Took Kal for his annual vaccinations last Thursday (and I realized he's always going to be due on/around Leo's birthday...).
He still weighs 87.something lbs. Still hasn't really gained any since last fall, or since February.
He was good for the vet, and mooched A LOT of treats,
which is probably why he started breaking out in hives again Friday evening.
It was that or the vaccines, but since the hives were only located on/around his right shoulder, and the vaccines went into the right and left hips, I'm sure it was the treats. There was probably chicken in them.
I wasn't even thinking.
But those are the only two variables that have changed, recently, so...
It hasn't spread, at least, and they are all cleared up today, after looking much better yesterday.
He's disemboweled his bed 4 mornings in a row, so far this week, but I've been yelling at him to "HUSH!" when he begins fussing in the early mornings (or getting up and going to tell him to hush, on the mornings where his daddy is home asleep, instead of just coming in from the night shift),and it seems to be working. He still wakes at 5:30 am and amuses himself with his Nylabone (or, apparently not...) for about half an hour, but now he doesn't fuss until 6:30/6:45, instead of 6:00 or 6:15.
DH has been walking him on a prong collar for about 2 weeks, now, after a particularly adventurous and challenging walk one morning where a pair of bunnies, followed by a pair of ducks, followed by a pair of squirrels proved to be too much excitement for Kal to handle.
I guess there's progress in this post, somewhere...
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Monday, January 2, 2017
11 Months
11 Months
27 and 1/2 inches tall
87.8 lbs (as of two weeks ago- probably more like 90lbs, now)
Too skinny, too bony-looking and too many ribs showing. Not sure if it's the cold, the extra activity chasing squirrels, or something dietary. Definitely he grew a lot more, in recent months. Poop issues: the same, despite being on probiotics for a month. They've helped with the majority of the gas, and maybe there's less midday diarrhea (as long as I can keep him from eating any other poop) but no real, significant changes, otherwise. I can't just keep feeding him more, if his stool is indicative of overfeeding, already...
Supposed to try a friends' recipe for adding weight to dogs. Keep forgetting to purchase the ingredients. Plus, we're trying to keep him grain-free, so the rice in the recipe needs to be substituted, but.. with what? He's already getting plenty/too many other carbs in his daily kibble, in various forms. Probably will just go with ground beef and kefir (if I can't find goat's milk), or cottage cheese. Still... that's only adding more volume to his already over-filled tummy...
27 and 1/2 inches tall
87.8 lbs (as of two weeks ago- probably more like 90lbs, now)
Too skinny, too bony-looking and too many ribs showing. Not sure if it's the cold, the extra activity chasing squirrels, or something dietary. Definitely he grew a lot more, in recent months. Poop issues: the same, despite being on probiotics for a month. They've helped with the majority of the gas, and maybe there's less midday diarrhea (as long as I can keep him from eating any other poop) but no real, significant changes, otherwise. I can't just keep feeding him more, if his stool is indicative of overfeeding, already...
Supposed to try a friends' recipe for adding weight to dogs. Keep forgetting to purchase the ingredients. Plus, we're trying to keep him grain-free, so the rice in the recipe needs to be substituted, but.. with what? He's already getting plenty/too many other carbs in his daily kibble, in various forms. Probably will just go with ground beef and kefir (if I can't find goat's milk), or cottage cheese. Still... that's only adding more volume to his already over-filled tummy...
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Dude, You're Killing Me
I was trying to put off posting until tomorrow's 11-Month post, but, after the week we've had...
'Member when he was just a puppy and the biggest problem was taking him out repeatedly, all. night. long. and it taking FOREVER for him to go back to sleep?
'Member when the above was also then accompanied by making sure to remove any toys that had hitchhiked back to the crate, in order to avoid them being disemboweled and/or eaten in the wee hours?
'Member when the "wee hours" wasn't synonymous with both of the above, and also checking his bedding to see if it was wet before putting him back to bed?
Because that's how this week has gone. Probably it's the recent bout of sunny, 50-degree days we've had that he's been outside enjoying for the first time in weeks, that have caused him to drink just enough more water.
Not only is he back to going out at 12:45am, or 1:45, or 2:45... he also has been up at 6am every morning.
Basically he's gone out every 4 hours, every night. All. night. long.
Oh, and now he wets the bed.
In his sleep.
Sometime between bedtime and that first late-night potty break.
And, me sick with bronchitis and not getting any rest, despite going to bed as soon as the dogs get put to bed (7pm).
