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."
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