Center 6 TIMES and waiting for nearly an hour, maybe THEY should have sent someone to us. We couldn't wait any longer (and it seemed like just some bad bruises, with nothing broken), so we finally left the ship.

 

I've been on many Carnival cruises, and enjoyed them all. These 2 incidents on the ship would not have stopped me from traveling again with Carnival. But the attitude of Carnival Corporation did. Carnival is not the only cruise line out there. In the future I will spend my hard-earned money on a company that appreciates their customers, and treats their complaints with respect.

 

By the way, I know you wizard-of-roz! I'm Richard from the Mail Depot!!

[Quampapetet]

Was the rabies certificate expired? Where I live, we get a new rabies certificate every year (along with the rabies tag for that year) even for the three-year vaccine. Did the certificate state it was a three-year vaccine/when the vaccine itself expired? If that's not stated on the certificate, their only option is to treat it as if it was a one-year vaccine. One Bahamas trip I was on my vet forgot to state on the int'l health certificate that the rabies was the three-year vaccine, so if I hadn't had the current rabies certificate with me, the vet there would have had to either treat it like a one-year vaccine (in which case, it would be expired) or called my vet for verification.

 

I've only been to Mexico once and we had no problem getting off there, although I believe the rabies shot happened to be within the previous year (since that was '08 and it is due this year). That's too bad that somebody gave you trouble getting off there. I don't recall ever seeing something about Mexico requiring the one-year vaccine.

 

Oh, and the cruise line isn't the one who decides whether or not you can get off the ship; each country makes the regulations and enforces them. It isn't the cruise line's fault if a passenger is unaware of any regulations a country may have or may choose to make up on the spot. And the USDA's site is not complete and cannot be relied on (nor are they willing to get any information for you or give you contact info. so you can get the info. yourself, unfortunately). Your vet might be a good resource, as can be each country's consulates and official Web sites (note I said "might" and "can"...).

Edited April 28, 2010 by Quampapetet

[Luey]

Hello Everyone,

 

My daughter and I will be going on a cruise in June with Princess and will be bringing my daughter's Seeing Eye Dog Fray. I am finding that the cruise lines don't seem to have many specifics for documentation and I hope to be fully prepared before we arrive. It took two e-mails and two phone calls before anyone even bothered to responde back to me (7 days). It seems as though I am pulling teeth to get the specifics. All we have been told is that we need to bring some kind of paperwork regarding vaccinations, certification that the dog is a Seeing Eye Dog, and permits for each of the islands we are going to (San Juan, St. Maartin, St. Thomas, Grand Turks). The website Princess directed me to has a fee for each form. Does anyone have a good website you can suggest that offers the forms for no charge.

 

Also, we aren't even sure if Fray will be leaving the boat due to possible illnesses she could contract. Have any of you had any problems when you have taken your dog to areas outside the USA? Also, have you been approached by unleashed animals at the islands?

 

Luanne

[Quampapetet]

San Juan and St. Thomas are in U.S. Territories, so all you need is the int'l health certificate (and I recommend bringing the actual rabies certificate). St. Maarten, as far as I've come across (I'll be going there, too), is the same.

 

Grand Turk is a different animal altogether, but they may permit you to have the requirements except for the rabies vaccination and USDA-endorsed health certificate waived as they did for me. You will need to contact the vet there to see about that. Otherwise, the requirements include a rabies titer test, Lyme vaccine, dog must not have been out of the country of origin for the previous six months, a $50 fee, etc.

 

I found the requirements: http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/templates/front/layouts/default/images/import_regulations/Conditions%20of%20Importation%20-%20Rabies-Endemic_DOGS%20&%20CATS.pdf Send an e-mail to the address on there to see about getting the requirements (except health certificate and rabies vaccination, of course) waived if you haven't done the rabies titer before and don't want to spend the money on it (it is $155 at my vet, though I'm not sure if that's including the testing, which we get at 1/2 price as IAADP members).

 

As for loose dogs, Grand Turk does have some in their "downtown" area (about six tiny shops), but if you stay in the shop area, you shouldn't have a problem. I walked past the shops down the street to a market and that's why we encountered them - but all they did was bark and such, not attack. You'll be fine staying in the Cruise Terminal, near the shops in downtown, and prob'ly at other tourist attractions.

