It has been a long month. It seems to have taken forever for Jamie's toe to heal. He has put on weight and lost quite a bit of fitness. So has Jemma.
The big problem has been boredom. There is nothing more trying than an active dog that is bored out of its mind while convalescing. The main tip I was given was to keep Jamie chewing. Overwhelm him with chew toys, rawhide, hooves, stuffed kongs and bones.
Bones are of course the cheapest chew toy but they are also controversial. My vet nearly had a fit when I told her I was giving Jamie and Jemma bones to keep them occupied. Probably because she has seen all too often the end result of splintered bones stuck in the intestines of pets.
Those that are pro bones say that they must be BIG bones like knuckle bones, marrow or femur bones. The moment they start to thin or have raggedy edges, throw them away! Some say you must boil your bones as this reduces the growth of bacteria if your dogs like to bury their bones (Now I just chuck them before they get buried). Others say raw bones are better because they are less likely to splinter. Jamie is an "ingester" (tends to swallow whatever he is chewing) whilst Jemma is satisfied with destroying the object of her desire and then walking away. The main message is - be careful, no matter what you give your dogs to chew.
At our last beagle meet at Walkhaven I had to make excuses for why Jamie was looking a bit tubby. It was of course all those marrow bones and lack of exercise. The "Hunt" season starts this weekend. Too late to get them both fit enough. So they will have to toughen up as they run. (Me too!)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Update on Jamie's Op...
Jamie was very woozy and hopping on three legs when I fetched him late on Friday afternoon at the vet. He had a large, plastic bucket around his head (he looked like a creature from outer space).
The vet said that the operation had gone well. They had removed the nail and the bone underneath it. So part of the last digit on his toe had been amputated. "Amorphous bone growth that had developed on the toe as a result of irritation had also been removed" according to the vet.
The vet said that the operation had gone well. They had removed the nail and the bone underneath it. So part of the last digit on his toe had been amputated. "Amorphous bone growth that had developed on the toe as a result of irritation had also been removed" according to the vet.
List of instructions:
- He had to remain as still as possible for 3 days
- His pathology report would be available on Tuesday (to see if there was any infection in the bone)
- I would need to return to have his dressing replaced every 3 days or so
- He would need to wear the collar for 10 days
- His stitches would come out in 14 days
- He needed to be dosed with painkillers and antibiotics
- He would need another x-ray in 3 weeks
Both Jamie and I felt rather overwhelmed as we returned home. The collar scared Jamie stiff (literally). He refused to move. His leg had been covered with a thick dressing and the vet advised that I could remove the collar so long as he did not chew his dressing.
On Friday night and Saturday, Jamie spent most of the day sleeping on the couch. But when I woke up on Sunday, Whoops! Jamie had chewed off all of his dressing and worst of all had probably been licking his wound. So off we rushed to the vet again to have his toe disinfected and a new dressing put on his paw.
Sorry, Jamie but the collar had to go back on. What an awkward piece of apparatus! He has difficulty sleeping. When he feeds I have to make sure the collar fits around his bowl so he can reach his food. I have put water in a wide flat bucket and he drinks by sticking the collar into the water. I can hear his progress around the house by the sounds of banging and scraping as he bumps into doors, furniture, walls. He also vigorously scratches the collar.
Sorry, Jamie but the collar had to go back on. What an awkward piece of apparatus! He has difficulty sleeping. When he feeds I have to make sure the collar fits around his bowl so he can reach his food. I have put water in a wide flat bucket and he drinks by sticking the collar into the water. I can hear his progress around the house by the sounds of banging and scraping as he bumps into doors, furniture, walls. He also vigorously scratches the collar.
Jemma does not know what to make of this alien looking dog. She has been uncharacteristically quiet. Her usual playmate is now Hop-along-Cassidy in a Space Helmet. I will have to take her for walks on her own and leave Jamie behind (poor boy!).What ado about a toenail! I keep on wondering if I should have taken Jamie to the vet the first time he stubbed his toe. We might have avoided all this aggravation. So the question is: When is a scratch just a harmless scratch? Should you take your dog to the vet for every little thing just in case it can become serious? Or was this just a case of sheer bad luck?
The good news is that the vet does not believe this operation will affect Jamie's ability to run!
The good news is that the vet does not believe this operation will affect Jamie's ability to run!
Friday, February 25, 2011
The trials and tribulations of a canine athlete...
