Seven Months

(aka Sucks to be Us or Fuckin' A...)

7 months
70.2lbs (according to the scale at the vet I never wanted to go to ever again)
26 inches tall

Saturday, after much trial and error with the Battle of the Recurring Skin Condition That Hasn't Ever Completely Gone Away Despite it Being SIX WEEKS Since the Great Hives Incident and the grass pollen count finally dropping, and twice-weekly bathing with various medicated shampoos that seem to help, for a time...

We switched Kal to a different food. It's the only other thing that's been consistent since we got him, that we haven't altered. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to do it (although had it been up to me, that is not a food I would have chosen in the first place). My mom was the one who said "Well if he's been on that same food all this time and nothing else has worked..."

I was going to do it on my own, without saying anything, honestly. I was going to just order the food I thought he should have been on from the beginning since it was time to re-order puppy food, anyway.

DH had briefly entertained switching a few days prior, and even said he was going out to buy it that evening, but then (even though I printed a coupon- which happened to be expiring that same day) decided "he has enough food for now, and he's doing better..."

I told him what Mom said, and Saturday we went out and got the food.

I'd done a lot of reading of reviews in the meantime, and pretty much all of them were from people who said "We were feeding [the same food Kal was on] and our dog had skin issues/diarrhea constantly, so then we switched and, voila! No more issues!"

Hmmm....

We should be celebrating, right? Since the food switch on Saturday the skin outbreaks seem to be calming down. No new eruptions, at least.

And all of the fur he lost from the hives has finally grown in, his flaky skin is much improved and his coat is looking really pretty, even and appropriately shiny and the right color. Finally.

And then, today happened.

We got jumped by a black German Shepherd today. Out of nowhere. Did not even see him coming. Of all of the potential dogs on that street (and it's the quietest one, which is why I've chosen to walk down it almost daily FOR THE PAST YEAR), I was not even aware of that dog, or concerned. In recent weeks, another dog on that same street has slipped her collar, and we've wisely kept our distance. As early as last week, I noticed the larger of two (seemingly happy, friendly) dogs inside a chain link fence at another house was actually able to stand up, with his paws on the top rail, and could probably get over if he wanted to... and they live next door to a very sweet, well-behaved pitbull (also in chain link) who has never barked at us as we've passed by at all. Then there's Lily, the Basset hound, on the opposite side, who cheerfully bays her hellos when we pass, and races around her back yard to bid us adieu from the other side once we cross her driveway. She's who we were looking at when we got attacked.

I am fine, save a ripped back fingernail and a huge, soon to be ugly, bruise on my behind.

This dog landed directly on Kal's back, out of nowhere, and latched on.

Poor puppy. He looks like a big dog, but his mind is still just a 7-month-old baby. He did what babies do in those situations, turned submissive. Flattened. Never even fought back. I could not get in between them or get the dang dog off of him.

And then the other dog showed up.

Thankfully, that one was more like Airlie, thinking they were putting in their two-cents while really only just getting in the way.

I finally got us out of the middle of the road.

A lady driving by had stopped (after the dogs had darted right in front of her car), and, after a while of debating what to do, I'm sure, laid on her horn. I think she turned around and actually drove TOWARD the other dogs, while honking, trying to do something.

At about that time, a neighbor came out of his house.

At this point, Kal had given up, was curled up on his back, trying his best to protect his belly, and I had started punching the aggressor and was about preparing to let loose a flying kick (knowing from previous experiences that it would not have fazed him in the least). My punch did nothing. I was actually about to bodily insert myself. I don't care about being bitten. I never have. I'm not afraid. I'd stopped repeatedly screaming "SOMEBODY HELP!" and switched to "OH, MY FUCKING GOD, WHOSE DAMN DOG IS THIS? SOMEBODY COME AND GET THIS DOG!"

I heard the neighbor call the dog's name.

The dog stopped. Retreated.

I don't know if he was put inside the house, or back in the yard.

I don't know how he got out in the first place.

I began asking the neighbor what he knew about the dog's history.

The neighbor's wife brought out a bottle of water.

The lady still waiting by her car, who had gotten out to offer us a ride home, left after I thanked her. 

The people across the street brought Kal a bowl of water.

The owner came out, apologizing, offering to pay for vet care, seeing if we were ok (nice, considering the past 3 times this has happened to me over 12 years, nobody came at all).

