Do you understand your dogs bark?

Ever notice that your dogs bark is not always the same? And do you ever wonder what your dog might be saying? 

Well here are a few explanations of what your dogs bark is saying.

Continuous rapid barking in the mid range means; Call the Pack, there could be trouble.

Continuous barking but slower and lower in tone means; The intruder is close.

Barking in rapid strings of 3 or 4 barks with pauses in between with a mid range pitch means; I suspect there may be trouble. the pack should check this out.

Prolonged and incessant  barking with prolonged intervals in between means ; Is there anyone there? I'm lonely.

One or two short barks means; Hello there.

A single short sharp bark in the mid range means; Stop that usually heard from a mother correcting a puppy but could be used by a dog that is annoyed.

So the next time your dog is barking see if you can figure out what they are trying to tell you!

Day Five

We had a bit of a setback on Wednesday. It seems the leg doesn't bother Tipper when she wants to run from window to window barking at whatever might pass by, So she wil, have to be crated when I am not physically with her.

I moved her into the giant crate and being in a false pregnancy she loved it. She has her blanket and a nice sheepskin bed.

I am freezing peanut butter inside a marrow bone to entertain her and she does a great job cleaning it out.

One of her favorite places to lie is on my bed which is a good two feet off the ground, so yesterday I took the bed apart and put the mattress and box spring on the floor. now the bed is about 18 inches off the ground.

Sometimes she comes out of the crate holding the leg up and sometimes she will put a little weight on it. I can't say I've noticed much of an improvement which makes me a little worried.

Tipper is getting the Deramax every other day for pain and inflammation. I wonder if she should get it more often.?

Tipper's torn cruciate ligament

Yesterday was a nightmare of a day,  Tipper my 6 year old dalmatian was diagnosed with a partial tear of her cruciate ligament.

After a few weeks of off and on lameness, mostly when she got up from resting where she would hold up her leg for a few steps I decided it was time to visit the vet.

After only a few minutes my vet was pretty sure it was a partial tear but x rays would be needed to confirm the diagnosis. The X-ray doesn't actually show the ligament but rather the change in the bones around the knee. So until surgery is done there's no way to know how torn it it.

There is a lot of information about these tears. There is no doubt that ruptures require surgery but there is a lot of controversy about partial tears.

My vet clearly explained what happened to the knee, what could happen in the future and my options. 

I went home and spent hours on research and found a lot of information suggesting that restrictive activity for at least 8 weeks could mend the tear. My vet and I had a very frank conversation about waiting before doing surgery and he agreed that it wouldn't hurt. He prescribed, glucosamine and some omega fatty vitamins during the eight week period.

So we  are going to try a less invasive approach for a while.

We will start with some anti inflamitary drugs for a few  days to reduce the swelling? This  will be very

challenging since Tipper will only be allowed in the small fenced area, without other dogs. No running, jumping or any other activity. Basically out to pee and thats it. After 8 weeks if the leg appears less inflamed and swollen and there is no sign of lameness she can have 5 four minute walks  on a leash:-(. This will not be an easy recovery for a very active dog. Whether we do the surgery or not this 8 weeks of restrictive activity is required to  heal the leg.

I thought it might be good information to record since most of the medical research says dogs under 20 pounds can heal a tear but it usually isn't possible for larger dogs. What Tipper might have going for her is a very lean body at just 43 pounds.

I will post as we forge our way through the healing process.

Waiting for Spring

It's amazing how time gets away from you and before you know it, it's been forever since I have posted to the blog.

It's not that I haven't been doing anything but the blog seems to fall to the bottom of the list.

So what's new... The book was finally released with the 15 day old pictures of the Alex x Tipper litter from last spring. The photographs are gorgeous. It is titled "Newborn Puppies" by Traer Scott. It helps to tell about how horrible puppy mills are.

We have also been working on our own book about Apple & Whitney 2 beautiful deaf gives who were given special homes and are showing the world how special deaf dogs can be, rather that being euthanized because they couldn't hear.

We have also been showing Sizzle who is close to her championship,

They daycare dogs have been literally climbing the walls for spring and today is the first day in a long time that there hasn't been any snow in the yard.

We have some new clients including Nacho, Rio, Scout and Willow.

