CanineFostering.com

Much ado about nothing

Kristin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:45:57 +0000

Ringworm is contagious. Yes that is true. And there was enough of the fungus on Fluffy’s hair to grow a culture in the dish. Yes, that is also true. But does that mean the pups HAVE ringworm? If they show no signs does that mean they have it? If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it fall, did it really fall? Ok, maybe that is taking it too far. But really, as I prepare myself mentally for the yellow puppies and the smell of sulfur, I must ask myself, “why?” If we hadn’t tested the flaky skin on Fluffy we would not think they were sick. They don’t have any symptoms. We haven’t caught anything, nor have our dogs. Really, all we have is part of a story…a beginning line so to speak. But a very compelling one to many people. Sigh. So, I will dip the puppies tomorrow. I will withstand the smell and mess and unsightliness of it. I will do it because it is the right thing to do. Then I will bleach the heck out of the room and bathe my dogs with a anti-fungal shampoo. Because it is the right thing to do. But I keep thinking, if it weren’t for that opening line, I’d have a completely different story here, “The puppies are so healthy and ready to go!” Something to think about.

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New photos of Indy

Kristin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:05:45 +0000

Here is a note with new photos of Indy (formerly Sweet William of Chloe’s litter):

Hi Kristin,

Here are the latest photos of Indy. He’s grown into quite a big boy, about 85 pounds.

He’s a great dog, loves to play tug-of-war, loves stuffed animals (steals them from my kids all the time) and loves ice cubes. He comes running to the fridge every time he hears the ice dispenser. Can’t complain, he’s definitely a keeper!

Here is what Indy did to an “Indestructible Pig” in 15 minutes. My daughter threw the pig in his crate, we ran to the store for about 15 minutes and returned to the gutted pig. Poor Piggy! Good thing he just likes to rip out the stuffing and not eat it. He’s been doing great outside of the crate. He sleeps on his dog bed at the foot of our bed every night and we’ve been leaving him out when we go on short trips. He hasn’t destroyed anything yet. So, hopefully we’ll be able to get rid of the crate soon.

Chloe’s reunion photos Well, Thanksgiving is over and I have a chance to get back to things that I’ve been meaning to do....
Photos of Indy Here are new photos of Indy (formerly Sweet William of Chloe’s litter): ...

It’s day by day for Brandy

Kristin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:39:17 +0000

The end of the road is nearing for Brandy. I find myself conflicted on deciding when is her time to go – if it should be my decision at all. She could die naturally, but seeing her decline is so hard for me I wonder if it is not kinder to put her down.

I bought Brandy from Animal Kingdom on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago in September 1994 when she was 6 weeks old. She was always a fairly high energy dog who loved to run and jump like most dogs but I will always remember how she seemed to love the wind. On windy days she would stop in her tracks to face the wind, sniffing, blowing her floppy Snoopy years backward. After a short time, she would bolt from that position and run around crazy – sometimes just I circles – as if to celebrate. This is a vivid but now distant memory. She is old now, arthritic, and increasingly losing the muscle needed to remain standing on all fours. Her legs will frequently slide out from under her in all directions just while she is standing or leaning over to drink some water. I’m sure she wishes we had carpeting to assist rather than our wood and tile floors.

Brandy wakes me at night to potty her between one and three times. As any elderly being, she is not at her best waking in the wee hours to go outside. Sometimes she doesn’t make it. Sometimes she falls. But she always tries to tell me she needs to go. Her accidents are becoming more frequent in the house during the day too – Kristin is a saint in dealing with the messes while I am away at work.

Taking Rimadyl and Tramadol each day, she is no longer in obvious pain/discomfort. Her overall body language tells me she just wants to be left alone. The other dogs in the house are not as gentle with her as she would like. Hermes often smacks her on the head or shoulder with his beefy paw, knocking her to the ground. Bella wants to play – she is Brandy’s best dog friend. Lollie growls at her when Brandy can’t settle and seems to pace the floor.

