Something seemed not quite right

[mweinstock1]

Hi Everyone..i want to wish all of you a very Happy Holiday first of all. second let me apologize..i have not been feeling well at all and so have not kept up here as i'd have liked to.

..the lyrica was not good for me and just finally finished the withdrawl phase from it for the fibromyalgia. it caused me memory, concentration issues, where i was feeling so scattered..i often times did not know if i was coming or going..and so did not know what to do first. i took care of priorities only. priorities--saw the babies...Ruby, Smokey, and Bandit were well taken care of, the bills were paid, ..i don't know if i was successful at much else...i tried but rarely got near the computer. once in two weeks if that..and it seemed internet explorer did not coorperate then..kept going down on me. doc says they have nothing else to give me as far as meds for the fibro so i am without any pain meds until research comes up with something new. heating pad helps a little bit...and i have my good days and my bad too..mornings are not good usually and cold weather makes it worse usually..i sure hope we have an easy winter. now i'll try to catch you up best i can. if i need a break i will be back later. i've really missed all of you here at DP..it's just been too difficult for me to keep up with my normal routine so i let alot of things slip.

Ruby is adorable and getting big. she is now 23 pounds!!! She is a trip. she has had some health issues..mostly stemming it seems from the beginning issue of the coccidia overload. seems her digestive tract is very sensitive..she's had two instances of where her anal glands were full and infected. one of those times she was on a diet where she had veges added and antibiotic and baths to soak her rear. and the next which was most recent...where she began to slow her eating and going to the bathroom where i called the vet and brought her in to him and he gave her a shot of antibiotic and anti inflammatory and sent me home with antidiarrheal meds and a special diet..electrolytes liquid and hills gi diet tablespoon of that to make soupy three times a day with no other food and see how she tolerated that. went well. after that, i began her back to the purina one dry healthy puppy food as well as pedigree healthy digestion..a few tablespoons mixed in with are over the d ry..i began with still giving her the electrolyte and then went to warm water to m ake a bit of a gravy for her. so she get more fluids.vet said she did not need the electrolytes anymore..but said keep her on same diet ..as her system is sensitive..no extras..and he finally began with her vitamin once again..just half of it for now. no treats at all. he said the coccidia makes the villi inflamed. as she gets older her system will mature and if we keep the same diet..it should be ok. she definitely seems to be eating well and going to bathroom fine...solid. i rarely had seen anything else as far as stools though. so was actually surprised he gave me antidiarrheal. i'm just thankful she is doing well..she is gaining weight by leaps and bounds..on the 13th she was just over 19 pounds and this past week was just over 23 pounds.--could be we have ourselves a baby horse!! all joking aside..it's wonderful...as that means she is eating well.. and the food agrees with her....

Ruby is a very strong girl too. boy can she pull on that leash. and sometimes likes to nip at your heels. i bought one of the leashes yesterday though for dogs that are over 100 pounds that give u 16 feet to walk. it will give her more room. i can retract it if i want her closer. also it is stronger than the last one as it was for dogs up to 44 pounds- apparentely her pulling strength meets that cause she broke it the other day accidentally when she gave a long pull. she has chewed through many of her soft toys and sqeaky toys..had to take those out....she likes the plastic bottles and i found the covers for those at a store..she already chewed a foot off one of those toys that holds the bottle inside it. the vet does not want her to have the rawhide right now because of her sensitive stomach..so i am kind of running out of ideas as to what to give her..
she eats the rubber ones..pieces off, same with the soft animals, i found one apart with sqeaker and all parts ..stuffing, and all thankfully in the crate no parts missing. outside when we play we play with the frisbee and balls.....but i don't put those in her crate. she used to love those rawhide footballs etc..but now can't have them for awhile to chew as she does eat them..so i do not give them to her now.

i am going to begin a new email this keeps jumping back and forth..i will be right back..hugs , Mindy

[mweinstock1]

Hi I'm back..seems as u go further on page it jumps.

any suggestions to above i would love..i did read all from when i was not online and will work on the different suggestions

..have already been working on the broom issue as the woman did answer to say she didn't know what occured but try flooding with treat idea. make it positive. could put broom in middle of room surrounded with treats was one of her thoughts. i personally like the idea of throwing a treat Ruby's way while i am sweeping..showing her that all is well. good things happen while the broom is out. nothing bad. thanks so much for including that long post for me to read..it was very helpful..gave me lots to digest..and i will continue to ponder and try different things from it till we get it down. or she'll outgrow it..either way. right?

