Cripes!

Who would have thought it would be so difficult to capture urine from a dog who pees five times each time he goes outside?

I got home, grabbed a container and asked KJ if Prairie had been outside. No. Out we went. We walked down the sidewalk and down the cul-de-sac. I hovered, Prairie sniffed. No yellow snow.

KJ let Thor out to provide a marking opportunity. Thor peed. Prairie sniffed. I got ready. Prairie sat down.

We came in and I fed Prairie.

Went back outside. Hooked Prairie to the tie-out thinking maybe he'd go if he had more freedom. Prairie sniffed, I followed. Prairie laid down.

ARGH!

I called Mary, the president of MWCR. She laughed, but suggested I take him to the vet and let them keep him overnight where they can collect his urine.

I'm going to try Wednesday morning when he first goes out and if I can't get any, I will let him stay at the vet.

Test results

After not hearing back from the vet, I called, explained what was going on and he checked and called me back. What's going on, is that when Prairie lays down, he moans and yesterday I noticed that he was even snarling, basically, at himself, as nobody was near him. This only happens when he lays down. He is otherwise very active. He jumps on the couch to bark at the squirrels. He jumps on my bed to bark at the squirrels. He barks at the squirrels when he's outside. He's eating and drinking, peeing and pooping, just fine.

Dr. called back with test results. 1-800 for the anaplasmosis and 1-12,800 for the Lyme. He said these were extremely high levels. He's hoping his kidneys haven't been affected. He wants me to bring in a urine sample and pick up some pain medication. I'm doing a home visit on my way home in about 20 minutes, then will collect the urine (that should be fun) and run it over to Fridley. They're open until 6:30, so glad for that. Otherwise it would be Wednesday.

Title

Can I call this going through some blogging growing pains? I'm trying to come up with a permanent title for this blog. I just changed it to The Dog in the Blog which I actually like. I also thought of "How Much is that Doggie in the Window.

Seeing more of the real dog!

They say it takes two weeks for a foster dog to show you their true colors. Well, it's been almost two weeks and Prairie has showed himself to be a barker. Collies bark a lot anyway, but he's barely made a peep and the last few days he's found his voice! He's started playing with Brett, too. Showing more of his wild side. He comes in from outside all frisky. I'm wondering , too, if he's just simply feeling better as the antibiotics do their job.

I found out he knows how to shake and he's a southpaw. I should see if he knows how to rollover or sit up. Maybe he has a whole bag of tricks!

I remember when I taught Kelly how to roll over. Kelly was my first collie. I was in 8th grade when I got her. A very special dog. She was realy good at rolling over, but as she got older she started to just spin in a circle and I let her get away with it, so when you said "roll over" she would just spin around.

Lyme Disease

Took Prairie to the vet this morning and he tested positive for Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis. I don't know much about Lyme's and absolutely nothing about the Anaplasmosis. I have some reading to do. He started him on antibiotics while we wait for the panel to come back on the blood draw that tells us how severe it is. It's his guess that he was infected last summer, so it's early, because he otherwise seems to be in good health. And just now I realized I forgot to bring home a kit for a stool sample, so will have to get that soon. I have noticed that Prairie sometimes moans when he lays down. Vet thinks that could be arthritis soreness which would be part of the Lyme's. He asked where he came from and I said Danbury, Wisconsin, he said that is a real hotbed for Lyme's.

It's treatable, so what this mostly means is that he can't go up for adoption as soon as planned. He has to wait to be neutered, too.

He's rubbed the top of his nose a bit from being in the kennel. Not nearly as bad as Cody did, though. Cody rubbed the black right off the top of his nose!

After Prairie piddle everywhere I started sleeping with my bedroom door closed to keep him confined in my bedroom. He didn't pee anywhere. But it gets pretty cold when the door is shut. Cold enough for Thor to get up on my bed at some point and sleep there until morning w/o my knowledge! The last few nights I've left my door open without any issues and was much warmer!

Foster dog list

Pictures of fosters with general dates I had them.

#1 Janis (June 2009)

#2 Baron (August 2009)

#3 Dolly (October 2009)



#4 Cody (December 2009)

#5 Fergus (March 2010)

#6 Becca (May 2010)

#7 Swiper (July 2010)


#8 Diamond (September 2010)



#9 Prairie (May 2011)

#10 Mac (August 2011)

#11 Desi (November 2011)





Just a picture post

Prairie looks so much like Thor. A darker richer color, but they are close in size and markings. I was trying to get a close up of their faces together, but didn't have a lot of cooperation. Prairie is on the left. He ca now be tied out without worry. I plan to brush and walk all dogs this afternoon before heading to my Super Bowl party. GO PACK GO!

Freedom revoked!

We left Prairie loose in the house yesterday. Got home about 2:30 to pee dribbles everywhere! Basically he marked just about every corner in the house. Should have known this as this is what dogs do, especially un-neutered ones, but wasn't thinking. I cleaned it all up and pulled out the working kennel, so now he will be kenneled. No other damage, though, so we know he doesn't have separation anxiety.

He is a persistant nose-pusher. Drives his nose under my hand constantly!

He does whine to me when he wants to go outside and I've started tieing him up while I stand there watching him. Will still walk him, obviously, but this is good for the early morning or late nights.

Prairie

First pictures of Prairie.

He is a very sweet dog. Housebroken, but when I got him home I walked him, then brought him in the house where he promptly dropped a load. Nervousness, I'm sure.

He's very shy and seems to be afraid of Brett, of all dogs. But more and more I see Brett as the dominant dog in my house. It's body language and Thor submits to it all the time.

Back to Prairie. Because of his shyness, he is also camera shy, but I was able to capture these shots. He's darker than Thor, but they are very close in markings, so in bad light I have to really look to see which dog is which. He's also apparently been allowed on the furniture because that's where he wants to be all the time!

Prairie

Picking up a new foster this afternoon. Don't know much about him. His owner has fallen on really bad times. She has several dogs, lost her job, found another one, had a car accident, lost the new job and while in the hospital found a medical problem. Makes you thankful, you know? Her friend took one or more of her dogs, not sure. And now she's getting eviction threats if she doesn't get rid of the dog. I had already offered to foster a puppy, but then this came up and it's fine. He's supposed to be around three, needs everything as far as vetting, including neutering. I don't know if he's housebroken or can be left alone. The woman said he's friendly and a bit on the shy side. Meeting in Roseville this afternoon. Pictures to come.