March updates

Oops!  Didn't mean to let my posting slide!  It has been a busy month+ since the last posting.

Delta Update: Delta's leg healed well and there has been no sign of recurrence of the tumor (so far).

Her ears remained on the thick side, in danger of turning into full blown aural hematomas.  Fortunately, her right ear (the site of the original one 2.5 years ago) subsided, but unfortunately, the left ear persisted until it started to get larger the weekend of the 10th.  Then it tripled in size early in the week, swelling completely by Wednesday.

On Thursday, March 15th, she went to see our Vet, whose car we have completely paid for by now, I'm certain, and Delta's ear was to be drained on the spot.  I assisted out back by holding Delta's head to keep her calm on the surgical table (I'm not squeamish so I asked to come back).  Our vet said that with her ear as swollen as it was, her skin would be numb anyway so no anesthetic was given.  A catheter was punched in near the tip, and then the blood/fluids drained away.  A crazy thing to witness in person, even though I'd seen numerous videos over the years.

Next, the canula was inserted where the catheter had been, and then came the hardest part, to stitch it in place.  Delta flinched a bit, but was the best patient ever.  We were done in 15 minutes from start to finish.  She was bandaged for the drive home, and then came the instructions to massage her ear as often as I can, give her warm compresses, keep tip clean, wiggle/rotate the canula, etc.  This will remain in place for 4 to 6 weeks.  She had a one-week checkup this past week, and all is going well.  She's had the occasional filling up overnight or through the day when I'm away from home, but this breaks up and drains easily with massages.

It never seems to end for my dear girl!  However, she doesn't let this get her down and she will still run and play with the boys.  She is the most patient pup, and still the best big sister the boys could wish for.

Walker update:  After several long months, it was revealed that the Advantage Multi was not working for treating his Demodex Mange, and therefore we switched to the dreaded Ivermectin (the rescue hoped to avoid using this, but there simply isn't another effective treatment).  Walker started off very slowly with his dosage.  A little bit for 3 days, a little bit more for 5 days, and little bit more for 7 days, and then finally his full dose for however long it takes.  He has had no side effects apart from early on when he seemed a little out of sorts for 2 days, but that may have not been related to the Ivermectin.

He is full of energy, and doesn't give me any trouble taking his medicine in the mornings despite being told that it tastes awful.  He just wiggles his bum into my legs and takes it like a champ.  Good boy!  He lost quite a lot of hair on his undercarriage and legs while on the Advantage (as the mites were active), but that appears to have stopped and the peach fuzz is coming back!  His horrible breakouts he had have cleared up (no more spot cleaning around my house, my clothes, my furniture, etc... it was like a crime scene at times!).

Nearly nekkid Walker, on St. Patrick's Day

Walker has started agility class and has just completed week 4 of an 8 week class.  He is loving it and learning quickly.  His tail wags constantly and he just seems so proud of himself when he goes through the equipment.  His confidence is skyrocketing!  I fully expect he will be ready for adoption in about 1 month's+ time, once we know the Demodex is a thing of the past for good.

Walker, running out of the chute Saturday, March 24th (just learned that morning!)

Brosa Update: Not a whole lot new with Brosa - he is his usual Turdy self, ha ha!  I took him out one afternoon last week for a trip to Point Pleasant Park and downtown Halifax.  He had a great time, and I got very lovely photos of him as a result as well.  Brosa will begin agility classes again when Walker has completed his.

Our friend Tara has a new pup - a Cane Corso who she has named Spock.  Brosa met him the day after he arrived and was very nice with him.  Spock looks just like Brosa, except with a whole face and cropped ears. ;)  I'm hoping they'll get to be great friends.

Happy New Year - 2012

I had a post published yesterday wrapping up 2011, but decided it was too depressing to leave up and therefore it was deleted.

I'll just say that in a year of so much sadness (Oscar and Judah's deaths, among other things), I'm glad that 2011 is in the past and am looking forward to only good things in 2012 (Walker's adoption for one!).

On December 18th, I took Brosa to attempt to pass his Retrieval Proficiency Test (RPT) with the Canadian Disc Dog Association.  Unfortunately, he flunked as he wanted to play.  I found some photos online that were taken while we were doing the test:

A good start - he was excited to fetch the dummy

But alas, he dropped it, nosed it around, picked it up to fling it to the side, etc....
Very disappointing for me on a personal level - perhaps we'll try again in the new year.
Silly Turd, always wants to make a game of everything beyond the game it was intended to be!

Walker's mange seems to be under control now.  A re-scrape revealed no live mites, but his feet and throat are still quite pink/irritated and his belly/groin has now developed pimples (which is a possible side-effect of having Demodectic Mange).  He will continue to be treated with the medication for a couple of more months to ensure the mange is finally behind him once and for all.  His hair is thin/non-existent in places, so I have a treatment that is said to help speed up re-growth.

Still working on some house-training issues with him (he has been wearing a belly-band in the last little while), and also confidence building.  He did well in obedience class and also continues to excel with his house-manners.  I may think about taking him to agility to further his confidence building exercises.

Walker was very quiet during the fireworks last night (Delta trembles, and Brosa barks his fool head off).  He did have an oopsie in the house as I didn't let the dogs outside during the fireworks, nor for a while afterwards while the neighbourhood residents were still outside celebrating.  So I would say he definitely was affected by the fireworks; just not in the same manner as Delta and Brosa.

We had a quiet Christmas at home - yesterday, the dogs enjoyed their gifts of Tartar Bones for the afternoon and evening as the old year faded to black.

