Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Making Note
Airlie had her annual vaccinations shortly following her first birthday-
and proceeded to have a reaction to them.
I knew it was possible, but have never experienced any issues with any other pet under such circumstances.
I knew the egg-sized, warm-to-the-touch knot in the muscle below her shoulder blade wasn't any more of a concern than the same knot I received from a tetanus shot many years ago. I knew babies often had swelling, pain and fever at injection sites associated to their vaccinations. I just didn't like it. Most people aren't aware that, unlike people, animal vaccines are not administered based on the size of the animal. Every animal, no matter how big or small, receives the same dosage. Reactions are common, and sometimes life-threatening.
In Airlie's case, it took a week but the knot slowly grew smaller, day by day, until it was finally gone. The day after her vet visit she wasn't her crazy, energetic-to-the-point-of-trying-everyone's-patience self. She took the morning walk in stride, but seemed to be moving slower. Probably because of the pain in her shoulder. After that, she walked over to the toy box, stared at the toys, then went to lie down when normally she would spend a few minutes ferrying each toy to her pillow first, til she had them all neatly arranged according to her preferences. She yelped any time Kansas or Leo would initiate play and then grasp her neck with their teeth.
It's all behind us now, but something to keep in mind for next time. At least at the moment we are living in a county that accepts the 3-year term for vaccines, rather than them being a yearly requirement.
and proceeded to have a reaction to them.
I knew it was possible, but have never experienced any issues with any other pet under such circumstances.
I knew the egg-sized, warm-to-the-touch knot in the muscle below her shoulder blade wasn't any more of a concern than the same knot I received from a tetanus shot many years ago. I knew babies often had swelling, pain and fever at injection sites associated to their vaccinations. I just didn't like it. Most people aren't aware that, unlike people, animal vaccines are not administered based on the size of the animal. Every animal, no matter how big or small, receives the same dosage. Reactions are common, and sometimes life-threatening.
In Airlie's case, it took a week but the knot slowly grew smaller, day by day, until it was finally gone. The day after her vet visit she wasn't her crazy, energetic-to-the-point-of-trying-everyone's-patience self. She took the morning walk in stride, but seemed to be moving slower. Probably because of the pain in her shoulder. After that, she walked over to the toy box, stared at the toys, then went to lie down when normally she would spend a few minutes ferrying each toy to her pillow first, til she had them all neatly arranged according to her preferences. She yelped any time Kansas or Leo would initiate play and then grasp her neck with their teeth.
It's all behind us now, but something to keep in mind for next time. At least at the moment we are living in a county that accepts the 3-year term for vaccines, rather than them being a yearly requirement.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
41.5 lbs
Though I did see 42.6 on the scale briefly. She just wouldn't sit still long enough to confirm it.
Next month Airlie goes for her annual check up and vaccinations. Technically, she's not due for anything til November, but I like to keep these things scheduled with their birthdays and since Airlie will be a year old on her estimated birth date of September first, I want to go ahead and get it done.
Can you believe it? One year already!
Where has the time gone?
Next month Airlie goes for her annual check up and vaccinations. Technically, she's not due for anything til November, but I like to keep these things scheduled with their birthdays and since Airlie will be a year old on her estimated birth date of September first, I want to go ahead and get it done.
Can you believe it? One year already!
Where has the time gone?
Bleeds Like Stink!
Head wounds.
Airlie finally pushed Kansas too far about two weeks ago, and instead of being able to dash out of reach quickly, she found herself backed up to a wall. That's when Kansas moved in for the muzzle grab. The major reprimand of the canine world. Leo's been employing this on Airlie a few times, lately, and I've seen him do it once on Hank (that was the first time I'd seen Leo actually buck up and mete out any disciplinary action). He's gentler, though, and even though he's bigger, he's not much of a chewer and Kansas seems to have greater bite force strength.
Kansas might also not really know how to inhibit her bites. She left a nice puncture just below and to the left of Airlie's left eye.
We didn't notice it at first. As usual, there was a small skirmish, a bit of yelping, and both went right back to playing as they had been moments before. Once tired, they went off to their respective resting places.
That's when DH noticed the blood splatter.
Everywhere.
He says it was a lot of blood- I think it was just spread out. I mean, they went racing all about the living room, and even into the bedroom, after the encounter, which took place in the entry way.
Once DH announced "Someone's bleeding!" I glanced down at my feet, where Airlie lay.
Ah. The thumbprint-sized puddle of blood on her snout- here was the culprit.
DH panicked (as usual) and started grabbing cloths and applying pressure, though to me it looked like the wound was already clotting just fine on it's own. He continued to apply pressure- and repeatedly examine the cloth, and rave about the blood. I refrained from reminding him it was a white cloth and that wetness tends to spread outward as it is absorbed. I really was all for leaving it alone, but he insisted I go get the styptic pencil we keep in the doggy-specific first aid kit for such things, and proceeded to close the wound with that. Then he decided Airlie should be kept still (good luck with that) for the next couple of days.
I felt useless, so I set about wiping up the already-dried blood spatter droplets around me.
DH took stock of the bedroom, the entry way, the far end of the living room... it was on the tile, on the walls, on the carpet...
Again, I'm going to reiterate that there was a whole lot of running and rough-housing going on and that a little bit of blood can go a long way when it's being flung about.
She never even knew she was hurt. It swelled a bit the first day, which seemed to interfere with her vision and stability some, and made her look cross-eyed, but she's been fine. It's been 10 days and the styptic powder finally worked its way loose. this morning, I noticed a small, pink, bald gash where the wound used to be.
I'm sure she's fine.
Airlie finally pushed Kansas too far about two weeks ago, and instead of being able to dash out of reach quickly, she found herself backed up to a wall. That's when Kansas moved in for the muzzle grab. The major reprimand of the canine world. Leo's been employing this on Airlie a few times, lately, and I've seen him do it once on Hank (that was the first time I'd seen Leo actually buck up and mete out any disciplinary action). He's gentler, though, and even though he's bigger, he's not much of a chewer and Kansas seems to have greater bite force strength.
Kansas might also not really know how to inhibit her bites. She left a nice puncture just below and to the left of Airlie's left eye.
We didn't notice it at first. As usual, there was a small skirmish, a bit of yelping, and both went right back to playing as they had been moments before. Once tired, they went off to their respective resting places.
That's when DH noticed the blood splatter.
Everywhere.
He says it was a lot of blood- I think it was just spread out. I mean, they went racing all about the living room, and even into the bedroom, after the encounter, which took place in the entry way.
Once DH announced "Someone's bleeding!" I glanced down at my feet, where Airlie lay.
Ah. The thumbprint-sized puddle of blood on her snout- here was the culprit.
DH panicked (as usual) and started grabbing cloths and applying pressure, though to me it looked like the wound was already clotting just fine on it's own. He continued to apply pressure- and repeatedly examine the cloth, and rave about the blood. I refrained from reminding him it was a white cloth and that wetness tends to spread outward as it is absorbed. I really was all for leaving it alone, but he insisted I go get the styptic pencil we keep in the doggy-specific first aid kit for such things, and proceeded to close the wound with that. Then he decided Airlie should be kept still (good luck with that) for the next couple of days.
I felt useless, so I set about wiping up the already-dried blood spatter droplets around me.
DH took stock of the bedroom, the entry way, the far end of the living room... it was on the tile, on the walls, on the carpet...
Again, I'm going to reiterate that there was a whole lot of running and rough-housing going on and that a little bit of blood can go a long way when it's being flung about.
She never even knew she was hurt. It swelled a bit the first day, which seemed to interfere with her vision and stability some, and made her look cross-eyed, but she's been fine. It's been 10 days and the styptic powder finally worked its way loose. this morning, I noticed a small, pink, bald gash where the wound used to be.
I'm sure she's fine.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
First Overnight Stay Without the "Parents"
Airlie recently spent her first week at my parents' house, with Kansas and Leo, without me & DH. Despite my worries (she would jump on the little kids, she would mouth their hands & arms, she would escape from the yard & get lost...) she did very well.
She only shredded one plant, and while it made a mess, my parents concurred that it was a plant that needed some "grooming", anyway.
I was there with them for the last half of Tuesday & first half of Wednesday. Niece2 helped me feed the dogs Tuesday afternoon. They didn't seem to mind that she stood in their midst, pouring food into their bowls and setting them down in front of each of them. She even pet them while they ate (which I put a stop to after the initial patting) without incident. Mom says Nephew helped Dad feed them all a few times after that, also without incident.
Airlie didn't jump on any of the kids. Mom made sure to tell her to "sit" before she ever had a chance, and she complied beautifully. She didn't bite or mouth anybody -apparently she just saves that for us. I can't believe how persistent she is with this. I have figured out that she's doing it to us the same way she would initiate play with Kansas, she just doesn't seem to grasp that you DON'T put your teeth on ANY PEOPLE, whether you're inviting play or not. At least she seems to be able to differentiate between the people she should/shouldn't do it to, and she seems to discern the time when/when not to.
She and Hank had a blast playing together, wearing each other out. She's respectful of Jax & Mollie, played with Kansas (as usual) and probably bugged Leo (as usual), too. She loved being out in the backyard, lazing on the patio, etc... and didn't mind not being indoors all the time (like they are at home) at all. She even went to bed and didn't need a nighttime potty break (she still goes out one more time before we go to sleep here).
Mom said she walked right over to Nephew, at one point, laid down at his feet and rolled over, wanting her tummy rubbed.
Nephew's report for the whole weekend was "I love Airlie. Airlie reminds me of Bolt. I want to watch Bolt now. Airlie and Hank are my best friends."
She only shredded one plant, and while it made a mess, my parents concurred that it was a plant that needed some "grooming", anyway.
I was there with them for the last half of Tuesday & first half of Wednesday. Niece2 helped me feed the dogs Tuesday afternoon. They didn't seem to mind that she stood in their midst, pouring food into their bowls and setting them down in front of each of them. She even pet them while they ate (which I put a stop to after the initial patting) without incident. Mom says Nephew helped Dad feed them all a few times after that, also without incident.
Airlie didn't jump on any of the kids. Mom made sure to tell her to "sit" before she ever had a chance, and she complied beautifully. She didn't bite or mouth anybody -apparently she just saves that for us. I can't believe how persistent she is with this. I have figured out that she's doing it to us the same way she would initiate play with Kansas, she just doesn't seem to grasp that you DON'T put your teeth on ANY PEOPLE, whether you're inviting play or not. At least she seems to be able to differentiate between the people she should/shouldn't do it to, and she seems to discern the time when/when not to.
She and Hank had a blast playing together, wearing each other out. She's respectful of Jax & Mollie, played with Kansas (as usual) and probably bugged Leo (as usual), too. She loved being out in the backyard, lazing on the patio, etc... and didn't mind not being indoors all the time (like they are at home) at all. She even went to bed and didn't need a nighttime potty break (she still goes out one more time before we go to sleep here).
Mom said she walked right over to Nephew, at one point, laid down at his feet and rolled over, wanting her tummy rubbed.
Nephew's report for the whole weekend was "I love Airlie. Airlie reminds me of Bolt. I want to watch Bolt now. Airlie and Hank are my best friends."
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Slept Through the Night!
Normally, the final pit stop of the day is around 7:30 or 8:00pm, then the dogs are crated for the night. Airlie will usually want/need to go out again sometime around 10:00 or 10:30, depending on when DH and I turn off the TV. Even if she's sleeping, she'll get up when I get up for my own final potty break, ready to go out.
Last night it was 10:45 and she was still sound asleep. DH even got up and sat by her crate, petting her. She didn't want to get up! So, we left her. It's the first time she's gone a full 12 hours without emptying her bladder! She's 9 months old now, so she's right on course for that sort of thing, though I never really expect it until they are at least a full year old. The rule of thumb is that they can be expected to "hold it" for one hour per month they are old, plus an additional hour. 9 months old + 10 hours, and so on... It's just a generalization. Some puppies need more frequent potty breaks while others can hold it for longer periods from a very young age. It depends on the dog. Still, this is the adage I have always followed and it has always served me well. That way you don't expect too much from your pup, or overburden them. We've known for a long time that she's always shown signs of being mature for her age in most areas (in others she's very much still a puppy and we always have to keep that fact at the front of our minds).
Against my wishes, DH has been leaving her loose in the house for the 10 minutes or so that he goes out running in the mornings. Then there was the time he left her uncrated when he was leaving to run and errand and I was on my way home from work. In his mind "it was only going to be 30 minutes..." What he didn't know was that I had planned to run errands of my own after work and did NOT intend to come straight home- though rushing straight home is exactly what I did when he informed me of the inconsiderate thing he'd done. No errands for me that day. Didn't even get to use my coupon for free eggs before it expired. *grumble, grumble, grumble some more* She did fine, of course, it's not like there's anything she can hurt. We don't have any furniture and the floor is tile. Still, I was kinda wishing she would have at least chewed up the cord to the power supply for his laptop.
