Dogs are animals of integrity. We have much to learn from them.
Category: People and their pets
Precious!
Yesterday, Julie, Richard’s wife back in England, sent me a photograph of what some unknown dog lover has put on one of the walls of their home.
I can’t find the words to better what is written on that wall.
To increase the impact for you, dear reader, seeing this for the first time, it is presented with a ‘read more’ link.
In other words …..
Still it comes, one pet after another!
It’s 11:05
This is Buffy, a nine-year-old Dachshund crossed with a Terrier, who is drinking and peeing too much according to the lady who brought Buffy in to the clinic this morning. Adding that Buffy seems to be always hungry and quieter than normal.
Jim runs a blood test and not long after says that nothing has jumped out at him as a potential issue from Part One of the test results. (Apparently, the blood test comprised two parts – I will learn more in a subsequent visit to Lincoln Road.)
Buffy’s heart sounds good. Buffy has not lost weight.
Then Part Two of the blood test results reveal, thankfully, that Buffy is not diabetic, is not indicating Cushing’s Syndrome, and that Buffy’s kidneys are fine.
In other words, Buffy has the look of a healthy dog.
Has this all been a waste of time and money? Not at all, says Dr. Jim. This is the first time the clinic has seen Buffy and all the test results can now be logged providing a baseline of data for future reference purposes.
11:50 In comes Chloe.
Chloe has been vomiting up her food and, consequently, has stopped eating. Jim is concerned that Chloe is overweight and that in the very hot weather of recent days (high 90s F./mid 30s C.) he has been seeing a number of dogs with excessive heat problems.
One thing that could be done to Chloe was to clip her excessively long toe nails.
Jim does that.
12:15 All done.
To be continued:
(Please note: These observations are mine alone and because of the busy environment it must be assumed that my interpretation of what was taking place might not be totally accurate. Nothing in this blog post should be used by a reader to make any medical judgment about an animal. If you have any concern about an animal do make an appointment to see a properly qualified veterinarian doctor.)
Yes, another set of those wonderful photographs sent in by Marg.
If you missed previous sets then start back here.
“A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you will love yourself.” –
Josh Billings
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“You can live without a dog, but it is not worthwhile.”
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“If a dog does not come to you after looking you in the face, it is better that you go home and examine your conscience“ – Woodrow Wilson
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“Buying a dog may be the only opportunity that a human being has to choose a relative”. – Mordecai Siega
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“You can say any foolish thing to a dog and the dog will look at you in a way that seems to say: ‘My God, he is right!!! That would have never occurred to me’ “. – Dave Barry
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“Sitting back in the evening, stargazing and stroking your dog, is an infallible remedy.“ – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“To exercise, walk with someone who will accompany you willingly, preferably a dog.“ – David Brown
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It breaks my heart to advise you that the Picture Parade in a week’s time will be the last of the most glorious and touching photographs that came from Marg down in Tasmania.
Sharing and caring in abundance!
Please forgive the shortness of the introduction. It’s just that Jean and I were out all day and I didn’t sit down to present today’s post for all you good people until 4pm.
Frankly, this is such a wonderful account of caring for dogs that any intro from me would be superfluous!
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By: Laura Burge July 1, 2017
About Laura Follow Laura at @literarylaura
In December 2014, Animal House Rescue and Grooming in Fort Collins, Colorado, found a very special delivery on its doorstep. Three dogs arrived from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, an Oglala Lakota Native American reservation.
One of the poorest communities in the country, the reservation has an overabundance of unwanted pets facing the risk of disease, starvation, exposure to the elements and, unfortunately, violence.
After a five-hour drive, DeeDee, Prince and Maizy made the first step to finding new and happy lives.
DeeDee was originally discovered living in the trash dump on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where she made her home upon an old discarded sofa atop a pile of tires. A local rescuer, aware of her plight, spent a week slowly gaining DeeDee’s trust with food.
Once the understandably nervous dog allowed the rescuer to get close enough to her, she found herself on a leash and then in a car. Little did DeeDee know she was on her long way home.
DeeDee spent some time in foster care in South Dakota, recovering from mange and learning to trust again before she was transferred to Animal House to give her a better chance of finding her future family. It didn’t take long for them to find each other, with DeeDee’s charming and playful nature quickly winning over their hearts.
Prince, a 2-year-old shepherd mix, had been found covered in matted fur and burrs. He showed up at Animal House having been shaved, but full of affection.
When Prince arrived, they noticed that there was a problem with his back leg and quickly got him in for x-rays. The cause became quickly apparent, and horrible: Prince had been shot on the reservation. The bullet had travelled through his rear hip and shattered his femoral head.
Not knowing how long he had been suffering through the pain of his injury, the staff at Animal House was anxious for Prince to find relief as quickly as possible. He was sent to CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for a femoral head osteotomy, a surgery that alleviated his pain and allowed him to keep his rear leg.
