doglets: (frodi resting)

We were grooming Boy Dog, who for once, didn’t snatch the brush and run behind pond with it. We found a lump, similar to the benign ones Froodle had removed a couple of years back. This one is a lot bigger but not annoying him. Neither Nurse Kato or Frodi show any interest in the lump.

At the vets, Frodi had his Snooter box on, being sang to at the nose end (He’s A Good Boy to the tune of Waterloo by Abba) while vet examined the lump. We decided against any further action unless the lump starts to worry him. He’s nearly 13 and elderly, surgery might do him more harm & distress than the lump itself. If we hadn’t been so intrusive with our invasive brushing, we wouldn’t even know, as the Anti-Oppressive Brushing Lobby pointed out.

doglets: (kato age two)

Our vets is a specialist for bulldogs. The waiting room sometimes sounds like a Steam Rally event with all the bullies chuffing away.

“Sit” said an owner to his portly looking bully who looked like he needed ironing or at least a few minutes in a trouser press “Sit!”

“How would you even know?” said Kato staring at the bull dogs squat bowed Georgian table legs “Can’t even tell which end is the head and which end is...”

“Don’t finish that sentence” I said

Looking at the rolls of bulldog draped over his creaky frame, Kato has a point, his front end and back end were very similar.

The bulldog snorted and got into something resembling a “sit” but it was more of a “splaaaat” with pools of dogness rippling around him. He looked like he’d partially melted.

The door opened and in came man in a wheelchair with his assistance Rottweiler. Kato actually smiled. Last time she met Assistance Rotty, she found him a calm, soothing presence.

To our surprise Rotty stared down a pug and gave a terse “Fuck you” in the face of a white polar bear dog. This it seemed, was son of assistance rotty, still in training, just hitting adolescence and not always getting his salutations correct.

“MILF!” barked the rotty when he spotted Kato. Kato looked aghast and intently read the small print on posh medical dog food.

“Oy, sexy lady, bet you’re up for it” said the juvenile rotty then turned to the portly bulldog “Do one squash face, I saw her first”

“I think he’s trying to get your attention” I said to Kato

“Lamb bone meal” read Kato “0.15% fructooligosaccharides”

“I’ve got some bone meal here for you hot paws” grunted the rotty straining at his leash

Our vet appeared, Kato shot in the examination room.

It was a positive vet visit, just a re-prescription and a marvel that it’s almost one year since Kato was diagnosed with mast cell cancer. She's mostly very well with just the odd tummy upset. She rarely needs her pain killers.

Vets -

Sep. 5th, 2015 01:28 am
doglets: (kato age two)

The waiting room was busy with a noisy impatient queue at the desk. A woman was querying her receipt.

“Is this the flea spray for the house” she asked. The entire queue took a step back.

“Can I do me sofa with it?” she continued scratching her arm as she spoke.       

The queue became a Jacobs Ladder of pet owners, fidgeting and mumbling they weren’t in a hurry.

Kato has a strange relationship with her Vet. She secretly likes him and sniffs him whenever he isn't looking, trying to stealth up behind him to get a proper sniff. But the minute he goes near her, she rumbles at him. It isn't aggressive, just nervous. He seemed pleased with her, just to keep managing her symptoms with the current medication.We mentioned the fast night-time panting she does. Vet asked us to try and record / film it, so of course she hasn't done it since.

Kato has had codeine today as she's done something to her paw. Hopefully it's just a bruise after a violent game of Rock, Scissor, Paper with Frodi yesterday. Kato can only do Rock. Frodi usually plays safe with Squishy Pebble so Kato wins, but he daringly did the rare Rock shredder scissor move so Kato punched him. Frodi gazed adoringly at Kato for the rest of the day.



Kato Vet

Apr. 16th, 2015 01:45 pm
doglets: (kato smile)

Hippy and I have become hopeless at remembering things. I think it’s the routine-ness of life as we have less unusual events to hang time off. I ought to write here more often.

Kato went to the vets yesterday to collect her prescription. She continues to be cheerful, playful and well. She does get uncomfortable as her (massive) dose of anti-histamines becomes due. Kato is also really hungry although still draws the line at anything that falls under "salad". Her weight remains at a steady 35kg. We’re going to try reducing her painkillers as she doesn’t seem in pain at the moment.


doglets: (kato age two)


In the vets waiting room there were many Small Yappy Type Dogs – a shrill of SYTDs. Yorkshire terriers, various poodle combo’s (cavapoo, pinipoo, noisypoo), a mini bulldog, 2 gobby pugs and a shihtzu. The pugs looked like a pair of glove puppets lungeing and spitting at passers-by. Worst children’s party entertainers ever.

