Helpless and Hopeful

"I see noises."

It is with pure exhaustion and helplessness that I type this post today. My princess has been sick since last Thursday and I'm convinced taking care of a sick pet is one of the hardest things I've been through. I know it seems silly and minuscule and maybe I'm overreacting but I can only hope I can look at her 10 years from now laughing about that time she pooped all over my small apartment that now has that awful hospital clean scent. Thursday, I came home expecting to clean the usual pee out of the cage only to be bombarded by the smell of diarrhea and vomit. I quickly cleaned everything with a wincing grimace, figured she ate something that morning, and we went about our day. The next day I woke up to 2 different spots of waste by the door. She had clearly been up in the middle of the night. This continued for 2 more days and sleepless nights as I began to worry. Usually these kinds of things start clearing up within 24 hrs but it just wasn't going away. And of course, the day I began to worry the most was a Sunday. Do you know how many vet offices are open on Sundays? Next to none unless you want to pay double the price of everything and rush to the emergency veterinary hospital. While I definitely considered that option, Leia's personality, eating habits, and spunk hadn't changed so it seemed okay to suffer through a couple more cleanups and runs outside to wait for Monday's appointment. The next day, my adorable tail wagging pup pranced right into the vet's office with her usual hop-up greet when she sees new people. After the wonderful ten minutes of "new patient" forms, we were brought to the back where we were finally asked what was wrong with Miss Leia. I explained every aspect of her illness. I showed them a bald spot that I noticed on her neck, the awful potty problems, my belief that she didn't get into anything, and everything else I could think of including my thoughts and conclusions from a few Google "your dog ate something funky or she's dying a horrible death" searches. After all of that, they weighed her and took her temperature. She had no fever but had lost 2.5 pounds... quite a lot for a usual 18.5 pound skinny thing. Next, the doctor went over the options: do a skin scraping and wood's light test which totaled about $70 in addition to the already $30 stool sample or skip straight to blood work and x-rays which totaled about $370. I opted for the skin scraping and wood's light test as they took away my poor baby again. The stool came back with no positive sign of parasites. I'm still unsure of whether or not this is a good thing. On the one hand, great! No parasites! On the other hand, what the heck is wrong with my dog?! After that, the veterinarian said he opted to deworm her anyway, just in case. The skin scraping and wood's light test (aka a freaking black light they charge you $30 to turn on!) came back with demodectic mange. Apparently, all dogs have demodectic mange from the time they're born;

Leia's Demodectic Mange Outbreak

therefore, when it appears on the skin, it's a sign of a poorly developing immune system. The veterinarian said they usually recommend spaying dogs that have this issue because it's a clear sign they shouldn't be bred. Of course, Leia, my little rescue dog, is already spayed. So, a few tests, 3 medications, and $188.26 later... I ended up with a vomiting dog last night and nearly no answers. She threw up in the bed, on each side of the bed, and by the door. I barely slept and I'm still full of worry. I called the vet back this morning to find out if I need to be more concerned that my dog's food is now coming out the opposite end. I was informed that as long as it was just that time, it could have just been the stress and medication from earlier. Now, I sit here at work scheduled to leave early because I can't stop thinking about my poor dog and I can't call her to see how she's doing. So, for now, praying my pukey puppy can sleep through the night and afraid of what I'll be going home to today! May the force be with us.

Potty Problems

This issue has been the death of me lately.

Leia will not stop peeing in her crate! I love her dearly but this little issue isn't so little anymore. For starters, I don't have a washer/dryer hookup in my apartment so every time something needs to be washed, it requires a trip to the laundromat and too many quarters to be worth it. The little princess also requires a bath every time she decides to lie down in it which is resulting in too many baths. Now, I believe I have tried EVERYTHING. I have to say I've never had a problem with crate training a dog so this is a little new to me. First of all, we started with a new crate so there's no smell of pee or another dog or anything like that. Obviously, I take her out in the morning and she does her business so she goes in the crate emptied out (supposedly). The first few times she peed in her crate, I kind of expected it because of the month she was in the shelter, being left with no choice but to sit in her own pee. Luckily, she was potty trained for the most part when I brought her home. She's had a total of 4 accidents (outside of her crate) since. But I just can't solve this crate potty problem. I've tried putting her bed in the crate because dogs supposedly don't like to urinate where they lie. Well, she peed all over the bed and sat in it even though it's about half the size of her crate. After that, I tried vinegar. I read (here) that this is a pee deterrent for dogs... not Leia! Next, I tried putting a pee pad in the side of her crate that wasn't occupied by her bed. Do you have any idea how many pieces that thing became by the time I got home?! Pee pad fluff everywhere! However, she managed to pee on some pieces of it. So fun to clean -_- I also figured that maybe she was just in her cage too long without relief. While that could still be true, she manages to hold it for 13 hours when she doesn't feel like getting out of bed. Now, I've resorted to buying waterproof bedding so I can at least spray it and run it through the shower to avoid taking bags of soiled blankets to the laundromat. I will give her some credit though. She peed on the pee pads twice. She's started moving them rather than tearing them to shreds and she seems to be peeing more toward the end of her bedding rather than right where she sits. I've also been getting her to the park and taking her on runs more which seems to have her more relaxed once she goes in her crate. Has anyone else had this problem?! Does anyone have solutions that might have worked for their dog?

