Take a Bow

take a bow, originally uploaded by EWA Goddess.

The weather got really hot for awhile then cooled off again, and the wild mustard plants came up everywhere. Don Cook has been clearing the dry brush and mowing the fields with his tractor and last weekend he got a very noisy chipper and reduced everything to little piles of mulch.
My meadows have become very interesting! I've found gophers, rabbits, squirrels and the Coyote News.

Ralph Returns to Rescue

Ralph meets Natasha Day One, originally uploaded by EWA Goddess.

Poor Ralph! He had a hard time with the wild Natasha and Old Jaeger, and tried to dominate them both. Along with the cat and Cairn terrier incidents, we decided that Ralph wasn't going to fit in, sadly. He's a great dog! I hope that someone gives him a good home soon.

A Visit From Ralph

Jaeger says that he's a fraud, a Labrador dressed up in gray. Jaeger has a very high opinion of himself! Ralph came from Weim Rescue to spend a couple of weeks with us so that he can have a break from life in the kennels. He really is an easygoing fellow but he has a mean right hook! We play and play together until we both fall asleep. Mom thinks that's great. Jaeger thinks he's a pain and an interloper.
Yesterday Ralph stole the Cairn terrier Pilgrim when Pilgrim tried to chase us. He didn't kill Pilgrim, mom said he just retrieved him. But mom was mad. Ralph wouldn't let go, and bit mom's hand and Pilgrim growled at all of us before he ran home. He is the smallest dog I've ever seen, and to be fair to Ralph, he does look a lot like Ralph's stuffed toys :-) Mom had to offer to take Pilgrim to the vet for the man who owns the Anatolians that attacked me and he said, Isn't it funny how things work out? and mom got blood all over both dogs and we had to sort it all out before we decided that Pilgrim was OK and didn't have any cuts, just mom did.
Mom also got mad when Ralph and I were playing and we knocked over a table and a lamp and broke a fluorescent light bulb. I think it was because it was 3:00 in the morning that she was annoyed. Like me, she likes to sleep at night! I slept on her lap because I don't like it when she's angry and when bad things happen, like with Pilgrim. I don't think Ralph will be staying with us forever.

Note from mom:
Ralph first showed up about a year ago at Weim Rescue as a stray who needed veterinary care because of an attack in the pound. He's touted as a small Weimaraner, but it looks to me that he has dwarfism characteristics: a full-sized body on underdeveloped legs. I offered to take him for a couple of weeks (of course the hope is that I would just keep him) but I totally spaced about the Weim prey drive which with Natasha and Jaeger does not apply to either cats or small dogs. They are the exceptions. Poor Ralph has had some basic obedience training, but getting a high prey drive dog past his instinct is an intensive training process. Lazy me, I've been fortunate to have dogs that are more low-maintenance (but let's not tell Her Majesty that).
By the way, Pilgrim lost three teeth in his confrontation with Ralph, probably from gnashing them in anger! He also had a drain in his shoulder, but all the way around, fared well for a 5-inch high dog.

A Farewell to AWOL?

This morning AWOL looked pretty bad. Her breathing was shallow and although it was cold outside she was panting hard. Her gums were white, a sure sign of anemia. Grandma said that she'd take her to the vet today, but mom was crying when she left for work so I know it's not good. They think she has a tumor, like Dobie, Ajax and Sandy did, dogs I didn't know.
AWOL has been a good friend to me. She walks with me and tells me when I go too far, and she plays with me a little bit. She's quite old, Jaeger's age I think, but until very recently she had a lot more energy than Jaeger. I'll miss her.
Note from mom:
AWOL was diagnosed with lymphoma and we elected to put her on prednisone because she is pretty old, canine oncology is quite costly and only about 50% of dogs go into remission at the stage in which AWOL was. I feel bad about cost being a factor, but Natasha's VERY expensive stay in intensive care wiped out any other options for the time being.
Years ago, Dobie was also diagnosed with lymphoma and given about 4 months on prednisone. She actually improved and stuck around for 4 years! So it seemed that AWOL may have dodged a bullet, but she died a few hours after seeing the vet, presumably from heart failure, an overworked organ under pressure from some sizable tumors.

Vaccinations

Note from Mom...
Some canine vaccines can provoke an immune response in many breeds, and Weims are one that is predisposed to some scary reactions:
Hyperinflammatory disease and hypertrophic osteodystrophy, where bone growth bolts and requires treatment with steroids;
Immune system breakdown;
Injection site sarcomas;

Weims with these conditions sometimes end up in rescue, fortunately, and can be treated if not corrected: many more Weims are put down out of ignorance. New guidelines have been established by AAHA and UC Davis Veterinary College for core vaccines and the schedule at which they should be administered. Core vaccines are Canine Parvovirus, Distemper Virus, and Adenovirus-2 and boosters are recommended every three years. Non-core vaccines should be evaluated in terms of location, the dog's environment and social situation and the prevalence of disease in an area at a given time.
Here's a link for more information:
http://www.tristateweimrescue.org/weimpdf/New_Vaccination_Guidelines.pdf

That said, some veterinarians area taking a holistic and homeopathic approach to vaccines and recommend homeopathic nosodes for adult dogs. The nosodes only help protect dogs against Parvovirus, Distemper, Kennel Cough, Panleukopenia and FIP. Some nosodes seem to work more effectively than others. None of these produce titers against these diseases like a vaccination , so they are NOT vaccine replacements. They do seem to moderate a disease condition if the animal is exposed, even if they don't prevent it. It is another option for those guardians who wish to avoid vaccinations. Of course in the traditional veterinary field, there is resistance if not hostility to homeopathy, just as with human alternative medicine. Your own dog's lifestyle should be the biggest factor in determining vaccines.

Attack and Recovery

I was attacked by two Anatolian Sheepherding dogs on my morning walk on Valentines Day, and had to go to the emergency hospital for surgery and a stay in intensive care. Mom, grandma and the Anatolian dogs' owner spent a lot of money on that stay. The technicians fed me chicken by hand but I wasn't really hungry. I had stitches all over my abdomen and shoulder, and on my back. Then they put a mesh net around me to hold everything together. And once I got to go home, mom had to keep a shirt on me or make me wear an Elizabethan collar (whatever that is). I'm so glad to be feeling better!

Can it Be an Allergy?

Some of my play group friends had itching skin and rough coats that were dull and "sheddy." They improved a lot just by switching their diet to a lamb and rice diet from corn-based. Keep in mind that many dogs are sensitive or even allergic to ingredients in their food. Corn, soy and wheat are three of the biggest culprits as far as food allergies in dogs go, and finding a brand of dry dog food that is free of these ingredients can be tricky. Hot, smelly itchy ears, red flaky skin and a dull coat are common symptoms of food allergies. Check the ingredients on the label, and always check with your veterinarian to eliminate other health problems that may be causing a suspected dermatitis. Atopy, or inhalent allergies can be caused by dust mites, mildew, molds,feathers, pollen and yes, human dander.Signs of atopy include continuous chewing, licking and scratching at the face, ears, paws, abdomen and genitals. You can avoid costly treatment with steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics by giving your dog omega 3 fatty acids, natural anti-inflammatories such as quercitin and bioflavinoids and shampoo therapy: some of the hypoallergenic shampoos incorporate fatty acids which are absorbed through the skin, and offer a localized anti-inflammatory action.