A second opinion.

I feel very blessed today.  Giorgio and I have good friends who care a lot about us.  Two such friends funded a second opinion for Giorgio with a renowned, board certified cardiologist at The Bobst Hospital of the Animal Medical Center of NY

At first we thought we might try and see Chihuahua Rosemary’s cardiologist at the 5th Ave. Veterinary Specialists on 15th Street, but, I decided against that option because they are just too far away from where I live, and, when there’s an emergency with Giorgio, it would be a lengthy trek getting him there.

Then we considered NYC Veterinary Specialists on West 55th Street.  When I called there, however, I learned that their cardiologist is in Florida!   That wouldn’t do us much good.  I wanted a face-to-face second opinion.

So we decided to call on Dr. Phillip Fox DVM, MS, ACVIM, ACVECC, at the AMC/NY. 

I was reluctant, nervous about returning to the AMC so soon after the trauma of being there with Gilbert Kitty.  I had to put my qualms aside for Giorgio’s sake.  We were fortunate to get a call back from Dr. Fox immediately today and he took us in this afternoon.

By the time we arrived for our appointment, our vet’s at Rivergate Veterinary Clinic had already faxed Giorgio’s records (thank you Nina).  Dr. Fox (and two residents who were learning from him) reviewed the tests and reports carefully and he didn’t push us into repeating the echo-cardiogram, but, it was apparent that the only way to get a true second opinion as to the mass reported in last week’s echo, was to give Dr. Fox an opportunity to view the heart himself.

Giorgio was a real trouper and the team said he cooperated beautifully.  Dr. Fox said he looked and looked and he just did NOT see any mass in Giorgio’s heart.  His opinion was that IF there was a mass, it was a blood clot and has already dissolved.  He also felt that Gio’s heart didn’t appear any worse than the report from three months ago.

This is all wonderful news.  I now know, and feel confident, how to proceed for the next three months until Gio’s next echo is done.  We’ll continue the conservative course of treatment (meaning no Lasix (diuretic) unless and until Gio is in heart failure).

As I’ve mentioned before, health care for our pets is extremely costly, especially when expensive diagnostic tests are essential, as with heart disease.  The option of getting a second opinion is a true luxury, a true blessing, and we are so grateful to our friends Ronnie and Peter for funding Giorgio’s care.  I really was falling apart at the seems, picturing a blood clot lodged in Giorgio’s septul wall.  I have no words that adequately express my gratitude and the peace of mind I have tonight.

Tomorrow, I’ll write about our experiences in the waiting room.  We met some interesting people and pets, and, there’s a follow up to Gilbert Kitty as well.

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Coping with bad news.

My Giorgio (Maltese) had his second echo-cardiogram yesterday.  His chronic heart disease has gone from “moderate” three months ago to “marked.”  And, there is a mass (.8cm) in the left atrial wall, possibly a blood clot or other mass.

The only way to ascertain what the mass is would be to bring him someplace to have an MRI.  That’s just not a possibility.  The cost is prohibitive, but, more than that, if we find out that it is a mass there is no surgical option.  It is in a very difficult place.

So the doctor said to treat him for a blood clot with a quarter of the low dose aspirin (81mg coated aspirin) and then we just hope for the best.

Meanwhile, I am terrified of the inevitable day when he has the attack that will kill him.  It is inevitable, even though I know we’re doing everything we possibly can for him.  I’m restricting his exercise as much as one possibly can with a small dog who lives to jump and run and play.

He greats me at the door every time I come home, bringing one of his stuffed toys to me and calling out with his famous Aroo!  Aroo!

 Aroo to you Giorgio.  I’m so glad you don’t know what is happening inside your big heart.

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A true dog poop story.

Who’d a thunk, by not being a good citizen and picking up their doggie’s doo-doo, someone actually helped catch another law-breaker?

