Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 25 2004

Erin's report on yesterday's vet visit to Dr. Reeves in Tyler ...

Katie, Rudy and Toby went to see Dr. Reeves Tuesday afternoon

     We took three dogs to see Dr. Reeves in Tyler today. He drew blood from both Rudy and Toby for their immune system tests (the "hormone test"), and we asked the doctor to examine and make an assessment of the health and condition of our old, sassy Katie.

   Katie

     Dr. Reeves' rule of thumb concerning euthanasia for old, "almost worn out" dogs is that if the dog is still bright-eyed and alert and his or her tail is still wagging, the doctor would say the dog isn't ready to go across Rainbow Bridge.

     The doctor used a laser light on Katie's bad eye for two minutes to help heal it. He also did electro-acupuncture on her back and legs to hopefully help her arthritis. Dr. Reeves would like to see Katie on Thursday for second treatments for her eye and arthritis.

   Rudy

     Rudy weighed 52 pounds on Dr. Reeves' scales (six pounds lighter than what Rudy weighed last Wednesday on our old, donated scales). The doctor drew blood and put it in the refrigerator, where the blood will stay until he freezer-packs it to go to the lab in California. We're hoping to get to the bottom of Rudy's low-weight problem.

   Toby

     The doctor did the same for Toby. We think that this test will show where Mr. Toby might need support to ward off the allergies that so beset him in the Spring, Summer and Fall. Right now Toby's hair is growing back, but we want to help him before he starts itching again. We are giving Toby Benedryl once a day, and that might be helping too. The test will also help Dr. Reeves assess Toby's arthritis problem.

Jasper, an old dog with very bad hind legs is also visiting Dr. Reeves

     While Tina and I were there with our dogs, we met a nice couple in the adjacent room who were there with their twelve-year-old lab, Jasper. Jasper is a very big fellow, about 95 pounds, and he was scheduled for certain kinds of acupuncture treatments. We should send out prayers for Jasper because he's paralyzed in his back legs due to disk problems. This couple is hoping for Jasper to gain at least a little mobility. "We're lucky that we work from our home," the woman said, "and can help Jasper get up to go to the bathroom." The couple is checking out wheel-and-cart contraptions so that Jasper can have some mobility. "Jasper wants to walk around and be with me, and he can't and I know this is frustrating to him," the man said.

     I asked this loving guardian of Jasper to write us with the info that they find on the wheel-and-cart machines because we might need this too for Katie, or Toby or others in the future!

     Tuesday's vet bill at Dr. Reeves: $660.

A medium-size dog is found out front scavenging through our trash

     At first we thought the dog belonged to a neighbor up the road about a quarter of a mile, so Tina took the dog to the neighbor's, but this was not their dog. She just looked like that neighbor's dog.

     The dog was wearing a collar, and I asked myself why do dogs like this stray from their homes looking through other people's garbage? Some inhumane people must let their dogs have pups and then to get rid of them, they must just stop feeding them so that they'll leave on their own to search for food. How pathetic!

     We have NO MORE ROOM here at Straydog, and we were all wondering what we could do with the dog.

Caregiver/Kennel Team Member Bobby wants to adopt this new dog

     Luckily one of our caregiver/kennel team members, Bobby, has been thinking of adopting a dog, and he liked this dog very much and asked if he could keep her. We said he would have to construct a kennel in his yard (or fence in the whole yard), and he said he would.

     Bobby named his new dog Shannon, and Juana drove the Shannon to Dr. Morton's clinic for her new arrival check up and to have her spayed if she hadn't been already.

     The report from Dr. Morton this morning is that the dog has now been spayed. Unfortunately she was pregnant, but there was no way the doctor could have suspected this.

     Today is Bobby's day off, and Shannon will be ready for Bobby to pick her up this afternoon and take her to her home at Bobby's house. This morning he's building a kennel for Shannon.