I asked to see vaccination records. Noted her address. Got her name and number, and the neighbor's name.

I honestly thought I could just walk home, bathe Kal with the medicated shampoo to clean his wounds, and then be able to make it to work as usual, just without walking the girls.

Thank God I haven't been able to walk all 3 of them together, anymore, or it could have been much worse.

Thank God, I guess, that it didn't happen 30 minutes later, when I was walking the girls, because people are dropping off their small children at one house, where someone cares for them while the parents are at work.

Kids are walking to school during this time, as it is!

Not great that it happened to us, just that it could have been so much worse.

The owner explained that the dog was one they'd adopted from a rescue, when it was scheduled to be euthanized.

Probably for the same reasons as what we experienced.

She regretfully stated that she and her husband were not equipped to deal with this type of thing, and that the dog would be euthanized. She would talk to her husband as soon as he got home today. They'd really hoped to help this dog, thought they'd made progress, but had already had to cease playtime with a neighbor dog that came through the fence, and now she was worried about her own, 8-year-old GSD.

Kal was actually interested in sniffing/meeting her, in spite of everything- and eager to finish his walk home.

I ended up texting my boss' boss (my boss is in Canada this week), asking for help securing a sub for my class, texting DH, all the while getting Kal's bath ready.

DH wanted us to go to the vet.

I called and they could see us at 8:45.

DH wanted pictures, which were not easy to take since Kal isn't that great (yet) about sitting still for photos.

I tried to call the number the neighbor gave me, to let her know we'd be going to the vet (I'd already told her which one, just in case).

"This number has no voice mailbox set up yet..."

I called two more times.

I really feared she'd given me a bad number or was blowing me off- as nice as she had been.

I sent her a text, and then I really did have to get changed, get Kal, and leave.

We ended up in the same exam room that Leo and I had been in, when I'd taken him in when he was sick last.

Seeing the same vet.

I honestly never intended to go there ever again, but they are very close by, and they have all of our information.

Now I wish I'd thought to take him to Dr. Schultz, instead, since she's been caring for him and everyone all this time.

Oh, well. It was fine, and the vet techs are nice, and also helpful, and informative.

Honestly, I feel the vet techs know so much more than the actual vet, in this particular facility.

I was finally able to take some non-blurry pics, with the tech's help, and send them to DH.

The neighbor lady called, and promised to call the clinic and set up payment. She also said she'd already talked to her husband, and that the dog would be put down by Friday.

We were there for two hours (just like with Leo), but Kal was good, and easygoing and everyone fussed over him and loved him and he didn't have a bad experience at all. He got shaved, so they could see the extent of his wounds, and irrigate the deep punctures. He has pain meds for 5 days, and antibiotics for 14 days.

They discovered yeast infections in both his ears, in the process, and I had that and the meds for treatment put on a separate tab. I figured he had as much, as it goes hand-in-hand with food allergies. Thing is, they're finding out it's better NOT to put medication inside ears, just leave them alone, and the body corrects itself, once you deal with the thing (allergy) that is causing the overgrowth of yeast. I already had a feeling his body was just overrun with yeast. I could tell from reading articles and looking at photos that that was what he was experiencing.

So, here we are again, another sick dog, more daily meds... and we were going out-of-town for the holiday weekend... Looking forward to Kal being able to play with Mom & Dad's dog, Nala, who hasn't had a playmate since Jax passed away, and Kal hasn't had one since he got too big to play with the girls. It was going to be really nice not to have to keep all of the dogs separated (because of Leo and Nala) and to be able to let them mingle.

Now it's going to be another weekend of everyone being crated inside the whole time.

I haven't been able to relax and truly enjoy a visit back home in I don't know how long...

Nala happens to be a German Shepherd so... paws crossed for no lingering ill effects of this whole thing.

Especially since Kal is smack in the middle of a crucial fear period where any sudden anything can effect him for life.

And yet, all day,  he's been himself, living in the moment, wanting to play with his sisters, racing around the yard (when he shouldn't be), constantly trying to do things that his wounds currently prohibit him from doing.

He'll have to rest tomorrow, instead of walking.

Lord knows what I'm going to do with him, then. Walking at least took some of his edge off. Now he can't do that, AND can't play with anybody... How am I going to get through the rest of this week?

The girls didn't get walked today at all, so they are on edge, as well.

I need to make dinner. I didn't even get to eat all day, today. My only options are wine, and pancakes... that's all that I have the makings for, until payday on Friday.

