doglets

Took That Abe to see the Vet, not so much about her increasing weight loss, the now 12.8kg (down from 14.2 in four weeks) Abe is a heartbreaking skeleton, difficult to cuddle, but we have to persevere because that’s all she’s got right now. We went mainly about her confusion and endless agitation. Vet has prescribed vivatonin which sounds a little like Aricept for humans – it’s for increased blood supply but I suspect this may be shutting the door after the sanity has bolted, and probably more appropriate for dogs who have had strokes and the brain tissue is not atrophied beyond repair. But we’ll see. I’m happy to be disproved.

She had full bloods done on Tuesday to exclude any physical problems. She sometimes drinks excessively – it would be fantastic if she had diabetes, we could understand it and treat it. But watching her, it’s the same fixated repetition of a person with dementia who does not remember the beginning of the drink and just keeps drinking – so the bowls are being kept topped up to halfway only in case the 12.8kg  Abe drinks 2.5L of water and bursts.

My feeling is it would be kinder to give her a mild tranquilliser and we just interrupt the distressing cycle of agitation with a nap – but pet care seems to be headed the way of human care. God forbid we alleviate your upsetting symptoms / pain we might shorten your life by a day and you’ll sue.

And in the vets – they still want to call her Abby – and not Abe – she’s a dog and not confined by human gender stereotypes – she could be called Malcolm, Susan, London, Paris, Munich, Pop Music

Has gone a bit thin – very thin – supermodel skinny but her appetite remains immense. It could be the stress of the Froodle moving in. As Froodle struggles to make sense of his new world – he does see the two pensioner dogs A & J as something to be chased and barked at. His communication systems are all messed up – he’s not being nasty, or aggressive, or there would have been a serious scrap by now,  but he is muddled, overwhelmed and bewildered.  Java’s tactic is to completely blank him but That Abe is feisty and will bark back at him. (more on Froodle in a later post)

The vet can’t find anything wrong – but Abe looks & feels so scraggy, tatty and ribby – not the imba lithe fitness of Java (24kg), the light pawed stealth of Froodle (22kg), or the muscular frame of Kato (37kg) – this feels skinny and poorly.

We can’t feed That ABE anymore food – she’s on well over the maximum for her build. We can’t cut down on her exercise – stopping her joining in the playing feels wrong.  She’s not wormy or feeding fleas.  

So we’re keeping an eye on That Abe for another couple of weeks  and if she loses any more weight – it’s blood tests and stuff.

Sunday – Frody met Sheffdogs – ignored Penny, avoided Thorneycroft who did some very alluring play bows, obviously doesn’t Slippy on the first date, liked their humans and allowed strokes, deafened own humans on car journey by singing for entire journey.

Monday – Frody cried buckets when Kato & Java left the house without him for their vet appointments – routine vaccinations and Kato actually had her chest listened to as hatty held the stethoscope on while vet listened. She's all healthy. Java having investigations for kidney failure so hippy had to collect wee.

Back at CFC hQ – Frody was left in the care of That Abe and although we left to the sounds of a very bereft & upset dog we returned to a pleasing serene silence. However, being distracted by the prospect of collecting wee, the jubilation of Kato being examined – we completely forgot security protocols. Java & That Abe came snooter to snooter and had a big punch-up. Hippy got slightly bitten in the fracas – ow. But it was split up very efficiently and Frody happily didn’t join in – Kato (who is supposed to be Top Dog) was nowhere to be seen........

To get Java’s wee – we didn’t let her out after dinner, but waited for her to have a nap. She woke up bursting and hippy popped a takeaway box under her bottom. The diagnosis will probably be acute Mushroom Chow Mein.

Tuesday – Frody went to sign on at vets. We explained to vet that although we want him examined and microchipped – not today as we want his first visit to be positive experience. Gave vet a treat to give Frody who seemed calm enough  and he really went for her – oops – he now has UNPREDICTABLE and AGGRESSIVE  written across the top of his notes. But he isn't really - he is just a scared little boy who needs to re-learn some boundaries. He growls if you touch his food bowl when he is eating - so we are going to try to sort that out by giving him and empty bowl and adding lovely stuff.

Results of Java's wee test shows some mild signs of kidney failure - but we're going to retest in about 3 months time. We have to watch out for vomiting, runny bottom and fatigue.

 Java has always been a committed pro-housetraining doglet since the first day she set paw in the Canine Feminist Collective HQ, which considering she had been in the nick in a 4foot square pen for 6 months was amazing.

