When Dogs Attempt Suicide

The day before Thanksgiving, Jake had his distemper shot and for the rest of the day he didn't eat. That didn't come as a surprise; I know that dogs often don't feel well the day they get shots and just decided to keep an eye on him the next day. What I didn't take into account was that while it might be normal for a dog not to eat for a day after getting his shots, a dog who tips the scales at 5 pounds even can't handle it.

By the time he hadn't eaten much for a couple of days--which I've seen dogs only slightly larger do several times over the years--he was lethargic, hard to wake up from sleep and kept going and hiding behind the couch. He'd rouse himself to go outside and come when he was called and such, but didn't seem very interested and, if nothing else was being asked of him, he slept.

I thought he was sick from his shots and took him back to the vet, only to discover that he was actually suffering from low blood sugar and essentially starving himself to death.

Apparently, after just over a day of not eating, he was feeling sick enough that he didn't want to or didn't think he could eat. He'd lost 6/10 of a pound, which doesn't sound like much but was more than 10% of his body weight. Even the vet freaked out a little when he saw the change in his weight over just a few days.

After loading him up with Nutrical and high-calorie prescription soft food and pretty much anything he showed the slightest interest in for a few days, he's back to his normal (read: highly energetic) self, but it could easily have gone the other way. It turned out that while I thought he was just sleeping off his shots, he was actually too weak to eat. And it happened in just over 24 hours.

Obviously, the dog wasn't really trying to commit suicide, but he was just lying around waiting to die, and if my daughter and I weren't both a shade on the overprotective side, we could easily have waited too long to seek help.

Apparently, if your dog weighs five pounds, it needs to eat every day whether it wants to or not.

What I Forgot (1)

In three years of doglessness, I entirely forgot the feeling of having a dog run at full speed across the yard to greet you or fling himself against the door when he sees you coming, as if your arrival is the most important thing that's ever happened to him in his life.

Lost Whippet in Boston - please help!

Re-posting this call for help from a friend; if you're in the Boston area please keep an eye out for this dog and leave a comment here if you find her. I don't have a phone number to share at the moment, but will get in touch with her immediately if anyone has information to share.

Friends in and near Boston I need your help!!! Please put the word out - the dog I was walking tonight slipped out of her collar and took off, I cannot find her! She is a small female whippet, white and grey and answers to the name Gracie. She is very fast and very skittish. She was last seen on Beacon and Joy - if you see her PLEASE contact me IMMEDIATLY.

Jake Makes a New Friend...

but I don't think he's at all certain about her.

Everyone Loves a Puppy

You all know by now that I got a puppy about a month ago (and promptly dropped out of sight because I'm...well...busy with my puppy). He's pretty cute, in case you haven't noticed.






My daughter, much to her own surprise, is crazy about him.

She argued strenuously for a cat. She knew we couldn't really get one (I'm allergic), but she made it clear that the whole dog thing didn't interest her and she was just going along because she knew how much I wanted one.



The biggest surprise, though, has been the interest of other people. When my friends first started making posts on my Facebook wall asking me to post more pictures of Jake, I thought they were humoring me. Don't get me wrong--I appreciated it, and I definitely took the opportunity to go ahead and post more pictures (and video) of Jake, but I really thought they were just trying to give me an opportunity to show him off, like a new mother.

It seems like not. Video of Jake seems to be in hot demand, as he does fascinating things like walk across the couch, run down a hill, and sit in my yard.

.

Big news like the fact that Jake had his first bath is received with excitement.

I'm surprised, but it's all good. Keep those requests coming, even if you are humoring me. I'm always happy to look at Jake and talk about how cute he is.

Good News

Desperately Seeking Yorkie

It's been nearly a year since I made this optimistic (okay, insanely excited) post about how I was finally ready to get a new dog and had gotten my landlord to agree. I even posted a picture of the kind of dog I wanted...but since then, it's been nothing but disappointment. Now, I'm not going to claim that I've been looking tirelessly for this puppy for the past ten months, but every time I get close I end up disappointed.

For instance, I thought I'd found a reputable place to get a puppy in Yorks, Morks and Malts. I even corresponded with the breeders a bit. They and their website claimed that they were a retired couple who kept their dogs in the house and raised them with love, and I was very optimistic...until I suggested that rather than meeting them at some halfway point in the middle of nowhere, I'd come and pick up the dog. If fact, I said, I'd like to come and PICK OUT the dog. You know when you meet the right puppy.

That was the end of our correspondence. No demurrer, even, just pure radio silence after that. I guess I should have known based on the fact that they were offering three different types of dogs, and multiple litters at a time, but hope is blind.

I've had a couple of other similar experiences; what I haven't found is a reliable source for a well-cared-for, non-puppy-mill Yorkie pup. If anyone can help, I would be most appreciative. I really need that dog.