Saturday our neighbors had a barbecue, and since we were going to be right across the street, we just left all 3 of the dogs in the house. I checked on them twice, at about 90-minute intervals. Airlie managed that without incident. In a few short months DH will go back to work, and Airlie will be a year old and ready to be left uncrated while I'm at work in the mornings.
Last night it was 10:45 and she was still sound asleep. DH even got up and sat by her crate, petting her. She didn't want to get up! So, we left her. It's the first time she's gone a full 12 hours without emptying her bladder! She's 9 months old now, so she's right on course for that sort of thing, though I never really expect it until they are at least a full year old. The rule of thumb is that they can be expected to "hold it" for one hour per month they are old, plus an additional hour. 9 months old + 10 hours, and so on... It's just a generalization. Some puppies need more frequent potty breaks while others can hold it for longer periods from a very young age. It depends on the dog. Still, this is the adage I have always followed and it has always served me well. That way you don't expect too much from your pup, or overburden them. We've known for a long time that she's always shown signs of being mature for her age in most areas (in others she's very much still a puppy and we always have to keep that fact at the front of our minds).
Against my wishes, DH has been leaving her loose in the house for the 10 minutes or so that he goes out running in the mornings. Then there was the time he left her uncrated when he was leaving to run and errand and I was on my way home from work. In his mind "it was only going to be 30 minutes..." What he didn't know was that I had planned to run errands of my own after work and did NOT intend to come straight home- though rushing straight home is exactly what I did when he informed me of the inconsiderate thing he'd done. No errands for me that day. Didn't even get to use my coupon for free eggs before it expired. *grumble, grumble, grumble some more* She did fine, of course, it's not like there's anything she can hurt. We don't have any furniture and the floor is tile. Still, I was kinda wishing she would have at least chewed up the cord to the power supply for his laptop.
Saturday our neighbors had a barbecue, and since we were going to be right across the street, we just left all 3 of the dogs in the house. I checked on them twice, at about 90-minute intervals. Airlie managed that without incident. In a few short months DH will go back to work, and Airlie will be a year old and ready to be left uncrated while I'm at work in the mornings.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
A Little Under the Weather
Woke mommy up at 6am with diarrhea. Seem to be running a bit of fever today. Not enough to slow me down much, maybe I'm a little bit subdued... I haven't been anywhere but in the house and in my own backyard, so it has to be something I ate out in the yard- or maybe too much of that elk antler all at once. Kansas and I made short work of it this past week. Mom bought 3 of them, but, of course, we took turns gnawing down the smallest one.
Nobody else is feeling icky, so Mom thinks it will pass soon.
Nobody else is feeling icky, so Mom thinks it will pass soon.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Improvements
Weighed in at the vet on Friday- 8 months old and 34lbs.
Also, dare I say that the bald patches have completely grown in and (after two bouts) we just might be over the puppy mange?
Also, dare I say that the bald patches have completely grown in and (after two bouts) we just might be over the puppy mange?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Getting Better
Last weekend we had a major road trip. 7 hours to Okmulgee, OK and back. That's twice as far as the drive to my parents' house. Airlie's first big trip!
I dosed her with Rescue Remedy before we got in the car. She drooled a bit while we stopped for gas, but had some fun getting accustomed to moving about the vehicle while it was stopped.
DH mistakenly thought taking the toll road around the city would be faster (and easier on her). It might have been easier, but we still spent an hour driving around the city, instead of just taking the road that goes right past our house to the interstate. Traffic. Sometimes avoiding stoplights in favor of what would be a "faster" route is just not practical.
Airlie puked within the first 15 minutes, as usual, but then lay down and slept for the next 3 hours. She'd have slept longer, but we stopped for gas and food and to let the dogs out to pee. After that, she was fine for another 2 hours, but once it got dark out, she was fed up with lying down and being still, wanting to walk around and investigate. She and Kansas were both sitting up, looking out the windows at the approaching headlights. So, she puked again, just saliva, but after that was fine all the way to our destination.
On the return trip, we departed first thing in the morning, and, thus, opted not to feed the dogs at all. By this time I had learned that, in her case, Rescue Remedy works best when dabbed on her paws, nose and inside her ears. The oral dose just doesn't work for her. Actually, she really doesn't like having it on her nose, either. Up to now I'd been putting it in every place the directions said it could go. From now on, we'll probably just do ears & paws. Anyway, we made the whole return trip without incident. Probably mostly due to not feeding her, but she definitely got lots of experience and practice and is much less anxious in the car now. Her only issues where when we were driving a windy road through some campgrounds we were checking out. She didn't like that at all, and began salivating again, but she had learned by that time to just lie down and tune it out.
I dosed her with Rescue Remedy before we got in the car. She drooled a bit while we stopped for gas, but had some fun getting accustomed to moving about the vehicle while it was stopped.
DH mistakenly thought taking the toll road around the city would be faster (and easier on her). It might have been easier, but we still spent an hour driving around the city, instead of just taking the road that goes right past our house to the interstate. Traffic. Sometimes avoiding stoplights in favor of what would be a "faster" route is just not practical.
Airlie puked within the first 15 minutes, as usual, but then lay down and slept for the next 3 hours. She'd have slept longer, but we stopped for gas and food and to let the dogs out to pee. After that, she was fine for another 2 hours, but once it got dark out, she was fed up with lying down and being still, wanting to walk around and investigate. She and Kansas were both sitting up, looking out the windows at the approaching headlights. So, she puked again, just saliva, but after that was fine all the way to our destination.
On the return trip, we departed first thing in the morning, and, thus, opted not to feed the dogs at all. By this time I had learned that, in her case, Rescue Remedy works best when dabbed on her paws, nose and inside her ears. The oral dose just doesn't work for her. Actually, she really doesn't like having it on her nose, either. Up to now I'd been putting it in every place the directions said it could go. From now on, we'll probably just do ears & paws. Anyway, we made the whole return trip without incident. Probably mostly due to not feeding her, but she definitely got lots of experience and practice and is much less anxious in the car now. Her only issues where when we were driving a windy road through some campgrounds we were checking out. She didn't like that at all, and began salivating again, but she had learned by that time to just lie down and tune it out.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Good Dog!
Actually bathed Airlie without incident this past weekend. She and Kansas get bathed monthly, Leo gets bathed every two weeks because of some skin irritations and issues that have developed. So, this would be Airlie's 5th bath. She really doesn't like them. I'm sure she'll grow out of it.
We've come a long way from the first 3 experiences, which resulted in wet, crying puppy clinging frantically to me. She truly doesn't mind the suds, it's the running water that does her in, though she seems to be getting over that.
We've been running the sprinklers quite a bit this past week, so she's been able to observe those, check them out from a distance, skirt around them to do her thing in the yard and then give them a closer look when they are turned off during the day. She's not liking me spritzing her tail with a diluted iodine mixture right now (she either got bitten or got bitten and then chewed herself a nasty, raw, bald spot as a result), but Saturday's bath was uneventful.
Last month she actually climbed out of the tub while wet, skittered out of the bathroom and when I snagged her by the collar she hauled me off my feet. I slipped on the wet floor and hit my head on the doorjamb before crashing to one knee on the tile. Boy, was that almost a disaster!
This time, other than me having to carry her to the tub and put her in, she was still and quiet. She didn't whine or cry. She didn't try to escape at all. I was able to turn the water coming out of barely dribbling handheld showerhead up a bit- a little more water pressure sure sped things up a great deal! I managed to stay mostly dry (I leave her til last so I'm always a little bit damp from the other two), and I think maybe she even might have enjoyed it.
She sure doesn't mind the rain, and she's gotten more comfortable following us into the bathroom and investigating things, even when we're not in there, so maybe this is progress.
We've come a long way from the first 3 experiences, which resulted in wet, crying puppy clinging frantically to me. She truly doesn't mind the suds, it's the running water that does her in, though she seems to be getting over that.
We've been running the sprinklers quite a bit this past week, so she's been able to observe those, check them out from a distance, skirt around them to do her thing in the yard and then give them a closer look when they are turned off during the day. She's not liking me spritzing her tail with a diluted iodine mixture right now (she either got bitten or got bitten and then chewed herself a nasty, raw, bald spot as a result), but Saturday's bath was uneventful.
Last month she actually climbed out of the tub while wet, skittered out of the bathroom and when I snagged her by the collar she hauled me off my feet. I slipped on the wet floor and hit my head on the doorjamb before crashing to one knee on the tile. Boy, was that almost a disaster!
This time, other than me having to carry her to the tub and put her in, she was still and quiet. She didn't whine or cry. She didn't try to escape at all. I was able to turn the water coming out of barely dribbling handheld showerhead up a bit- a little more water pressure sure sped things up a great deal! I managed to stay mostly dry (I leave her til last so I'm always a little bit damp from the other two), and I think maybe she even might have enjoyed it.
She sure doesn't mind the rain, and she's gotten more comfortable following us into the bathroom and investigating things, even when we're not in there, so maybe this is progress.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Again
Another month, another trip to my parents' house, another drive made longer due to Airlie's car-travel anxiety.
After the events of the previous two visits, we were prepared to skip her morning meal, hoping that would prevent her from becoming nauseous. We worried a bit about being able to successfully prevent her from ingesting her usual plant matter while out in the yard for any amount of time prior to departure, but we thought it manageable.
Then DH caved. I was planning not to feed ANY of the dogs until we arrived at our destination (so I wouldn't feel bad about feeding Kansas and Leo but not Airlie. I thought I could prevent any confusion this way.). DH sorrowfully said "Well, maybe they can all just have a little bit..."
*sigh*
I fed Kansas and Leo their usual portions, since they don't have a problem with puking in the car, and gave Airlie some of her morning ration, but not all of it. We weren't traveling for another four hours, but I knew from experience that wasn't long enough.
Sure enough, within 15 minutes of getting in the car (as has been typical), she was distraught. Saliva streaming from her jaws, unable to lie down and relax, and she puked. I cleaned it up fairly efficiently, noting the amount and expecting the rest of the trip to consist of a few bouts of vomited fluid as she continued to drool profusely, lick her chops and swallow it. I'd secured her leash so that I could reel her in close to me in an attempt to catch the vomit, which would make disposing of it (and keeping the car clean) easier. After last month's adventures, we had thought that being confined to her crate during travel was causing the anxiety. An experiment on a return trip (where she was tired from playing with all of the other family dogs all weekend) seemed to prove true, as she slept loose in the back of the car with the other two dogs just fine for the remainder of the trip (after we took her out of the crate once she'd worked herself up and soiled it).
Initially I had laid down one of the towels I'd packed in anticipation, and then was able to just shake it out when DH pulled over after Round of Vomit Number One. I later realized that I had all 3 of the dogs' plastic travel bowls at my disposal and also two Frisbees. These would be quite handy. I was able to simply hold any of the aforementioned under Airlie (after watching her closely so I knew when she was going to blow again, reeling her in so that I could reach her easily), catch the refuse and (if it was just liquid) wipe it out with the towel.
This worked fine until the last bout of car sickness when DH got queasy himself and, in his frenzy to stop quickly at a high rate of speed and veer onto the shoulder, flung us and the contained upchuck all over the back of the car, all over Kansas- Leo had already narrowly missed being thrown up on once...
"I TOLD YOU "JUST DRIVE!" I shrieked, dabbing frantically at streaming saliva slingers, wiping down soggy doggies and cursing inwardly.
I got some pithy response about him and his weak stomach in return.
"I said I was handling it." I snapped. I mean, really, there's non point in pulling over when you've got two beach towels, three bowls, two Frisbees, two washable dog beds and an entire old comforter at your disposal. Something can always be folded over so the wet spot isn't smelling up the car or soaking somebody's fur.
I was then ordered to "Do something about it." before the return trip on Sunday.
I hit the internet, though I already knew what I would find. I'd left my veterinary care and holistic health books at home but I knew all about peppermint, ginger, chamomile tea, different herbal options... just not dosages.
What I found: Suggestions for ginger snaps- Easy, but vetoed by some who said their dogs just threw them up along with everything else. Ginger ale was also an option. Chamomile tea. Peppermint tea... Ginger, in powdered form, in a capsule. I was debating a trip to the natural care aisle at the local hometown grocery store for those when I remembered Rescue Remedy. Bach Flower essences have often been touted in articles since I've begun having and caring for my dogs. I've never had need of them. I've always been able to successfully treat my dogs' behavioral issues and other needs without resorting to it, though I have used Farnham's Comfort Zone DAP religiously and swear by it. Bach Flower essences and Rescue Remedy are the same theory, but, obviously, flower essences rather than pheromones. Essential oils are also another option.
