bilby Posted September 8, 2006 Share Posted September 8, 2006 Oh Antoinette .. what can I say ? It must just seem to be layer after layer of worry .. & that is so so wearying. There must be a silver lining (or several) coming your way eventually. Bouf severed a tendon at his "wrist" on his front leg when he was maybe 3 months ( not diagnosed properly till 8 months despite multiple vet visits) , and his paw on that leg is like an otter paw ..ie flat & splayed .. which maybe has a lot to do with his cruciate wearing down as I suppose he's been "unbalanced" since then. But other than that (& I'm only guessing that that had any influence), it has never made any other difference. So I think a toe tendon should be OK ? Axle was limping a bit last week so I took him up the vet. ( Nathan still being laid up with his broken collar bone). "Oh good, not too bad .. we shouldn't need to amputate the toe, it should just heal up" he said. Amputate the toe ???? Anyway the reason I mention it is that he seemed to think the odd toe or so was fairly dispensable :D Great news for Jordan , berly ! & thanks for the apple cider tip as well .. I've just got the glucoasamine in powder form &it does get left at the bottom of Gem's bowl & I'm really keen to keep up her supplements. She's a 9 yr old GSD too & is bounding around these days, so want to keep up her joint health. Thanks & heaps of really sloppy hugs to all of you & your dogs for your support .. I really don't know how I would be going now without "youse guys" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 Hi all!!! Firstly, must check up on how baby Mallee is doing? And you too Antoinette? Is she improving, and are you still sane? I guess the good thing to come out of it is that you found a good vet that you feel comfortable with, although fingers crossed you will only need them for vaccinations from now on. I changed vets after my last girl passed away, as I just didn't feel right about the care they gave. Chloe now goes to the vets at the RSPCA, in lieu of not having time to find another vet when we first got her. They seem to do a good job and they always treat her nicely, although you wouldn't know from the turn she puts on. But they give her liver treats, which soon sees her becoming a bit more friendly!!! From last week though, I've been a bit suspicious.... they wrote on the invoice that she was a red merle (which I thought was only applied to Aussie Shepherds?)... I thought that was a bit strange... Anyways, let us know how you guys are doing. I can imagine the poor little bugger was very frightened... ohhhh, need to change topic, too scary to think about... Nice to hear from you Bilby... is that Bouf being interferred with by the little 'un? Love it, and I love the very tolerant look on his face. How are you guys doing? Son is still out of action, Bouf is in recovery mode, and now Axle (hey what's a toe between friends... don't really need so many do they???) :D I also would have thought that perhaps a little more concern would be shown... after all, I certainly like all ten of mine!!! With the powder glucosamine, I generally put some warm water in Chloe's food (esp if it's dry food) and make a gravy out of the powder and water and mix it into her food - also softens it a bit and makes it not so dry and bland. It helps that she's a bit of a pig and licks her bowl sparkling clean, so any residue gets vacuumed up by the Chloester. Also used to use the meat juices to mix the powder into and add to food - but as we are calorie counting now.......... Anyway, hope things are getting better for all. ChloBo's doing well, little bugger almost bowled me over when I got home, geez she's getting strong. She appears to be losing a bit more weight, but that could also be wishful thinking. Well I've blabbed enough. Better be off, I have new DVD's to watch!! Lots of love, Kel and the Chloe-ster ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 (edited) Hi All Well we made it through the weekend with one very sooky girl...... just...... Thank god by Saturday she was able to move around with a lot more ease and was getting up by herself again.... I was really starting to get to panic stations with just how badly she was moving around. By Sunday she was back to her old self, bar the normal zoomies everywhere, she still tries every now again but is quickly caught and put back on her bed, much to her disgust and if she is not caught straight away she tend to slink back to her bed by herself and gives her poor little paw very flithy looks as she licks it - it must be quite painful for her poor little mite. Back to the vets on Wednesday for the bandages changed, and hopefully stitches out, she so hates wearing that bucket (E Collar) on her head but she just can't be trusted with the bandage not to chew it off. So, now we just have to get this front leg sorted, and her ears, she seems to have another irritation in them, she was scratching and shaking her head all weekend and on Saturday night scratch her ear so hard she cried and made it bleed. The last vet we went to said it was nothing to worry about, but i am tending to think she may have ear mites or something along those