If you've noticed that things have been a little quiet around the blog lately, you're right! We've been battling a case of Kennel Cough!! UGH!!! It started with ONE puppy having a slight cough and then all of a sudden a slight cough and a fever!! I promptly got the 3 foster pups up to the vet's office and heard the words I had REALLY hoped I wouldn't hear..Yep, it's kennel cough! NOOOOOO!!!
The easy part was getting everyone on antibiotics, we've been battling the hard part for the last week!! Isolation, sanitation, and Poor Puppy Syndrome!! All of the dogs were put on antibiotics (even the ones with no cough) but the ones with any sounds of congestion (turned out to the 3 out of 9) would have to be isolated from the rest of the pack. This means scheduled potty trips outside instead of free access to the doggie doors. Their inside time is spent in the "doggie room" because it is the one room we can keep about 90% sterile 90% of the time!! I suppose it's good in a way that there are three and not one stuck in there, at least they have each other! But "Poor Puppy Syndrome" sets in fast, we stand at the door looking in through the window and think Poor poor puppies stuck in there all alone instead of being with the rest of the pack.. It's heart breaking!!
No one is allowed in or out of that room except my husband and myself and we use hand sanitizer like mad people before we leave the room! 500 cans of lysol, bleach water solution, lysol wipes, and gloves (exam gloves) and even more hand sanitizer help to make sure no germs go in or out! I am the designated snuggler which means I am pretty much the only one who is allowed to pick them up and love them and let them lick me or climb on me, and immediately after I have to change clothes and shower before I reenter my pack.
Luckily all of our coughers seem to be responding to the antibiotics and all that congestion mess seems to be making it's way out of their systems. We are hoping for an all clear from our vet in about another week. In the mean time I do my best to make sure they get as much personal attention and outside time as possible.
This is my first interaction with Kennel Cough and though I think so far we have been successful at catching it early and stopping it from spreading throughout the pack I still feel a little intimidated by it all! I've never been one to let a little cough or sneeze get me very worried, but I find myself questioning every cough, sneeze, whine, and pretty much every other body function of my pack!
So tell me fellow pet bloggers have you ever had to deal with kennel cough? What was your experience like?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Saying Goodbye
This past week one of our very first foster puppies "Jeter" left us to go to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue.
This being our first one to go it was very hard to know what to expect. I knew this day was coming so I feel I had lots of time to prepare myself mentally, but you just never know until the moment arrives how you will feel.
I got a call on Monday saying a spot had opened up and could I bring him to the shelter for transport on Tuesday.Um..way to give me time to prepare guys..lol... Of course I said it wasn't a problem 1: because it really wasn't and 2: because I knew it was finally his chance for adoption!!
I told my family that evening and my 8yr. old was not very convinced that Jeter was ready to go just yet! We had "the talk" about how this was a good thing and how this is what fostering is all about and we all gave an example of what his future life might turn out to be. :)
Dropping him off Tuesday morning was actually a little easier than I expected...We had spent the evening before giving him some extra attention and saying our goodbyes because we knew I had to leave out first thing in the morning and there would be no time then. When I arrived at the shelter my heart was heavy and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but when I walked inside I saw there was already a crate waiting for him and in the next crate were 2 of his litter mates! No one at the shelter rushed me and I was able to spend as much time as I needed before putting him in the crate.. I held him for a while and said my personal goodbyes to him and told him to be a good boy..Then I put him in his transport crate and waited a while until I saw that he was nervous but settling and then I petted him one last time through the crate door and walked away feeling like this boy had such a wonderful future ahead of him.
Instead of the overwhelming feeling of loss that I expected to feel, I was filled with hope and pride that this boy who I watched grow from a skinny little weakling into this gorgeous, healthy, playful young pup was going to be a well balanced and wonderful addition to some family in the very near future. On the drive home I imagined where he would be in just a few short weeks.. Playing with new children, other family pets, growing and learning, and I was at peace! Though I won't even pretend I didn't cry most of the way home!! We miss him very much around the house and things certainly aren't the same without him here, but we are all hopeful for his future, and thankful for the time we had with him.