I’ve talked to our kind vet, read various blog posts and stories on the web, and the subject is a frequent topic of discussion in our house. I just don’t know when the right time to let her go is. I fight avoidance and denial but struggle to see what is. Seeing her happy is getting rare so I find myself celebrating when she seems just content. Brandy has good days and bad but the good days have dwindled to good hours followed by bad days. I know her time is near but it is so hard to know when the right time to let her go is. Meanwhile, I spend more and more time sitting quietly with her, holding her head in one hand while I slowly pet/massage her with the other. And those are good times.

Old age is catching up with Brandy We are currently living with an elderly dog in our home. My husband Mike’s dog, Brandy, turned 15 last August...

Jubilee’s new pack leader

Kristin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:19:53 +0000

This just in from Jubilee’s family!

Delilah Kate Kennedy Born: 3-2-10 @ 1:01AM 7lbs 20″ Mom and baby are doing great!!
Take Care and see ya soon at playtime!!
-RJ

Congratulations!

Update on Jubilee Here is a note from RJ on Jubilee (from Chloe’s litter): Hi everyone!! Well it’s been a little while so...
Photo of Jubilee suitable for framing Here is a wonderful photo of Jubilee, taken by Melissa Fisher. Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a great...

Puppies are WELL

Kristin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:54:51 +0000

The puppies are well…well, that’s what the second fecal sample indicates. One (Ruffy) still has pretty loose stools but the vet thinks that’s due to the drastic changes in food/shelter etc. We’ll see, time will tell. But it seems that Fluffy and Ani are both doing great. Whew, what a relief. Now, it seems, I need to work on socializing them some. They are fine with people walking around and playing with them with toys but really struggle against being held. Not at all snugly! But with time they will learn how to enjoy that. So, anyone out there who wants some rehabilitative snuggle time, just let me know.

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Update on Willow

Kristin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:55:00 +0000

Here is a note from Lisa on Willow (below) and my response (above)…

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Lisa, this is wonderful news. I know that the readers will like to know about her life. Thank you for keeping up with her and hanging in there. Rescuing isn’t easy – in fact the kind of rescuing you did with Willow is the hardest – you got her in the throws of such huge transitions – just into rescue, having pups, loosing her pups to their new families, and all those accompanying hormones! And then she had those persistent illnesses, and needed to be spayed. Really, you took on a lot. It has been really helpful to hear of your struggles during this time – I have learned a lot that I will be able to use with the next mama that needs a home. I’m still learning and I am sorry I wasn’t able to foresee all that you were taking on. Again, thank you so much for hanging in there with her. I am so pleased she is loved, cared for and may be an international dog some day!! Wow.

Keep me posted and photos would be great.
-Kristin

Hi Kristin. I love the web site. We loved seeing all of Willow’s puppies. They are absolutely adorable. Willow is doing great. She just got spayed finally a few weeks ago. Between the infections and then her going into heat, we couldn’t get her spayed until now. She has really come a long way since we got her. She has calmed down a lot and she is very loving toward me and the kids. She finally let my husband pet her in January before he left for Germany. He is coming home for a visit next week so we will see how she does with him after him being gone for so long. We are still undecided about whether we will take her with us. They really love dogs in Germany and Switzerland and they go everywhere including restaurants and stores. She is definitely not trained for that! But we will see as the day draws nearer. We will not leave until July, so we have some time. We have to figure out where we will be living and if it is suitable. Also we will have to find someone to take care of her when we come home for vacations. That may be a challenge. If we can work out the details, we will take her with us. We love her so much in spite of all her anxiety issues. It sounds from the descriptions on the web site that her puppies have all turned out well. I think the one person was right about their being bloodhound in their lineage. I have always thought that about Willow with her somewhat droopy eyes and her insistence on smelling everything persistently for long periods of time ! Thanks for checking on her. I’ll try to find some pictures to send on to you, but rest easy and know she is being very well cared for and has evolved into her role as queen of the house!

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