Our Floyd is 14.5, so we knew we didn’t have years left but now his time has arrived I am utterly heartbroken. A constant loyal friend by our side for so long through ups and downs and 3 different countries.
Vet found an aggressive tumor on his spleen that’s apparently common in our vizsla’s? Tomorrow will be a really hard day. I’m glad I found this group so I can look through pics of younger ginger nutters driving their parents crazy!
Specifically around the puppy age. I’m planning for my first vizsla next year and I have a lot of house plants, they are my babies and will be sad if I have to get rid of them. Of course that’s what I will do if that’s what it comes down to. But just curious how your vizslas are around house plants or garden plants?
A prolonged, silent expression of disapproval, suspicion, or judgment delivered entirely through the eyes.
Vizsla: A particularly effective form of stink eye in which the dog sits perfectly still and stares at its human with a mixture of disappointment, disbelief, and mild contempt—usually because dinner is late, a walk has not occurred, or the human has otherwise failed to meet established Vizsla standards.
See also: side-eye; judgment; betrayal; “I cannot believe you are my person.”
Example: Bosch gave Gerry the stink eye after judging that whatever Gerry was doing was clearly less important than attending to Bosch.
I've done my research, of course, but some things you only learn from owning a breed it seems! For example, I have a toller and only learned after getting him that they notoriously vomit randomly...
Hi! We're wondering if we've got it right with our crate etc. for our puppy.
We've purchased a large crate so it will last until our puppy is fully house trained and can be left alone without a crate. Its currently in our bedroom next to my side of the bed, we have a blanket covering the top/sides so it creates a nice and secure area for him.
Is this the right approach? We don't have a crate downstairs, but he does have another bed he can use, although he always sleeps on or next to us when we're downstairs.
We're just wondering if this is right? Should we be keeping the crate downstairs at all times? Or moving it downstairs during the day (I hope not).
He's been with us for 4-days and every night its bed time, he whines for a good 10-15 minutes before settling down and sleeping, based on what I've read so far this is normal. However, if we leave him alone in the crate during the day to pop out, he just cries and cries.
I have recently starting my journey to adopting a Vizsla puppy! I am looking for some more nuanced tips from actual owners with experience with the breed. I did have a lab who passed a couple of years ago but from my research they seem like they are going to be two very different experiences.
For some context the puppies are not born yet so once they are we will be arranging visitation with the breeder so we can get familiar with our new puppy who we plan to be a boy. We're an household (two 50 year-olds and a 20 year-old), we've got a decent sized garden with astro turf but lots of grass in our neighbourhood, and are a pretty active family (enjoy long walks/runs and LOVE paddleboarding).
Any advice on training, behaviour, quirks would be super appreciated!
My WHV has Lyme nephritis. He's 5 years 6 months old and until this month I thought he was going to be with me for the better part of another decade. If he makes it through September it will be a miracle.
As a hunting dog in Michigan my dog is regularly exposed to dog ticks (not carriers) and deer ticks (carriers). I've removed countless ticks from him, the vast majority un-attached. A few ticks have been forcefully removed. Sometimes I would find dead attached ticks. I've found less than 5 ticks that appear to have actually fed on him. His first year he was on topical flea and tick and since then oral flea and tick.
3 years ago Boomer tested positive for Lyme antibodies during his annual checkup. At the time of testing he had no symptoms. The Vet explained that most dogs have no symptoms and can fight the bacteria naturally. They offered to give him a Lyme vaccine. I asked follow up questions about if that made sense since he already antibodies to fight it. I ended up getting him the shot, thinking it couldn't hurt. I wish I would have asked more follow up questions when the Vet said there is a tiny chance that he may develop a fatal kidney disease. No one asked me if I wanted a standard urinalysis that checks for protein in the urine, known as proteinuria, which is an early warning sign that the kidneys are leaking protein due to the infection. No one suggested that it might be a good idea to check his kidney function as a matter of routine. No one explained that by the time he shows obvious symptoms the prognosis is days to weeks.
