Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Satchmo is healing well and feeling much better!


It's been a week today since Satch's ordeal with the vet and his lost teeth.  I am being religious about his antibiotic and he seems to be healing quite nicely.  He still is scratching at his muzzle, but not quite as frantically.  I think his mouth must itch as it is healing, but he eats a soft diet without any problem and he has become much livelier and stubborn--more like himself.

He has begun to play with his toys again, much to the chagrin of the foster dog, Austen.  Austen had begun to believe that the toys were all his and yesterday, Satchmo had to explain the facts to Austen--complete with loud growling and snapping and barking.  Austen is no dummy and immediately gave up the toys!

Satchmo has also begun to be very loving again.  His breath is so much better!  He is a licker, has been his whole life, so having improved breath is really good.

Next week, he needs to go back for a checkup and to get his stitches out on his leg.  He never even looks at that incision anymore so I know it has been healing well.  I can only hope that his follow-up gives him a clean bill of health.  He is my little man and I want him to be happy and healthy as we move into the new year.
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Friday, December 25, 2009

Satchmo lost 10 teeth!

Our trip to the vet Wednesday went well.  I guess losing 10 teeth during a cleaning can be classified as going well.  According to the vet, my little man had several loose teeth and three definite abcessed teeth.  She felt that to make him well she had to pull the teeth and pack his mouth with antibiotics.  While he was out, he also had that ugly thing removed from his leg.  So, needless to say, he is not a very happy camper. 




I am being religious about giving him his antibiotic and his pain medication.  He whimpers and cries if I am even a few minutes late on his dose.  I feel so bad for him.  I wish this had not happened, but it has and we just have to deal with it. 



On a good note, his appetite is returning and he is eating soft foods without any trouble.  So far, he has not really bothered his stitches, but his mouth is still bothering him--he keeps pawing at his muzzle.  I took the collar off him at home because he was so miserable in it.  I may have to put it back on if he keeps scratching at his mouth.




So, for Christmas this year, I gave myself a healthier little man.  For that I am eternally grateful.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!

 This is the cutest video.  I just had to post it here for you to enjoy.  These dogs certainly have a knack for decorating.  I hope you and yours have a wonderful and happy holiday season!



Wednesday, December 23, 2009

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!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Satchmo is going to the Vet on Wednesday--Oh boy!

Well, I finally broke down and made the appointment for my little man to go get his teeth cleaned.  He has started not wanting to eat crunchy foods, which usually means trouble.  The last time that happened, he lost 9 teeth with the cleaning.  Anyway, I am mildly excited because he will have the growth on his foreleg removed at the same time.  I am so happy because that growth is really worrying me.  It is ugly and is still growing.  He won't stop bothering it, either, so the hair around it is constantly wet and grey and looks disgusting!

So, wish us luck--we want this to go smoothly so my little man can get back up to snuff soon!

Here is the latest on the Foster Dog situation:  I think that Austen will be staying with me indefinitely.  My sister is really attached to him and I think my neighbor wants to give him to her for Christmas.  I'll let you know when I find out.  It's okay with me either way, but he does need some additional training if he is to stay here.  Also, he needs to go to the vet for some Prozac to deal with his separation anxiety!

Christmas is upon us, but let's not forget our treasured pets or the unloved animals out in the world.  If everyone would do something good for just one stray, the world would be a much nicer place.  For my part, I am feeding two beautiful feral black kittens who seem to be living on my front porch.  Hopefully, in the near future I will be able to capture them and get them neutered and get their shots--then I will let them return back to my porch. 
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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Here is the most amazing video of a rattie and a rat playing!  I have watched this several times now and each time I am still amazed.  The sad thing is that this wonderful dog was lost during Katrina and never found.  If you know where she is, let the video owner know, or let me know & I will forward the info to the owner.
Such a loss!  I don't know how you get past such a devastation.



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Monday, December 14, 2009

Foster a dog for the Holidays?

Cover of "101 Dalmatians"Cover of 101 Dalmatians
Here's a great idea.  I found this article and decided to post it in time for the Christmas holiday.  As a foster dog mom, I can tell you that knowing you are preventing a pet from the horrors of a cage in a shelter really is worth it.  I can also tell you that this author is quite right when she points out that you need to think ahead before you begin to foster, not all dogs are the same.  You need to think it through and get a foster animal that will fit in with your life and your lifestyle. 

If you work all the time, or you are gone quite a lot, then you may even think about fostering a cat.  There are so many animals in shelters that would love to spend time with a real family, even for a short time.  This is preferable to spending days on end locked away in a cage with other frightened animals.

So Happy Holidays!  Think about this, won't you?


********************************************************************************
 
The last time I wrote about Valerie Kennedy, the movie "102 Dalmatians" was a holiday blockbuster and Kennedy wanted to spread a message to shoppers:

Do not go out and buy a Dalmatian just because you like those movie dogs. That cute dotted puppy could turn into an unhealthy, hyperactive hound you'll soon discard.

Kennedy got in touch a couple of days ago with a different Christmas tune: Why not adopt a dog, even if it's just for the holidays?

Kennedy isn't suggesting giving pets as presents. Shelters are filled with barking Christmas gifts the recipient didn't want or couldn't handle.

But a foster dog is different from a gift dog. It's a gift you give yourself, maybe just for a while.

"I keep seeing stories in the news -- and in e-mails that I get -- about dogs who are dumped at the shelter these days because the economy is so bad," Kennedy says. "I can't imagine what it must be for them to go from the arms of a child, or the dog bed on a kitchen floor in someone's home, to a shelter. In the spirit of Christmas kindness, maybe folks could consider fostering a homeless dog."

Kennedy owns four dogs. She's drawn to mutts, rejects, orphans. The dog rescue service she founded was once featured in People magazine and though she gave up the business when she got breast cancer, she never gave up the cause.

One of her dogs, until his recent death, was Lucky, the paraplegic, incontinent son of the dog who played Pongo in "101 Dalmatians." Lucky, who had been abandoned in a house in Malibu, wore a diaper and ambled around attached to a wheelchair. Kennedy adored him.

Since we talked about dogs nine years ago, Kennedy's life has changed. She has moved from Chicago to Wilmette; left her job as Midwest media director for Humana to work with her husband's TV production company; survived cancer, lost Lucky and acquired Wrinkles, another Dalmatian.

One thing hasn't changed. She hates to see a homeless dog.

"I had my son at 41," she says. "People said, 'Oh, when you have that baby, you're not going to care about those dogs.' That might have been somebody's truth, but it's not mine."

Helping dogs, Kennedy says, doesn't mean you don't help people too. And vice versa.

"There are a lot of sad things in the world," she says. "There are people who have different passions. And these guys, they bring me joy. Whatever I do for them, I get back in spades."

I'm not a dog person, but I admire passionate people who act on what they love, which is why I think Kennedy's message is worth airing.

And she's not alone in advocating a foster dog. Petfinder.com, an online consortium of more than 13,000 pet adoption agencies, including many in the Chicago area, is running a program this year called "Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays."

If you do it, Kennedy warns, think about it first.

Does your mother-in-law who hates big dogs baby-sit for you? Don't get a big dog. Do you work all day? Don't get a puppy. Consider how much dog hair you can tolerate.

Then give it a try.

"It's like test-driving a car," she says, "or going on a date."

You may fall in love, but if it doesn't work out, you haven't lost much.

"If someone's looking for an easy Christmas kindness," she says, "this is such an easy kindness."

Here is the link for the original article 

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