Puppy Play

Well today is the last day I'll have a house of four dogs.  It's really been an experience taking care of an itsy-bitsy tiny puppy (Bubba), a big puppy (Ralphie), a middle-aged aggressive lady (Diva), and and little 'ol man (Ollie).  I probably can sum up this experience in one word ... WORK!  Yes, it is an all day job caring and feeding and playing with the dogs.  But I can say one thing, I really enjoyed the puppy experience again.  They are so darn cute when they're that small.  Surprisingly all of them got along well.  Ralphie and Bubba are great playmates.  How I forgot how a puppy follows you around all day, always one step behind me...LOL  How I forgot how much a puppy goes to the potty throughout the day...LOL  How I forgot how sharp those little teeth are...LOL  But what I didn't forget is how cuddly and lovable a puppy is.  Love.

Today is clean-up day...I need to wash all the pups' bedding, wash the rugs, and clean the floors big time.  All that after a trip to the dog park for some fun and frolic.

                                                Short video of Ralphie and Bubba playing.

Puppy-Sitting

I took a few days off from work to puppy-sit for Erica while she's out of town for a bike race.  It's really an experience... I'm not used to watching a dominant 8 year old Pug (Diva), a 13 year 'ol man (Ollie), a feisty teenager (Ralphie) and a crazy, needy puppy (Bubba) all at once!  I feel like I have a kennel in my home with the four dogs.  LOL  I'm sure it's beginning to smell like it too.  LOL

Bubba is 13 weeks old and boy it brings back memories from a short time ago when Ralphie was that age.  It's interesting seeing the differences in the breeds (Vizsla vs Pug) at that age...

* Ralphie the VIZSLA seemed easier to 'potty-train'.  I'm not sure if a bigger breed has less accidents or the Vizsla breed is that much smarter.  All I can say I'm wiping up pee and picking up poo in the house from Bubba A LOT.  I can count on one hand the accidents that Ralphie had in the house.

* Bubba the PUG seems to accept the crate better at this age.  When I put him in the crate for the night, he cries for maybe three minutes and he's quiet the whole night!  Oh no...not with Ralphie...he could not stand being alone in the crate at night knowing I'm in the other room.  Ralphie was sleeping in my bed from day one.  I feel the Vizsla breed just needs as much human contact as possible.  Vizslas are clingers and that's what I love so much.

* Both breeds play hard, loves to run, frisky, fun, lovable, way too cute, and keeps you on your toes.

Did I say I just LOVE puppies!!

Feeding time!

Welcome Bubba!

Exciting news today...Ralphie has a new cousin!!  Erica and I drove out to Sebring and she got the cutest little 13 week pug today.  My new grandpuggie's name is Bubba!  This will be interesting to see how Ralphie reacts to a new puppy in the family.  He's no longer the baby.  But Ralphie is MY baby always and that's all that counts!  Hahaha

Now isn't that the cutest face ever!  

Erica and her new baby, Bubba

Ralphie kissing his new cousin.

One-Year Vet Visit

Ralphie had his one-year vet checkup and shots today.  He weighs exactly 55.9 pounds.  The doc said he's very healthy, looks good, but there was one slight concern ... losing hair along his back.  I thought it's probably the mange coming back just like he had when he was a young puppy.  The doc didn't feel it was mange, but I wanted the test done anyways.  So they scraped his skin in two places and plucked a few hairs to examine under the microscope.  No mange.  The doc was puzzled ... could be almost anything ... mosquito reaction, allergies to something, environmental conditions.  So the doc gave me three options... do nothing and see if it clears up on its own, go back on the mange med-just in case it's mange developing (sometimes it's hard to find), or put him on antibiotics for a few weeks.  I decided on the antibiotics, just in case something is in Ralphie's system.  So we'll see what happens.  Otherwise, Ralphie is all up-to-date with his shots for the next three years.

Lastly, here I go again (brag-brag) ...  Ralphie was such a good boy at the vet office...very well-behaved.  He didn't yelp, pull away, and just went along with the program.  He trusted everyone, showed his love to everyone.  He is now sleeping, knocked out on the back of the sofa with his paw on my shoulder and the other sticking straight up in the air ... I was so proud of him...love my big boy lots!!   XXOO

BEWARE: Poisonous Plants

In yesterday's blog I wrote about Ralphie's unusual behavior.  As I was discussing all the doggie drama with Erica over the phone, I mentioned he seemed a little depressed, tail between his legs and inactive in the afternoon.  Ralphie vomited on Saturday.  On Sunday I noticed a yellowish foam around his mouth.   Erica said maybe it's the plant he chewed up on Friday.  As weird as it sounds, how can a plant alter a behavior?

I googled "Peace Lily" plant and this is what I found...