Java can usually, easily do up to six hours between toilet visits, can do a straight eight hours overnight if need be.   But the last few days has seen a couple of splatty poos just an hour or so since visiting the Little Bitches Room - not a full emptying of the dog but a semi-runny puddle. Her snoot is a healthy cold wet snoot, she seems her usual self, demonstrating some excellent repelling of Trick-or-Treaters. It only happens when she can't ask to go - she asks by snooting and barooing, and can be very persistent if shes clothing/desperate, pawing and climbing on those with the Mystical Skill of BackDoor Opening. Java gets very upset if she does it in the house. She chooses to go as far away from the house as she can. Her food hasn't changed and she doesn't seem upset by the Punch-Up with The Abe Infidel on Friday. Even though I scolded her quite sharply,  she looked so sad and confused, she just wants me to love her, and sees That Abe as a threat to that relationship and all relationships.

Have been wondering about her age recently - everyone who meets her thinks she is much older than the dogs home would have us believe. She is sort of nine, a year younger than That Abe. Maybe she is older. She did grow when she first came to live with me and

therovers

 kAt0 and Little Abe went vetwards this evening - but seperately. Little Abes hooligan behaviour in the vets would be such a dangerously disruptive influence on the impressionable kAt0. kAt0 had her annual vaccs and just a bit of a grumble at Nick (the gay austrailian vet who we have now decided is not austrailian, just camper than a festy full of VWs) for making her neck go sharped. kAt0 dislikes being meddled with by strangers - she is the child shouting "stranger, stranger" at the top of her voice.

Little Abe is mellowing, she behaved fairly well in the waiting room, didn't start any fights, didn't shout Yer Big SAft Mewing C*** at passing rottys,no breakages of expensive vetinany equipment added to our bill and we weren't asked to wait outside. Kinda sad really - (aside from the not jumping the queue) she is getting old. And annoying as she can be - that feisty behaviour is part of her lovableness. You have to admire a 17kg dog who offers a 60kg rottweiler out, raises her tail, moons and adds "and bring your pedigree scum siblings with you, your gonna need em CatFace" But today she just stared at her fellow waiting room dogs inbetween bouncing on/off the seats (if they took the sign "seats for humans only" down -she probably wouldn't bother)
 
And Little Abe went on the table - with only a minor struggle, though it took three of us. Of course when we said "on there" when we didn't want her on the table - she was up in one acrobatic leap by her self. Nick was impressed that the little fella was so agile at her pensioner age. Little Abe had a shopping list of minor concerns - which we detail below -for our own record more than anything. No Vaccs for Abe due to her sensitivity to anything chemical introduced into the System of An Abe.

Lump in tail -  possibly trauma from the clumsy kAt0 - we only noticed it the day after last weeks incident when she gave kAt0 a cross snap in the face (and made kAt0 grizzle).
Fatty Lumps in Chesty Box/Neck Area -  prob just fatty lumps left behind after the dramatic weightloss of the Abekins Diet
Heart Murmur/Breathing - all is well - no concerns 
Scooty Bum - we left the best till last - Abe still looks very startled when the vet inserts digit into her bot-bot

So, home in time for Tea and Dog Borstal.

Lindsay went vetwards yesterday. Still a very frail old girl but back axle not giving out quite as much. Is often Fallen and needs to be put the right way up again. The vet nurses know Lindsay so well now,know that she struggles with the steps up into the vets, so they run to open the door so that hippy can concentrate on keeping Looby upright. This gives the impression of an old caberet star making a grand entrance - and Lindsay does play to her audience..... yesterdays waiting room was busy.....and the crumbly old dudess loved it.

Lindsay can get herself out for a pee and sometimes gets herself back in again. Looby has lost a lot of weight, is all fluff and sticky out bones. Down to 18.5 kg - she was once at least 23kg  (so much easier to carry her up and down the stairs now) This loss of weight makes her very prone to pressure sores as she does sleep a lot and we have to turn her over so she  doesn't get Basket Sores. But she is eating and drinking and flirting..........yep, FLIRTING. 

In the waiting room, Lindsay smelt the fine, damp, rubbery smell of young, warm, boy pup. Her nostrils flaring, filled with alluring, delicious scent of uncut boy doggy. Like a moth to the flame, LIndsay bimbled in a Zigga-Zag-Ah manner towards the (probably terrified) object of her desire.  But, back axle packed up, Looby slumped to the floor, with a feeble Greta Garbo-ish husky "Ooooooh......young (wheeze) man....if I were four years younger.........zzzzzzzz" and fell asleep in the middle of the waiting room.

Vet-NIck was very pleased/impressed with her coffindodging powers -  and Nurse kAt0 has confirmed (by her disinterest) that the dragons down Lindsays ear have gone.