UPDATE
I received this email from Ms. Stephanie Duer who transported Jeter all the way to Washington DC to his new home!! Stephnie, thank you soooo much for the update!! :)
"I got the privilege of seeing Ace go to his forever home this weekend. Pickens brought their dogs to me to transport to DC this time...so Ace came along! When we arrived at the transport site a tall nice looking man walked up to the van very excited and said, which van is this? I said Florence and he said "yay! it's florence" to his wife and two young children. They waited anxiously as we called out dogs names as we pulled them off the van......When we said ACE, he and his daughter were so excited they couldn't stand it! The wife recorded on video as he took Ace from his crate! They were all so excited and he went to a fantastic home! He's going to be one spoiled little pup!"
This being our first one to go it was very hard to know what to expect. I knew this day was coming so I feel I had lots of time to prepare myself mentally, but you just never know until the moment arrives how you will feel.
I got a call on Monday saying a spot had opened up and could I bring him to the shelter for transport on Tuesday.Um..way to give me time to prepare guys..lol... Of course I said it wasn't a problem 1: because it really wasn't and 2: because I knew it was finally his chance for adoption!!
I told my family that evening and my 8yr. old was not very convinced that Jeter was ready to go just yet! We had "the talk" about how this was a good thing and how this is what fostering is all about and we all gave an example of what his future life might turn out to be. :)
Dropping him off Tuesday morning was actually a little easier than I expected...We had spent the evening before giving him some extra attention and saying our goodbyes because we knew I had to leave out first thing in the morning and there would be no time then. When I arrived at the shelter my heart was heavy and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but when I walked inside I saw there was already a crate waiting for him and in the next crate were 2 of his litter mates! No one at the shelter rushed me and I was able to spend as much time as I needed before putting him in the crate.. I held him for a while and said my personal goodbyes to him and told him to be a good boy..Then I put him in his transport crate and waited a while until I saw that he was nervous but settling and then I petted him one last time through the crate door and walked away feeling like this boy had such a wonderful future ahead of him.
Instead of the overwhelming feeling of loss that I expected to feel, I was filled with hope and pride that this boy who I watched grow from a skinny little weakling into this gorgeous, healthy, playful young pup was going to be a well balanced and wonderful addition to some family in the very near future. On the drive home I imagined where he would be in just a few short weeks.. Playing with new children, other family pets, growing and learning, and I was at peace! Though I won't even pretend I didn't cry most of the way home!! We miss him very much around the house and things certainly aren't the same without him here, but we are all hopeful for his future, and thankful for the time we had with him.
UPDATE
I received this email from Ms. Stephanie Duer who transported Jeter all the way to Washington DC to his new home!! Stephnie, thank you soooo much for the update!! :)
"I got the privilege of seeing Ace go to his forever home this weekend. Pickens brought their dogs to me to transport to DC this time...so Ace came along! When we arrived at the transport site a tall nice looking man walked up to the van very excited and said, which van is this? I said Florence and he said "yay! it's florence" to his wife and two young children. They waited anxiously as we called out dogs names as we pulled them off the van......When we said ACE, he and his daughter were so excited they couldn't stand it! The wife recorded on video as he took Ace from his crate! They were all so excited and he went to a fantastic home! He's going to be one spoiled little pup!"
Friday, August 12, 2011
Foster Failure Friday..
Foster failure is a term I had never heard before a few days ago. Hi, I'm Vicki and I'm a foster failure!!! Well sort of! Foster failure is the term used when a person is fostering an animal and when the time comes that person cannot bring themselves to part with the animal. It's considered a failure one because fostering is a temporary situation and by definition dictates handing over the animal when a home or other situation is found, and two because most people who fail to hand over an animal now have no room to foster another animal making them one less foster parent available and that is when it's a bad thing!!! I am a type one foster failure I am not however a type two! I still have plenty of room for future fosters. Now let's talk a little about the dog that made me an utter foster failure!!!!
This folks is the one that made it completely impossible for my husband and me to let go!!
Jorge Posada June...
We knew as time went on that we were becoming more and more attached to this guy and earlier this week we knew that letting him go was just not gonna happen, so I called up Lela, my HS contact, and pretty much told her that this guy just had to be ours!!
The day I went to pick up Jorge and his sister they brought him out to me on a little hand towel and told me he had been acting sluggish. They handed me this limp scraggly little thing and gave me very little hope that he would even make it, after all the way he came to be at the humane society in the first place was a pretty grim situation. A man had found a litter of pups in a field he was mowing, they seemed to be about 2 weeks old and there was no mother in sight. No idea how long they had been out there or how long since they had been fed. They were very small and were obviously not in the best of health. They were lucky enough to come at a time when a mother dog had just lost her litter and could step in to let them nurse, but she was running out of milk and fosters needed to be found soon. They were so unsure of how things would go with this litter that they were not even given ID numbers.