So, I'm going to drink some more wine, before I play with fire-

because the stupid stove is gas and I somehow already singed part of my hair at some point last week...

When is this crap going to stop happening?

29 Weeks

29 Weeks

70-ish lbs (was 68.6 on Saturday).

Received an email update on Saturday from the couple who acquired Kal's brother, they said he weighed 86.4lbs!

Still dealing with the recurring skin issues/outbreaks. 

Nothing to note other than typical puppy antics. The Martingale collar is helping A LOT! Walking Kal in the mornings has been much more pleasant and easier- though he still stops suddenly to sniff -at everything, and often.

Last week, I put Kal in his crate and went to work. I returned two hours later, on the heels of DH, who had arrived and discovered Kal had partly unstuffed his crate bedding. This has happened before, when he somehow managed to work the zipper free. Apparently there is no inner liner containing the stuffing. It's just in there loose.

This time, he had ripped two holes in the underside of the pillow, as well as managed to bust open the seams on two sides.

I stuffed it all back in with the idea I'd patch the holes and re-stitch the seams. I left the pillow lying atop the crate for a full day and a half,

and then, while I was outside watering the front flower beds, with the door open so the dogs could see out and watch, as they like to do,

He decided to pull the pillow down and completely destroy it. Ripped the underside diagonally from one corner to the other- in addition to completely blowing out the two partially split seams.

There was stuffing blocking so much of the front entry way that I couldn't get back in, and Kansas couldn't get through it to get to the living room.

At least I caught him in the act this time and was able to deliver a serious correction. I debated just throwing everything away, but, instead I hot glued the split seams, then grabbed a spare pillow case, opened a couple of seams to make the fabric big enough, and sewed that over the ruined underside. The fabric the underside is made of is pretty flimsy stuff, not really cloth, so sewing it really wasn't enough, hence the hot glue.

It took me an hour.

Now, when Kal gets crated, he gets no bedding to destroy, and no toys to unstuff, either.

Also, after being reminded by  my mother, I've decided to implement dosing everyone with their respective Bach flower remedy drops. For Kal, I'm just using up Leo's, it's similar enough as far as their personalities go. Kansas doesn't normally need one, but I went ahead and ordered one of her own, as well as a refil of Airlie's which is half gone. I mean, if I'm going to use them... I'm also adding a general remedy to their drinking water daily. It's only temporary. I used it for a bit when Kal was a puppy, but as stressed as the girls, particularly Airle (who won't even exit the bedroom in the mornings to go outside to potty now, because she's so fed up with Kal harassing her), are. Might as well. I have them, why not use them? Plus I'll make a point to give Kal the "Home Alone" one whenever I crate him to leave the house.

It wasn't money I was planning to spend... Oh, well.

28 Weeks

28 weeks
67lbs

About to outgrow his size "M" collar. Ordered an "L", and also a martingale (size "M" for now, according to measurements. Eyeing the 1 and 1/2-inch wide one in an "L" for later, if needed...). Walking him is just so exhausting. While it's been better this week, I realized that avoiding introducing a prong collar doesn't mean I can't use another type of training collar. Martingales are usually intended for dogs whose necks are wider than their heads, so they can't slip or back out of the collar and escape. He doesn't have a habit of doing this, but he pull so hard I'm afraid his regular collar will break someday, and he'll be out on the town without his ID. We don't normally walk our dogs on their everyday collars, but trying to teach him loose-leash walking without the aid of a training collar hasn't worked, so... This should be good.

I've had to start walking him on his own again. He's just too strong and nutty and ill-behaved. He and Airlie feed off each other's energy, which makes the walk unpleasant for all 3 of us. Even though I'd like to get it all over and done with at once, I'm just going to have to do this for a while. I take him for about 35-40 minutes, return him home, pick up the girls, walk them together for 15 minutes, take Kansas back home (15 is as much as she can do right now, without rendering herself unable to walk for the rest of the day, and she walks better with Airlie as company than she does if it's just me and her), and then take Airlie for another 15 minutes.

It's amazing how easily Airlie walks when it's just the two of us, at a pace that's right for her. She's always been an awful puller (despite the prong collar) and now, even her agitation when passing fenced yards containing other dogs is so much better. I think she enjoys the one-on-one time, and not having to deal with Kal pouncing on her at random.