One of the biggest fears of every athlete before a competition is injury. Jamie (and his owner) hope to improve his performance during this winter's beagling season. Known as the "Beagle Hunt", a pack of beagles chase scent trails laid out across rough terrain and through the bush. The sooner a beagle crosses the finish line, the higher the number of points he gains. It is very prestigious to be crowned one of the top ten at the end of the season.
But Jamie has been dealt a blow just one month before the season starts. It all started when he stubbed his toe. The injury seemed innocuous enough as he stopped limping after a few days. But he kept re-injuring his toe which would then bleed. I thought that he had broken his toe nail above the quick and was repeatedly bashing it.
I became concerned that the troublesome toe nail would become a real problem once Jamie started hunting because the terrain is very rough and tough on the paws.
So yesterday I took Jamie to the vet thinking that the problem would be easily resolved. My heart dropped when the vet said he needed an x-ray.
The news was not good. A bone had chipped leaving a fleck of bone embedded in his flesh that had to be removed by surgery under a full anesthetic. They also needed to diagnose if there was any infection of the bone or even a carcinoma. It was also highly likely Jamie would lose his nail.
Jamie innocently drove with me to the vet this morning unaware of what lay ahead of him. We arrived at 7.30am. I took him to the sick room where there were several sad looking dogs in post-op recovery, some on drips and monitors. Jamie did not want to stay in his cage where I had to leave him. When I heard that his operation might only be at 12.00pm, I so wished that I had brought his familiar blanket for comfort during the long wait.
So at the moment I am beset by feelings of anxiety.
But Jamie has been dealt a blow just one month before the season starts. It all started when he stubbed his toe. The injury seemed innocuous enough as he stopped limping after a few days. But he kept re-injuring his toe which would then bleed. I thought that he had broken his toe nail above the quick and was repeatedly bashing it.
I became concerned that the troublesome toe nail would become a real problem once Jamie started hunting because the terrain is very rough and tough on the paws.
So yesterday I took Jamie to the vet thinking that the problem would be easily resolved. My heart dropped when the vet said he needed an x-ray.
The news was not good. A bone had chipped leaving a fleck of bone embedded in his flesh that had to be removed by surgery under a full anesthetic. They also needed to diagnose if there was any infection of the bone or even a carcinoma. It was also highly likely Jamie would lose his nail.
Jamie innocently drove with me to the vet this morning unaware of what lay ahead of him. We arrived at 7.30am. I took him to the sick room where there were several sad looking dogs in post-op recovery, some on drips and monitors. Jamie did not want to stay in his cage where I had to leave him. When I heard that his operation might only be at 12.00pm, I so wished that I had brought his familiar blanket for comfort during the long wait.
So at the moment I am beset by feelings of anxiety.
Jamie is only 2 years old and this is the second time he will have to undergo a full anesthetic ( the first when he was neutered).
What will be the prognosis? After surgery how am I going to ensure that his paw remains clean, dressed and that he doesn't do something stupid that undermines healing? And oh dear, the cost... the cost?
I only hope that this is not going to stop him hunting because he loves it so much!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Still alive and kicking!
Hi there !
In case you thought Jamie, Jemma and I had disappeared from the planet - we are still here in the physical sense. We did zone out mentally during January, 2011.
But we have now come back to earth with a bump (ouch!).
Jamie and Jemma had a wonderful holiday, got fit, lost weight and are looking sleek and healthy.
Now that they are back in the Big Smoke they are giving me hurt looks. It feels like being back in "prison" after a holiday of unfettered freedom.
I am trying very hard to keep them fit, not overfeed them and psyche myself up for the new Beagle "Hunting" Season which starts in April. They are going to have to remember how to hunt mackerel again.
In the mean time we have Beagle "conventions" once a month at Walkhaven. The idea is to keep the dogs involved in the "hunt" well socialised so that they form a cohesive group once we start the season. It's been fun and we are looking forward to meeting all their mates at the February meet.
In the meantime I am still spending my weekends getting my practical qualification to be an instructor. Hats off to everyone who works in the dog behaviour/instructor business. The really good people have incredible knowledge, skill and experience. They can make a dramatic difference to you and your dog's relationship.
Help is out there if you need it!
In case you thought Jamie, Jemma and I had disappeared from the planet - we are still here in the physical sense. We did zone out mentally during January, 2011.
But we have now come back to earth with a bump (ouch!).
