Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Full house

I had scheduled Monday as a vacation day and I'm glad I did. 

The post-op ward, left to right:  Mercedes, Willy, and Ginger
Willy the boxer and shepherd Mercedes went in for speuter surgeries.  As soon as I got home from that trip I loaded up mama shepherd, Ginger, because she had pooped in her crate and I didn't like what I saw and smelled.  They tested her for parvo too, but the test was negative.  There was a lot of other nasty stuff in her poop which could have explained the smell and her inability to hold it.  Still, I'm suspicious and we are watching her closely.  She's still eating, drinking, and acting normally.  I had almost two hours at home before heading back to pick up Mercedes and Willy.  Now all three of them are occupying my office crates.  Molly is ok with it, she still has her bed, but Trooper is a bit put out by it.  I'm making him stay out in the dog yard with Hunter as much as possible and when he comes in and finds his crate occupied, he goes straight for my spot in the bed. 

Molly and Trooper, sharing Molly's bed because Trooper's crate is occupied by Ginger



She came close, but didn't quite commit to eating here.
This little guy is seriously cute.
I know that not everyone who reads this blog also sees my Facebook updates, so I need to post some news about the pups.  The little boy is fine.  He's happy, playful, wagging his tail, eating like a puppy should.  The little girl is still with us, and I think she's getting better, but not at the pace I had hoped.  I think she's rehydrated and I saw her drink today on her own for the first time.  She hovered over the food dishes for a while like she was considering it, but I still haven't seen her eat.  She has restarted bowel movement, but without eating all that is coming out is some dark nasty fluid.  She's not vomiting, and I've been giving her a little pepto bismol orally.  I went out today and got a bottle of pedialyte to put out in place of tap water.  For food they've got small bowls of chicken and rice, dry puppy food mixed with some canned, yogurt, and baby food.  She's just so thin because she hasn't eaten yet and she needs to start very soon.  I think we will call or maybe visit the vet tomorrow.  I need something to give the puppy the munchies.  She must be hungry, but she's still not feeling well enough to want to eat. 

She is urinating plenty, and she's a bit more active, but she won't play with the boy in spite of his best efforts. I have heard her voice coming from the closed bathroom, but I think she's just telling him to go away and leave her alone because she doesn't feel like playing yet. 

I'm not sure how quickly I should be expecting to see improvement, but I was hoping to see a bit more by now.  When I peek in there and see her chowing down or playing with him, I'll declare the crisis over, but we aren't there yet.

2 comments:

BudsBuddy said...

My vet suggested probiotics ("good" bacteria like what is in yogurt) when my cat was having stomach upset recently. It came in a little package of powder that my cat ate readily with her food. I wonder if that would help the pup's system start working properly again too. I was surprised to read recently that infants have to acquire digestive bacteria from the environment, which is one of the reasons they have to be weaned over time. And of course, they need to reacquire the proper balance of "bugs" after taking antibiotics.

Anonymous said...

Do the puppies have names yet?