Two night of hearing him thrash about, making ridiculous racket, and getting up to find he'd shoved his pillow to one end of the crate and was curled up on the flat crate bottom.
I really don't think his bed was peed in the second night. It didn't smell like pee, though it was damp in a rather large area- nothing like two nights prior, though.
Thank goodness that last new duvet coverhttps://www.dogbed4less.com/products/diy-cover I bought him (after he chewed through not one, but TWO duvet covers, and bypassed ONE lined pillow of stuffing to tunnel through the next layer) came with a waterproof inner liner. It sure has been handy to just remove/wash the outer cover.
He's already chewed that, too, btw... It lasted a whole week, then one morning I heard him rip through the zipper track- in TWO places. Couldn't have chewed a hole somewhere else, had to just put his teeth two inches from the end of the zipper and PULL.
God. I hate this dog.
I managed to mend most of it, just shortening the zipper but, after washing twice, there's still a hole right next to where the zipper seam begins.
Going to have to patch it, or order another one... maybe canvas, this time...
'Member when he was just a puppy and the biggest problem was taking him out repeatedly, all. night. long. and it taking FOREVER for him to go back to sleep?
'Member when the above was also then accompanied by making sure to remove any toys that had hitchhiked back to the crate, in order to avoid them being disemboweled and/or eaten in the wee hours?
'Member when the "wee hours" wasn't synonymous with both of the above, and also checking his bedding to see if it was wet before putting him back to bed?
Because that's how this week has gone. Probably it's the recent bout of sunny, 50-degree days we've had that he's been outside enjoying for the first time in weeks, that have caused him to drink just enough more water.
Not only is he back to going out at 12:45am, or 1:45, or 2:45... he also has been up at 6am every morning.
Basically he's gone out every 4 hours, every night. All. night. long.
Oh, and now he wets the bed.
In his sleep.
Sometime between bedtime and that first late-night potty break.
And, me sick with bronchitis and not getting any rest, despite going to bed as soon as the dogs get put to bed (7pm).
Two night of hearing him thrash about, making ridiculous racket, and getting up to find he'd shoved his pillow to one end of the crate and was curled up on the flat crate bottom.
I really don't think his bed was peed in the second night. It didn't smell like pee, though it was damp in a rather large area- nothing like two nights prior, though.
Thank goodness that last new duvet coverhttps://www.dogbed4less.com/products/diy-cover I bought him (after he chewed through not one, but TWO duvet covers, and bypassed ONE lined pillow of stuffing to tunnel through the next layer) came with a waterproof inner liner. It sure has been handy to just remove/wash the outer cover.
He's already chewed that, too, btw... It lasted a whole week, then one morning I heard him rip through the zipper track- in TWO places. Couldn't have chewed a hole somewhere else, had to just put his teeth two inches from the end of the zipper and PULL.
God. I hate this dog.
I managed to mend most of it, just shortening the zipper but, after washing twice, there's still a hole right next to where the zipper seam begins.
Going to have to patch it, or order another one... maybe canvas, this time...
Friday, December 9, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
40 Weeks
Dear Psycho Baby Child,
Every week you seem to discover a new way to completely exhaust and aggravate the rest of us.
Your daddy things you are good as gold and can do no wrong.
He only sees you at the end of the day, when you are TIRED thanks to my efforts to wrangle you into a decent representation of the canine race
All.
Day.
Long.
Plus, he decided (again) that you needed to be eating more.
Excuse me while I put my head through a wall.
The two days of mist/drizzle, followed by a day of overcast, damp and chilly were very much a struggle- for all of us.
Even now that the weather is nice again and you can spend most of the day playing outside doesn't really help.
Going outside to pick up all poop prior to letting you out doesn't really help.
Between the obsessive squirrel-chasing, the obsessive racing around the yard, nose to the ground, sniffing out phantom poop (because I already snatched it up), and the obsessive whining at the dog next door/pestering your sisters in the canine form of "I'm touching you. I'm touching youuuuu!"-
I'm fed up.
The excitement is uncontrollable.
There has been much yelling (and it has been discovered that yelling causes you to shut down, rather than cooperate, so... that's out).
God, I wish we could neuter you. That would solve so much.
Every week you seem to discover a new way to completely exhaust and aggravate the rest of us.
Your daddy things you are good as gold and can do no wrong.
