New corgi owner

[Martha]

Hi, I just rescued a one year old Corgi , spade female, from my local humane society. She is a tri-color, no tail so a Cardigan right? I have owned animals along time but this is my first Corgi. Things are going fairly well and I am really enjoying her. I couldn't believe she was there.I have afew questions. She is very healthy but she has one little "hot spot" on the inside of her left hind hock. Is that common for corgis?. Compared to my other mixed breed dog, her coat seems alittle dry so is it common to give corgis supplements? Biotin, Vitacoat? My vet said she looks great and she has a very sweet temperment. Vet didn't make any recommendations.
Any other little problems to look for in this breed and any advice on health management?

[Jane Austen]

Martha,
You are very lucky that you found a young corgi to rescue. I think you will get a lot of help with your questions from this website. I know little about anything but giving my Duchess lots of love. The breeder I adopted her from as an older dog.( I got her free) told me to feed raw foods and she wanted me to give the dog, a raw egg every week for her coat.
One thing, time and again you will hear is Coris need gentle disipline. As I read comments of other Corgis owners I can see the traits that make my girl so special.
My dog, if left on her own would eat anything. which makes weight management very important. this is common with the breed. Did your vet notice the hot spot on her hock?
What is her name? I find I can identify better with the comments from Corgi parents when I know their pet's names. And feel closely connected to all the Corgis that are regular visitors here. Keep your questions coming.Jane

[Jhemphill]

Congratulation on your new Corgi, if she has no tail she is a Pembroke, Cardigans have a tail. Do you know how long she was at the shelter and where she came from? Pembroke's coat shed water, if she was at the shelter very long, they may have bathed and dipped her and you do not have to bathe Pems very often, their coats seem to shed dirt as well as water. The shelter bathing and dipping products may have been harsh and made her coat dry, I would not worry about this unless it persists after you have taken care of her for a while. I think a good diet and love will make all the difference. As for the hot spot I can not help you with this unless it was caused by products used in her past and or at the shelter. I know from experience that shelter products are sometimes a little harsh, we lived in Guam for about a year and brought our Shih Tzu, now deseased he lived for 16 years, along, he had to stay at a shelter for 4 months for quarintine, the island is rabies free, after we got him out is coat was very dry. If you are concerned you could get a second opinion from another vet. The most talked about issue with Corgi's is weight management,which can be diffucult because they love food and they are so cute you want to give them everything. Over weight Corgi's can have health problems especially with their joints. Do not know if you know this but Corgi's have Dwarfism, so they are essentially big dogs in a small body. I hope you enjoy your Corgi as much as we enjoy ours, his pictures are in the gallery. If you have a picture of your new Corgi, post it in the gallery and let us know. This is a great site and Michael Romanos is a great source of information.

[harleygirl]

Oh, you'll enjoy every minute with your new corgi. I know when I got mine I was thrilled. They are smart little dogs and great friends. Good Luck!!!

[Michael Romanos]

Hi Martha
Your intro to Corgis is perhaps not the ideal but it will do.
Your joining GoCorgis is a positive response and you can glean some info through this membership.
A Corgis coat texture is what he/she eats and the type of bathing he/she gets.

Jane's raw food diet is superior to a kibble-only regime and is much more palatable to dogs. But premium kibble does contain useful vitamins and other supplements. So I recommend a composit diet.

At one year old, your Corgi may have been neglected in getting sufficient calcium - which is a real major food component for Corgis, and so I would recommend you getting her calcium tablets or powder as an addition for the next six months.

The breeder of Duchess recommendation for raw eggs may need to be modified. I believe the white of the egg is counter-productive to dogs and therefore when giving a dog an egg - which are very good for dogs and I certainly give Taylor an egg occasionally - it should be cooked - boiled, scrambled, poached - and in this way the white of the egg is fine for dogs to consume. If Jane wishes, I could present her with a full explanation regarding raw eggs.

Corgis can be bathed once a month or even once every three weeks - it certainly is a great help in minimizing their loose hairs. But the major factor in this is in using good quality shampoo. Martha's Corgi may have been subject to second or third rate shampoo or a kind of disinfecting wash which dries the dog's coat, spunging out all the goodness from it. Other factors with Corgis coats is the thickness of the coat and the climate. Thicker coats tend to have less gleam and arid, hot climates such as what you have in Texas, Florida etc do a Corgis coat no favours.

The best thing you can do for your new Corgi is join a Corgi club nearest you and go and visit experienced Corgis owners. Visual and personal contact is what you need for the best masnagement of your girl.

[Martha]

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts. My Corgi's name is Sady and is doing very well. I found an nice oatmeal shampoo and gave her a bath which helped alot and her hot spot has healed. Her coats seems to be improving. I know what you mean about the appetite!. We have been careful with the food - no dinner scraps but I will look on this website and get more diet ideas. Interesting bit about the eggs. She is settling in with my older dog and they are getting to be good pals. Sharing their beds and dog bones and playing. We are really enjoying her. She has made herself right at home.I am excited to learn more about handling them. I look forward to more posts.

[Martha]

Originally Posted by Martha

Thanks everyone for all of your thoughts. My Corgi's name is Sady and is doing very well. I found an nice oatmeal shampoo and gave her a bath which helped alot and her hot spot has healed. Her coats seems to be improving. I know what you mean about the appetite!. We have been careful with the food - no dinner scraps but I will look on this website and get more diet ideas. Interesting bit about the eggs. She is settling in with my older dog and they are getting to be good pals. Sharing their beds and dog bones and playing. We are really enjoying her. She has made herself right at home.I am excited to learn more about handling them. I look forward to more posts.

By the way today is Sady's birthday!!! What a great Valentine's day it is.