Bonding

I got up early and knocked off most all of my work by noon in order to make a trip to town today.  I needed to stop at the vet's office to pick up Bremo's thyroid meds and I took the new girl, Tessa, along for some much needed bonding time.  She gets along fine with the other dogs but she's still a bit timid and shy with me.  In fact, I have to chase her into the shed she shares with Flirt, Jeremy, and Max when it's time to put everyone to bed at night.  Last night Flirt came out, saw the problem, and helped me round her up and run her in.  I hadn't really spent any one-on-one time with her yet, so we did today.

First we went to the CASPCA to meet people and cats.  She was a little shy with strangers at first, so it's not just me.  I don't think she's been out and about much in her life.  She was interested in the cat but not aggressive.  I was told that she would give chase if a cat ran and I'm sure she would, but I don't think she's really interested in catching one.  The cat didn't seem to consider her a threat and cats are generally pretty good judges of a dog's intentions.  Still, I'd prefer she go to a cat-less home just to eliminate that issue as a possible problem.

I stopped at Starbucks to do some long-neglected paperwork with coffee and a donut and then we went to Darden-Towe park for a walk.

Leash walking is a great way, probably the best way, to bond with a dog and develop that trusting relationship.  It was a windy day so the air was full of random scents, but she was really pretty attentive.  She looked at me, and looked to me for guidance, which is key. 

We met geese on a drainage pond, which elicited about the same reaction as the SPCA cat. 

She is scheduled to be spayed on Thursday so she'll be moving indoors after that.  The crating experience will help her adoption prospects and bring her closer to me as well.  I'd love to find her a home and move her out of here this coming weekend.  She needs a new home and I have others waiting for her spot.

Blood work

I had a call from the vet's office this afternoon.  Gypsy's blood work came back normal.  I've taken her off the Rimadyl, however, and once it's out of her system we are going to try her on a new anti-inflammatory. In the meantime, I've doubled up on her dose of tramadol and she seems to be feeling a bit more spry. 

Bremo was checked primarily for his thyroid, and it seems that he has none, or next to done. That explains the condition of his coat and skin at least, so we'll get him started on the supplement tomorrow.  I actually started him on some expired thyroid medication tonight.

These are some pics of Bremo through the years.  He will be 10 in March. It's hard to realize that he's getting to be an old man.  He was born here, to our first foster dog, Maggie.  He's lived here his entire life and hasn't gone many places either.  He's fine with that.  Rotties don't like to stray too far from the food supply.  Bremo is the sweetest dog.  He's got a big bark, but he loves visitors and is easily bribed with either food or petting. 

Three dogs in the tub

I had taken Bremo to the vet on Friday due to dry, flaky skin, coarse dry coat, and generally not looking very good.  The results of the thyroid blood test will be back tomorrow, but in the meantime I was told to bathe him with a medicated shampoo, which I did this afternoon.  Bremo is 104 pounds and he's a downstairs dog.  He does not do the steep wooden steps that lead to our upstairs where the only bathtub in the house is located.  When rotties don't want to do something, they plant their butt on the ground, and look you in the eye with an expression that says "make me." 

Bremo is very food motivated but I was unable to cajole him beyond the bottom step with treats.  I put a harness on him and basically lifted him up the stairs, very much against his will and with no assistance from him.  I had to just scoop him up and lift him into the tub as well, but once in, he was good about it and wasn't constantly trying to get out. 

He had a good, long bath with a lot of scrubbing and we removed a lot of dead hair and skin.  He had an infection in his ears so I gave them a good washing out.  The spray is gentle and the water warm, so he really was rather good about the ear cleaning.  I left him in the bedroom while I did the next two because it's warm and sunny up there today.  The trip back downstairs wasn't much better, still no assistance from the dog but at least gravity was on my side.  

Zachary was up next.  He doesn't have any apparent skin problems, but he was shedding excessively.  Well, maybe not excessive for a shepherd, but the bathroom was already a mess so I figured I might as well clean another dog or two. 

