Trixie can also do take a bow and shake paw. We are working on roll over, but that's definitely not her favorite trick.
Trixie
Odie
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Update on the puppies
Trixie and Odie have been practicing their obedience together on Monday nights. So I was able to snap a few photos in between our sits, stays, downs, and stands. Both of them are doing great. They learn quickly.
Trixie can also do take a bow and shake paw. We are working on roll over, but that's definitely not her favorite trick.
Trixie
Odie
Trixie can also do take a bow and shake paw. We are working on roll over, but that's definitely not her favorite trick.
Trixie
Odie
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What I did for Kishi...
I've had several emails asking what I did for Kishi to make her more comfortable. I don't want to say that she's cured. She's far from it. But she has hair finally. And looking at photos from 2 years ago, I'd say she's improved.
It hasn't been an easy road with Kishi that's for sure. But here are some of the things that I did over the course of a couple years that helped Kishi back from where she was to now. As long as I keep doing what I've been doing I keep seeing improvements. I've kind of picked up on all of this by trial and error. Some things were with my vets approval and some were not... I don't want to make any claims that one thing might work on someone else's dog... so what I've written here is what I did for my dog to make her feel better. Check with your vet if you have questions or concerns before trying any of these steps.
I feed Kishi a raw meat diet with absolutely no grains. There are many pre-made raw diets the market - you have to find one that works with your dog- I do switch around because I believe allergy dogs can become allergic to something given to them over and over. So every few months I switch to a different protein source. Plus, how many dogs get to live their life eating veal, lamb, buffalo, rabbit and venison. That makes Miss Kishi a pretty special dog.
She also gets a 1/4 cup of yogurt with her meal. And a hard boiled egg in the shell twice a week.
And I give her and all my dogs NUPRO with their meals
And because of feeding her raw meat I worm her every 2-3 months with Panacur-C. She does remarkably well immediately after the worming.
Make sure they don't have fleas. I use Advantage, but only if I notice fleas. I don't use it regularly.
I bathe her in full strength Selsun Blue 2-3 x per week. When she's doing better this drops down to 1x per week or sometimes even less than that. I leave the Selsun Blue on her skin for 10 minutes before rinsing. AND I don't let her lick any of the shampoo for the fear that it might make her sick.
I removed all the carpet in the areas that Kishi hangs out. I believe she reacted to the chemicals that my professional carpet cleaners used on my carpets. She immediately improved and hair began growing on her stomach once the carpet was gone. Her initial allergic reaction was days after a vacination AND having my carpets cleaned. We moved, she got better. I had the carpets cleaned in the new house. She got worse. I removed the carpet, she got better.
I took her off of all medication except Thryroid medication. That's the hardest thing to do because it's against what my vet suggested, but I really believe that is what she needed. So no more antibiotics, steriods, etc.
After making the decision not to continue giving her medications, I used Nzymes to help her recover from her yeast infections.
I used two of their yeast kits and then I've just kept her on their Antioxidants ever since. When I first started using it on her, she got worse just like they said on their website, and then slowly started to get better.
I do not vaccinate her - she stays inside and is rarely exposed to dogs other than my own. All of her problems started after a vaccination reaction.
If she starts to chew on herself, she wears a cone to prevent chewing. I bought the Bonafido Soft_E_Collar... I don't like it for shibas because it's too heavy and because their neck is larger than their head they can duck and pull out of it like they do with collars. So stick with a regular cheap plastic cone.
My groomer recommended
Tomlyn Allercaine with Bittran II sprayed on her between baths when she starts to itch. It really works to kill the itch. She doesn't like it when I first spray it on her, so it must sting a little. But she gets over it fast and is much more comfortable. I will also use Gold Bond powder on her to keep her dry. Just make sure the dog doesn't lick the powder. It's medicated and I don't know if it would make them sick. So I keep her cone on her when I powder her.
The idea is that her skin MUST stay dry or the infections start up again, and so does the chewing. The vets kept giving me medicated lotions to use on her. They never worked because they didn't allow her skin to dry out.