lines, either that or her ears are getting to hot.....i suppose sleeping under a blanket would not help that out........opps....So thats another thing we will get the vet to look at on Wednesday. Argghhhh it never rains to pours. BTW - i don't think she will be hanging around the window anymore, the curtain blew on the weekend and she nearly jumped out of her skin and ran and hide in our bedroom - i hate to think of her that day waiting for some one to come and save her she must have been soo scared. So Kel - hope you enjoyed your DVD's - it was kind of like that this weekend nice and lazy - well for me anyway, can't do much with a sooky lala dog around.......Special hugs to my fave ole red girl Chlo Bo and hugs to you Kel - thanks for checking that we were ok. Hugs and pats to Bouf and Jordon - hope things are still coming along well for you guys... i think it is about photo time again... ..what do you reckon!!! Take Care All Antoinette and the forever patient Mallee Edited September 11, 2006 by malleerr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Sounds like young Mallee has been giving you some more worries Antoinette . I'm glad she's OK but hope she has learned her lesson, bet those naughty cats were teasing her too . Regards, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilby Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Hullo all Good to hear that Mallee is recovering .. poor baby .. she sounds just like Bouf. Such a scaredy cat sensitive type. Maybe I should start a Weight-watchers group with Jordan & Chloe as my mentors .. I'm piling it on even more but they sound as though they're doing great. Bouf is back to full movement / weight bearing etc , though he's still on those pain-killers for 2 more days so I guess the true test will be next week. He looks pretty good to me though :rolleyes: :D I'm over last week's melt-down .. I think ! Spring has sprung here & it's hard to stay down when everywhere's in full blossom & the dogs are happy & son is being a total sweetie & trying to as much as he can one-handed to help ... I don't have any very exciting photos .. confinement just doesn't do a lot for great action shots. Yes Kelly, that was Axle trying to take Bouf's ball in the prev pic. As he's pointing out here .. what do I expect him to do all day if he's not allowed to play with Bouf ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 11, 2006 Author Share Posted September 11, 2006 Hi friends!!! So glad to hear that Mallee is moving around better now, what a relief. Hopefully although it seemed horrific, not too much damage has been done. And although this sounds really cruel.... hiding from the blowing curtain looks like a good sign to me. I think a whole bunch of cats could parade in front of the window now and Mallee would keep a safe distance.... well we can only hope hey? The only problem there is the permanent mental scars it leaves.... and later on develops into OCD tendencies (as we see from Chloe's weirdo ways)!!!!!! :D Seriously though, glad you guys made it through this round of injuries sanely, surely it's gotta be relatively smooth sailing from here on in doesn't it??? The ear thing may not be too serious. Chloe also has regular periods where she does the same thing ie, the shaking, scratching and holding it at a weird angle... although she's never scratched it so hard it bleeds? She usually gives it a little scratch then comes to someone for them to make it better (big bloody sook). But best to have the vet check it out... after all you will already be there for all the other injuries. You guys have the patience of a Saint, you really do. Mallee is one of the luckiest pooches alive. Great news of Bouf too. I love the pics of him and Axle. Aren't they just adorable together, they really seem to really get along with each other. Axle is such a cutie too. See things are on the up again!! We all have those melt down moments, geez I remember going through quite a few when Chloe was the patient. I remember driving to bf's work to drop something off one morning and bawled my eyes out the whole way cause we had been up at 4am trying to cut Chloe's bandage off her leg that she had chewed half way off... and do you think we could find scissors that cut??? I was a blubbering mess for a couple of days after that... go figure??? Hey you've come off a bad run of luck so I'm not surprised you would add a few extra kilos... it's either that or knock yourself out with some powerful substances!!! I will do some research to see if Hills make some human form of Chloe's prescription food, I'm sure she'd gladly swap as it seems to be bland as batsh!t, but hey it works.... Just think, when Bouf's back to his old self you'll lose it in a jiffy chasing after him!!! Just on a side note and a bit off track... but I only just read that Hills is owned by Colgate Palmolive... strange... Anyways, big big hugs to sooky lala Mallee Moo... we just gotta love her and hoping she gets a good report on Wednesday. Also cheers to Boufo who after a shaky start seems to be going great guns now!!! Must be all of Nurse Axle's patient love and care :rolleyes: !!!! hehehehhe. Hope Jordan is also still doing well Berly. Lotsa love, Kel and ChloBo (who loves when Aunty Antoinette sends her special hugs!