Thankfully, his lovable nature showed through. Prince was able to recover in comfort and bask in newfound love, as he went to his new home shortly after surgery.
Maizy was a beautiful 8-month-old Husky mix puppy with eyes that melted hearts. Whatever happened to Maizy on the reservation, something that will remain a mystery, she came to Animal House in a lot of pain.
Maizy had several neurological symptoms and pain in her neck. After x-rays, the shelter soon found that the puppy had a fractured cervical vertebra, which was causing compression on her spinal cord. This could have been catastrophic for Maizy, but she’s a fighter.
Maizy’s foster family dedicated their time to bringing her to CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for regular bandaging and casting to keep her spine in place. Her beautiful face and wonderful personality through all of this ended up winning the heart of an Animal House volunteer. Having made a full recovery and a lifelong connection, Maizy now lives happily in her loving forever home.
Adoption Highlight: Special Needs Dogs
Banjo is a 6-year-old pit bull terrier mix who had a rough start to life, facing his many challenges with a great attitude. He arrived at Animal House with skin issues related to allergies, worn down teeth and scarring on his body, as well as kidney disease. Banjo gives the best hugs and thinks he is a lap dog, so he would make an excellent snuggle buddy.
Bella is a 2-year-old shih tzu mix who arrived at Animal House after her former sanctuary had to close its doors. Bella has a love for life and gets along well with other dogs and cats. She does struggle in some areas, though, specifically with constipation and some house-training. Bella is looking for a patient and kind forever home willing to help her live comfortably with her condition.
Ghost is a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix who is sensitive, intelligent, and inquisitive. He is nervous about new people and environments and needs a home that can build his confidence so that he can be happy and comfortable in a variety of situations. Ghost just wants some good old-fashioned love and patience!
Photo credits: Animal House Rescue and Grooming, Colorado
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Whatever the state of the world, as long as there are organisations and people who will love and care for animals in need then I will be at peace.
Practical ways of treating Kenya’s itchy skin.
10:45 Next along was Kenya and his ‘Mum’.
The story was that after a raw patch had appeared on Kenya’s back it had then become very itchy for the brave dog.
Jim shaved the area clear of fur and cleaned the skin to aid a closer examination.
Jim then explained that the challenge in these sorts of cases is that it is very easy to throw a lot of money at the problem without any guarantee of success. Not only were there cost considerations but also the question of whether to go down the route of injections or administer pills.
As an observer I was struck, but not surprised knowing Jim as a friend, to see how an open and honest assessment of the problem came way before any commercial implications.
Jim’s view was to leave it for the time being but he did recommend using a hypoallergenic shampoo. There were a number to choose from but Jim supported the shampoo manufactured by Bayer and sold under the brand name of Hylyt Shampoo.
There are a number of online sources for this shampoo. I chose, more or less at random, the one at Allvet Supply.
That website describes the shampoo, thus:
HyLyt Shampoo is a hypoallergenic dog shampoo and is perfect for routine use in bathing dogs and cats. The shampoo is safe for normal, dry or sensitive skin types and may be used in conjunction with topical therapeutics.
HyLyt shampoo contains a light fragrance that will leave your pets smelling clean and fresh. The gentle shampoo formula is ideal for bathing both dogs and cats. The soap-free formula is pH balanced and will not dry out delicate skin or fur.
In addition to the gentle formula, HyLyt shampoo also contains special emollients for moisturizing and proteins for conditioning. The hypoallergenic dog shampoo also contains fatty acids to reduce scaling and flaking of the skin. If your pet suffers from seasonal or acute dryness, HyLyt shampoo will help restore their skin and coat to optimal health and beauty.
Then it was time for a quick checkup underneath Kenya, so to speak, and that was it!
11:00 All done!
I am having trouble getting my head around the fact that I have only been watching proceedings for two-and-a-half hours! So much knowledge on show. So much experience. So much compassion for our beloved pets!
To be continued:
(Please note: These observations are mine alone and because of the busy environment it must be assumed that my interpretation of what was taking place might not be totally accurate. Nothing in this blog post should be used by a reader to make any medical judgment about an animal. If you have any concern about an animal do make an appointment to see a properly qualified veterinarian doctor.)
If you will allow this old Brit to recognise the 4th July!
Speaking of Brits, the following was sent to me by Neil, a close friend from my previous days living in South Devon, England.
Perfect!
Thanks Neil!
Yet another interesting case for Dr. Jim.
As soon as it was time to say ‘goodbye’ to Ace the cat then in came an entirely different case.
1020 – Back to dogs!
This was Millie, a pit mix, who had been dropped off at the Clinic earlier on. Millie’s owner said that there appeared to be something troubling Millie’s ears. Millie was, indeed, shaking her head a great deal.
Jim established that it was Millie’s left ear that was the source of the irritation. This was immediately obvious since Millie cried as soon as Jim touched that left ear.