I went to the kitchen, asked my mom if the town's one and only health food store was open on weekends. She suggested I cal (this is funny because it's the first thing I advise DH when he's looking to see if certain stores carry something). I got out the phone book. I called twice. Busy both times. I then remembered a local pharmacy I'd always heard great things about, but never been to though I'd always wanted to go. Bonus- it was just around the corner, in my parents' neighborhood, which was quite convenient as I didn't feel like driving all the way across town in small-town weekend traffic (it's bad). I called them. They answered their phone! I talked to a very nice and helpful lady who confirmed they had Rescue Remedy in stock, in all varieties. I asked for price quotes. She put me on hold. When she returned, I explained about having a carsick puppy and she said "Oh! You want the pets version! We have that! You definitely want that! It's much better than the spray for humans. I can tell you from personal experience all that does is make my dog mad!" She told me how much the dropper of the pets formula cost and I thanked her and said I'd be right down.
I then asked my mom if she wanted to go with me. She did, but she needed to get something from another store, and insisted we go to the pharmacy's new alternate location (which I hadn't known about, on the other end of town) that was closer to the stop she needed to make. I felt bad, because I wanted to talk more with the helpful lady I'd been in touch with, and had a feeling that the new location Mom wanted to go to wasn't the one I called because there was only one number in the phone book. Sure enough, we pulled into the parking lot at the new location, walked through the door and there was just one person working there- the guy at the counter. We explained I'd talked to the woman (by name) and what we were there for. He was kind enough to phone her at the other location, ask if they carried the product at the one where we were, explained what had happened... Yes, they did have the product, and so I bought it, but I felt bad. Mom felt so bad she insisted we go by the other location after we ran her errand. I was annoyed by that time and tired of bothering people, but I had always wanted to see the store, plus I'd heard they had a neat gift shop. So, we did go, and introduce ourselves to the wonderful staff, spent a lot of time talking to the woman I'd spoken with on the phone, spent even more time browsing the store's wellness section, investigating all kinds of essential oils and delivery methods and getting several tips, not to mention free samples, pamphlets, etc... One other thing the woman suggested was peppermint oil, a few drops placed on a cotton ball and set on the dash of the car to warm in the sun. She said there was a diffuser system that actually plugged into the car's cigarette lighter, but that the cotton ball idea was simpler. I may try that next time. Also, this facility is willing to ship anywhere, and they have some items I want to return and purchase in the future- like that roller ball wand of mint oil. Oh! The employee we were talking to has a heeler of her own, and mentioned some products she used herself!
To make a long story shorter, we ended up adding the recommended 4 drops of Rescue Remedy to an ice cube, which Airlie loves, but wouldn't sit in her stomach the way a treat would (the directions said to add it to food, water or a treat, or to just put it directly in the mouth, ears, on the nose or a paw) and would be more certain to be delivered to her body than a bowl of water she may/may not drink. I gave it to her 30 minutes before we got in the car, knowing from experience that when tranquilizing animals (the cats have to be sedated for long trips, like when we moved across the country) you have to dose them BEFORE they get a chance to get anxious. I didn't know how long the stuff would be effective since it said "repeat as needed". I could tell Airlie mellowed right away. She didn't bark when out in the yard with the other dogs like she had been and she didn't jump all over me when I went out to round them up so we could leave. She managed NOT to throw up for the first 40 minutes of the trip, but then she did. We did feed her this morning, as the internet said not to feed for "at least 6 hours" before travel and we'd planned to leave right at 6 hours after. But we had to have a way to determine whether our experiment was working or not and if we had given her the Rescue Remedy and not fed her... what would that prove? Plus, we knew she'd be eating sticks and plant matter out in grandma's backyard all morning and would probably be puking one way or the other.
After that she lay down and dozed for the remainder of the trip. Here's the thing: as long as she's lying down (and this is quite common according to everyone on the internet with the same problem), she's fine. Keeping her lying down, however, is the problem. She refuses to lie down if she's crated. If she's loose in the car, she's better about following the other dogs' lead, finding a spot and curling up. BUT Kansas and Leo are just like kids. If your planned route of travel takes a turn that causes the sunlight to pour into the side of the car where Kansas has been sleeping, she gets up and moves out of the sunny spot. In tandem, if the sunny spot Leo is napping in suddenly shifts, he gets up and seeks it out. It doesn't happen more than a couple of times each trip, but this is often enough for Airlie, who has been quite calm and relaxed, to sit up. That's when she starts looking around, and drooling, and if you don't convince her to lie back down in a hurry you then find yourself watching her sides for the telltale heaves and reaching for a towel and a bowl.
Leo doesn't get car sick or anxious.
Kansas doesn't get anxious but she can get car sick. We learned a long time ago that repeatedly rousing her from her nap with calls of "Kansas! Look out the window at the cows!" was a sure fire way to get her to puke. That and bringing along water to offer her. Once we ceased doing both of those things, we haven't had a problem. None of the other family dogs (save one of Little Sis') have ever had travel-related anxiety or car sickness. According to the internet, it's actually rare for an animal to have motion sickness (though it is possible) and most cases really are anxiety, as we know this to be and can understand from previous experience with Kansas.
DH doesn't think the Rescue Remedy worked, but I do. I managed to dab a bit on her nose a couple more times during the drive, whenever I noticed her getting restless, and I do think it helped. Poor thing could barely keep her eyes open and struggled to hold her head up. Granted, she was also tired from playing hard all weekend. Still, she only threw up during the initial part of the return trip, and once again when we stopped for gas, 5 minutes from home. She was up and about in the stopped car while we were refueling, and she tossed her cookies as soon as we got back on the road.
I think it worked. I know I'll be using it again. All research indicates she will outgrow it and I can definitely spend more time taking her on short trips. For example, she has not yet puked during our monthly drives to and from the vet for her weigh-ins and monthly flea/tick and heartworm medications. She's actually started to like it.
I do think, however, that it's time to invest in a car safety harness system for all 3 of the dogs. There isn't room to crate each of them and having all 3 of them loose in the car is just unwise, unsafe and nerve-wracking. I had my suspicions about car harnesses, but I've seen a few blogs by folks who have investigated them and I think that it's a route we should pursue.
Tomorrow, I'm going grocery-shopping and I'm going to see what goodies I investigated at the pharmacy that I can pick up at my store's natural care aisle. I've been pondering some things for a while and now that I'm informed and forearmed I'm eager to pick up a couple of things.
After the events of the previous two visits, we were prepared to skip her morning meal, hoping that would prevent her from becoming nauseous. We worried a bit about being able to successfully prevent her from ingesting her usual plant matter while out in the yard for any amount of time prior to departure, but we thought it manageable.
Then DH caved. I was planning not to feed ANY of the dogs until we arrived at our destination (so I wouldn't feel bad about feeding Kansas and Leo but not Airlie. I thought I could prevent any confusion this way.). DH sorrowfully said "Well, maybe they can all just have a little bit..."
*sigh*
I fed Kansas and Leo their usual portions, since they don't have a problem with puking in the car, and gave Airlie some of her morning ration, but not all of it. We weren't traveling for another four hours, but I knew from experience that wasn't long enough.
Sure enough, within 15 minutes of getting in the car (as has been typical), she was distraught. Saliva streaming from her jaws, unable to lie down and relax, and she puked. I cleaned it up fairly efficiently, noting the amount and expecting the rest of the trip to consist of a few bouts of vomited fluid as she continued to drool profusely, lick her chops and swallow it. I'd secured her leash so that I could reel her in close to me in an attempt to catch the vomit, which would make disposing of it (and keeping the car clean) easier. After last month's adventures, we had thought that being confined to her crate during travel was causing the anxiety. An experiment on a return trip (where she was tired from playing with all of the other family dogs all weekend) seemed to prove true, as she slept loose in the back of the car with the other two dogs just fine for the remainder of the trip (after we took her out of the crate once she'd worked herself up and soiled it).
Initially I had laid down one of the towels I'd packed in anticipation, and then was able to just shake it out when DH pulled over after Round of Vomit Number One. I later realized that I had all 3 of the dogs' plastic travel bowls at my disposal and also two Frisbees. These would be quite handy. I was able to simply hold any of the aforementioned under Airlie (after watching her closely so I knew when she was going to blow again, reeling her in so that I could reach her easily), catch the refuse and (if it was just liquid) wipe it out with the towel.
This worked fine until the last bout of car sickness when DH got queasy himself and, in his frenzy to stop quickly at a high rate of speed and veer onto the shoulder, flung us and the contained upchuck all over the back of the car, all over Kansas- Leo had already narrowly missed being thrown up on once...
"I TOLD YOU "JUST DRIVE!" I shrieked, dabbing frantically at streaming saliva slingers, wiping down soggy doggies and cursing inwardly.
I got some pithy response about him and his weak stomach in return.
"I said I was handling it." I snapped. I mean, really, there's non point in pulling over when you've got two beach towels, three bowls, two Frisbees, two washable dog beds and an entire old comforter at your disposal. Something can always be folded over so the wet spot isn't smelling up the car or soaking somebody's fur.
I was then ordered to "Do something about it." before the return trip on Sunday.
I hit the internet, though I already knew what I would find. I'd left my veterinary care and holistic health books at home but I knew all about peppermint, ginger, chamomile tea, different herbal options... just not dosages.
What I found: Suggestions for ginger snaps- Easy, but vetoed by some who said their dogs just threw them up along with everything else. Ginger ale was also an option. Chamomile tea. Peppermint tea... Ginger, in powdered form, in a capsule. I was debating a trip to the natural care aisle at the local hometown grocery store for those when I remembered Rescue Remedy. Bach Flower essences have often been touted in articles since I've begun having and caring for my dogs. I've never had need of them. I've always been able to successfully treat my dogs' behavioral issues and other needs without resorting to it, though I have used Farnham's Comfort Zone DAP religiously and swear by it. Bach Flower essences and Rescue Remedy are the same theory, but, obviously, flower essences rather than pheromones. Essential oils are also another option.
I went to the kitchen, asked my mom if the town's one and only health food store was open on weekends. She suggested I cal (this is funny because it's the first thing I advise DH when he's looking to see if certain stores carry something). I got out the phone book. I called twice. Busy both times. I then remembered a local pharmacy I'd always heard great things about, but never been to though I'd always wanted to go. Bonus- it was just around the corner, in my parents' neighborhood, which was quite convenient as I didn't feel like driving all the way across town in small-town weekend traffic (it's bad). I called them. They answered their phone! I talked to a very nice and helpful lady who confirmed they had Rescue Remedy in stock, in all varieties. I asked for price quotes. She put me on hold. When she returned, I explained about having a carsick puppy and she said "Oh! You want the pets version! We have that! You definitely want that! It's much better than the spray for humans. I can tell you from personal experience all that does is make my dog mad!" She told me how much the dropper of the pets formula cost and I thanked her and said I'd be right down.
I then asked my mom if she wanted to go with me. She did, but she needed to get something from another store, and insisted we go to the pharmacy's new alternate location (which I hadn't known about, on the other end of town) that was closer to the stop she needed to make. I felt bad, because I wanted to talk more with the helpful lady I'd been in touch with, and had a feeling that the new location Mom wanted to go to wasn't the one I called because there was only one number in the phone book. Sure enough, we pulled into the parking lot at the new location, walked through the door and there was just one person working there- the guy at the counter. We explained I'd talked to the woman (by name) and what we were there for. He was kind enough to phone her at the other location, ask if they carried the product at the one where we were, explained what had happened... Yes, they did have the product, and so I bought it, but I felt bad. Mom felt so bad she insisted we go by the other location after we ran her errand. I was annoyed by that time and tired of bothering people, but I had always wanted to see the store, plus I'd heard they had a neat gift shop. So, we did go, and introduce ourselves to the wonderful staff, spent a lot of time talking to the woman I'd spoken with on the phone, spent even more time browsing the store's wellness section, investigating all kinds of essential oils and delivery methods and getting several tips, not to mention free samples, pamphlets, etc... One other thing the woman suggested was peppermint oil, a few drops placed on a cotton ball and set on the dash of the car to warm in the sun. She said there was a diffuser system that actually plugged into the car's cigarette lighter, but that the cotton ball idea was simpler. I may try that next time. Also, this facility is willing to ship anywhere, and they have some items I want to return and purchase in the future- like that roller ball wand of mint oil. Oh! The employee we were talking to has a heeler of her own, and mentioned some products she used herself!
