Balls of Steel

Our mushing gear is here and we are practicing getting used to it all. This weekend we re waking up at the crack of dawn to meet some other mushers in town and go out together. If I take both wheels off the scooter I can just get it into the car.

The biggest news this summer was that I had Porter neutered. It was a tough decision but I knew I would be doing it eventually. His recovery was really slow though. I felt bad for the poor boy since his scrotum was really swollen. It must not have hurt though since Porter didn't seem to care. He was really great about just napping all day long.

After a week of no activity he injured himself. I was filling a water balloon for my daughter and was about to carry it out front, away from the dogs. Porter noticed it and thought it was a new ball for him. In his excitement to rush out the doggie door first, he slipped and scraped his underside on the doggie door which opened up part of his incision.

Finally at about 2 weeks out his incision site looked closed, but still needed to heal more. I took him on his first walk in two weeks and that burst the dam. Prior to this he was content to just lounge around the house and sleep all day. I wash impressed he wasn't begging to go out and play. But once he got the taste of the good life he used to know he was eager to rejoin it right then and there!

Three weeks after his surgery we went in for a booster shot he needed. The scale said he lost 3 pounds since he was neutered. Three pounds in 3 weeks! I told Ian that Porter must have had balls of steel. Poor guy...but no longer!

Ultrasound

Indi had an ultrasound today and it revealed...nothing. They couldn't see anything wrong going on at all. I was sure they would see something wrong with her pancreas. I was worried there might be a mass somewhere. But everything looked fine.

She was given an antiemetic and it's definitely helped. So far she's held down her early dinner. It's the first meal she's kept since Saturday.

Next step is to see the specialist. They might need to do an endoscope on her which worries me. But we really need to find out what's going on.

Indi Illness

Indigo hasn't been feeling well lately. She's always had the on and off again problem of vomiting bile late at night if her stomach was empty. We sovled the issue when she was younger by giving her some treats before bedtime. Occasionally with her raw diet she will vomit up a few chunks of bone her stomach was not digesting well. We adjusted which kinds of bones she ate and that mostly solved the issue. Certain ones were more likely to upset her stomach.

Over the last few years she will randomly look sick. She tucks up her tummy, rushes to a corner, sometimes tries to vomit, other times just huddles there miserable. A few minutes later she's back to normal. Over the last couple of months this has increased and now on some days she will refuse to eat. If you know Indi, you know this is far from normal.

We had a complete blood work done, including a special pancreatitis test we sent off to Texas. Her numbers for the pancreas were only slightly elevated, but we did find out that she was B-12 deficient. It seems her intestines can no long absorb this vitamin so she has been getting weekly shots for just over a month now.

Indi started doing better after the shots began, so I was hoping that was going to solve our problem, but this weekend she had another spell. This time it's a little worse. She's vomiting up the little food she eats (normally it's just bile or bile and grass) and she's having very loose stools.

This morning she was very eager to eat breakfast but barely touched it. I managed to get her to eat some bread, which came up an hour later. Yesterday she happily ate hotdogs, but let me tell you that was a mistake. it's not fun waking up at 1am to clean up hotdogs mixed with canned dog food. At least Indi is smart and tries to vomit in the bathroom or a corner.

I have a call into my vet and I asked my friend (a former client) who is a vet, but not practicing. She suggested I see an internal medicine specialist, so I'll discuss that with my vet and hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

To Add Insult to Injury...

On top of feeling down in the dumps yesterday, Porter is having an allergic reaction to something this morning. We don't know if he keeps getting stung by bees, bit by spiders, or is allergic to a plant in the yard, but this is the third time his face has swollen up.

Poor guy was miserable pawing at his face and rubbing it on the ground. Benadryl did the trick for a few hours but then it started getting worse again so we headed to the vet. Now he's on prednisone to make him more comfortable.

The good news is he was ready for breakfast this morning, so his stomach is feeling much better! I still kept him hom from our FCR Fun Day just in case he caught something he could pass on to the other dogs.

The Plague

Porter came down with kennel cough, I assume he caught it at the dog park, and like a good sibling he shared it with his sister.

For some reason this reminds me of the American Gothic painting. I think it's Indi's serious expression.

