Poor wee Charlie...!

One of the events from this Autumn was the discovery that our poor lickle rescue boy, Charlie, has Hip Dysplasia (HD).


I've suspected all was not entirely well for a couple of months but gradually it got to the point where I was convinced I wasn't imagining him pretending to use his rear left leg, leaving a small space between it and the ground. And when he started to 'bunny-hop' when running, I knew what it was.


So we took him to the vet's and they x-rayed his hips.
I don't know what they used but my poor boy was VERY poorly indeed. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if he had gone to sleep and not woken, so poorly was he.


It was confirmed and an anti-inflammatory was given, which made him even poorlier as it upset his tummy in a catastrophic way. So that was a no-goer.


He seemed to gradually get over it a little and was walking again, although he wasn't running around like the two year old he is and promptly put weight on.


We needed to alter his diet. The trouble is, he doesn't eat much to begin with. Neither dog will entertain dog-food, going without for 2-3 days rather than eat the stuff. We've thrown out pounds worth.


I thought I'd try raw beef mince - the human kind as I don't want the pet stuff in my fridge and I don't suppose they'd eat that either.  Bingo!  Raw mince is a winner but I'll have to add other stuff too. 


Then one day, he was clearly feeling more his own self and was chasing around after Lola. A joy to behold, I can tell you!  


Unfortunately, Lola decided to jump on the couch and Charlie tried to follow and...crunch! Hip displaced.  He screamed.  We rushed him to the vet but there's nothing she can do. 


It will keep doing this unless he has an operation where they remove the head of the femur!  They don't replace it.  Apparently, the muscles and tendons create a 'false' joint and dogs run around well on them. According to our vet. 


Once again, unfortunately, that's not what the internet and the library at the Liverpool University says. They say 40% work 'somewhat'. Very few, if any, are left without a pronounced limp which then compromises the other hip. The recovery is long and painful and intense nursing is required for at least six weeks. 


Then there is the almost continuous physiotherapy  that I would have to learn and impart. This also hurts the poor animal.


I confess to being very confused as to what to do.


The poor lickle guy cant take anti-flimflams, won't take painkillers (Charlie can extricate them from anything we try to smuggle it into him in) and has all this ahead with the op.  I really don't know what to do. 


I'm inclined, at the minute, to just leave things as they are and just not let him run around too wildly.  Apart from any other consideration, with a three year old and a ten month old to care for in the day, I just don't have the time to look after such a poorly dog if he has the op.  


Then there's the other risk. The one that dare not speak its name......  He's only a lickle Mini-Poo. He's not a tough dog. The x-ray nearly finished him. The op actually could.


So, deliberations are ongoing....

Ada and Barmy Granddad

On one of the days we had the grandbabbies about two weeks ago, NIc was thinking out loud as to whether taking the pup Lola, with Ada to the shops was going to be too much, as the pup can be a bit of a handful.


A little voice piped up "It's okay, I can look after."
Now Ada has had a dog since before she was born and for a three year old, she is very good with them, taking no nonsense from them but still...


"You're going to look after Lola are you Hunni?" I affirmed with her.
"No," Ada told me, quite seriously, "barmy Granddad. Lola's easy.


Nic still hasn't lived that down.

I realize it's been some time.....

...since I posted anything on here. I can only hold up my hands and apologize - life has just been too frenetic this summer to write or even craft very much.


We had builders in. Forgive me if I feel I don't need to expand on that short statement. Three weeks turned into three months and a whole heap of aggro. Enuff sed!




Well, I've missed a lot of my little anecdotes about the grandbabbies and family and I'll probably not remember a quarter of them either, but I shall try.


There is at least one new little story about Ada under Ada & Toby's tab and I hope to add more soon.


Hugs
Ei
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My Family........and other animals!

It was my gorgeous number three son, Robert's, birthday on Thursday - he was 30.   


That is scary, but I got over the idea and we had our usual family meal along with his wife Dani, my other two sons, Matthew & Michael and their partners Jen and Raechel and my daughter Bev, her partner Antony and their two beautiful babies, Ada and Tobias.


This motley crew, along with my hubby Nic, me and the four dogs (Charlie, Lola, Izzy and Labrador Simba) had a lovely evening together - lots of nice food, some beer and wine and lots and lots of laughter!