I brought him and his sister home and immediately to the vet, they both had pneumonia and were infested with hook worms. After 2 weeks of struggling his sister finally couldn't fight anymore and she passed away. Little Jorge continued to fight and thankfully to get better! In those first weeks he was beginning to come around...
After his sister's passing we took on his brother "Jeter", then another one from another litter, then another one, then another one, until we ended up with 6 foster puppies, basically our own mixed litter. and each one as cute and sweet as the one before it! But there was always something about our Jorge, something we couldn't put our finger on. Maybe it was the many many long nights feeding and warming and praying that this little guy would just live!! Maybe it was the absolute joy we felt the day our vet gave him a clean bill of health, it could also be VERY likely that he was the first one to become potty trained and that was just enough to send us overboard!! lol
But whatever the reason, we just knew this guy was no longer a foster but a part of our family! He just fit so perfectly, like it was just meant to be, and who are we to fight something like that??
So yes as the foster parents of Jorge we failed absolutely and blissfully!!! I know some people in the animal rescue field won't find this to be an especially good thing but we couldn't be happier...annnd I don't think he minds it very much either. ;)
This folks is the one that made it completely impossible for my husband and me to let go!!
Jorge Posada June...
We knew as time went on that we were becoming more and more attached to this guy and earlier this week we knew that letting him go was just not gonna happen, so I called up Lela, my HS contact, and pretty much told her that this guy just had to be ours!!
The day I went to pick up Jorge and his sister they brought him out to me on a little hand towel and told me he had been acting sluggish. They handed me this limp scraggly little thing and gave me very little hope that he would even make it, after all the way he came to be at the humane society in the first place was a pretty grim situation. A man had found a litter of pups in a field he was mowing, they seemed to be about 2 weeks old and there was no mother in sight. No idea how long they had been out there or how long since they had been fed. They were very small and were obviously not in the best of health. They were lucky enough to come at a time when a mother dog had just lost her litter and could step in to let them nurse, but she was running out of milk and fosters needed to be found soon. They were so unsure of how things would go with this litter that they were not even given ID numbers.
I brought him and his sister home and immediately to the vet, they both had pneumonia and were infested with hook worms. After 2 weeks of struggling his sister finally couldn't fight anymore and she passed away. Little Jorge continued to fight and thankfully to get better! In those first weeks he was beginning to come around...
After his sister's passing we took on his brother "Jeter", then another one from another litter, then another one, then another one, until we ended up with 6 foster puppies, basically our own mixed litter. and each one as cute and sweet as the one before it! But there was always something about our Jorge, something we couldn't put our finger on. Maybe it was the many many long nights feeding and warming and praying that this little guy would just live!! Maybe it was the absolute joy we felt the day our vet gave him a clean bill of health, it could also be VERY likely that he was the first one to become potty trained and that was just enough to send us overboard!! lol
But whatever the reason, we just knew this guy was no longer a foster but a part of our family! He just fit so perfectly, like it was just meant to be, and who are we to fight something like that??
So yes as the foster parents of Jorge we failed absolutely and blissfully!!! I know some people in the animal rescue field won't find this to be an especially good thing but we couldn't be happier...annnd I don't think he minds it very much either. ;)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The New Guy
Joba (Jah-Bah) More often referred to as Fuzzy Butt, Tiny Hiney, Mr. Fluff&Stuff, Fuzz Ball, Cutie Patootie, Squishy, Love Muffin, you get the point..lol
The Monkey Boy
When I went to pick up Joba I had no idea what I was in for! I had heard he was cute but lord help me I was not prepared for this face!!!!! At just 1LB Joba is the smallest of the bunch by far and looks as though someone accidentally put him in the dryer after washing! He is more fluff than body! Even our smallest puppy toys are larger than he is but that doesn't stop him from showing them who's boss!! He can take out a toe in mere seconds and then have you gushing baby babble about his cuteness the next! All that fluff makes him a pretty hot guy (literally) so when most of our crew have gone off to snuggle into cozy beds and blankets you can find this guy sprawled out belly down on the cool cement or hardwood floor. We're still getting to know this guy but trust me you can expect to see allot more of his face around this blog!!