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Hey Bilby Glad to hear that Bouf is coming along well, and weight bearing yay.... special hugs coming Bouf's way........ Good luck with coming off the pain killers, hopefully by now he will not be needing them anyways..... fingers crossed for you guys.... Also glad to hear that your son is doing ok - one armed son and 3 legged dog, gees you almost have it all....lol..... You are also right about spring in the air, its hard to be down and gloomy when every thing around is singing and blooming....Nothing like hearing the birds in the morning with the sun streaming through the bed room window, only thing wrong with the picture is the ruddy alarm clock beep beep beeping and knowing you have to get out of bed and go to work... arhhh sometimes i wish i lived the dogs life.....lazing away the day in the sun (not jumping through windows after cats though) I just love the way bouf is using Axel as a pillow in the first photo its way too cute, and in the second he somehow reminds me and a naughty naughty girl i know!! Glad to hear all is ok with everyone, hopefully Jordon is still coming along well. Hugs to you all....... I see Kelly is also posting - HI KEL :rolleyes: - special hugs to Chloe also - hope the weight watchers is still going well. Cheers Antoinette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berly Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Antoinette - Bad news about mallee!! THat's horrible....Well let's hope the rain has stopped and no more accidents or bad luck comes your way!!! How is she going now? Bouf should be coming off the pain killers soon...Hope he's ok. When Jordan came off his, I was prepared for the worse - but there wasnt that much difference...It's good to see he is full weight bearing! The rain has finally stopped here in Sydney and it's warming up again so Jordan shoud like that...He's doing well in terms of weight bearing. My latest worry about him now is his lack of energy...I think it's because he has given up on us in that when we go to talk/play with him it doesn't eventuate to anything fun - no walkies, no ball, etc. It's saddening that he sometimes doesn't seem to bother. Is he angry at me for locking him up? He doesn't even look at me sometimes =( Or even worse am i starving him to nothingness and that's why he doesnt have the energy???It's not like his food intake hasn't been cut too dramatically, he gets breakfast now and slightly less at night... His coat also looks crap these days as well - lack of exercise i guess.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Oh Berly, you poor thing. You have finally reached the 'guilt' stage. Don't feel bad, nothing is your fault. You have done the best possible thing for Jordan to give him further quality of life. He may be just a bit grumpy about being locked up, but that's normal. Chloe was the same. Her personality changed and she became snappy and very intolerant whilst she was confined. But she beared with it, as Jordan is doing. He doesn't like it, but somehow knows it's just how it is for now and there is nothing he can do. Just keep remembering that it's all for the best and in his own best interests... he just doesn't know that!!! As time goes on and he becomes more active, he will go back to his old self... if not slightly altered. Try to give him as much attention as possible, lots of kisses and hugs and belly rubs and make sure that you indulge him in the things he is allowed to do. If his weight management is going well and he is losing weight even in his inactive state, maybe you could increase his quantity SLIGHTLY to see if it is food related? But believe me, when they are not moving around much they really don't need excessive feeding. But try slight adjustments. It's a bummer being confined, and he's just showing it. So chin up, you're doing great. We ALL get the guilts, but once the patient is well again it just becomes a different story!!! Well yesterday was another mile stone. Chloe was in the kitchen with me whilst I cooked her dinner, and she apparently was starving from the manic search of food smells she conducted!!! I turned my back for less than 2 seconds to get the chicken out of the fridge... and guess who was standing on her back legs, with front paws on the sink trying to reach the food... YES the little bugger was standing tall on her back legs, not a problem in the world. Wow was I happy (although its' very naughty!!) and sooooo proud. Doesn't seem like much, but it was huge for me to witness it and when I (still in panick mode) told her to get down, she looked at me with a cheeky grin and stood her ground. :D Geez I was impressed. As you can tell it doesn't take much, but I know you guys will appreciate it, seeing we've all been in the same boat. It's just amazing coming from the dog that not even a year ago was pretty much written off and the thoughts of the 'kindest thing' were being floated around... Anyways, just wanted to share that 'big' but very minute triumph!!! Mallee is going back to vets today right? Let us know how she goes Antoinette. Hopefully the stitches will come out and she will be using all 4 paws again happily!!! Lots of love, Kel and the dynamic ChloBo (what a girl!