Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

My shiba decided to jailbreak from the house today and spent several hours running- actually bounding through my neighborhood before I chased her down. I will not be going to the gym later.

SB-

Tell me more about the shiba inu. I don't know if I have ever seen them until this thread and they are adorable looking; as I said above, they look like stuffed animals. What are their temperaments like? Is the jailbreak typical of the breed?

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Yes! We have two dogs. Neena and Mia. We moved to Buffalo from New Haven 2 years ago. Should be moving somewhere else in two years as well. It's the transient life for us Hope you, the family and the furry family are all fairing well

I also have a tendency to make the dog's pictures in black and white

Davi! I apologize! I mistook Neena for a cat in the first photo! Looking back at it, I don't know how I can have done so. She is clearly a dog. I can only blame my aging eyes. But that is why I asked if you also had dogs. I thought you had acquired a cat as well.

The pictures posted below the one of Neena on your bed are also absolutely gorgeous. I love your black and white work. You are an artist!

Hugs to you and the puppies,
Deb

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

I have tried to find information about Yssie's dog, Emily, in other threads because I couldn't find enough here. I read somewhere that she was supposed to grow to 80 pounds, which dispelled my initial belief that she might be a mastiff. What breed is she? She is absolutely adorable. Is she now fully grown? Are there any current pictures of her around?

Deb

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

We had a stray cat come and have babies in our backyard shed over the summer and didn't know it until they were almost weaned and London saw one of them. There ended up being 4 of them and we took them to my parents house. We named them Hosta, Astilbe, Heuchera and Honeysuckle. The one on the left, the fuzzy white/sherbet colored one is Honeysuckle. She is my dad's favorite of the outside cats. We're kitty sitting for a little while. Pic is hard to see b/c they were scared and burrowed into my neck. She's got a really foxy face now and her whiskers are curly-they totally curl into her face..like a crazy handlebar mustache or something. Will have to get some new pics.

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

They couldn't be cuter, packrat. Their vanilla fur color and blue-green eyes are just spectacular. And, of course, they have that innocent baby look!!! Are you going to take them to the vet?

Deb

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

We took them out to my parents house, but the fuzzy one is dad's favorite so we're going to have her for a little while and see how it goes. I did take her to the vet for worming, Revolution and antibiotics. The outside cats out there get food/water/shelter/attention, but not the medical care an inside cat gets..it's rare for my dad to have a cat that he likes, so I'm hoping to keep her here. We'll see. From being a stray that spazzed out at human touch in the beginning, and then once she actually felt the warmth of a person she seemed to crave it..she's a purring machine. Hoping she can come in the house tonight-we noticed fleas on her from being outside and are waiting for the revolution to kill everything.

Shelter tortie comes tomorrow too.

 

[dragonfly411]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Ohhhh Packrat! Those little babies are so cute!!!

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Our aging 11 year old airedale, Zeus, has torn/strained/sprained his cruciate ligament and is now on Medicam (sp??) for pain. We had him to the vet after 3 days of being a 3 legged dog, and once he started increased panting on the third day, we made sure to get him in to be examined. There was nothing to trigger this, that we are aware of - no rough housing, no strenuous exercise, no "crash & burn" in the house with Lily running into him - and had the vet do a thorough and full exam including blood work, so ... he's in 'recovery mode' for the next 2 - 4 weeks. Poor guy....

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Our aging 11 year old airedale, Zeus, has torn/strained/sprained his cruciate ligament and is now on Medicam (sp??) for pain. We had him to the vet after 3 days of being a 3 legged dog, and once he started increased panting on the third day, we made sure to get him in to be examined. There was nothing to trigger this, that we are aware of - no rough housing, no strenuous exercise, no "crash & burn" in the house with Lily running into him - and had the vet do a thorough and full exam including blood work, so ... he's in 'recovery mode' for the next 2 - 4 weeks. Poor guy....

I'm sorry to hear this. I worry whenever Griffin gets an "unexplained" leg injury. The explained ones are usually not much better. Our yellow Lab had to have a TPLO for a cruciate ligament and it was a big surgery! I hope Zeus gets better quickly and easily.

Hugs,
Deb

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

^^^^^^

Thanks Deb!! any ideas how to make him feel comfortable? we can only give the medication once / day at dinner... and he is panting all day long. YEsterday was the first dose and he was allowed a double dose to start to help him get to some sort of a "cruising altitude" for comfort, but now, I'm thinking its no longer... "cruising"! He is unsettled, we've now been out twice for all 3 to have performed their pre and post breakfast bodily functions, but he's just not settling down now. He is ok to be touched and I'm loving the heck out of him right now and he's staying right beside me --- very unusual for Zeus...