Before the diagnosis I was really worried since I felt two huge lumps under his jaw line and of course thought cancer!! I don't know if puppies this young come down with cancer, but since it's a problem in the breed and swollen lymph nodes can be a sign I wasn't a happy camper. He also had eye discharge but increased so I took him into the vet. No coughing, no lethargy and certainly no loss of appetite. The vet thought it could be his salivary glands and gave us eye drops for conjunctivitis. That very evening Porter comes down with a productive cough. Kennel cough first came to mind but I was also worried about distemper. Since he's still young I took him in the next day and the vet felt it was likely kennel cough and sent us home with antibiotics.

Three vet visits in one week (the first was his well puppy check up and of course he was perfectly healthy on that day). My pocketbook was crying but at least I wasn't freaking out about my baby's health anymore.

Indi started getting the same symptoms, the eye discharge and several days later the cough. Her cough more the typically kennel cough hacking. I refrained from taking her to the vet since she's a very healthy dog and kennel cough just needs to run it's course. If she was elderly or a young pup we would have see the vet.

Both are fine now, but it was a pain not being about to take Porter out anywhere. He missed visiting a few agility trials and romping around with his friends.

I don't vaccinate for kennel cough but this episode made me think twice about that decision. When Porter was at his worst (which was nothing really) I felt bad he was sick and though maybe I should start vaccinating him with Bortadella to spare him this misery. Now that the dogs are better and recovered very quickly I'm in a better frame of mind (not so reactionary) and still will refrain from that shot/spray. If I board Porter I might get it done or if he catches it again soon then I will. But this is Indi's first time being sick and she used to go out and about to dog parks and dog classes all the time. I know it's highly contagious, but I don't feel it's one to worry about with healthy dogs.

Speaking of shots, Porter gets his rabies vaccine tomorrow.

This is the trouble making neighbor's cat in action.

Perfect Puppy

Porter is turning out to be the perfect puppy. He has his moments, but in general he's really well behaved and easy going.

Today Porter and I hung out with friends at a local agility trial. He was able to meet several adults dogs (and loved them) and just ate up all the loves given to him by the handlers. Best of all he was completely calm and relaxed in his ex-pen and wasn't anxious when I wasn't there.

Between watching runs and hanging out we took time to observe the ducks and geese.

Porter is recovering well from his tooth extraction. When I picked him up he was in good spirits and nice and calm while we checked him out. He was ready to play, tug, and eat rocks right when we got home and wasn't happy all his toys had to be put away.

Adult dogs continue to be amazing things in Porter's eyes and he's warming up to Harley, the Viszla puppy.

This week we'll be starting on K9 Nose Work training. I've already noticed what a great sense of smell Porter has so I think he'll do well in the sport. I also need to work more on his proprioception. His flatwork is coming along with the small amount of training we've done so far. I'm hoping to start him in a puppy agility class very soon so my training is more focused.

He is now heavier and maybe a tad taller than Indi, but still pretty clumsy so Indi alway has the upper hand.

Everyday I can see Porter's impulse control improving. He can now sit and wait after I put his food bowl down for about 10 seconds before I release him. And finally, he can empty his puppy kong. The large ones still pose a problem but he'll get there. This week he had a break through and finally realized he can bat at the kong with his paws to make the treats fall out.

More good news is that Porter isn't so anxious walking at night anymore. He does pull hard to get home, but still makes a small effort when we pass the house. He doesn't startle as easily and sometimes can let barking dogs roll off his back. At the trial today the barking dogs didn't phase him at all even though one was right next to him.

The cutest thing to watch is when both Indigo and Porter get the zoomies in the backyard. Porter can't keep up but he's getting better every week. He also in pretty interested in Indi's flirt pole and gives it a go in between her rounds.

Food for Thought

Porter is such a good boy. He'll eat anything I give him. He loves his raw food; he loves his kibble. He works hard for liver, cheese, or Charlie Bears without discriminating. It's nice to have dogs who are not picky and who can handle food changes. I'm lucky they roll with the punches because I cannot make up my mind what to feed Porter.

