vote 4 jacques

Attempting to get J into Modern Dog Magazine (along with this blog and a numerous assortment of other frivolous things) is apparently what happens when you only take 6 hours in a semester..

-click the pic-

(like anyone actually reads this thing. i can pretend though.)

finally home

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

something else to look forward to

In addition to Jacques coming home, I'm looking forward to my friend Charlotte getting her Newfoundland puppy Abbey! She's going to be HUGE. Their play dates are going to be entertaining to say the least.

jacques almost died yesterday

No, I'm not kidding. This is a story about how you never rely on a first opinion. Seek out a second, third, fourth..however many it takes for the diagnoses to coordinate with your instincts.

Like I mentioned earlier, Jacques was diagnosed with coccidia last Wednesday and prescribed 6 cc's daily of Albon. It wasn't until Sunday that he was actually acting like a real dog, but that didn't last long. Monday was when the drooling started; we're talking lengthy reflective bulldog spit that became a permanent garland under his muzzle. Tuesday was when the aimless pacing started. And Wednesday was when it all crescendoed into a nightmare: drooling, circling, crying, eyes wandering and glazed over, goose-stepping (high, incremental steps), toddling, running into things; you name it, he had it (except diarrhea and vomiting, of course). My immediate thoughts were this: poisoning, bloat or (my worst nightmare) a neurological disorder. I rushed him to the vet where they did an incomplete blood test (because he was SQUIRMING - yea, that was her excuse) and fecal matter test and delivered a seemingly impulsive theory that Little J had a neurological problem, namely hydrocephalus. Literally, the third sentence out of this professional's mouth was: "What's your breeders exchange policy?"

After having an emotional typhoon in the waiting room, they said they'd set me up an appointment with MedVet in Memphis for the morning and I took him home. J looked like he was flat-lining. I tried to feed him watered-down baby food, chicken broth, Pedialyte, sugar water - his jaw was locked and his body was limp in my arms. I didn't sleep at all because he was waking hourly as if someone had set off a bull horn in his ear - crying, yapping and straining to get away, all lasting for 20 seconds then he'd pass out again. That night I called 2 emergency vet lines and made another appointment in Starkville, MS (where my bill would run to $900 before the day was over). I woke up at 7 AM and got in the car heading south and decided to first take him to a vet in Jackson that was highly-referred, and thank the good Lord that he led me to that choice that early in the morning. I cried the entire way, having visions of putting this 10-wk-old down, wondering what his quality of life would be like if he did in fact have a debilitating mental condition...it was awful, I don't even want to recall it.

It took Dr. Mike 30 min. to figure out that Jacques had an extremely low red blood cell count, indicating that he was having an adverse reaction to the sulfur in the Albon, NOT a neurological disorder. I almost fainted with relief.

Nonetheless, the vet said J was 50/50 on survival rate when I brought him in. He is still at the hospital, hooked up to an IV and receiving steroid treatments to reduce the inflammation in his brain. After spending the night last night they want to keep him longer for observation, but they think he should be OK. He's now 75/25.

Trust your doctors people, and more importantly, trust your instincts. Always believe in the power of prayer.

I'll keep you posted.

have you ever?..

BARKING/WHINING WHILE EATING

I asked the vet, he had never heard of it.

all my friends that have witnessed it don't have a clue.

The breeder didn't know what I was talking about.

I've never seen anything like it. I've tried moving the bowl to a different location, changing the food, changing the bowls (after 5 different ones, i settled on cutting the bottom out of plastic cups b/c I figured his other ones were too big). I don't know if the kibble is hurting his teeth but he does this when he's eating soft food too! I'm out of ideas. Let me know if you have any to contribute.

- btw this is an extremely tame version of what he normally does.

It's my understanding that a lot of cavalier owners enjoy dressing their pet up, and let it be heard that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Its just that I personally do not. I like to retain that dogs are, well.,.DOGS. Nevertheless, it's getting cold outside and my partially-nude 9-wk-old is going to need some method of warmth for going outside. After scouring racks at Target, PetSmart, Old Navy, and Diva Dog (I was out of ideas), I finally caved and got him a green/blue argyle sweater for lack of a better alternative.

