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owl's visit with dr hutchison

6/24/2014

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Eagle-eyed Owl
Today, I took Owl for an evaluation of his reproductive status. We visited Dr Robert Hutchison of Northview Animal Clinic in North Ridgeville, Ohio. Dr Hutchison is an expert on canine and feline reproduction. He has many, many years of experience and has shared his knowledge with breeders in seminars all over the country. I figured it would be worth the 3.25 hours drive north for Owl to be assessed by this guy. 

The bad, but not surprising, news is that Owl has a fertility problem.  Dr Hutch said that normal canine sperm counts run about 10 million per pound of dog's body weight. Owl weighs 20 lbs so we would expect something like 200 million sperm. Owl's count was 42 million.

One would think that 42 million of anything would surely be enough!

But it gets worse. Of the 42 million sperm, 58% were immature. Dr Hutch explained that, like other glands in the body, the testes are 'used to' a certain level of production and that Owl was likely much more fertile when he was younger. So, in an effort to 'keep up the numbers' in the ejaculate, the testes are throwing out sperm that have not yet matured. 

This is the reason, I was told, that Owl was not able to settle either Taya or Tasha this spring.

Now for some good news:

1. Owl has sperm. I was half-afraid there wouldn't be anything in there. 

2. The motility of the sperm was good.

3. The morphology of the sperm was largely normal.

4. Ultrasound showed no masses or significant lesions in the testicles.

5. Ultrasound showed an enlarged prostate but the amount of enlargement is moderate and well within normal for a dog Owl's age. 

6. It was also clear that Owl does not have an infectious process going on; there was no blood or pus. Prostatitis is a leading cause of acquired infertility so this was very good to hear. 

I had shown Dr Hutch the semen evaluation from a different repro specialist done February, 2013. Unfortunately, the report was rather vague. I repeated what I'd been told and what I saw, which I had also relayed to Diane Webb in an email at that time.
"He said it looked pretty good. About 70% were what he called normal sperm 'which would be fine for live cover or fresh chilled. But for freezing and storing and the expense that goes with it, I think we can do better. I would like to get the numbers up to around 90% for freezing and I think we can do it.' He also showed me the little bit of blood in the bottom of the spun-down tube; the blood that had made it into the sample before bleeding became obvious. He said that the freezing process hemolyzes red blood cells and hemolyzing RBCs will destroy some sperm so another reason to clear up the prostate. He gave me a script for 30 days worth of Cipro. Interestingly, under magnification it appeared that some sperm were attempting to impregnate the small clumps of red cells. Good luck with that! He did comment on how good Owl's physical condition is."  ~ Patt Nance in an email to Diane Webb, February 12, 2013
Three months later, based on what I had seen and been told, Babe was bred to Owl. Babe did not conceive.  But she was six years old. We thought Babe had the problem.  :  (

Again, though, no prostatitis today, (if there ever was). Instead, Dr Hutch said it looks like we have a hormonal problem related to aging. I asked if these hormonal changes in Owl are normal. He slid me a look sideways for effect and said. "Oh yes. Very normal. Owl is something like a 60 year old man."  I am pretty sure the good doctor Hutch is in his 60s!

The rest of the good news:

7. Owl's libido is fine. 

8. He received an injection of testosterone with pre- and post- level blood tests and the results were good.

9. He is not obese and he doesn't smoke.  ; )

I had had to make a decision, before the ultrasound, blood tests, and medications, how far I am willing to go to try to obtain a litter from Owl.  Considering everything: his health, vitality, and energy level which are all truly extraordinary, his sound conformation, size, intelligence, eagerness to work at anything, his voice, coat quality, pedigree, I could go on and on...

I decided to do what seems reasonable. Not less. Not more. Dr Hutchison agreed with this. He said, "I am a logical, reasonable person, too. So let's do what is logical and reasonable and see what happens." I was able to connect with that statement.

Owl has been started on Megace 5 mg daily for 21 days, then 5 mg weekly. I was surprised by this. Megace is a progestin, a synthetic progesterone. Really? Megace? Yes. See Progesterone: a male hormone for more information. I learn something new every day!

