What can Ralphie possibly be dreaming of? Lizards? Birds? Yummy treats? His BFFs? Bones?
Whatever it is...looks like a good dream! :)
Sweet dreams Ralphie!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Seizures
No worries...Ralphie is fine. He's not having seizures!! Thank goodness! The reason I'm blogging today about seizures is I'm just flabbergasted how many dogs have seizures these days. We never heard about seizures years ago when I was a kid. I don't remember my mom ever talking about her dogs having seizures. I wonder why?
Ollie has seizures, but very rarely and they seem to be mild. He's not on any medication. My past Vizsla, Jazz had seizures as well. Again, they were mild.
But the real reason I'm writing about this is Ralphie's pug cousin, Leroy has been having extreme, strong, intense seizures. He never had them before, but the last few days he has experienced multiple huge seizures! It's so heartbreaking to see him go through this ordeal. Just a forewarning, if you have a gut feeling your pet is having a seizure and your vet diagnosed something else...beware of that vet! Leroy was taken into a vet after his first seizure which weakened his legs and disoriented him to an extreme and the doctor said it was hip joint problems...NOT! If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a duck! Needless to say, Leroy was taken home with the wrong meds and began having grand mal seizures one after another. My daughter rushed him into an emergency vet on Sunday and he was given phenobarbital and stayed the night to be watched. He came home on Monday morning with numerous meds to treat his seizures...to bring him back to the life he had. It's going to take awhile for Leroy to bounce back to normal and has a long road ahead...right now he's blind, no strength in his legs, and very confused.
But he WILL get through this with all our love...with all our caring. Leroy...we love you TONS!
Ollie has seizures, but very rarely and they seem to be mild. He's not on any medication. My past Vizsla, Jazz had seizures as well. Again, they were mild.
But the real reason I'm writing about this is Ralphie's pug cousin, Leroy has been having extreme, strong, intense seizures. He never had them before, but the last few days he has experienced multiple huge seizures! It's so heartbreaking to see him go through this ordeal. Just a forewarning, if you have a gut feeling your pet is having a seizure and your vet diagnosed something else...beware of that vet! Leroy was taken into a vet after his first seizure which weakened his legs and disoriented him to an extreme and the doctor said it was hip joint problems...NOT! If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a duck! Needless to say, Leroy was taken home with the wrong meds and began having grand mal seizures one after another. My daughter rushed him into an emergency vet on Sunday and he was given phenobarbital and stayed the night to be watched. He came home on Monday morning with numerous meds to treat his seizures...to bring him back to the life he had. It's going to take awhile for Leroy to bounce back to normal and has a long road ahead...right now he's blind, no strength in his legs, and very confused.
But he WILL get through this with all our love...with all our caring. Leroy...we love you TONS!
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| After Leroy's seizure...confused in a corner. |
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| Leroy doesn't have control over his tongue after these seizures. |
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| Confused and blind, Leroy sometimes get entangled in the wrong areas. |
Friday, July 12, 2013
Puddle Funtime
We're in our rainy season now and it rains almost everyday for about a half hour - just like a rainforest. There are puddles everywhere especially in the dog park! Of course, Ralphie needs to still have his playtime...watch his puddle fun!
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| How does Ralphie cool off during our hot summer days ... yep, find the biggest puddle and just lay in it!! |
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Fourth of July Festivities
Ralphie survived his first 4th of July celebration ... barely! It was not a good situation with the fireworks...yep, my hunting bird dog is afraid of the firework pops and booms! I thought it would be a natural instinct in a gun dog that they can handle loud noises...Not! I tried not to coddle Ralphie when the fireworks were going off outside, but how can I act like nothing is happening when this 56 pound puppy is on my lap, with his head on my shoulder shaking. I wrapped a blanket around him to give him the feel of security and it seemed to calm him down.
Now it seems Ralphie is extra sensitive to any noise. When Ralphie hears a small pop out in the distance, he's scared and doesn't want to continue his walks and drags me home. (sigh) I really need to start on desensitizing him. It would be horrible for him to live a fearful life of sounds.
But other than that, we had a fun-filled day...