Can I give him a regular dose aspirin (325mg?) he's a 58 lb dog and that would be his dose. The vet said coated aspirin is ok but no Tylenol, ibuprofen, or advil (and derivatives thereof)

I hate seeing them in pain... it makes me worry and sad....

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Oh no Enerchi, poor Zeus! Is he panting from the pain or is he having another issue? I remember when our darling Billy started panting it was from breathing and heart issues so please just make sure it is from the pain and not something else in addition. Call your vet and be certain or maybe second opinion because I am feeling overly cautious these days. And why can't they give him something stronger for the pain if that is what is causing the panting?

I am so sorry about this and I hope Zeus starts feeling better soon! I have no other advice but lots of good thoughts and big hugs and prayers for a pain free recovery ASAP!

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Thanks Missy! Yes, we know its not heart or lungs because all of that was checked yesterday. The blood test will tell us if there is any liver or kidney damage, which can be an issue on this medication, but 3 days of use before the results are back on Monday, were not going to be a risk for him, according to the vet, so we wait.

Apparently this is quite a strong analgesic, in dog world, that's why its a once/day only dosage. His tail is down, he's beside me looking at me like - "MOM!! make this better!!!" - and I feel terrible that I can't make it better, nor can I understand his communication!!

wait --- he just plunked himself down!! good - at least his off his other 3 legs right now. Hmmm.... I'll still put in a call to the vet today (saturday) and they usually pick up messages so I should get a call, and I'll ask about an aspirin supplement. As good as "Dr-slash-Vet Google" is, I'd prefer to hear directly from our own vet!

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

And why can't they give him something stronger for the pain if that is what is causing the panting?

Hi, Enerchi-

I am with missy on this! Is your vet unresponsive? Have you told him (or her) that Zeus is suffering? If s/he is not being responsive, I would go elsewhere pronto!

As far as another drug goes, Gabapentin (Neurontin) made Griffin sleep when he first went on it. In fact, it knocked him through a loop, which was good, although he takes it regularly now without any sleep-inducing effects. But I heartily agree with missy that adding and mixing meds to make him sleep should not be your goal. Make the vet do his job! If Zeus has a good heart and other organs, why can't he have a pain med that works?

Deb

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

WOW! I'm impressed w our vet!! We've been out all morning doing assorted errands but I knew I wanted to call the vet to discuss pain control, but she just called here! The blood results are back and he's as healthy as a horse (which would totally suck, because we thought we had a dog not a horse... ... but I digress!!) His liver and kidney results show no elevated enzymes, his protein and albumin levels are normal, no anemia - a bit low on thyroid but not an issue unless he has a slew of other symptoms, so -- good to go!! He can take the full 13 day dose of MEDACAM and as for a secondary analgesic - she said no. This particular medication actually has a 1/2 life of 72 hours, so every 24 hour dosage should carry him thru. She figures he'll just be a bit more uncomfortable in the mornings after a night's sleep, so as he gets more medication over a daily basis and the ligament heals, the panting will decrease.

PHEW!! Fabulous vet!! I'm super impressed - lab results in a day? that's almost unheard of in my area!!

And as I type, he's comfortably laying by my feet, tail thumping, alert, no panting...

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Kitty is here and doing fine. Lots of exploring and sniffing around. We ended up w/a different tortie, as the one we went to see was a bit grumpy and touchy. The woman at the shelter thinks she would be fine in a house situation w/just a few other cats rather than being in the shelter surrounded by tons of cats. Buuuuut I didn't want to take that chance. So, we now have another tortie, w/more orange on her face than Clem and Britta, so she's more like our first, Bella. She's pretty dainty looking. No name yet.

 

[SB621]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Hey AGBF!

Shiba’s (Inu just means dog in Japanese) are a very interesting breed. Please excuse what is probably going to be a novel, but I have so much to say about them.

First we got our Shiba when we were living in Japan. We went to a Japanese pet store and bought her from the owner who didn’t speak a word of English. We knew NOTHING about shiba’s and through a bizarre use of semi sign language the owner showed a picture of what a shiba would look like fully grown in a field. Not much to go off of and looking back I can’t believe we even did it. We thought our dog would be around 50lbs and basically the size of a small lab.

Shiba’s have 3 coats black and cream, tan (reddish color) and white. The tan are the most predominate and they tend to look very similar to foxes. Shiba’s are also one of the 5 ancient dog breeds. They were cross bread with several other large dogs to create some more well-known breeds. I want to say the Akita and Alaskan sled dog were bred off a shiba, but can't remember exactly. Almost all Japanese dogs have some shiba in them and you can tell from the curled tail. The Shiba was brought over to America and Europe in the mid 1950’s by US Military. It is rare to find them in US or European homes though for several reasons.
- Aggression- shibas can be violate especially among other females dogs
- They have an extremely high prey drive- they kill most small animals and have no problem attacking larger animals as well
- They absolutely CAN NOT EVER be left off the lease.
- They are practically untrainable, even the dog whisper did a special on how the Shiba is limited in training. You can do certain things with them inside and on a leash. But if they are runningfree then they will not take commands and you will be running for hours after them.