He was also started on a male fertility supplement in capsule form called, um, Male Fertility Supplement, manufactured by Coast Science.  Doc said he began prescribing MFS after a conversation with a human urologist. Sub-title on the container is "The Male Prenatal." Well, I can hope so. Owl is to get one capsule of the powder on his food each day.

Dr Hutch wants to re-evaluate in eight weeks. So we will. Please hope with me for a positive outcome!
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raptor recovered

3/28/2014

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Tonight, Owl appears every bit as good as before the problem this week with vestibular disease. His high metabolism, large appetite, and energetic, even opportunistic self has, I am happy to report,  returned to full flight!
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flying toward recovery

3/26/2014

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I am gratified to be able to report that Owl is doing MUCH better! If I were to rate him on a scale 1-10, 10 being normal, I would say a solid 9.5. He is walking a straight line! Active. Happy. Jumping. No discernible head tilt. The only things I am seeing are that he appears to stumble slightly in the rear when turning right, he has a minute wobble when lifting his leg to pee, and his movement appears very slightly rigid, like he is not 100% trusting or finding total balance. I would say most people would not notice these things but I am seeing them because I know Owl so well.

Thank you for all your support!

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warning: dogs, leashes, and elevators

3/25/2014

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"I thought I was going to watch him die!"

DISTURBING VIDEO: Tamara Seibert of Toronto, Ontario reacts with horror as her 5-year-old Rottweiler Vado flies from the floor to the ceiling after his leash got caught in an elevator door. Seibert broke two fingers and further injured her hand while trying to undo his collar. The dog’s leash eventually snapped and he was shaken, but okay.
I am glad this turned out okay and thanks for this warning about elevators posted by Tamara Seibert on Facebook today.

I am reminded of Mary Trinkle who raised standard longhairs on Long Island years ago. There was a small elevator in her home for her husband Fred who was confined to a wheelchair. Mary lost a dog when the elevator door broke his neck.

Those of us who travel with dogs use elevators on occasion. Let this be a reminder to use them with good awareness!
Post by Tamara Seibert.
  
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vestibular disease, aka bobblehead

3/24/2014

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I am so looking forward to my first litter in 4.5 years! Owl mated Taya last evening, on the 9th day of her cycle.  The mating took place just as nature intended, with no interference from me. Taya was willing and Owl was eager, and I was happy that it went so well. 

Later, though, I noticed that Owl looked a bit 'strange.' He was hunched a little and mildly hesitant to walk but it was subtle. He lifted his leg fine but wobbled just enough for me to  notice it. He retched a couple of times, then seemed better. At bed time at 0200, Nexus and Viljo went into their crates and I put Owl on the bed with me. He had a slightly vacant expression as if he wasn't feeling well, then he sighed, stretched out, and went to sleep. 

At 0415, I was awakened by a noise. Owl had fallen out of bed. I heard him retch. I got up. Two minutes later, it looked for all the world like Owl was having a full blown seizure. On his side, arched, rigid, flailing. It went on, too long, before he settled. Oh God. I went out into the 15 degree night to start the car and put a crate in there. I put Owl into his crate in the bedroom while I dressed. I heard sounds like he was seizing again. Owl's crate was moving and shaking from his spastic movements inside. I carried him out to the car and headed for Medvet in Columbus, 90 minutes away. In the car, there were two more episodes, both of them brief, when it sounded like Owl was seizing again. Each time ended with a soft whine. I noted the times and kept thinking, praying, Oh Lord, PLEASE don't tell me I just bred Tayter to Owl on the same day I find out he has a seizure disorder. The ramifications of that scenario hit like a ton of bricks. 

Thankfully, what I was told three hours later was that Owl is having a bout with Vestibular Dis-ease. Vertigo. A problem with his balance. My dog is dizzy. Oh, you could have cut my relief with a knife. 

