A sad day

I got home from work last night and as soon as I got into the house I could tell something wasn’t right.  I could smell cat urine and it was extremely pungent…not the time to change the litter box odor….it’s much different…..the only other time I smelled it like that was when Charlie Tuna was attacked and nearly killed. 

 

All of the dogs were loose except Boris and he was in his crate, locked up licking what looked like scratch wounds….  We all started looking for Charlie.  He was no where to be found but if you own a cat then you know how well they can hide if they want to……especially in a large house with lots and lots of stuff.

 

I kept thinking scratches?……Charlie has no claws, but then again they could be from his teeth…..I didn’t know, I just knew I had to find Charlie.

 

Only part of the kids were home so we had no idea what had happened.  I just knew from the cat urine smell and the scratches on Boris it wasn’t good.  My fear is that we would find Charlie dead. 

 

After about an hour of constant looking Acacia found him.  He had used the restroom of himself (#1 & # 2) was completely wet, and covered in tooth plugs and obviously in pain.  He had been mauled.

 

Acacia took over with Charlie and I immediately got on the phone to my friend about Boris.  My friend has a farm and lots of room, his adult son is someone I considered for Boris but he just had his 13-year-old dog put down due to cancer/health issues about two weeks ago.  My fear with him was the fact that it is highly likely Boris could have cancer.  (I didn’t want to put him thru that again if indeed that was the case.)  The last Vet visit the Dr. reminded me that his condition wasn’t clearing up as quick as he had hoped and I needed to remember that most of the time that is due to an issue like cancer.  (He said, “Laura, you cant same em all”….

 

My number one rule with rescuing animals is the safety of my kids (obviously) and the well being of my resident dogs comes right behind.  Charlie adopted me, loves dogs, has 3 legs and no claws, ….he is practically defenseless.  Boris maimed him yesterday and it is no ones fault but mine.  I am sick about it.  After that I knew Boris needed to be re-homed quickly.  I called my friend, he works 3^rd and he stopped by the house this morning to pick him up.  I am going to continue to pay for his treatments and we will wait and see the outcome of his health condition.  (My friend has only one barn cat who could whoop any dog’s ass…..but he also stays in the barn away from people and dogs.)

 

Maybe this will all turn out for the best in the long run.  My friends son will be able to meet Boris and get to know him slowly…..the resident dogs at my house can get back to life as normal and Charlie Tuna will again be safe in his house.

 

Boris affected Bear adversely when he came.  Bear is extremely sensitive and since Boris has been there Bear has been pulling his hair out again.  Something he did when he first came to my house due to separation anxiety.  The other problem was Oreo….he is extremely meek, submissive dog and Boris bullied him every time I turned my back.  It was so bad in fact Oreo wouldn’t even go out in the morning to go potty simply to stay away from Boris.  I had to let him out separately, something that wouldn’t seem like a big deal but it really was because that is when Bear and Oreo love to romp and run around the yard and play…..that all stopped when Boris came. 

 

I sure hate this all happened.  This certainly didn’t work out as planned, but at least it looks like Charlie will be okay and pull thru……Boris will be okay too.  He is just  going to have to be okay somewhere other than at my house.

 

 

Laura

A walk

Well, Mr. Boris has now met the entire Moore K-9 crew and gotten along well with everyone except Lil Murphy Moore.  Murphy is a bit scary and when Mr. Boris was running past him this morning, with a giant smile on his face Murphy screamed out in total fear and went flat out on the floor in the kitchen.  Boris was clueless that he had just scared the beejeebers out of little Murphy and continued zooming around the kitchen while Murphy urinated till I picked him up.

 

I decided to let all of the dogs out in the yard with Boris because each had been introduced individually and done okay so I thought things would go well.  They did. The only problem now is, Boris never wants to be crated.  All of my dogs will crate quietly if need be…..not Boris.  He wines pathetically….I can hardly take it but I also know he must learn to be in the crate and calm down.  This will help in his new home.

 

Last night after work I decided to take an extra long walk with Boris.  Devon decided to join us with his skateboard.  The only problem Devon and his skateboard produced was the fact when he would zoom ahead of us, Boris would try desperately to catch up with him….. while dragging me along…….We walked several blocks from the house toward Lake Side Rose Garden, an incredibly beautiful City Park that has a waiting list of 2 to 3 years wait for marriages to be performed in the garden.  The park has hundreds and hundreds of different types of Roses, two ponds, fountains, pavilions, basketball courts, and is meticulously groomed, etc…. city takes beautiful care of it and I am lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place.  The only problem the three blocks between my house and the Park is 3 blocks of abandoned businesses, and lots of unkempt sidewalk, the worst part is going over this tiny dilapidated bridge.  The sidewalk is crumbling and is littered with tons of broken glass.  Part of the stretch is easily resolved by Boris and I traveling directly on the grass but the trek over the bridge is the true problem……broken glass everywhere and you cant walk anywhere other than straight down the sidewalk.  Yesterday proved my concern about the glass has not been in vein.  Boris started limping about half way across the bridge and when I got him to set down and examine his foot he had a piece of glass stuck in his pad.  Luckily I was able to feel it and pull it out……

 

Once we got over the bridge I decided to detour away from the Park and walk down the River Green Way……miles and miles of walking paths that the city installed directly along the river to promote a healthier lifestyle.  The stretch Devon, Boris and I walked last night travels past beautiful old houses and a section of the River where lots of the trees and brush that normally hide the river, has been cleared away.  I find it beautiful and relaxing and I am often surprised that while walking I seldom even pass another person. It is a shame that so many people of our city don’t utilize the many amenities that our city has to offer.  Last night during our walk the air was heavy with an impending rain storm…..during our entire walk it was misting lightly, but when we got within one block of the house it started raining.  Boris didn’t seem to mind the mist or the rain….the just plugged along sniffing everything we passed.

