I just recently adopted a new westie male, and he came with a set of problems (besides being a male…).
He has breathing problems, so when he is excited or tired, he sounds like a train. Another problem is his bite. Because of a gap between upper and lower jaw, his tongue is always sticking out, which makes him drool a lot. My wife hates it cause then we need to clean up the floor twice a day.
Is there anything I can do to help him, or any surgery that can make his bite better?
Gee, I guess I’m lucky my wife doesn’t want to toss my ass out on the street for those exact same faults!
You should definitely get the breathing issue looked at. He may have a heart condition, so test him for heartworm.
As for surgery, if it’s just so you won’t have to clean the floor twice a day, then don’t do it. There’s only a small chance it would be as successful as you would want anyway, in my experience.
the question has also to do with him being always drinking litters of water, which is quite different from my other westie.
As for the heartworm, I think he got checked by a vet before coming to my place (he has vaccines record, chip, tag, etc…) so, as the person who gave me the dog told us, he has probably some birth defect… it doesn’t seem to cause him any trouble, as he is quite active…
Just take him to a vet and find out. Excessive drinking could indicate a kidney problem, among many other serious ailments. Vets are cheap here, and the longer you wait, the more difficult the problem will become to treat - and the more expensive.
And a vaccine record would in no way guarantee that your dog has been tested for and given regular preventives for heartworm. If he’s not been getting a preventive at least every six weeks over the summer, there is a very good chance that he does indeed have heartworm. The test is simple and costs about NT$500.
My dog’s tongue also hangs out most of the time, but he only drools in the summer, and it’s only a cleaning ‘problem’ in the summer, so within the next month it will stop. His tongue will still stick out, but the drooling will be less. Please also remeber it’s hot and it’s summer. We consume a lot more water in the summer and so do our dogs. I have to give my dogs a bigger bowl for water in the summer.
I just make it comparing it to the female westie. Anyone knows a good vet in Yilan County?
Perhaps prior to your adoption, he lived in an apartment with a bunch of smokers since puppyhood. The second-hand smoke would have weakened his lungs during the development process. Hence the panting and gasping from over-exertion. Just an idea. 