To make a long story shorter, we ended up adding the recommended 4 drops of Rescue Remedy to an ice cube, which Airlie loves, but wouldn't sit in her stomach the way a treat would (the directions said to add it to food, water or a treat, or to just put it directly in the mouth, ears, on the nose or a paw) and would be more certain to be delivered to her body than a bowl of water she may/may not drink. I gave it to her 30 minutes before we got in the car, knowing from experience that when tranquilizing animals (the cats have to be sedated for long trips, like when we moved across the country) you have to dose them BEFORE they get a chance to get anxious. I didn't know how long the stuff would be effective since it said "repeat as needed". I could tell Airlie mellowed right away. She didn't bark when out in the yard with the other dogs like she had been and she didn't jump all over me when I went out to round them up so we could leave. She managed NOT to throw up for the first 40 minutes of the trip, but then she did. We did feed her this morning, as the internet said not to feed for "at least 6 hours" before travel and we'd planned to leave right at 6 hours after. But we had to have a way to determine whether our experiment was working or not and if we had given her the Rescue Remedy and not fed her... what would that prove? Plus, we knew she'd be eating sticks and plant matter out in grandma's backyard all morning and would probably be puking one way or the other.
After that she lay down and dozed for the remainder of the trip. Here's the thing: as long as she's lying down (and this is quite common according to everyone on the internet with the same problem), she's fine. Keeping her lying down, however, is the problem. She refuses to lie down if she's crated. If she's loose in the car, she's better about following the other dogs' lead, finding a spot and curling up. BUT Kansas and Leo are just like kids. If your planned route of travel takes a turn that causes the sunlight to pour into the side of the car where Kansas has been sleeping, she gets up and moves out of the sunny spot. In tandem, if the sunny spot Leo is napping in suddenly shifts, he gets up and seeks it out. It doesn't happen more than a couple of times each trip, but this is often enough for Airlie, who has been quite calm and relaxed, to sit up. That's when she starts looking around, and drooling, and if you don't convince her to lie back down in a hurry you then find yourself watching her sides for the telltale heaves and reaching for a towel and a bowl.
Leo doesn't get car sick or anxious.
Kansas doesn't get anxious but she can get car sick. We learned a long time ago that repeatedly rousing her from her nap with calls of "Kansas! Look out the window at the cows!" was a sure fire way to get her to puke. That and bringing along water to offer her. Once we ceased doing both of those things, we haven't had a problem. None of the other family dogs (save one of Little Sis') have ever had travel-related anxiety or car sickness. According to the internet, it's actually rare for an animal to have motion sickness (though it is possible) and most cases really are anxiety, as we know this to be and can understand from previous experience with Kansas.
DH doesn't think the Rescue Remedy worked, but I do. I managed to dab a bit on her nose a couple more times during the drive, whenever I noticed her getting restless, and I do think it helped. Poor thing could barely keep her eyes open and struggled to hold her head up. Granted, she was also tired from playing hard all weekend. Still, she only threw up during the initial part of the return trip, and once again when we stopped for gas, 5 minutes from home. She was up and about in the stopped car while we were refueling, and she tossed her cookies as soon as we got back on the road.
I think it worked. I know I'll be using it again. All research indicates she will outgrow it and I can definitely spend more time taking her on short trips. For example, she has not yet puked during our monthly drives to and from the vet for her weigh-ins and monthly flea/tick and heartworm medications. She's actually started to like it.
I do think, however, that it's time to invest in a car safety harness system for all 3 of the dogs. There isn't room to crate each of them and having all 3 of them loose in the car is just unwise, unsafe and nerve-wracking. I had my suspicions about car harnesses, but I've seen a few blogs by folks who have investigated them and I think that it's a route we should pursue.
Tomorrow, I'm going grocery-shopping and I'm going to see what goodies I investigated at the pharmacy that I can pick up at my store's natural care aisle. I've been pondering some things for a while and now that I'm informed and forearmed I'm eager to pick up a couple of things.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Another Month
Weight-in at the vet: 32.3 lbs. I saw it read 34.something, but she just would not be still. The weight they actually recorded was 32.1. I do think she's gained a true 5lbs since last time, she just was too excited to be very cooperative. Got to see Squash, the resident kitty, and peek over the counters at all of the office staff. Maybe next month we can actually purchase a multi-pack supply of her monthly flea/tick/heartworm meds, and maybe they'll finally let us get on the brand we have been requesting. They just keep telling us they are waiting for her to hit a specific weight range. Plus, our vet is out of the office until Monday, so we couldn't even get a refill of Kansas' anti-inflammatory for her hips until they can consult with her.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Waking Up the Neighborhood
Arlie has gone back to getting up to go out every two hours, instead of sleeping through the night, which she finally had accomplished for a whole week. I am still trying to figure out what has changed in her daily routine that has her needing to poop/pee so much.
Meanwhile, we were out last night at 3:19am, and she, after waking me and INSISTING I take her out (I tried to ignore her, just to see...) was annoyingly uninterested in peeing, preferring instead to yawn, laze about on the patio, stretch, scratch an itch or two... or three...
I had just snagged her by the collar to lead her out into the grass (and stand there with her) when
WHUMP!
Something large and furry dropped to the lawn from the tree and waddled off toward the fence.
I think it was a possum, but it could also have been a racoon. Either way, it was unexpected and unnerving.
Airlie startled enough to start barking. Not just any kind of barking, the "OHMYGODSOMEONE/THINGISOUTTHERE!" kind. You haven't heard bad until you have heard this. The rescue contact who brought her to us laughed when he told us about her back. He said "You've got to hear this. Maybe she'll bark while she's here." When she did, he laughed. "I know, it's like "...that's it...? that's all you got?" As a little thing, it really was unimpressive, this tiny, high-pitched, gravelly bark.
Oh, lord, if he could hear her now. She is the MEANEST sounding dog I have ever heard. Forget Leo's loud, deep barks or Kansas' typical dog-sounding barks. This dog is like machine gun fire. It's not tiny, puppy and feminine anymore. It's ugly. It's "RAR! RARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAR!" and good luck getting her to stop. She's still luxuriating in the fact that she's "found" her voice, and is still barking to boss the other dogs around, keep Leo away from the toys, demand he move out of her way (she doesn't pull any of this crap with Kansas). Those are all small, high-pitched yaps, but this other thing- Christ, she probably woke up half the planet!
It's not a bad thing, generally. I WANT my dogs to do this when something of concern is out and about. Each has their own "SOMEBODY'S OUT THERE!" bark, and it's the one you DON'T ignore (unless you happen to be DH, who isn't here enough to learn the difference between one bark and another, and haplessly orders all noismakers to hush without bothering to see if they have a legitimate reason for alerting their humans or not). You will only hear this particular bark if they happen to spot somebody on a neighboring roof, a neighbor moving through their own backyard (particularly if they are close to the fence) or if the meter reader is attempting to enter the confines of the property.
And there I am, barefoot in my pjs, standing there, hissing at her to be quiet and come. I wasn't able to ascertain whether or not the critter made it safely over the fence or was still in the yard, and she was preparing to give chase, though so far she had only managed to circle the tree a few times.
I finally got hold of her, and took her back to bed.
She never did get a chance to pee.
Meanwhile, we were out last night at 3:19am, and she, after waking me and INSISTING I take her out (I tried to ignore her, just to see...) was annoyingly uninterested in peeing, preferring instead to yawn, laze about on the patio, stretch, scratch an itch or two... or three...
I had just snagged her by the collar to lead her out into the grass (and stand there with her) when
WHUMP!
Something large and furry dropped to the lawn from the tree and waddled off toward the fence.
I think it was a possum, but it could also have been a racoon. Either way, it was unexpected and unnerving.
Airlie startled enough to start barking. Not just any kind of barking, the "OHMYGODSOMEONE/THINGISOUTTHERE!" kind. You haven't heard bad until you have heard this. The rescue contact who brought her to us laughed when he told us about her back. He said "You've got to hear this. Maybe she'll bark while she's here." When she did, he laughed. "I know, it's like "...that's it...? that's all you got?" As a little thing, it really was unimpressive, this tiny, high-pitched, gravelly bark.
Oh, lord, if he could hear her now. She is the MEANEST sounding dog I have ever heard. Forget Leo's loud, deep barks or Kansas' typical dog-sounding barks. This dog is like machine gun fire. It's not tiny, puppy and feminine anymore. It's ugly. It's "RAR! RARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAR!" and good luck getting her to stop. She's still luxuriating in the fact that she's "found" her voice, and is still barking to boss the other dogs around, keep Leo away from the toys, demand he move out of her way (she doesn't pull any of this crap with Kansas). Those are all small, high-pitched yaps, but this other thing- Christ, she probably woke up half the planet!
It's not a bad thing, generally. I WANT my dogs to do this when something of concern is out and about. Each has their own "SOMEBODY'S OUT THERE!" bark, and it's the one you DON'T ignore (unless you happen to be DH, who isn't here enough to learn the difference between one bark and another, and haplessly orders all noismakers to hush without bothering to see if they have a legitimate reason for alerting their humans or not). You will only hear this particular bark if they happen to spot somebody on a neighboring roof, a neighbor moving through their own backyard (particularly if they are close to the fence) or if the meter reader is attempting to enter the confines of the property.
And there I am, barefoot in my pjs, standing there, hissing at her to be quiet and come. I wasn't able to ascertain whether or not the critter made it safely over the fence or was still in the yard, and she was preparing to give chase, though so far she had only managed to circle the tree a few times.
I finally got hold of her, and took her back to bed.
She never did get a chance to pee.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Mange, Take Two
The mange is back.
Just when those little bald patches were finally almost filled back in, they are suddenly bare again.
I can only surmise that her immune system is compromised due to her adult teeth fusing with the jaw bones- she's been chewing quite a bit more of late, and is back to eating everything in sight: sticks, biting off little pieces at a time, chewing them and ingesting them; grass roots, same process; acorns, every little nut she can find on the ground that fell from a tree. Not as much interest in solid things like Nylabones, but she's making some headway on those as well.
Oh, and also a corner of the computer desk, a decorative piece covering the corners where the baseboards intersect, and the homemade wood-and-sisal-rope cat scratching post.
Pretty much anything wood.
It's amazing how many pieces of building materials and other odds & ends she has discovered out in the backyard- Sunday I caught her with an aluminum Diet Sprite can- and not a recent year's model, given the logo artwork. It was flattened, but had then filled up with mud after being buried. The pop-top tab had been forced back into its original place. She was chewing on this.
Another day, a piece of rebar surfaced.
The list goes on.
Also, I've increased her food rations another 1/2 cup- she's growing again and getting close to having too little fat covering her ribs. I've been closely monitoring that. Last week it was fine- she still had a good bit of protective padding over her shoulder blades, hip bones, ribs and spine. This week it's a little less.
Lastly, she's catching more Frisbees tossed horizontally, in the air. Still mostly rollers, but getting quite good at close, low catches. Nothing long or high.
Just when those little bald patches were finally almost filled back in, they are suddenly bare again.
I can only surmise that her immune system is compromised due to her adult teeth fusing with the jaw bones- she's been chewing quite a bit more of late, and is back to eating everything in sight: sticks, biting off little pieces at a time, chewing them and ingesting them; grass roots, same process; acorns, every little nut she can find on the ground that fell from a tree. Not as much interest in solid things like Nylabones, but she's making some headway on those as well.
Oh, and also a corner of the computer desk, a decorative piece covering the corners where the baseboards intersect, and the homemade wood-and-sisal-rope cat scratching post.
Pretty much anything wood.
It's amazing how many pieces of building materials and other odds & ends she has discovered out in the backyard- Sunday I caught her with an aluminum Diet Sprite can- and not a recent year's model, given the logo artwork. It was flattened, but had then filled up with mud after being buried. The pop-top tab had been forced back into its original place. She was chewing on this.
Another day, a piece of rebar surfaced.
The list goes on.
Also, I've increased her food rations another 1/2 cup- she's growing again and getting close to having too little fat covering her ribs. I've been closely monitoring that. Last week it was fine- she still had a good bit of protective padding over her shoulder blades, hip bones, ribs and spine. This week it's a little less.
Lastly, she's catching more Frisbees tossed horizontally, in the air. Still mostly rollers, but getting quite good at close, low catches. Nothing long or high.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Twenty-nine
I'm kinda bummed. I took Airlie to the vet today for her monthly flea/tick/heartworm & weigh-in visit, and she's only gained 4lbs since last month. I was hoping for another solid 5. I even weighed her twice, myself, and made her sit very still (with a treat). I guess she's slowing down, as she should be, but still... I was hoping for a solid 30, and to hit at least 35 before she's done. She grew taller again over the weekend, after growing longer again last week. I could put a few more lbs on her, definitely. She's not starving, but she's not pudgy. Probably if I'd been able to get her in this morning she would have been closer to 30. I had to wait til this afternoon, because I had to sit here waiting for FedEx to deliver DH's new phone, which required a signature. By the time I got to leave, it was time for the dogs' afternoon meal and they'd been playing hard outside in the warm weather all morning. I'm thinking a bit of water loss and a lot of pooping is to blame. 35 next time, for sure!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Upchuck and His Ol' Pal, Pukey
It never occurred to me that I might someday have a dog that suffered from routine carsickness.
