Poop-eating and then Puking Tests My Patience

Our CheyAnna is evidently bored out of her skull, here in the yard in a Montana winter, where she has now acquired a taste for her pal, Coby's, poop.

After she vomited onto the carpet in our computer room, clearing out everyone, human and pet, I am struggling to determine if this is a temporary "phase" or if it is a potential problem that we will have to watch for in the future.

My spouse says that we must begin picking up dog doo every day in the yard, to remove the temptation.  Okay, that works for me when the temperature is above ZERO, but some days, like during blizzards, etc, I just don't intend to do that.  (She goes outside in such weather ONLY to do her business; then runs right back in.)

So we still love her, stinky "pook" and all.

CheyAnna is a Chewer and a Digger

We love CheyAnna!  We hope she soon grows out of her constant digging in the yard and chewing everything and anything she can get her little teeth into.  One day she grabbed a plastic bottle of Fish Oil gel tabs and ate them all.  We didn't realize how powerful her jaws and how sharp her teeth were.  Yesterday, she puked on the carpet.  This is the very first time that has ever happened....but the stink!  Oh my God!  This was not just an upchuck of her dry breakfast food.  She had been eating another dog's poop.  Now there is a smell you can't ever forget.  Nasty Nasty Nasty.  I cleaned and scrubbed and opened the windows.  Today there is no stain and no smell.  Wow.  This is not something I want repeated.  Looks like we will have to do a daily cleanup of yard poo.  We also need to teach her to understand that poo is off limits.

Dalton Terrier CheyAnna

   

Black and White and Manx (Oscar and Max)

Oscar, on the left, is no longer with us.  Max, now aged 12 or so, is doing much better now that he is on thyroid medicine and a little laxative to help him move along.  X-rays show two calcifications in his gut somewhere, but he is gaining weight now, and can still jump up to the table to eat.

Good kitties

Max has no tail and he broke a leg when very young, so his rear end resembles a rabbit when he hops away.

Good job, Max!

ANIMEALS Feeds Pets AND Saves Lives

ANIMEALS is not only a food bank for pets, it is also a "no-kill" pet adoption center.  This organization needs the support of animal lovers everywhere. Several special promotions keep Animeals in the forefront of our minds for charitable giving throughout the year, and I am going to post a few of the graphics from their website in this posting.


Your donations save pet lives every day.  You can donate here, ANIMEALS DONATIONS, or visit their Beautiful website, which includes wonderful pictures of pets of all kinds.



Animeals also has a blog that keeps us all up to date on the latest stories from their kennel.

 The newsletter is really well-done, partly written by volunteers, and professionally published.

I encourage you to take a look at all they do and have to offer.

Waiting for Mama

Doc, a miniature schnauzer

Children come running to meet Mama when she comes home---up until about age seven.
Pets are forever young.  They always come running.  They are always enthusiastic greeters. Perhaps they are always happy, but also perhaps, they have been having separation anxiety and abandonment concerns the entire time Mama was gone.  They are sweet loves, and they never become teenagers.  This is a photo of Doc, miniature schnauzer, now aged twelve.  He rules the kingdom, don't you know?

Chow-Chow is a Protector for Life

This is Poumba Chino Aboo.  He is gone now, of old age, you know?  While he was on this Earth for only a short twelve years, his integrity, loyalty and love live on in our memory.

Pouie was a joy to come home to, especially in his later years when he was blinded by cataracts.  He was so excited, and he had to be so careful of walls and furniture.  He adapted pretty well.

His coat and undercoat were so thick, and he did NOT enjoy being groomed.  It took a long time, even when we did it every week.  It took two of us; one to hold his collar while the other combed.  His rear end was particularly sensitive. He always tried to sit down.  Ha Ha.  He was such a lover!

Chow-chows have to be watched around children.  Pouie could react to being touched in a split second. (When he was younger, he used to catch bees when they flew around him out on the deck.)  He did not like being touched on his head, and while he endured it from family, he would not tolerate it from a stranger.  His growl and facial reactions were fierce.  I understand how the Chow-Chow was bred to be a guard dog in China.  They are very effective.

    Rest in Peace, Pouie.  We will always hold you in our heart.

Max on the Mend Thanks to Pet Communicator

Animal communication remains a controversial topic, with believers and non-believers seemingly firm in their own opinions.

We recently contacted a local pet communicator who had received quite a lot of media attention and she did a reading on Max, our cat, who was not eating or pooping and was losing weight and in general, fading fast.  Max is about eleven or twelve years old, and had been the constant companion of a female cat who died just about the time Max began his decline.

The animal communicator provided us with a transcript of her "conversation" with Max and we discovered that Max was, indeed, mourning for his lost companion.  But there was more to the story.  Max "told" the communicator that he felt like he had "rocks in his stomach" and that he wanted to eat but couldn't.  He was in a lot of pain and had not been able to poop for many days.

A visit to the veterinarian confirmed that Max had a thyroid problem.  I asked for an x-ray.  The Vet showed me the x-ray and it revealed two marble-sized calcifications somewhere in the intestinal tract.  A single x-ray could not determine where exactly the rock-hard calcifications were located, but they could account for his inability to poop.  The vet prescribed a laxative with a fairly high dosage to begin with, and that did the job.

The thyroid meds also brought Max's appetite back.  He quickly regain a pound and became a regular at the litter box once again.  We have kept the laxative dose pretty low now and he continues to progress.

The calcifications won't be surgically removed because the expense would be far more than we could handle. So long as Max is evidently pain-free, and eating/pooping normally, we will let his life progress however it will.  We were just pleased and surprised that the "rocks in his stomach" as Max called them, actually existed and could be dealt with.

Max "told" the communicator that he did not want to die.  What an interesting experience for us all.  The communicator also convinced Max to be more cooperative when being put into a pet carrier for the trips to the vet.  This is wonderful!

Since then, the communication between Max and ourselves has greatly improved.  We talk to Max like he understands us and he has returned our love, now sitting with us all the time, instead of hiding under the bed.

I am not going to release the pet communicator's name because she is busy enough as it is.  Suffice it to say that we are now believers in animal communication and are becoming more adept at the process ourselves.

  

So much joy and so much sadness

At one time we enjoyed the company of three dogs and five cats.  Of those eight animals, only one remains.

One cat, Coalie, wandered off, as was his habit, but never returned.

All the rest died of old-age-related infirmities.  A couple died in our arms, but we also had to make the hard decision to euthanize those who could not go on any longer.  We use our power to end their suffering, but it never gets any easier.

Along the way we added other dogs to our crew, all rescues, but some were beyond saving, health-wise, and others just could not adjust to our home environment and the animals that were already here.

Dalton Terrier CheyAnna

We now have just two dogs, one of which was a rescue within our extended family, and the other was purchased from a breeder when the breeder was quitting the business.  In a way, that was a rescue too. We just paid the breeder's out of pocket cost of $75.  It was the best money we ever spent.  Her name is CheyAnna, a dalmatian and boston terrier cross, which the breeder has named as a "Dalton Terrier."

This is a new blog and a new subject for us to pursue.  I hope you find something of interest as the weeks go by.

Thanks for visiting.
Rainbow bridge

Loving a Saint Bernard

St. Bernard "Josie" at six months of age

"Josie" just a couple of years later.

This lovable girl quickly grew into a HUGE animal, but remains gentle and skittish.  She still will not get into a car or motor home.