w w w . S t r a y d o g*. o r g U p d a t e
POSTED EVERY DAY AT NOON CENTRAL TIME U.S.A.
Straydog Inc., The Arnolds' Happy Home for Strays, a No-Kill Dog Shelter
P.O. Box 1465, Gun Barrel City, Texas 75147 * (903) 479-3497 * EMAIL: straydog@straydog.org

* When Straydog is in red, we're running out of funds to sustain our mission.

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

MONDAY APRIL 19 2004

NOON UPDATE:

Rocky's doing better again!

     Dr. Reeves reported to Erin this morning that he gave Rocky a blood transfusion last night, and afterwards Rocky had energy and was walking around the clinic.

     This morning Rocky has been drinking water, and more blood test results will be back from the lab this afternoon.

Dr. Reeves draws blood from Rocky's arm back in March after Rocky's first bout with whatever his illness is.

     We'll post another report on Rocky after we hear something more from Dr. Reeves.

Diabetic Julie continues to improve

     We monitor Julie's BGL (blood glucose level) periodically throughout the day and night, and she's staying near the normal range most of the time now and is receiving low doses of insulin (unless there's a spike in her sugar level). We've also started giving Julie a third meal every day as she was getting so skinny, and she's doing well with this added meal.

An email from Jana (Blind Chubs and Sister Cassie's mom)

 

Chubs and Cassie follow Nick, Summer and Milo into Jana and Charlie's pond back on October 7, 2003.

Hi Erin,

Hope you are doing okay and that Straydog gets some funds to take some heat off. I know that the money issue must be stressful for all of you.

Did you start Toby on the Synflex? My 96-year-old Grandmother has had some marked relief.

Chubs and Cassie came to live with us on October 7, 2003, so April 7, 2004 was our six-month anniversary. It is hard to believe that all five dogs have not been together always. Tomorrow is Milo's second birthday, and we are having a party, and Gus(a five-month-old lab pup) is coming with his parents. Gus is really Cassie's friend, but he needs the socializing, and we always welcome company.

We had a load of sand delivered yesterday and Summer, Milo, Chubs and Cassie played so hard in it that they were exhausted last night. Charlie walked Chubs around the pile one time and that's all it took. Chubs loved it, and they all dug and rolled in it, except Nick. He has never cared for dirt and has never dug. We have always tried to keep a pile for the dogs and grandchildren to play in. When we started planting our small garden, we tried to show Chubs that he couldn't walk where the mulch was, but he really didn't understand, and we were worried that he would get excited and run into the tomato cages and hurt himself, so Charlie devised a hay bale fence. We have a lot of old hay bales that I use for mulch, and Charlie opened them up and stacked them around the garden as a fence. It works perfectly and Chubs can't hurt himself running into it, nor can the others for that matter.

We had a lot of company last weekend, and Chubs and Cassie did wonderfully. When little Erin got there, Cassie ran up to her wagging her tail and waiting for little Erin to pet her. What a difference from six months ago when Cassie would tremble when she saw Erin, and Chubs would bark. Chubs hardly barks unless he hears a voice for the first time. He remembers voices very well. We also had people from our neighbor's Bed and Breakfast wanting to come see the baby horse and peacocks, and Chubs and Cassie were happy to see them, and again Chubs showed others that you don't have to be perfect to be perfect. It's always gratifying to think that Chubs might encourage others to adopt a special needs pet. I hope so. Charlie and I try so hard to treat Chubs like the other dogs, but we can't help ourselves, and Chubs so wants to be like the others.

I think that I told you that when we walk in the mornings, Chubs wears a harness, and he seems to really like it and feels more secure.

We also cut down a tree and took down our clothes line last week, which opened up a large area where Chubs has no obstacles at all. It has taken us this long to try and figure out an area that could be completely clear. If we had known we would one day have a blind dog, we wouldn't have planted almost 100 trees. Chubs gets around so good that almost everyone is astounded.

Oh, let me tell you a funny story. All five dogs, Charlie and I were outside feeding and doing chores after dinner and Charlie put the dogs in the house so we could move some horses from one pasture to another. When we went back in the house, not one dog came to greet us, and then I saw why. I had left a Tupperware bowl of spaghetti sauce on the kitchen counter to cool while we went out, and I forgot about it. Chubs was lying on the kitchen floor with his head on the bowl, and Nick, Summer, Milo and Cassie were hiding in the backyard. I'm sure it was Summer who had gotten up on the cabinet and knocked the bowl down, and whether anyone else got any I don't know, but they all knew they weren't supposed to, except Chubs, and he didn't act guilty at all.

Anyway, wanted you to know that we are all doing okay. Let everyone know that Chubs and Cassie are happy and healthy.

Jana

 

EVENING UPDATE:

Rocky walks outside Dr. Reeves' clinic to use the bathroom, and his urine looks good, but things still don't look great for the old fella

     Rocky is probably still too weak to come home tomorrow, but we'll at least be able to see him during our previously scheduled vet visit at Dr. Reeves' clinic. Dr. Reeves' wife said that Rocky now has Pit Bull blood in him, as he received a transfusion from Dr. Reeves' own dog, a rescued Pit Bull.