Namesake: Joba Chamberlain #62 NY Yankees
Adoption Status: Confirmed for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Not available for local adoption.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Just a little stroll through my mornings
My mornings start at about 6AM, this is about an hour before anyone else in my house is awake. So for this hour it's just me and the dogs. After I've brushed my teeth, done my business, and said a little prayer for my sanity I head off to the dog room. I'm immediately welcomed by at least 3 or 4 yapping babies ready to be fed! I let my girls out of their crates and they head out in their way. Then it's time for me to wrangle 5 yes 5 wiggly bouncy puppies into a tall laundry basket (how else do you expect me to get them all outside in one trip??) and out into the back yard we go. I take them out one by one and they scatter like silly little tornadoes off to do their business and then get down to the business of morning battles.
While they are outside I rush in and clean up any accidents that may have happened during the night. open the window to let in a little fresh air...Pour my girls their food, then it's off to the kitchen to prepare the food for the babies. At first this took FOREVER but I have devised a little system to move things along.. Everything I need to prepare food is prepped and ready to go. Dry food is blended dry so that it makes an almost powder and stored in a container, milk replacer powder, and canned puppy food. So I lay out my bowls and start chucking it all in... each bowl gets: 2 tsp of milk replacer powder, 3tbsp of the powdered dry food, and enough hot water to hydrate the milk replacer and turn it all into a paste. Then I add some canned puppy food to each bowl and heat in the microwave just until it's slightly warm.
Load all the bowls onto the tray and head off to the room, lay out the food mat arrange the bowls and head off to wrangle the pups yet again.
Catching them this time is pretty easy. It's early and they are all hungry by this point so a whistle and most of them come running, except for Jorge who is usually off digging a hole deep enough to lose a house in!! Puppies all in the basket, lug em inside! Place every one in front of their bowl and take a second to breathe while they eat..Ahhhhhh.... Spend the next 15 min trying to keep everyone from stealing everyone else's food!!! As soon as they are finished I load them back into the basket and back outside they go! The mornings are cool and this is the best time for them to really get some outside time!
Back in I go to pick up bowls, put out the bowl of dry food for them to munch on throughout the day, fill up the water bowl, vacuum the area rug, and mop the floor and replace the piddle pad and check all the bedding for any wet spots or anything else gone awry! YES every morning!!!! Throw out toys here and there for them to explore and head off to wrangle them into the basket yet again! Catching them this time is a taddddd more difficult! They are all full of energy and have no intention of making my job easy!! Jorge is off digging an in ground pool to go with his new underground burrow, and as soon as he spots me he takes off!! UGH There's no use in chasing him, I'll grab him later! 15 min later I have them all in the basket with the exception of Jorge (little punk!!) after much chasing, which I'm sure is amusing to my neighbors, I catch the dirt covered little scraggle head and put him in with the others.
Once I get everyone back into the room I sit in the middle of the area rug and pet and play with each one as they wish..but without fail one by one little eyes get droopy and my pack of ruffians start to snuggle into tiny little heaps throughout the room and commence what will be the first of many daily naps! This is right about the time I sneak out and make a B-line for the coffee pot!! By this time my humans are waking and getting ready for their day and I get to go through the whole process with them now, minus the basket! :)
While they are outside I rush in and clean up any accidents that may have happened during the night. open the window to let in a little fresh air...Pour my girls their food, then it's off to the kitchen to prepare the food for the babies. At first this took FOREVER but I have devised a little system to move things along.. Everything I need to prepare food is prepped and ready to go. Dry food is blended dry so that it makes an almost powder and stored in a container, milk replacer powder, and canned puppy food. So I lay out my bowls and start chucking it all in... each bowl gets: 2 tsp of milk replacer powder, 3tbsp of the powdered dry food, and enough hot water to hydrate the milk replacer and turn it all into a paste. Then I add some canned puppy food to each bowl and heat in the microwave just until it's slightly warm.
Load all the bowls onto the tray and head off to the room, lay out the food mat arrange the bowls and head off to wrangle the pups yet again.