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilby Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Woooo Hoooooooooooooooo Go Chloe Go ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilby Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I've been meaning to suggest this since reading Both Brock and i could not be happier with Mallee Mozzlebum if she continues on as she is, if she can give us say another 3-5 years like this we will be over the moon. The only nagging little thing is what to actually do with her - its kind of hard to explain & Jordan's bordom just prompted me to actually get round to doing it. ( Also helped by the fact that my car's engine has blown up .. & alas (fake tears) I can't get to work today.. or for a while I suspect.) There is a lot of scent games / tracking training that can be done without much physical exercise involved at all. The main problem in training tracking is that doing the rudimentary basic exercises sometimes seems a lot less exciting to beginners than plunging off into the bush with a dog in full harness .. but they are the key to success in the long run. Not that I imagine that the day will come when Bouf, Mallee, Chloe & Jordan become Search & Rescue dogs .. but what a great team that would be ! But the exercises are really interesting for the dog & they get a lot of fun out of it. Even Bouf got the hang of finding the right container & bringing it back quite quickly .. Now we just need to work on the correct grip on the container so that it doen't flip up over one's muzzle & blind you .. I was laughing so hard .. he was so sweet .. just kept carefully blundering back towards the sound of my laughter. (This was pre-op .. but it can be done just about from standing position) This site has some ideas .. if you're interested, I can post a load more. http://flyingdogpress.com/scntgame.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Bilby you're too funny (and lots of 'sympathy' for you being unable to attend work - what a shame )!!! That's a great suggestion though... But little did you know, Chloe is the ultimate sniffer dog. When I get home, I get the full once or twice over for any food stuffs, or any contact with another animal of any kind. And I mean, she spends a good 20 mins sniffing me, my bags etc for anything of interest, or anything digestable. She really should have been a customs dog I think... sniffing out the people trying to smuggle food through the borders I just love that pic of Bouf... the big dufus!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 HI All, Well, Mallee got a gold star last night, while the stitches are still in the vet is more than happy with her poor little toe and pad. Although the tendon was severed in the toe, it is not at all sticking up as he thought it would and still pretty much looks like the other foot. So no more plaster on her leg, she was soo happy to have that off. She is walking around fine and seems to be coping really well with the whole foot drama!!! YAY stitches out next week which should be an interesting vet visit. I think i am going to have to sit on her bum while Brock handles her head.....lol.....i can just see Brock and I being dragged around the vet clinic by freaked out Mallee......god she can make things difficult at times. Her ears were another thing though, while nothing to really worry about, i hate it when she is uncomfortable or seemily a little unwell or unhappy. Our new vet Anthony, who the three of us love, straight away as soon as we mentioned her ears, did a swap of each one, (something we asked our last vet to do and were refused as he said its too costly for us ?? and she would need to go under and have it done that way and then sent off somewhere) and within about 2 mins we had results. Her ears are full of yeast and she has another slight infection, he seems to believe that its starts off us some kind of pollen allergy and as she has big hanging down ears it gets so warm in there that things just seem to cook a bit and exagerate the issue. So she is back on the Ottmax (spl) drops the first vet gave us just at a totally different dosage, not the 5-6 drops he told us but .5 ml in each ear twice a day as opposed to once a day. We will get another swap done next week in the hope that this has knocked it on the head if not, onto another mediciation. So there you have it good news all round really. Mind you Mallee was hoping that she could go for again, but she has to wait another week, and the naughty thing has put on another kilo - whats going on with that - no diet change decreased her food intake - go figure Bilby - you are spot on - Brock and i always joke about Mallee becaming a search and rescue dog, we play lots on sniff things out games, including hide and seek. One of us will hide somewhere in the house or outside and the other will tell Mallee "Wheres Brock" or whatever and she sniffs and sniffs until she finds us - its soo funny to watch her and the excitment in her once she has found you is a classic. We also play "touch" were we line up all her toys and she has to touch the right one that you are saying - she is not as keen on this games as any of the find things games, but it helps to keep her amused.... Must go and do some work. Take Care all - hugs to all the dicky legged pooches and owners. Antoinette and Mallee Moo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Hey Antoinette... what's the verdict? How is the baby mite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Hey Kelly - we must have posted at the same time - great minds think alike you know.......update above chicky dee..