He only sees you at the end of the day, when you are TIRED thanks to my efforts to wrangle you into a decent representation of the canine race
All.
Day.
Long.
Plus, he decided (again) that you needed to be eating more.
Excuse me while I put my head through a wall.
The two days of mist/drizzle, followed by a day of overcast, damp and chilly were very much a struggle- for all of us.
Even now that the weather is nice again and you can spend most of the day playing outside doesn't really help.
Going outside to pick up all poop prior to letting you out doesn't really help.
Between the obsessive squirrel-chasing, the obsessive racing around the yard, nose to the ground, sniffing out phantom poop (because I already snatched it up), and the obsessive whining at the dog next door/pestering your sisters in the canine form of "I'm touching you. I'm touching youuuuu!"-
I'm fed up.
The excitement is uncontrollable.
There has been much yelling (and it has been discovered that yelling causes you to shut down, rather than cooperate, so... that's out).
God, I wish we could neuter you. That would solve so much.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
39 Weeks (9 Months)
39 Weeks
9 Months Old
81.5 lbs
*sigh* upped your food portions (again), against my better judgements, because your daddy started harping on (again) that you "looked skinny". Tried explaining to him that, at 5c/day, you are still well within the bag's "8-12 month" range of "4 and 1/3-5 and 1/2c/day". 5 and 1/2 c was just too much a month ago. Maybe it's not now. I conceeded an extra 1/3c/ per meal, so 5 and 2/3c/day, not quite 5 and 1/2... I still don't think you need to be eating the 12 month range of food at 9 months old. Reminded him that puppies reach their adult "size" by the age of 6 months, though their weight (mainly increased muscle) continues to fill out for another year or so... You, at 80-something lbs, have plenty of time to finish growing. You don't need to gain 100lbs all in the first year. 15-ish more lbs, put on slowly, is better, and perfectly normal.
Geez.
Walking has been ok. You're not pulling quite so much. A few more loose dog encounters and near misses. The little dog on the opposite side of the street on Tuesday gave you much cause for concern, but it was fine, though you wouldn't trust me and just keep walking and ignore it like I wanted.
The pile of black garbage bags next to one of the yards we pass often sure freaked you out, today. They weren't a group of black dogs, I promise.
You're having fun chasing squirrels, now that the weather is cooler and they are actively preparing for winter. This also means you're having to polish your "going out the door" manners.
Nighttimes are hit or miss. We had another blissful week of you not waking up to go out at all, and we didn't even take you out at 10pm,l either, but this week, we're back to going out at least once, usually around 12 or 1 (instead of 2 or 4), and you're actually fussing to go out at 10pm...
Just go the fuck to sleep, already.
You and Airlie "had words" over a stray piece of kibble yesterday. She won, I think.
9 Months Old
81.5 lbs
*sigh* upped your food portions (again), against my better judgements, because your daddy started harping on (again) that you "looked skinny". Tried explaining to him that, at 5c/day, you are still well within the bag's "8-12 month" range of "4 and 1/3-5 and 1/2c/day". 5 and 1/2 c was just too much a month ago. Maybe it's not now. I conceeded an extra 1/3c/ per meal, so 5 and 2/3c/day, not quite 5 and 1/2... I still don't think you need to be eating the 12 month range of food at 9 months old. Reminded him that puppies reach their adult "size" by the age of 6 months, though their weight (mainly increased muscle) continues to fill out for another year or so... You, at 80-something lbs, have plenty of time to finish growing. You don't need to gain 100lbs all in the first year. 15-ish more lbs, put on slowly, is better, and perfectly normal.
Geez.
Walking has been ok. You're not pulling quite so much. A few more loose dog encounters and near misses. The little dog on the opposite side of the street on Tuesday gave you much cause for concern, but it was fine, though you wouldn't trust me and just keep walking and ignore it like I wanted.
The pile of black garbage bags next to one of the yards we pass often sure freaked you out, today. They weren't a group of black dogs, I promise.
You're having fun chasing squirrels, now that the weather is cooler and they are actively preparing for winter. This also means you're having to polish your "going out the door" manners.
Nighttimes are hit or miss. We had another blissful week of you not waking up to go out at all, and we didn't even take you out at 10pm,l either, but this week, we're back to going out at least once, usually around 12 or 1 (instead of 2 or 4), and you're actually fussing to go out at 10pm...
Just go the fuck to sleep, already.
You and Airlie "had words" over a stray piece of kibble yesterday. She won, I think.
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