18-year-old North Carolina man crashed his car into a yard and stepped on dog poop on his way out.  Sgt. Dale Gunter found a white van driving toward him after searching and following the dog poop trail.   When Gunter asked the man to get out of the vehicle, he smelled alcohol and saw the dog poop all over his shoes. He was charged with driving while impaired and driving under age. He was released on $1,500 bail.  See MSNBC.com

 Twenty-two of Michael Vick’s dogs, all bred to fight, will soon be learning how not to at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary in southern Utah.

Elsewhere in the news, I see the “former fighting” dogs that were seized from Michael Vicks (the football player fellow) property have gone on to various rescue organizations for rehabilitation.  Oh me of little faith.  I pray none of them ends up re-homed anywhere in my immediate area.  While people who adopt “former fighting dogs” promise they will keep them on leash, not go into dog parks, not acquire other pets, to safely manage the rehabilitated dogs for their lives, I’ve seen way too many people start out with good intentions and end up getting lazy.  And that’s when someone gets hurt.  An innocent passing dog, a family cat, or worse.  I fully believe with all my heart, the dogs in the Vicks case were not to blame, were not the criminals, and, it is a tragedy that in these instances it is always the dogs who pay.

But I don’t believe in fully reliable rehabilitation of such dogs.  Again, not the dogs’ fault at all, but, people are, after all, only human and make mistakes and let their guard down, and, I believe such dogs require a life time of careful and constant management and owner control.  (Edit:  In reading this I came to realize, it is the people I feel cannot be relied upon to keep up with the rehabilitation management needed for fighting dogs.)

The story is here Baltimoresun.com 

The other rescue groups are and Recycled Love in Baltimore (three dogs); BAD RAP, Oakland, Calif. (10 dogs); Richmond Animal League, Richmond, Va., (4 dogs); Georgia S.P.C.A., Suwanee, Ga..; (3 dogs); SPCA of Monterey County, Calif.; (3 dogs); Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Chesapeake, Va..; (1 dog); and Our Pack, Inc. (1 dog).

Nothing about dog fighting is right or humane.  Read the following article, if you have the strength:  Dog Fighting, White Plains, New York

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Pets and Politics, more this and that.

The Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005:

What’s taking so  long to get this bill passed?  And, what can we do about it (I know the answer to that, write to your state and federal representatives and support the legislation).

An estimated 1,400 children and 10,000 animals are poisoned each year after ingesting Ethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance used in antifreeze and coolant in automobiles. Ethylene glycol’s sweet smell and taste makes it an attractive but deadly substance. The bill requires antifreeze and coolant manufacturers to add denatonium benzoate, an intensely bitter agent, to their products. The additive would cost manufacturers an additional 2-3 cents per gallon.  (Source/link:  Humane Society of the US)

Antifreeze (ethylen glycol) has been a source of both accidental and intentional poisoning of pets for as long as it has been in use.  Upwards of 90,000 pets are killed (accidentally or intentionally) in the USA every year.  It makes sense, such simple sense, to require manufacturers to change their formula to make the substance unpalatable.  Currently, the stuff looks a lot like Gatorade and tastes good to both people and animals.

Here’s information on the Antifreeze Bittering Act of 2005: (Source/link: Doris Day Animal League) The Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567/S. 1110) is a federal bill to require the addition of denatonium benzoate (DB) to engine coolant/antifreeze to render it unpalatable. DB is the world’s bitterest known substance. Passage of this legislation will help save countless animal lives. In July 2006 the U.S. House Commerce committee held a favorable mark-up on the Antifreeze Bittering.

While the U.S. House Commerce committee passed the Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567) July, 2006, the bill has not made it through the U.S. Senate.

So, it is clear, pet owners (and concerned citizens) have more to do than “just” elect a new President this year.  Start writing your local, state, and federal representatives and urge the passing of The Antifreeze Bittering Act (H.R. 2567/S. 1110.

I have faith that bloggers know full well how to email their representatives but in case anyone needs help:

How to write your representative:  Source/Link:  U.S. House of Representatives

How to write your Sentator:  Source/Link:  U.S. Senate

Important reminder:

THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN NEW YORK STATE ON FEBRUARY 5th, 2008.