The vet was great but he wanted to consult a neurologist. He said he could tell me what the problem was but could not tell me why. Is the problem originating with the inner ear(s) as is most often the case? Or is it, worst case scenario, coming from the brain stem? He left me to think about what I wanted to do. Well, I just got a smart phone on Wednesday and, boy, is it smart! I consulted my phone for information on Canine Vestibular Disease. I learned that it is actually not uncommon, affects mostly older dogs but sometimes middle age dogs, too. (Owl and his O littermates will be 10 in June. The fact that they are all very healthy and active at nearly 10 is one of the reasons I decided to use Owl in the first place.) One vet had an article saying she basically adopts the wait and see plan; improvement is often complete all the way to baseline, and often within 72 hours. So I told the vet I was taking Owl home and he was fine with that. They hydrated him with some subcu fluid and an injection of anti-nausea med. They gave me the same medication, Maropitant, in pill form, to be given once a day for the next three days.

Before I left, I asked the vet why the symptoms mimicked seizures so closely. I said that I have seen seizures a number of times, in dogs and especially in humans. Earlier this year, in fact, we had a patient who seized repeatedly something like 20 times before we got him transferred to a medical unit. The vet said basically, the vertigo was making Owl nauseated which is why he was retching. When he fell on his side that first time at home, and flailed, it was because he could not find equilibrium. Owl literally could not tell up from down. He was arched and rigid because he was trying hard to right himself. He was moving and shaking the crate when, again, he was trying to find balance and couldn't. And some of the body tension likely came from finding himself in a frightening predicament.

Outside of the vet hospital, I put Owl on the grass to see if he had to pee and he sat there looking like a bobble dog in someone's car window. When we got home, Owl did walk - like he might walk if he'd been into the Vodka - and lifted his leg and peed. He ate some soft food (canned cat food!) that I fed him with a spoon. He didn't want anything to drink.

Tonight, Owl is walking better but moving sideways, like a fast-moving crab. He has a head tilt and a bit of a body wobble. No retching though, no falling or flailing, and he knows which way is up. 

Owl appears much more relaxed. 

Until I open the front door and he sees the cat on the porch.

Until he pulls toward the kennel building where Taya is.

: )
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dog food advisor

12/1/2013

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I like the Dog Food Advisor web site and have recommended it to a lot of people. Including co-workers and even folks looking at dog food in pet supply stores and Walmart. I also tell them that if the choices seem bewildering, a quick easy way to get some notion of quality is to look at the first two ingredients. If the first two ingredients - three is even better - are meat and/or meat meal from identified sources of meat, it is likely that they are looking at one of the better kibbles available there. There's more to it than that, of course, but it is a great place to start. Interestingly, the big chain pet supply store in town carries virtually none of the better foods. Thankfully, the little mom and pop shop does.
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just  a  bit  of  a   s-t-r-e-t-c-h

11/27/2013

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I had been having a lot of pain in my knees. It was an odd pain. On again, off again, mostly on after a lot of activity. I stopped running agility. For the most part, I stopped the daily one-milers with my dogs. Walking on the unstable gravel was painful. 

Knowing that my muscles were tight, I was pretty sure the pain was more related to muscle than to bone. I lost some weight. I tried stretching, which was nothing new, I'd been doing it for years. Then more stretching this summer, from a regimen I found on You Tube. The result was that I really hurt my left knee. Ouch, talk about painful! It even kept me from going to the Michigan field trials. 

Early this month, with a free coupon for a first visit to a chiropractor in town, I went, he twisted my leg around and told me that I should schedule an MRI. I mentioned this to my regular doctor who said forget the MRI, it's very expensive and I don't think you need one, call the fitness center and get in to see an exercise physiologist. So I went to the fitness center and saw the fitness guru who specializes in stretching. I have have had one session with him so far. Tam gave me a 15 minute totally painless stretching routine to do each day until the next time I see him. It is so easy you wouldn't believe it could be so effective. But the pain in my knee has been gone for more than two weeks! 

Tam explained that I had always been stretching the same muscle groups - so actually over stretching them - and said that I needed to also stretch the antagonists of those muscles which I had not been doing. He said that the over-stretched muscles on the back side and the under-stretched muscles on the front side were putting relentless pressure on my knees and no wonder I was having knee pain! I am back to walking every day. A few days ago, I spent more than two hours tromping the woods trying to find a deer. No knee pain! I am posting this for the benefit of someone else who may be having a similar problem. 