Childhood memories on an almost Spring Day

Despite being February 15th the weather is almost spring like. Granted I am dressed in long silk underwear and two layers of fleece, but no hat, no boots and no gloves. There is not a cloud In the sky and you can almost hear the snow melting.the top layer gives the appearance of cotton candy but be ware there is too much yellow snow to consider taking a bite . The dogs are even enjoying the warmth as they bask in the sun. As I sit here I feel occasional space of cold That emanates from the melting snow. This sensation never fails to bring back a specific memory from my childhood. It was a day in March and I was riding my horse through the woods. I was wearing a short sleeve navy blue shirt and I was more than comfortable as "Mairi" and I galloped along the trails. Then we came across a space that still held the winter cold as we traveled down the trail. I know it was just the air from a melting pocket of snow but it brought a shiver to my spine non the less!

The Road Most Traveled by "Sea Dog"

Leopold, Leo for short  lives by the sea shore, as a matter of fact he lives right on the harbor. A little history about Leo. He is a black and tan Min Pin, 1 year old who yes came from a pet store. But his owner saw fit to provide Leo with the best opportunity to overcome the first 4 months of his miserable life and he has made great strides. He is amazingly smart. It doesn't take him long to pick up on stuff. Good and bad. if I ever got a little dog it would be a Leo dog. He's got a big dog personality in a compact little body.
A few weeks ago I took to bringing Leo home after a day of daycare. It is about an 8 mile drive to his house.  I find the first view of the water and boats and the smell of the sea  almost as good as a cocktail at the end of the day.
The first few trips were uneventful. But last week as soon as we turned into his drive way Leo let out a little..."Hey everyone I'm home". He did it all three days!
Now people will tell you all the time about how their dogs hear the car when their owner turns into their street, or their dog sees a familiar landmarks and starts getting excited. I know my dogs can be returning from a dog show sound asleep and as soon as I turn into our road up their heads pop. So I got to thinking.
How did Leo know he was home. He couldn't see out the windows because he was in his carrier on the front seat  with his seat belt attached. Unlike an owners car his house wasn't making any noise. Could he sense the amount of time in the car? Did he feel the car climb up the incline to his house? How did he know?
And then last Friday evening it dawned on me as I gulped in the unmistakable smell of a low tide and heard the sailboat lanyards lightly clinking on the masts. Leo who's hearing and sense of smell was a hundred times better than mine knew he was home by the smell of the sea.

The Cast Iron Stomach...

One of my dogs will puke at least once a week. I spend a lot of money on dog food and despite that my dogs prefer crap they find on their travels. I tell people all the time I wonder why I bother to buy good quality food when they prefer dirt and grass.

Not having the double stomach like most grazing animals the grass always finds itself back in the yard. And as I write I hear that well known sound and sure enough  Tipper just deposited a big pile of food on the rug.

So when Margaux's owner told me she had been puking once or twice a week for the past few months it didn't seem to be too much of a concern to me especially when she also mentions that she chews and eats everything she can find. Typical of a puppy and a lab. But her owner had decided to bring her to the vets. Margaux was diagnosed as probably being allergic to her food. Her food was changed and she was no longer puking. Seemed as though the vet was right.

Now I love my vet dearly but having multiple dogs it needs to be serious before I pick up the phone.

Being in dogs for multiple decades I trust my instincts when it come to a vet visit.

If a dog is limping but will put weight on a limb, I check the paw and put the dog on crate rest and leash walks.

If a dog has diarrhea and no fever I rest the gut for 24 hours and start a meal of oatmeal and chicken. Some people like the hamburg and rice but I prefer the oatmeal. if there's anything in the stomach it seems to bind to the oatmeal.

Same goes for vomiting.

For simple cuts and punctures, cleaning the wound , some antibiotic cream and just watching the wound usually does the trick.

Fevers, not drinking or eating, lethargy (after all the saying sick as a dog has some merit) and we are in the car.

Sunday morning rolled around and Margaux puked. Being a long time student of poop and puke I was intrigued by the small little currents in her puke. On further investigation I realized they were tiny pieces of black plastic. The same plastic that her crate tray was made of. The same crate tray that she has been snacking on for months. Her owner has purchased a new crate with a metal tray which hasn't arrived yet but I'm betting on Margaux being allergic to her crate tray rather than her food!