Peace lilies are moderately toxic to dogs and cats, but doesn't cause kidney damage.  All of the symptoms Ralphie was having are typical symptoms of toxic plant.  Luckily Ralphie had mild symptoms,  nevertheless this made me aware of something I was totally oblivious about...poisonous plants.

Here is the list of poisonous plants for dogs ... WOW ... I never knew!!

Plants Poisonous to Dogs

COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SYMPTOMS WHEN INGESTED
Aloe	Aloe vera	vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression, tremors, change in urine color
Amaryllis	Amaryllis sp.	vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression, abdominal pain, excessive salivation, tremors
Apple and Crabapple	Malus sylvestrus	seeds, stems and leaves can result in red mucous membranes, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, panting and shock
Autumn Crocus/Meadow Saffron	Colchicum autumnale	oral irritation, bloody vomiting, diarrhea, shock, organ damage, bone marrow suppression
Azalea/Rhododendron	Rhododendron spp.	vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, weakness, coma, death
Calla Lily/Trumpet Lily/Arum Lily	Zantedeschia aethiopica	oral irritation and pain, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Castor Bean/Castor Oil Plant	Ricinus communis	oral irritation and burning, increased thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, convulsions;Note: beans are highly toxic
Chrysanthemum/Mum/Daisy	Chrysanthemum spp.	vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation, loss of coordination, dermatitis
Cyclamen	Cyclamen spp.	excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, heart arrhythmias, seizures, death
Daffodil/Narcissus	Narcissus spp.	vomiting, salvation, diarrhea, convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors, heart arrhythmias
Dumbcane	Dieffenbachia	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Elephant Ears	Caladium hortulanum andColocasia esculenta	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
English Ivy	Hedera helix	vomiting, abdominal pain, excessive salivation, diarrhea
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea	heart arrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, death
Hosta	Hosta plataginea	vomiting, diarrhea, depression
Hyacinth	Hyacinthus orientalis	vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors
Hydrangea	Hydrangea arborescens	vomiting, diarrhea, depression
Iris	Iris species	excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy
Lily of the Valley	Convallaria majalis	vomiting, irregular heart beat, low blood pressure, disorientation, coma, seizures
Marijuana/Hashish	Cannabis sativa	depression, vomiting, loss of coordination, excessive salivation, dilated pupils, low blood pressure, low body temperature, seizure, coma
Mistletoe/American Mistletoe	Phoradendron flavescens	gastrointestinal complications, cardiovascular collapse, difficulty breathing, slow heart rate, behavior changes, vomiting, diarrhea
Oleander	Nerium oleander	vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination, shallow/difficult breathing, muscle tremors, collapse, cardiac failure
Peace Lily	Spathiphyllum	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Philodendron	Philodendron spp	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Pothos/Devil's Ivy	Epipremnum aureum	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Sago Palm	Cycas revoluta, zamia species	vomiting, black (tarry) stools, jaundice, increased thirst, bruising, blood clotting problems, liver damage, death
Schefflera	Schefflera	oral irritation and burning, excessive salivation, vomiting, difficulty swallowing
Tobacco	Nicotiana glauca	hyperexcitability then depression, vomiting, loss of coordination, paralysis
Tulip	Tulipa species	vomiting, depression, diarrhea, excessive salivation
Yew/Japanese Yew	Taxus sp.	sudden death from acute cardiac failure (early signs include muscular tremors, difficulty breathing, seizures

Ralphie Update ... Ralphie is doing fine.  He seems to be his normal self again.  Smiles!!

Dog Fight

This morning Ralphie seemed a little different than his normal self.  I noticed him licking Ollie's ears and oh boy I'm pretty sure Ollie was enjoying that.  This is something I've never seen before but nevertheless I thought it was very sweet.  Or was it a control thing going on.

We got to the dog park earlier than normal this morning.  I wanted to get an early start because I had so many errands to run today.  There were literally tons of dogs there today.  As we entered the park gate Ralphie was acting very strange...his tail tucked under his back legs and rather scared upon entering.  Then he took off going after a furry, hairy type of dog.  He's never attracted to the long hair dogs.  He was trying to aggressively hump this dog and at the same time wanting to wrestle him.  Ralphie was getting way to playful and eventually I was able to pull Ralphie off the dog and directed him over the bridge to another play area.

Now in this other area there were at least 20 dogs gathered around playing with each other and some just relaxing.  All of us humans just stand around chit-chat and watch our dogs at play.  Then I see Ralphie walking towards to bridge back to the first area.  He looked like a lost dog.  I called him and he turned around in almost a look of relief.  He found his Mama!  So we went back to the big playground of dogs and again Ralphie strayed away looking bewildered trying to find me.  I was standing right there, but with all the people and dogs he probably lost track of me.  I approached Ralphie to reassure him I'm there and won't leave.