Also to say that my doctor is smart and I am THANKFUL for her.
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owl's initial repro evaluation

2/12/2013

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[Owl is ABS5 FC Alpine Owl von Dorndorf TD JE NA OAJ SchwhK SchwhKF Wa-T BHP-G LH, owned by Patricia Nance.]

Owl had an appointment today with Dr Mark McCloskey, canine reproduction specialist at the Canine Semen Bank of Columbus. The purpose of the visit was twofold. First, Owl, 8.5 years old, is our choice to father Babe's litter this spring.  Second, due to his outstanding individual qualities and his pedigree, I intend to have some of Owl's semen frozen and stored for the possibility of future use. So a good evaluation was the next step.

Taya is in heat so I took her with us. Her presence made collecting Owl very easy. Dr Mark was pleased with the quantity of semen until some blood, too, came with it. He said that Owl has some prostatitis going on and that we should treat the prostate before collecting semen for freezing. Microscopically, Owl's sperm appeared to be about 70% normal and functionally motile. Mark noted that this is quite adequate for natural mating but, ideally, he would like the number of normal sperm to be about 90% before processing for storage. He thinks obtaining this increase is very doable.

Owl will be on 250 mg of Cipro twice a day for 30 days. Then we will reevaluate. I will keep you posted.
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Owl
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Stop the bleeding

2/8/2013

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I have been intending to write about a little item that I have found to be very useful.

Sometimes I trim the nails of dogs belonging to friends of mine. This includes Griffin and Gretel, owned by Jennifer Fry. It is inevitable that occasionally a nail will be cut a bit short and bleed. I have never found a styptic product that was of any real use in stopping a bleeding nail. This includes 'home remedies' such as flour and cornstarch. Often, all that stuff did was turn a little bit of a mess into a bigger mess.

A couple of years ago when I visited Jennifer and prepared to cut the dogs' nails, Jennifer handed me a small container of a styptic powder that I had not tried before. For that matter, it was a brand I had never seen before. I was skeptical but figured it might be better than nothing.

It was, paws down, the best thing I have ever found to stop nail bleeding. After everything else that I have tried, this powder seemed nearly miraculous. "Hey, THIS stuff works!" I marveled so much that Jennifer gave it to me and, when necessary, I have used it and appreciated it ever since.

It is 21st Century Styptic Powder and it comes in a 0.5 oz plastic jar. (Don't ask me why the link goes to a page that says "great taste, dog approved" because I don't know why!) I found that the easiest way to use it is if I cut a nail a bit too much (doesn't happen often), I moisten the tip of my little finger by touching it to my tongue and touch my finger to the powder in the container, which I open before I begin clipping, just in case. Then I use my little finger to dab the powder on the nail. One dab is usually enough though every  once in awhile it takes two. Voila! It works every time!

I was a bit concerned that if I ever run out of the stuff (though I'm nowhere close to it) I would not be able to find it again. Jennifer could not remember where she'd bought it.  So I went online and found, lo and behold, that 21st Century is "the exclusive pet wellness brand of PetSmart."

I also saw this powder touted on the Sick Dog Blog as "really effective in stopping the bleeding from a broken or over-clipped nail, along with minor cuts." That blog, too, mentions that, unlike cheaper products, the 21st Century powder does not clump due to moisture in the air and eventually morph into a rock. This is true.

It is nice to have something that works so well!
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Marta portrait, by Christian Stock

1/5/2013

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Some of you know that Marta has been living with Jennifer Fry in Columbus, Ohio since April 2011. In July 2012, two days after she turned 14, Marta had surgery to remove her spleen that had a large mass . Pathology proved it to be hemangiosarcoma.

Marta did very well for months after recuperation. She continued to dance around Jennifer's kitchen at meal time, obsess over her ball, remain on critter alert in Jennifer's backyard, keep her 'boyfriend' Griffin company, and keep her granddaughter Gretel in line.

Unfortunately, in December a lump came up on the back of her neck and biopsy confirmed malignancy. Since then, Marta has had a number of good days and, lately, some not so good.  Through them all, day in and day out, Jennifer has been giving her the best possible care, with the assistance of her friend and talented veterinarian Dr. Angie Callahan.