 

Leaving the ship isn't a problem. Getting sick shouldn't be, either, if your dog is healthy and has been vaccinated in the past. Be sure she doesn't drink from puddles and other things you would avoid here in the States.

 

Do remember that not every country has access laws. You're good to go with the ADA in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. I don't know if St. Maarten and the Turks and Caicos have access laws or not (I doubt it for T&C, but we had no problem going into the grocery stores there or the cruise terminal stores or the taxis). With a guide dog, you have better luck at having a law than ppl with other disabilities do, such as if you were going to Mexico where guide dogs but not other types of service dogs are under an access law (last I looked, which was a few years ago). The Bahamas doesn't have an access law, but we go there every year and haven't had any access refusals (if they say they're not sure at first, we educate).

Edited April 29, 2010 by Quampapetet

[Luey]

Thank you so much for the information. Since Grand Turks sounds expensive I think my daughter will plan on staying back on the boat that day. In general she is very nervous about getting off with Fray. Do you think we would have any problems getting on the cruise initially if we didn't have permits for Grand Turks even though the dog won't get off at that port? Just not sure how this works with cruises.

 

Luanne

[Quampapetet]

I don't think you'll have an issue getting an exception for Grand Turk - just e-mail the guy (Dr. Gavin M. Peters) and ask. He usually responds by the next morning (if not the same day if you write during business hours). Do note that I don't think English is his first language, so if you're unclear on something he says, ask questions. At first I thought he was only exempting me from the fee, not everything else, so I mentioned I wished I could get off there, but then he asked why I couldn't and we eventually got onto the same understanding, LOL. ;)

 

Just be sure to bring a print-out of his e-mails to you when you get the health certificate endorsed at the USDA (or mail them in with the endorsement, if you're doing it by mail instead of in person - I recommend you highlight the relevent statements, that's what I did). That way, the USDA will have proof in writing that certain things are waived and can, therefore, endorse the certificate; if they don't have the proof, they may not be able to endorse the certificate.

 

Oh - and bring your service dog's training certificate to the USDA (or mail them a copy of it, if doing it by mail) so that you won't have to pay for the endorsement (they waive the fee for service dogs with proof the dog is a service dog).

 

It really isn't as hard as it sounds - trust me! :) The cruise I'm going on next year, now that's becoming hard! But where you're going, it isn't.

 

Has she travelled anywhere else with the dog? I'm guessing not, if she's so nervous. But tell her there are several of us here on this board who travel internationally with our service dogs (including on cruises) and there's not really much to be worried about.

 

If you don't have the proper paperwork for a port, they won't allow you to get off the ship. You can go on a cruise without the paperwork and not get off the ship (I've done this with Jamaica, which basically doesn't allow dogs to land, and Cayman Islands, which requires the rabies titer and doesn't allow dogs coming from Mexico [our port the day before it was in Mexico]). While Grand Turk isn't exactly an exciting port of call (the island is small and there's not much to it), your daughter still might want to get off the ship and enjoy the free beach (the ship docks right at the beach - this is the only port in the world like that) or wander around the shops in the cruise terminal or go out by taxi to explore other things on the island. I travel internationally once or twice a year (depending on if I go on a cruise - the other trip is a land trip) and enjoy it.

 

Oh - and I finally found the page that has both the .PDF I gave the link to above and the form you fax to them: http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/quick-facts.html . But, when you e-mail them, they'll e-mail you those files anyway and all. Just figured you'd want to see them beforehand.

 

Oh yeah - and I meant to mention this before: You never need to buy those forms or whatnot off any Web site! I think I know which Web site you mean and they're not even always correct with the info. they post on their site.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Quampapetet

[Luey]

Thank you again for all the information. I am heading out of town tomorrow so I will start mulling through all the paperwork on Sunday when I get home. Glad you say this sounds easy :cool: but sure seems like a lot of work - whew.

 

We have an appointment set-up 7 days before the cruise to get a check-up and the international health certification form completed. Fray's rabies shot isn't due until next March but I think we will get it taken care of early since her shot is done only once every three years. I have read that a few areas (Mexico in particular) have issues with the two and three year rabies vaccine. Not sure if any of the ports we are going to require just the one-year it but just to be safe I think she will get the booster now.