The cats and Ruby..now there is a subject. boy they love to tease her..and yet when she is wanting to play with them...they shut her out and say basically get lost..hiss hiss..swat air swat air..so far no actual swat to Ruby herself. if she is in her crate that is when they will come by and lay near and tease her...but if she is running in the living room and this dog does not know how to walk..lol....Bandit she will be sleeping on back of the sofa..and Smokey she will come down from whereever she is...Ruby loves Smokey best it seems ..don't know why...Smokey lets Ruby smell her..but then Ruby is all excited..so she is bouncing back and forth..with her long legs..in Smokey's face..all over the place..and nervous Smokey...well u can envision it...says back off...you are too close for comfort...hiss hiss..Ruby keeps it up..taking no hints keeps playing..hoping for action...and hisss hiss..swat air swat air my twinkle toes cat is in action...till i say enough ..and off Smokey runs to our bedroom ..and i take Ruby outside for a walk..to burn off some of her energy.
one day..Bandit was under the coffee table..Ruby was trying to get her to play...and the dance ensued...i have to tell you..i really think both sides enjoyed it immensely. i think the cats do it on purpose..and get a kick out of it. i really think down deep they like Ruby..though they;d never admit it if they could speak to me intreenglish.

i let them have their fun..i just set boundaries..as i won't allow any of them to harm one another. i have an eye open...though i am giggling to myself as i watch the fun.--see i am imagining what's going to be when this horse dog gets bigger...and these dear smart cats of mine...can't be so smart anymore..and Ruby will runree is an right over them...game will change real quick i think..and who will be in charge then might change or even out at least.

now, with a dog that does not know how to walk..and seems to make things fly real quick...like catalog stacks or movie stacks...nothing can be on the floor...when she is running loose....yep i was in the midst of working on these things and forgot to pick them up...silly me..what a mess..oh well. --but here is the question---what am i ever going to do about all the christmas decorations and the tree.....shortly..within a few weeks will be decorating. did have some issue with balls at low level with cats and just brought lowest level to a higher level..but now entire tree may be an issue..and if smokey trys to escape and runs off like she did the other day..she tore out....u see the predicatment. i have no staircase to tie tree too like i did in new jersey. in this home in virginia...it is an open great room...furniture defines it.

any help from anyone with how they handle this issue,and all the others too would be so much appreciated. thanks so much.

Other news, My son is coming in from Orlando,Fl from college toward the end of december..the 28th i believe is the planned on date just for a few days. it will be his first time to virginia and i am so looking forward to it and seeing him again.

Have a wonderful day, God Bless, HUGS, Mindy

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Mindy, thanks for so much information. I do hope the doctors can find something to make you feel more comfortable.

Before I forget half of what I just read, let me address the issue of toys and tummies.

Rawhides are bad, bad, bad as bits can come off and cause intestinal blockage. That is the last thing Ruby needs. I discovered with my sweet little Oliver that a toy has yet to be invented that he is unable to destroy. Forget about giving Ruby soft toys as they will end up being destroyed and again, pose a danger to her.

A kong, filled with the food she normally eats (and consider the food you put in it as part of her diet) can be fun. Normally I would suggest putting some peanut butter in it, but since she has such a sensitive tummy right now, I don't think that's a good idea. (You can do that later when her tummy is less sensitive as too much peanut butter gives my boys diarrhea.) However, as with any toy, she must be watched at all times. It will keep her busy for a wee bit.

Another very useful thing is a plain, old face cloth. Dampen it, and twist it, and freeze it while twisted. It will not only soothe her gums, but will provide her with a chew toy that is not harmful and is reuseable.

I'm glad to hear that she is gaining weight. I know only too well how much damage can be done to their wee tummies when they've had a parasite as I went through this with Henry when he had Giardia. Time is your friend and as your Vet pointed out, as she grows, her tummy will have a chance to heal and become more resilient to these things. It just takes a while.

As much as I hate to say this, you may wish to find an alternative to a Christmas tree this year. It sounds like you aren't feeling the best and unless you can cordon off your tree completely from Ruby, then you will constantly be jumping up to stop her going for it. In the past, I have used large potted plants and put lights on them, and put them on a table. I left all decorations in the box. It just saved a whole lot of headaches and even the children understood.

Santa was still able to make it down the chimney to fill the stockings even though the boys were older by then.