Charlie, Izzy and Simba were all well behaved as were the two youngest members of the clan. Only Lola showed herself up with her puppy-ish excitement and interest in the newly-laid dining-table - something she's not come across before as until last week when we laid a new carpet in there, the conservatory/dining-room wasn't fit for eating in, having been the room the puppies were brought up in!


Everyone was there, standing around chatting and drinking and playing with the babies so I started to lay the dining-table with the last minute bits because the food was about ready.


Lola was being a pain and jumping on the dining-table for a mooch every time I moved away from it, so every time she jumped up on the table, I took her back down with a firm 'No'.


After the fifteenth time, I was starting to lose a little of my legendary patience and when she jumped up yet again I bellowed 'DOWN!'




....and all of my children and their partners promptly sat down and stopped talking....!


If only they'd been so obedient when they lived at home......!


Hugs
Ei
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Tobias Updated 2011-02-13

Just a lickle update on Tobias!
We went to see him  again today (...and his Mummy & Daddy of course...!) Ada was out visiting, so we had some time with him.  


Unfortunately, he was asleep for most of our visit and awoke only when his belly called! Clearly he takes after my husband in more than looks!  Oh yes, he has changed quite dramatically! LOL!  He is the image of Nic now, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on if he gets the complete nose or not! (heheheheeh!)


Oh he is one handsome boy!  You could not mistake him for a girl, pretty though he certainly now is!
Well, decide for yourself....!

Gorgeous or what? And this was him hungry and about to ask - in no uncertain terms - for his dinner!
I have more pics on my phone and I will endeavour to upload them in a few minutes.
Hugs
Ei
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Charlie Chapter Two - His first holiday!

Now when we booked our holiday dated the week after we acquired Charlie, clearly, we had no dog and no plans to get one so we had booked a week in a lovely Scottish cottage in Dumfries.


Unfortunately, it was also a 'No pet' cottage and much as Ingrid, the lovely owner of the cottage wanted to help us, she clearly couldn't as she was on the list as 'No pets' and if even one dog stayed then her dog-allergic customers would never be able to visit again.  So we had a slight problem.   It wasn't the only one!


Charlie also had a few behavioural problems.
We had gleaned over the three visits from his previous owners that they had a fundamentally different perspective on training your dog than we have.


Charlie, amongst other things, at nine months of age (when we got his papers he was actually two months older than Jim and Joan thought he was so they'd REALLY bought a pup...!) had never been walked on a lead, just CARRIED!


They had adored him in their own way, but this had manifested itself as treating him as a baby. He was cuddled and pampered more than was good for him.


He had the most alarming separation anxiety! If I moved to the other side of the room, so did Charlie. If I went to the toilet, I had to let him in with me or he'd howl and scratch the door like he was digging for England! 


He also pee'd EVERYWHERE! My poor Ada's toy box was washed out several times a day...but on the positive side, she did learn to put her toys away and close it!


Charlie thought if you put him in the garden by himself, it was some sort of punishment, so no 'performing' was done unless I went out with him, hail ,rain, shine...there was no shine... and pitch black! Which is okay, unless it's five o'clock on a wet and windy morning and you need the loo yourself!#


His recall was non-existent. If you called his name he didn't even look at you. When he finally did look, he would come to within about four foot then stop.
He also had an unhealthy response to you wanting to take anything from him - especially the post - he tried to snatch it back - quite viciously! And then he'd cower. 


Now adding all this up the conclusion I came to was, here was an underexercised and understimulated, bored young dog. The post comes - excitement! Grab the post, owner chases - good game! Owner calls Charlie, Charlie comes, bearing shredded letters, Charlie gets a smack!   


The end result is a confused little dog who is definitely not coming within arms length of someone who wants to hurt him - clever dog!


It took me a good few months to prove to Charlie that whatever he did, he would not be beaten, and we have indeed got there but I confess to being very tempted a couple of times!


The other thing was his other owners had him attached to them 24/7 but on a Saturday night 'only for four hours, just four hours a week we wanted' they told me bemoaning their servitude to this canine despot, they would put him in a cage. And leave the house to go to their social club.


They wondered why, when they came back, he was drenched in sweat and vomit and covered in his own faeces.....   But they still did it every week!
Any wonder the poor dog has separation problems?


Is this painting a picture?  


