Bilateral Enucleation

Brook's surgery went well last week.  She tolerated the anesthetic with no issues so our veterinary team was able to perform a bilateral enucleation - both eyes were removed. We had talked about removing both eyes since we knew that the right eye would likely bleed at some point also. Taking into account that Brook had no vision due to her detached retinas, it wasn't like anything would be missing for her.

The day of the surgery when I went to check on Brook, our veterinarian asked if I was comfortable taking her home. Originally, she was to stay overnight but she wan't very happy at the clinic.  I agreed that she would be more comfortable and settled at home.  It was a very long night since Brook was still reacting to the anesthetic and was whimpering and barking in addition to being very thirsty and then needing to go outside to pee.

Within a couple of days, she was acting normal and healing nicely.

There is only one stitch that is external. This is a huge difference from when Hiker had the same surgery and much easier to look at. Also, Brook was given nerve blocks during the surgery, which were not given to Hiker (if I had only known about that) so Brook's pain level appeared to low due to that and also the fact that she had a pain medication patch on.  The veterinarian suggested that Brook should wear a baby's t-shirt to keep her from grabbing the patch. So, that is what we did. 

Thanks to all of you commented and sent well wishes!  

4 dogs, 3 months

It seems that in the past three months word has gotten out about us.  Our post title is not a challenge. That is the number of dogs we have been offered in the past three months.  Yes, four dogs have been offered to us by their owners in just three months.

The first one was Molly who we accepted into our home.

Molly

The month after Molly there were two medium sized mixed breeds. A couple we know had split and the dogs were at the house with the man.  He wasn't sure that he wanted them and asked if we would take them.  As difficult as it was, I said no.  Well, not completely no.  I offered that if he wasn't able to care for them that they could come to our home and we would re-home them. Another option I suggested was the local Humane Society. 

For now, those two dogs are being well cared for.  I ask often. Not just a casual, "how are the dogs?" but questions that require a more detailed answer than "fine" or "okay".

Then last week, there was a Treeing Walker Coon Hound.

       

The family that has him purchased him as a puppy from up the road...he was SO cute!  Unfortunately, this dog, now almost two years old, is not a good fit for this family. They admit that they had no idea about the breed nor what his temperment or exercise requirements would be.  Did we want another dog?

Again, I said no but with options.  I suggest a trainer, increased exercise and mental stimulation along with doing some research on the breed (better late than never).  For now, he staying with the family.  Again I offered that if they are needing him out, we will make room for him until a suitable home can be found.

Sad and somewhat scary isn't it?  In just three months, four dogs.  How many more have we not heard about?

We can't help everyone but we can and will do what we can where we can. 

Goldilocks?

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Specifically the part where "somebody is sleeping in my bed" ?  Our blind girl Hiker likes to sleep in the big plastic dog bed. Then blind and partly deaf Brook decided to try it out.  As is typical of Hiker, she pouted.

Hiker squeezed herself into the smallest space she could, no doubt to add to the pathetic image she was attempting to portray.

As you can see, there is enough room for both of them in the bed but Hiker was having none of that sharing stuff.  

After about an hour's nap, Brook wandered off and Hiker eventually got her bed back.

Wordless Wednesday

Broken and Cracked Teeth

Bill was at the vet yesterday to have his broken canine tooth removed and I was told that I could check in with them around 3:00 pm to see how he was.  Before I had a chance to call the clinic, they called me. When they were cleaning Bill's teeth they discovered that he also had two cracked teeth, one with the pulp showing.  

I had wondered if his bug catching was a possible cause of the broken canine tooth since his teeth come together with such force as he chases and catches bugs.  Now with the addition of two other teeth being damaged, I suspected there was another cause.  In speaking with the veterinarian, we determined that it is likely from chewing on antlers.  Since the antlers are so hard they could damage teeth. Like humans, some dogs have softer teeth.  

We will now be trying softer chew items, so a trip to town and the big store is planned soon.

Meanwhile, Bill is home, being kept quiet and recovering. (just another excuse to lay outside in the sunshine)

Dirt

Hiker loves dirt. She doesn't eat it like Bill does, she just likes to lay in it. 

It wasn't quite to her liking after resting for a while, likely due to how hot it was in the sunshine.

Some human assistance made it more comfortable.

Then along came a friend to hang out.

That is how a blind dog spends the afternoon when it is too hot to go to the beach.

Tasty Tuesday

Did you know that a red plum and a blue chuck-it ball look very similar?

Well, at least to a chuck-it ball obsessed dog named Trail they look very similar.

"Are you eating my ball?!"

Not to worry, we "found" his ball and all was okay. Although for a few minutes, he was quite concerned.

"Don't eat it!"

Yesterday, Hiker found something in the dirt at the side of the barn.

She isn't a dirt eater (Bill is) so I knew that there must be something in the dirt, especially once she started wagging her tail and pawing at the dirt.