Amused myself pondering the possible names for a bulldog mixed with a shihtzu.

A pink throne arrived containing a pampered SYTD. A pomopoo who looked a bit like one of those fatballs that you hang out for the wild birds. No offence SYTD owners but they have got legs for a reason.

There were 2.5 Rottweilers. The German Shepherd half of Kato had disappeared under the seats. Teenage rotty was in a sit-stay, but just like Kato at that age, only his rear end was managing the stay bit. The other rotty was a big soft well behaved fellow – and apparently the first ever rotty assistance dog in Europe. His owner listed all the things that his beloved dog could do.

“Oh” I cooed impressed and looked at Kato

“Like anyone ever phones you!” snarked Kato from under the seat

Usually Kato would find being surrounded by Shrill Critters a bit much and we would wait outside, but because the other two rottys were indifferent she seemed to relax. Assistance rotty had fallen asleep on the scales (45kg) Teenage rotty was gently chewing his owner’s leg, leaving one of those drool pools that you’re never sure if saying “it was the dog” can be interpreted worse than people thinking you’ve wet yourself.

The waiting room divided into two camps. SYTD side were discussing groomers, claw varnish, heated rollers and then we heard “Ferocious guard dog”. Our eyes fell on a SYTD in a polka dot pinafore with matching bow. Assistance Dog opened one eye and gave a snort which sounded like a suppressed guffaw.

All three rottys simultaneously did the eyes closed, chin flat to floor position, trying very hard not to laugh.


A new SYTD (randompoo) arrived carried in a sheepskin lined Burberry tartan papoose that matched his owner’s coat. Although to be fair, I often match Kato’s coat without even trying. Teenage rotty openly stared at the new arrival and made a noise that sounded like “dafuq”

Assistance dog gave a louder snort, followed by a cough. The Rotty owners exchanged amused knowing looks and then couldn’t look at each other. The seats were now wobbling as the three big dogs tried to suppress their sniggers.


doglets: (kato smile)

Kato didn’t receive the memo about having mast cell cancer. She is aware of an interesting raw furless patch on her leg. The stitches and staples are all out due to playing rather than fiddling. Kato is currently very playful.

With this tumour removed Kato is not suffering an overload of histamine. Any leftover histamine is being dealt with by tablets with added bonus of getting a good nights sleep. I have spent the last 2/3 years sat on the doorstep at 4am because one dog or other unable to settle.

We know the cancer is still there and will come back. Mostly though we can do happy.

I really should finish all those half written LJ entries about Kato if only for myself later.


doglets: (kato smile)
The vet wouldn't be drawn on any timescales for the progression of Kato's illness. He mentioned one of his patients had lived for a year after diagnosis and another where the deterioration accelerated rapidly over a couple of weeks. We do wonder, or is it hope, she will do "an Abe" and spend the next couple of years playing knock & run on the Pearly Gate.

All our other dogs have been over 16 when they left us and spent a good 2/3 years indulging in eccentric elderliness. Kato still feels like a puppy. Today she has refused to wear the cone-of-shame or the inflatable version, removing it in seconds and then throwng it down the stairs. Frodi spent the morning barking at the glazier man. He's had a furtive inspection of Kato's stitches but I doubt he's brave enough to get too close to them. And Kato did wake up, smack him in the snooter (he likes it - don't write in!) and turn on her side.

  
doglets: (kato smile)

Kato’s biopsy came back as mast cell cancer. This explains her on / off symptoms the last few months. Aside from the huge row of stitches and staples down her back right flank she is well in herself, cheerful and active. She is ten and for the breeds she is constructed of this is considered elderly. The vet went through the option of scans, being re-opened up and possibly chemo. We will manage her symptoms as they arise, itching, upset tummy, pain etc but we won’t be subjecting her to a miserable invasive fight she can’t win.  

As for when Kato will leave us, who knows. Whenever it is, it will feel too soon and just so fucking unfair.


doglets: (kato age two)

Have got happier tails half typed of Kato and Frodi Adventures but today is an anxious day.