For New Yorkers, here’s a link to a .pdf form to download 

If you are currently not registered to vote in New York State, the last possible day to register to vote in the February primary election is January 11th. This is both the last date that your ballot application can be postmarked and the last day that you can register in person at the Board of Elections.

For more information on registering to vote in New York State, call your county board of elections or 1-800-FOR-VOTE. 

 Information here has been copied from the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee’s website

Dogs may not have a voice, but, dog walkers do

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This and that, while on the mend.

Still not dog walking and it feels so strange.  It is a good thing that I am not out there this week, that I don’t have those obligations.  While I’m a little better today, after four days of rest, I’m in no shape to be walking miles with dogs.  I’m afraid I would end up sitting down on the job.

I am on the mend and that’s great.  Saw the doctor and went through the torture of getting two cortisone injections into my inflamed tendons on my hand to treat the Dequervain’s tenosynovitis that has been plaguing me for months.  If you’ve never experienced this kind of pain, you won’t have any sympathy for me.  For those of you who know what it is, and have had the injections, I’ll be you’re re-living your own pain.

And I’m optimistic that some further tests I’ll undergo when I see the neurologist will get me on a course of treatment that explains this severe muscle weakness and helps me gain strength to keep up with life.

Meanwhile, I’ve been watching way too much television.  Some of it just makes me laugh out loud, some makes me fume, and some makes me cry.   I think the writer’s strike and all the re-runs is making me watch more “reality” shows than I usually would.I’ve become addicted to one in particular:  “The First 48″ on A & E.  The series shows the real life working of two homicide cases in different locations and how the detectives solve the cases.  The first 48 hours are said to be the window in which the crimes are either solved or turn into cold cases.  It’s really very interesting.  I just saw one episode where the young man who pulled the trigger (in the course of a robbery of a young business man for his hub caps or something trivial like that) was being interrogated and you could see the moment, in his eyes, when he understood that he had thrown his life away, that his life was also over just like the man he killed.  It’s all very tragic.

In dog news, I see that Diamond Pet Food (the  company that made contaminated pet food that killed dozens of dogs nationwide) has agreed to a $3.1 million dollar settlement with pet owners. The pet owners who file claims would be reimbursed the for medical expenses, the cost of a new dog, and receive two bags of pet food (egads).  Here’s a link to an article on MSNBC’s website. 
I hope everyone who was affected by that tainted pet food knows about the class action suit and files their claim.I haven’t seen anything (have you?) about the other contaminated food that also killed numerous pets.  That was the contamination problem that prompted recalls of more than 100 pet-food brands in early 2006, when investigators traced pet deaths to a toxic chemical, melamine, that had been added during manufacturing in China.   The Diamond Food contamination was a little more sinister, in my opinion, because (the following is a quote from the MSNBC article):

Diamond Pet Foods, based in Meta, Mo., acknowledged that workers at its Gaston, S.C., plant failed to follow internal testing procedures to ensure its products were safe. The company made the acknowledgment after the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing the company has no record of test results for 12 shipments of corn in 2005, when grain tainted with the deadly fungus slipped into the plant.

I think I had better stop keyboarding before my tendons start acting up again.   Just a reminder, if you want to vote on Super Tuesday, you have to be registered and you have just a few days left (see my earlier post) to get that registration form post marked.

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Walking one of my own dogs for a change.

Still not feeling well at all, I’m off this week, but,  a person still has to get up and take a little walk.  And since the weather was unusually warm today in New York City, near 67 F, and since my time with Giorgio (my Maltese, pictured above) is limited now, I got into my jeans and took Giorgio downstairs for a little walk around the block.

 Giorgio was recently diagnosed with left valvular heart disease, CHF (left-sided chronic heart failure).  He’s on a mild course of medication right now (Enacard once a day) as well as a nutritional supplement aimed at strengthening (this article explains about L-Carnetine and Taurine and Vitamin E)  his heart and heartbeat (we use Vetri-Science Cardio Strength along with vitamin E capsules twice daily)  and I’m careful about how much exercise he gets.  Just small walks, no climbing stairs, no jumping up onto the bed.  If the weather is freezing, he can’t go out.  If the temperature is soaring or there’s high humidity, he can’t go out.