While he's outwardly loving the kibble I'm not so sure his insides are loving it. I'm spoiled with raw fed dog poops which are small, firm and have very little to no odor. Kibble poops? Nasty stuff. But Porter's now seem even more smelly than poop should be. There has to be a threshold there somewhere, right? He sometimes has horrendous gas as well. The smell is so bad I have to look down where he's napping because I would have sworn he just released his bowels on my floor. This makes me think that the food he is on is not the best for his body.

So now what? Do I pick a new kibble brand or do I go back to raw?

I think when this bag is finished I will put Porter back on raw. At least partially. I still want to be sure he's getting everything he needs to grow properly so I am considering doing premade raw partially or maybe raw with vitamins supplements. Another idea is to feed part raw and part kibble, not int he same meal, but alternating meals or alternatives weeks or months. Honest Kitchen has a variety which includes the fruits, veggies, vitamins (and love) and you add the protein source you want. So this might be an option. My friend, Madeline, gave be a little bit to try out.

No matter what he's eating, Porter is growing like a weed. At 9 weeks he was 15 pounds, at 10.5 weeks he was 17.8 pounds and now at 11.5 weeks he's 19.8 pounds. He gained 2 pounds in just 7 days! He is now the exact same weight as Indigo. His head a larger than hers but he's still just barely shorter than her at the shoulders.

On a sad note Porter goes under the knife on Tuesday. Actually I doubt a knife will be involved but he is having his two bottom canines extracted. Unfortunately his lower jaw is not growing fast enough and so he has a overshot bite. It's also a bit narrow so those bottom canines are touching and poking into the roof of his mouth and leaving indentations. By removing those canines we are hoping that he will allow his lower jaw to catch up (since it grows slower anyhow I was told) and maybe he'll grow into a normal bite. The good news is even if he keeps an overbite it won't affect him in the agility ring or with any of the other dog sports we will be doing.

Last week Porter went to puppy kindergarten again. He was interested in playing with Harley, the Vizsla, but was still a bit stiff and uncomfortable with Harley being so forward. With Harley on leash and Porter off, Porter chose to stay by me and work for cookies instead of interacting with the other pup. When he was introduced to a smaller dog he was much happier, but wanted to play too rough for the size difference. He continues to be great with adult dogs even if they are hyper and trying to wrestle with him. I need to work on his social skills with his peers. He stiffens up and then if they persist he gets snarky in a way that I do not like.

On Saturday he accompanied me to the puppy classes I teach but only has minimal interaction with those pups since they were the size he has problems with. I did not use him as a demo dog this week so he was in the ex-pen a majority of the time and ended up just taking a nap. Before and after my classes I walked him around the other classes going on and worked on his focus and relaxing near other dogs. I am very impressed with his focus. While he's interested in saying hi to the other dogs he doesn't dwell on it and can tune them out and focus on me.

Last night Porter met Madeline's family and her two dogs. Both are a bit older and just not ready to handle a young pup, so I tethered Porter to the furniture while we ate so the other dogs could have their space. He's such a great pup. He just relaxed and went to sleep under my chair for most of dinner. No chewing on the chair leg or the area rug. No peeing in the house. No barking to get up and go somewhere else. I'm really happy about his overall demeanor. 

Today we meet up with a local clicker training group and Porter did fantastic. The majority of the time he was staring lovingly into my eyes. He's going to be a great working dog. I do wish he was more interested in the other dogs though. He really like Mira, the Golden. He really seems to gravitate towards Goldens and I wonder if their similar look to FCRs has to do with it. He wasn't all that into playing with Smoke, the 5 months old Kelpie, even though Smoke *really* wanted to play with him. After a bit Porter finally stated playing with him, but then became overwhelmed and growled. I was excited that Mickey, the malinois, was coming, since Mickey has such great doggie social skills, but again, Porter was more into me (my treats). I know I shouldn't complain, since I wanted a great working dog and a dog who wasn't on edge about the things in the environment like Indigo is, so I should just be happy and go with it.

Everyday Porter gets better at holding his down stay while I take a picture.

Fire Trucks, Veterinarians, and Theo, Oh, My!