Catching them this time is pretty easy. It's early and they are all hungry by this point so a whistle and most of them come running, except for Jorge who is usually off digging a hole deep enough to lose a house in!! Puppies all in the basket, lug em inside! Place every one in front of their bowl and take a second to breathe while they eat..Ahhhhhh.... Spend the next 15 min trying to keep everyone from stealing everyone else's food!!! As soon as they are finished I load them back into the basket and back outside they go! The mornings are cool and this is the best time for them to really get some outside time!
Back in I go to pick up bowls, put out the bowl of dry food for them to munch on throughout the day, fill up the water bowl, vacuum the area rug, and mop the floor and replace the piddle pad and check all the bedding for any wet spots or anything else gone awry! YES every morning!!!! Throw out toys here and there for them to explore and head off to wrangle them into the basket yet again! Catching them this time is a taddddd more difficult! They are all full of energy and have no intention of making my job easy!! Jorge is off digging an in ground pool to go with his new underground burrow, and as soon as he spots me he takes off!! UGH There's no use in chasing him, I'll grab him later! 15 min later I have them all in the basket with the exception of Jorge (little punk!!) after much chasing, which I'm sure is amusing to my neighbors, I catch the dirt covered little scraggle head and put him in with the others.
Once I get everyone back into the room I sit in the middle of the area rug and pet and play with each one as they wish..but without fail one by one little eyes get droopy and my pack of ruffians start to snuggle into tiny little heaps throughout the room and commence what will be the first of many daily naps! This is right about the time I sneak out and make a B-line for the coffee pot!! By this time my humans are waking and getting ready for their day and I get to go through the whole process with them now, minus the basket! :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
The Foster Kids
Jorge (hor-hay)
The Outdoorsman
Jorge is our scruffy scraggly little digger!! When all the other puppies are ready to come in from outside this one gives us a run for our money trying to catch him! In about 15 seconds flat he can dig a hole deep enough to bury himself in!!! But with that crazy constant bed head it's really hard to be mad at him :)
Namesake: Jorge Posada #20 NY Yankees
Adoption Status: ADOPTED!!!! Jorge has his very own human!! My husband Mr. Brian June!! YAY!!!
Jeter
The Trouble Maker
Jeter is our snuggeler!!! You turn around for one second and this one will find something to get into!! He's naughty, playful, and loud!! If he wants your attention you know it!! He's always hungry and will "taste" anything and everything he can get his little mouth on! He's a sneaky little thief who will make off with anything you happen to lay down!! But again one look at those huge brown eyes and you just can't be mad at him :)
Namesake: Derek Jeter #2 NY Yankees
Adoption Status: Confirmed for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Not available for local adoption.
Chunk
The Goof
It's hard to watch our Chunk and not get the giggles! To begin with he's smaller than all the other puppies but apparently no one let him in on that info! He's comical to say the least bouncing and stalking toys and other pups. He is often found sprawled out on his back all fours in the air napping on the largest cushion in the room! When he's outside he immediately breaks from the pack and goes exploring attacking bushes and bugs and dragging his belly across the grass. And if that wasn't enough he has the quirkiest little bug eyes I've ever seen! He may be tiny but he has such a huge personality!
Namesake: This guy named himself! I mean doesn't he just look like a chunk?!?!
Adoption Status: Confirmed for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Not available for local adoption.
Granderson
The Brooder
If ever a puppy had a teenager's attitude it's our Granderson!! If something spooks or irritates him off to the corner to fuss he'll go. He'll sit there looking out growling and sulking until eventually he'll just roam back out and go on about his business. We have to keep our eyes on this one's temper because he often takes playing a little too far and becomes quite the grumpy snarling puppy! This one is going to take a little extra attention and a few extra rules but I know we'll bring out the happy puppy I know is in there! He does like to be close to me and if I stay still long enough he will curl up in my lap :)
Namesake: Curtis Granderson #14 NY Yankees
Adoption Status: Confirmed for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Not available for local adoption.
Nova
The Sweet Little Girl
Nova is the only little girl in the bunch and she never ceases to act like a lady! She is always very quiet even during chaotic play time. She even bounces and pounces like a lady! She is always very gentle with the other pups and the humans. She is a snuggler and will love on you all day if you let her. Almost always the first to find a quiet place to nap. She is the quiet in our crazy puppy storm
Namesake: Ivan Nova #47 NY Yankees
Adoption Status: Confirmed for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Not available for local adoption.
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