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Aaaahahahaha , they must indeed think alike!!! I thought I got in before you too, but obviously not!! Well good news that Mallee is on the road to recovery (again). Seems not too much permanent damage was done. Now she's off to be wrapped in that cotton wool!! Hehehehe. I always love the clumsiness of the big dogs, but Mallee Moo just takes the cake!!! Your new vet sounds great, it's nice to have confidence in them. So how long does Mallee have to have the ear drops for? Will this be an ongoing problem for her? Thank goodness that Chloe has uprights... although there is something always tickling her big ears!!! Just went online shopping for a few things for Chloe this morning... she is way too spoilt. I won't say the $$$ I spent, but I just go mental 'yes she might need one of those, oh haven't tried those etc...'. Lucky I won some money on the pokies last night (yes I love my pokies sadly), so I guess that sort of rationalises it right??? Good reports, that's what I like to hear!!! Thanks for the update buddy!!! Love, Kel and ChloBo Mallee's cheergirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 Hehehehehe - a bit of a pokie fiend are you hey Kel - i don't mind dropping a few coins in them either, I actually play Poker every Tues and Thursday night in a Poker Comp... Its heaps of fun, no money winning just prizes and points, but its good for a laugh.....i usually last longer than Brock and always find him sitting at a machine pushing that button - mind you we never really win much but hey - if you can afford to loose what you put in and not take it all too seriously and know when to stop i don't see the problem in them. Yeah, Mallee will probably always have dicky ears, but i can cope with them just not her becoming or trying to become a stunt dog and jumping through windows in a single bound. What a spolit little Chlo Bo - but hey she is worth it - just don't forget to treat yourself also. Cheers and take care Antoinette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilby Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 (edited) Well, that is great news ! All we need now to let the SAS know that we're available to join their canine team squads, which I'll do as soon as we hear from berly Jordan is obviously in charge of planning as (a) he's a GSD so is the smartest (b) still in recovery Chloe is in charge of sniffing out the victim Mallee to locate the exact position of the victim ( Eekkk ,, was that a curtain I just heard ?) & Bouf will be on stand-by waiting for instructions from Jordan ie if it gets dark, you may well need him to show you the way back. He loves his new kit. Edited September 14, 2006 by bilby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 :D BILBY YOU ARE A CLASSIC........lol....... You have managed to put a smile on my face once again at the begginning of a horrid work day... Mallee just has one question......................whats the rate of pay...???... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berly Posted September 15, 2006 Share Posted September 15, 2006 Hallo Hallo - my gosh doesn't anyone work? Then again i'm suppose to be working but took the day off to "study" oh the life of a uni student. Jordan's update - going really well. He is out of lock down and is allowed to roam free for most of the day with me keeping an eye on him except for at night when i put him back in. I've upped the food a little and he seems a lot happier. Weighing 46 kg is his optimum recovery weight so now that he's getting better I just want him to stay at 46-47. Also Bilby thank you so much on the link to the find/seek games. Jordan is taking to them well except for at first when i let him paw my hand to tell me which one the treat was in. Let's just say his claws are a little on the long side due to lack of walkies and i nearly lost my hand when he took a gentle swipe. His leg is going great although sometimes at night you can tell it's quite sore - i find it's all dependent on the weather. The colder it is at night the sorer his leg, the warmer then he's a-ok Bibly, I'm in! I loved your hierachial chart and job descriptions!! Very nicely done. Definately put a smile to my face. Jordan and the team will be the best search and rescue dogs the world has ever seen - we'll show them! Planning is defiantely Jordan's forte as like his owner he is pretty lazy and is a master in delegation rather than actually doing!! :D Hope Mallee's ears are getting better!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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