Now his other owners are very nice people, they would be horrified to think their actions were in any way cruel but they were, like a lot of peeps, just very ignorant and arrogant at the same time.   They wouldn't dream of getting a book to tell them how to look after a puppy - they know how, it's only a dog.
Think again people.


So although we paid for Charlie, we did, in a way, rescue him!


Anyway - the holiday!


Our beautiful daughter, Beverley, has her faults like anyone but she's as kind and generous as the day is long.  


'We'll have Charlie while you're on holiday Mum,' she said.
'Are you sure Hunnibunch?' I asked, having just given her chapter and verse of Charlie's not-so-charming habits.
'Yes,' she replied 'Izzy will keep him in check!'


Izzy is Bev's Bichon Frise who is the most beguiling little dog on the planet -  to humans!  She's not nasty, or aggressive but she IS top dog and woe-betide any dog who differs!


With little alternative, Charlie's holiday arrangements were made and he stayed for the whole week, without too much incident. In fact, Bev was rather enamoured by the time we got back as Charlie had attached himself to her and had looked at her adoringly for the whole week ( and nibbled her feet...!).
Only one small hiccup. He ate their door.....


Over the weeks after we got back from Scotland, had Charlie not already had such a rotten start (puppy farm, pet supermarket, unsuitable elderly owners)
I may well have been tempted to find another home for him as his behaviour took a turn for the worse.  


He seemed determined to scratch a hole in every carpet and door in the house, he peed on every corner in the house, he barked fit to bust at EVERYTHING, but worst of all his snapping got worse before it got better. Only the fact of his history and the realization that he was now in teen mode saved him. He could only get better.


Then a light seemed to 'pop' on in his head and instantly it seemed, he became 'normal'!  


His recall became ( with the help of a little grilled liver) the pride of the dog-walkers, showing up older dogs.  
I then took a chance and called his bluff one day when he snarled at me as I removed the remains of a letter from his bared teeth. 


I stuck my hand right in front of him and steeled myself in case I'd read him wrongly. No pain, he licked my hand and rolled over on his back!  It was all noise and bluff. I was so pleased and relieved. I don't know what had done it, but he now brings the post to me and gives it to me!


Then, a couple of weeks after our return, so about a month after we'd got him I had him booked in for neutering and Izzy came for a visit.  


Now Bev had wanted to breed Izzy as half of her partner's family wanted little Izzies but Izzy was very distainful of Charlie and gave him a go-along for nothing. Plus, Bev couldn't remember when Izzy's last season was and we told Bev that we couldn't stand the scenting any more and Charlie was having his little 'treasures' removed! Hey Presto, two days later Izzy is in heat and harrassing poor Charlie!


It was sooo funny! Charlie was clearly shell-shocked and extremely confused! Was this the same Izzy who beat him up if he looked at one of her toys? Or if he had the cheek to eat something in his own house!


We didn't worry too much, reckoning that Charlie was still scared enough of Izzy to give her a wide berth but the day Nic was working in the kitchen and looked down to find two little faces peering up at him and walking sideways, we realized we were mistaken!  After that, it was like living in a house of ill-repute! They were at it several times a day!


Considering Charlie was only ten months old, he knew EXACTLY what to do! LOL!
Bev had tried to have Izzy mated before but the other little dog had no clue! Not Charlie! It was a shame to have him 'done' when we finally did a month later!


Over the next two months, Izzy got bigger and bigger. Bev had been expecting maybe three pups but I had my own ideas! Izzy's belly hardly cleared the ground!


She was back to hating poor Charlie again so I had to make sure they weren't left too much alone and no chews or toys left out.


Then on 3rd October Izzy produced no less than SIX beautiful babies!

....and, of course, Lola!

....the naughtiest of the lot!


Another chapter later......!
Hugs
Ei
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2011 arrives.....

....well, about five weeks ago anyway!
Sorry I've not been around - had quite a busy autumn raising six puppies!
Well, of course, you won't know about Charlie either as I don't think I've mentioned him either. Roll back to June last year........

 Charlie's story!

Charlie

As you know, we lost my beloved Merlin the springer spaniel two and a half hears ago and I've been so destroyed ever since, I just couldn't consider taking another dog yet - it wouldn't be fair on the new dog. Besides, what would we get? 