Recently Kato has been having some health problems and a few weeks ago showed us a flaw on her leg. It is a nasty looking sore (she had meddled) – after a course of steroids, it disappeared briefly. The sore re-appeared and Kato is, as I type, down the vets having it removed.

With her other vague symptoms (off & on upset tummy, itching sore, discomfort) there is a more sinister feeling around Kato’s flaw. We expected her to be anxious at being left but she cheerfully walked off with the young man vet to the kennel area, even though he had just stabbed her in the leg, perhaps hopeful of rectifying the no-breakfast situation.

So I’m sat here with Boy Dog and the minutes are just dragging. Usually Monday morning things take me hours but I've already finished them.


doglets: (kato age two)
Frodi could hear the mewing as we approached the vets. His paws began to feel like lead.

“Oh good” said Human “Sounds like a lot of cats are in”

The mews began to form words “Frodi...Frodi-no-nuts.....

Human pushed the door open slowly to a waiting room full of cat carriers and boxes. The squeaky music from Psycho began to play in Frodi’s head


“Hi” said human “Would anyone mind if Frodi had a glance in a cat carrier, we would really like to get a cat but want to see how he would get on”

“Yow bring him here Bab, our Samson lives with 6 dogs” said a burly bloke with a tiny little cat in a basket carrier

“Don’t meet their eyes” Frodi repeated to himself “Stay calm, you can do this, think sheep...wtf are sheep...not sheep.... no eye contact.....feels hot in here...damn no sweat glands...don’t meet it’s eyes”

............................

Returning home, even the usually insensitive Kato knew not to ask. Frodi went to his basket to reflect. Frodi fell asleep but was taunted in his dreams by a feline Punch & Judy show “Frodi....Frodi-no-nuts..” The show was broken up by advert breaks for Dysons, Milk Floats and Fly-Mo’s.

“Not the food processor!” Frodi yelped as he awoke “Oh Katrina, it’s you...”

"Wanna talk about it?" Kato asked

"Failed – they told me to peep in the cat carrier, I smiled a big toothy smile. Cat turned into some sort of demonic spitting entity. I reflexively went for my pistol and that was it really, automatic fail. Didn’t even get to the practical"

"But there is good news – apparently we’re not getting a cat – she’s un-favouriting all those cat rescue websites she’s been looking at for weeks"

"Brilliant"  said Kato"Let's go down the pond and tell Rat the news"

doglets: (kato age two)
Kato has a sore on her back right. It’s been there awhile and she often meddles with it. It doesn’t have the sinister passive aggressive tumour look of Frodi’s lumps but it wasn’t healing up.


Kato shivered in the vets, visibly quaking and trembling. She managed to back herself under the seats which made the seats wobble. Vet is unsure what it is, she’s on steroids for a week to kick start the healing and stop it itching. If it heals up - great. If it doesn’t...surgery.

One of the side effects is thirst, combined with her piddly pants problem this led to a very wet dog/bed this morning. But we’ve decided to manage the house and not the dog. Any increase in her piddly pants pills seems to make her unhappy and uncomfortable with all the signs of abdominal discomfort, pressing her tummy to the cold tiles in the hall and craving to eat grass. We’ve bought incontinence bed protectors for her favoured sitting areas which has led us foolishly, oh it seemed so funny at the time, to use the command “put Mary on the pink”.  I had friends who used the command piddlediddle for their dogs, it worked, it stuck and they found themselves on holiday whispering to their dogs to piddlediddle.

Under her bed there is a huge rubber backed mat which can just be steam cleaned or blasted with the hosepipe outside. Kato’s Mary is washed with a very strange looking tasselled sponge that [livejournal.com profile] sheff_dogs bought us for the car windscreen. It is ideal for washing the dogs Mary and I really think they missed a marketing target.

The patient is in fine form today. We had an unexpected walk (the best kind) to post my Mum some teabags as she's running out and the cleaner/errand runner has a flu type thing.


doglets: (snooter)

The side effect of Kato’s anti-piddly-pants medicine is written on the leaflet in bold capital letters -  "some dogs may experience INCREASED ATTRACTIVENESS" but it doesn’t say attractive to what or whom.

I imagine Kato being magnetic, disrupting pace makers and electrical equipment. Cutlery flies off tables as we pass by houses and televisions get good old fashioned interference. Street lights flash, burglar alarms and car alarms go off, electric pylons fizzle and road traffic signals fail. The lovely Kato oblivious as behind us hard drives wipe themselves, vacuum cleaners turn on and off, and washing machines flood.