Yesterday, Christian Stock, who owns Marta's granddaughter Pie, took the time and made the effort to get some photos of Marta. Here is one example, and it is excellent. I love this picture! Thank you, Christian!

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And heartfelt thank yous to Jennifer and Dr. Callahan for taking such wonderful care of Smart Mart. I know, Jennifer, that you love her, and Marta knows it, too.
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Do you believe in magic

11/25/2012

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CH Von Schaafmeister's Do You Believe in Magic
May 13 2007 - November 25 2012

Written by his owner, Wendy McQuiston, Red Oak, TX
Reprinted with Wendy's permission and hope that it may save another newborn from being needlessly put down. Wendy, my condolences. I know there is a hole in your heart.
Timothy was born to DC VS Endless Summer Nights JE (Naughty) and DC VS Impossible Dreams (Magic).

His was a special litter (aren't they all?) because it was sired by my "heart dog Magic" when he was 10. There were 2 red boys and one B&T girl in the litter. Magic cloned himself with the two red boys and Naughty cloned herself with the one B&T girl.

When Timothy was born, my heart fell because before he was dry, I realized that his back legs were on........backwards. There's no other way to explain it except to say that the kneecaps faced the wrong way and it was so OBVIOUS that it was a serious birth defect. My heart fell. But I decided right away to let him live and to reassess the situation as he grew. If he was in pain as he grew, I could put him down later. In the wee hours, as I was awaiting the end of the litter being born, I emailed a few friends. I was very distraught over the limb deformity, needless to say. About 6 am, I received a phone call with a friend SCREAMING into the phone, "You didn't OFF that puppy did you?". "No, I didn't" was my response to her. Oddly enough, just the week prior, we'd been discussing the very awful but needful topic of WHAT to do in the wee hours of the morning if you do have a puppy born who needs to be put down. At that time of the morning, you're stuck with an emergency clinic and they're simply NOT going to know how to put down a new born puppy. So this friend told me what her vet had told her and how to do it. She was terrified after our discussion that I'd "offed" him. No, not for something that clearly wasn't causing him any distress......... as he had immediately scooted over to his Mom and started nursing. Anyway, the friend explained to me that she'd had 4 puppies born that way and that they all straightened out on their own. I tried to explain to her that these legs were BACKWARDS and surely wouldn't straighten on their own. But they did. Within 24 hours they were already better. Within 72 hours they looked completely normal. It is possible that Timothy's "mission" on earth was to save future puppy lives by my spreading the word about his "miracle" recovery. I've told Tim's story to numerous breeders and veterinarians. FEW have ever heard about it. Even worse were the ones who had a rather sick look on their face; I suspect they'd seen a puppy like this and put it down. Of course, his "deformity" is how he earned his name. My weird mind started calling him "Tiny Tim" early on. As he grew and became a wonderful, elegant dog, it became "Timothy".

Timothy finished his bench championship pretty quickly. He enjoyed showing but more than that, enjoyed the one on one "Mom time" and meeting new friends. He especially loved his "Aunt Cathy". In fact, he showed better if his "Aunt Cathy" was there. I think he even showed better for her than he did for me. They always had a special relationship.

Timothy had a rather "unusual" bark. He didn't fully open his mouth when he barked so his bark sounded "muffled". It was cute, unique and unfortunately for him, so distinct that it was always obvious when he was the one barking. No blending into the mob of barking fools for Tim.

Timothy's start in the field was a little slow but one run in Saint Louis was so memorable. It's one of the few runs I really remember. The one judge had already "blown Tim off" and wanted him picked up. The other judge (for whom I'll always hold a special spot in my heart) kept waving off the other judge and was watching Timothy. You could SEE the dog's mind racing as he tried to figure it out. You could see him sniff, get excited, go a little off track, realize that he'd lost it and come back to the line. He was moving very slowly but he was very methodically working it out. He worked his way half way down a "lane", made the turn to the left and was still working it out. He lost it when the rabbit jumped to the right, off the lane and into the brush. Timothy just couldn't figure it out but he wasn't willing to give up. I was SO excited to watch him figure it out. It doesn't matter that he didn't get a placement or a ribbon.........it was just exciting to watch him using his nose, doing what his ancestors from so long ago had done and GETTING IT. Timothy had gotten to the point where he was READY for field trial season and we were looking forward to it this winter.

