Little Dog in a Big World

Posts Tagged ‘Puppies’

Common sense would have told me to crate Misha while we decorated the tree.  She was off playing with her treat ball, so I didn’t think I had to worry.

Then she darted into the room.  Before we knew it she had something in her mouth that looked suspiciously like an ornament hook.  I grabbed her and felt nothing.  But, there was no hook on the ground.

After several minutes of back and forth, I decided to call the emergency vet clinic.  Of course, I should bring her in!  Her size (7 1/2 lbs.) made it more of a danger.  So, off we went to the emergency clinic.

Misha is terrified of the emergency clinic.  She went last May for a severe allergic reaction to a spider bite.  They got her muzzled and were able to give her the necessary shots.  But, when they turned on the razor to shave the area so they could clean it up, she freaked out.

She had not forgotten.

They first tried to work with her but she wasn’t participating.  I was brought in to weigh her.  I was able to do that with no problem.  I handed her over, but they couldn’t get her to calm down.

They tried to muzzle her, then I tried to muzzle her.  No go.

The Veterinarian came in and decided that before x-rays they would induce vomiting to see if we got lucky.  The inducer had an mild opiate in it which would calm Misha for the x-rays.

Misha got the inducer and then a plate of food.  She never has canned food.  She didn’t know what to do with it.  She would put some in her mouth, swish it around, then spit it out.  She finally decided that it was food and it was okay to eat.

Then she went through about 20 minutes of vomiting, poor thing!  And…no hook.  So, they did x-rays to be sure.  She was much calmer at this point and they were able to x-ray her just fine.  The hook did not appear on the x-rays.  Because we took her to the clinic so quickly, the Veterinarian was pretty sure she didn’t swallow a hook.

We took her home, where she turned into a wild banshee.  And, then she fell asleep.

The next day she was pretty dopey.  Around noon she picked up something behind the couch.  I chased her down.  What ever it was, she didn’t like it because she kept spitting it out.  Eventually she dropped it and abandoned it and I picked it up.  It was an ornament hook!  Not again!  We then felt the entire carpet to ensure that nothing else was lurking in the fibers.

As were down on our hands and knees, the thought occurred to me that no one had been behind the couch.  How did the hook get there?  It must have been the hook she picked up the night before!  She dropped it behind the couch before I caught her.

We were so fortunate.  We dodged the bullet twice in 24 hours.  I can tell you that when we take the tree down, she’ll be crated with a padlock for security!

Just a week ago, Misha turned 8 months old.  You can see she has all the attitude of a teenager.  LOL

It’s hard to believe she has lived with us 6 months already.  We’ve gotten through the anxious nights, the housebreaking (though an accident every now and then still happens), losing her teeth, the incessant chewing, and all the stages in between.

I’ve been working with her regularly on her dog training.  Short sessions multiple times a day.  She loves to do tricks and is eager to please.

Her enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of her.  I will grab some small treats, give the “come” command, and walk into another room.  She is supposed to follow me and sit when we stop.  She does all this, but as we walk to the other room I see this 8 pound object bouncing two feet off the ground to the left of me.  As I turn around to stop, she immediately gets into sitting position as if she knows she must do so before the teacher looks at her.  It’s really funny to see!

She still has some things to work out.  She’s getting much better about noises.  She no longer panics when we take our walks, though she still gets startled.  I’ve started walking her to a busy corner where she sniffs the bushes.  Slowly but surely she has begun to ignore the sounds of the cars and the people.  Now we need to work on walking in the wind or rain, both of which she has decided must be accomplished at a sprint.

I know with previous puppies that patience is the key.  Sometime after the first year you see the signs of your hard work sinking in.

So, happy 8th month puppy!  It won’t be long before you have your first birthday