 

Luanne

[Quampapetet]

Usually you cannot get a rabies vaccine within 30 days before entering another country, so you should not get it at your health certificate app't.

 

March is a long time away - almost a year - and you wouldn't want to over-vaccinate your dog any more than needed (the rabies vaccine lasts longer than three years as it is, but you have to go by the laws, of course ... and the one-year is the same vaccine as the three-year, just with a different label on it).

 

Why don't you call your vet and ask them about Mexico's regulations? But, everything I find doesn't say anything about the vaccine needing to be within one year. Perhaps the person you heard that from was wrong or their health certificate just didn't state that the vaccine was the three-year vaccine so the authorities had to assume it was the one-year for health's sake and deny the entry.

[wizard-of-roz]

We recently returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Splendor. My wife had her service dog (Duncan) with her. One thing no one seems to tell you (including Carnival) which we found out the hard way...In Mexico, a rabies certificate is only good for 1 year, even though it is good for 3 years in the U.S.

 

We faxed Carnival all of the paperwork 10 days before the cruise. I called them to make sure everything was good for Duncan, and they said yes.

 

When we got to the ship, we again had to show them all of Duncans paperwork, and again we were told everything was in order.

 

On the third day of the cruise we arrived at the first port, Puerto Vallarta. We waited until late afternoon to leave the ship (it was in port until 10:00pm). As my wife inserted her sail-and-sign card into the computer to leave the ship, it set off bells. Literally, loud clanging bells. We were informed my wife was barred from leaving the ship, and we had to go back up to Guest Services.

 

At Guest Services, we asked why we were barred from leaving the ship. They checked in the computer, and told us the Mexican Government wouldn't let us leave the ship, because Duncan's rabies vaccination was not up to date. We again pulled out the form and showed them it was good for another 1 1/2 years, and they told us the certificate was only good for 1 year in Mexico.

 

My complaint is that Carnival should have notified us of this as soon as they knew about it. If we had been notified in the 10-day period between when we faxed in the paperwork and when the ship sailed, we easily could have gotten another rabies shot for Duncan. If we had been notified when we arrived at the ship, we could have left to find a local vet before the ship sailed. If we had even been notified of the problem while on the ship, we could have called ahead to a vet in Puerto Vallarta to have him meet us at the ship to give Duncan a shot. But Carnival made absolute no effort to notify us of the problem.

 

Guest Services was very apologetic, and offered to call ahead to the other 2 ports to see if there would be a problem. We instructed that if there were any problems, they should contact a vet to meet the ship. Fortunately, we had no problem at the other 2 ports (Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas).

 

When we returned from the cruise, I sent an email to Carnival Guest Care about this problem (and 1 other, where my wife slipped on Debarcation day, and after 6 phone calls to the medical center over a 1 hour period, no medical personnel, or anyone, showed up to check her out). I told them how much we enjoyed the cruise, but were disappointed in these 2 incidents. Carnival sent me back an email blaming us for the problems.

 

Regarding not being able to get off the ship in Mexico with Duncan, they reminded me that we were instructed to go to the Department of Agriculture website, for the regulations on service dogs. But I had done that. The Dept. of Agriculture site said we had to have a valid rabies certificate, which we did. It didn't state the certificate was good for only 1 year.

 

Regarding my wife slipping on the ship, not even an apology! All they said was we should have filled out the proper paperwork before leaving the ship. And for our "future knowledge", we should have called Guest Services for that. Silly me, I thought by calling the Medical Center 6 TIMES and waiting for nearly an hour, maybe THEY should have sent someone to us. We couldn't wait any longer (and it seemed like just some bad bruises, with nothing broken), so we finally left the ship.

 

I've been on many Carnival cruises, and enjoyed them all. These 2 incidents on the ship would not have stopped me from traveling again with Carnival. But the attitude of Carnival Corporation did. Carnival is not the only cruise line out there. In the future I will spend my hard-earned money on a company that appreciates their customers, and treats their complaints with respect.

 

By the way, I know you wizard-of-roz! I'm Richard from the Mail Depot!!

 

Hi Richard: Welcome! Wow! Your experience onboard the Splendor certainly didn't mirror ours!

Doesn't the city of Palmdale require a city Dog License? Most cities within the State of California do require this. The license is "free" for Service Dogs and, can be of great assistance when in Mexico and elsewhere.