Dog Park Pace

"I'll be yours and you'll be mine."

Saturday was one of those days

that was too cold to really want to go outside but the sun finally decided to make an appearance so how could you not take the rare winter opportunity to enjoy it? As I sat on my dad's couch with him and my grandmother, Leia paced back and forth, sniffing every scent that crossed her path. We pondered what to do to get out of the house for far too long before I finally suggested a trip to Will's Park dog park or Waggy World Paw Park as someone begging for a tongue twister decided to name it. Adorably, Leia sits and wags her tail in front of me as soon as I pick up her leash... not so adorable when I accidentally pick up her leash 30 minutes before departure which just seems like a lifetime of torture to a dog who doesn't understand, "Pop has to get ready." Eventually, we all piled into my car. Leia took her normal copilot seat and was quickly booted by my grandma to the back with my dad. When I looked into the rear view mirror, my pitiful pup was looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes she has down to a complete science. I could see it in her eyes, "What the heck, mom? Why are you letting that poodle take my spot?" I guess I should note that my grandma's hair resembles that of a poodle, a gray so bright it's nearly white and full of curls. Once we arrived at the park, Leia jumped out with her usual burst of freedom like she hadn't touched land in days. Her intense curiosity had her nose to the ground and tail wagging in milliseconds. It was a long trek to the dog park that consisted of continuous sniffing, leash yanking, and the subject of why I had forgotten to dress her in her adorable sweater. When we finally arrived at Waggy World Paw Park, the amount of dogs present was exciting! While Leia had been to a different dog park many times before, she had only been around a maximum of two dogs at a time so I was curious to see how she would do. I fumbled with the first gate entering the dog park as I hurried along as doggy park first-timers (my dad and grandma) to come into the small section before opening the second gate. If you're not familiar with dog parks, this is a little precaution installed at every park I've been to because there's always that one dog that escapes the second gate as it scurries up to greet the new arrival. Once the second gate was closed, I released Leia from her harness. I expected her to take off immediately but she lingered for a while with what seemed like overwhelming excitement. Next, she proceeded to approach every human in the park. I knew she loved people but I never expected her to care more about getting some love from them than playing with all of the dogs that were nagging her and tugging at her. She was completely oblivious to the dog commotion as she jumped up for her head pats and smiles, going from person to person. I got a kick out of it as my dad said, "Yo, your dog is like the Walmart greeter of the dog park!" All I could do was laugh as she continued to piss off a yappy chihuahua by gaining attention from its owners. Eventually, she ran out of people to please and it was as if I had disappeared from her mind all together. In the midst of running away from annoying dogs, Leia realized how fast she could be and ran with it (literally). She was suddenly taking laps around the half acre like a greyhound on a racetrack. I wish I could capture the pure joy that reflected in her face as she outran the other dogs, zigzagged, and hopped over some. Every time I thought she was slowing down she picked up again. She clearly hadn't run this fast before and it was apparent in her failure to stop before running into things. There was even a point in this finding of her legs that she jumped over a trimmed fountaingrass bush that she couldn't quite clear. Her back feet caught the top of it and she proceeded to tumble into another dog. I had that horrifying moment of "please god I cannot afford a pet surgery" if she was hurt in the process, but she hopped up, shook all of the grass cuttings off of her and ran right to me for the first time since we arrived. Dogs just know. It was like she came over to say, "Mom, did you see that?! I'm fine. I'm fine." Throughout that joyful hour, I got the usual dog park nuts that are obsessed with dogs and want to talk about every kind they've had and what they were like... I love those people. One older woman with a border collie named Jazz approached me... of course, I never got her name and she never got mine but she was sure to greet Leia with a "Hello Princess Leia," and proceeded to tell me about a greyhound she had in the past that was also named Leia. Not only did she tell me about the greyhound's rescue and similar corky tendencies but she also told me about the greyhound's unfortunate disintegrating muscles due to all of the steroids during its racing days. Those are the sad but true parts of animals' lives that I wish these dog owners would just leave out all together but I understand. People want to talk about the happiness of their dog's life as well as how they were there for it until the end. It's sort of poetic listening to different stories of all these dogs. As Jazz started bringing me her frisbee repeatedly, it struck a jealousy cord in Leia. Who knew she was actually paying attention to me?! She had been so busy discovering her own legs and everyone around her that I had my own little jealousy streak. At one point my dad even asked, "Hey, will this dog go home with anyone?!" And ya know, you wanna feel like your dog only has a special connection with you. However, I quickly realized it's because everyone loves her as much as I do that I find her so easy and fun. It's exciting to show her off! However, it was nice that she made it pretty clear that afternoon that no matter how much attention she got from everyone else, I was still her number one. As the sun was setting and the coldness became bitter, it was time to head out. I thought Leia would put up a fight but she rushed to the gate as I walked toward it like, "Alright! Let's go home! I love you!" Yes, I speak for my dog and she has a voice I imagine in my head. Anyway, that concludes another trip with Leia that I'll never forget and I'm so happy my family could also share in the joy of that afternoon!