Now it seems Ralphie is extra sensitive to any noise. When Ralphie hears a small pop out in the distance, he's scared and doesn't want to continue his walks and drags me home. (sigh) I really need to start on desensitizing him. It would be horrible for him to live a fearful life of sounds.
But other than that, we had a fun-filled day...
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| C'mon Ralphie, you can do it! |
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| Diva the swimming pug! |
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| Such a baby! |
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| Pups, pups everywhere! |
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| My little 'ol man, Ollie |
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| The queen, Diva |
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| Sweet Diva |
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| Ralphie and Rusty catching some rays! |
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| My baby, Ralphie! Isn't he a beauty?! |
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| Leroy snuggling with Ralphie |
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| The end of a fun-filled 4th of July! |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Irresponsible Pet Owners
Okay, I'm going to step up on my soapbox and write about some recent observations ...
Today when walking Ralphie in the neighborhood I see my neighbor's tiny Yorkie roaming the streets! The pup was in the middle of the street and started following us. I'm thinking, "where is the owner", "why would the owner just leave their dog outside to just wander". I knocked on my neighbor's door, she answers, I tell her that her Yorkie is wandering in the street and can get hit by a car, nonchalantly she says, "oh, okay", she didn't even care...Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who walk their dogs, dog poops in my yard, owner just leaves it, doesn't pick it up ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who leave their barking dog outside for hours ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who knowingly let their dog loose to roam the neighborhood for exercise...Irresponsible Pet Owner!
The other day I was talking to a lady that had two dogs with her at the dog park. She had a pit bull and a pit bull mix, one female the other male, both not fixed. I look at the female which was obvious she recently had puppies and I asked the owner, "did she have pups recently, are you breeding her?" Pointing at the male dog she said, "awww, he got to her while I was in Tampa one day, it wasn't supposed to happen!" ... Unreal! ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
What is wrong with these pet owners!? If you can't take care of your pet properly, responsibly, and lovingly ... you should not have a pet!! These behaviors are very upsetting and sad. It makes me just want to love my Ralphie and Ollie that much more! Love.
Today when walking Ralphie in the neighborhood I see my neighbor's tiny Yorkie roaming the streets! The pup was in the middle of the street and started following us. I'm thinking, "where is the owner", "why would the owner just leave their dog outside to just wander". I knocked on my neighbor's door, she answers, I tell her that her Yorkie is wandering in the street and can get hit by a car, nonchalantly she says, "oh, okay", she didn't even care...Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who walk their dogs, dog poops in my yard, owner just leaves it, doesn't pick it up ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who leave their barking dog outside for hours ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
People who knowingly let their dog loose to roam the neighborhood for exercise...Irresponsible Pet Owner!
The other day I was talking to a lady that had two dogs with her at the dog park. She had a pit bull and a pit bull mix, one female the other male, both not fixed. I look at the female which was obvious she recently had puppies and I asked the owner, "did she have pups recently, are you breeding her?" Pointing at the male dog she said, "awww, he got to her while I was in Tampa one day, it wasn't supposed to happen!" ... Unreal! ... Irresponsible Pet Owner!
What is wrong with these pet owners!? If you can't take care of your pet properly, responsibly, and lovingly ... you should not have a pet!! These behaviors are very upsetting and sad. It makes me just want to love my Ralphie and Ollie that much more! Love.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Owl
My daughter was given this creative piece of art from an adorable 10 year old girl that's in her life...Erica loves this thoughtful gift and wanted to display it to see at all times. She hung this feathery owl on her bedroom wall to enjoy.
However, Ralphie had his own thoughts about this owl. Maybe he thinks its real?? Maybe he wants to hunt it?? Maybe...well maybe...see for yourself....
However, Ralphie had his own thoughts about this owl. Maybe he thinks its real?? Maybe he wants to hunt it?? Maybe...well maybe...see for yourself....
Monday, June 24, 2013
Fear of Noises
This is our season of thunderstorms, power outages, rain, lightening, hurricanes...yikes!