Giorgio used to go everywhere with me.  There were days when he walked a good ten miles by my side, accompanying me on daily rounds and he never even acted tired at any time.  He was a lot like the Energizer Bunny except he’s not pink. 

But my little guy is not an Energizer Bunny and his batteries are running down.

I’m worried about him and I don’t like the way he looks.  His breathing seems to be getting more labored.  We’re scheduled to have his follow-up echo-cardiogram this week and I’m truly nervous about the outcome, about the stress of the test, and, what the future holds.

For today, however, with mild weather, the two sick ones took a nice little walk together and forgot about our troubles.  It’s a lot better than sitting here watching his chest to see how he’s breathing (which I confess I’m doing lately).

I almost forgot!  On our walk we ran into Marie walking her little old Chihuahua, Rosemary.  Rosemary is approximately fifteen years old.  Her age is an appoximate because she was adopted from the ASPCA and even that notable organization doesn’t always know (or share) the exact age of an animal up for adoption, something I know all too well because my cat, Copper, adopted from them, turns out to be far older than the four years he was supposed to have been.  But, that’s another story.

We got to talking about our pets and heart disease.  I remembered well when Marie lost one of her dear cats to cardiomyopathy (just like my dear Gilbert).

Little Rosemary has the same valvular disease my Giorgio has and she has been undergoing treatment and on medication since 2005.  I think that’s pretty amazing and a testament to how much effort (and money) Marie puts into the care of her pets.  Rosemary sees a cardiologist regularly and has been hospitalized twice in emergency heart failure.  She is also on the full range of cardio medications including VetMedin, Enacard, and Lasix.

I left feeling a little blue because I know I won’t be able to afford similar care for my little Giorgio.  Emergency care for pets in New York city is truly only for the gainfully employed, and even then, only those who have enough disposable income.  When Giorgio goes into heart failure, I’m not going to be able to ask for heroic measures even though dogs can be brought out of crisis and go on to live, as Rosemary has, for years.

That is a real heartache.  I think it is also something few of us consider when we acquire a pet.  Even if we are practical enough to budget for routine health care, the extraordinary cost of emergency health care is a truly rude awakening.  But what’s the alternative?  To never have a pet?

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Oh dear. Another dog horror story, this time in Brooklyn.

As someone “in dogs” I pay close attention to dogs in the news.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of happy news about dogs unless it’s February and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is on.

Whenever I hear about a family pet that has mauled (in this case fatally) a baby in the home, like the rest of the world, I ask “why?”  Why wasn’t anyone more careful about a dog in the home with a baby?

Today’s tragedy involves a Grandma in Brooklyn, NY, babysitting an 8 month old boy, Andrew Stein, and, a three-year-old male neutered Doberman Pinscher named Mackabee.

Reports say that the baby had touched the dog’s paw.  The Grandma wasn’t in the room.

Here’s the fatal mistake:  leaving any baby (or child) unattended in a room with the family pet (and I don’t care if the pet is a cat or dog, or if the dog is a Dachshund or a Doberman).

That poor Grandma.  I’m sure she had no idea this was a possibility.  My heart goes out to the parents as well.   But jeepers, what were they thinking and did they instruct Grandma to be careful and not leave the baby and dog alone together?  Prehaps they did.  Perhaps Grandma on a busy day with baby crying and rushing to get the bottle ready, just didn’t think.  Grandma wasn’t just baby-sitting, she was also dog-sitting.  Poor Grandma.

I’ll provide a link to a Newsday article on the incident, for more details, because I don’t have the heart or stomach to repeat the awful details here:  Newsday.com

I love dogs.  I live for dogs.  I’ve worked with dogs most of my adult life.  I don’t trust dogs 100%.  I don’t trust dogs alone with a baby or child.  I don’t trust dogs off leash.  I respect dogs and their nature and that’s why I believe we must always be in control and managing their behavior and reactions.  Dogs are not fur people–they’re animals–and we really should respect their animal instincts more than we do.