Puppy's First Run

Leia after her first run

Yesterday, as I opened the door to my tail-wagging pup,

I decided to take Leia for her first run. While she has enjoyed countless trips to the dog park since her arrival, I wasn't too sure how she would react to my usual trail run. Many dogs have tripped me up in their own leashes with the various new smells, sights, and people. Leia especially loves smelling every inch of ground as well as obtaining any human contact she can get her paws on. As we walked further than her usual potty run, it began. Leia's ears perked up and her nose hit the ground. She immediately stopped to relieve herself and all I could think was, "Great. She doesn't even have the attention span for this." However, one thing you'll learn about me is I'm faster to doubt and lose hope than I ever am optimistic to the end. Somehow though, that doubt and loss of hope pushes my determination to succeed. So shortly after my "oh wonderful" thought, I decided there was no way my perfect puppy could dislike something I have such passion for. As I tried to gather her and my thoughts, a couple strided past us. Leia immediately jumped toward them with her harness simultaneously jerking her back to the ground. She turned to me and as our eyes met, it was as if we both felt it. I started to run and so did she. However, I'm pretty sure she thought we were running to catch up with the couple that had just passed us for the first five minutes... but it was a start. As we veered off the path the couple continued down, Leia kept right up, running just enough in front of me to make it feel comfortable and natural. As I watched her with a smile, it was like she was prancing down the trail. My short legs were no match for her long ones as she reached a delicate fast walk while I ran my hardest. Just as we were getting into the swing of things, she saw another dog. As the German Sheperd approached us, she stopped in her tracks nearly resulting in me falling over her. As I caught myself, I had no choice but to take it down a notch and walk past the big dog with my curious little 18-pounder. As we were passing, the sheperd's owner nodded the ever-knowing "Look at us dog owners walking our dogs!" nod. Leia proceeded the usual sniff and lunge. I pulled her along and after a few sniffs at various plants, we were on our way again. Toward the end of our run I found myself with a smile that beamed from ear to ear. We had reached a groove and I was impressed with how well Leia was doing for her first time out on the trail. Even as I grew tired, her excitement only peaked as we continued up a hill. At this point, I actually found myself using her for motivation as she kept running when I tried to slow down. There was no better feeling than taking her out for that first run. When we reached the end, I turned toward the dog park since she still seemed to have the energy of a cheetah chasing a gazelle. When I let her loose, she took one sprint around the park then jumped in my lap with a panting smile. It seemed to me like a look of complete satisfaction and pride, much like my own. I don't think I'll ever forget that first run and I hope the passion only grows for both of us!

A Dog's Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety seems to be a common problem among rescue dogs due to the length of shelter time. It can become a more permanent problem if the issue is not dealt with right away. So, how can you correct these problems? First of all, all dogs are different. Leia for instance, cannot be left alone in the apartment if she's not in her cage. She's a chewer and she gets scared and howls like a crying baby when she's left alone. The first time I tried it I thought something horrible had happened to her and went rushing back inside to find a puppy with excitement beyond belief as if I had been gone for a year. Some people may think it's cruel to leave a dog in a cage, but it is a wonderful solution if you follow the right guidelines. A cage was the first purchase I made after I decided to take Leia home as many puppies should be crate trained before they're trusted alone in the house. Even Victoria Stilwell of "It's Me or the Dog" has recommended crate training. In order to do it right, the cage must be big enough for your dog to be able to stretch out and stand up. Also, you should never leave a full grown dog alone for more than eight hours at a time. If it's a puppy, then two hour increments are recommended. Some dogs may still have a problem being in a cage and it's all about figuring out what works best for them. Barkley had to be in a cage with a sheet over it or he'd whine constantly until he was covered. I'll admit I felt bad about this method until he started disappearing to his cage for naps. Stores, like Petsmart, even sell customized covers for crates. I also started him out with some music that soothed him in the beginning. I did the same for Leia. However, each dog is different and I can't stress that enough. Leia does not like to be covered in her cage and managed to pull the sheet through the gaps and destroy it the first time I tried this. Due to her age, teething, and potty training, I have not attempted to leave her out for the day. If I do decide to try this, I'll start with small increments of time and a confined area to ensure nothing too important is destroyed. A pertinent key concept is to prevent yourself from running to your dog every time it cries. Much like a child, this would cause the pup to think that you will come rescue it every time it whines. For more information, the Humane Society has some tips listed here. Obviously, I don't agree with some of their tips in regards to what won't help because they worked for Barkley and Leia, but "to each his own."