griff wrote:

Poor Max.

He spent the day at the vet again.  He's got tummy meds and they're running a test to see if they can rule out a common syndrome with poodles that can cause them not to be able to handle stress.  Might make sense since January was the last time he was sick and I was stressed, therefore he was stressed.  Now, I'm stressed and he's sick again.  He's got all the meds again and special food for the next week or so.  The vet also gave me some anti-anxiety meds for the car ride and any other stressful event I might know is coming.  I'm going to see if it works with Tess and maybe use that to help with grooming - being careful not to over use, of course.

The pups know spring when they see it.

Thanks! Benny the border is an amazing animal. The new Aussie girl is super affectionate, afraid of men, not house-trained, and very active, a lovely work in progress. She came with the name Noli which isn't great for corrections. She had a hard time of it with her previous assignment, but we'll get her sorted out. Working herds, flocks, or humans she's a heeler vs Benny who is a header. She loops around at your heel when hiking / biking like my Aussie Merlin used to which brings back fond memories of a great dog long passed.

be-bop wrote:

We lost our loved Border Terrier Archie in 2019 after 15 years and at Christmas after having a dog sized hole in our life bought Brann another Border Terrier.
(If I knew how to post pictures on this site I'd show you just how cute he is) any way I digress,last sunday our 4 month puppy was playing his new game of roaring up the stairs jumping on our bed and attacking the teddy bears my wife keeps on the bed.
Well this time he missed bounced off the bed banged of the door and crashed to the floor yelping, never heard that sound from him before so I knew he'd hurt himself.
Turned out he'd fractured the growth plate and his kneecap and needed a specialist to op on him to pin his leg back together, So £4000 later he's back home feeling very sorry for himself, in his crate under bedrest and no walks for six weeks,Hell on earth for a 4 month old puppy.
Thank God for pet insurance, I dont have to sell a kidney this time.

OUCH!
(Even with insurance)
(Most people here use postimages to host pics, and then link to the picture in their forum post).
 

So, update on the pups.  The anti anxiety pills helped with the car ride for the most part.  Max was like sleeping so deep, I kept waking him to make sure he was still alive.  Tess still stood for the entire 7.5 hours, but had less panting.  On the way back, I lessened and added half a pill respectively.  Tess finally laid down for most of the ride.  It also allowed me to go into a convenience store and get a snack without them working themselves into a lather.

During the 2 weeks up north, Max got sick a few times and Tess sneezed so hard that she scraped her nose on the street during a walk :/  They were pretty good for the most part.  There were some days I gave them a little dose of the anti anxiety pills.  It seemed like it made them less likely to engage in barking with the dogs around the yard we let them run in.  I think if I have to go up again, I'll just board them.  I think it would be easier on them even if it's stressful for me.

I'm still working on Tess's fur.  I actually ordered a mat rake, which seems like it just cuts through the mats instead of trying to unknot them.  I think this would be better for her so I can give her an all over cut.  Her fur is really too long for the start of a southern summer.  I'm anxious to get a house so I can get a couch big enough for the both of them.

xoxoxoBruce wrote:

This was the first long road trip since you brought them home isn't it? So they know you'll probably not leave them somewhere. Sounds like you need one of those anti-anxiety pills too. Relax a little you're doing a great job, there'll be bumps but you can handle it.

Oh, don't you mean a couch big enough for the three of you? 

No, I went back up over Christmas and the beginning of March.  This is the longest they stayed somewhere not their former house or with me.

I definitely need the pills!  I've been tempted!!  

Only if they let me on the couch.  I'm actually considering a pit sectional couch so there'd definitely be enough room   I just need to find one that would fit.  I was thinking lovesac sactionals

did the topic drift to jockstraps?

bbro wrote:

Looking at the site, I think it's from the bottom with a clamping mechanism

monster wrote:

did the topic drift to jockstraps?

No, but I can see why you would think that 

....and now s&m? 

Oh, let it play the next one too, Hobie the Golden Retriever.

The weather here is phenomenal, so I hung a crappy screen at my back door.  This is now Tess's favorite place to be.  She's either laying there relaxing or sniffing the air.  I love it.  It makes me so much more motivated to get a house with a nice yard for them


Another Tess picture.  I had to go to PA and I was staying with family.  On my second to last morning there, I looked over and saw my uncle and Tess watching the window.  They LOVED the windows there because it was the perfect height for them to observe the world


Max was a little more stuck to me while there.


They would chill out at the end of the day while we watched jeopardy

Sweet pups.

You interrupted his worship.

I think some reading on experiences with three-legged dogs might be helpful.
I have had two (from totally different causes) that I never considered "handicapped."
Dogs do really well with a partially functioning leg or an amputation.
Even with surgery, I think Tess's  Iditarod Days are over, but that's it.  And I don't think she minds.