Roxie is fine. We've been busy and have sadly neglected our blogging duties....
She finally recovered from her neck injury, or whatever it was. It was 6 weeks of hurt for her and misery for us. We hate, hate, hate to see her uncomfortable! But the second course of valium is what finally did it. She is now the wiggly girl she was when we got her....
Rox has developed a plan, as all thinking dogs will do. She goes out for her final duty run at bedtime. Comes in and gets her good-girl treat. Prances, tells us how good she is and then........ back out for trip # 2. Same routine, same treat. So we've caught on and tell her after number two trip she is done. She stands in the kitchen and barks at us. Raa-roo, wahroo, ark ark! Then runs to the door for trip # 3. By this time we are laughing. She gets us every night. As if it's a first run movie and we've never seen it before and don't know what's going to happen next. She thinks we are stupid. She is so blatent, transparent as glass.
So on trip # 3 she sits at the outer door, listening to the night sounds. I guess she might be waiting for a possum to cross the patio - she sits stone still like a statue in the dark. Listening.
Finally we get her in and she gets treat # 3 and we have to carry her off to bed.
Yes, she's back in bed with us. Sigh. Those springtime thunder showers and July fireworks scared her so we had to protect her from them coming in the house. That meant middle pillow.
Sigh.
18 July 2008
27 June 2008
Score
Roxie bagged another critter........ a hapless chipmunk ran too slowly. So far this year, she's gotten 2 possums, 1 blackbird and 1 chipmunk.
Photo of chipmunk will not be forthcoming, for obvious reasons. Rox learned from the blackbird hit and this time she hid under the bushes so Bob couldn't confiscate her prize.
The old "steak bits" strategy proved successful, however, and Bob was able to get the munged-on critter dropped on the porch in exchange for a treat.
I bet next time she'll remember the treat trick and we'll have to come up with something new. She adapts each time.....
She was very proud of herself. And of course, I get the phone call while I'm out running errands, "Hey Mom, she got another one!" Bob is so proud of his little hunter.
She had chipmunk breath for two days. Ick......
Photo of chipmunk will not be forthcoming, for obvious reasons. Rox learned from the blackbird hit and this time she hid under the bushes so Bob couldn't confiscate her prize.
The old "steak bits" strategy proved successful, however, and Bob was able to get the munged-on critter dropped on the porch in exchange for a treat.
I bet next time she'll remember the treat trick and we'll have to come up with something new. She adapts each time.....
She was very proud of herself. And of course, I get the phone call while I'm out running errands, "Hey Mom, she got another one!" Bob is so proud of his little hunter.
She had chipmunk breath for two days. Ick......
20 June 2008
Night Patrol
Black as pitch, no moon. The fireflies have gone to bed, the frogs are croaking periodically. The birds are silent. The only thing flying are the mosquitoes. The only light to see by is the light from the family room windows.
Rox is a lady of the night. The sun goes down and she heads for the door. Sitting absolutely still at the edge of the patio, she scans the yard, back and forth, back and forth...
Every half hour she leaves her post and circles the perimeter. Ambling silently to avoid detection, stopping to listen, look or sniff the air. We use our gigantic, super-size flashlight to find her at the back fence. Our light doesn't faze her, she continues her surveillance.
I wonder what she sees and why she feels the need to hunt at night... perhaps a deeply buried instinct? Her nightwork has rid our yard of possums and rabbits. We used to have them and now we don't. Could they really know to avoid our yard? Is it animal instinct, has she spread her scent that says "keep out of this yard?"
How does a one-eyed dog hunt at night? What does she see? What does she smell? What does she hear?
Rox is a lady of the night. The sun goes down and she heads for the door. Sitting absolutely still at the edge of the patio, she scans the yard, back and forth, back and forth...
Every half hour she leaves her post and circles the perimeter. Ambling silently to avoid detection, stopping to listen, look or sniff the air. We use our gigantic, super-size flashlight to find her at the back fence. Our light doesn't faze her, she continues her surveillance.
I wonder what she sees and why she feels the need to hunt at night... perhaps a deeply buried instinct? Her nightwork has rid our yard of possums and rabbits. We used to have them and now we don't. Could they really know to avoid our yard? Is it animal instinct, has she spread her scent that says "keep out of this yard?"
How does a one-eyed dog hunt at night? What does she see? What does she smell? What does she hear?
Muscle Spasms
Today Rox wasn't acting like her old self.... she was walking tentatively, going slowly up the one 4 inch step into the kitchen, seemed to be sleeping more than usual. And she was giving me the saddest eyes........
So, off we go to see Dr. R, one of our favorite vets. The good news is that when Dr. R did the neck manipulation, there was no painful screams like the first visit, or no growley moan like the second visit. This means Rox is on the mend in terms of the possible cervical disc problem.
There was, however, some muscle resistance at the extreme range of motion and an inability to reach max range on a downward movement. So....... it seems like muscle spasms, or muscle tenderness rather than disc problem. That's the good news, because a course of valium will help with that.
Once again, Baby Girl is on drugs... No, I shouldn't really joke about that. The med really helps relax the muscles and will help her feel better. Once she is feeling better, we will need to make sure she doesn't over do herself... up until now the pain/discomfort has been helpful in limiting her activity.