Check with the Department of Animal Services of your city (1-888-452-7381.) This is the number for L.A. County, but they may be able to direct you to your county.

Had you had this paper certificate with you......they could NOT refuse your exiting of the ship. I promise you, I would have argued the point with immigration, very strongly! And, have. The Certificate specifically states when the license expires, as well as the expiration date of the Rabies Vaccination. It is presented as an official document, with a seal, from the city you preside in. [Although, the Dept. of Food and Agriculture Certificate does exactly the same thing!]

 

As I've stated before, it's always good to have as much documentation as you can and Immigration Officers do respect it!

To have to re-inoculate the dog is absolutely not necessary. Now, asking for a Rabies Titer Test [such as travel to Hawaii and some other countries] 48 hours prior to entering, is different.

Mexico does NOT require the Titer testing, as of yet.

Immigration should have been confronted on this. And, the ships Purser would have been witness to it.

It's vital that all of us who travel with our Service Dogs make sure that each country we travel to follows the appropriate laws and that we have all the necessary documentation [and more], before we travel. This will ensure that we are not stopped from doing what the general public is allowed to do. And, will help others who travel after us!

It's definitely not fun to be stopped and questioned like a criminal.....to have bells and whistles go off is embarassing to say the least. It's difficult enough to travel with our dogs, we don't need the added aggrevation of people stopping us with unmandated laws and regulations.

I'm so glad to hear that your wive's injuries were not serious. However, Carnival should have been more responsive to you.

The Splendor was one of our most favorite ships and, I look forward to boarding her again.

On a personal note.....I'm sure Morey will be seeing you very soon.

Hopefully, one day we can cruise together.

Roz

[wizard-of-roz]

Thank you again for all the information. I am heading out of town tomorrow so I will start mulling through all the paperwork on Sunday when I get home. Glad you say this sounds easy :cool: but sure seems like a lot of work - whew.

 

We have an appointment set-up 7 days before the cruise to get a check-up and the international health certification form completed. Fray's rabies shot isn't due until next March but I think we will get it taken care of early since her shot is done only once every three years. I have read that a few areas (Mexico in particular) have issues with the two and three year rabies vaccine. Not sure if any of the ports we are going to require just the one-year it but just to be safe I think she will get the booster now.

 

Luanne

 

Luanne: Welcome! Please don't let the "paperwork" of traveling with your dog stop you from seeing the world.

Staying onboard a cruiseship, while she's docked, can be the best part of the cruise. All the crowds are off the ship, it's like having your own private yact. The pools; bars; eateries; movies; trivia games and a lot more are still accessible and even more fun because, although most of the people are off, there are still some folks who will be enjoying the ship with you. There just won't be all those dreaded lines for everything! I promise you, you won't miss them!

This is when we find an empty lounge and throw the ball for Brenny to enjoy at her leisure without all the crowds to get in her way!

Once you get all the paperwork in order make lots of copies. Make a copy just for the cruise registration desk. They'll love you for it and it will speed everything up. Go right to the "handicapped" registration [usually, there's no line] and, you'll see how fast it goes when you have everything in it's own envelope.

Fray will get more attention than he/she's ever gotten before. You'll be asked more questions and the requests for "patting" her/him will stop you in your tracks. Be prepared with the answers and even some time for the folks who are so amazed by your miracle worker and are missing their own fur-babies!

Have a wonderful cruise and come back and tell us all about it! We are all open for any suggestions and new experiences with traveling with our Service Dogs!

Brenny will be on her 14th cruise in September and her 15th in November. She loves it and we love being with her in these moving hotels.

Roz

[Quampapetet]

Now, asking for a Rabies Titer Test [such as travel to Hawaii and some other countries] 48 hours prior to entering, is different.

 

 

Rabies titer tests take about three weeks for the results, so they're not done within 48 hours of entering a country. ;) Some places (Hawaii included) require that you cannot enter them until six months has passed since the blood draw for the titer that gave adequate result levels. Blood draws are not done before 30 days after the vaccination, so for places with these regulations, preparation is a minimum of seven months before you go - but I'd give it at minimum extra time to do a re-vaccination and another 30-day wait before blood draw just in case the first test's results aren't adequate.