I think that's it... although there are many other products that I tried that I didn't list because they didn't make a difference with Kishi. Like I said, I don't think it was just one product or one thing that helped. It was a combination of all of them.
It hasn't been an easy road with Kishi that's for sure. But here are some of the things that I did over the course of a couple years that helped Kishi back from where she was to now. As long as I keep doing what I've been doing I keep seeing improvements. I've kind of picked up on all of this by trial and error. Some things were with my vets approval and some were not... I don't want to make any claims that one thing might work on someone else's dog... so what I've written here is what I did for my dog to make her feel better. Check with your vet if you have questions or concerns before trying any of these steps.
I feed Kishi a raw meat diet with absolutely no grains. There are many pre-made raw diets the market - you have to find one that works with your dog- I do switch around because I believe allergy dogs can become allergic to something given to them over and over. So every few months I switch to a different protein source. Plus, how many dogs get to live their life eating veal, lamb, buffalo, rabbit and venison. That makes Miss Kishi a pretty special dog.
She also gets a 1/4 cup of yogurt with her meal. And a hard boiled egg in the shell twice a week.
And I give her and all my dogs NUPRO with their meals
And because of feeding her raw meat I worm her every 2-3 months with Panacur-C. She does remarkably well immediately after the worming.
Make sure they don't have fleas. I use Advantage, but only if I notice fleas. I don't use it regularly.
I bathe her in full strength Selsun Blue 2-3 x per week. When she's doing better this drops down to 1x per week or sometimes even less than that. I leave the Selsun Blue on her skin for 10 minutes before rinsing. AND I don't let her lick any of the shampoo for the fear that it might make her sick.
I removed all the carpet in the areas that Kishi hangs out. I believe she reacted to the chemicals that my professional carpet cleaners used on my carpets. She immediately improved and hair began growing on her stomach once the carpet was gone. Her initial allergic reaction was days after a vacination AND having my carpets cleaned. We moved, she got better. I had the carpets cleaned in the new house. She got worse. I removed the carpet, she got better.
I took her off of all medication except Thryroid medication. That's the hardest thing to do because it's against what my vet suggested, but I really believe that is what she needed. So no more antibiotics, steriods, etc.
After making the decision not to continue giving her medications, I used Nzymes to help her recover from her yeast infections.
I used two of their yeast kits and then I've just kept her on their Antioxidants ever since. When I first started using it on her, she got worse just like they said on their website, and then slowly started to get better.
I do not vaccinate her - she stays inside and is rarely exposed to dogs other than my own. All of her problems started after a vaccination reaction.
If she starts to chew on herself, she wears a cone to prevent chewing. I bought the Bonafido Soft_E_Collar... I don't like it for shibas because it's too heavy and because their neck is larger than their head they can duck and pull out of it like they do with collars. So stick with a regular cheap plastic cone.
My groomer recommended
Tomlyn Allercaine with Bittran II sprayed on her between baths when she starts to itch. It really works to kill the itch. She doesn't like it when I first spray it on her, so it must sting a little. But she gets over it fast and is much more comfortable. I will also use Gold Bond powder on her to keep her dry. Just make sure the dog doesn't lick the powder. It's medicated and I don't know if it would make them sick. So I keep her cone on her when I powder her.
The idea is that her skin MUST stay dry or the infections start up again, and so does the chewing. The vets kept giving me medicated lotions to use on her. They never worked because they didn't allow her skin to dry out.
I think that's it... although there are many other products that I tried that I didn't list because they didn't make a difference with Kishi. Like I said, I don't think it was just one product or one thing that helped. It was a combination of all of them.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The long road
It's been awhile since I did an update on Kishi. Kishi is my oldest dog with allergies and a variety of other health problems. For several years her allergies were so severe that she looked more like the shiba version of a Chinese Crested. Seeing the photo of her from a couple years ago allows you to appreciate that she is now sporting a beautiful shiba-orange coat in the middle of summer.