I do not fall into the camp of dog people who trust pet dogs 100% in every situation.  I don’t buy into what seems to be the politically correct theory that even aggressive dogs can be rehabilitated.  I just don’t believe that some dogs can be trusted to have certain instincts entirely and reliably extinguished.  Can they be managed?  Definitely, in the right circumstances, with dilligence and a great deal of work and with the humans being in control and managing them every living moment of the dog’s new rehabilitated life.
This particular dog, however, was brought into the home as a puppy and is said to never have shown any aggression, so, in this instance, it appears we’re looking at a dog reacting on instinct (or over-reacting), and, sadly, a dog big enough and strong enough to crush a baby’s skull in an instant.

My felling is, if a breed has some basic instincts in its genes, such as prey instincts or protection-guarding, and if a family wants such a dog in their home, dammit, the family had better know what they’ve got and how to manage the dog and its instincts and reactions.  We just can’t expect dogs to be 100% reliable 100% of the time.

As far as the outcome for this dog, this part of the Newsday article gets my back up:

“The health department is evaluating the dog and the circumstances surrounding the incident and will make a recommendation about the animal’s future that best predicts the public’s safety,” a department statement said.If the department determines the dog is dangerous, and the owner agrees, the animal will be euthanized. If the owner doesn’t agree, a law judge could decide the dog’s fate after a hearing. Other options include retraining, relocating the dog, or having the dog wear a muzzle, the department said.

Give me a break.  The dog has killed a baby.  Is “retraining and relocating the dog or having him wear a muzzle” really an appropriate outcome?

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Happy New Year from Giorgio

Giorgio.  a NYC 12 year old Maltese Dog and Chief Operating Officer

We wish you all a happy and healthy 2008.  I’m putting my Giorgio in the spotlight today, because, without him, I don’t know how I would have made it through this holiday season.

Giorgio has to be the most gentlemanly little dog the world has ever known.  He may, in fact, be a reincarnation of Carry Grant.  Giorgio is just as funny and sweet and dapper.

Little Giorgio has shared his home and me with such grace and generosity, he deserves the spotlight today.  My Gio is fighting his own battle with chronic severe heart disease.

Life has its limits, even for the kindest most generous little dog in the world.  But I’m not going to hang the crepe prematurely.  Giorgio is with us now and every single day with him is a gift to treasure.

I want to share a quote with you from a dear friend of ours.  Peter kind of sums it all up.  I’ll leave you today, New Year’s Day 2008, with this thought:

 ”It’s so wonderful to get close to the basic, live, LIFE — and with our dogs and cats we do that — but LIFE comes with a limit, and we are dealing with “life and death.” It’s horrendous. …  Let’s  make nice. As long as we can.”

How’s that for a motto?  Let’s make nice as long as we can.

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Gilbert Kitty’s Journey To The Peaceable Kingdom

Gilbert should have arrived by now at The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery  (there is a guest book on their website).  Because of Christmas, his remains were kept at the Bergh Memorial Hospital until transport was arranged Friday.  His cremation will be tomorrow, Saturday.  I have requested his ashes and should have them next week.

All of my pets have made the journey to Hartsdale.  I used to live not too far from there and it is a lovely place.  A dream I had, have, has been to have a plot there for one of my pets, or, one plot and memorial for all.  It’s very expensive and that dream hasn’t been realized.

I always mean to start paying for a plot there early on but then the animals need urgent care and there is never enough money, usually barely enough money to cover the medical expenses while they’re alive, let alone, to purchase a plot and headstone.

Some of my little ones passed at times when I couldn’t even afford the extra cost to have their ashes returned to me and so I had to have them cremated in the least costly way, in communal cremation which means my cats and dogs remains were co-mingled with those of others.  The ashes are then sprinkled over the grounds of their rose garden.

I always feel a pang of guilt and remorse when I think about not being able to afford private cremation for Clarabelle, or Walter Kitty, or Oliver, or Katie, or Gidget.  I’m so sorry my dear ones.  It wasn’t a choice, it was just a bad time.