In case you can't see it in the above photo, this is what she discovered -

Hiker was excited and seemed to think that this little critter which kept hopping around would be fun to play with and then she tried to grab it with her mouth. Nope, not a good idea, I quickly told her,  "Hiker, no! Don't eat it!"  (unlike somebody in blogville... http://scotsmad.blogspot.ca/2014/07/grasshopper.htm)

This little critter was safely relocated and apparently wasn't too traumatized since we've seen it twice since the day that Hiker almost ate it.

Wordless Wednesday

A question

Some of the pack has a question.

They are wondering....

Maybe someday....

Will you ever cut this grass?!

The beach!

The day after the first day of summer was cool and cloudy but that didn't mean we couldn't go to the beach!

Trail seemed a bit unsure of this whole ocean, sand and seaweed environment. 

Is the car back there?

Trail was quite willing to explore and check things out but stayed very close the whole time. 

Later that afternoon, I took the trio - Bill, Hiker and Brook.  What a difference in the reactions!

Typical....

Hooray - smelly ocean stuff!

Bill leading the girls into the ocean.

Wordless Wednesday

Trail

It has been just over two weeks now since Trail has joined our home.  It is so much fun to watch him learn about us and our routines.  What is he like? Well, first and foremost, he is a sweet boy!  He has very typical Australian Cattle Dog traits such as being a velcro dog - wants to be with me all the time and also has the typical ACD stubborn attitude and a good sense of humor.

I found Trail on the Petfinder.com website. He was listed by an Australian Cattle Dog rescue in Indiana as a former stray who was deaf.  Indiana is a long way away from us here on Canada's east coast but I am one of those people who think that if you don't ask, you'll never know, so I sent an e-mail.  Many e-mails and a few phone calls were exchanged and next thing we knew, someone had offered to drive him to Maine, via New York. I was so excited that this was going to work out!

The rescue was a little concerned that we couldn't all meet prior to adoption but was confident that with the ACD experience I have that things would be okay. Also, being able to exchange e-mails and learn more about Trail and his personality was a big help.  

So, after a lonely solo night camping, I met Trail and his transport crew and we headed home.

arrival on the island!

Trail is quite a bit bigger than Brook, about twice the size of her actually. She is small enough (or he is big enough) that she can duck her head and walk under his belly. They love to play together and initially he was a bit rough (as I had been warned of) but quickly caught on that he was not allowed to step on her or try and squash her.

Brook is very small for an adult Cattle Dog, more the size of 4-5 month old but she is a very rough and tumble girl who is enjoying a playmate again.

Trail has won over Hiker and the two of them play and act silly.

Bill tends to keep a close eye on the rowdy ones but is easily redirected and leaves them to their fun.  

Callie and Trail have had a few "words" but Trail, being the smart boy he is, quickly learned to leave her alone, so no pictures of the two of them together. 

For now, Trail is still wearing a collar all the time for a little control if needed. There were only a couple of times that I used it to get him off of Brook during some rough play. He does well with hand signals - when he wants to.  He has tried to get away with not "listening" but that doesn't work with me. Consistency is important, deaf or not.

Trail is being introduced to island life and we are looking forward to sharing his adventures with all of you.

A camping trip.

It has been a while, so a couple of weeks ago I packed up the car for a camping trip to Maine. 

The view from the campsite was nice.

The scenery was beautiful.

  

It was a nice and relaxing couple of days away.

What??  As an observant reader, you have noticed something missing from all the above photos?  Yes, you are correct. There are no dogs and no mention of dogs. 

I went camping alone. 

All by myself. 

For the first time in a long, long time. There has always been one or two or three (or seven!) along for the fun. Not this time.

Why?  Well, because of this handsome fella...

The whole purpose of the trip to Maine was to pick up this guy who was being transported from a rescue in Indiana.

I have named him Trail.  We are so happy to have him become a part of our family.  More about him and his introduction to our home to come!

How we spent our spring

Since summer is officially only a few days away, I thought I would give you a brief (happy) update on how we spent our spring.

As the snow melted, we ventured out back into the fields and forest on our land.

We expanded the fenced area

and as always, enjoyed the sunshine as the grass got greener.

Inside, the snuggling continues.

Wordless Wednesday

Azule's new friend

Azule made a new friend a few weeks ago.  We had traveled back to Ontario to sign the papers for the sale of the house (hooray!) and to remove all the things remaining.  Azule, Bill and Forest were along for the road trip.  The remainder of the pack stayed home and had a fantastic pet sitter come in to look after them.

After things were done at the house, before returning home, my friend offered that we join him at his cottage for a couple of days.  Knowing that we wouldn't be able to visit again for a long time, the offer was accepted. He has a young cocker spaniel pup and Azule was quite excited to have a little playmate.

Riley

 Forest and Bill, being the nervous types they are were happier to hang out by themselves.

Being a little concerned about "his boy" our friend will never see this picture -

Sometimes the camera captures something that looks bad but of course isn't.  There were a couple of times where Azule did get annoyed at his puppy antics and times when Riley was barking at her and not getting a reaction since Azule is deaf.  Overall, they played very well together and I think that Riley enjoyed having a new friend, even though it was only for a day and a half.