Month: May 2021

Miss Aramis – one of our three Musketeers – on our way home with a thumbs up from her recheck!!
 
What a nightmare this ordeal was.
 
I reached out bright and early the next AM after having her into the Hospital, to an emergency vet, as I knew she was not right.
 
I discussed my concerns and also re: iv fluid therapy, x-rays, doing a contrast study, possible surgery, pain meds etc.
 
I will stand strong and tall once again by stating what I have said for decades, ‘know your dog!’ I just knew that she had an obstruction.
 
Miss Aramis is now doing well after a long road to recovery and while still not 100%, she is a lot more like her normal ham of a personality self!
 
Thank you to everyone that donated to her worthy cause – you are Musketeer Angels!!, and if anyone may consider supporting her Vet bills; donations can be made via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org or via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
 
We still have a remaining bill of almost $1,000 to pay off.
 
Happy Saturday from this gorgeous special needs Dane & us! 
 

Mr. Rocket was de-twinkled yesterday!
 
His weight was 47.7 kgs(104.94 pounds). So, he is up another 5.72 pounds AND since his arrival to BHRR; he has had a total weight gain of: 37.44 pounds! 
 
WTG!!! Mr. Rocket!
 
He is lean, he is muscled, he looks fantastic! If he put on a few more pounds 5+ , I would be very happy.
 
I did a nail trim plus microchipped him while he was under for his neuter and he was SUCH a good, brave boy!!!
 
Trazdone given the night before and the AM off to minimize his stress and his neuter was a smooth procedure. Textbook!
 
Now, the fun begins….keeping him calm, quiet and away from his incision! 
 
Once he heals, he will have his own special announcement to make.
 
In a couple of weeks, he should be ready to make his own special announcement.
 
We also need to post updates soon on: Mr. Romeo, Miss Olive, Mr. Symba and Mr. Dean!
 
AND please also join me in wishing Sean a FABU Birthday today!!! 
 

Today was bath day!
 
I also did bring in a first AM sample of urine from Mr. Romeo to work on Friday.
 
His specific gravity was 1.043 so he remains concentrating well.
 
I did a full UA in house on him and nothing abnormal noted – I had another Tech confirm my findings too. Neither of us could locate any struvite crystals and it is normal for their urine to have some, so, if we had located a few, it would not have been alarming.
 
We did not see any red or white blood cells either.
 
We still sent off a sample to the lab – IDEXX to do a culture & sensitivity test.
 
He has found a new hobby too – he and Mason’s GSP have figured out how to dig under our gate and fencing at the front of the house and get into my freshly turned over soon to be new gardens! 
 
Digging up holes as big as them causes no end of delight AND when we fill in around the gate/fencing, they will then jump it – yup, 6 feet clearance no problem!
 
HOURS of fun! Loveable brats!
 
Gosh, his mug is adorable and those eyes! 

BHRR’s Romeo!
 
Someone has been growing like a bad, I mean GOOD weed! Over these last few weeks, he has ‘legged’ up and filled out some.
 
He was at the Vet today and his weight is now 40.04 pounds. 18.2 kgs.
 
His body condition is excellent! Lean, so muscled and solid! THUMBS up given to him!!! To think at one time, he was that emaciated 22 pound stray…..poor guy.
 
Healthy, shiny coat too.
 
So. unless he hits another growth spurt(never know with mixed breed dogs) – this handsome young pup should be at or very close to his ideal weight/size. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I dislike seeing overweight dogs and gosh, Mr. Romeo is looking fantastic!
 
He is small and full of the best energy. He was a massive HIT with everyone at work including clients waiting outside for their own appointments.
 
He even went so far as to make himself comfortable on the staff couch! LOL Yet, was very mindful when asked to get off….only to then get back up a few moments later yet, when corrected again, 100% respected the rule.
 
He is so smart!
 
The Vet confirmed what we already had found – that he does have a very small umbilical hernia. Per his vet, with how super small it is, this is not something he recommends surgery for. He feels that it will fill up with a bit of fat and become an ‘outie’ belly button!  He will be happy to discuss this with any Vet of the home of whomever is approved to adopt this fine young man too as we will always do what is in the best interest of the dogs.
 
I wanted to do another specific gravity test on him for over the past two weeks, he has become to have more than one rare urine accident in his crate over night. He does not have any accidents in the house during the day. Sean works from home so he would have noted anything if Romeo was.
 
We remain not noting that he is drinking more than normal and everything else is great with him – eating, drinking, no vomiting or diarrhea.
 
His specific gravity was 1.032 – so concentrating ok – and the Vet did a quick look under the microscope and found struvite crystals.
 
We discussed in depth the next move forward plan and tomorrow AM, I will bring in a fresh morning sample and re-test his specific gravity and do a full UA plus send off some urine for a culture & sensitivity test.
 
Mr. Romeo’s Vet is not convinced that putting him on Urinary SO food right now is in his best interest – at least until we figure things out more – as one of the things this food does is make dogs drink more.
 
He is also not convinced – at least right now – that this is a UTI either.
 
Mr. Romeo, you were SOOOOOOOOO close to making your own special announcement yet, we cannot ever consider placing a dog up for adoption when we know that there is something not yet resolved re: any possible known medical condition.
 
While he was at work today, we picked up his next dosing of flea/tick/heartworm plus de-worming medication also.
 
This gives Sean in particular mixed feelings as the bond between these two is strong…as Mason says ‘the force is strong with this one!’ 
 
I have covered all of his bills for today so, we do not wish to have any kind generous angels considering to donate to his ever building vet bills. 
 

BHRR’s Gravel!
 
AND another one of the BHRR Danes has hit the miraculous Double Digit Dane Days – BHRR’s Gravel turned 10 years young in April!
 