Our little female shiba topped out at 18lbs, and she is absoltey beautiful. We get comments on her all the time. But she is also extremely high maintenance. If our front door is ever open she will escape. Electric fenses and shock collars don’t work on them. We have spent more time then I care to admit running through our neighborhood trying to get her. It is not a matter of if she gets out but when. We also have to be very careful with her around other dogs and small children. She is great with our lab who we introduced to her as a puppy and is even more amazing with our children. But with that said she shows a lot of aggression towards almost all dogs and a rather aggregated temper to kids.

For the most part shibas are very aloof and not affectionate in the way most Americans would view dogs- say a lab for example. Are shiba likes to be in the room with us but doesn’t curl up at our feet. She doesn’t meet us at the door when we come and go. She likes to be petted but doesn’t strive to get our attention either. I think THIS is why Shiba’s are not popular. Americans want a fido. A family dog and shiba’s just don’t fit that mold. To my knowledge there are only 2-4 shiba breeders in the US that are registered. Most shiba’s are extremely hard to adopt out as they are not the average family dog. There was a study done not to long ago that put shiba’s being put down at the same high rate as pit bulls- not the same number but % wise they were very close.

With all of this said- we love our shiba. What most see as stubbornness I see as her being bold and spirited She watches over our children like a second mother. When a copperhead snake came within 2 feet of my then 2 year old it was dead before it even had a chance to get close to him. There is not a doubt in my mind she saved him from being bit by the snake. While she is not cuddly like some other dogs she shows her affection in other ways by always sleeping by our feet at night and quietly watching us from the corner of the room as we watch tv or play on the floor with the kids. I always tell people to think of our shiba like the character out of The Godfather!

So to sum up if you know of anyone ever interesting in getting a shiba I would just highly recommend they do their research on the breed as truly there is nothing else like them in North America. They require a lot of obedience, training but can make a wonderful addition to the family.

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

here she is. Terrible picture, I know, but she doesn't stop moving long enough yet to get her face. She seems pretty at-home here, but still checking things out.

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

WOW! I'm impressed w our vet!! We've been out all morning doing assorted errands but I knew I wanted to call the vet to discuss pain control, but she just called here! The blood results are back and he's as healthy as a horse (which would totally suck, because we thought we had a dog not a horse... ... but I digress!!) His liver and kidney results show no elevated enzymes, his protein and albumin levels are normal, no anemia - a bit low on thyroid but not an issue unless he has a slew of other symptoms, so -- good to go!! He can take the full 13 day dose of MEDACAM and as for a secondary analgesic - she said no. This particular medication actually has a 1/2 life of 72 hours, so every 24 hour dosage should carry him thru. She figures he'll just be a bit more uncomfortable in the mornings after a night's sleep, so as he gets more medication over a daily basis and the ligament heals, the panting will decrease.

PHEW!! Fabulous vet!! I'm super impressed - lab results in a day? that's almost unheard of in my area!!

And as I type, he's comfortably laying by my feet, tail thumping, alert, no panting...

That is fantastic news Enerchi!!!!!! Healthy as a horse (where did that saying come from ). Especially great that he is not panting now! YAY!!!

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Ooh, love your pics Sarah and Packrat! Such a sweet kitty Packrat! And Sarah, lol on the peanut butter. I love it too. But I'm sad to find out that Shibas are "put down" (Ugh I hate that term!) so often and for a terrible reason.

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Interesting info about the Shiba's, thank you! I'd only seen them on pet shows on tv before, and figured they were like any other dog-didn't realize they were so different!

Better picture of shelter kitty. She's so very friendly..still skittish but she was curled up on the computer chair and gave me lots of head butts and a back roll so I could rub her tummy, then she flipped up and rubbed her nose/mouth on my nose, smudged the heck out of my glasses. Nice to see her just hanging out now. She's getting settled in quite nicely and JD is liking her a lot, so that makes me happy.

Annnd land sakes but the lighting in the kitchen is horrendous.

Been looking at pictures of torties on pinterest and it totally floors me how wide a range of coats they have. All three of ours are different, it's just neat that they're the same but yet not.