 

Some places allow you to use the same titer result forever, some until the next rabies vaccination is due (up to three years), and some for only a year (even with the three-year vaccination).

 

Hawaii is more difficult to enter than Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Mexico, Bahamas, etc. :rolleyes:

[wizard-of-roz]

;)

Thank you so much for the information. Since Grand Turks sounds expensive I think my daughter will plan on staying back on the boat that day. In general she is very nervous about getting off with Fray. Do you think we would have any problems getting on the cruise initially if we didn't have permits for Grand Turks even though the dog won't get off at that port? Just not sure how this works with cruises.

 

Luanne

 

As long as you have met all the requirements for the cruiseline you will have problem accessing the ship.

 

Bring all the paperwork from your Vet which will include Fray's immunizations which must be current. Bring any documentation that you may have to show Fray's training [not necessary, but so helpful!]

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[wizard-of-roz]

;)

 

As long as you have met all the requirements for the cruiseline you will have NO problem accessing the ship.

 

Bring all the paperwork from your Vet which will include Fray's immunizations which must be current. Bring any documentation that you may have to show Fray's training [not necessary, but so helpful!]

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

The fingers sometimes work faster than the brain!

[sunshine426]

I love spring, the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, people are sneezing....my dog starts scratching!!! Maybe, I don't love the warm weather after all. So, nice and warm in Atlanta, and Sandy starts the scratching again. Time for her annual check up and the vet and I have another long discussion on best treatment options. Despite the sucess of Brenda, Sandy showed little response to the salmon oil,benadryl:mad:, because I love a natural approach. After awhile, she didn't even seem to like the smell of the oil. Luckily, she tolerates prednisone and steroids, well, so that ended up the treatment plan. We had a long fall, and she still had some scratching in October:confused:, yikes, but once the first frost came, no more scratching. I was hoping to last until May at least.

 

Anyway, a vet/dermatoligist and her bio-chemist husband have come up with an omega oil supplement based on fish oil! OK, I know, I've been that route before, but we're giving it another try. Because I love her. So this powder goes on her food, and she takes on sniff and looks at me like are you nuts.(and this is from a dog who thinks the cat's litter box is an h'or dourve tray!). I'm not giving up, but sheessh, poor thing, scratching or eating something not so tasty.... I'll keep y'all posted!

[wizard-of-roz]

I love spring, the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, people are sneezing....my dog starts scratching!!! Maybe, I don't love the warm weather after all. So, nice and warm in Atlanta, and Sandy starts the scratching again. Time for her annual check up and the vet and I have another long discussion on best treatment options. Despite the sucess of Brenda, Sandy showed little response to the salmon oil,benadryl:mad:, because I love a natural approach. After awhile, she didn't even seem to like the smell of the oil. Luckily, she tolerates prednisone and steroids, well, so that ended up the treatment plan. We had a long fall, and she still had some scratching in October:confused:, yikes, but once the first frost came, no more scratching. I was hoping to last until May at least.

 

Anyway, a vet/dermatoligist and her bio-chemist husband have come up with an omega oil supplement based on fish oil! OK, I know, I've been that route before, but we're giving it another try. Because I love her. So this powder goes on her food, and she takes on sniff and looks at me like are you nuts.(and this is from a dog who thinks the cat's litter box is an h'or dourve tray!). I'm not giving up, but sheessh, poor thing, scratching or eating something not so tasty.... I'll keep y'all posted!

 

I hope the new formula works. I can't stand to watch our babies suffer in any way.

I went to a restaurant the other night and the manager was telling me a story about a woman who had a small [breed unknown] dog under one arm. She requested a highchair and placed the dog in it. She sat down and put a plate [this was a buffet type place] on the table, in front of the dog. She put food on the dish and the dog began licking the plate. Yuck!!!!!!

 

Other patrons went to the manager to complain. He approached the woman and asked if her dog was a Service Dog? She responded, "yes!" He then told her that the dog was not allowed on the table, nor was he allowed to eat off their dishes. As he got closer, the dog had a bad odor and the woman was wearing a sweater that was covered in dog hair.

 

He asked the woman to place the dog on the seat, under the table or on her lap. The woman got insensed, she gathererd up her stuff and began to hand the plate to the manager and he told her she could keep the plate.

 

He asked me if he had done the right thing, since he wanted to be within the ADA access rights.