It's a hard thing to watch a dog in pain or discomfort. Rox is way better than she was last month, but somehow I just knew she was hiding her pain. A mother knows....
So once again our good vets have helped her feel better. Good vets are a treasure, for sure.
Another thing I decided on this trip to the vet - Rox is getting a car crate tomorrow! She is the world's worst passenger!! The worst! Singing, barking, whining, insisting on trying to get into the driver's lap.... falling into the space between the front seats... I finally pulled over and yelled at her. That shut her up. She didn't speak to me or look at me for two hours - not until dinner time, then she forgot she was mad at me.
By the time we got home in rush hour traffic, I was a sweaty wreck, worrying about her neck, about hurting her feelings.... yikes. If I have to take her in the car again all by myself, she will be in the safety of a crate in the back seat.
You all will know her next car trip - that's when you will hear her howling in California.
Sometimes being a mom means doing the right thing, even if it's not the thing your kids want.
So, off we go to see Dr. R, one of our favorite vets. The good news is that when Dr. R did the neck manipulation, there was no painful screams like the first visit, or no growley moan like the second visit. This means Rox is on the mend in terms of the possible cervical disc problem.
There was, however, some muscle resistance at the extreme range of motion and an inability to reach max range on a downward movement. So....... it seems like muscle spasms, or muscle tenderness rather than disc problem. That's the good news, because a course of valium will help with that.
Once again, Baby Girl is on drugs... No, I shouldn't really joke about that. The med really helps relax the muscles and will help her feel better. Once she is feeling better, we will need to make sure she doesn't over do herself... up until now the pain/discomfort has been helpful in limiting her activity.
It's a hard thing to watch a dog in pain or discomfort. Rox is way better than she was last month, but somehow I just knew she was hiding her pain. A mother knows....
So once again our good vets have helped her feel better. Good vets are a treasure, for sure.
Another thing I decided on this trip to the vet - Rox is getting a car crate tomorrow! She is the world's worst passenger!! The worst! Singing, barking, whining, insisting on trying to get into the driver's lap.... falling into the space between the front seats... I finally pulled over and yelled at her. That shut her up. She didn't speak to me or look at me for two hours - not until dinner time, then she forgot she was mad at me.
By the time we got home in rush hour traffic, I was a sweaty wreck, worrying about her neck, about hurting her feelings.... yikes. If I have to take her in the car again all by myself, she will be in the safety of a crate in the back seat.
You all will know her next car trip - that's when you will hear her howling in California.
Sometimes being a mom means doing the right thing, even if it's not the thing your kids want.
16 June 2008
Something's Missing
Sitting.... check
Wall Street......... check.
Starbucks.................... check.
Roxie........................................ wait! Where's Roxie????!!!!!
Where's the DOG??!!
Oh. It's OK... she's on MY lap.
Whew.
So... I Was Just Playing Around One Day....
..... and lo and behold, I figured out my camera has a macro setting! And of course while I was just sitting around, Rox was sitting around ON me..... and so the subject of my first set of macro photos was ... ta da! Roxie's butt hair................Well, not really butt hair - this is her southside top rump as it rested ON my lap.
Pretty hairs, yes?
01 June 2008
Spring: Same Pose, Different Chair
The Roxie and Bob Show moves to it's new springtime location. This is a pre-plant sunroom view. The next photos will have the seasonal plants in place.
Spring Brings Health and Happiness
So, the episode is ovah! Yea........
Rox is back to her old self, finally, finally, finally! She's talking and singing, wants uppie-uppies and has even gone back to her pre-steroid, lady-like nibble when taking treats from hands.
The lack of Her Walks for so many weeks has had interesting implications. We no longer have to get up at 5:30 AM for walks in the dark. She also sleeps in much longer because she's in her own bed on the floor instead of between us on the big bed.
Dog on floor in own bed
= mom gets a good night's sleep
= sheets stay clean longer
= no one wakes up with dry doggie spittle from licks
This is our first spring with The Roxter; first spring where bunnies, birds and other critters dare to walk in her yard. She's proving adept at gardening and hunting. We're learning to get the dirt clots out from between her toes and dirt boogers from her nose. She's pretty good about allowing us to pick her clean.... in fact, she takes the opportunity to guilt us into a massage after picking her for dirt clots. Oh the guilt..........
She has also developed an interesting little quirk - she tells us she wants us to accompany her outdoors in the back yard when she goes. She comes to get us, then makes sure we are following her; she stops and turns around to see if we are walking behind her. If we stop walking (which we do to tease her) she returns to us and 'rah-rooooos', the returns to her lead position, which we are to follow.
She particularly loves it when I sit in the grass as her home base. She gets pets, then goes out exploring in the yard, the perimeter of which is her exploration route. Periodically she'll return for some rubs and discussion, then off she goes again. She's turned back yard trips into family outings!
Rox is back to her old self, finally, finally, finally! She's talking and singing, wants uppie-uppies and has even gone back to her pre-steroid, lady-like nibble when taking treats from hands.