It's exhausting for me, however. I used to walk all 3 dogs together, in the Houston humidity, for an hour every day, first thing in the morning. The past two years, owing to moving house and having new, more limited neighborhoods to walk in, and then ailing dogs, and young dogs... our walks have only been about 35 minutes.

This is kicking my butt. If I manage to wake up feeling refreshed, rested and not sore from the previous day's work/workout, by the time I'm done walking each of the dogs, I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

From walking.

SMH...

Again, the new collar should help with all of that.

I really hate not being able to walk all three of them together. It's been so weird...everywhere we've lived, for as long as we've had 3 dogs, I've been the marvel of the neighborhood. Everyone wants to know how I walk three dogs at once, with all of them so well-behaved.

Unfortunately, that comes from years of experience on the dog's part, and right now, adding a new, young dog to the routine just doesn't work. Now, instead of being cooed over, awestruck neighbors asking me how I walk three dogs, I get "Where are the other two?" and have to explain that one is too old and slow to keep up with the new kid, who is still learning, and the other just can't stand him.

This, too, shall pass... but it just isn't the same.

I really miss walking my former trio...

Kal's funny moment of the week:

Last Saturday night, after his twice-weekly weigh-in, DH turned Kal loose. Kal took himself back to bed (we tend to weigh him before WE go to bed, which is after the dogs all go out once last time for the night), and I noticed DH didn't follow and shut him in his crate. Instead, DH went to the kitchen, to write down Kal's weight at the time (66.6lbs, which we joked about). I made a mental note to check the crate, but I forgot.

Which is why when I awoke at 3:33am to the sound of jangling collar tags. Thinking he was just scratching himself, I continued to doze,

til I heard the sound of loud gulping coming from the kitchen, and realized that the 666 puppy was loose in the house, having managed to sleep five full hours in an open crate (responsibly impressive), then awaking and taking himself on a midnight tour of the house that included a stop at the water bowl. I got up to let him out to potty (he's still been going out at about this time all week...that's two weeks,  now...), which meant encountering him in the hallway after he'd raided the toy basket...

It was, at least, more humorous than annoying.

27 Weeks

Oh, this little growing pain...

The things he has learned, the areas of improvement, are so easily eclipsed by the things he has yet to reliably master. It could be said that his energy level is very frustrating, but the truth is that his excited mental state is what we are actually dealing with. He does much better if I take the time to do things like hold him back so that his sisters can exit the back door first, without him trying to wrestle with, chase, or pounce on them. Things really do go so much  more smoothly if I have him sit and wait til he's calm, and then release him to go after them. Plus, they get to pee/poop in peace. Airlie's reached the point where she won't even go, if he's around. She'll just hold it indefinitely. She's the one who taught him that stalking innocent dogs who are just trying to potty was "fun", though. SHe did it to Leo all those years, and started it with Kal the first week. Payback's a bitch, right?

We're currently undergoing that fear period where everything new and out-of-the-ordinary in the neighborhood is suspect. Last week, it was the bag of mulch propped against a tree in someone's yard, that hadn't been there previously. Kal wasn't walking past it.No way, no how. Just kept stopping to stare... and growl...

Then there was the very large, pasty, bald man sitting on his front steps in his undershorts listening to music/watching something on his phone. I heard the music, but didn't notice the person- the sun being in my eyes. But Kal did and was having none of that, either. Not walking past that house. I don't blame him, the guy was kind of scary-looking...

Tall, broad-shouldered, silver-haired, shirtless older gentlemen out working in their own yards are met with equal suspicion.

This week, he did well when encountering a lawn sprinkler operating in someone's yard, conveniently blocking our path on the sidewalk. He likes drinking from the hose, and doesn't mind having the water bowl filled while he is drinking from it. Baths are improving, though running water is still a source of panic. He will sit nicely while having small amounts of water poured on him, and has graduated to being able to sit still while the faucet is on and I'm filling the pitcher for another rinse. He hasn't been swimming yet, and has avoided the baby pool outside other than his initial foray playing in it when he thought nobody was looking. I was sure the sprinkler (one of those rotating ones that throws water out in a circle from two different ends) was going to be a problem, and, not seeing the person sitting on her front porch on the phone (again, sun in my eyes) said "I know. You're not going through there."

"But it will be fun!" a disembodied voice exclaimed, and then began explaining to the person on the other end of the line (on speaker) about the "lady walking her dog, and doesn't want to go through the sprinkler."

