Straydog UPDATE posted WEDNESDAY 3/26/03 at ~8:07 p.m. CT

Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log

WEDNESDAY MARCH 26 2003

Nikki still appears to be sickly and scared to death

      If Nikki doesn't snap out of this sickly appearance (very quiet, afraid and withdrawn), we'll take her to the doctor again. Dr. Morton said Nikki may just need a little time, a few weeks to get used to everything that's going on in her life now.

      She is scared to death, we can tell, which means she was probably horribly abused.

Nikki is much more standoffish than Jesse

      Jesse and Nikki (both standoffish dogs) have different degrees of standoffishness, I guess you'd say. Jesse is cautious, but not afraid. Nikki is afraid--very fearful. She cowers and slinks away from us when we go to her as if she thinks we'll hit her. It looks as if she is thinking, "Okay. Come beat me. I have given up." We shower her
with loving, quiet attention, sitting with her, petting her and talking quietly to her. She is taking pain medication for her hip, which is so deformed it must hurt a lot. Right now we have to get her feeling, and acting well. Then, probably months from now, the doctor will begin with the mild dose heartworm treatment. When she has fully recovered from heartworms, we'll address the hip problem, which is the least life-threatening of her problems right now.

      Yesterday, before leaving his job here for the day, Michael, one of our wonderful caregiver employees, went and sat with Nikki for 15 minutes, and she fell asleep with her head on his lap while he was petting her. When Michael came in to say he was leaving for the day, he was almost in tears knowing that she must have endured terrible abuse to have made her so withdrawn, quiet, and fearful.

      People who abuse or abandon dogs (or any animal) should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!

Little Puppy Rex seems better today, thank goodness

      Rex does not have parvo virus, or he would be sicker now, and he would not have recovered over night! This morning he was tussling with his sister, Star, who came in to spend the night with him (to keep Rex from being lonely, which had started him howling last night). As it turned out, it was Star who did all the fussing all night!

      This morning Rex ate a little breakfast and seemed playful and happy. I gave them both the medication prescribed by the doctor. Then, when Rex had a bowel movement and it was perfect, it seemed that he was back to good health again and ready to rejoin his family, along with Star. So outside they went to their mommy, who was waiting for them!

      It must have been a bad intestinal bacteria, as the doctor had diagnosed. He was
just puzzled as to why, or how, Rex might have gotten it. I'll still be keeping a close watch on the little fellow, and continue with meds needed for a few more days.

      Thank goodness he is OKAY! We've had parvo virus and other contagious
diseases here before, though, and because of our quarantine and disinfecting procedures the disease has never spread.