Frodi

Nov. 24th, 2014 12:40 am
doglets: (frodi action dog)

Frodi’s lumps were non-cancerous. He didn’t bite the vet or me on any of his check-ups . We still use a muzzle for very intimate rummaging. His obsession with squeaky toys was useful.I squeaked the toy at the nose end while vet got his stitches out. Frodi even sat politely in the waiting room talking to some cats and a rabbit. Dogs don’t seem to mind cats in containers. Seems it’s free range cats that arouse their hunting instinct.

I think we will always consider Frodi as being on the wrong side of the unpredictable scale. But this year he coped better with fireworks, just made himself into a very small ball and rolled under a bed, reminding me of Morph from Vision On.
His other fear reaction is to tuck his legs right under his body and point towards a corner with his chin & nose pressed flat to the floor.

He is still absolutely hopeless on a lead and even though there isn’t much of him (17kg) he is exhausting to walk.


doglets: (noo)

“I’ve been residing here for quite some time now Katrina” said Frodi “And I know sometimes things haven’t always been easy between us, what with your pathological bowl possessiveness, my problem barking, the stick fatwa - but... I think overall we get along OK and I was wondering if you would do me the honour of taking my paw in marriage?”

“Yeah OK” said Kato not looking up from her squeakless squeaky toy "Marriage, no probs"                                                             

“Oh! Well that’s splendid. So, which basket we should we move in to?” said Frodi “Is it too soon to change our face-book status?”

“Yeah, whatevs, just one thing...can I take your stitches out?”

“Stitches?”

“Yeah, you look proper Frankendog, loads of them...on that bald patch on your back, and a big long squiggly line down your leg”

“I hadn’t noticed, can’t see past this divine halo I’ve acquired, made of plastic and not translucent holy radiance but we are in a recession... human says it makes me look like the Pope”

“I thought more Noo Noo from teletubbies but anyway, brace yourself...” said Kato sniffing a stitch

“Ooh that tickles Katrina, are you about to whisper sweet nothings in my ...OUCH”

doglets: (kato age two)
Frodi had two lumps removed and is now suffering this indignity. We get the results from the biopsy in about 7 days. Kato has turned into Florence Nightingale.

P1060351

Frodi

Oct. 16th, 2014 01:42 am
doglets: (frodi action dog)

Frodi has had a warty thingy on his Right side for  a long time but over the last month it suddenly started increasing rapidly in size. Vet advised removing it due to the increased size and speed it's growing. It might be something, it might be nothing. Frodi can get his teeth scaled at the same time. Frodi's gnashers were in poor condition when he arrived, cleaned up a lot with having a daily carrot and crunchier food. He weighed in at 16.5kg which seems a little low. He was so good in the vets, he put his muzzle on without a flicker and only showed his teeth briefly when the vet meddled with him. So 27th of Oct is Operation Frodi day.

Kato is still having intermittent problems with her waterworks. Discovered that the Metcam was upsetting her stomach so she now has Pardale for her shoulder pain. She's still on the INCREASED ATTRACTIVENESS tablets. This is very confusing for Frodi who has no clue why he wants to give Kato his best sticks and lie hopefuly beside her basket, chin on paw gazing at her. Kato just treads on him when she decides to move.

doglets: (abe)
I was going to write more about That Abe when there was enough distance between her passing and working through the anger I hold towards previous vet. New and current vet made Abe's last months considerably more comfortable. There is this guilt that we should have changed sooner. Maybe her life might have been shorter but more content . Hippy had been using previous vet for over 20 years so it wasn't an easy decision. There was no one thing that made us unsettled but a slow build-up of mistakes and attitude. Abe had tests, scans and endless mediation regimes, saw vet after vet. New vet diagnosed her with something very simple and easily treated. But years had passed of living with an untreated condition.

The final straw was being told "well, if you're not going to listen (aka buy) my advice, there is nothing I can do for you". This was the response to our explaining politely we don't believe in alternative therapy. So no we don't want a dap diffuser, a milk based pill with no clinical evidence or any other  hocus-pocus homeopathy. Java had a sore on her back right and the advice was to have a scan & amputation. We refused as it seemed such a leap from curious looking sore patch to losing her whole leg. That was over 6 months ago, Java still has four legs and no sore. New vet said if it wasn't bothering her, he didn't see the point in meddling. He said it looked like the sores that elderly greyhounds sometimes get, which can be removed under a local with the mildest of dirty looks from the dog. 