I can't exactly tell you that one individual thing or product worked for her. I can give you a list of things that I did consistently that brought her from the first photo to now (the second photo). I won't make the claim that one product fixed her problems. I really believe it was a combination of all things I tried and time away from all the medications that the vets had prescribed for her over the years that brought her health back. It has been a long, long road. I'm so happy she has a little comfort in her senior years. She's a great dog. She deserves as many healthy days/months/years as she can get.
Then
NOW
I can't exactly tell you that one individual thing or product worked for her. I can give you a list of things that I did consistently that brought her from the first photo to now (the second photo). I won't make the claim that one product fixed her problems. I really believe it was a combination of all things I tried and time away from all the medications that the vets had prescribed for her over the years that brought her health back. It has been a long, long road. I'm so happy she has a little comfort in her senior years. She's a great dog. She deserves as many healthy days/months/years as she can get.
Then
NOW
It's good to be home
After a long trip this summer that was totally dog-free, it's nice to be back home with my puppies.
Speaking of, the real puppy, Trixie, has really grown up. She almost doesn't look like a puppy anymore. We've been working with her on the agility equipment. J is planning on training her and eventually competing with her. She's fearless - like most shibas. Dog walk, A frame, teeter - not a bit of fear. I wish a little of that would rub off on teeter-scared Timber.
Timber is almost ready to start trialing. We just have to work on our flow between the obstacles, better communication and of course the teeter. And wait a couple more months until he is 18 months.
Speaking of, the real puppy, Trixie, has really grown up. She almost doesn't look like a puppy anymore. We've been working with her on the agility equipment. J is planning on training her and eventually competing with her. She's fearless - like most shibas. Dog walk, A frame, teeter - not a bit of fear. I wish a little of that would rub off on teeter-scared Timber.
Timber is almost ready to start trialing. We just have to work on our flow between the obstacles, better communication and of course the teeter. And wait a couple more months until he is 18 months.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Reunion at 10 weeks
Kenji (Tres) and Oto (Dos) came over for a playdate with Trixie yesterday. It was great to see the 3 puppies together again. They missed Kona (Tank) who is in Arizona. Long distance puppy kisses to him.
Here's Trixie!
And Oto (Dos)
And Kenji (Tres)
Here's Trixie!
And Oto (Dos)
And Kenji (Tres)
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Hope you had a happy 4th!
Trixie was the pick to go to the parade with us this year. It was the perfect chance to socialize her with lots of people, activities and noises. And she handled it like a pro. One of us carried her most of the time since she's so small and I didn't want her stepped on. And since she doesn't walk on a leash very well and it would have taken us all day to go through the booths prior to the parade.
Fireworks make me nervous. When I moved to this area my dogs had never been exposed to the sound and Farley injured himself badly one year out of fear. So I know I'm on edge every year when the fireworks start up. But this year none of the dogs acted like anything unusual was happening outside. Of course they all had really great chewies to concentrate on. So the only one nervous and pacing was myself. And most of that was because my 8-year old child was outside with the neighbors as they were shooting off their fireworks.
Fireworks make me nervous. When I moved to this area my dogs had never been exposed to the sound and Farley injured himself badly one year out of fear. So I know I'm on edge every year when the fireworks start up. But this year none of the dogs acted like anything unusual was happening outside. Of course they all had really great chewies to concentrate on. So the only one nervous and pacing was myself. And most of that was because my 8-year old child was outside with the neighbors as they were shooting off their fireworks.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Low tide!
This spring the weather has been crappy. It's been cold and rainy, and only recently have we had some sunny days. We love to go to the beach when it's low tide. And last year when Timber was a puppy, we went alot. But since last fall when it started getting cold, we haven't gone. Who likes to stand on the beach in dreary Seattle drizzle? Definitely not I.
So I wasn't sure how Timber would handle his first time back in the water. He was so young last year, he was a little afraid of the waves. But I guess all the socialization last year made him fearless. He chased the birds, jumped right in the sound, checked out the sea life and ran up and down the beach until his paws were raw. Our beaches aren't sand - they are rocks, shells and barnacles - all sharp little things on puppy paws that are flying across them.