It sounds like the cats and Ruby are finding their way together. I'm sure you are very excited about your sons impending visit! I'm sure he'll understand if there is no tree.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you Mindy. We already had ours here in Canada back in October but I've been enjoying celebrating the good wishes with all of my American friends.

Best wishes to you, and hugs too.

Deborah

[mweinstock1]

Hi Deb , thanks for replying so fast and for wonderful suggestions. i had not realized that all those chewies were so bad for the pups and dogs..they so seemed to enjoy them u know. quess they are permanently off the list. definitely do not need intestinal blockage added to issues already. no thanks. and it is so true seems there is no toy Ruby cannot tear up..and fast..so again those cute soft animals are off the list as well with all their sqeakers.


we'll be shopping for kongs..i've seen them..but didn't know anything about them..didn't appear too interesting..i quess i was looking at a cute factor..now i need a safety factor..as well as a need to chew and not to be able to be destroyed factor..or as quickly. i can add some of the purina one healthy puppy inside of it as that won't spoil ..and i bet she has a ball with it..no pun intended.

will be getting out a washcloth when i get offline..and doing exactly what u said..so it will be good to go for later..maybe even late tonight..i will put a few in the freezer. thanks for the tip as that will help with her teething and also give her something till i get to the store to buy kongs.

the thought of no christmas tree..is not a happy one..one that does make alot of sense..as it certainly could be super frustrating and upsetting to be picking up broken pieces of ornaments , etc..or worse if one of the pets got hurt on one of the broken pieces. i have to discuss the issue with dave, my fiance and see what he says about it..maybe he has a way of fixing it..but it may be the smartest thing to just skip it this one year..like u said for all concerned. walls can still be decorated as can decorations still be put on shelves..just not on the floor or low tables. and there is always outside to be decorated with things and lights..i'm trying to look at this in a positive light...it is not like there is no christmas..just no tree...but i do have much smaller trees actually...for the porch..that get plugged in...so there are trees. we will make it work. safety is the main thing...and you are right..i'm not up to jumping up every few minutes to stop the tree from landing on one of the our dear babies heads as they try to dismantle it by twisting between it's branches. what a thought.

Ruby calls, lol, time for a walk, have a good night, hugs, Mindy

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Mindy, last Christmas Henry was not yet a year old, and we put the tree in a corner and had to surround it with his outdoor pen. Now my OH keeps his Bass and Amp there, so I started something I can't finish! We still had to watch Henry as every chance he had, he would try and push the pen over.

If you really want a tree (because I understand how wonderful a fresh tree smells) buy a potted one and skip the decorations per se, and only put lights on it, and perhaps some bows or ribbon. Sometimes less is more. The pictures from this year will then remind you of Ruby's First Christmas!

Trust me, a puppy will be drawn to the ornaments and if they are breakable, that is a bad accident waiting to happen.

Good luck with the face cloths. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well they work. Just make sure they are really frozen, as they last longer.

[mweinstock1]

Hi Deb,
again took me a few days but here i am once again. having a rough time of it. these docs have just got to find something for me..it is just too much. i basically sleep off and on in my rocker..as when i chance a decent night's sleep in bed i am in agony when i wake up. my back is the worst. in the rocker it is not good..but not like when i've been laying in bed. i can barely even get out of the bed..takes hours to get the pain level down to manageble..and don't have anything to help that but moving around and a heating pad. when i have time to do it..other things need to get done first.

Ruby loves the Frozen washclothes. i went over to the dollar store and bought a 4 pack of heavyduty ones....the other ones were so thin they would have fallen apart with one good chew...lol.

Dave and i decided to forgo a big christmas tree inside the house this year as it is both the safest and least frustrating scenario for this time. that's not saying we're not decorating. already begun. lots of things can be decorated without having a major display on the floor. i am going to be putting the nativity on the mantel of the fireplace..praying both cats don't jump up there as they did a few times in new jersey..---joking now but i think pet owners need to suspend things in mid air in order to keep them from being knocked off anything and becoming broken..cats are so curious..we need a fence around the side edges of the mantel i think to fence in the decorations..but then we couldn't see them could we?

