BAD DAD!!!!!

Ai Me!

A few weeks ago I went to Costco and picked up some lamb treats for the pups.  They love them.
Now, these are strips, and, without thinking about the ingredients, I bought them, not realizing they had wheat gluten in them.

What a stupid thing to do!

This past week, I began to give them out to the pack and they delighted in the smell - I mean, who doesn't love lamb?!  Right?!

Well, Samson's body doesn't like this serving of lamb!

At first I thought it was fleas.  He began scratching - especially around his groin.

Then, despite all the brushing I was doing, his right ear kept looking oddly disheveled, and began to mat.

I found, on his neck, a lump of something that could have been sap, blood, whatever - but it wasn't sticky, and it didn't wipe off.

I caught him scooting.

Rusty began chewing his leg.

So, bath time!

During the bath, I found a hard lump, ball-like, in Sammy's groin area.

His mother, here for a wedding, told me that she thought the neutering was incomplete, and they couldn't find a testicle.

So, I phoned the vet and told them this.  I also wanted to see what was wrong, as he seemed oh so miserable.

Preliminary tools for Sammy

I took Sammy and Simon to the vet.  Simon won't let either Samson or me out of his sight!  We got there and Samson stayed very close to me...I'd like to think he understood we were doing right by him.

 Dr. Leddy preps for the exam

What did we find?  Hot spots and a staph infection - on his neck and in his groin!

They took him in the  back to finish his exam.

Simon waits patiently for Sammy to return.

They removed his fur, and gave him a couple of injections to help clear the infection.  They washed him and removed all the pus from his neck and groin.

Sammy's neck exposing the infection.

The lump was a swelling of his prostate.

a  partial view of the groin area - it's really nasty!

I've never seen him so miserable.  He was not going to let me near him!

He lunged at me when I tried to take a gander at his groin.

Yes, he's improving, and moving much better.  The scratching has ceased.  But, he still won't let me near the groin to clean it and put cream on it - in fact, he bit me!  He has bitten me more in the past 2 days than he's ever done (that was in play - this is serious!  This is "Don't you ever ever ever ever ever ever try that again!).

Lesson - Read the ingredients!

     AND - never underestimate a cute dog as being able to annihilate you!

He screams from just the touch of the cream.

I hope in the next day or so he'll be back to feeling up to trusting me, and not feeling so much pain.

Motion is the Lotion!!!

Oh My Goodness!!!!

This week we decided to get out to another dog park that was equi-distant to the one we usually attend.  The air was warm, the sky blue, and it was just relaxation!

I put on my headphones and listened to Rachmaninoff while I walked down and up with the pups.

My grandparents had a farm in Turner, Oregon.  These pictures remind me of that little house which, last I saw, was surrounded by many new luxury homes.

When we walk in the morning, the dogs are leashed, and don't always want to go in the same direction as do I.  So, I believe it's important that we find time to have some freedom.

Oddly, the pups are more engaged in meeting other dogs and exploring here rather than at our usual park.  Could it be the novelty?  Hardly - there are other parks where they haven't the urge to explore as much as they do here!  Even Rusty goes off for a lark on his own to explore!

Because they do so much up and down hill walking, they tire, but it also builds their endurance at their own pace, which gladdens me when I hope to relax at night - they drop off to sleep earlier, giving me some down time, as well.

The act of walking on a regular basis is good for several reasons:
     1.  It helps the joints relax and be used, sparing the muscles from atrophying;
     2.  It stimulates the brain (if you allow your dog to naturally sniff on the way - annoying and slow as it is, this is what can really tire them out!)
     3.  It gives the dogs a chance to explore at their own pace - both mentally and physically stimulating.
     4.  It aids them in feeling free, relaxed and able to roam without restraint.

I've read in so many books and articles that you can walk or run a dog every day and find yourself needing to give them more (their energy becomes boundless).  Without the mental stimulation of commands, sniffing, socializing, exploring, etc., they tire less easily; with it, they become sharper and their mental faculties tend to last much longer (look at Skallywag!).

That's why we have a foodball at home - they have to roll it around to get the treats, and for them it's also play;  it's also more downtime for Pops!

We also play hide-n-seek at home and the park, as well as chase and tag!  When you play these games it keeps the dogs young at heart (we'll catch this in a later blog!), and keeps them young in mind, as well (just look at Skally, who loves to play these games, still; though she's not as quick as she once was).  

Going to the park on a regular basis is also good for several reasons:
    1.  It helps them socialize and learn appropriate behaviors;
    2.  It allows you to interact with other humans, and they other dogs;
    3.  It allows them to play in a more natural environment (I'm talking outdoor parks - I realize people need the indoor ones because of logistics, but they aren't even close!);
    4.  It allows them to relax and just get up and out on their own terms!  Independence is as necessary for your pups as it is for you!  (you wouldn't like being cooped up in the same yard/house for eons, and then have to walk on a lead without any real sense of freedom).

Enjoy your pups!  Remember, they are an investment of Well-being, Mental Stimulation, Budgeting (oh those treats and that food!!!), Love, Compassion, Enjoyment, among all the other qualities they bring to your life.  Keep them moving, even when they are older.  

Walking....and walking...

One reason people seem to have a dog is that "It will force me to exercise!"

Yeah?  How's that working for you?

Sure, there are times I wake up at 345 am and wonder - 'Why?!'

Then I get up, have my first cup of coffee, with Rusty on my heels (he's my shadow), get out my grapefruit, put the eggs in the pot and begin to boil them, and take down the treats from the fridge.

By this time, Samson is also by my side.

I locate Skally, who's usually sitting up awaiting her treats, feed one to her, then to Samson and Rusty, and go in to find Simon lounging on the bed.

Then comes treat #2 - the chicken strip.  Same routine.

By this time, I have walked to the back door to see how the weather is.  IF it's pouring, then there's no way we're going out.  But if it's not a deluge, I grab my headphones, my cellphone, my clothes, hat, etc., put Sammy into his harness, grab Simon out of bed (not an easy task - believe me! He's worse than a teenager!),   make sure I have enough poobags, and leash them up.

Out the door we go.

Of course, it's rarely a brisk walk.  WE have the need to sniff, pee, poo, inspect, go back further to re-inspect, taste, and the cycle continues for approximately 45 minutes (about 2 miles).

During this time, though, I'm able to listen to at least one chapter of an audible book, think, clear my head, and begin planning my day.

During this time, too, the dogs are able to stretch their legs, evacuate their wastes, use their brains, and have a wonderful time with their Pa.

There are times of frustration, though, when I feel as would a Sherpa lugging bodies up the Himalayas on the last leg home (the four don't seem all that anxious to go uphill, or go home) with my wee steps and arms pulled behind me.  But that's good exercise, non?!

And, it being dark, most of the year, it's quiet, serene, and the lights below give off a sense of romance and wonder.  These pictures don't do it justice.

I've done this for the past 16 years, on a regular basis.  I had to when I began, as Syd, Cubby, and Skally were just too active and barky  - I needed to find ways to get rid of a lot of that energy (and our walks, then, were more like 4+ miles, and over an hour) - which didn't always seem to work.

But walking them enables me to have calm, as well as them.  They have the opportunity to walk as a pack, and learn from each other (Rusty and Simon have learned a great deal - Sammy pretends he already knew).
So, even if you've no dog, or pet, to walk in the morning, try it.  It's good for your soul, if not your legs and body (the dogs are not only my causation, but also my barometer).

Early to Bed! and all that rot!
CFN!
T.