Porter is still not sleeping through the night. Any time he makes the slightly noise I wake up and take him out to potty. Most of the time he doesn't need to go that bad but just wants to go outside and sleep in the grass. I have to keep standing him up and most of the time he eventually goes. I should probably cut down on the potty trips but I didn't want him having any accidents in the crate. I worry that being too on top of his house training is going to train him that he can get out of the crate at any hour any time he wishes. I'm also a sucker and don't want him upset in the crate. Yes, I'm still sleeping on the couch. It's so much easier to take him out than going up and down the stairs. If I cut down on his breaks it will help though.

He's enjoying his toddler pool with only a few inches of water. He's not playing in it but likes to get his feet wet and yesterday even tried taking a nap in the water. It didn't work out so well since his nose was under water, but he tried!

He met Indi's BFF, Theo, the Aussie, yesterday. Theo have a very loud, booming bark when he's excited and Porter is very concerned when he hears dogs barking. He's now used to Indi's bark, but when it's from a new dog he's ear go back slightly and he sits and looks for the source. Sometimes he comes over and sits right next to me for comfort. Yesterday he sat under my chair when Theo made him nervous. The good thing is Porter was much more relaxed when Theo was quiet. I'm not too concerned, since Theo's bark even rattles my brain.

His play with Indigo is getting more intense. It's really nice to have a big sister for him so when he's wild and crazy he can take it out on her and she can burn off his puppy energy. Indi initiates play a lot with him but can easily leave the room if she needs a break.

This morning he had his first vet appointment. He was such a good dog! We had to wait for a bit and he eventually settled down and relaxed (after trying to sniff all the Science Diet bags). He was friendly with the people waiting but not overly "OMG, I must go see you and cannot control myself!" He also saw and said hi to a corgi pup and again he was happy to meet him and wanted to play but not out of control and lunging to make contact.

He did very well in the exam room and nibbled on chicken while on the table and getting his temperature taken. Since we have to wait again for the vet to come in, Porter decided to take a nap on the table. I love how relaxed he is in new places.

The vet wants to watch his bite since right now he has a slight overbite, but he said the lower jaw grows slower at this stage, so maybe that means it will catch up? He also couldn't find his testicles at first and said sometimes they can be all the way up near the kidneys. He managed to find one but said it was in front on his scrotum, whatever that means, and a few minutes later felt both.

Porter had no problems with his shot and we are really lucky to have a vet who is willing to work with us and administer just a parvo and disptemper shot instead of the typical DHPP. He only carries the later but was fine with me ordering the one I wanted and having it shipped to him. The vet is also very accommodating and will have the shots administered in front of me in the exam room instead of taking the pup into the back where shots are normally given.  I prefer to stay with my pets at all times. I went ahead and had him wormed even though the breeder checked their stools and found no evidence of worms. I was going to skip it but the vet said that some dogs can be infected but the sample come back negative.

While waiting to be check out he completely passed out on the waiting room floor.

Later that afternoon he stayed in his crate while I left the house for the first time. I gave him a peanut butter and Charlie Bear stuffed kong and left for 20-30 minutes to pick QM up from kindergarten. I was really nervous and as we approached the house heard a ruckus only to find out it was Indi barking like mad at something outside the window. Porter was quiet when we came in, but I don't know if that was the case the whole time or if Indi's outburst interrupted any protest on his part. We will try again tomorrow. One day I'd like to walk him to school, but I think it's too far for him right now, and hot, and I'd have to carry him the whole way. Plus this short time out of the house is good practice so one day I can actually go grocery shopping.

Next we headed to gymnastics where Porter met some more children and their parents. A fire engine and ambulance, both with sirens going, pulled up near us, but the noise did not seem to phase him. One fire fighter was not busy so I introduced Porter to him. We did practice being in the car crated in the parking lot but Porter was not as calm as before. He much preferred to nap on the flower beds just outside of gymnastics.

Porter has been sleeping most of the day, due to his shots I believe, so the poor guy missed lunch. I didn't want to wake him to eat since it seems like his body needs to rest.

Oops! I was just getting his dinner ready and a fork dropped from on top of Porter's crate on to the plastic tray and right next to his head and he didn't even flinch. Indi, who was 3 feet back did!