Torn between 2 dogs...

Hello everyone. I have a situation that I will try to make short, but need some advise.. We have lived at our current residence 8 yrs now. After 2 months of moving in my husband brought home a chocolate lab/beagle mix dog we call Jake.He was 9 months at the time. Jake has had to be tied up always for he never stays in the yard.. I mean the minute you release the chain he is off like a bolt of lightening.. He has been loved by me very much... Everyday 4-5 times a day I always had to yell out the window to be quiet because all he did was bark and want to be brought up to the porch , in which I usually did.. He was very active and lively..

Well 2 weeks ago my son was washing his truck and this pup ( pretty big in size) came running to him and would not leave. no one claimed him so he is here with us.. I could not put him in a shelter.. He is so lively and does not have to be put on a chain.. stays right in the yard without being trained.. he is coal black in color and eats everything in sight.. Something my other dog never did. This new dog ( buddy) bites my dog all over and Jake use to fight back to stand his ground, but now Jake is making this awful sound like coughing and within 2 weeks he has gotten fatter and will not jump on top of his dog house to bark at me , nor does he want to play.. BUT the new dog ( buddy) is making the same sound.. like they have a bad cold or something is stuck in their throats. Jake has stuff coming out of his nose.. white in color..

Is Jake jealous and just giving up with life.. because that is what it looks like.. I am taking him to the vet friday, but want to know about 2 males dogs bonding and sharing a yard.. Sorry this is so long, but I just want my dog jake to feel better. but yet Buddy is just a pup and someone let him go on his own and I want to give him a good home.. OH what do I do..?? thank you all for listening..

It's called kennel cough and the younger dog gave it to your older dog. If he's got green goo coming out his nose and is lethargic then you had better head him in to the vet. If you say he is giving up that means he's not fighting it well. You won't have until friday if the green goo doesn't continue to drip. Also take his temperature... anything over 39.9 is serious as a secondary infection is starting. Hope he gets well soon.

Thank you, but the goo is white not green... and that sounds about right that the other dog ( buddy) gave it to him.. Do you think the weather has anything to do with it. I mean one day it is in the 70's and the very next day it is snowing here.. weather has been crazy..

The color is irrelevent, both dogs have kennel cough and need to be seen by a vet immediately, it has nothing to do with the weather. As for bonding, I would seriously recommend you get both dogs into obedience training and neutered (if they aren't already) so you have some measure of control over the both of them. That way too you may be able to bring them both in the house rather than leaving them chained outside.

I suggest you bring both of them to the vet ASAP. The younger dog should have been brought to the vet the minute your son took him in. There's no telling what kind of disease a wandering dog could have picked up. Your older dog may have already been ill, since (I'm gathering from your post) he's outside all the time. You wouldn't have noticed him getting ill as quickly as you would have if he was an indoor dog. So there's no telling who gave what to whom. Take them both to the vet and have them both checked over thoroughly.

Once they're both healthy, then you can tackle the behaviour issues. It will probably change once they're both feeling like their normal selves again.

Are they both neutered? If not, you need to have it done ASAP, or you just might have some serious dog fights on your hands when they're both feeling better and when the younger one matures.

Hope this helps. Let us know how your boys are doing.

While I see several issues in this thread, the relevent issue is that both dogs need to see a vet.