i have a story for you that will show you what i mean..we have an alarm system, not a motion detector obviously or we'd be in big trouble with the pets. we swapped out the motion detectors for window and door sensors instead..not only because of the cats but knowing we were going to be getting a dog. this is jumping again..soon will need to come back and start again. anyway, one day we are about a half hour away from home at the moose lodge playing pool..we were on the league there at the time..and got a call from our alarm company that the alarm was going off..should they send out the police to meet us at the house. it was the front window they said that seemed to be affected. so off we go to meet the officer. we get home and the officer was surveying the outside of the property and had seen no entry point. no broken window. we disarmed i t from the outside. and all went inside to see what had caused the trouble. officer had been laughing when we arrived as he'd already seen bandit..called her our fat cat..said she is sleeping on the back of the couch. when we got inside smokey was no where to be seen. ah the culpret. on the kitchen floor was one of my decorative ceramic lighthouse kitchen pieces that i keep all along the top of my framing around the kitchen top. apparently darling smokey had been up there..and i t is quite high too...and been crawling among the pieces..and knocked one to the countertop and it fell to the floor from there..that noise of the piece set off the alarm..and sent smokey hiding. the piece did not break.---i don't know how it did not break. and smokey did not come out for hours. i think she has only been up there once since. she i think got a bit scared of all that noise. the officer was laughing so hard and thankfully wasn/'t upset at coming out for a false alarm...our only one. we went and put velcro on the bottoms of all the lighthouse pieces up there and were even thinking of going to the craft store for some decorative fencing for the edging up there if we saw the cats continued to go up there..bandit has been up there twice, and i didn't even think she could get so high up to tell you the truth. i caught her in the act and obviously that was the end of that action..i let her know in no uncertain terms it was off limits. of course that does not mean she may not try it again..lol.

so back to the decorating..we're going small. walls and mantel and end tables and wall unit.i'm thinking of tacking lights around the inside of the main front window and also a poinsettia swag..which has lights in it as well. of course not real poinsettia-i know that is poisoinous to pets.--last year dave had brought me home a beautiful poinsettia plant..and it had gotten three steps in the door in new jersey...and went right outside on the porch to stay. i had to let him know gently..honey..there are certain plants that are dangerous to have when u have animals.--and these cats..they love to eat leaves of plants and flowers. bandit especially. i am going to end this and begin another one ..it is jumping too much..hugs, Mindy

[mweinstock1]

I'm back again, seems when u get down on the page the page jumps and words go to different areas in the text and i try to fix it. so best to start a new one.

i had updated the fostering mom the other day. i had told her of Ruby's sensitive stomach..u know because of the bad case of coccidia..and how she's on a special diet..exactly what she's eating..and how she can't have extras..blah blah. she tells me i should do clicker training with her using treats. so i said..i would speak to my friends about the clicker training as i did not know anything about it..{meaning all of you at the DP for suggestions} and then i reminded her that she could not have treats..only her specific diet. she emails back..only a pea, maybe a green bean, a slice of apple, or a piece of string cheese. ---now tell me something..is there a problem in communication..cause what part of no extras or treats is she missing..cause i was so specific..i said Ruby could only have the specific dry dog food she was on..as well as a few tablespoons mixed in of the specific canned special digestion food..with either water or electrolyte as fluids and began back on her half of the vitamin for now only. that's it.

the vet was the one who told me to make sure and stop the yogurt and cottage cheese that she had been giving her as he felt that had contributed to Ruby having a rough time getting rid of the coccidia..something about the lining of her system...being affected by it...and though i understand she thought she was giving it to her as it made her coat shine..maybe she is not exactly up on what's best for everything. Ruby sure had a hard time giving that yogurt up..she used to actually sit there and wait till i would go and get it out before she would eat..as if the dish was not complete till it was on top of the food..
now she does the exact same thing with the few tablespoons of canned food i mix through and the liquid i add to it also..she wants every bit of it and does not want to miss any of what's coming her way..she is soo funny. i have to laugh cause she really won't go to the bowl till it is all in there.--

Does anyone find the same thing with that particular habit and their furbie?

Can anyone tell me about clicker training..i know nothing.
opinion as well of it. and what to do instead

since i can't do the treat part for now if we do try clicker training.

my son found out that if he comes toward the end of december like he had planned to me here in virginia..that he will lose his internship period ..at college..so he will be coming to me in april instead...quite a disappointment but something that cannot be helped and is definitely a priority..so i understand completely..---if i can manage it..i am thinking maybe in februrary to go and visit him there in orlando..depends on if dave is off to take care of Ruby for those few days
and how i am feeling too at that time.

Have a great day, God Bless, hugs, Mindy