Call Me A Wimp

Taking advantage of the stellar weather, my mom, myself, Tessa, Reba, Diva and Ryder made our way to the local Grazing Reserve. With the dogs cavorting wildly off leash we made our way down the deserted oil service road. We had traveled about 15 minutes and I had been noticing some tracks in the snow.

Catching my mom's attention I pointed out how large they were and I asked what they were. Back straightening she mutters, "Something we don't want to see." Quirking my head I asked what she meant. She grimaced, "Cat." That succinct world sent a chill down my spine. I looked at my black and white pack and began calling them in close to me. We had been walking though open prairie so I wasn't overly concerned about a sneak attack. What had me a bit stressed was the knowledge of a long, miserable snow filled winter - generally creating hungry wildlife.

Keeping the dogs close we retreated towards the staging area. Eyes peeled I noticed a plethora of prints. This was not particularly good. For us. I definitely didn't want to be in the cougars main travel area.

I realize that many, many people safely coexist with the big cats. I prefer to err on the side of caution. I am fully, and completely, a chicken when it comes to anything that can eat me. (Or my doggy family.)

Sunny Sunday

Sunday was a grand day. One filled with warm sunshine, doggy smiles and giggles. This may seem strange for people but I was excited to "catch" Tessa in a seizure/stroke. Her head lifted off her bed, and her body went rigid with her legs splayed out. It didn't last a terribly long time and she didn't seem to be in pain. Then next day she had a crazy day. I feel I have something I can share with the vet to help us narrow things down. Strange to be happy about that but I am.

Sunday, with my mom's help the four Borders and I went for a walk down the road. It had to be short because Tessa was limping and quite bug eyed. Next, I brushed Roxy, discovering some skin ickies (either a staph or girth rot), which I treated. I had fun taking pictures of the furry family (pictures coming as soon as I can get the Internet to cooperate), and took a break for lunch.

After lunch I hopped in the truck with Diva. We met Lynne and Zoey at the dog park - which was packed. On the way home, Tracy called asking if she could come work her dog - giving me just enough time to go to the washroom and grab a snack. We worked Jeter who showed a tremendous amount of improvement over his last work. And then she helped me play with the puppies.

I came in for supper, before going back out to do my evening chores.

It's funny how a little sun and warmth can change a person's attitude. I was soooo happy. It was a great day.

Sunny Sunday Pictures

Miss Ants in Her Pants - Roxy.

Mini-Miss Roxy. Doesn't she look positively tiny next to the sheep?

Diva and Zoey (her sister) getting ready to leave the dog park.

Stunningly beautiful Diva.

My handsome man Ryder.

Vet Visit

This morning I loaded up the truck and Oscar, Ryder and I made our way to the vet clinic. Oscar needed his kitten shots, and a re-check for mites. Ryder has been really bugging his ears. I couldn't see anything but I wanted to get them checked out as they are the floppy type which are more prone to having issues. It turns out he has some "debris" and ear mites. Because he's a Border Collie, Sam couldn't use the ivemectin she usually uses for mites. (It'll kill a collie.) Instead she's ordering in some other drug to give to him. She was very, very impressed with how nice he was.

I, being the person that I am, asked her about the animal communicator thing. I told her what information I'd been given. Sam - bless her soul - is an open minded and willing vet. She has been Tess's vet from day one, and adores her. This deterioration has been hard on her too. After listening, she gave me the go ahead to try the herbs if I want. She also plans to run some more tests to try and narrow things down, and is willing to monkey around with the meds Tess is on to try and find the most effective fit.

I told her I didn't want to be unreasonable, but I was willing to exhaust every option available to us. When I told her if I had to I'd do the right thing for Tessa, she looked at me, and responded with that day will be a very difficult day.

I feel more at peace now. I trust Sam implicitly. I know she'll work her arse off to do the best thing for my dog. I know she'll give me honest and unbiased answers to my questions, and I know when the time comes she'll be holding my hand helping me make tough decisions.

Outta The Box

I'm very curious to hear what you people out in the Blogger-sphere think about this. I have stepped outside of the box. I believe that God has created a world in which we may not always understand things. I believe He created a world full of differences and individuals, and this is what makes things so interesting. I believe things happen for a reason, we just may not understand it at the time.

