Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
I keep forgetting to update about that Adequan treatment.
Zsa Zsa has gotten all of her in-office shots now, and it really seems to be working. She's jumping around like a puppy again and refusing to use steps or the ramp into the backyard or anything, and the thing that reminded me to update was just now, she lifted up one of her back legs to scratch an itch on her belly like it was nothing.
We still need to bring her in for a followup and to get the maintenance doses, but man, this stuff seems to be working really well. (You have to give subcutaneous shots periodically, but this is why I chose a best friend who used to be a vet tech.)
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
'Tis Caturday!
Here's my two:
Cleo, my yardshark. She's Abyssinian mix and a tightrope walker and she-who-demands-doors-opened. She is an unrepentant nipster and a string addict. She is a huntress and has presented trophies at the dining room table.
Murray, my bedlump. He's a polydactyl Manx with 22 toes and a stub tail. He is a feral rescue and consequently has a nipped ear. He likes to practice his gargoyle skills (as shown). His favorite activity is bellyrubs, though he'll settle for most other kinds of petting. He is a large lunk of a soft-touch; we think he is hanging with the possum at night...he has never caught anything except a large collection of zees. (He snores, too.)
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
As I mentioned elsewhere, I've been ill all week. So I've been laying on the couch and taking up precious greyhound space. We have a large corner sofa in the study where we all usually hang out. There is enough space for Sou, me and too lounging hounds usually. But in my utter selfishness I was laying down most week which meant only 1 dog could get up. Of course there is another couch in the other room and a huge dog bed as well, but then they are... in the other room. Plus, this sofa is where Bryn sleeps at night so I'm pretty sure he thinks it's his and he kindly shares it with us during the day.
Yesterday Alice was up on the couch. Bryn kept wandering in, staring at me, putting his head on my lap and basically just totally begging to get up. But I wasn't giving in (this time, I'm too soft usually) and he finally decided "fuck it, I'm getting up anyway". This chonker weighs like 80 pounds but is still boney as fuck.
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
So, Ms. Chickenbunny, now nearly completely, let alone legally blind, has trouble some mornings getting outside to do her nasty sinful business. While it's not really her fault that she's too short to reach the toilet, it is nevertheless distressing. I actually caught her in the act a couple mornings ago, and snatch-carried her outside to finish.
It only gets worse from here. Trigger warning: detailed pugscat.
I never would have thought that shitting in the house would be better than pissing, but it really kind of is. It's generally containable, flushes along with the primate fecal matter, and leaves a lot less residue (thank Satan for regularity) than a soaking would. If she starts pissing on Mrs. Puppet's beloved area rug(s), that would be taking it to, like, the next level, dude.
It turns out that dogs (or at least pugs) aren't as good at memorizing mazes as rats. We've even minimized obstacles, but sometimes she just gets stuck like a malfunctioning Roomba in a corner. Luckily (for others), I generally get up before anyone else, and any poop-related issue is addressed quickly and relatively quietly. And it only happens in the morning. For now.
__________________
"Her eyes in certain light were violet, and all her teeth were even. That's a rare, fair feature: even teeth. She smiled to excess, but she chewed with real distinction." - Eleanor of Aquitaine
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
We just found out a really good story about our dogs. It happened like a year or so ago, but we hadn't heard it before today.
So we were out of town back a long time ago and a couple of our friends were coming over and taking care of the dogs. One of those days, our one friend who comes over a lot brought her friend. I know the guy and he is very cool and invited to our house, but he's never come over. The ladies let the one they've met in and treated her all like normal but they would not let the guy in at all. She said they were both snarling and growling and barking and acting like they'd tear him apart. EVEN ZSA ZSA. Flossy can act pretty vicious sometimes (by sometimes, I mean, 'at the vet'), and Zsa Zsa gets rambunctious and will bark at stuff and all, but I don't know that I've ever seen her actually growl and snarl or really act aggressive toward a human ever.
Of course, we're always here when people visit, and I usually try to go outside and escort them in the first time they come over, but I had always kind of suspected that if someone were to walk in, they'd just kind of let them. But I guess not.
And they recognized and welcomed our friend they knew, but not so much that they gave her authority to introduce a stranger, so they have a pretty nuanced understanding.
I'm pretty proud of my vicious pit bulls right now.
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
I really just can't imagine ZZ being mean, like, AT ALL. I say that even knowing that she barked at me (and flossy on account of we were wrasslin so I understood). As for the incredible intelligence, I lived with a fambly of doges for a few years and got barked at for walking in the house EVERY DAY. Granted, it was always the middle of the night and the rest of the regular folks were already in bed, but still.
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
They almost always bark to announce when someone is here, unless it's one of us and we tell them it's us, but those are just announcement barks and they always just come and greet the newcomer. And yeah, I can't wrap my head around the idea of Zsa Zsa being aggressive, like, at all. She gets nervous and protective and she loves to argue with Cora on the other side of the fence (Cora always starts it--she's about five pounds of pure contrariness, I tell you), but I have never seen Zsa Zsa act actually mean.
It's kind of cool knowing she's capable of it, though.
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
Alphabits managed to tear the ligaments in his right foot severely enough that the orthopedic vet recommended arthrodesis - basically fusing his bones together such that it removes any flexibility but he'll be able to walk and stand on it pain free. Had the surgery this week, and now we get to deal with the 8-12 weeks of recovery.
At this point he's still pretty chill, but I think in about a week when most of the pain is gone, we're going to have a lot of trouble keeping him from overdoing it on his healing leg.
This is actually the first time I've considered getting health insurance for the dogs - this was pricey.
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
My beloved Kitty is back home after more than a week in the veterinary hospital with a urinary blockage. Fortunately, there was no kidney damage, but he simply would not eat -- they had to force-feed him in the hospital. When he finally came home, he still refused any sort of food, though I tried lots of different things, hoping to get him to eat something. My poor baby went from 12 pounds to 9 pounds, and is pretty-much skin-and-bones at this point.
He was and is clearly happy to be home, but I just couldn't get him to eat.
Then, this morning, I awoke to find him lying beside me, purring up a storm. His food bowl was completely empty and he begged me to refill it, which I was more than happy to do.
He isn't back to 100%, but he's definitely feeling better and happier.
As evidenced by his attempts to "help" me type this post ...
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
Re: An Arf-Arf Here and a Meow-Meow There... E I E I O!
Bryn doesn't seem to care at all about the rain. He'll wander around outside doing his rounds of the garden and sniffing/peeing not in any hurry, no matter how hard it's chucking it down.
But this was Alice today after begging to go out and then getting to the door and seeing the rain:
If you are wondering why they are both sleeping in those pictures it is because pictures of them awake are mostly blurry. They are approaching two months old and are brother and sister.