Straydog UPDATE posted WEDNESDAY 9/10/03 at ~7:00 p.m. CT

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2003

I took three dogs to the clinic this morning (instead of working on the newsletter)

   Julie

     Julie would eat very little last night at nine p.m., so we didn't give her insulin injection. Her blood sugar was too low the last time we took her in, and as people who are familiar with diabetes know, too much insulin can be lethal.

     Randy, our overnight guy, reported to me this morning at 5:45 that Julie had had bad diarrhea several times in the night, and refused food at 5:00, so Randy wisely skipped her insulin again. At about six a.m. we finally got Julie to eat a few bites, but then she stopped, so we again held off on the insulin.

     When we got to the vet clinic, Vicky, the receptionist had me put Julie in Examining Room #1 and closed the doors. Then I went back out for the other two dogs, bringing them in one at a time and putting Fritz in Room #2 and Angel in Room #3.

     When I got back to Room #1 and opened the door, I saw that Julie had gone potty--bloody diarrhea all over the floor. The employee who came in to clean up the floor took a fecal sample for the doctor to examine before she started mopping.

     Soon Dr. Morton came in and started examining Julie. He took her temperature and felt and squeezed her abdomen. Then he went and looked at the fecal sample under the microscope.

     The doctor was not concerned that Julie hadn't received her insulin. He said we needed to clear up this intestinal problem first. Her recent blood sugar levels having been so low indicated that until she starts eating again, she'll be okay to go without her insulin injection.

     Dr. Morton found five hookworm eggs in Julie's fecal sample, and he gave her a wormer and said to resume her regular insulin injections when she starts eating again.

     LATER: At one o'clock this afternoon Julie did eat and had her insulin shot.

   Fritz

     Fritzer was lying on the floor of Room #2 when we moved on to the next dog. The caregivers had suspected a couple of patches of ringworm on Fritzer's check, but the doctor said the spots were just skin irritation and to continue with the same medicine Fritz had been taking for other "hot spots" on his body.

     While the doctor was working on Fritz, a familiar looking Black Lab wondered by the open door on the doctor's side of the examining room. It was Angel, who had somehow opened the door of Room #3 and was checking out the clinic. I took Angel back to Room #3 and waited with her for Erin and the doctor to finish up with Fritz.

   Angel

     Angel's incision has healed well, and even though the report from the pathologist said the cancer could recur in the same area, Dr. Morton thinks he got enough of the area around the tumor that it shouldn't return.

     We were also concerned about the continuing discharge from Angel's left eye, but the doctor said the eye was okay and to continue the medication a while longer.

     Next he looked at Angel's ears (which had been infected), and he said to continue with the ear wash and medication.

Report from Erin ...

This evening Chubs and Cassie's fourth training session is scheduled in the big play yard with Jana and Charlie Harris

     Jana and Charlie love labs and have three labs of their own right now. They have been visiting Chubs and Cassie at Straydog every few days for a 45-minute play and work period with our two young labs, Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie ("Cassie Lynn," Cassie told Charlie Monday night). Both big puppy dogs are learning the sit command, and Cassie Lynn has already moved on to "Stay." Sometimes Chubby turns his "Sit" into a "Lie down." They are also learning to walk together on a double leash.

     "He doesn't need eyes to enjoy this," says Charlie. "Chubs can be as happy as any dog can be, stretching out on the grass, all smiley and content because he's getting his belly rubbed!"

     We haven't worked with cookie biscuits these last couple of sessions, but we've been rewarding the dogs with a lot of praise.

     Toby has come out and visited with Chubs and Cassie Lynn for the last two visits by Charlie and Jana. It is really fun to watch Cassie and Toby. Cassie was so submissive with her attempts to play with Older Gentleman Toby, that she would be crawling next to him with her tail beating wildly. Finally Toby loosened up and let her frolic with him more and more.

     Chubs and Toby only sniffed each other; no playing yet between those two.

     I can't wait to see where we'll be with the commands when Jana and Charlie visit this evening!

     "Where would the best home for Chubs and Cassie be?" I was wondering, and I asked Charlie what he thought.

      "A home with a big yard and a pond for Chubs and Cassie to swim in, and a couple of kids to play with," Charlie answered.

     "Someone who is familiar with the personalities of Labradors and who knows about the attention they need would be good too," Jana added.

     More on Chubs and Cassie's training and socialization periods in future updates!