It's the first Christmas without putting a Santa hat on That Abe and buying her a comedy toy to be photographed with. Still expect to see her squashing herself in the basket beside Kato.


doglets: (Default)

Java isn't well at the moment, very wobbly and her back legs keep giving out. She is very confused and spins around a lot, but she doesn't seem unhappy, just resigned. Being mellow and resigned has always been her default mood setting anyway.

Java doesn't bark anymore just a barely audible plaintiff meep. Luckily Frodi is surprisingly good at alerting us that Java has got herself trapped under a table or betwixt the basket and the wall.

doglets: (Default)

I am as rubbish as the rest of you at updating this thing – so this update will be delivered in bits. I’ve been writing it since about October and just updating it, thinking I really should post it. I didn't even break my net-silence for my annual rant about fireworks, I just rang my Mother and tutted a lot.

The Reaper – has been tapping on the windows recently with the summons paperwork for That Abe and Java. But in true doglet style they are refusing to go – “you’ll never take us alive” they sneer which is flawed logic but hey, they’re dogs and usual rules don’t apply.

Java – had a stroke just before Christmas. Very wobbly, off to one side, sight and hearing gone. Couldn’t find her food and had forgotten how to get up stairs. So sad to see her staggering around in an endless bewildered circle.

However, she improved very quickly and although a bit wobbly & lop sided, she seems content and coping better with eating, drinking, finding her basket and rolling her eyes at Bellend (Frodi) and Spoilt Bitch (Kato). She’s on vivatonin to hopefully prevent or minimise future episodes. She still spends every weekend with her companion (think Wallace and Gromit) and up until a few days before the stroke had happily done an 8 mile walk. Wallace was so concerned about her he slept on his lounge floor next to her but the next day she did a lap of the lake (walked round, not swam, that would be really eccentric :-))

That Abe – Zombie Dog, Abe the Undead. Two years ago we summoned everyone to her basket side to say goodbye. There’s hardly anything left of her physically – from 21kg at her most over-loved, big boned era to a 9kg skeleton. Along with her weight, she has also lost her housetraining and her manners, but she more than makes up for it in feistiness and occasionally gives Boy-dog a sound handbagging.  Perhaps the ever diminishing Abe will eventually just become a presence, a spiritual entity with no physical manifestation.

Frodi-  what possessed us?!!! He’s a collie, he doesn’t do boredom well and short of eating a toddler pretty much ticks every box on the bad-dog-behaviour checklist.  Everything spooks him and if it doesn't spook him he wants to steal it and throw it in the air. Love him though. A friend of ours (Java’s Wallace to her Gromit) has bought a house in <name of historical quaintness redacted> . Do you know anyone here asked his new neighbours, yes, he says I know Mrs <previous Frodi owner>. Oh said the neighbour lovely woman lowering her voice to outraged whisper:  used to have this terrible dog, dreadful nuisance, noisy, badly trained, petitions, letters, parish councils...just as we pulled up in the car with Frodi in full “Oh my God it’s moving, we’re all going to die, Lorry, LORRY, there’s a tree oh my God, car, CAR, car, car, tree, we’re dying here, OH MY DOG”

Kato – the little princess, secretly enjoys the company of Frodi, he lets her win wrestling game and she often has him in a headlock (which he loves) punching his lights out. Kato is the source of many arguments that she is a spoilt girl which hippy strongly denies as he irons her collar and ties a bow in her fur. She gets his empty yogurt pot and he never goes to bed without her – I rest my case

Zombie Dog

Feb. 3rd, 2012 09:36 pm
doglets: (abe in box)
“So” said hippy” “Is That Abe undead?”

The vet pondered this as an alternative diagnosis to the current diagnosis of “Flumoxxed”.

Abe is a tiny skeleton of less than 10kg now, but she just keeps going. She’s now on Tramadol painkillers and has pro-biotic powder on her puppy food (it’s higher in protein) which seems to have sorted out the frequent express-delivery gloopy green poo issue. Mentally, although she is puddled (or making puddles) she seems content in her world.

Every morning Abe plays dead and scares the life out of hippy. Dogs and hippy gather round Abe's basket...is it....has she... He gives her a few nervous prods and she suddenly flies out of the basket as if her tail is on fire.

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doglets: (Default)
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