 

I told him he handled it very well and that NO SERVICE DOG SHOULD BE ON A RESTAURANT TABLE! And, if the dog smelled badly and was making it uncomfortable for the other guests, he was within his rights to ask her to leave.

 

He gave her back her money and she left with the dog and the plate.

I swear, it's hard enough for us to bring a ligitimate Service Dog into public spaces, but when moron's like this woman pull stuff like this, it sets back our access rights about 15 years. :mad:

[Quampapetet]

Anyway, a vet/dermatoligist and her bio-chemist husband have come up with an omega oil supplement based on fish oil! OK, I know, I've been that route before, but we're giving it another try. Because I love her. So this powder goes on her food, and she takes on sniff and looks at me like are you nuts.(and this is from a dog who thinks the cat's litter box is an h'or dourve tray!). I'm not giving up, but sheessh, poor thing, scratching or eating something not so tasty.... I'll keep y'all posted!

 

Try mixing it in a little bit of canned food (an all-natural brand, of course). (And by "mixing", I mean really mix it to hide it all up in there, not just sprinkle it on top.) You could either change the dog's food (one or both meals, depending on how often the dog needs to take the supplement) to all canned or just change a little bit to canned and keep the rest her usual kibble/dehydrated/raw (whatever you feed - actually, I'm guessing it isn't dehydrated 'cause it'd be easy to mix up the powder in that, too). Remember to count the calories from however much canned you add so you can subtract the amount of kibble/raw so you're not adding extra calories. (Your vet can prob'ly help with figuring the amounts out.)

 

I don't know where she is itching and all, but have you tried a topical spray to help her?

[Quampapetet]

 

I went to a restaurant the other night and the manager was telling me a story about a woman who had a small [breed unknown] dog under one arm. She requested a highchair and placed the dog in it. She sat down and put a plate [this was a buffet type place] on the table, in front of the dog. She put food on the dish and the dog began licking the plate. Yuck!!!!!!

UGH!!!!!!!! That is definitely uncalled for, rude, etc., etc. :mad:

 

Other patrons went to the manager to complain. He approached the woman and asked if her dog was a Service Dog? She responded, "yes!"

She is a L-I-A-R!!!!!! :mad:

He asked me if he had done the right thing, since he wanted to be within the ADA access rights.

 

I told him he handled it very well and that NO SERVICE DOG SHOULD BE ON A RESTAURANT TABLE! And, if the dog smelled badly and was making it uncomfortable for the other guests, he was within his rights to ask her to leave.

Absolutely! Even a real service dog can be made to leave if they are a direct threat to the health/safety of the public or if they disrupt the business (the example the DOJ gives is a dog barking in a movie theatre if the handler can't/won't get the dog to stop barking). A reasonable exception to the dog smell rule would be if it was raining out and there was a slight wet dog smell that the owner couldn't help due to the weather that day.

 

He gave her back her money and she left with the dog and the plate.

 

I swear, it's hard enough for us to bring a ligitimate Service Dog into public spaces, but when moron's like this woman pull stuff like this, it sets back our access rights about 15 years. :mad:

 

Maybe they lady just really needed a plate?! :p

 

Really, though, morons like this make those of us with real service dogs look bad and make us have access issues.

 

Do you have a Rolls? Someone I'm close to has a Silver Spur, I forget the year, powder blue (prob'ly not the official color name, LOL). Nice car, very smooth ride and drive (yup, I've driven it before :D).

[sunshine426]

First of all, a big yecchhhhh to the lady in the restaurant...my puppies have better manners, and if they don't we are out of there in no time.

 

quam, thanks for the tips on the smelly fishy flakes! I actually had started mixing it in a bit of canned food and then adding to her kibble. Working good, in fact she watches me mix it up and licks her chops, so I think she has my number!! I will watch the extra calories of course.

 

The itching seems to be broad, not isolated, but do you have any oils or shampoos you would recoment. I expect we need to handle this systemically, not topically, but I'm ready to try anything. I have to say, we might be off for the steroids next week.

[Quampapetet]

Have you had her tested to see what she is allergic to?

 

For shampoo, you'd want to use an oatmeal shampoo made for dogs, which is hypoallergenic. Use that even when your dog isn't having issues, since she is apparently allergic to something. For a topical spray, look for sprays that treat things like hot spots, itchy spots, etc. You might want to try colloidial silver (like "Peace and Kindness" from Chris Christensen). You spray it on the affected areas.