Not me. I wouldn't have minded. I just knew it was going to be a no-go situation. But, instead of walking him off the sidewalk and around it via the street, I let him watch for a while, and, mostly for the benefit of the homeowner, I decided to let him try it. He didn't really mind all that much at first, then took a flying leap off to the side in a last-ditch effort to get around the thing. But, he survived.

Yesterday, we got stopped on the same street by a guy working on his motorcycle (he's usually backing out as we pass by) and his two daughters who were playing in the yard. I stopped to answer a few questions and listen to him talk about his own dogs. The girls didn't seem interested in meeting Kal at all (sort of disappointed at the missed opportunity), but Kal stood for it, albeit straining at the leash to continue on our way.

Today we tried the park, again. I haven't taken him, myself, since Sunday when I ended up losing my temper and giving him an earful- in front of most of the neighborhood. It was a bad combination of heat, humidity, sweat, the end of the walk, the dogs in the neighboring back yard, Airlie's reactivity to barking dogs in other yards- even if she can't see them... and she'll do the same even if the yard is empty at the time. Kal thinks it's all a game and was trying cut behind me to jump on Airlie. Then he made his classic mad-dash attempt right across my path, almost hauling the three of us into oncoming traffic. My hands being literally tied, all I could do was mouth off. Hopefully everyone in the park who heard me had already witnessed the previous half-hours antics, constantly being halted in our tracks for whatever he wants to sniff, dealing with his sudden attempts to dash around behind me and change sides. Every once in a while, DH offers to walk him, sensing my frustration. But he gets frustrated, as well- with  Kal's multiple pauses to poop, even though the dog poops every hour or two, beginning at 3pm, and not ceasing until late morning, with the exception of holding it overnight... for the most part.

Also, Kal doesn't recognize "daddy" as an authority and routinely tries to cheat and end the walk early by refusing to continue on past the point where we used to turn around and head home when he was younger and couldn't go as far.

Or, he'll just lie down and refuse to move- usually in the middle of the somewhat busy street that runs right through the park.

I really, really did not want to be spending my time and energy on this at this point in my life.

This week has been a trial of sleep interruptions. He still doesn't sleep past 6:15, but now he is revisiting the wee hours, whining to get up for no apparent reason at 4am Sunday night... and then was up again at 5, and 6:30... Monday he was up at 5:15... Tuesday it was 12:30... and 5:30... last night, he started barking like mad at 11:30, after I'd only been asleep for about an hour (thank you, Summer Olympics, for keeping my husband (and myself, by default) up past my bedtime... Ugh.). I can only figure this was because somebody dropped one of the neighbors off. They make a lot of noise over there, and it is heard more easily from the dogs' room than our own, though both are on the same side of the house. Something about the space between the houses seems to magnify everything. Then he threw a huge whining fit at 1:30... but when I let him out he just sat there. I figured out that he'd apparently puked in his crate prior to that, and was fussing because he wanted to eat the vomit that had landed outside of the crate, but couldn't reach it.

I think that's what's been happening the other nights, as well, because both the other dogs have been sniffing around his crate of late, and he's been obsessed about scavenging around the edges, as well.

I really freakin' wish they'd all stop with the dirt-eating, and the chewing bark off the tree out back... and I'm beyond ready to discontinue the evening feeding. He's old enough to phase it out, and I've been gradually cutting it back, but DH is refusing to comply with just ending it completely.

Paws crossed for DH going back to work soon, then I can do everything my way.

Because 1/2 cup of food in the evening is just ridiculous- and is also probably what's contributing to the early morning wakefulness.

...and if he's just going to puke it up, anyway...

All of this, mind you, I can hear behind closed doors, with earplugs in my ears,

while DH sleeps through the whole damn thing.

I just want to cry... 

DH has begun wiping Kal down with Hibiclens (which I've been trying to get him to do for some time) which trumps my bathing and coat spray routine for now, but seems to be working. I just wish, when he'd "help", that he'd be consistent about it.

27 weeks
65.8lbs
Seems leggy and skinny, less muscle these past two weeks. Rate of weight gain is slowing. Now feeding 4 and 3/4 c. food per day...

6 Months Old

6 Months Old
64lbs
25 inches tall

Teeth look great. Skin appears to be improving. No further drastic hair loss. Maybe there is even  new fur growing in. The second version of the coat spray recipe (posted previously) seems to be working really great!