2 years ago during his spring check up Boomer again tested positive for Lyme antibodies. The Vet once again explained no surprise or cause for concern, we knew this. Boomer was a lean muscle machine and appeared to be much healthier than the average dog. The Vet tech asked if I wanted to run blood tests for his organ function liver, spleen. I had old dogs before and did this for the last few years of their lives in an attempt to catch stuff early. No need for Boomer I thought, he's 3 and healthy. This test would not have checked kidney function. No one asked me if I wanted a standard urinalysis that checks for protein.
Boomer on point 2025
June 5, 2026 Boomer had his annual check up, same Lyme discussion as the previous 2 years. I did mention he gets tired quicker than normal for him. He has got some digestive issues. I'm purposely not letting training him in water assuming that is the cause, Vet agrees that makes sense. He's still able to run fast and goes on long hikes but doesn't sustain as long as he used to. No one asked me if I wanted a standard urinalysis for protein. During his vet appointment I happened to take a picture of him because I thought it was funny how he was sniffing under the door trying to figure out what was going on with all those smells on the other side. I think he still looks normal here (look at those giant hams!):
June 5 trying to sniff the dog on the other side of the door
A couple of videos from July, he continues to have digestive issues and is looking a little skinnier:
August 3, 2026 Back to the vet because he isn't right and I need them to check more. Heart worm, blood work, fecal parasite tests all ok. He gets probiotic for digestive issues. No suggestion of urinalysis. He also was doing a weird shaking thing, I took a video while waiting for the Vet:
August 18, 5 mile hike with swim in middle. He's still not himself as far as stamina but we're having fun and need to stay in shape for the upcoming hunting season!
August 20, 2 mile hike. I notice he suddenly has a pop belly. I call the Vet and make an appointment while on the walk. I get a Saturday appointment (2 days). I still don't think it's an emergency. I'm thinking he's got an intestinal parasite that will get cleared up quickly.
August 22 (Saturday). Vet sees him and suggests he has something very wrong with him. They take x rays and he has fluid in his abdomen and lung cavity. The vet thinks he has a heart issue. They call around to the local ERs to see if a cardiologist can see him with no luck. I decided to drive him to the Michigan State University (MSU) Vet school ER. The ER vet hears his symptoms and looks at his history and explains what Lyme nephritis is and suggests that he is likely in late stages will need to run more tests and stabilize him. He will be admitted to Internal Medicine on Monday.
He spent most of the week in the ICU. We visited him throughout the week. The MSU vets were great. He puffed up full of water due to his kidneys not working the way they should. Basically the water was going everywhere it shouldn't and not going where it should.
August 27. We are able to take him home. The vet said it might be 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months. He's got several pills he's taking to help him be comfortable in his final days. He's getting regularly cooked meals and lots of love. He's not up for fetch, or I should say he is but it takes too much out of him too quickly. We play catch instead. I can whip the tennis ball at his mouth from 10 feet away and he still has the reaction time to snag it.
August 31. The meds have cleared out the water weight and what is left is shocking little muscle. He appears to be aging years in days. He's at my feet as I type this. We are doing our best to not mourn him while he is still with us. I decided to write this for anyone else whose dog tested positive so they might catch it earlier and get a better prognosis. I knew it would be a lot more difficult to do this after he is gone.
Miss Indy Jones, 14.5 y/o, my vicious Hungarian Barbarian, my sweet cinnamon roll, my sneaky ginger ninja. Sleeping a lot more these days, but still manages to steal my heart every day.
So far so good! She's mouthier than any puppy I've had and likes to eat the inedible more than any puppy I've had too lol. So sassy so far! A lot of personality for being so small!
Nicknamed her grumblina because she grumbles when she's trying to sleep if we move or make any noise 😂 but her actual name is Velvet
I am writing this with a completely broken heart and looking for some perspective, support, or insight from anyone who has been through something similar.
Ten days after our Vizsla was castrated, a devastating incident occurred. Up until this point, he had never shown a single ounce of aggression. He was my first baby and got me through some of the hardest times in my life. Following his procedure, we were very careful to keep him rested and separated from our toddler. Our vet even checked him out and said he was healing perfectly.