I didn't take my camera, but Ed did. So here's Timber hanging out at Wing Point which is normally covered in water but because of the low tide we could walk a long way out into the sound. High tide is back there where the clump of trees are in the background.
So I wasn't sure how Timber would handle his first time back in the water. He was so young last year, he was a little afraid of the waves. But I guess all the socialization last year made him fearless. He chased the birds, jumped right in the sound, checked out the sea life and ran up and down the beach until his paws were raw. Our beaches aren't sand - they are rocks, shells and barnacles - all sharp little things on puppy paws that are flying across them.
I didn't take my camera, but Ed did. So here's Timber hanging out at Wing Point which is normally covered in water but because of the low tide we could walk a long way out into the sound. High tide is back there where the clump of trees are in the background.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Last puppy leaving...
Tres left today to go to his new home. All of the puppies have awesome homes. I will miss them, but I know they will have great families that love them as much as I did while they were here.Here's one of the last photos of Tres at my house.
So, at 9 weeks old Trixie is all by herself. I'm not sure if she is sad, or relieved that her brothers aren't around. Now she gets us all to herself. Denise gave the puppies this little bed. Trixie has decided it's hers!
So, at 9 weeks old Trixie is all by herself. I'm not sure if she is sad, or relieved that her brothers aren't around. Now she gets us all to herself. Denise gave the puppies this little bed. Trixie has decided it's hers!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Happy 8th Week Birthday Puppies
The puppies start leaving for their new homes this week. Here is probably their final photo together...
I'll miss all of them. What a great bunch of puppies.
I'll miss all of them. What a great bunch of puppies.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Timber the flying aussie
Timber loves the puppies. He is very gentle with them. So when he wants to see them, he flys into their pen for a visit and when he's done he flys out. Anyone have any wings we could add to these photos?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Puppies at 7 weeks!
Not only was it Father's Day and the puppies 7-week birthday, today was a beautiful, sunny June day. So the puppies got to play outside most of the day while we were working in the yard. Ed took a video tape of the puppies running all around the pen.
But of course after playtime, the best thing puppies do is sleep. And I have to be honest, the easiest way to photograph puppies at this age is when they are sleeping!
I also temperament tested each puppy so I'd have a general idea of their reactions. I wasn't all that surprised by one outcome tests versus my observations of them the past few weeks. Who knows how accurate temperament tests are - especially with shibas. But it's fun to do and see how they react. So here's the rundown of the puppies:
Trixie
Trixie is independent but will make a loyal pet once she learns to work with her humans.
Dos - now Kenji
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.
Tres - Jared calls him "Lost Boy" because he doesn't have a home yet
Lost Boy is extremely independent. Although he likes people, he would rather be off exploring on his own than being held.
Tank - Now Kona
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.
And here's some puppy playtime:
And Trixie helping me take photos:
But of course after playtime, the best thing puppies do is sleep. And I have to be honest, the easiest way to photograph puppies at this age is when they are sleeping!
I also temperament tested each puppy so I'd have a general idea of their reactions. I wasn't all that surprised by one outcome tests versus my observations of them the past few weeks. Who knows how accurate temperament tests are - especially with shibas. But it's fun to do and see how they react. So here's the rundown of the puppies:
Trixie
Trixie is independent but will make a loyal pet once she learns to work with her humans.
Dos - now Kenji
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.
Tres - Jared calls him "Lost Boy" because he doesn't have a home yet
Lost Boy is extremely independent. Although he likes people, he would rather be off exploring on his own than being held.
Tank - Now Kona
He accepts humans easily and will make a good pet. He will adapt to new situations well.
And here's some puppy playtime:
And Trixie helping me take photos:
Saturday, June 07, 2008
6 weeks
Can you believe they are 6 weeks old? They are finally acting like puppies. It's hard to take your eyes off of them because you might miss one of the many cute things that they do.
Everything they do is adorable. Well, almost everything. When they see us, they start screaming to be picked up. And of course, when they see their mommy, who only wants in their pen so she can eat their food and really doesn't want any of their sharp little chompers near her, they start screaming again.
They are officially weaned and are eating food and drinking water like pros.