Airlie, it seems, is that dog.
Honestly, it's never been an issue before. Kansas has puked, occasionally, when DH drives his wobbly vehicle of the short wheel-base too fast down windy, bumpy roads, but we resolved that issue by driving slower, or letting me drive. Well, that and I stopped offering her water to drink during car trips.
Kansas' issue is also compounded by how often she goes from lying down, to sitting up looking out the window, and back again. She can be a pretty restless passenger, compounded by the presence of cows, horses, sheep, goats in the roadside pastures. We had to stop pointing these out to her, because we were inadvertently contributing to her constant motion.
Taking their dog pillows or crate liners in the car with them helps, too, because it seems to communicate to them one space in which to remain, and they are a lot more cooperative with regard to being still in the car.
Leo just goes to sleep.
Airlie, due to her age, and as per a stipulation in the adoption contract we signed, has been traveling in her crate on the few car trips she's experienced. I knew it wouldn't last forever, nor would it continue to be feasible once she outgrew the puppy crate and was using a larger one. Still, I have been trying to do the right thing.
We thought the carsickness incident during Christmas travel was a one-time thing, since she did not suffer from it on the return trip.
Fast-forward to last weekend, when she first threw up within 15 minutes of leaving the house. True, I had planned NOT to feed her her afternoon meal, but we ended up leaving so much later than planned that I figured she had had ample time to digest it. Nope. From now on she will not be fed at all on any day in which we are driving further than 15 minutes (she doesn't puke on the way to the vet...). But that's a decision that comes AFTER five bouts of vomiting in the three hours we were in the car last weekend. The first two being to empty her stomach, the other three being the result of some extreme anxiety and a tummy full of drool. I have never seen a dog stream saliva like that before! She was most definitely very stressed out. Even after the sun went down and it was dark in the car, she refused to lie down and just sleep. I know the sitting up, looking out the window was not helping her. Neither was the fact that DH, whose delicate sensibilities are easily offended, had the driver's side window wide open. Airlie was alternately staggering around her crate in a panic, sitting and sniffing rapidly, enjoying all of the scents coming in the window, lying down, getting back up, icking her chops (always the first sign), heaving...
DH really is pitiful when it comes to stuff like this. Honestly, dog food smells the same, dry or recently voided from the front end. I dole out and clean up enough of it to know. Even when it comes out the business end, you can still kind of recognize the scent. Every type of dog food has it's own smell. I can tell what the poop is going to smell like by smelling a bag of kibble.
So, DH rolled down his window immediately, upon the first volley of vomit. That didn't help much, we still found ourselves careering under overpasses and around corners as he hurried his way to an empty corner of the parking lot behind a local Sonic. He says he "had" to drive that way, in such a hurry, or he would have been sick, himself. I fail to see the point, as I had, until this time, successfully managed to keep Airlie from revisiting her pile of puke, and also keep her out of it. DH's driving skills served nothing other than to ensure that Airlie got flung from one side of her crate to the other, repeatedly, splattering soggy dog food all over the car in the process. DH and his dainty sensibilities intact, guess who was left to clean up the mess, ensuring that every speck of puppy puke was removed from the vehicle so he wouldn't risk smelling it and driving like a maniac again? And without any proper supplies to assist me! I had to use my bare hands. Thank goodness it's only wet dog food.
Poor Airlie must have been so horribly scared and affected by that bad experience, no wonder she was a nervous wreck for the next 3 hours! The last two times, we were out of options when it came to dry bedding for the crate. We'd already shaken out and re-folded her blanket to any remaining dry side as many times as possible, and the towel that had initially been used as extra padding under the blanket got sacrificed in the cleaning up of the first incident. She had to ride to my parents house sitting in her own wet drool. At least her tummy was empty and that's all it was. She was miserable.
I had the pleasure of riding shotgun in a car with the driver's side window open the whole time, myself. I hate when men do this. Why does nobody realize that an open window is misery for the female passenger? The wind constantly whips any and all hair, stinging the eyes, teasing the nostrils, itching the nose... I HATE IT! And I sit there brushing stray hairs off my face the whole time, and he's freakin' oblivious!
We thought we planned better for the return trip. No food since breakfast.
Nope. She still blew chunks before we were even out of town- and that was after merely sitting at a stop light for a ridiculously long time!
We even tried covering her crate with the blanket (washed at Mom & Dad's, along with the towel). She still refused to settle down and just tune things out.
After the third round, we gave up. None of our attempts were successful. I don't understand the rationale, but DH suggested we try her out of the crate- just see if she would settle down if allowed to lie down with the other dogs. She was crated right there next to them, anyway, it's not like they were separated. I was nervous about doing anything that might give the rescue group cause to take her from us, but she was miserable and there seemed to be no other recourse.
I'll be damned if she didn't cuddle right up to Leo (and that, in itself, is unheard of. Leo does not allow such antics. He does not like to cuddle with ANYBODY and he particularly does not allow Airlie in his personal space), and go right to sleep. The drooling abated, the restlessness ceased. She didn't move again until we came to the first stoplight 30 minutes from home. At that point she sat up, looked about briefly, then curled up next to Kansas, who put her head over Airlie's back, and they both went back to sleep.
I'll be double-damned!
Unfortunately, this seems to be the solution, short of drugging the poor kid.
Airlie, it seems, is that dog.
Honestly, it's never been an issue before. Kansas has puked, occasionally, when DH drives his wobbly vehicle of the short wheel-base too fast down windy, bumpy roads, but we resolved that issue by driving slower, or letting me drive. Well, that and I stopped offering her water to drink during car trips.
Kansas' issue is also compounded by how often she goes from lying down, to sitting up looking out the window, and back again. She can be a pretty restless passenger, compounded by the presence of cows, horses, sheep, goats in the roadside pastures. We had to stop pointing these out to her, because we were inadvertently contributing to her constant motion.
Taking their dog pillows or crate liners in the car with them helps, too, because it seems to communicate to them one space in which to remain, and they are a lot more cooperative with regard to being still in the car.
Leo just goes to sleep.
Airlie, due to her age, and as per a stipulation in the adoption contract we signed, has been traveling in her crate on the few car trips she's experienced. I knew it wouldn't last forever, nor would it continue to be feasible once she outgrew the puppy crate and was using a larger one. Still, I have been trying to do the right thing.
We thought the carsickness incident during Christmas travel was a one-time thing, since she did not suffer from it on the return trip.
Fast-forward to last weekend, when she first threw up within 15 minutes of leaving the house. True, I had planned NOT to feed her her afternoon meal, but we ended up leaving so much later than planned that I figured she had had ample time to digest it. Nope. From now on she will not be fed at all on any day in which we are driving further than 15 minutes (she doesn't puke on the way to the vet...). But that's a decision that comes AFTER five bouts of vomiting in the three hours we were in the car last weekend. The first two being to empty her stomach, the other three being the result of some extreme anxiety and a tummy full of drool. I have never seen a dog stream saliva like that before! She was most definitely very stressed out. Even after the sun went down and it was dark in the car, she refused to lie down and just sleep. I know the sitting up, looking out the window was not helping her. Neither was the fact that DH, whose delicate sensibilities are easily offended, had the driver's side window wide open. Airlie was alternately staggering around her crate in a panic, sitting and sniffing rapidly, enjoying all of the scents coming in the window, lying down, getting back up, icking her chops (always the first sign), heaving...
DH really is pitiful when it comes to stuff like this. Honestly, dog food smells the same, dry or recently voided from the front end. I dole out and clean up enough of it to know. Even when it comes out the business end, you can still kind of recognize the scent. Every type of dog food has it's own smell. I can tell what the poop is going to smell like by smelling a bag of kibble.
So, DH rolled down his window immediately, upon the first volley of vomit. That didn't help much, we still found ourselves careering under overpasses and around corners as he hurried his way to an empty corner of the parking lot behind a local Sonic. He says he "had" to drive that way, in such a hurry, or he would have been sick, himself. I fail to see the point, as I had, until this time, successfully managed to keep Airlie from revisiting her pile of puke, and also keep her out of it. DH's driving skills served nothing other than to ensure that Airlie got flung from one side of her crate to the other, repeatedly, splattering soggy dog food all over the car in the process. DH and his dainty sensibilities intact, guess who was left to clean up the mess, ensuring that every speck of puppy puke was removed from the vehicle so he wouldn't risk smelling it and driving like a maniac again? And without any proper supplies to assist me! I had to use my bare hands. Thank goodness it's only wet dog food.
Poor Airlie must have been so horribly scared and affected by that bad experience, no wonder she was a nervous wreck for the next 3 hours! The last two times, we were out of options when it came to dry bedding for the crate. We'd already shaken out and re-folded her blanket to any remaining dry side as many times as possible, and the towel that had initially been used as extra padding under the blanket got sacrificed in the cleaning up of the first incident. She had to ride to my parents house sitting in her own wet drool. At least her tummy was empty and that's all it was. She was miserable.
I had the pleasure of riding shotgun in a car with the driver's side window open the whole time, myself. I hate when men do this. Why does nobody realize that an open window is misery for the female passenger? The wind constantly whips any and all hair, stinging the eyes, teasing the nostrils, itching the nose... I HATE IT! And I sit there brushing stray hairs off my face the whole time, and he's freakin' oblivious!
We thought we planned better for the return trip. No food since breakfast.
Nope. She still blew chunks before we were even out of town- and that was after merely sitting at a stop light for a ridiculously long time!
We even tried covering her crate with the blanket (washed at Mom & Dad's, along with the towel). She still refused to settle down and just tune things out.
After the third round, we gave up. None of our attempts were successful. I don't understand the rationale, but DH suggested we try her out of the crate- just see if she would settle down if allowed to lie down with the other dogs. She was crated right there next to them, anyway, it's not like they were separated. I was nervous about doing anything that might give the rescue group cause to take her from us, but she was miserable and there seemed to be no other recourse.
I'll be damned if she didn't cuddle right up to Leo (and that, in itself, is unheard of. Leo does not allow such antics. He does not like to cuddle with ANYBODY and he particularly does not allow Airlie in his personal space), and go right to sleep. The drooling abated, the restlessness ceased. She didn't move again until we came to the first stoplight 30 minutes from home. At that point she sat up, looked about briefly, then curled up next to Kansas, who put her head over Airlie's back, and they both went back to sleep.
I'll be double-damned!
Unfortunately, this seems to be the solution, short of drugging the poor kid.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Well, We Almost Had a Third Turtle
DH came inside with a baby turtle yesterday, having pried it from the jaws of the great and terrible Airlie.
It didn't survive. It looked intact, until you turned it over- then you could see the crushed underbelly and one small puncture in the shell.
It's also possible that the turtle was dead before she found it. It isn't unusual for birds hunting for food in the nearby gully to drop their dinner when flying overhead. Such a fall could have caused injury, or even death to something so tiny.
We also speculate that the turtle might have been a meal intended for the nesting birds in our backyard tree, and that perhaps a squirrel had a hand in the fall from great heights that placed the turtle in Airlie's path.
It didn't survive. It looked intact, until you turned it over- then you could see the crushed underbelly and one small puncture in the shell.
It's also possible that the turtle was dead before she found it. It isn't unusual for birds hunting for food in the nearby gully to drop their dinner when flying overhead. Such a fall could have caused injury, or even death to something so tiny.
We also speculate that the turtle might have been a meal intended for the nesting birds in our backyard tree, and that perhaps a squirrel had a hand in the fall from great heights that placed the turtle in Airlie's path.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Well, Would You Look at That...!
Texas Cattle Dog Rescue just posted video the owners of Airlie's littermate (formerly known as "Elvis") uploaded to YouTube. I knew one went to Corpus Christi and the other to Killeen, but I didn't think I'd ever see them. LOL!
He's still a handsome boy, and he has grown the same long body as his sister!
He's still a handsome boy, and he has grown the same long body as his sister!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Changes
Airlie will kinda-sorta be 6 months old tomorrow. If you're counting by the calendar date and her estimated date of birth (9/1/10) she's six months old. If you're counting by the week, like the vets do, she's not quite 30 weeks yet (30 weeks, because most months have closer to 5 weeks in them, rather than just 4). Either way, I've been waiting for this 6-month mark to switch her from 3 feedings/day to just two. This past weekend, I noticed she seemed pudgier than usual, and her poop has been a bit soft, which indicates overfeeding. Plus, she's getting on a more normal pooping schedule- no more pooping 4x/night! She might go once, then is able to hold the rest til morning and has successfully taken entire walks without stopping to poop! She's also going more during the day, instead of it all happening between 5pm and 7am. This is a good thing, she's finally keeping weight on, instead of gaining it only to outgrow it again. I don't think she's done growing yet, and she could still shoot up and out again and go through another skinny, knobby phase. I'm hoping she tops out at around 35lbs, so... another 5lbs to go. Today was also the last day of the most recent batch of Crystal's Grama's special recipe, so I'm going to wait and see how Airlie does before making any more of it. If she ends up burning off the little bit of filling out she's done, I'll make some more- I have half the last lb of ground beef in the freezer, ready to go. Today she was so busy playing outside that she went right through her usual "lunchtime" meal without noticing, so I just decided to go with it, instead of waiting until tomorrow.
