Hello,

Up until 2 days ago, I had a 9yr old and 8yr old Boxer. My 9yr boxer passed away and now my 8yr is extremely depressed. She broke out with hives the first day and is doing better now, but just moops around.

Is it too early to introduce a new best friend to her. Should I consider an older dog or a puppy?

She is so depressed, that I stayed home from work with her - to keep her company... please advise.

Thank you. Skatula

Im sorry about your dog. I think it may be a little soon to introduce a new friend. She needs some time to heal and she may become resentful towards this other dog at this sensitive time in her life. Im not sure about whether to introduce her to an older dog or puppy. Puppy sounds like a good idea to me but I would wait until your doggie seems to be feeling better.

Thank you for your quick reply. We have had this one since she was 12 weeks old, so she has never been without her "best friend".

I'll wait a few weeks to see how she recovers.

Again, thank you.

Skatula

http://www.sniksnak.com/ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Please check out the link above, which specializes in dogs and cats - and includes almost everything you want to know, if they can't help, they'll refer you to other sites.

Just as we need time for mourning, your 'baby' also needs this time, just give the love you always have and help her accept the loss better through this love.

I doubt a puppy is the way to go. Most dogs past the age of 3 don't care for puppy biting games. Over Thanksgiving I had my 12 year old Lab, her mother, a 12 year old male Golden, and our 9 week old Lab, Nita. The Golden did play some with Nita, but the 2 Labs wanted nothing to do with her sharp teeth. The 3 older dogs have visited all their lives, but didn't seem to play much together. Maybe I should have seen if they enjoyed competing at fetch, they used to.

Unless your Boxers were more playful than most older dogs, I would look at at least a 3 year old. There are many nice older dogs needing a home, some of them even registered pure breds. Try www.petfinder.com or http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

It is hard to say if you and your other dog are ready for another dog. My Aster and her mother didn't seem pay much attention to each other, but may have enjoyed being together. In the past, they did play together long after they quit playing much with other dogs. Your dog could resent a stranger coming into the house too. A neutered male might be the best choice.

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Originally Posted by skatula

Hello,

Up until 2 days ago, I had a 9yr old and 8yr old Boxer. My 9yr boxer passed away and now my 8yr is extremely depressed. She broke out with hives the first day and is doing better now, but just moops around.

Is it too early to introduce a new best friend to her. Should I consider an older dog or a puppy?

She is so depressed, that I stayed home from work with her - to keep her company... please advise.

Thank you. Skatula

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Take her out to a pet store, where there are other dogs. You will see how she reacts to another dog around.
Dogs do get depressed, and then, believe it or not, it can cause serious illnesses. I witnessed it myself on my friend's dog. He started developing back problems, decrease of appetite.
It is nice to go to a group dog training session to see how your dog interacts with the others. But definatelly, bringing a new puppy would be a good idea. Your dog is used to having a company, it would be harder on him if he is left by himself now.