The first examination didn’t identify anything that might be the cause. But apparently the endoscope had such a narrow field of view that it was easy to miss an irritant. Time for another, more extensive examination using that same endoscope.
This time the problem was identified. A foxtail that had penetrated Millie’s ear so deeply that the seed-head had pierced Millie’s eardrum.
Carefully, oh so carefully, Jim pulled the foxtail out from Millie’s ear. I couldn’t believe just how large it was.
About an inch (2.5 cm) long.
I was unable to grab a photograph of Millie’s face once the foxtail had been removed. Trust me it was a face full of doggie smiles.
But I can’t move on to the next patient without remarking how Millie was so beautifully behaved. How maligned the Pitbull and Pitbull Mixes are!
10:45 All done with Millie!
To be continued:
(Please note: These observations are mine alone and because of the busy environment it must be assumed that my interpretation of what was taking place might not be totally accurate. Nothing in this blog post should be used by a reader to make any medical judgment about an animal. If you have any concern about an animal do make an appointment to see a properly qualified veterinarian doctor.)
The second set of wonderful photographs sent in by Marg.
Following on from the first set a week ago.
“We can judge the heart of a man according to his love for animals” Immanuel Kant
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“Do not call me dog, I do not deserve such a high qualification…” “I am not as faithful or loyal…I am only a human being”
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“Every child should have two things: a dog and a mother who let him have one”
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“It is shameful for our species being the dog, (man’s best friend) when the man is the dog’s worst friend.“ Eduardo Lamazón
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“Do not accept the admiration of your dog as an obvious conclusion that you are wonderful“ Ann Landers
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“The dog knows, but does not know that he knows“ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
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“Who said you can not buy happiness, when you are thinking about puppies“ Gene Hill
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“If your dog doesn’t like someone, you probably should not either.”
You do know, good people, that I get as much pleasure from presenting Picture Parades as you get from viewing them.
More in a week’s time!
Are we back up to seven dogs!
On Thursday afternoon one of the residents not too far away from us telephoned asking if we might take in a dog that had recently been found lost on Hugo Road, our home road.
Despite the fact that we really didn’t want another dog, there was no question of turning our back on the lost soul.
As soon as we set eyes on the dog it was clear that it was used to people, understood a couple of commands and was in very good health albeit had not been castrated. There was no ID on the dog’s collar. Jean thought the dog was about a year old.
We placed the dog in our guest room that has a separate entrance.
Then yesterday, Friday, it was time to see if the dog would integrate happily with the rest of the crew.
First up was a meeting with Brandy.
Then along came Sweeny (LHS) and Pedy (looking up at our visitor.)
Time for Cleo to say ‘Hello’.
So far, so good.
Then just before lunchtime yesterday we drove up along Quartz Creek Road that runs up into the hills behind us and is where a number of people live.
That led us to meeting a woman who thought that she knew the owner of the dog. Also that the dog’s name was Colt. This woman said that she would make contact with Colt’s owner.
Plus we have put out a ‘Dog Found’ notice both in our local paper, The Grants Pass Courier, and our local radio station KAJO.
We will see what happens!
Footnote: Around 4pm we received a call from a young woman who was the owner of Colt. Shortly thereafter we drove again along Quartz Creek Road but this time with Colt. Ten minutes later Colt was reunited with his owner.
That left Jean and me with mixed feelings for Colt was such a lovely boy. But it did turn out for the best.
The morning at Lincoln Road progresses.
(This is a continuation from here.)
It’s 09:00 and the next animals to be brought in to see Dr. Jim are a couple of cats requiring vaccination.
The kittens are named Grace and Frankie and both were adopted from the Nevada Humane Society although I wasn’t familiar with the circumstances surrounding that adoption.
But great to see them being cared for by the two women and the degree of professional service that I saw in Jim’s briefing of these new cat owners.
That care included giving one of the kittens the necessary pills by mouth.
It is now 09:25 and the next case for Jim is another cat. In this case a cat, named Ace, that the owner thinks is having trouble seeing out of it’s right eye.
Jim applies a fluorescent stain to the Ace’s eye that then enables Jim to use a special UV lamp to determine the degree of damage to the eye.
It is determined that the pressure in Ace’s eyeball is normal and Jim is pretty certain that Ace has no sight at all in that right eye. He recommends giving the cat some antibiotics and explains to the owner that cat’s can function perfectly adequately with just one eye. Indeed, if necessary the eyeball could be removed, something that would not be a disadvantage for Ace.
The lady owner of Ace takes note of Jim’s advice and is clearly grateful for what has been explained to her.
It is 10:10.
To be continued:
(Please note: These observations are mine alone and because of the busy environment it must be assumed that my interpretation of what was taking place might not be totally accurate. Nothing in this blog post should be used by a reader to make any medical judgment about an animal. If you have any concern about an animal do make an appointment to see a properly qualified veterinarian doctor.)
Learning from Dogs 