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Took Bella to the vet today.

5 lbs 8 oz. She hadn’t gained as much as I thought she would have. I think she is missing her daddy and not eating like she was before.

Got her first "big girl" shots. And nails clipped. $230.

😳😳😳

WhatsRight, did the vet say she was okay weight-wise?

Here's a question on puppy shots and how soon to get them: our trainer mentioned she uses a "wholistic" vet after she refused to do multiple vaccines on one of her dogs a couple years ago, and made it clear she'd willingly pay for another vet office visit just to spread them out between doses. So after I told her Mink is scheduled for his rabies vaccine soon as he turns 16 weeks old, she recommended asking the vet to delay it as long as possible. I don't know what other shots the vet will want to give him but he's already had Distemper/Parvo etc., and Leptospirosis twice over in Europe and a combination Lepto/Lyme here last month.

Funny thing: at our group lunch table today we were talking about vets etc. and our waitress overheard us and shared that she just yesterday got her 16 week old puppy vaccinated for both rabies and Lyme (and that's probably also the combination with Leptospirosis shot). She said he vomited last night, and had a huge swelling on one of his legs and could hardly walk. I'm going to have to respect this trainer's advice after that odd coincidence and reschedule him for a little later this summer. What has been your-all's experience with puppy shot series? It's been a long time since Missy Bits was a puppy. (Thanks zebra for thinking about her again, she is looking so charming and lady-like in her floppy bonnet cone, looks like a Civil-War era widow all dressed to go to town, and H says her eye seems less opaque when he gives her the drops. I am afraid we are in this for the long haul, however. Eyes apparently heal slowly, especially in an older dog. I still think the vet messed her up by putting his stitch in with the knot on the inside of her eyelid! H said he saw it when it was cut off, and it was underneath her lid, with the tail ends poking down.)

Love the visual of her in her bonnet, looking like Melanie from Gone with the Wind.

She was 5.5 lbs about 2weeks ago and today she weighed 5.8 lbs. I commented on it and said she was probably missing her daddy. But the vet didn’t seem troubled with it.

But they have a scale in the lobby anyone can come in and use any time. I will go by next week.

I split rabies vax off from the others, and don't do it until 6 months. It's a lot going into their systems all at once unless you separate some. I don't do lepto - I don't think our risk is terribly high. I'm not against it if the risk is there.

So, I do first vax at 8 weeks, then 12 weeks, then 16 weeks. But rabies on its own at 6 months.

My state requires dogs get vaccinated for rabies between 12 to 16 weeks old. I guess that varies by state.

Thank you SackofSorry, that is what our trainer told us when I asked what her preferred rabies vax timeframe was. I actually just asked the vet about it because when we imported him, it was under an exemption from having to have a rabies vaccination if he was under a certain age, so I wasn't thinking about the immunity hit...just getting him all squared away. As I confessed to you all the other day, I'm having to learn to stop rushing things so much!!!

Our trainer thinks Mink is a bit heavy this week, and I still don't know about the wisdom of tossing him a ball a long ways away that he runs over to, skids to a hard stop, flops on his head sometimes...she said it can cause injuries. She suggested I place the balls out in the yard and let him just go find them. Ha, he isn't there, yet. But I'm certainly not going to go on tossing him balls if it hurts his legs! We don't want him to go "down" in his pasterns, from too much loading of immature ligaments. I'm getting information overload from all this!!

But he was MUCH improved today with his leash walking. Thank goodness. I love that he is a quick learner, and my H was babysitting him today because this morning, he wouldn't eat his freaking breakfast when H walked the other dog and I had a meeting to go to. I felt almost crushed, ya know, WhatsRight? Like you sleep in sight of me every night, I get you up at crack of dawn to go tinkle, sit with you on the couch, you tried to nibble my hair this morning and then H just has to whistle and you are bolting off the couch, pulling the leash to go see Daddy in the kitchen...and then you won't even EAT???

Silly to be so emotional, I know. It's all good. I think he still loves me....

OF COURSE he loves you! But you know how it is…

Like you sleep in sight of me every night, I get you up at crack of dawn to go tinkle, sit with you on the couch, you tried to nibble my hair this morning and then H just has to whistle and you are bolting off the couch, pulling the leash to go see Daddy in the kitchen...and then you won't even EAT???

You have just described how it is with kids…at least in our home. So I guess it’s the same with our ‘other’ children.

But, yes, they love us. We are the constant in their lives, and Daddy is Santa.

I can live with that!!! 😊

(((WhatsRight))) Thanks for making me feel all better....You are such a sweetie!

Tonight was Mink's Daddy's turn to feel all betrayed!!! As he has been doing for weeks, H took him out to walk without the tug toy on the 4 foot long puppy leash I always let him to carry for a "distractor" object to dangle in front of him, for whenever he gets the notion to play/bite/tug with something or someone.

Tonight, H comes back from their after-dinner walk and I asked "Was Minky good?" He replied very sternly, with almost an outraged expression "NO, he scratched me!!" I asked "Are you bleeding?" He said "Yes, his toenail must have gotten my hand when he jumped up like he got to doing, even after I tried ignoring him, and everything. He was way too excited..." I noticed my H had blood all over the top of one of his hands so I told him "Go wash up with antibiotic soap and use the surgical tape and a fold of toilet paper for a blotter, like I do; it works better than a Band-Aid." Which he did...

By then I figured H was DONE with Minky Boy for the night but no, he volunteered to take him out again for another walk, even after I offered to do it! (I was washing up dinner dishes, sorta hoping being active in the kitchen might spare me a walk in the dark with puppy, at my age! Aren't I bad....)