Alas, life had other plans. In the spring of 2012, he had a lump come up on the side of his neck. The vet tried to take a needle biopsy but nothing came out. It wasn't sore, didn't bother him and we were on the fence about what to do. The vet and I thought it was a salivary gland. Of course, now we now it was a lymph gland and that we made the wrong call. In June, Timothy became very ill and stopped eating.






He lost 5 pounds in about 7 days. We were out of state at the time and I'd hope to make it back home to our vet but he became so sick, so fast that I had to go to a vet there. After blood work, she was fearful that he had liver cancer. We made it home and went immediately to a canine Oncologist. He narrowed it down to either Lymphosarcoma or histiocytic sarcoma. Neither diagnosis was good. In addition to the lump on his neck, he In addition to the lump on his neck, he was full of internal tumors. The histiocytic sarcoma was completely, totally NOT treatable. The Lymphosarcoma, in the vet's words was "treatable, not curable". I heard his words as if they were coming from a distance and it took quite some time for them to sink in. The bottom line was that with treatment, MAYBE a year of life after treatment, without it, weeks. It was as if I was paralyzed. I couldn't make a decision. Adding to the dilemma was the cost. It would cost at least five thousand dollars. I hate for cost to be a factor in a dog's care but that's quite a lot of money.........especially when it wasn't going to save him. He was terribly ill and needed to be put down if we weren't going to do the treatment. But neither my husband nor I could bring ourselves to get in the car and make that painful drive to the vet. The oncologist gave him the first injection, just to make him feel better and it was miraculous. Within 24 hours, he was feeling good and eating. Then I heard from a friend that she has a dog who is 5 years post treatment for Lymphosarcoma. With that hope and a dog who was acting and feeling normally, we began treatment. The oncologist told me that it was a miracle that my friend's dog was alive 5 years later and not to expect another miracle. Privately, I thought, "guess we'll show him". Within just a few treatments, the lump on his neck disappeared and the internal tumors all disappeared. The oncologist was surprised at the quick response.

For the most part, he sailed through his treatment. Even the treatment that was supposed to make him vomit and have diarrhea didn't do so. One drug would make him not eat for two days afterwards. But we kept him plumped up so that those few days didn't drag him down. He loved his extra food and got so fat that I had to cut him back some. Timothy LOVED going to the Oncologist's office. The staff there loved him. They were constantly telling me how much they loved Timothy. They decided that I should give him to them and that he could go home with one staff member per night and spend his days at the clinic being loved on. They told me that he got carried around and if he WAS in his cage that invariably, someone had their head in there, loving on him. On treatment days, he was bouncing at the front door, eager to go. I thought we had our Timothy back.

He was in week 19 of 25 weeks of treatment when he stopped eating, clearly didn't feel good and had white gums. I hoped that it was just a temporary set back. When the vet called me, he said that the cancer had come back with a vengeance. He was full of internal tumors again and the fact that they'd come back during the treatment was an even worse sign. The oncologist wanted to do some more testing to see if it was the Lymphosarcoma or the histiocytic sarcoma but I could not see the sense of that. We were treating as if it was the Lympho and the Histio wasn't treatable at all. So figuring out WHICH one made NO SENSE at all to me. He said we could go to Plan B which was a different drug, injected every 3 weeks but even at that, it was not going to save his life. Considering the fact that the tumors were all back, in the middle of treatment, Plan B just didn't seem sensible and we decided to stop treatment. I wish I had a magic bullet that would have saved his life but this particular cancer is deadly. My friend's dog is the ONLY dog I've heard of who has survived this particular cancer.

