Greyhound Gardens

Timber, what have you done?

May 13, 2012 Timber 13 Comments

Timber

Or, Why da boss doesn’t let the borzoi come to work

I had one more project to finish before vacation. A simple, project that I had to shoot for a poster. My assistant Timber, the zoifriend was close by just like he had been all week. Just as I finished shooting, Timber came storming across the set, ripping down my makeshift back drop because I was too lazy to set up the back drop stand. Perhaps that was my first error.

The look in his eyes told a million stories. I should have listened.

If you are weak of heart, or think you can’t handle the carnage, read no further. Close your browser window and go back to Facebook.

At first, he merely knocked things over. A childhood prank. We’ve all tipped a cow or toilet papered a tree.

At that very moment, I really should have stepped in before the damage. But in a state of shock and awe, my photojournalism kicked in.

But then, the violence erupted. He started with the red cup.

Could it be the steroids he’s taking?

The red cup wasn’t enough, with his long nose he went for the blue cup and held it between his paws for better and more thorough destruction.

Was it because I was working on a Sunday? On a Mother’s Day Sunday?

Timber continued to work his way through the project leaving no prop unturned.

Nothing was safe from the jaws of Timber.

How did my zoifriend go from lover to destroyer so quickly?

He bent, he folded, he mutilated…

He destroyed. So many questions, so few answers.

I love my zoifriend even in the wake of destruction.

Some days are just better than others

May 12, 2012 Timber 9 Comments

Timber

We continue to ride the roller coaster with the red head. Two days have gone by and he has turned away from every morsel we have offered. Timber, you just have to eat.

I suspect this is like any chronic illness that a human has. Timber will have good days and bad days. I would like to have just good days, but I don’t think that is part of the territory. We did find a good quality canned food that isn’t as bulky. We are now trying Evo. The dog food that we had last week made up 12 60cc syringes, Evo has the same calorie content but purees down to only 10 60cc syringes. When he doesn’t eat, that is four cans of dog food a day down the ol’ tube.

He takes it all in stride, such a good boy and his spirits seem high even though he chasing around the yard like he once did.

He’ll see his Dr. in the morning for his last check-up before vacation and we’ll receive the  next round of cocktail changes. I feel like we are living our own version the TV program House, Canine version.

The road to recovery

May 10, 2012 Timber 12 Comments

Timber

We’re fairly certain we are on the right path now. It hasn’t been without a few bumps however. Timber still has the feeding tube in and it will remain there for at least two more weeks.

The tube is our back-up plan. We try everything under the sun during the day to get Timber to eat by day. If he hasn’t consumed enough calories or the right calories then by night we’re whirling the canned dog food in the Cuisenart into a pureed liquid soup and feeding him.

Food is such an emotional roller coaster. He eats, we’re up, he walks away and we’re back down.

His cocktail has grown yet again including injections three times a day. I thank my lucky stars Karen is a nurse. I can do a lot, but honestly, needles were never in my job description. I cringe just to watch.

He’ll be on Flagyl for a month total (antibiotic to treat the inflammatory bowel disease or any infections he might have in the bowel), Cerenia (to prevent nausea) every other day, Reglan three times a day by injection (to help with nausea), Pepsid (reduces stomach acid) twice a day, FortiFlora once a day (nutritional supplement), Mirtazapine once a day used to stimulate appetite, Dexamethazone once per day for three days injected and then after three days we’ll switch him to prednisone. Part of the cocktail was recommended by the internist in Portland.

He’s doing well and seems to feel a little better. We took a walk tonight for the first time in weeks and it tired him out but he sure loved it when we were walking.

Yep, it’s one step a time.

Real boizoi’s wear sea foam green and a diagnosis

May 6, 2012 Timber 14 Comments

Timber

At last we have a concrete diagnosis. Timber has Inflammatory Bowel Disease. There is so much information out there and we really don’t what all of this means, but we have a plan.

Timber went in for a minor procedure today to re-suture the feeding tube, it isn’t coming out yet. Since he still is not eating well, a few braised chicken livers, our goal is to get him to eat. This is becoming a task for the not-so-faint-at-heart.

We stopped the pain medication and added another appetite stimulant. He’s going to remain on the Flagyl for four weeks just in case he has giardia or some other bacteria that was not picked up on all of the tests we ran. He was wormed with Panacur and Drontyl, so if there are any of those little buggers swimming around, they should be gone. He hasn’t had diarrhea all week.

Now he just has to start eating. Oh his own. We have two days to convince him. If he doesn’t eat in the morning, I’ll try throughout the day. If we don’t succeed during the day, we’ll be forced to tube feed him at night. It isn’t good for him to have the high calorie food so now we are feeding him just a regular prescription canned diet. The Cuisanart is going to get a workup pureeing the canned food.

We’ve ordered a nutritionally balanced diet that should be ready in 10 days. At that time, we hope he will be eating and will be able to zero in on his favorite protein source and his diet will be limited so that we can hopefully clear up what ever is in his gut.

We will win this. Karen and I are tougher than he is and we’re gonna win.

Today we both just wanted a pity party though. We’ve been through a lot with the greyhounds, Timber has brought to us a whole new challenge. He picked the wrong mommies though if he thought it was going to go his way, ’cause we’re gonna win and he’s going to be healthy.

On a bright note, we had planned to go on vacation next week and board all of the hounds. We thought we would be spending our vacation in the backyard since there is no way Timber could go to a kennel. Just in case though, we found a cabin in Sunriver that allows dogs and has a kitchen. The Dr. thought he was fine to travel just over the mountains. I didn’t think he should be without a friend, so Timber and Crystal are heading to the eastside for a few nights.

A much needed vacation for all of us.

Today was a better day

May 5, 2012 Timber 4 Comments

Timber

Well, it was until he chewed through his harness. The little fat head.

He ate chicken livers for breakfast and chicken hearts for dinner chased with a little half and half. He wanted to play tug o’ war and behaved pretty much like old Timber. He was definitely feeling his oats tonight,

Not all dogs eat tripe

May 4, 2012 Timber 11 Comments

Timber

First the good news. He sports his bright red dressing quite well. His ultra high calorie diet has put on 3.5 lbs since Monday. He thinks going to the vet clinic now is his own personal day spa with a private servants. His poopies are solid and formed and he doesn’t whimper.

The incision must be starting to itch and he can lift his hind leg in an attempt to scratch. He leaves his tube alone and is no longer gently licking the  incision area.

All good, all baby steps.

His beloved vet, on her day off I might add, e-mailed me three times and called me once before noon. Julie, if you read this tonight, we worship the ground you walk on and adore your bedside manner.

However, the eating challenges continue. My Model T continues his anorexia, driving us to just this side of insane and fretting.

He refused all breakfast. We tried a magical concoction put together for the assistance dog broods that consisted of green tripe and a few other delicacies. He totally turned his nose up. We tried mackerel, a finicky greyhounds favorite, he literally pushed the plate away with his nose.

This is pretty much his reaction. Bleh.

We even tried dining outside, playing airplane and back in the kitchen at his raised food bowls.

Negative, notta, nope.

So, my Model T is clearly feeling better. He just won’t eat.

Dinner is served.

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