H reported no problems this time, but no poop as we thought he'd do. I don't think I'm going to try taking him out this late at night now. If and/or when he wakes me up again before 6 am, that will be better than me taking him out again tonight, since I notice he's now quiet in his crate, after his interesting day with Daddy in the shop. But again he isn't getting the free-form exercise I would want him to have. We need to get that fenced yard up...

Also still are looking for suggestions on how to safely burn off Mink's need for bursts of exercise...I set up the unfenced play yard with 4 balls positioned for him to "go find" but as I figured, he did not understand to go out and "find" them sitting in the grass. He wants to catch them in air! A friend who has used our trainer told us at lunch today, that it will take a game with both of us calling him to us, and us tossing balls to one another.....how am I gonna get my garden work done, and how is my H going to do his job? Wouldn't it be easier to just toss the ball and let the puppy go chase it?

Okay, the little guy looked at me as I was going to turn the light out. He knew he wasn't "owed" another walk, so he just did a Sit in his crate and looked all Innocent...so Momma figured why not let him go out, maybe he won't wake her up so early...he did his pp but then he wanted a lare-night cuddle, and he was "gumming" my fingers with his puppy mouth, no biting, just gentle mouthing. Is that a bad thing?

Labs are notoriously mouthy. I limit as much as possible because when those big dog teeth start coming in it HURTS!!!!

We go to the vet this afternoon for Rabies vax. So I'm interested to see what this monster weighs now. A month ago he was 31 lb. He has big dog teeth coming in. He leaves in one week to go to training.

I love dogs.

All kinds, all sizes.

My mother was mortally afraid of dogs. She used to visit people in their homes when they had been a guest in our church. I was like 3-4 years old, and she would take me with her. Not for the quality time, but so that if there was a dog in the yard (no fences back then) she would let me play with them while she made a break for the door!

I say all that to say this…

The more you all talk about how big and husky and strong your dogs are, and all the "mouthing" they do, etc.… The more I have decided that I think I might be afraid to meet your dogs!

Not saying, they aren’t sweeties, but still.

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 2:32 PM, Thursday, June 29th]

Which dog is considered the worst biter in dogdom? Answer: the Chihuahua! 😀

They do have a bad reputation. My DD has a Chi mix (the tripod with cancer) and he is the sweetest little thing. He does boss his much larger retriever brother around who respects him.

When I babysit her dogs I get stopped all the time because of her Chi mix. Meanwhile I don't get many comments about her gorgeous, purebred, somewhat unusual retriever.

So another week in Mink's life, going along for the ride to see the vet for Missy....and he was so chilland sat nicely in the vet's office, although he did try to climb up on the Doctor when he came over to greet him. Mink has put on another couple pounds, and now weighs 37.6 pounds at 15 weeks?! I asked the doc how large might he grow to. He said "Under a hundred pounds...probably 80?" Yikes, our old boy was 72 pounds and that was as big a dog as we ever have had.

Meanwhile we are being advised it is time to get Missy to the only eye doctor in this part of Virginia, after an exam today showed her cornea is growing outward, possibly a benign tumor, due to non-stop irritation. These doctors think it is beyond what they can do, if she needs surgical intervention. I think we will never get her bonnet off this summer. I am still kicking myself for having scheduled this right before we got another dog. Even though the vet said "this doesn't usually happen...." Yeah. Only to our drama queen....she seems to have compications any time they do anything to her. My H did share with the vet who looked at her today that the tail ends of the stitch they removed was pointing downward into her eye. Now that's not supposed to happen! Another $100.00 for serum to sooth her eye. And hours going and coming....what we do for these dogs!

Tushnurse, what's your puppy boy weigh today?

Tushnurse, what's your puppy boy weigh today?

Well as of last OV he was 40 lbs. He has gone to the trainers as of last Friday. He is doing well. The husband/wife duo that do the training messaged w/ me yesterday. He has not had any accidents, and is doing well with the basics. She (the wife) said that he is smart, and picking things up quickly. Sounds like we will get him back end of Sept.

I miss him for sure, but his brother really misses him.

I just feel like I need to say that our little Bella is so very precious!

Lately it has been very hard between my husband and I, we are barely speaking. But when I go back into his room, at least there is that precious puppy that runs to me to get loved on and to play. She is totally forever bound to the potty pad for peeing, but poops all over the bedroom. And I will just tell you that, the way I feel today, I don’t really care. Just to look in her face and see that she’s so happy to see me.

Be still my heart!!!

SOUND THE ALARMS!!!

RING THE BELLS!!!

THANK THE GOOD LORD!!!

My Bella pooped in the yard this afternoon!!!

🙌🏼 🙌🏼 🙌🏼

I’m just saying…small miracles!

Yay Bella!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I was just wondering how everyone’s dogs are doing?

How is the sweet baby that lost her? Leg?

How is the new puppy from overseas?

And, tush, is your baby back from sleep away school?

Did I forget anyone?

Bella is as precious as ever! No matter what I do, she refuses to be housebroken. OTOH, the other dogs have decided to show camaraderie, so they are reversing their housebrokenness.

😖😖😖

Oh well. If I have a choice between no dogs… and dogs with accidents, I choose dogs with accidents any day.

I’m still a little bit concerned about my beagle/fox hound mix. She continues to have either seizures in her sleep, or really troubling dreams. She sleeps with me, so I can just gently wake her up every time and she looks at me and takes her cleansing breath, and goes back to sleep.

Speak to me people, about your fur babies! 😊

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 2:39 PM, Friday, September 15th]