 

Have you looked up holistic/herbal treatments? OnlyNaturalPets.com sells a lot of that kind of stuff. I'm all for western medicine, but some holistic/herbal treatments do have their place, too.

 

Check with your vet before you use anything, of course. Especially holistic/herbal stuff, since they can sometimes interact with other medications/treatments just like real medicines can.

Edited May 2, 2010 by Quampapetet

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Did a post this morning that went poof. Let's try again.

Roz: All I get is a visual of Brenny or Reno standing in the middle of the table, helping themselves to what is on our plates! :eek::eek: The lady (used loosely) must have been, I don't even know what to type.

I work with a teacher that pushes the rules and bends them to her taste. It sure is difficult to teach the kids the "right" thing to do when the teacher doesn't even follow the rules.

Everone have a Sensational Sunday.

Nancy

[wizard-of-roz]

[/b][/color]

 

UGH!!!!!!!! That is definitely uncalled for, rude, etc., etc. :mad:

 

[/b]

 

She is a L-I-A-R!!!!!! :mad:

 

[/b]

 

Absolutely! Even a real service dog can be made to leave if they are a direct threat to the health/safety of the public or if they disrupt the business (the example the DOJ gives is a dog barking in a movie theatre if the handler can't/won't get the dog to stop barking). A reasonable exception to the dog smell rule would be if it was raining out and there was a slight wet dog smell that the owner couldn't help due to the weather that day.

 

 

Maybe they lady just really needed a plate?! :p

 

Really, though, morons like this make those of us with real service dogs look bad and make us have access issues.

 

Do you have a Rolls? Someone I'm close to has a Silver Spur, I forget the year, powder blue (prob'ly not the official color name, LOL). Nice car, very smooth ride and drive (yup, I've driven it before :D).

 

We do, a Silver Cloud.

[Valentine's Mom]

Well ladies, Valentine seems to be getting better. She is having a lot less itching. The rash is less in most areas but I think that I'm going to need a refill on the antibiotic for a couple of the areas, The benedryl is working well. She sleeps all night. I have resorted to coming from the back to her privates for the medicine because it causes her to panic if we try to lay her on her back. She has that squashed in face like a pug and cant' breath very well on a daily basis and her laying on her back is just not worth it. I can get it anotherway. Seems to be woriing, I really don't think that it is a matter of trust though, I can do anythiing I want to her and she doesn't care. She's Mommy's baby!:D Thanks everyone for thinking of her

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Hope every thing is "right" with everyone and that you all are just busy. I know I have been.

Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend.

Nancy

[wizard-of-roz]

Well ladies' date=' Valentine seems to be getting better. She is having a lot less itching. The rash is less in most areas but I think that I'm going to need a refill on the antibiotic for a couple of the areas, The benedryl is working well. She sleeps all night. I have resorted to coming from the back to her privates for the medicine because it causes her to panic if we try to lay her on her back. She has that squashed in face like a pug and cant' breath very well on a daily basis and her laying on her back is just not worth it. I can get it anotherway. Seems to be woriing, I really don't think that it is a matter of trust though, I can do anythiing I want to her and she doesn't care. She's Mommy's baby!:D Thanks everyone for thinking of her[/quote']

 

Barbara: You know your girl the best. I hope she's doing well and you feeling less worried and can enjoy each other more!

[wizard-of-roz]

Mornin' all:

 

Hope every thing is "right" with everyone and that you all are just busy. I know I have been.

 

Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend.

 

Nancy

 

Nancy: You are so right about the "busy" thing. Brenny and I are working on the El Caballero Golf Tournament, which is next Wednesday. It's an entire day and we have 120 men playing golf and coming to dinner. Len Goodman [Dancing With The Stars], Ray Ramano and James Caan are a few of the names at the club, [it's so much fun].

Brenda, of course, is the true "star" of the day. I think everyone gets a bigger kick out of watching her work as much as they do with their golf game.

A few years ago someone won a brand new Mercedes after getting a "hole-in-one". There's lots of other great prizes to be had! In light of all our world's problems......this stuff makes for a wonderful respit from it all!!!!!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone!!!! :)