Sadly, we knew that Timothy's battle was over and that the cancer had won. We brought him home and tried to prepare ourselves to take him to the vet for that final trip. I've had many dogs in my life. Dachshunds seldom give up and die. The vast majority of them have to be put down. I've put down MANY old Dachshunds. While it's hard, it's a gift I can offer them when they are at the end of their life and it is time. This, however, was harder, impossible, really. While we were trying to find the courage to make the trip, our pet communicator told us that Timothy wasn't really ready to go yet. He knew that he was dying and wasn't afraid but wasn't ready yet. He wanted a couple of days to sleep in the sunshine. We offered him anything to eat that he wanted. He had things that we normally never give the dogs. Doughnuts and a blueberry muffin were particularly enjoyed as was bologna. About the only thing he'd eat reliably was baby food meat. But even that became unpalatable and we knew it was time to say goodbye. We ponder why it had to happen. We ponder the unfairness of it.

But mostly we grieve as we say good bye.
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Trapped

11/24/2012

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There has been some discussion on a tracking dog list lately about trapping (as well as hunting) being allowed in state parks.  State parks are where people often train their tracking dogs, and more than a few tracking tests are held on park lands.

The discussion prompted one list member to post a worthy link Removing Your Dog From A Trap Or Snare. With sources being the Wisconsin DNR website and the Nova Scotia DNR, Wildlife Division, this information from the Lincoln County Humane Society, Merrill, Wisconsin is very well done.

There are a number of trappers in my neck of the woods so I am glad to have the info. I just hope I never have to use it.
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More on cutting nails

11/5/2012

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Jolanta Jeanneney came across this good schematic on nail cutting and sent it in an email this summer. Thank you, Jolanta! It is very useful for showing that clipping just a bit off of a long nail often will not only shorten the nail, but shorten the blood supply to the nail. As noted in my previous post, it helps a lot to have a dog who cooperates through the nail-cutting sessions. Cooperation is just so much nicer all the way around!

It is important not to let nails become long for a number of reasons. Long nails unnaturally splay the foot when the dog bears weight. Eventually, this can cause sore feet and legs and discomfort when walking or running. Long nails scratch people, furniture, and floors and will rip skin and fabric, too. And if left untended long enough, nails can grow under and into the paw, causing redness, swelling, and infection. This is undoubtedly as painful to the dog as ingrown toenails are to people. (I have seen a dog with an ingrown nail and it was not a pretty sight.)

Therefore, it is important to get a nail clipper and regularly trim the nails. Remember, too, to be patient with yourself and your dog in the process!
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teach your puppies to like nail cutting

11/5/2012

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It is really very easy. This is how I do it.

From the very first time that I cut a puppy's nails, I reinforce her cooperation.

I hold the puppy on her back on my lap with a container of small bits of something very tasty - chicken! hot dogs! - on the desk or table in front of us. And this is what they learn:

Lie on your back. Get a treat.

Hold still. Get a treat.

Have a nail clipped. Get a treat.

Hold still some more. Get a treat.

Have second nail clipped. Get a treat.

Third nail. Treat!

I remember the moment when Viljo, as a young puppy, got the concept. He became very still like a statue and willed me to cut a nail so that he could get a treat! ha ha! That's the idea, little guy!

After a couple of nail cutting sessions, I will cut two nails between each treat. Then three. Then a whole paw. But sometimes I will cut one nail and give two treats!

After several sessions, they don't get any treats while their nails are being cut but they always get a treat afterward.

The result of a bit of patience and reward with young puppies is having adult dogs who ask to be next to have their nails cut!

Photos below are of Taya getting her nails done on September 7, 2012. She was 14 weeks old and not new to this although we were hours away from home at the time. I have wanted to put a post like this up for some time but needed someone to take the pictures. Diane Webb took these photos for me and did an excellent job of it! Thank you, Diane! And thank you, Taya!
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views on feeding and an observation

11/3/2012

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The subject of feeding dogs is one that may be lumped into the category "I asked 100 people and got 100 different answers!" I am occasionally asked what and how I feed my dogs and the following is my reply. It does NOT mean that I necessarily think that feeding twice a day, raw feeding, different supplementation, or other ways of managing canine nutrition are wrong! We all do according to what we believe is good for our own dogs, fits our own lifestyles, and agrees with our own experiences.