It's been very hard for me to understand why Tessa's health has failed so quickly and dramatically. She's only 10 years old, which in my mind, isn't really that old. I won't lie. I'm a bit angry and frustrated around the whole situation. Which has led me to this question:

Can people "communicate" with animals? (Pet psychics if you will.)

Do you believe in this? What are your thoughts?

While gathering some herbal supplements for Reba, I stumbled upon an animal communicator. The things she said about Reba, some of which she would have had no way of knowing, were quite accurate. (I had Reba "read" for fun.) Later that night, after I got off the phone with her, I discovered Tessa had once more eliminated on the floor. Taking a leap of faith, I email the lady and asked her to "read" Tess.

Last night I had the chance to talk with her about Tessa. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I am grasping at straws here, making me an easy target to sell stuff to. On the other hand, I genuinely want to help Tessa. I want her to be healthy and live happily into her golden years. I'm willing to take chances. And I do believe there are things in this world we can't explain.

Tessa's reading didn't give me the same level of information from Reba. It was more generic. Basically it focused on her health issues and what I can purchase to "help" her. Part of the problem for me is I do believe in holistic health practices, but I'm also practical enough to know that herbs and natural treatments can't fix or help everything. This makes me feel a bit sceptical. I'm having enough trouble getting her to take the meds she's already on. Will buying a bunch of things that will be a fight to feed her help?

With Tessa the lady said she has kidney problems (with a dog having incontinence issues - this is not a surprise), has pain in her hips (again, with her history not a shock), wants the whole health supplement. However, she didn't say anything about the random crazy days - well at least until I asked about. Then, she comes up with these days are caused by a potassium-sodium imbalance. And that's where all her problems are coming from. That her kidneys are causing her to go crazy or into a fugue. I'm not at peace with these results. A lot of it was what I'd call a no brainer. With her history and medical issues something that makes sense. This dog is on a ton of meds to help with her problems with limited success. I will be sharing this with my vet - who does have an open mind. And it's okay with me if people mock me. I will do everything in my power to keep my Tess with me for as long as reasonable. Does this make me an easy "mark"? For sure. But what if...

Thoughts, my friends?

Roxy

As promised, I have some horse news. Roxy who has spent the majority of the last year in training on a cutting futurity track will be coming home. While very promising as a two year old, she's too small as a three year old and physically unable to do/take the training required to be successful on the futurity circuit.

I had been a bit frustrated with the lack of communication from the trainer. She had left near the end of January and I hadn't heard anything, which was a concern for me. Apparently emails were sent out, and I got missed. Last night I called Jason and we discussed the various options for an hour. I had been putting a lot of thought into selling Roxy. One of those gut feeling things. Looks like my gut was right.

Jason recommends sitting on her. He said because of her age I won't get her true valuation if I try to sell her now. Simply because people won't believe something this young can be well trained. He says she's a very, very nice horse, just too small to take the training. He wishes she had grown more. He believes if I wait until she's closer to four years old, then I should be able to get six to ten thousand for her. He said to go ahead and ride her. Play, have fun, do things, even put some cattle work into her on my own. He didn't believe she would finish a high enough calibre to justify spending the training money. I could buy something nice and finished for what I'd spend.

On Sunday I'll go pick her up. It looks like I'll have something to ride, albeit something small. Let's hope the round bale helps her grow and fill out.

Learning

The dogs and I are on a learning fix. I've been a busy girl, on the phone registering for clinics and classes. Here's our schedule:

March 14th - Ryder begins 3 days/week Doggy Daycare for some socialization fun.

March 21st - Diva and I start Groundwork (for agility). This is an 8 week session.

April 2nd - Reba, Ryder and I head to Valleyview for a stock dog clinic. We'll spend the day with Corey Perry and Carl Sneddon. Ryder goes for some exposure and Reba goes for a second set of eyes on the ground.

August 17 & 18 - Two dogs (not sure who yet) and I head to Saskatchewan where we'll attend a Faansie Basson stock dog clinic. He comes from Africa and I'm excited to hear and learn from him.

Plus, this week Reba starts on a herbal supplement to try and help her with her moods and irritability with other dogs. We should know in the next month if this is helping her.