Also, she's almost outgrown the temporary crate. We bought her her own, full-sized crate after Christmas, and she's been sleeping in that, but we've kept the puppy crate in the living room and that's where she goes for a few hours while I'm at work. She still fits in it ok for these intermittent respites, but she has also indicated that she expects to be left lying on her pillow next to the"big kids" when I leave, rather than being crated. I am tempted to try her out leaving her loose in the house soon. I normally would wait until a dog is a full year old, but she's shown so much initiative when it comes to following the other dogs' lead, and since there's really not anything around here she can get into and damage while we're away... I just might give it a try once she is really, obviously too big for the puppy crate.
She had a few experiences last week with regard to digging holes in the yard. I've been tolerating the little, shallow patches where she's rooted up things to chew, or pawed at the ground a bit, but she graduated to digging elbow-deep, full-on HOLES, complete with dirt on her snout and everything. 3 rounds of deliberately leaving her unsupervised long enough in order to catch her in the act, follow up with a good, solid "NO!" and then re-filling the holes (I recently read that after enough re-filling a dog will get frustrated and give up- not something I'd heard before, but figured I'd give it a shot), she hasn't returned to any of the "crime scenes", nor dug in any new places. I'm hoping this holds true for the spinach and cucumbers I just planted. I toyed with the idea of doing it while she was indoors, but opted instead to let her watch what I was doing, get her attention and instruct her to "leave it". I'll have to monitor the garden site, of course, and she did paw through one mound of cucumber seeds while standing right next to me, but I just reprimanded her for it and molded it back into shape.
Also, she's taken to sussing out her own places about the house for nap time. It's funny. Yesterday she was lying in the exact same spot Leo used to sleep when he was a pup, in pretty much the exact same position.
Also, she's almost outgrown the temporary crate. We bought her her own, full-sized crate after Christmas, and she's been sleeping in that, but we've kept the puppy crate in the living room and that's where she goes for a few hours while I'm at work. She still fits in it ok for these intermittent respites, but she has also indicated that she expects to be left lying on her pillow next to the"big kids" when I leave, rather than being crated. I am tempted to try her out leaving her loose in the house soon. I normally would wait until a dog is a full year old, but she's shown so much initiative when it comes to following the other dogs' lead, and since there's really not anything around here she can get into and damage while we're away... I just might give it a try once she is really, obviously too big for the puppy crate.
She had a few experiences last week with regard to digging holes in the yard. I've been tolerating the little, shallow patches where she's rooted up things to chew, or pawed at the ground a bit, but she graduated to digging elbow-deep, full-on HOLES, complete with dirt on her snout and everything. 3 rounds of deliberately leaving her unsupervised long enough in order to catch her in the act, follow up with a good, solid "NO!" and then re-filling the holes (I recently read that after enough re-filling a dog will get frustrated and give up- not something I'd heard before, but figured I'd give it a shot), she hasn't returned to any of the "crime scenes", nor dug in any new places. I'm hoping this holds true for the spinach and cucumbers I just planted. I toyed with the idea of doing it while she was indoors, but opted instead to let her watch what I was doing, get her attention and instruct her to "leave it". I'll have to monitor the garden site, of course, and she did paw through one mound of cucumber seeds while standing right next to me, but I just reprimanded her for it and molded it back into shape.
Also, she's taken to sussing out her own places about the house for nap time. It's funny. Yesterday she was lying in the exact same spot Leo used to sleep when he was a pup, in pretty much the exact same position.
February 27th, 2011
.July 10th, 2006
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Two Things I Forgot to Mention
It's been about 6 weeks since I self-diagnosed Airlie's mange. It's also been about 4 weeks since she's had any new bald spots develop. The others are still visible, but her fur is growing back in nicely. I do think the teething is what caused her immune system to become compromised, resulting in the overabundance of mange mites that led to the problem. I'm glad things didn't progress much further after my discovery and pleased that my home treatment of apple cider vinegar by day, diluted benzoyl peroxide by night worked! I used both, daily, for two weeks, and then held off for a few days, just to see what would happen. Success!
Also, I failed to note the exact date but almost a month to the day after Airlie's left ear suddenly went from upright to folded over, it stood back up again! and has remained so ever since! Still don't know what that was all about...
Also, I failed to note the exact date but almost a month to the day after Airlie's left ear suddenly went from upright to folded over, it stood back up again! and has remained so ever since! Still don't know what that was all about...
Monday, February 21, 2011
24.9 lbs
Well, I saw the scale read 25.7, but 24.9 is what the receptionist saw and recorded, and what the scale held at the longest, so... either way, Airlie was 19.something lbs last month and has gained 5 or 6 lbs. Still growing. She went through another bout of getting longer & taller this past week, though we've been able to avoid the skinny, bony, lankiness the past couple of go rounds. My friend, Crystal's grandma's recipe for putting weight on active, growing puppies has always been a sure thing! I think I'm making more of it this time than ever before. I just decided to make a batch weekly, freeze half, thaw the spare half out when necessary and supplement Airlie's regular kibble with it during two of her three feedings. I guess next month I will cut her back to two feedings per day.
We were at the vet to pick up her monthly dose of Heartgard & Frontline. I still want her on Revolution, but the vet is still holding off, with the "wait til she stops growing" speech. As it is, she's now in the 23-44lb bracket regarding Frontline, but won't go up to the next weight category for Heartgard until next month. If she'd seen the 25.7lb reading on the scale, she might have given us the higher dosage, but... oh, well.
Airlie didn't bark excessively or cower this time like she did the last time we were there, however, she was too rambunctious to be allowed to meet the quiet, mellow, sleepy-looking yellow lab puppy that was staring at her. I'm thinking it was close to that puppy's nap time. She was pretty, though, and well-behaved. Airlie did do well when we were checking out and a big, English shepherd-looking dog was getting weighed on the scale behind us. I had to keep having her sit- she still doesn't stay for long, and she kept bouncing around at the end of her leash, which made it difficult for me to put away my debit card, sign the receipt, etc... (and probably looked really bad to the lab puppy's owner), but when the big male dog got off the scale and came right over to touch noses with her, she sat and was good. Everybody accompanying him gasped in horror, but there was nothing amiss about either dog's behavior. Airlie did start barking at him, wanting to play and I wouldn't let her, but he calmly followed his folks into an exam room and that was that. She ignored a big pittie-type getting weighed next. His people seemed to be a bit anxious about him and he was hurried off to a room right away, but, again, neither dog behaved in an unsavory manner or even so much as acknowledged each other.
We didn't get to play with Squash, the resident grey tabby Maine Coon this time, but Airlie did meet one new person and, like I said, was much better behaved. I'd rather have her hyper than scared, though I'd prefer it if she were calm. She is improving daily, but I swear she is taking longer to make behaviors habit than any other dog I've worked with. She's very smart, and we're continuing to be patient and consistent but it's a long road. She IS finally doing better about sitting and waiting while I'm filling food bowls, instead of diving head-first into the bucket and stealing mouthfuls. This has been going on since we got her in November, and I think it's odd that it's taking so long to instill in her the proper way to sit and wait politely, given the fact that I'm feeding her three times a day, the other two twice a day and the cats daily as well. There are ample opportunities for practice. I feel like she should be an old hand at it by now, but she's not. She's definitely better about it on the days that she gets walked prior than the days where we have to wait out the weather or temperatures.
Airlie can sit, shake, speak, high five, down, balance on her hind legs, roll over (both directions), knows "off"; is working on "wave", "right foot", and "left foot", knows the words "bone", "ball" and "hedgehog" and will retrieve each as requested. She enjoys Frisbee and, though still chasing rollers, but has caught a flying disc 3 times, recently (when thrown at her or in front of her). She can circle around me to the right and left before chasing the disc, turn around to the right and left before chasing a disc, jump over my extended legs (seated) to chase a disc, roll over then get up and chase a disc.
She seems to be phasing out her penchant for snagging the dish towel off the counter, or taking the towels out of the cats beds and carrying it off to chew.
She still jumps up at the kitchen counter any and every time I'm doing anything. She has to see what I'm doing. Telling her the names of items in my hands and letting her examine them has proven quite helpful, though the things I've allowed her to taste are now things she comes running for, taking a flying leap at the cabinets. "Off" works sometimes, "sit" works other times. She's pretty good about lying down in the kitchen when I'm busy, but hasn't quite grasped staying OUT of the kitchen (though she's good about getting "out" of the cabinets, pantry & refrigerator when told).
Arlie loves the dishwasher. If you let her, she stands with her paws on the open door and licks the water dripping from the dirty dishes you are loading, or she licks the water from the door after the dishwasher has run. She's notorious for standing on the dishwasher door with all four feet. We are still working on deterring her from all of this.
I held off teaching "speak" for as long as I could, because I really wasn't looking forward to that realization that "speak" might just be a magic word for getting what you want. Every dog that learns "speak" goes through a bit of a phase where they begin demanding things by vocalizing. Well, she started that on her own. She quickly learned she could bark at Leo when he was getting a drink of water, and that he would step back and allow her to drink her fill before finishing his own refreshment. Kansas tolerates none of this. They drink together or Airlie waits her turn. She also barks at Leo if he has something she wants, like one of the many Nylabones available to everyone, or if he's in her way in the backyard, preventing her from digging a hole, etc. Leo does his best to teach her what's acceptable and what's not, but I think him barking at her (tattletale) when she was digging is what started this. She also barks irritatingly at Kansas if she wants to play and Kansas is not interested.
Leo is also to blame for Airlie's new penchant for racing the neighbor dog up and down the fence line. Thanks a lot, Leo. We're working on that, as well. That's how Airlie started barking at other sounds around the neighborhood. Now that she's discovered her voice, she barks at whatever, for the hell of it. Sometimes it's very serious-sounding barking, other times just boredom barking. Hence teaching her "speak" and "quiet" (which we are still working on). It was time to give her an "off switch". I feel she barks more than a typical ACD should, and am hoping this is just another puppy thing she will learn not to do or outgrow. She's good with "leave it" (except that she still tries to pick up everything she can on our walks and eat it) and is getting better at "wait". I think I will make heavy use of that one, since it seems she is not yet mature enough for "stay".
I'm still waiting for her to outgrow the jumping up on people, barking in frustration when she can't get to someone because of the leash preventing her, and the mouthing. I'm hoping once all her baby teeth are out that will go away. She's doing better about giving "kisses" when told, and is finally enjoying petting more than grabbing at hands to invite play or attention. She still bites as kind of a "temper tantrum" if you pick her up and don't put her down soon enough (in her mind) or if you pick her up at all.
She's picked out her own places around the house to lie, preferring the tile in front of the back window to her dog pillow. She will also get her elk antler and lie at my feet with it while I am on the computer.
We've been experimenting with her making her own way out the bedroom door, and back in again and to her crate, during our nighttime potty trips, rather than me guiding her with a finger on her collar. So far so good. I just don't want her leaping up on DH in the middle of the night and waking him.
She likes to be scratched between the shoulder blades, she likes having the sides of her body rubbed. She likes tummy scratches. She also enjoys stretching- a lot. Sometimes when she is jumping up on people, it's merely to stretch. Other times, she seems to be wanting to be hugged, wrapping her front legs around your neck, licking your face. She likes to cuddle- as long as you're not holding her or picking her up!
We were at the vet to pick up her monthly dose of Heartgard & Frontline. I still want her on Revolution, but the vet is still holding off, with the "wait til she stops growing" speech. As it is, she's now in the 23-44lb bracket regarding Frontline, but won't go up to the next weight category for Heartgard until next month. If she'd seen the 25.7lb reading on the scale, she might have given us the higher dosage, but... oh, well.
Airlie didn't bark excessively or cower this time like she did the last time we were there, however, she was too rambunctious to be allowed to meet the quiet, mellow, sleepy-looking yellow lab puppy that was staring at her. I'm thinking it was close to that puppy's nap time. She was pretty, though, and well-behaved. Airlie did do well when we were checking out and a big, English shepherd-looking dog was getting weighed on the scale behind us. I had to keep having her sit- she still doesn't stay for long, and she kept bouncing around at the end of her leash, which made it difficult for me to put away my debit card, sign the receipt, etc... (and probably looked really bad to the lab puppy's owner), but when the big male dog got off the scale and came right over to touch noses with her, she sat and was good. Everybody accompanying him gasped in horror, but there was nothing amiss about either dog's behavior. Airlie did start barking at him, wanting to play and I wouldn't let her, but he calmly followed his folks into an exam room and that was that. She ignored a big pittie-type getting weighed next. His people seemed to be a bit anxious about him and he was hurried off to a room right away, but, again, neither dog behaved in an unsavory manner or even so much as acknowledged each other.