I feed my adult dogs once daily and give them a good dog food, often with some fresh food (meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables) mixed in. They also get a biscuit now and then as an extra. The foods that I buy are nearly always various 4- and 5-star foods as rated and recommended by dogfoodadvisor. Another site that I like is dogfoodanalysis which rates foods on a 1-6 star scale.

I say "various" foods because I practice rotation feeding. Meaning that every time I buy a dog food, I select something different than what I got the last time. I may feed a dozen different foods in succession before my dogs get one of those same foods again. This is because, just as is true for people, a variety of food covers the dogs better nutritionally than consuming the very same stuff all the time. A side benefit is that I have no concerns about the dogs being sensitive to changes in their diet!

Interestingly, I have found that some of the pet supply superstores do not sell the better and best dog foods. I go to the much smaller We Lov Pets store in town to get those foods because the great big pet store does not carry them.

Some of the brands that I look for are Instinct, EVO, Nutrisca, Innova, Taste of the Wild (which can also be found at Tractor Supply), Wellness, Solid Gold, Before Grain, Pinnacle, Earthborn and Nature's Variety. We Lov Pets does not always have all of these brands so I pick and choose according to what is on the shelves at the time. Additionally, all of these brands have a variety of formulas so there are always a number of options.

I usually feed the food dry. I might add chicken. Some liver. An egg. Greens. Carrots. Cabbage. Or apple. Taya likes bananas. Sometimes I will add some water, especially warm water on a chilly day. I also like to add water when we are traveling to increase the dogs' fluid intake on the road.

When we are home, I add salmon oil every day. And I often (not always) give a bit of powdered pro-biotic and/or a multi-vitamin. It is no big deal that they don't get these things when we are away.

As for feeding puppies, I let their mothers wean them with very little interference from me. Whether the mother weans them at five weeks or at nine weeks is fine with me. Then, three or four times a day, they get the same food mama gets. Gone are the days when very mediocre dog food made the more nutritious puppy food better for puppies. Today, the better so-called puppy foods can be "too much" of a good thing and have resulted in negative developmental consequences for some puppies and their breeders. I went to a couple of Pat Hastings seminars years ago and her photos and documentation convinced me of this. I have not fed puppy food for a dozen years.

So here is an observation about another food that I have been interested in but have not used before and that is Fromm. I have looked at Fromm but not bought it because the store always seemed to have it in the small and very large bags. For my four dogs, I like to buy the 15-20 lb bags. Last time I went, however, they did have Fromm Gold Adult in a medium-size bag and I bought it. I have been seeing for several days that, while some dry dog foods cause the dogs to drink a lot of water after they have eaten, Fromm does not. I am favorably impressed by this and have placed Fromm high on my list of preferred dog foods.
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different kind of runs

10/22/2012

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I learned in April that I am not really a three dog a trial agility handler. How some people handle five or six dogs in a trial is beyond me! I also learned that when you have two dogs in the same 8" class, they are both likely to get shafted. The first dog you run gets quickly shoved back into his crate so you can run the other one AND the second dog you run gets virtually nothing in the way of physical or mental warm up before going onto the course.

This weekend I wanted to concentrate on Nexus, so did not enter Viljo. My intention was to take Viljo and Taya with us, especially for all the noisy atmosphere and to see all the other breeds. Taya, however, began having liquid diarrhea on Thursday. It was a first for her even after all the traveling she has done in her young life. I believe it may have been caused by a little bully stick that I gave her but I'm not sure. I decided to leave her home in her pen and leave Viljo home too, so Taya would not be alone.

The diarrhea persisted. I was picking up the newspaper in her pen so often that I nearly ran out of paper. She seemed fine, playful and bright otherwise but three days of the runs is too long and I became concerned. She was drinking plenty of water but obviously losing weight. I hit on the remedy of small amounts of cooked oatmeal and chicken a few times on Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday and last night there was nothing on the paper, and this morning, her bm outside was perfectly normal. The oatmeal really seems to have helped absorb the excess liquid and regulate her gut. I am writing this in case others may find it useful in a similar situation.
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