The Boys

Thursday, August 8, 2013

PinInterest

Check out my pins on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/invited/?username=lindabrixon

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Boys & Riley

Can two dogs and a cat live in one household? My experiment begins on how to make the dogs and cat live in one household.

First night, cat carrier left outside the bedroom door as the cat and my daughter settled down for the night. It is late at night, it is after 11pm at this time, so there is not time for long introductions.

Jack my cat chaser and cat hater sniffs the cat carrier and knows something is in that room. Dexter, on the other hand is clueless to what is going on or he does not care. Jack can usually get Dexter to start barking once he starts the barking. But, this time, Dexter is just excited to have my daughter Karen home.

Is was a tense night with Jack constantly smelling the door and trying to dig his way through the plastic fence between him and the cat, known as Riley. I end up closing the door in hopes of quieting down Jack.

Jack is not stupid, he knows something is in that room by his constant smelling and agitated state. I pick up Jack and try to tell him "it is ok, leave it." I stay as calm as possible and use lots of positive reinforcement.

It was bedtime. I go to bed and Jack goes with me as he normally does, but this time, I have to close my bedroom door, so Jack does not go back down the hall to make noises (barking and scratching) at the door. My daughter sleeps in the room with Riley the cat. The door is shut and the high plastic gate secure.

Jack continues to want to get out of my room by his constant little digging at the door and little whines. It turned out that that he really did need to go outside, I found the evidence in the second bathroom with two stools present on the floor.

During the night, I had to frequently call Jack away from the door. "It is time to go to sleep," I tell Jack in my most calm voice that I can possibly have at this hour of the night. We finally made it through the night and that was our first night.

In the morning, I carry out Jack because I am not sure if my daughter is awake and she might have Riley with her. First thing that Jack wanted to do was check out that door that had that cat in it.

Our second day begins. Wherever my daughter's door is open and Riley is in view, we are constantly saying "good boy" and we are patting Jack a lot. The plastic gate is still secure.

Riley is a gorgeous cat, his temperament is laid back and friendly. He is 12 pounds of fluff, and he is 11 years old. I would steal Riley away from my daughter if she was not looking. My boys are 12 and 17 pounds, and lots hair too.

Dexter has no problems with Riley, they sniff each other and everything is fine with these two.

For the next several days it it constant positive reinforcement with Jack when he sees Riley. If Jack cannot handle being quiet, the door is closed between him and Riley. And, Jack's attention is directed on something else.

Also, during the day, I take the boys outside and let them enjoy the outside air and smelling stuff or just sitting around while I do stuff around the yard. While the boys are outside, Riley is free to roam the house on his own. This routine is repeated several times a day over the next several days.

This is the fifth day and we are making great progress. The dogs are loose in the house with Riley. I would never trust them at this point in leaving the boys and Riley by themselves. Riley would be put in his room to relax and sit or sleep in his cat tree looking outside.

My daughter informed me this morning that she brought Riley into the living room for another introduction with Jack last night. I was not home, I work the night shift at the hospital. "My daughter informed me, "they did great, there was a time they were all sitting together looking out the front door." "It was a great time to take a picture, but I did not have my phone to take the picture," sighs my daughter. "And, Riley was sitting in the middle while they were looking outside.

I watched Jack try to interact with Riley today and Jack wants to constantly sniff Riley. And Riley wants his space, a cat can only take so much stiffing and it is time to back off.

My daughter also informed me she had a talk with Jack about Riley's personal space and my husband told her, "he does not know what you are saying" and my daughter quickly says "you never know."

I am sitting out in the living room now and all three animals are in the same room. The boys stay near me and Riley is stretched out on the floor relaxing. I think this going to work out.

Sixth day, no problems. Riley came out into the kitchen this morning, both boys present. Dexter does his sniff introductions. Jack still curious, but not overly anxious and not smelling Riley or getting into Riley's personal space. Hmmmmmm.... I think that little talk with Jack really did help. And, the boys know Riley's name, because when we say Riley's name, the boys look up and start looking around for Riley.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Jack Gets a Ponytail!

I am experimenting with Jack's hair. I am letting the bangs grow longer so I can tie a pony in his hair. You cannot even see his face now if I do not put up his hair. Another picture coming to the blog.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

My attempt at rounding the face and muzzle. I did use some of the techniques, I had already been doing some of them and I did not even know it. Dexter left Cherry Eye Repair is still healing.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Dog Interview

Jack Baby & Adult

This is the color of Jack when I brought him home from the breeder. The most amazing thing about Havanese besides their personalities is the color changes that go on from puppyhood until adult hood.