And now I’m thinking a lot about Gilbert and his cremation tomorrow.  I have been barely holding on all week long.  The passing of a beloved friend, human or furry or feathered or scaled, is always difficult but I think is even more painful when it occurs at Christmas.

Such an emotional time of year, Christmas, even without suffering a loss.  I’ve been getting by with the help of my friends–human and furry–and distracted by the Christmas Dogs who require a great deal of attention and work.

Tonight I am falling into deep sadness.  I’m still not sad so much for my loss as I am for Gilbert’s loss of life.  He deserved a good long time here on this planet and he was robbed.

And I’ve been thinking about reasons why this particular pet’s death has me so emotionally and physically upset.  I have escorted many pets to their end.  I have always felt that it was an important thing to do for the pet and for myself, that it brings closure.  It’s not a pleasant experience, but, it is usually not frightening, not for me anyway, because I know what to expect.

Gilbert’s euthanasia was different.  The doctor was compassionate and kind and expert at her job.  Gilbert did not suffer when his heart stopped.  I was holding him the entire time and I know he didn’t suffer.  It was the time leading up to that moment, the time knowing he couldn’t breath.  I was suffering that lack of oxygen along with him.

I still am.  So, no, it wasn’t the actual act of euthanasia that was so traumatic for me.  It was carrying him, starving for oxygen, to the hospital and those minutes leading up to the actual euthanasia.  It was horribly traumatic.  I can’t seem to get a moment’s peace about Gilbert’s passing, it was that brutal for him.

I need to find peace in this and I don’t know how.  Maybe, after tomorrow, after his ashes are returned to me and he takes his place on the mantel with the other departed members of my family, the trauma will pass and the loving memories will come.  I do hope that is true because this is just more than I can bare right now.

My dear Gilbert Kitty.  I hope you know, I’m still with you and you with me and so it always will be.

8:42 A.M., Saturday, December 29, 2007  The call just came in from Hartsdale for my credit card approval so that Gilbert’s remains may be cremated.  I wish I could be there but I am thinking of him now and knowing that this final step in his journey is complete.  The Hartsdale Pet Cemetary has a guest book at this link:  Guest Book

A dear neighbor rang my bell this morning and delivered me a lovely hand written card and bouquet of striking deep yellow tulips with purple irises.  If only her ring hadn’t caught me in the middle of being sick and set the Christmas Dogs barking uncontrollably.  I’m afraid I bit her head off for making a wracket.   I’m so sorry, Linda, and thank you for your kindness and reaching out to me.

I’m just not myself these days.  Now that I know Gilbert’s soul has been released, I think I can move on and begin to grieve more gently and get to that point where I smile when I think of him.

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The Christmas Dogs

Each year for the past several years, my home is filled with furry little four-legged visitors.  Most of them, have been Christmas Dogs in my home since they were brand new puppies.Now they are three and four years old and old hands at hanging out at Auntchristine’s while their human families are off on Christmas vacations that take them to all corners of the earth.

It is unfortunate that this Christmas visit has been marred by the sudden heart failure and passing of my dear Gilbert Kitty.  That event has put me off my game a bit.  I’ve only just got the feeding table set up and organized properly in the bedroom where the dogs mainly reside during their stay.  I find it safer that way than letting them run free around the entire apartment.   Especially so since they are all tiny dogs.

And this year, I seem to be running a Christmas Infirmary of sorts.  There’s my own dear Maltese, Giorgio, who was only recently diagnosed with left valvular heart disease.  He’s on daily medication and he also eats a prescription vegetarian food because of severe food sensitivities that cost him both his inner ears (total ablations).  Trust me.  I am in daily panic knowing that one day–I hope not one day any time soon–I am going to find my dear Giorgio in heart failure, just as I found Gilbert this weekend.

