Category: dog

Missy update

On By CarynIn dog

Little Miss Missy had to get a shot at the vet. I gave her Benedryl, rescheduled the appointment for after the sudden unexpected thunderstorm, gave her Benedryl again hours later, put her harness on while she tried to hide in a corner, and then carried her and her cuddle bed out to the vehicle. The cuddle bed helped her in the car; she at least stayed in it for the trip. I tried the windows down and she did sniff the air a bit, which was good. At the vet she shook like a 21-pound leaf, but didn’t growl or bark. Headed home, she again stayed in the cuddle bed on the seat, but didn’t want the windows down. She drooled and panted, but didn’t vomit. So that’s progress?

Missy in her cuddle bed on the car seat

At home, when she has not been traumatized by a car ride, she is happy, engaged, and totally obsessed with her ball and giving kisses. We have been getting her in her harness and leash and doing short walks outside the back fence, away from the road and other walkers. She sniffs around (again, awesome), and plunges headfirst through the thickest grass (um trail?). Little steps. It will still be a long road with this small reactive dog.

The intense stare telling me that her ball needs to be thrown
Crashed on the floor, totally at ease (no harness in sight)

DIY dog cuddle bed

On By CarynIn Craft, dog

I read that some dogs find comfort in the donut style cuddle beds. I had some fleece and stuffing so decided to make one. I started by cutting off about 14” from one end of the fabric, from selvage to selvage. This will form the roll. Then I laid the strip loosely in a circle with ends overlapping a couple inches on the remaining fabric and cut a circle to the outside diameter. (If you want a stuffed base, cut two circles.)

Using the cut end to cut the center round
Sketch of cuts for donut bed (not to scale)

To sew, fold the edge roll in half length-wise, with the circle inside and one section of the circle edge lined up with the edge roll cut sides. I used a jersey stitch on my machine. Start an inch or two into the seam.

Showing how the cut edge of the circle lines up between the edges of the folded roll fabric

If you have ever sewn trim into a seam, this is a similar technique. The center is sewn inside the tube, so that when it is turned right side out it lays correctly. It is a little fiddly sewing the layers together without catching unwanted fabric, and the circle bunches up inside the roll, but it turned out easier than I feared! It wouldn’t be a problem to make two circles so the bottom could be stuffed. I sewed the entire circumference of the circle, but to stuff it, stop short a few inches. I used polyfil to stuff the edge roll, but shredded memory foam would work too. If you cut two inner circles, stuff those as well before hand sewing everything closed. I ended up with some extra fabric on the edge roll, which I just tucked in before sewing.

Finished cuddle bed, with seam rolled under
Missy likes the cuddle bed

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.