 

[Kelinas]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

my dog hates water.
The only water she likes is drinking water.
When we go running, and it happens to rain, its so cute- her ears go from being perked to flat down, and she's good to go again - She has such a think coat that water typically doesn't penetrate it....until mommy decides to give her a bath.

I love summers- I can leash her butt to our deck and not have to worry about her running away!

This, taken after the "torture" and I was drenched.
Porqu-puppy!

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

I always tell people to think of our shiba like the character out of The Godfather!

I, also, loved your description of the shiba and your shiba, SB. Thank you for taking the time to write it out.

I don't think that your shiba was like every character in The Godfather, even all of the wise guys. Some of them, like Sonny, were hot-tempered and emotional. Some were family men. She reminded me, however, of Luca Brasi, who was absolutely emotionless, a cold bodyguard. I almost posted a picture of the movie Luca Brasi here. Here is a description from the book.

“Luca Brasi was indeed a man to frighten the devil in hell himself. Short, squat, massive-skulled, his presence sent out alarm bells of danger. His face was stamped into a mask of fury. The eyes were brown but with none of the warmth of that color, more a deadly tan. The mouth was not so much cruel as lifeless; thin, rubbery and the color of veal . . . Luca Brasi did not fear the police, he did not fear society, he did not fear God, he did not fear hell, he did not fear or love his fellow man. But he had elected, he had chosen, to fear and love Don Corleone.” —The Godfather, Mario Puzo, 1969

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

WOW! I'm impressed w our vet!! We've been out all morning doing assorted errands but I knew I wanted to call the vet to discuss pain control, but she just called here! The blood results are back and he's as healthy as a horse

(snip)

PHEW!! Fabulous vet!! I'm super impressed - lab results in a day? that's almost unheard of in my area!!

And as I type, he's comfortably laying by my feet, tail thumping, alert, no panting...

I am really glad that your vet came through for you, Enerchi, and that Zeus is doing better. Please give us an update on him!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[AGBF]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Been looking at pictures of torties on pinterest and it totally floors me how wide a range of coats they have. All three of ours are different, it's just neat that they're the same but yet not.

I know nothing about cats, packrat. Far less than the average person, I bet. My best friend, who has always had both cats and dogs, is trying to educate me, but it is going extremely slowly. What does, "tortie" stand for?

Deb

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Tortoiseshell cats, Deb. It's just a slang/shortened term for it. They're really something. I don't know that we'll ever have any other cats besides tortoiseshells. They are more "talkative" than an average cat, and I've had two now that trill like a pigeon or chicken rather than purr. Plus they're just so darn cool looking.

Shelter kitty is officially named Goose. Middle name is up in the air right now. It was Goose Mirabel but I'm not sure yet.

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

We visited my parents today and also got to see the kittens my mom and dad rescued with the mommy cat (who they named mommy). They are going to get them neutered (when they are old enough) and get all the appropriate medical care for them and when they are old enough find them homes. My parents already have 3 cats (they had 4 but Sammy (he was over 20 so he had a good long life) died this year ) but they are going to adopt one of them and find homes hopefully for the other 5 kittens. Mommy is feral so doubtful they are going to find her a home though they are trying. The Peace Plantation has taken some of their rescues in the past but they are overflowing with animals who need homes so not sure that is going to pan out this time.

My parents are trying to socialize the kittens right now and spend many hours holding them etc so they become adoptable when they get older. My dh and I got to help out today and it was pure bliss. OMG nothing is cuter than a kitten or puppy IMO. So sweet and innocent and playful and mischievous and they just make my heart melt.

Here are some pics of them.

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

More pics...

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Awww I love kitties so much. I like to hang out w/the nursing moms and watch the babies...it's so cute when they knead their paws on her tummy and purr!

 

[missy]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

Awww I love kitties so much. I like to hang out w/the nursing moms and watch the babies...it's so cute when they knead their paws on her tummy and purr!

I agree! It makes you forget all your troubles for just a little while and makes everything seem a bit better. A purring cat is delicious. We just have to get them socialized because right now they are feral but fortunately the kittens are young enough to become adoptable though there are 2 very tough ones. I held the most difficult kitty for about 2 hours today and he finally relaxed enough to close his eyes and sleep and seemed almost like he was enjoying being held. So fingers crossed they all become friendly.

 

[packrat]

Re: Random pictures/stories of our furbabies

they're so cute. the more contact they have the faster they'll tame down.

Goose has staked her claim as a member of the household. She doesn't like to be picked up or held, but she sleeps w/JD and Trapper at night, and the others sleep w/me and London. (I think she's scared of the fan I have going in London's room) And for whatever reason, she and Clem use our bedroom as their go-to place. Both of them used it as their safe zone after I brought them home from the shelter. It's funny seeing Britta, Clem and Goose together.