The Experiment was a Success!

Using Melatonin really works.  Satch was able to weather those numerous thunderstorms without even waking up.  He did not shake or pace and he slept through the worst storm!

I will certainly be using Melatonin for his storm phobia in the future.  I hope you can benefit from this information.  Research online at veterinary sites about using melatonin for fears and phobias in dogs.

Hopefully, since Satch developed this phobia later in his life, he will now be able to return to the happy and fearless dog he always was before.

Austen went to the Pretty Parlor and now he is so cute!

Well, Austen's hair had gotten so long on his face that he could not see anymore. He also smelled to high heaven, so we took him today to get bathed and clipped. He also got his nails trimmed and painted. He cannot stand it and has been chewing the polish off since coming home.

The funniest thing about this was the "report card" that was sent with him home. He got good marks for his temperament, but he got "needs improvement" for following directions. I think it really says: We had some trouble with his feet!

Anyway, here are some pictures I took when he got home.

 He does look better I think.

He went directly to his comfort spot under the table and began to chew off the nail polish!

This is his way of telling me he had a really bad day!  Don't you just feel sorry for him?

Trouble in the life of my two dogs!

Here is a quick post about an incident we had yesterday.  I took the two boys out as I usually do.  We were on our way up to the mailbox to check the mail and drop off some letters in the slot.  As we were about to cross the parking lot toward the office, my left knee just buckled and Austen picked that exact moment to pull to the end of his leash, after wrapping my other ankle up in it.  Needless to say, I went down on the asphalt like a sack of potatoes.  I hit my hip and shoulder and rolled over onto my back.  Got a fairly big gash cut out of my toe and some nasty abrasions on my right knee.

As I lay there taking inventory to see if anything was broken, both my boys came running up to me and started licking me in the face.  It was then that I realized that even in falling, I had not ever let go of the leashes.  That's a good thing, because Satchmo will be gone with the wind if he has a chance.

Once I determined that I was not broken, I realized that I was laying in a huge grease puddle and everything I had on was now soaked with motor oil.  Great.  I had a terrible night and went to get checked out today, but I learned my lesson and will be walking these two young men separately for a while!

Here is another photo of Austen after the haircutting fiasco.  He finally let me take his picture, but he still looks ridiculous!

Here's a follow-up on the status of Austen's haircut

Image by muhammad.u via Flickr

I went and bought a clipper that is small and made for faces and feet.  I really only want his face clipped and for his feet to be clipped so he doesn't get soggy when we go out in the rain.  I did get his feet clipped with quite a bit of argument from Austen.  However, when I started on his face, he went crazy and flipped his body every which way until I turned him loose.  So, he has small sections on his face that are clipped, but that's all.

What I need is for someone to give me some pointers on how to go about doing this.  I don't think it should take very long and I hate to have to take him to a groomer and leave him for several hours just to clip his face.  So, can anyone out there give me some pointers?  I'm desperate.

Jessica is saved!

I just read my email and found that Jessica, the cute little rattie I featured on the last posting, has been adopted and now has a new forever home.  I hope she is loved and treated like family at her new home.  I can't imagine what it must be like to live most of your life in a cage, so I hope she has a big yard to play in.

It's not often that you get such quick Good News in the area of rescues.  Just goes to show you what a cutie she is and what good taste the new family has.  Rat terriers are the best pets you can ever have. 

Good Luck, Jessica.  Enjoy your new home.

Something new to worry about!

-----------------------------
Pet dog recovers from H1N1
-----------------------------

CBC News

A dog in New York has been confirmed to have the pandemic
strain of H1N1.

The pet, a 13-year-old mixed breed, seemed to have caught
the virus from his owner, Michael San Filippo, a spokesman
for the American Veterinary Medical Association, said Tuesday.

It is the first reported case of H1N1 in a dog, but other
pets, including cats and ferrets, have caught the strain
from humans, veterinarians say.

In theory, the strain could be transmitted from a pet to a
human, "but so far it's really looking like a dead end in
pets," San Filippo said.

The dog came in for a checkup Tuesday and is "getting back
to his old self" but has not fully recovered, said veterinarian
Julie Steffens.

It is rare for pets to spread flu viruses, and people should
not be afraid to enjoy the animals, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
___________________________________________________________________________________


Okay, I knew that the ferret and cat had contracted the H1N1, but now I have to worry about my little man getting the Swine Flu? 


Great! This comes in my email today after I have dropped Satchmo off at the vet's office for his yearly teeth cleaning and to get that ugly thing taken off his front leg.  Now, I have to worry if his immune system will be depressed after this procedure and keep him away from all other dogs!


Sometimes, it just doesn't pay to be a nurse because you know too much about how these things work.  The only good thing for me to focus on is that I got both flu shots and so did my sister, so the chances of him catching the "flu" from us is nil. 


If it's not one thing, it is millions of others!


By the way,

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!