Our usual way of rescuing a dog wasn't viable because we now have baby Ada to consider and you just don't know a rescued dog's history - even perfect Merlin was a bit 'sniffy' with kids because he's never 'had' one with us and he's had an 'incident with a younger member of the family' in his last home, which is how we'd got him.


But as time was marching on, it was affecting Nic. His blood-pressure, which is naturally lower than normal, shot up! Also, he piled on weight from not walking the dog regularly.  He was missing giving his love and attention to a canine friend.


I realized I'd been selfish, only knowing how devastated I was feeling. Of course I knew Nic missed Merlie, but Nic's much more pragmatic than me and much less emotionally affected. That didn't mean he wasn't feeling it in other ways though.


So we started to look, tentatively, in the dogs homes and on the internet but nothing suitable presented itself.


One day, we popped to Asda with Ada and Izzy (daughter Bev's Bichon - we get her as a matched pair with Ada!) and as Nic was in the petshop and I was outside with baby & dog, I saw an advert in the window for a seven month old Miniature Poodle but he was £650.00!  


Undeterred, I rang the number and asked the lady would she consider an offer, explaining what a great home we could give but how we're on a fixed income and only had a fraction of that figure to play with.


She threw an absolute hissy, which I won't go into detail here with, but suffice it to say, I apologized for upsetting her, ended the call and forgot all about the Poodle.


I was due on the Saturday after this event, to attend a workshop at Dawn Bibby's place in Accrington. Suze Weinberg was in town! Just the lady I wanted to see!


I went to bed nice and early and promptly cricked my knee (...I know, I know...) whilst turning over in my sleep!


So, in a foul mood,  I had to ring my friend Aly, and explain why I couldn't make the workshop. My knee would never have made the 150 mile round trip and I was afraid I'd get stuck up there.


As I put the hanset in the cradle, the phone rang under my hand!
A voice asked  'Have you been talking to my wife?' He sounded a bit miffed!


'I don't know, 'I replied cautiously, 'Who's your wife?!'


'About the poodle!'  OMG, I was in for another telling off...!
So I admitted it was I and how I'd already apologized...but he interrupted my flow.


'We'll take the offer,' he said.
'Oh!' says I. 'Hang on...does your wife know you're ringing me...?'
'She's out shopping.'
'Well, you can't sell her dog without telling her - she'll kill you!'
'She doesn't want him. He's not getting what he needs - you take him.'


The chap, Jim now explained how it was all his fault.


They'd had a little Poodle, Pepi, for many years and his wife adored him. Pepi was her baby and she loved him like I loved my Merlin.


He'd gone blind early on and that seemed to make the bond even stronger as she saw to his every need.  Then he died aged almost thirteen and she was devastated (...I know that feeling...!) 


So Jim, meaning well, had gone out and bought Charlie without her knowledge from a pet supermarket and paid £750.00 for the privilege! No wonder she'd freaked when I offered £200.00!


'When was this,' I enquired of him.
'A couple of months ago' he answered, 'about a week after Pepi died...'


I was sincerely sympathizing with the wife now.  What an eedjit!
No wonder the poor woman couldn't bond with this poor lickle dog - she was still in mourning for her lost Pepi!


'Okay, ' I said, 'when will your wife be home?'
'In about an hour'
'Then we'll be around in about two hours time but I'm not taking him if your wife isn't there. You've fluffed up once you can't do the same thing in reverse to her.'


All the way there I was saying to Nic 'Now we're not taking him today, even if you like him, understand? Every dog is appealing but we'll meet him and go away and if you still want him, we can come back tomorrow. Alright?' Nic agreed.


We got to the house and walked up the path and a little face appeared at the window.
'OMG! It's Izzy!' was my first thought but this was drowned out my Nics' very vocal 'We're having him!'  'Slow down Nicky-noo remember what we said...'
Deaf ears...!


Jim was a lovely man and we talked about dogs and stuff and Charlie ran round like a mad thing.


Then Joan came home.....   She clearly had no clue what Jim had been planning and a minor war broke out!


But, eventually, she calmed down and came to the assent that Charlie wasn't getting the love he should so we paid the pennies and took him home.


Jim and Joan have visited him three times since and are very happy with where he is.


...and that, is only the beginning of Charlie's adventures!
Hugs
Ei
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