We didn't get to play with Squash, the resident grey tabby Maine Coon this time, but Airlie did meet one new person and, like I said, was much better behaved. I'd rather have her hyper than scared, though I'd prefer it if she were calm. She is improving daily, but I swear she is taking longer to make behaviors habit than any other dog I've worked with. She's very smart, and we're continuing to be patient and consistent but it's a long road. She IS finally doing better about sitting and waiting while I'm filling food bowls, instead of diving head-first into the bucket and stealing mouthfuls. This has been going on since we got her in November, and I think it's odd that it's taking so long to instill in her the proper way to sit and wait politely, given the fact that I'm feeding her three times a day, the other two twice a day and the cats daily as well. There are ample opportunities for practice. I feel like she should be an old hand at it by now, but she's not. She's definitely better about it on the days that she gets walked prior than the days where we have to wait out the weather or temperatures.
Airlie can sit, shake, speak, high five, down, balance on her hind legs, roll over (both directions), knows "off"; is working on "wave", "right foot", and "left foot", knows the words "bone", "ball" and "hedgehog" and will retrieve each as requested. She enjoys Frisbee and, though still chasing rollers, but has caught a flying disc 3 times, recently (when thrown at her or in front of her). She can circle around me to the right and left before chasing the disc, turn around to the right and left before chasing a disc, jump over my extended legs (seated) to chase a disc, roll over then get up and chase a disc.
She seems to be phasing out her penchant for snagging the dish towel off the counter, or taking the towels out of the cats beds and carrying it off to chew.
She still jumps up at the kitchen counter any and every time I'm doing anything. She has to see what I'm doing. Telling her the names of items in my hands and letting her examine them has proven quite helpful, though the things I've allowed her to taste are now things she comes running for, taking a flying leap at the cabinets. "Off" works sometimes, "sit" works other times. She's pretty good about lying down in the kitchen when I'm busy, but hasn't quite grasped staying OUT of the kitchen (though she's good about getting "out" of the cabinets, pantry & refrigerator when told).
Arlie loves the dishwasher. If you let her, she stands with her paws on the open door and licks the water dripping from the dirty dishes you are loading, or she licks the water from the door after the dishwasher has run. She's notorious for standing on the dishwasher door with all four feet. We are still working on deterring her from all of this.
I held off teaching "speak" for as long as I could, because I really wasn't looking forward to that realization that "speak" might just be a magic word for getting what you want. Every dog that learns "speak" goes through a bit of a phase where they begin demanding things by vocalizing. Well, she started that on her own. She quickly learned she could bark at Leo when he was getting a drink of water, and that he would step back and allow her to drink her fill before finishing his own refreshment. Kansas tolerates none of this. They drink together or Airlie waits her turn. She also barks at Leo if he has something she wants, like one of the many Nylabones available to everyone, or if he's in her way in the backyard, preventing her from digging a hole, etc. Leo does his best to teach her what's acceptable and what's not, but I think him barking at her (tattletale) when she was digging is what started this. She also barks irritatingly at Kansas if she wants to play and Kansas is not interested.
Leo is also to blame for Airlie's new penchant for racing the neighbor dog up and down the fence line. Thanks a lot, Leo. We're working on that, as well. That's how Airlie started barking at other sounds around the neighborhood. Now that she's discovered her voice, she barks at whatever, for the hell of it. Sometimes it's very serious-sounding barking, other times just boredom barking. Hence teaching her "speak" and "quiet" (which we are still working on). It was time to give her an "off switch". I feel she barks more than a typical ACD should, and am hoping this is just another puppy thing she will learn not to do or outgrow. She's good with "leave it" (except that she still tries to pick up everything she can on our walks and eat it) and is getting better at "wait". I think I will make heavy use of that one, since it seems she is not yet mature enough for "stay".
I'm still waiting for her to outgrow the jumping up on people, barking in frustration when she can't get to someone because of the leash preventing her, and the mouthing. I'm hoping once all her baby teeth are out that will go away. She's doing better about giving "kisses" when told, and is finally enjoying petting more than grabbing at hands to invite play or attention. She still bites as kind of a "temper tantrum" if you pick her up and don't put her down soon enough (in her mind) or if you pick her up at all.
She's picked out her own places around the house to lie, preferring the tile in front of the back window to her dog pillow. She will also get her elk antler and lie at my feet with it while I am on the computer.
We've been experimenting with her making her own way out the bedroom door, and back in again and to her crate, during our nighttime potty trips, rather than me guiding her with a finger on her collar. So far so good. I just don't want her leaping up on DH in the middle of the night and waking him.
She likes to be scratched between the shoulder blades, she likes having the sides of her body rubbed. She likes tummy scratches. She also enjoys stretching- a lot. Sometimes when she is jumping up on people, it's merely to stretch. Other times, she seems to be wanting to be hugged, wrapping her front legs around your neck, licking your face. She likes to cuddle- as long as you're not holding her or picking her up!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Almost Done with the Teething
Puppy premolars are falling out this week. Adult premolars & molars are coming in!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Dare I Say It?
For the past couple of weeks, Airlie's nightly "pit stops" have been at 1am, and 5am.
Last night, and the night before, she woke me at 1am, and then didn't get up again until I was ready to get up at 7:00!
Last night, and the night before, she woke me at 1am, and then didn't get up again until I was ready to get up at 7:00!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
No More Puppy Canine Teeth!
I noticed Airlie pawing and licking at her upper right canine today, and was able to pull it out. That took some doing since she doesn't exactly hold still, but I got it. Unfortunately I missed the upper left one. It's already made it's disappearance.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Teething Tales
Airlie's teeth seem to be bothering her more than teething ever bothered the other two dogs. I remember Leo lick, lick, licking at his upper canines, wiggling them with his tongue, licking the blood away, til they would just fall out. I remember marveling at how big puppy canines were, and wondering about the future adult-sized ones!
I don't remember Kansas losing teeth at all, though I'm sure I at least noticed the gaps where missing baby teeth had been. She and Jax spent all day every day in Mom & Dad's backyard together while I was at work, so I wasn't around to see a lot of this.
I've been reading up on puppy teething ages and schedules. I've learned a lot. Airlie seems to be right on track. losing her upper and lower incisors at about the 20-week mark. One day there were just 3 empty spaces, two days later she'd lost most of the lower incisors and the new ones were already half grown in. By the end of the week, she had a full new set of incisors on both the top and bottom.
Earlier this past week, she lost her first canine tooth. She'd been playing really roughly with Kansas over the weekend, crashing into the corner of the brick wall on the house at one point, the side of her face making contact. DH and I both witnessed it and winced, but she seemed unfazed. Tuesday I noticed traces of blood on anything she'd been chewing, and had also seen her pawing at her jaw that day, so I decided to take a look, fearing the worst. I wasn't really sure if she was done losing/growing teeth or not, since I'd kind of forgotten to pay attention. I knew about the incisors, of course, those are easy to see. I knew about the upper canines, thanks to raising Leo, and was keeping an eye on those, but I had no idea if she'd lost the lower canines yet or not, and because I never paid attention to any teeth I couldn't see, I really couldn't tell you anything about premolars, molars, missing deciduous premolars, adult molars...
Airlie, for a puppy still in the mouthing phase, sure struggles a lot if a human WANTS to put their hands in her mouth. Funny, the rest of the time you can hardly keep her mouth off of your hands.. or arms, etc... I managed to hold her still and pry her mouth open long enough to note the lower left canine was loose when WHACK! She gave one final smack at her own face with a paw, and sent that tooth flying across the kitchen. I grabbed it before she could eat it (like she wanted to, and Leo did this, too), and inspected the hollow base, deciding it was, indeed, a baby tooth and that there were no roots present. I set it aside for DH to see, just in case and because I wanted a second opinion. God forbid she'd actually broken a tooth (or several) when she crashed into the wall.
I felt bad about the way her bottom lip quickly rolled into the gap left by the tooth, nothing to hold it back. I was sure chewing on that or accidentally biting it was going to be uncomfortable. There seemed to be a good-sized lump where the baby canine had been, so I was hoping for an adult one to make an appearance soon. It hasn't arrived yet, but the erupting lump is bigger, and the lip in that area is red from being on the inside of Airlie's mouth, rather than the outside. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, but it looks uncomfortable. She's not chewing any more than usual, though she does seem to prefer soft things to chew, rather than hard ones. She's still eating sticks and mulch, though I don't see how that is going to be very helpful. When she does chew on her hard toys, she has this funny habit of wrapping them in her blanket first. It's cute and clever, but I don't really want her in the habit of chewing her blanket. Also, she mostly chews with the incisors, instead of chewing with the parts of her mouth where teeth need to come out or grow in.
Today, while performing the routine inspection of her mouth and teeth (which has yet to get any easier) I noticed something I wasn't sure whether was odd or not. It prompted me to get out my canine medical books, which prompted me to write this post. Airlie's upper molars and adult premolars (puppies don't have molars, just premolars) are growing in behind her puppy premolars. She has two rows of teeth on both sides of her upper jaw. Both sides are surrounded by swollen, pink flesh, little islands the length and width of my thumbs on either sides of her face, erupting bloody, white peaks. I assumed this was normal, since it was symmetrical, and I figured once the baby teeth fell out the adult teeth would shift over on their own, but I emailed a breeder friend of mine for confirmation. She concurred and said the canines are really the ones to watch, because although they do fall out, it takes a very long time, and while it also takes a very long time for the new ones to grow in, she has had an experience in the past with a female puppy's lower canines coming in too far back in the jaw, because she wasn't paying attention and didn't pull the puppy ones soon enough and the adult teeth fused to the bone before they could move forward into their rightful places.
Baby puppy teeth can be pulled at any time, since the roots reabsorb back into the gums. I'm not expecting to have to do this, though. Actually, I do think I pulled Leo's second loose canine, way back when, because his constant licking at it was annoying me and it was just dangling right there. I just reached in and grabbed it. I'm sure there's a blog post about it somewhere on his page...
So, we just wait- even though it looks like Airlie has teeth growing right out of the roof of her mouth.
It also looks very painful, though she's not complaining and it hasn't slowed her down any. I am going to do one thing I've never done but have often suggested. I soaked an old dish cloth, tied it in a knot and put it in the freezer. I never tried it before because the other two didn't seem to need it and also because someone mentioned that giving your dog some cloth things to chew on prompts them to think chewing on any cloth things is ok. I'm not quite sure about this, since they are able to distinguish between plush toys and clothing, eventually... but since she's already shown a penchant for grabbing dish towels and chewing holes in them, pulling the towels out of the cats' crates and chewing those, etc... do I really want to give her a towel to chew? I suppose as long as I am dilligent with showing her what she can/can't have, it shouldn't be a problem.
At this point, the knotted towel is done freezing and she seems to be enjoying it.
I don't remember Kansas losing teeth at all, though I'm sure I at least noticed the gaps where missing baby teeth had been. She and Jax spent all day every day in Mom & Dad's backyard together while I was at work, so I wasn't around to see a lot of this.
I've been reading up on puppy teething ages and schedules. I've learned a lot. Airlie seems to be right on track. losing her upper and lower incisors at about the 20-week mark. One day there were just 3 empty spaces, two days later she'd lost most of the lower incisors and the new ones were already half grown in. By the end of the week, she had a full new set of incisors on both the top and bottom.
Earlier this past week, she lost her first canine tooth. She'd been playing really roughly with Kansas over the weekend, crashing into the corner of the brick wall on the house at one point, the side of her face making contact. DH and I both witnessed it and winced, but she seemed unfazed. Tuesday I noticed traces of blood on anything she'd been chewing, and had also seen her pawing at her jaw that day, so I decided to take a look, fearing the worst. I wasn't really sure if she was done losing/growing teeth or not, since I'd kind of forgotten to pay attention. I knew about the incisors, of course, those are easy to see. I knew about the upper canines, thanks to raising Leo, and was keeping an eye on those, but I had no idea if she'd lost the lower canines yet or not, and because I never paid attention to any teeth I couldn't see, I really couldn't tell you anything about premolars, molars, missing deciduous premolars, adult molars...