Zachary is scared of me normally, so the terrified look on his face isn't anything new.  He was really rather cooperative about it all, although I did have to lift him into and out of the tub.  He actually sat down for much of the bath, which really isn't all that helpful.  I took him outside later and gave him a good brushing as well, so he's looking pretty good.

Molly was the most active in the tub, but again, Molly is the most active anywhere.  I swear, the only settings on this dog are sleep, run, and fly. 

She needed a bath because she's constantly in the water tank in the dog yard and has that wet dog smell to her.  She also had a lot of loose hair on her.  I really need to make routine brushing a habit around here--keep the rake by the door and give two or three of them a quick going over whenever they come in. 

Trooper and Cabell aren't that dirty and can wait for another day.  I just can't put Gypsy in a slick tub with her rear end being so weak, and besides, I'd have to carry her every inch of the way.  We will start doing some more regular brushing on her, however. 

Flexibility

It is best not to carve your plans in stone.  Last week I had pretty much committed to taking in a female shepherd from the Culpeper shelter.  I couldn't get up there until Friday, however, and I heard on Thursday that she had been adopted.  Fine, I hope it was a good home.  On Friday a man called the VGSR hotline needing to give up a dog that day because he was moving.  (I won't say anything about that, this says it all.) 

Anyway, he took the dog to be evaluated by one of our volunteers up that way who said she was a nice dog but he wasn't in a position to foster her now himself.  I talked to the owner on the phone when I was home between vet appointments Friday afternoon and we tentatively planned to meet up in Culpeper Friday evening about 9:00 p.m., because I wouldn't be getting home from yesterday's second vet appointment until after 7:00.

 

As I was leaving the vet with Gypsy and Bremo, someone in the office put the fear of Dog in me with news about a winter storm headed our way starting out that evening as freezing rain, so I really didn't want to drive to Culpeper after dark. 

Calls were made and the dog ended up staying with another volunteer up in Warrenton that night and he met me this morning in Culpeper with the dog, Tesa.  So I didn't make it over to Richmond to the adoption event today, but at least now I have a real foster shepherd to take to the next one. 

She's a sweet, petite little thing, seems very nice.  She didn't like being in a kennel by herself, so I put her into the dog yard and she and Max seem to be hitting it off.  She's young, said to be 2.5 years old, but she doesn't really act or look it.  I have a couple possibilities in mind for her.  She's lived with children, apparently as a housedog, she crated without problem last night, and she may even be ok with cats.  A dog like that should have plenty of options. 

Ok, I said I wasn't going to say anything about it, but don't you have to wonder what the guy was thinking when he knew he was moving that day and had done nothing about making arrangements for a dog that he couldn't take with him?  Was he going to take the dog out and shoot it?  Dump it along a highway to fend for herself?  Both happen.  It boggles the mind. 

Fear and loathing

I had that sinking feeling in my gut all day.  I had four dogs with vet appointments, at two different vets and two different times.  Flirt was really just along for a weigh in, and that was good news.  She had picked up 6 pounds in the past week and was now up to 98 pounds.  She's certainly moving in the right direction and after another week we'll schedule the surgery to remove that fatty tumor from her belly. 

Shadow weighed in at a whopping 85 pounds!  He's on a diet although he's not too happy about it.  He had his vaccines and a heartworm test and is good to go. 

The dread I was feeling all day was due to my 5:00 p.m. appointment with Bremo and Gypsy.  I was brushing Bremo yesterday and realized how dull and dry his coat had become and how scaley his skin was.  Bremo will be 10 years old in March and he's looking like an old man.  He gets a good dose of fish oil and vitamin E, but we may have to try something else in his diet to get back that youthful shiny coat.  There was no sign of an infection but we did some blood work to check his thyroid.  And I need to give him a bath, probably tomorrow.  That should be interesting.  He's 104 pounds and I doubt that he will step into the tub for me.  I'm not even sure he will come upstairs on his own.