This is a temporary stand-in for a more long-term solution. Its just that he's such a tiny tot and I don't want to drop any serious cash until he's fully grown. When it comes to looking for outerwear without your dog looking like something Paris Hilton's bejewled chihauhua threw up, I think the key is just digging - digging through all the frilly excess to find something functional, while not completely devoid of style... As owners we'll always have an agenda with what we give/put on our dog. That's another reason why I started this blog - to share some of the products I've found that are efficient, aesthetically-pleasing alternatives to the more convenient/cheap/distasteful creations.

Here's what I'm looking at for when he's fully grown:

London - $42.50 : Zoe & Co

Seattle - $36.95 : Zoe & Co

Reversible Puffer Jacket

Ruff Wear Climate Changer Coat

Modern Dog Magazine also had some great picks (minus the denim jacket..)

I'm open to ideas if anyone has any other stylish solutions to the winter tundra! I'd appreciate any suggestions!

This is the face I get before I leave..

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Coccidia

The first major emergency we ran into was quite common but stressful/upsetting/time-consuming/overblown none the less.

For those of you who don't know:

–noun

Microbiology.

any sporozoan of the order Coccidia, often parasitic in the digestive tracts of certain animals and a cause of coccidiosis.

Needless to say, it isn't fun. Here's what you need to look for:

diarrhea, vomit, loss of appetite, dehydration.

These are the main symptoms. What's interesting about Jacques' case is that his main symptoms were extreme lethargy and the refusal to drink water. Nonetheless, I knew something was wrong so I immediately made an appt, carted him off to the vet, and left with a prescription of Albon and a restless mind. The vet didn't sufficiently address my insecurities, so I took it upon myself to do the research and these are the things that stood out to me:

It should be mentioned that stress plays a role in the development of coccidiosis. It is not uncommon for a seemingly healthy puppy to arrive at his new home and develop diarrhea several days later leading to a diagnosis of coccidia. If the puppy has been at the new home for less than thirteen days, then he had coccidia before he arrived. Remember, the incubation period (from exposure to illness) is about thirteen days. If the puppy has been with his new owner several weeks, then the exposure to coccidia most likely occurred after the animal arrived at the new home.

This was definitely the case with Jacques, and sure enough, I found out after I called the breeder that the three remaining puppies were diagnosed. This isn't something you should ream your breeder for, it's an extremely common occurrence and there wasn't anything he/she could've done to prevent it.

Also,

Because coccidia is spread by the feces of carrier animals, it is very important to practice strict sanitation. All fecal material should be removed. Housing needs to be such that food and water cannot become contaminated with feces. Clean water should be provided at all times. Most disinfectants do not work well against coccidia; incineration of the feces, and steam cleaning, immersion in boiling water, or a 10% ammonia solution are the best methods to kill coccidia.

After overloading on information, I narrowed my plan down to the basics. The No. 1 thing I was most worried about was dehydration so I went to Walgreens and picked up some Pedialyte, a large (the one that comes with the Albon is too small) syringe that you can get for free behind the pharmacy counter, and a few cans of chicken broth. Other than those things, all you need is wet dog food (I use ScienceDiet puppy that I mix with their hard kibble) and patience. Don't try to play with him/her for at least 5 days after starting the meds, even if they seem like they want to play its important to resist.

J started feeling better 3 days after starting the Albon, now he's WEARING ME OUT. Hope this helps for anyone facing this situation.

Welcome to my haphazard blog: a ongoing log of my experience, or rather INexperience, raising my pygmy puppy, Jacques. Now, I've had three lovely dogs prior to this adoption so i'm not completely lost (a golden, a mutt, and, currently, my 15-yr-old schnauzer) - this is just my first time flying solo in raising a puppy )and make no mistake, that makes all the difference). Its been a week and a half since i brought Little J home. To be honest, it feels like a month and a half. Prior to bringing him home, i read four books, scanned infinite online articles, interviewed friends, scrutinized numerous canine blogs, subscribed to dog magazines, watched marathons of the Dog Whisperer, and i still catch myself staring at my dog with my mouth open daily. We've already run into numerous potholes, sending me running to google or calling my vet, never really landing on a definite answer. There's an pervasive inkling in the back of my thoughts that grumbles every few hours or so 'you're screwing your child up.' So to anyone who is familiar with this experience, this is for you.