But back to the visitors.  Poor dear Lola, the red Toy Poodle who is a constant companion of mine and Giorgio’s on weekday dog-walks, was hospitalized last week with a nasty bout of hemoragic gastroenteritis (bloody stool).  She had been home for several days before arriving late last night, but, she is still not out of the woods.  Lola is on medication twice daily and is being fed numerous small bland meals of soft cooked rice (the 20 minute kind, no Minute Rice here) and lightly boiled fresh skinless chicken breast.  I’m waiting patiently for her to have a normal BM.  Maybe that will be my first Christmas Present.  She doesn’t seem at all ill except for the signs that are too disgusting to dwell on.  But I know and you should know too, in small dogs, bloody stool/diarhea, are not to be taken lightly.  A small dog can easily and quickly become dehydrated and go into shock.  So we are watching her carefully and following the doctor’s directions for small bland meals, even though Lola is her same funny adorable self, running and jumping and having run.

Another visiting Poodle, Coco, also red, is spending her first Christmas with us.  Poor dear Coco has macular degeneration and her eyesight is failing.  She is a good eater, and her treatment consists of adding fresh cooked diced carrots to her meals as well as 5 drops of Vitamin E Oil.  She’s timid around the other dogs and I have to be careful to keep her separate, hold her on the bed carefully so that she won’t jump off by accident.  Coco is as sweet as they come.  She has  a most full and fuzzy coat and when I pick her up, she turns to hug herself close to my body, with her front paws wrapped tightly around my neck.  Coco is not paper trained and has to go out on walks to relieve herself and the poor thing thinks that every shadowy figure approaching her to say hello is her family come to take her home.

A little Yorkie we’ve known for a good number of years,  a sweet little thing named Madison, recently had her knee replaced.  She take medication once a day and is milking this little poor leg of hers for all it is worth.  No one does sympathetic looks quite like Madison.  She too has to be kept separate, away from any accidental bumps by other dogs.  Madison loves her food.  She has had bouts of gastroenteritis too, so, we are careful to feed her only her regular dog food and the treats her family provided.  She has never had any flareups while staying at Auntchristine’s (knock wood).

This Christmas, Madison has a companion.  Her family recently aquired a miniscule Teacup Poodle, parti-colored.  I mean eensie weensie, perhaps weighing only a pound and truly no larger than a Gerbil.   Now this in itself would be a challenge, caring for a teeny-weeny puppy such as Parker, but, it turns out, poor Parker is hard of hearing (he may not have any ability to hear whatsoever).Being unable to hear, and the size of a Gerbil, there’s not much one can do to help him learn about being quite, to give him an “eh eh!” as needed if he wanders too close to something he shouldn’t get into.  He also cannot hear the other dogs give a small growl warning him away.  He and Madison get along beautifully, however, and they are great company for each other.

The other dogs are NOT huge, they are all small:  Toy Poodles, Yorkies, Maltese, Miniature Dachshunds.  And yet, they are all weigh too large for interactions with teeny weeny Parker, especially since he cannot hear.

The Miniature Dachshunds are our dear Dino and Lola.  Dino is looking mah-vahlous and has trimmed down beautifully since last Christmas when he was truly morbidly obese.  His owners deserve a lot of credit for getting his weight under control.  An over-weight Dachshund can find himself in serious physical trouble.

Lola, who is smaller (usually) than Dino, however, has porked up!  It turns out, someone accidently picked up puppy food instead of her regular small bite kibble and she’s been getting fat.  She is now back on her normal food and I’m sure in no time she too will be a trim little dog.

Dachshunds are a handful and then some!  It’s something about their size, shape, being close to the ground, having those faces that are all nose and mouth, that makes them a challenge to watch.  Curious about everything and very athletic they get into everything.  They “go to earth” under the bed, into the mattress, behind the bureau.  That is, they would do if they weren’t watched like a hawk by me.

I’m almost afraid to round out this group by saying my own Toy Poodle, Cybil, and my female Maltese, Cherry, are both completely healthy and not on any special food or any medication.   Please grant me a Christmas Miracle and keep it that way.

At the moment, everyone is asleep with visions of sugar bones dancing in their heads.  That won’t last long.  I know they’re going to be awake and racing around by the stroke of midnight.  I don’t mind as long as that means I can sleep in Christmas Morning.

Have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas, just like ours.  Photographs to be posted tomorrow.

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