I brought Gypsy in after they were finished with Bremo.  Her rear end is very weak, her tail drags the ground a bit, and she sometimes stumbles.  The front end isn't that much better, she's had arthritis in her front elbow joints for years and she has difficulty climbing even the two steps to our house with them.  To top it off, I discovered a nasty looking lesion on her yesterday and I was scared that they were going to tell me it was cancerous. 

Well, the lesion was just a burst cyst, and the vet pulled out the nasty bits, leaving a hole in her but a clean one that should heal up.  The rear end problem is nerve damage, it won't get better, not that I was expecting a fix, but the good news is that she said it probably isn't particularly painful.  She actually has good range of motion in her rear legs, but the nerve loss prevents her from using it very efficiently.  The arthritis is worse in the front legs and we are going to try a different anti-inflammatory drug, along with some pain killers.  She's an old girl, at least 12 we figure, but she's as alert and hard working as ever.  She still chases Zachary up the stairs and monitors Molly when she's outside, and keeps an eye on all the fosters.  I don't know what I'd do without her. 

Spring is coming

We had an unseasonably warm day on Wednesday and it had everyone thinking of spring, which was very appropriate for Groundhog Day.  Thursday was Chinese New Year, so the celebration continued.  The new guy, Shadow, is fitting in pretty well.  He spent more outdoor time yesterday than he had in a very long time and he was ready for the crate in the evening.  As the day wore on, Max wore on his patience, but basically he got along fine with everyone and hopefully Max, who is still a puppy, will learn some boundaries. Here's a few recent pics.



Max needs to drop a few pounds



Max, Shadow, and Trooper



This is a butt shot of both dogs, but it captures them just being dogs. 
The tails tell the story.



Max is good with the fosters and with the household dogs.



Flirt and her shadow on Groundhog Day.
(I think her shadow looks like Maraduke.) 



Laying low

I've been sort of slacking off since getting Biscuit adopted.  Flirt came back of course, and I'm working on fattening her up again. She's getting three meals a day now and it's beginning to show.  Over the course of the day she's consuming at least two raw chicken backs, about 2 cups of Zachary's raw food diet, probably 6 cups of dry food, and about a cup or so of my Satin Balls mixture. I'll take her to the vet's office to check her weight either Thursday or Friday.  Her ribs are smoothed over with some flesh now, and the vertebrae in her back are less pronounced.

She's certainly happy, loves her big straw bed, and gives me a kiss when I bring her food, even before she eats it.  I'm hoping that maybe in another week or so we can schedule the surgery to remove that fatty tumor on her belly and do a dental cleaning.

The picture below was taken when we had that little bit of snow last week.  Everyone loved getting out to play in it.  I am very happy that we haven't had any big snow this year, however, and I hope that continues.  I may be losing my memory for many things, but last year's deep snow and power outages will stick in my head for a long, long time.


Background left to right: Max, Trooper, and Molly
Foreground: Zachary, Flirt

Here is Molly (top platform) and Trooper (lower platform) in their preferred outdoor eating spots.  Trooper uses the platforms a lot and is usually laying on the lower one during the day.  Molly likes to eat up there.  Both dogs leap to their spots when I come out with food dishes.  I need to do some work on the lower platform, it is listing badly.  The taller one was better made and it stands solid and secure.

This Saturday is a dog adoption event at Strange's Nursery over on the very west end of Richmond.  I didn't have any plans for the day and it's my favorite nursery anyway, so I think I'll go.  I'm not sure who I'll take, probably Jeremy, Max, and maybe this new guy, Shadow. 

He's a good looking black lab, or mostly black lab, that I just got today.  He came to us via Clay's barber. Telling people that you are involved with dog rescue is a mixed bag.  The downside is that sooner or later everyone knows someone who knows or or has a dog in need. Shadow had been sort of left with the barber by someone who had been living in their home, who then moved out and left the dog behind.  He's in good weight and was being cared for, but wasn't really living the life he needed. 

We were down to 6 fosters at the moment, so it seemed like a good time to take this one in.  I picked him up this afternoon, and he's snoring away in a crate in my office between Trooper and Molly this evening.  He's maybe 4 years old, already neutered, and he's a lab--fat, dumb, and happy.