One evening, my husband and I were cleaning up after dinner in our somewhat cramped kitchen area. Our toddler was hanging out near us. Suddenly, we heard our son cry out. I turned around and saw blood—his chin had been bitten. Our dog immediately ran to his own designated space. We didn't even realize the dog had walked into the kitchen behind us, and we don't know if our son accidentally stepped on him, startled him, or triggered him in some way.
We called emergency services, and my son had to get stitches under anesthesia by a surgeon. It was a severe bite and an absolute nightmare.
Because of the severity, we had to follow local protocols. Our dog was sent to a professional behavior campus for a two-week evaluation. Interestingly, the staff there tried to trigger him, but he was completely non-reactive. They couldn't give us a definitive answer as to why it happened, but the woman running the campus strongly advised that he needs to be in a home without children.
My husband insisted on rehoming him for our son's safety, and we found a wonderful home with people who love the breed and have owned Vizslas before.
Even though he is in a safe place, I am struggling to cope. I want my boy back so badly. I keep wondering if the sudden hormonal shift from the castration caused this, or if he was in pain (he has a history of ear infections, though he wasn't showing obvious signs).
Has anyone experienced a sudden, severe behavioral change post-neuter? How do you cope with the guilt and heartbreak of rehoming a dog you love so deeply to protect your child?
I know he's already running a hundred miles an hour after birds of all feathers. Looking over our family and protecting us like he did down here.
He was my first dog, a sensitive companion who usually knew how I was feeling before I did. He helped me grow up, saw me set down roots and start a family.
We'll miss him lots but know he lived an amazing life and he'll be in our hearts forever.
And we are absolutely in love. We got Max 5 days ago after his original owners (a retired business partner and his wife) realized he needed more exercise and support than they could provide.
Two days after hearing about him and his family, I flew from New England to FL and back in one day to bring Max home. He rode in the cabin with me and handled the trip incredibly.
He is acclimating so well, and we’re so ready to give him his best life, with all of the opportunity he needs to become a little gentleman.
I’d love any first time purebred advice, from training to joining local clubs to identifying the best schedule to set him up on.
We’re currently on a 4 meal a day schedule, 1/2 cup of grain free high protein kibble at 7am, 11, 3, and 7pm. Between meals we’re running outside, PR reward training, and working on some peanut butter puppy puzzles between naps.
Max is not fixed, and I’ve been getting mixed feedback from friends and family irl vs. the subreddit- most people I’ve spoken to suggest fixing him before he reaches a year, but I’ve read the feedback about postponing until 18-24 months to support bone density growth. If you have experience with a male vizsla regarding behavior and timeline pros and cons, it would be so appreciated.
My last immediate question is about crate training- we were originally told he was crate trained, and then when I picked him up I learned he has been sleeping in the bed since they first got him (around 10 weeks old). We chose to let him sleep with us the first few nights to get accustomed to the new space, and now I feel like I need to make a firm decision on how we move forward with our standards. Any anecdotal advice for crate sleeping versus bed sleeping would be so appreciated- I know it’s a critical time to establish our routine, and I’m unsure if I should go with the previous owners methods or if he would be better off with adjustment while his new environment is still fresh.
Thank you in advance for any general or specific advice!!
We used a 30ft long line for the first time with our 10 month old out by some river farmland. Her verbal recall is still hit or miss but she has great whistle recall. Excited to practice more to give her some responsibility and extended leeway. She was so happy!
Taku says: Someone said that around 2 years I’ll start calming down…and my humans believed it. Hahaha jokes on everyone - I’m just getting started.
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My kids and I had a fun time making a doggy cake to celebrate this crazy boy. He also got a two hr hike in the morning to smell the smells and chase the birds. Wouldn’t have it any other way! I wasn’t sure I wanted another dog but then we got him 2 years and he helped me heal after I lost my soul dog of almost 15 years in May. He was meant to be for me 💜
My brown boy (10yrs) has this scaling on his elbows. It’s concerning to me. It’s also on his chest. Has anyone seen this before? I’m trying to not panic and jump the gun on an emergency vet appointment. Just trying to reach out to the community for a little info. thanks!