The lack of Her Walks for so many weeks has had interesting implications. We no longer have to get up at 5:30 AM for walks in the dark. She also sleeps in much longer because she's in her own bed on the floor instead of between us on the big bed.
Dog on floor in own bed
= mom gets a good night's sleep
= sheets stay clean longer
= no one wakes up with dry doggie spittle from licks
This is our first spring with The Roxter; first spring where bunnies, birds and other critters dare to walk in her yard. She's proving adept at gardening and hunting. We're learning to get the dirt clots out from between her toes and dirt boogers from her nose. She's pretty good about allowing us to pick her clean.... in fact, she takes the opportunity to guilt us into a massage after picking her for dirt clots. Oh the guilt..........
She has also developed an interesting little quirk - she tells us she wants us to accompany her outdoors in the back yard when she goes. She comes to get us, then makes sure we are following her; she stops and turns around to see if we are walking behind her. If we stop walking (which we do to tease her) she returns to us and 'rah-rooooos', the returns to her lead position, which we are to follow.
She particularly loves it when I sit in the grass as her home base. She gets pets, then goes out exploring in the yard, the perimeter of which is her exploration route. Periodically she'll return for some rubs and discussion, then off she goes again. She's turned back yard trips into family outings!
27 May 2008
Better and Better
Each day Rox is improving. Yesterday she followed me down the stairs to the basement. At once overjoyed and angry, I had to carry her back up and remind myself to never forget again to barricade the stairs.
Still on valium, at least for another couple of days. I'm going up to see Dr. Putt tomorrow, trying to catch her between patients. Rox has another 1.5 weeks of enforced rest then we see how she is. Hopefully, that will be the end of this "episode".
Valium + Roxie = Happiness.
Still on valium, at least for another couple of days. I'm going up to see Dr. Putt tomorrow, trying to catch her between patients. Rox has another 1.5 weeks of enforced rest then we see how she is. Hopefully, that will be the end of this "episode".
Valium + Roxie = Happiness.
25 May 2008
Friday's Vet Appointment
I'm not gonna say she's better, because I don't want to jinx her. But when Dr. Putt did the neck maneuver Rox growled instead of cried. She was also able to manipulate her head further than 10 days ago. Apparently that means improvement. Yea!
We switched from Tramadol for pain to Valium for muscle relaxation and Rox has mellowed out! Actually we are seeing a return of our wiggly girl slowly but surely. She will talk to us again. We're clapping each time she "woo-woo's" and "rah-roooooooo's" She even wanted up on the bed last night. (Sorry Babe, those days are ovah!)
At this point we have two more weeks of enforced rest. No walks, no Bob-bed, no running. This is going to be harder now because before now she limited herself. She felt bad and didn't want to run or go for walks. Now....... now she is coasting on the valium and with the accompanying improvement in how she feels, she is ready to resume her old lifestyle. And she's not healed yet.
The hugely increased steroid appetite is pitiful for her and us. She is hungry! And with her weight problem we can't give in. She's only gained (much to our surprise) 11 ounces - from 29 lbs to 29 lb, 11 oz. Not to bad for steroids. Green beans have been the mail stay. She gets cooked green beans, and sometimes cooked carrots for her snacks. She wants to "snack" all day.... another sneaky trick is to give her the glucosamine as a treat, and even the vitamin as a treat. She thinks they're good.
The weight loss becomes even more of an issue, as it seems Rox will never be allowed to go up and down stairs again. She'll be using the people elevator from now on. This is just one more reason I can't wait to move to a ranch style home - her neck and our knees. Sigh.......
Right now she's laying out on the sun room, having found her patch of solar heat. It's good that she's feeling better. We hate, hate, hate it when she's not.
We switched from Tramadol for pain to Valium for muscle relaxation and Rox has mellowed out! Actually we are seeing a return of our wiggly girl slowly but surely. She will talk to us again. We're clapping each time she "woo-woo's" and "rah-roooooooo's" She even wanted up on the bed last night. (Sorry Babe, those days are ovah!)
At this point we have two more weeks of enforced rest. No walks, no Bob-bed, no running. This is going to be harder now because before now she limited herself. She felt bad and didn't want to run or go for walks. Now....... now she is coasting on the valium and with the accompanying improvement in how she feels, she is ready to resume her old lifestyle. And she's not healed yet.
The hugely increased steroid appetite is pitiful for her and us. She is hungry! And with her weight problem we can't give in. She's only gained (much to our surprise) 11 ounces - from 29 lbs to 29 lb, 11 oz. Not to bad for steroids. Green beans have been the mail stay. She gets cooked green beans, and sometimes cooked carrots for her snacks. She wants to "snack" all day.... another sneaky trick is to give her the glucosamine as a treat, and even the vitamin as a treat. She thinks they're good.
The weight loss becomes even more of an issue, as it seems Rox will never be allowed to go up and down stairs again. She'll be using the people elevator from now on. This is just one more reason I can't wait to move to a ranch style home - her neck and our knees. Sigh.......
Right now she's laying out on the sun room, having found her patch of solar heat. It's good that she's feeling better. We hate, hate, hate it when she's not.
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