Picked up Li'l Guy from the vet yesterday after he had his tumor removed. I knew it was large (egg sized), but the poor baby looks like he has a giant zipper down his side!
Incidentally, we found the place where the mice were getting in -- there was a half inch gap where the ceiling of our pantry had separated from the wall. Apparently the furrdown above the pantry opened out into the roof over the porch and they were coming in from outside that way. Anyway, we cut a strip of hardware cloth, folded it lengthwise and inserted it into the gap, points up, then caulked over it. If anything tries to come in THAT way again, those points will shred their little paws. I bring that up because as soon as I let Li'l Guy out of his crate he ran over and started to stare at the back of the sofa as though there might be a mouse back there. Eeek! I pulled it out and didn't see any droppings or anything, but the Li'l Guy is THE mouser around here, so it does make me really nervous that HE thinks there might be something there! Well, hopefully one of those mice from before we closed up the pantry went for a walk back there at some point, but is no longer around. Hopefully.
Niki is doing okay again -- so far. The vet gave her an injection to calm her intestinal upset and said not to give her anything to eat for 24 more hours (she hadn't eaten for the past 24 either so she's REALLY hungry). Then I was instructed to give her "one bite" of bland prescription canned dog food every 4 hours for a day. "One bite" ??? She weighs 120 lbs! One bite??? Poor thing. Then if she doesn't get the runs again, then I'm supposed to begin mixing in her regular food a spoonful at a time -- all the time watching her carefully to be sure she doesn't start having diarrhea again, in which case I now have prescription meds I need to give her. I had originally been told on the phone just to give her Imodium, but the vet who saw her yesterday said that Imodium can cause even more digestive upset, creating a vicious circle. Guess that could explain some of the problem.
Anyway, having had 3 "bites" of the bland stuff so far today, she's doing okay so far. I started her back on a half dose of her Deramaxx, too, since she's already begun having trouble getting around again. It's all such a delicate balance.
I had sent in an adoption application a while back for one of a litter of purebred Kuvasz puppies a rescue group had to place. They finally sent me a note this week saying they had one male left, but I had to write back and say we wouldn't be able to take him (much as I'd love to have a Kuvasz) under the circumstances. Niki really doesn't need any more upheaval in her life. (And I probably don't either at this moment, actually.)
I don't normally adopt puppies - WAY more trouble than adult dogs. But there are some breeds that you really need to get as puppies to be sure they are properly socialized and a Kuvasz is one of them. Maybe I'll get another opportunity down the road. Hope so.
No comments:
Post a Comment