Airlie, for a puppy still in the mouthing phase, sure struggles a lot if a human WANTS to put their hands in her mouth. Funny, the rest of the time you can hardly keep her mouth off of your hands.. or arms, etc... I managed to hold her still and pry her mouth open long enough to note the lower left canine was loose when WHACK! She gave one final smack at her own face with a paw, and sent that tooth flying across the kitchen. I grabbed it before she could eat it (like she wanted to, and Leo did this, too), and inspected the hollow base, deciding it was, indeed, a baby tooth and that there were no roots present. I set it aside for DH to see, just in case and because I wanted a second opinion. God forbid she'd actually broken a tooth (or several) when she crashed into the wall.
I felt bad about the way her bottom lip quickly rolled into the gap left by the tooth, nothing to hold it back. I was sure chewing on that or accidentally biting it was going to be uncomfortable. There seemed to be a good-sized lump where the baby canine had been, so I was hoping for an adult one to make an appearance soon. It hasn't arrived yet, but the erupting lump is bigger, and the lip in that area is red from being on the inside of Airlie's mouth, rather than the outside. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, but it looks uncomfortable. She's not chewing any more than usual, though she does seem to prefer soft things to chew, rather than hard ones. She's still eating sticks and mulch, though I don't see how that is going to be very helpful. When she does chew on her hard toys, she has this funny habit of wrapping them in her blanket first. It's cute and clever, but I don't really want her in the habit of chewing her blanket. Also, she mostly chews with the incisors, instead of chewing with the parts of her mouth where teeth need to come out or grow in.
Today, while performing the routine inspection of her mouth and teeth (which has yet to get any easier) I noticed something I wasn't sure whether was odd or not. It prompted me to get out my canine medical books, which prompted me to write this post. Airlie's upper molars and adult premolars (puppies don't have molars, just premolars) are growing in behind her puppy premolars. She has two rows of teeth on both sides of her upper jaw. Both sides are surrounded by swollen, pink flesh, little islands the length and width of my thumbs on either sides of her face, erupting bloody, white peaks. I assumed this was normal, since it was symmetrical, and I figured once the baby teeth fell out the adult teeth would shift over on their own, but I emailed a breeder friend of mine for confirmation. She concurred and said the canines are really the ones to watch, because although they do fall out, it takes a very long time, and while it also takes a very long time for the new ones to grow in, she has had an experience in the past with a female puppy's lower canines coming in too far back in the jaw, because she wasn't paying attention and didn't pull the puppy ones soon enough and the adult teeth fused to the bone before they could move forward into their rightful places.
Baby puppy teeth can be pulled at any time, since the roots reabsorb back into the gums. I'm not expecting to have to do this, though. Actually, I do think I pulled Leo's second loose canine, way back when, because his constant licking at it was annoying me and it was just dangling right there. I just reached in and grabbed it. I'm sure there's a blog post about it somewhere on his page...
So, we just wait- even though it looks like Airlie has teeth growing right out of the roof of her mouth.
It also looks very painful, though she's not complaining and it hasn't slowed her down any. I am going to do one thing I've never done but have often suggested. I soaked an old dish cloth, tied it in a knot and put it in the freezer. I never tried it before because the other two didn't seem to need it and also because someone mentioned that giving your dog some cloth things to chew on prompts them to think chewing on any cloth things is ok. I'm not quite sure about this, since they are able to distinguish between plush toys and clothing, eventually... but since she's already shown a penchant for grabbing dish towels and chewing holes in them, pulling the towels out of the cats' crates and chewing those, etc... do I really want to give her a towel to chew? I suppose as long as I am dilligent with showing her what she can/can't have, it shouldn't be a problem.
At this point, the knotted towel is done freezing and she seems to be enjoying it.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
One Hit Wonders
- Fetching one toy and bringing it back in her mouth while shoving another toward me with her nose.
- Standing in front of Tess, trying to herd her "toward" the back door, until I finally told her to go around behind Tess, at which time she goosed Tess in the butt and got her moving in the right direction.
- That flying leap she took, landing in my lap while I sat at the computer.
- Standing in front of Tess, trying to herd her "toward" the back door, until I finally told her to go around behind Tess, at which time she goosed Tess in the butt and got her moving in the right direction.
- That flying leap she took, landing in my lap while I sat at the computer.
New Heights
Sunday, January 23, 2011
New Privileges
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Pardon Mom's Bedraggled Post-gym Appearance...
Monday, January 17, 2011
Milestones
When we got her, at 12 weeks old, Airlie weighed 12.8lbs.
At her vet visit (one month ago this coming Saturday), she weighed 14.9lbs.
Today we weighed her on DH's certified wrestling scale- she's a whopping 18.6lbs!
Also, Airlie has lost two of her puppy teeth, one on top, one on the bottom (opposite the top one). I kind of forgot to keep an eye out for this, and only noticed today, when we were playing Frisbee (finally, after a week of cold, wet and no sun). I thought I saw one missing. Further inspection showed the second, newer empty space. I think she may have lost one more before this, because there's a little stump of tooth poking out in an odd spot...like it came in in front of a baby tooth and still needs to move back into it's proper place.
Last week she managed to get herself up on the bed. We don't make a habit of allowing the dogs on the bed until they are finally tall enough, and strong enough to figure it out by themselves. Until now she's just been placing her front paws on the mattress and hopping up and down. However, after her nightly trip out to pee one night, she got a running start, took a flying leap and there she was. She's done it again a few times since. She still needed the running start for most of last week, then, today, when I was changing the sheets, she just hopped right up.
Last night she took a running start and a flying leap right into my lap as I sat here at the computer.
At her vet visit (one month ago this coming Saturday), she weighed 14.9lbs.
Today we weighed her on DH's certified wrestling scale- she's a whopping 18.6lbs!
Also, Airlie has lost two of her puppy teeth, one on top, one on the bottom (opposite the top one). I kind of forgot to keep an eye out for this, and only noticed today, when we were playing Frisbee (finally, after a week of cold, wet and no sun). I thought I saw one missing. Further inspection showed the second, newer empty space. I think she may have lost one more before this, because there's a little stump of tooth poking out in an odd spot...like it came in in front of a baby tooth and still needs to move back into it's proper place.
Last week she managed to get herself up on the bed. We don't make a habit of allowing the dogs on the bed until they are finally tall enough, and strong enough to figure it out by themselves. Until now she's just been placing her front paws on the mattress and hopping up and down. However, after her nightly trip out to pee one night, she got a running start, took a flying leap and there she was. She's done it again a few times since. She still needed the running start for most of last week, then, today, when I was changing the sheets, she just hopped right up.
Last night she took a running start and a flying leap right into my lap as I sat here at the computer.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Suspicious and Frustrated
We may have a case of demodicosis (demodectic mange) on our hands.
Originally I thought the crescent-shaped bald spots I was finding on Airlie's head were a result of playing too rough with Kansas, who regularly has Airlie's head in her mouth. I figured her teeth were scraping the fur away, much like they do when Kansas nips at Leo's legs, leaving a skinny, bald stripe in her wake.
I've been supervising their play, and keeping an eye on these 3 spots, which seem to be recovering and growing in new hair.
Yesterday I noticed a new patch.
This one appeared rather pink, whereas the others were just flesh-colored.
None of the patches have appeared irritated, nor is the skin broken, bloody, oozing or flaking in any way.
I looked closer.
Make that a total of 5 spots.
Oh, and she seems to be losing the hair around her eyelids, though she still has her eyelashes.
I compared her to the other two dogs.
I hit up the internet (and am about to check my books).
I've read a few sites and looked closely at a few pictures and I do think that this overgrowth of normally occurring mites is definitely what she has. According to the information I've got so far, it's localized. It's not contagious. It's rather typical of puppies and tends to correct itself within the first three months to one year (adult onset is a bit trickier).
The good news is there doesn't seem to be a secondary, bacterial infection, and I already have a handy shampoo that I can wipe her head down with daily just in case. Also, she'll be going to the vet this coming week for her monthly flea/heartworm treatment. Even better, the product I prefer to use is actually one of the medications used to treat this issue, so maybe I can convince the vet to go ahead and switch us to that.
Treatments of a serious case require clipping the coat, regular medicated dips, etc...
I think we can avoid that. I think the vet will agree with me that it's typical in a young puppy, localized and if she'll agree to the topical flea/heartworm treatment that contains the drug used to treat this issue, maybe we can nip it in the bud.
See? Even more reason to stick with my beloved Revolution.
Both my canine medical texts, which concur with the internet diagnosis, as well as the "typical in puppies, usually corrects its self in time, not a serious problem unless a secondary infection (from scratching/itching/licking/chewing) is present. One even says that a vet will be unconcerned and say it's not a big deal unless the secondary infection is present. The other also says that "unless 5 or more patches are present" (patches being defined as 1-inch or more in diameter, which doesn't describe Airlie's) on other parts of the body, not to be concerned".
One text says it should clear up on it's own in 6-8 weeks, but that the occasional recurrence is to be expected.
Both books mention benzoyl peroxide as a treatment. One also mentions a "mild ear mite treatment". Sweet. I have a 5% benzyol peroxide acne treatment gel, and I can snag ear mite solution from Wal-Mart if need be.
Benzoyl peroxide speeds up the sloughing of the skin. Since the mites causing the hair loss live in the hair folicle, normal shedding of the skin, or increasing the frequency of this skin sloughing is what rids the body of the problem. Hence the problem clearing up on it's own.
So, I don't have to panic. I can still ask about it when I take her in next week, but it looks like I'll be able to manage it here with products I already have. And if all else fails, I had intended to try apple cider vinegar, anyway. That stuff fixes a host of things. I'm all about taking steps to change the pH of the body in order to make an environment less friendly to infections, germs, parasites, etc...
And to think the reaction of one of our former vets (when I was explaining why I liked Revolution so much and listing the parasites it protected against) was to roll his eyes and scoff "Mites and mange aren't even that big of a deal."
Originally I thought the crescent-shaped bald spots I was finding on Airlie's head were a result of playing too rough with Kansas, who regularly has Airlie's head in her mouth. I figured her teeth were scraping the fur away, much like they do when Kansas nips at Leo's legs, leaving a skinny, bald stripe in her wake.
I've been supervising their play, and keeping an eye on these 3 spots, which seem to be recovering and growing in new hair.
Yesterday I noticed a new patch.
This one appeared rather pink, whereas the others were just flesh-colored.
None of the patches have appeared irritated, nor is the skin broken, bloody, oozing or flaking in any way.
I looked closer.
Make that a total of 5 spots.
Oh, and she seems to be losing the hair around her eyelids, though she still has her eyelashes.
I compared her to the other two dogs.
I hit up the internet (and am about to check my books).
I've read a few sites and looked closely at a few pictures and I do think that this overgrowth of normally occurring mites is definitely what she has. According to the information I've got so far, it's localized. It's not contagious. It's rather typical of puppies and tends to correct itself within the first three months to one year (adult onset is a bit trickier).
The good news is there doesn't seem to be a secondary, bacterial infection, and I already have a handy shampoo that I can wipe her head down with daily just in case. Also, she'll be going to the vet this coming week for her monthly flea/heartworm treatment. Even better, the product I prefer to use is actually one of the medications used to treat this issue, so maybe I can convince the vet to go ahead and switch us to that.
Treatments of a serious case require clipping the coat, regular medicated dips, etc...
I think we can avoid that. I think the vet will agree with me that it's typical in a young puppy, localized and if she'll agree to the topical flea/heartworm treatment that contains the drug used to treat this issue, maybe we can nip it in the bud.
See? Even more reason to stick with my beloved Revolution.
Both my canine medical texts, which concur with the internet diagnosis, as well as the "typical in puppies, usually corrects its self in time, not a serious problem unless a secondary infection (from scratching/itching/licking/chewing) is present. One even says that a vet will be unconcerned and say it's not a big deal unless the secondary infection is present. The other also says that "unless 5 or more patches are present" (patches being defined as 1-inch or more in diameter, which doesn't describe Airlie's) on other parts of the body, not to be concerned".
One text says it should clear up on it's own in 6-8 weeks, but that the occasional recurrence is to be expected.
Both books mention benzoyl peroxide as a treatment. One also mentions a "mild ear mite treatment". Sweet. I have a 5% benzyol peroxide acne treatment gel, and I can snag ear mite solution from Wal-Mart if need be.
Benzoyl peroxide speeds up the sloughing of the skin. Since the mites causing the hair loss live in the hair folicle, normal shedding of the skin, or increasing the frequency of this skin sloughing is what rids the body of the problem. Hence the problem clearing up on it's own.
So, I don't have to panic. I can still ask about it when I take her in next week, but it looks like I'll be able to manage it here with products I already have. And if all else fails, I had intended to try apple cider vinegar, anyway. That stuff fixes a host of things. I'm all about taking steps to change the pH of the body in order to make an environment less friendly to infections, germs, parasites, etc...
And to think the reaction of one of our former vets (when I was explaining why I liked Revolution so much and listing the parasites it protected against) was to roll his eyes and scoff "Mites and mange aren't even that big of a deal."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)