 

This morning on our 5:30AM walk Boris was his usual happy self but paused repeatedly at this large old garage/barn type thing that sits far on the back of the lot…..the giant thing gives me the creeps too when we walk by.  At 5:30 AM it is still dark but there is just enough light to make something look scary that maybe isn’t during the day.  Boris always seems spooked at this same location, every time we pass it.  (Coming and going.)  I can’t say I feel his “spooked” feelings are always accurate because he also was spooked this morning by two newly painted yellow fire hydrants on our AM commute.  I also attributed his spookiness to the possibility of the scent of cats or raccoons that I am sure litter the bushes around the giant structure.  Whatever it is, he sends a chill straight up the leash when we walk past.

 

Boris goes in this morning for another shot and will receive another medicated bath later today.  I am finally starting to notice some improvement in his skin and coat, but it still has a long way to go.  His odor is starting to diminish but we are all still aware of it in the house.  He is eating well and lets me know if he is still hungry by going directly over the dog food storage container and scratching it.  He is an awesome dog full of personality….he will make someone who appreciates him a great companion.  We just have to get him well first.

 

Laura

Willard Water

With the recent addition of Boris to our household, the possibility that his lump was cancer and he being the first dog with his condition in my care I decided to seek out some alternative treatment.

 

In the coarse of my adult life I have suffered different illnesses and have found great relief in natural remedies.  Sure, they don’t all work but I am willing to give something a try if it is natural and seems harmless enough.  Don’t knock it till you try it….right?

 

Just so happened that in one of my dog magazines that I was reading last week there was an article about Willard Water .  Can’t say I have ever heard of it so after reading the article that seemed incredibly promising I plunged into the Internet to get more information.

 

After reading everything that I could get a hold of on the Internet, I have decided to try the free sample.  (You pay only shipping and handling.)  Worst that can happen is it doesn’t work…..

 

I pray something works for Boris and maybe even for my psoriasis.  I am willing to try almost anything…..I will let you know.

 

Laura

The lump is gone

Well, Boris is progressing well.  He is such a loving dog with a wonderful personality……the news that the lump was non-cancerous was music to my ears.  He is a wonderful dog and will make someone an excellent companion.  Just finding the perfect someone now is the problem.

 

I have spent lots of time this week getting to know him better and I am starting to get a much better feel for him.  I think he lived a lot of time in a garage or on cement somewhere…..he seldom poops or pees on anything other than the sidewalk directly behind the house even when he has an entire grassy yard to choose from.  He also doesn’t know that going for a walk is a time that he should go potty.  He almost seems so busy looking around and observing everything while we are walking, he almost seems too busy to poop or pee.

 

He doesn’t miss a thing.  Last night he alerted on a guy who was walking down the other sidewalk and he stood perfectly still picking his scent up off of the wind for about 5 minutes while the guy passed by.  Something caught his attention about the guy, he didn’t bark and wasn’t acting silly…..so I just let him sniff and watch him while we both stood still and watched him pass by.

 

My dogs all learn basic obedience and I have begun teaching him but for now I am letting him be stimulated by everything that captivates his attention and kind of just following his lead when he sees something that interests him.  I know when they are in the shelter they spend lots of time in the cages and have little or no stimulation…sure they get lots of audio stimulation from other dogs in the shelter barking but being outside, breathing fresh air, meeting new people, seeing new things, smelling new smells……etc….dogs need that.  Boris needs that right now.

 

I love to take dogs with me in the car when I am dropping off the kids for running errands……walking in the park, going for day trips…..anything that will get them out of the house and out of our back yard.  Boris loves to ride in the car, but when I take him I have to drape the back seat with a sheet because he is still really stinky due to his skin condition.

 

While walking he always looks back at me for direction and that’s a good thing when it comes to training.  On our walks I’ve discovered he seems strangely interested in stairs and walks most of the time on a nice loose lead although I don’t think he was walked much in his previous house.  He doesn’t seem to have been abused in a physical way (as in being physically hit although we all know he was abused by his previous owner by neglecting to treat his skin condition) and he hasn’t been scared of anything that we have encountered so far…. other than a hidden hissing cat that we came across one night in a large bush down the street.   

 

He’s doing great and his lump has gone all the way away…….

 

me

Phew…..

 

 

 

The lump is swollen glands…..It’s not cancer!  Woo Hoo!

The lump

Yesterday Boris went to the Vet for his second shot. I told the Vet teck that we found the large lump near his throat and asked her to feel it…..it didn’t feel like swollen glands to me (felt too large and centralized) and I couldn’t feel any swollen glands in his back end. She said she would see if the Vet could take a look at it while we were there……

 

We took him back and he was his usual happy self, flirting with all of the girls at the Vet’s office….including the vet. Wagging his entire body…. passing out kisses. Stood there perfectly for his shot.  He is such a good boy.

 

Once we made our way back to the room, the Vet felt the mass and wasn’t sure about it either so she decided to extract some cells and look at them under the microscope. She was looking to see if she could tell if they were lymph node cells or cancer cells. She said if she was unsure and/or if they looked like they could be cancer, she would have to send them off to the lab.

 

She returned a few minutes later and said she needed to send them off to the lab. We will have the results in about a week.

I have a feeling she knows ….. and just wants to confirm it. I’m not sure but I pray I am wrong……but she had this look on her face when she returned to the room……I almost cried just sanding there in the office.

 

Please take a look at the photos of Boris, 9 of 9 and you can clearly see the lump near his throat.

 

I am waiting to hear something from the Vet…….I am praying for the best.

 

Laura.