Jamie and Jemma had a wonderful holiday, got fit, lost weight and are looking sleek and healthy.
Now that they are back in the Big Smoke they are giving me hurt looks. It feels like being back in "prison" after a holiday of unfettered freedom.
I am trying very hard to keep them fit, not overfeed them and psyche myself up for the new Beagle "Hunting" Season which starts in April. They are going to have to remember how to hunt mackerel again.
In the mean time we have Beagle "conventions" once a month at Walkhaven. The idea is to keep the dogs involved in the "hunt" well socialised so that they form a cohesive group once we start the season. It's been fun and we are looking forward to meeting all their mates at the February meet.
In the meantime I am still spending my weekends getting my practical qualification to be an instructor. Hats off to everyone who works in the dog behaviour/instructor business. The really good people have incredible knowledge, skill and experience. They can make a dramatic difference to you and your dog's relationship.
Help is out there if you need it!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Small Dog Syndrome...
One of our classes had a very small and shy female Maltese Poodle puppy. The first day this little thing just huddled underneath its owner's feet and shivered. It was much smaller than any other puppy in the class. So we encouraged the owner to use Tellington Touch strokes to calm and get her pup used to the new environment, people and other puppies.
The dilemma we faced was where to draw the fine line between molly coddling a puppy but not allowing it to become too overwhelmed and fearful. We observed the puppy became more confident with each class but her owner unwittingly continued to be over protective.
When we felt the dog was showing enough confidence, we asked the owner not to pick up her dog at all for an entire class. She found this incredibly difficult but the little pup actually coped quite well (under the trainer's watchful eye).
It took a lot of persuasion before the Maltese poodle owner eventually stopped picking up her dog during class and allowed her to stand on her own four feet. We explained that by being over protective, she was sending a message to her dog that fearful behaviour was an acceptable way to deal with the world. Her puppy would never learn self confidence this way. In fact what the owner was doing was counter productive. She was not helping her dog become more socialised, less fearful and better able to deal with what it would encounter in future. She had to learn to let go.
During the course this puppy finally reached a stage where it ran around and engaged with other people and puppies.
While doing some research, I came across an article about the "Small Dog Syndrome".
Behavioural problems arise in small dogs when owners, because of the dog's cute little size, allow them to get away with murder! The rule of thumb is that little dogs should not be allowed to behave in a way that one would not accept from any other dog. If you do allow this, it is likely to have a negative effect on the temperament and behaviour of the dog. All dogs should be treated as equals no matter what their size!
There are many small dogs who do not realise that they are small. I remember encountering a miniature Dachshund puppy at a Bed & Breakfast I was staying at on my travels. This little thing fitted into the scoop of my hands and was dwarfed by my beagles. But it had absolutely no fear at all and interacted with my dogs as an equal.
Hmmm.... wonder if he is ruling the B&B now!
The dilemma we faced was where to draw the fine line between molly coddling a puppy but not allowing it to become too overwhelmed and fearful. We observed the puppy became more confident with each class but her owner unwittingly continued to be over protective.
When we felt the dog was showing enough confidence, we asked the owner not to pick up her dog at all for an entire class. She found this incredibly difficult but the little pup actually coped quite well (under the trainer's watchful eye).
It took a lot of persuasion before the Maltese poodle owner eventually stopped picking up her dog during class and allowed her to stand on her own four feet. We explained that by being over protective, she was sending a message to her dog that fearful behaviour was an acceptable way to deal with the world. Her puppy would never learn self confidence this way. In fact what the owner was doing was counter productive. She was not helping her dog become more socialised, less fearful and better able to deal with what it would encounter in future. She had to learn to let go.
During the course this puppy finally reached a stage where it ran around and engaged with other people and puppies.
While doing some research, I came across an article about the "Small Dog Syndrome".
Behavioural problems arise in small dogs when owners, because of the dog's cute little size, allow them to get away with murder! The rule of thumb is that little dogs should not be allowed to behave in a way that one would not accept from any other dog. If you do allow this, it is likely to have a negative effect on the temperament and behaviour of the dog. All dogs should be treated as equals no matter what their size!
There are many small dogs who do not realise that they are small. I remember encountering a miniature Dachshund puppy at a Bed & Breakfast I was staying at on my travels. This little thing fitted into the scoop of my hands and was dwarfed by my beagles. But it had absolutely no fear at all and interacted with my dogs as an equal.
Hmmm.... wonder if he is ruling the B&B now!
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