Uno - now named Trixie.
Jared wanted to name the girl Trixie. So I'm tossing the formal name of "Kishi's Tricky Trixie" around. What do you think? Guess that means I'll have to teach her a few tricks to live up to her name.
Dos
Over the weeks littlest Dos has really evolved. Initially he didn't like being held at all, and never licked or kissed you. He has always been the quietest but not necessarily the calmest. Beginning last week he started jumping up to be the "chosen" one, and he seems to enjoy being held. At times Dos still hangs back and lets the others play rough and tumble, but lately I've seen him diving in for some good play times.
Tres
Tres is a charmer. He's cute. He does adorable puppy antics like running and hopping around. He is not shy at all and he and Kona are vying to be the top dog in the litter.
Tank - Now Kona
Kona is the bravest one in the litter. He loves to investigate and will try anything new - even the agility teeter totter in our yard. I turned my back for a minute and before I knew it he was part way across. I grabbed the end of the teeter before it slammed down because I didn't want it to scare him. And he waltzed on down it like he had done it a million times. Considering that I just got Timber to go over it by himself, I thought that was a pretty amazing thing for such a young puppy.
Everything they do is adorable. Well, almost everything. When they see us, they start screaming to be picked up. And of course, when they see their mommy, who only wants in their pen so she can eat their food and really doesn't want any of their sharp little chompers near her, they start screaming again.
They are officially weaned and are eating food and drinking water like pros.
Uno - now named Trixie.
Jared wanted to name the girl Trixie. So I'm tossing the formal name of "Kishi's Tricky Trixie" around. What do you think? Guess that means I'll have to teach her a few tricks to live up to her name.
Dos
Over the weeks littlest Dos has really evolved. Initially he didn't like being held at all, and never licked or kissed you. He has always been the quietest but not necessarily the calmest. Beginning last week he started jumping up to be the "chosen" one, and he seems to enjoy being held. At times Dos still hangs back and lets the others play rough and tumble, but lately I've seen him diving in for some good play times.
Tres
Tres is a charmer. He's cute. He does adorable puppy antics like running and hopping around. He is not shy at all and he and Kona are vying to be the top dog in the litter.
Tank - Now Kona
Kona is the bravest one in the litter. He loves to investigate and will try anything new - even the agility teeter totter in our yard. I turned my back for a minute and before I knew it he was part way across. I grabbed the end of the teeter before it slammed down because I didn't want it to scare him. And he waltzed on down it like he had done it a million times. Considering that I just got Timber to go over it by himself, I thought that was a pretty amazing thing for such a young puppy.
Friday, June 06, 2008
And speaking of Timber...
Timber was feeling a little neglected on this blog. So I thought I'd give you a quick update. He's doing great learning agility. I fixed up, painted and bought some new equipment so now we can do a little more practice at home. He learns so quick.
Last weekend we went to the PAWS Walk and performed some of Timber's tricks. He did "Put your toys away" and "Get the mail from the mailbox" perfectly. We set up a little Rally Obedience course and he even did part of it off-leash. And then, still being the puppy brain that he can be sometimes, he saw a squirrel in a tree nearby and ran off to chase it. Here's two photos of him that I took today.
Last weekend we went to the PAWS Walk and performed some of Timber's tricks. He did "Put your toys away" and "Get the mail from the mailbox" perfectly. We set up a little Rally Obedience course and he even did part of it off-leash. And then, still being the puppy brain that he can be sometimes, he saw a squirrel in a tree nearby and ran off to chase it. Here's two photos of him that I took today.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Dog Pile
It is time to start introducing the puppies to the other dogs in the house. I was a little nervous about introducing them to Timber. He's such a big dog and he still has hyper aussie puppy brain. Amazingly he was very calm with them. He played gently and let the puppies climb all over him and chew on him. I can't say the puppies were as calm with Timber.
Don Juan takes one whiff of their puppy breath and heads for the hills. Maybe he'll be better with them in a couple weeks.
Don Juan takes one whiff of their puppy breath and heads for the hills. Maybe he'll be better with them in a couple weeks.
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