This is Jack as an adult Havanese. He still has some of the black flecks coming from his body and he has the black tipped ears.

This is a picture of Jack recently May 2013. The sun was capturing his hair one morning and I could not resist and I snapped a picture.

Cherry Eye

As you see there is a pinkish red bulge at the corner of the eye. The bulge can be quite big and red and angry. Today is the day we had the Cherry Eye repaired.

      Dropped Dexter off in the morning and picked him up late that afternoon. He was excited to see me. Pain medicine and Eye ointment twice a day. Resume regular activity in a day.

     Precautions: Notify Vet if Dexter rubs at eye constantly or if there is a lot of eye squinting. I figure if I left him rest, he will not have his eyes open and therefore, no eye squinting.

     A dog's eye has three eyelids: an upper and lower lid, as well as a third eyelid we seldom see. The importance of the third eyelid is to give added protection to the dog's eyes. It acts like a wipe to help keep the eye clear of dust and debris and has a tear gland that produces around 35% of the moisture to the dog's eye. Sometimes the gland in the third eyelid, located in the corner of the eye next to the dog's nose, slips out of place and bulges. We see it as a red or pinkish blob, and this bulge is what's called cherry eye.

     Why it slips out of place is not clear, but if it happens in one eye, more than likely it will happen in the other, although it can be months later. What you want to pay attention to in your dog's eye is any watery or thick discharge, a red or pink blob in the corner of their eye, any redness in the lining of their eyelid or if your dog is pawing at his eye.

     For unknown reasons, the connective tissue around the tear gland becomes weak and starts to move around. Movement irritates the gland which leads to swelling that can produce a mucous or clear discharge. It's possible cherry eye will correct itself within a couple of weeks, but it's best not to wait. If it doesn't correct itself, the longer the gland is out of place, the more swelling there is. This makes it harder to reposition it, and there's a greater chance it will happen again. Left untreated, cherry eye can lead to more serious eye problems later on. You need to have your dog examined by your vet as soon as you notice the out-of-place gland.

     It's not understood why some dogs get cherry eye, but it's thought the cause could be from a parasite, some kind of bacterial infection, dermatitis, possible sun damage, cancer, fungal infection or it could be a result of a problem with the dog's immune system. Whatever the case, cherry eye is hereditary, so it's best not to breed a dog that has developed this condition.

     Cherry eye is usually seen in younger dogs between 6 weeks to 2 years and is more commonly found in Newfoundlands, Bloodhounds, Bulldogs, Cocker Spaniels, Shar-Peis, Shih Tzu, Beagles, Pekingese, Lhasa apso, Miniature Poodles and Neapolitan Mastiffs. It's also seen in some breeds of cats. The Persian and Burmese cats are more likely to develop cherry eye than other breeds.

     Treatment for cherry eye is done under local anesthesia to push the gland back into place. Some vets will elect to remove the third eyelid, but it's not recommended. There's nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if it's needed. Removing the eyelid can adversely affect proper tear production which keeps the eye from becoming dry. Dogs who have had the eyelid removed are at risk of developing a condition called “dry eye” later on. The third eyelid should only be removed as a last resort. If it's removed, you are compromising your dog's eye health as they age.

     During surgery, a small part of the gland is removed. What's left is carefully tucked into the inside of the third eyelid and tacked into place. Dogs who have had their cherry eye corrected using this type of surgery have an excellent chance for recovery. However, there is a 5 to 20% chance the gland could slip out of place a second time. It all depends on how long it was out, the condition of the cartilage in the third eyelid, how swollen the gland was and the type of surgical procedure that was done. That's why quick medical treatment is important.

     If your dog develops cherry eye, the other eye should be watched closely and you may want to consider having both eyes corrected surgically at the same time. After surgery, you will need to watch your dog's eyes to make sure they don't develop dry eye. Signs to watch for that would indicate dry eye are: redness to the lining of the eyelid, a thick pus-like discharge from the eye, and a cloudy cornea.

From this picture, 2 days post-op, left eye still tender. Still giving ointment medicine to the left eye and pain medications.

Wikipedia

Here is Dexter feeling and looking so much better.