This boy had been dumped over four years ago in a high kill shelter – emaciated, undersocialised and terrified.
 
He had four days in which to get out and we were contacted to assist. Unfortunately, as a transport was being organized, he was so scared that no one could get near him…..the shelter said that they had been ‘poling’ him to get him to where they needed him to go. 
 
I will be forever grateful to Danya, the original person who reached out to us for assistance who dropped everything at her work nearby the shelter and with the assistance of cheeseburgers; managed to get him leashed – he was beyond reactive at this time.
 
The transport was quickly re-arranged and Daniele(just one driver) drove all the way from the shelter to KAH where I had an appointment set up for him to be seen.
 
If he had not gotten out of the shelter that day, the shelter made it clear that this was his last day and would be ‘destroyed.’
 
Fast forward and with time, patience, understanding, structure, consistency, love and stability, not to mention great food plus vet care; this boy has thrived.
 
We learned just how much he LOVES teenage girls and has come to understand so much about helping hands over hurting hands.
 
He is still nervous in public yet, at home so many people have experienced how he has blossomed and come to trust and actually seek/ask for attention and love.
 
He has been an amazing dog and really does have a character of a personality! He may be smaller in stature yet, he is huge in heart and his eyes are so expressive.
 
To see them go from terror, confusion and sadness to calmness with a hint of mischief added to increased confidence; has been such a heartwarming experience.
 
He is such a sweet gent and may he be with us for a long time to come! 
 
PS: not the best picture as cameras, flashes etc. make him nervous. If he cannot see people’s faces, he worries….

Just a Saint Bernard and her ‘little friend’! 
 
He loves her hair! He is always burying himself in it, the wee weirdo! 
 
Miss Olive plays so well with Mr. Romeo and yes, that is her drool and hair on the cushions/bed/blanket. LOL
 
Next professional groom session for her is on Thursday.
 
This set up is by my desk and is a popular spot for the dogs to hang out in to keep me company. 
 

**GROSS PICS**
 
Shortly, after I arrived home with Miss Aramis, she began straining to poop. Her attempts were unsuccessful for the longest time and then she passed a bit of dark, mucous filled loose stool. No foreign bodies present.
 
This immediately brought back my strong feelings of an obstruction.
 
She was still not interested in anything edible – not that she would be fed any large meal etc., it was to gauge her interest as that is the BIG measuring stick re: how she is feeling. She showed zero interest in a/d, recovery, gastro.
 
She also was not interested in water. Another HUGE concern.
 
The Vet had advised re: walking to move the gas – this is something that we are already known to do in rescue/our own dogs in bloat – and we did a bit of walking.
 
She mostly wanted to go and lay down, which she was allowed to do.
 
I let her be for about an hour and the checked in on her and she had taken herself to the cement floor part of our rec room and passed some watery stool with this object – a sizeable large piece of hard green rubber substance with some small bits of bone – she had snagged part of what could have been a dead deer carcass on the trails before she could be stopped. That was on Thursday and she was fine until last night.
 
This confirmed my thoughts re: an obstruction which I had sincerely hoped that I was wrong…… 
 
You could tell that she was feeling a bit better having passed these fb’s yet, that has been short lived. She is back to being quiet, subdued as her gut works to be motile and my plan is to monitor her closely for the next few hours and bring her into emergency for further medical attention if necessary.
 
Sean and I are worried. 
 
If anyone may consider a donation to her bills, donations can be made via PayPal to gwen@birchhaven.org
 
OR via email transfer to contactbhrr@gmail.com
*we just need to know the password
 
AND please keep her in your thoughts…..
 

Miss Aramis on our way home from LAH.
 
She is clearly not feeling well. She was so brave and such a great patient at LAH.
 
Next update shortly….
 

Miss Aramis’ x-rays.
 
Just as I was pulling into LAH, poor Miss Aramis had another vomiting episode. 
 
You can see the gas and the poop plus how inflamed things are.
 
I began to now get concerned re: bloat.
 
The first x-ray we did not have her stomach in it – she is a Dane! – and had to take a second picture.
 
The view is left lateral.
 
No obvious obstruction was noted – not all things can be seen on x-ray though – and my gut still felt strongly that there was an obstruction.
 
The Vet on duty was very kind to take time away from their appointments to review the x-rays and felt that there was inflammation with no obvious obstruction noted.
 
Recommendations given – Cerenia subq for nausea/vomiting, fast for today and begin bland diet tomorrow, hydrate, use sulcrate every 8 hours and begin metronidazole tonight. They felt that Miss Aramis would be back to normal tomorrow
 
Next update to come shortly – with graphic pics…..
 

Miss Aramis – one of our 3 Musketeers.
 
As I have said many times over the years, ‘know your dog’.
 
This AM, I rushed her off to the Hospital as I strongly suspected an obstruction.
 
Miss Aramis loves her food and treats. She is one of those dogs that if she ever went off her food, I would know that something was very wrong.
 
Sean says that she appeared normal yesterday yet, last night when she had supper, she did not eat it all. Her behaviour while not 100% normal, was not alarming.
 
Throughout the night, she had three vomiting episodes.
 
This AM, she was much more subdued and I rushed her off to LAH for x-rays and to take her rectal temp. From there, I was fully prepared to run blood – last bloodwork I did was in December – and then rush her to an emergency hospital for surgery with x-rays, blood results in hand.
 
With the long waits at the emergency hospitals in the Ottawa area – Alta Vista has had COVID exposure; whatever I could do in advance for preparation to avoid extensive delays; I was prepared to do.
 
He weight was 45.3 kgs(99.66 pounds) and her temperature was not abnormal.
 
Will post another update – x-rays etc. shortly.