Category: dog

Bit

On By CarynIn dog, Wildlife

The sound of frightened barking is not a happy one in the veil of darkness before dawn. My dogs found a snake in the backyard before the sun rose and took exception to its presence on our property. It bit Griffin on the lip. We gave him Benadryl and took him to the vet as soon as they opened, and the vet gave him some steroids and more anti-inflammatories. The vet thinks it was probably a copperhead that tagged him. He stayed for a few hours for observation, then we picked him up and took him home with instructions from the vet, antibiotics, and oral anti-inflammatories. The vet shaved the area of the bite site so we could keep an eye on the skin to see if it lives or degrades.

Swelling on Griffin’s lip and neck from a probable copperhead snake bite, shown after the vet visit and shave

That afternoon I put on my thick rubber boots and long pants, picked up the snake grabber, started up the trimmer mower, and took down the grass in the backyard that had grown up high in the recent rains. It was a little awkward to mow and hold the grabber, but I wasn’t taking any chances. And reducing the snake hiding habitat made me feel a little better.

Bite site two days later

Two days later his swelling was down especially along his throat and just the area around the bite was inflamed. The vet said it was good if black scabs formed over the injection site, and he has those!

Bite site four days later

After four days the swelling was almost completely gone and the redness around the bite site was also significantly reduced.

Note: this is a personal account of a single incident. I am not providing veterinary advice.

Summer do

On By CarynIn dog

My eldest was concerned that our black dogs were getting overheated in the afternoon sun, so we gave them their summer trim. This is the first trim for Missy, so my eldest sat on the ground with treat bits and I shaved her back. She was a little leery at first, but then was focused on treats and didn’t care about the trimmers. I was shocked. What was more shocking is that with the same cut style we took off the same amount of hair from our 50 pound dog as our 20 pound dog. I knew Missy was keeping Griffin’s coat plucked, but was surprised at how little was left.

Even mix of Griffin and Missy hair
Dogs with their summer trim (back area only)

Tube hoops

On By CarynIn Craft, dog

We had left over bits of irrigation tubing, and my eldest expressed interest in teaching the puppy to jump through hoops. Now we have three different sizes to practice with!

Hoops made from irrigation tubing

I found a 3/4” dowel that fit snugly into the drip hose, so cut about 3” off that and slid both ends of the tube onto the dowel.

Dowel inside the tubing to keep it in the round

To keep the dowel in place I used some small screws that bit into the wood, but didn’t go all the way through.

Two screws hold the dowel in place

The solid tubing had a bit smaller inside diameter, so I sanded down the dowel until it just fit and I could push the tube ends on.

Missy walking through the small hoop

Missy already knows how to walk through a hoop! As recommended by the backyard agility article we read, we’ll wait until she is a year old to start the jumping part since jumping is hard on growing bones.

Dog Button

On By CarynIn dog
Recordable button set next to the back door

My eldest purchased some recordable buttons to train the dogs. She recorded the word “outside” on one and put it by the back door, and our job was to push the button before we let the dogs outside to give them the idea. Flash forward one day and Missy the puppy is pushing the button herself when she wants out. Color me impressed.

Bear

On By CarynIn dog

This is one of Missy’s favorite toys; a farting bear. She wiggles the mechanism out of position, then someone in the house with opposable thumbs fixes it, then she happily makes it emit gaseous noises until the tube slips again. Rinse and repeat. I’m shocked that the rubber has held up. And since she can, she brings it up to the top of the couch. She has started to nap up there too. Cats do it, so it must be a good spot.

Missy on the back of the couch with her farting bear