Ralphie is definitely not fond of this weather. He really had a rough evening yesterday. We had a typical Florida storm with the booming thunder and gushing rain. During this time Ralphie was getting spooked, nervous, and shaking. Then the power went out. My smoke alarms began to beep from the loss of power. Oh my gosh, Ralphie began freaking out with the high-pitched beeping. Finally the rain let up, power still out, so I decided to take him and Ollie for a walk that way it would get his mind off the scarey noises and in hopes it would relieve his anxiety. So we go outside, Ralphie still a bit frazzled from his noise experience. The three of us started our walk and holy and behold my neighbor was have trouble with his motorcycle and making grinding noises and revving the engine. Ralphie completely and totally freaked out to the max!!! With his tail tuck between his back legs, body lowered to the ground, this 53 pound puppy began to pull and pull me down the street towards our house. Needless to say, poor little Ollie was dragging behind. I'm yelling, "STOP, DON'T PULL, STOP!" I was losing all control over him. I strained my shoulder muscle trying to hold him back. He kept pulling and pulling...he was so scared and wanted to get back into the house FAST! Thank goodness the power was on when we got home. I unleashed both of them, and Ralphie ran to my bedroom and just sat there dazed with the most pitiful, sorrowful expression. I think Ralphie was feeling he disappointed me. He knew I was upset being dragged by him.
Finally I get him cozy in my bed and I started searching the Internet ... "dog scared of noises". I learned the best way to help him is to desensitize him...very, very slowly. I will be getting a CD with different loud sounds; start playing it extremely low and at the same time play with Ralphie...he loves the tennis ball. Slowly over time I will increase the volume of the CD and play with him. In the meantime, I am not supposed to coddle him during the thunderstorms or any other loud sound event. I need to ignore his behavior and distract him with play. This may take a month or several months, but whatever it takes I don't want Ralphie to live a fearful life of sounds. I know this is a common concern with many pets so I will continue to update my blog with his progress.
I never want to see that sad, pathetic look on Ralphie's sweet face again. I'm determined we'll overcome his fears in time. Sweet Baby.
Ralphie is definitely not fond of this weather. He really had a rough evening yesterday. We had a typical Florida storm with the booming thunder and gushing rain. During this time Ralphie was getting spooked, nervous, and shaking. Then the power went out. My smoke alarms began to beep from the loss of power. Oh my gosh, Ralphie began freaking out with the high-pitched beeping. Finally the rain let up, power still out, so I decided to take him and Ollie for a walk that way it would get his mind off the scarey noises and in hopes it would relieve his anxiety. So we go outside, Ralphie still a bit frazzled from his noise experience. The three of us started our walk and holy and behold my neighbor was have trouble with his motorcycle and making grinding noises and revving the engine. Ralphie completely and totally freaked out to the max!!! With his tail tuck between his back legs, body lowered to the ground, this 53 pound puppy began to pull and pull me down the street towards our house. Needless to say, poor little Ollie was dragging behind. I'm yelling, "STOP, DON'T PULL, STOP!" I was losing all control over him. I strained my shoulder muscle trying to hold him back. He kept pulling and pulling...he was so scared and wanted to get back into the house FAST! Thank goodness the power was on when we got home. I unleashed both of them, and Ralphie ran to my bedroom and just sat there dazed with the most pitiful, sorrowful expression. I think Ralphie was feeling he disappointed me. He knew I was upset being dragged by him.
Finally I get him cozy in my bed and I started searching the Internet ... "dog scared of noises". I learned the best way to help him is to desensitize him...very, very slowly. I will be getting a CD with different loud sounds; start playing it extremely low and at the same time play with Ralphie...he loves the tennis ball. Slowly over time I will increase the volume of the CD and play with him. In the meantime, I am not supposed to coddle him during the thunderstorms or any other loud sound event. I need to ignore his behavior and distract him with play. This may take a month or several months, but whatever it takes I don't want Ralphie to live a fearful life of sounds. I know this is a common concern with many pets so I will continue to update my blog with his progress.
I never want to see that sad, pathetic look on Ralphie's sweet face again. I'm determined we'll overcome his fears in time. Sweet Baby.
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