Then Ralphie got a hold of stick.  With this stick in his mouth, he had a group of dogs chasing him.  He just loves to be chased!  The dogs eventually lost interest in the chase.  Ralphie stretched out to relax guarding his stick in front of him.  A couple of dogs tried to steal the stick but Ralphie growled them away...which I don't like at all!  Before I was able to grab the stick and dispose of it, Rambo, a pit-bull who Ralphie plays with all the time quickly dived for the stick in front of Ralphie.  Ralphie growled, Rambo growled and before you know it there was a big dog brawl between Ralphie and Rambo.  It happened so fast.  I'm not even sure who had the stick at that point.  It was scary!  The two dogs were in the bushes in a serious dog fight...growling, snarling, teeth out, rolling around.  I was screaming and Rambo's owner threw his whole body on top of Rambo to pull him away.  Rambo is a big strong 90 pound pit-bull and it took his owner a lot of strength to break it up.  After the breakup, we checked out the dogs...no bites, cuts, or blood.  However, Rambo's owner's legs were scratched with blood dripping from the bushes, shells, and gravel while breaking the dogs up.

This incident was very upsetting for me and I'm sure Rambo's owner was quite upset as well.  Truly Ralphie and Rambo are BFFs, but today portrayed how you really can't trust any dog.  Rambo is a good dog.  Ralphie is a good dog.  But sometimes good dogs do bad things.  I feel Ralphie was on edge that brought out this hostile behavior.  I have no idea why this happened today...maybe dogs have moods too, maybe Ralphie was overwhelmed by all the dogs, maybe he just didn't want to be at the dog park today.  But whatever it is ... thankfully it's over.

Ralphie seems extra calm this afternoon.  Doesn't really want to go outside.  He's sleeping on the couch now.  All I can say... dog fights are very, very scary ...  very upsetting.  I pray this won't happen again.

One Year Old Bad Behavior

Ralphie has been quite an angel up until recently.  It seems when he turned the magic age of one...POOF...his behavior has changed.  He's becoming more naughty each day.  He's non-stop!  Maybe he's feeling more confident  but probably simply bores easily like a typical teenager.  From what I understand a one year old dog equals a 15 year old human.  Then I remember back how my kids were at 15.  Yikes!!!  I'm going through that stressful time in my life again.  Erica was a handful at 15 years old and Rusty wasn't quite a handful, but very active especially with skateboarding.

Ralphie is becoming more daring, taking risks...e.g. swimming in the pool on his own.  He's becoming destructive...e.g. tearing things apart, like magazines, plants inside and out.  To put it mildly, he's becoming a handful.

 I did some research on this subject and a few things I've learned...
- This is the time I need to supply him abundantly with bones and different toys.
- Exercise him more than ever and then more.
- To deter him from my plants, make a homemade pepper spray for the plants and hopefully he will lose interest in destroying them.
- Keep socializing him.

I know this is going to be a challenging road ahead for the next year or so for me with Ralphie.  Just like the challenging road back when Erica and Rusty were at this adolescence age.   I'll do it...I know I can...I know I can...I know I can....I'll get through it...I know I can...

*Sigh* This is what I came home to after work today.

Goodbye Leroy

Today is a very sad day for our family.   Erica's Leroy passed.  I just loved my little granddoggy so much.  Ralphie was very lucky to be a part of Leroy's life.   I always felt he was 'special' throughout his life.  Leroy was a very vocal pup loving his extra needed attention.  I always called him my 'lil gorilla from the first day we met.

Leroy has been healthy until recently after developing ongoing seizures.  These multiple seizures blinded him, crippled his back legs, weight loss... destroying his quality of life.

Leroy gave us a lot of laughs, gave us all his love, and was the most cuddly little pug ever.

Leroy left us at 8 years old this morning.  Rest In Peace Leroy.

Leroy and Ralphie snoozing after a fun-filled 4th of July celebration.

My 'lil gorilla...I'm going to miss you so much.  Goodbye little guy.

Life is Good

Vizslas ... you gotta love them!!  I've had many different dogs before...but a Vizsla is different.....

Right now I wish I had someone here to take a picture...but I don't, so let me explain...

I am stretched out on the sofa, relaxing and watching TV.  Ralphie's entire body is draped over my lap, with his ear flipped back, his long legs sticking straight out, his head hanging over the side of me, snoring away.  You may wonder how I'm typing this with a 56 pound dog on top of me ... well my MacBook is balanced on his shoulders, up against my chest, and my wrists are cramped up as I type.  He will not budge.  He's got his comfy spot for the evening.   Gosh this Vizsla has it made!!   Life is good for him (and me too!).   Just love every little thing about him!!