Walker enjoys his first tartar bone

Brosa played with his tartar bone for a while....

.... although he kept looking to see if the others had a better bone!

Delta always loves her bones

Today would have been my beloved Duncan's 12th birthday.  I miss him every day.

Walker's Santa Pix

Walker to stay in Foster care a while longer

Poor Walker - a vet appointment yesterday confirmed that his Demodectic Mange was not completely cleared up, and has returned after the stress of his arrival.  He is now on a monthly treatment, along with 2 weeks (2 x a day) antibiotics.  A return appointment in 1 month will be scheduled for another skin scraping.

I had first noticed last week that his paws were red and puffy, seemingly overnight.  His throat was pink as well (although I chalked that one up to a combination of pulling on his collar and playing bitey-face with my crew).  Yesterday morning I noticed his groin/belly seemed quite pink and I drew attention to that.  It was that scraping that confirmed the presence of mites.

Poor little Walker. :(  BUT on the upside, he was a very good boy at the vet!  No issues meeting the doctor, and allowed the doctor to get up close and personal, inspecting his body, paws, mouth...

So this (and last weekend's Santa Pix) really confirms that being in public places really isn't the issue for him.   The issue is territorial / at home, and so we'll have to deal with that training appropriately.  We probably have at minimum another 2 months, while ensuring his demodex is a thing of the past once and for all.  Poor pup should never have had to suffer for so long.  At least he isn't full of parasites the way my last foster dog, Kyleigh, was while she was suffering from mange.

Pictures of his feet and throat after last week's bath, which I sent to the rescue to question if an appointment should be made.

Right front paw

Left front paw

Throat

Nobody does Lazy Sundays quite like MY crew do!

BROSA HAS JUST CRAWLED UP FROM THE FLOOR PILLOW

STRETCHES OUT SOME MORE

WALKER FLIPS OVER

AND HANGS OUT LIKE SO FOR A WHILE

THEN WALKER REPOSITIONS HIMSELF

Gawd love Delta's tolerance!!

Walker - Week 1 Update

Walker is doing fabulously!  He is a lovely dog, full of energy, loves to play.  Delta & Brosa are enjoying him much to my surprise (it took them longer to get used to Kyleigh).  In fact, Delta, at almost 10 years old, has found re-newed energy and loves to wrassle with Walker as well.

Walker went to school Tuesday night and did beautifully.  His attention span is great, and his tail never stopped wagging - he loves me! (or perhaps it was the yummy hot dog bits and liver that I had for him, ha ha!)

1 week later, he shows no signs at all of the terrified puppy who arrived at Halifax Stanfield Airport. 

Walker's Petfinder profile will probably be up within the week as he's ready to be adopted by his family.  Come and get him - he's waiting for you!

A chilly and frosty Saturday morning results in some very frisky puppies!

Handsome Walker, ready for his for-ever family!

Walker loves the stuffys - his family needs to decide if the entertainment is worth it. ;)  If there are children, then Walker should absolutely NOT have his own stuffys as he won't be able to differentiate between the toys that are allowed to be chewed on, and which ones are not.

Introducing Walker, a BTRC Foster dog

Let me introduce you to our new foster dog, Walker.  Walker is a 1 year old neutered male.  He is half Boston Terrier (mom) and half (we believe) Boxer. He has been in foster care his whole life as he, his mom and his 6 brothers and sisters all had Demodectic Mange.  While everyone else has long been adopted, Walker remained in his original foster's care all year.  His foster parent could no longer look after him and asked that someone else take over.  Due to being "substantially similar" in Ontario, I was contacted and agreed to take him on.

Walker came to me Saturday night from Toronto via an airline who shall remain unnamed.  The dog that arrived was not sweet and happy.  I'd expected some nervousness due to the trauma of leaving the only people he has ever known, and being shoved into a noisy airplane for hours, to be greeted by strangers.  However, Walker was VERY unhappy and fear-aggressive.  We can only imagine what kind of trauma he experienced on the trip, whether it was the trip itself or the way the airline may have (man)handled him.

With many thanks to two trainer friends of mine (one who is very experienced with working with fearful dogs), Walker finally left his crate late the next morning.  For the next several hours, we kept things slow and calm, working on confidence building so that he would know he is safe.  He would not come near me much at all, until I was the only person left, and then he began his bond with me.

Walker was quite "soft" and submissive during play with Brosa the first 24 hours out of his crate, but by Monday afternoon, his confidence was back and he engaged play completely.  The crate is no longer a place of fear once again.

We begin training Tuesday evening to work on his social skills and obedience training, in preparation of adopting him to his real family who is waiting for him out there, somewhere!

Walker is a medium to large size dog, with terrier & Boxer energy.  He will require a home that has the energy and commitment for him.   Walker is good with other dogs and seems to be okay with cats.  His original foster home had children who loved him as well.  He is a love bug who is also a bit wary/cautious of strangers.

If you or someone else you know may be interested in adopting Walker, please read all of the information/links on this page, then complete Boston Terrier Rescue Canada's adoption application.

Finally over his fright from his terrifying plane ordeal, Walker exhibits confidence and joy outdoors

making himself comfortable!

The tail hasn't stopped wagging

Still shy but seeking attention from Delta

Waiting for a cookie!

Walker is sitting further back behind Brosa and isn't that small - he's actually the medium size dog of the 3

Shyness is gone now - the chase is ON!

There's a new dawg in town.