That is One Sick Puppy

Let me give you a tip:

If your dog is sick and you're trying to find out ways to help him, don't google "sick puppy." Trust me on this.

Early Thursday morning we woke up to the sound of our adorable cuddly puppy puking his guts out. I managed about three hours sleep between rounds and we brought him to the vet as soon as they opened. He determined that Owen has a bacterial infection and that it's common in dogs here when we have heavy rains. All the crud rushing down the hill collects at the bottom -- where we are -- and finds its way into dogs' bellies.

The vet gave us some pills for Owen and sent us on our way. He was lethargic and didn't eat, but he didn't seem too bad. Friday we took him to the beach, and again, he was tired, but still his normal puppy self. Well, late Friday he started getting sick again and wouldn't stop throwing up. We were getting progressively worried and didn't know what to do (enter more googling), so back we went Saturday morning. The vet gave him a shot, said no food or water for 24 hours, and said to bring him back that evening.

During the second visit the vet weighed Owen and he'd lost half a kilo -- one whole pound -- since Thursday! He started at 6.6 kilos and was down to almost 6. That's a lot when you're so itty bitty! The vet told us to come back in the morning and approved Owen to eat ice cubes. Woohoo!

Then we had a minor incident while driving back from the vet. Ibis was teaching an English class so I was alone with Owen, who insisted on riding in my lap. Fortunately we've got a 5-10 second window between when he starts gagging and actually gets sick, so I was able to pull the car as far to the left curb as possible, hit the hazards, and fling open the driver's side door. I held Owen over the sidewalk with one hand while cars squeezed by on the right. I think people must have been able to see what was going on because even though traffic was heavy, no one honked at me.

Once I got him home he was still sick -- and very weak -- but eventually seemed a little better. He slept all night and drank a bit of water before his appointment, and the vet didn't give him any more shots. In addition to allowing him water, he also gave us this Nutri-Gel stuff that's made for animals and is loaded with nutrients. I've been calling it Nutri-goo because Ibis used to eat this energy goo when he ran marathons and that's a lot more fun to say.

As of mid-day Sunday Owen's been sleeping a lot, but he seems more and more like his normal self. He's run up to the roof on his own and even went to the door when Ibis left -- something he wasn't doing for a couple days. Even the water guy was weirded out when Owen didn't greet him Saturday night, so he asked to come in and pet him. Everybody loves Owen.

I'd like to thank all my friends who held my hand over the weekend and gave me endless support, advice, and encouragement. This is the first animal I've been solely responsible for and it helps to hear what others have been through (and some of them are still going through).

UPDATE: As of Monday morning he's finally acting like his old self. He's running around, jumping on the furniture, and even barked!

Like a Duck to Water

Or something like that.


Schnauzers aren't known for their prowess in the water, but apparently no one told my husband because on our last beach outing he decided Owen would learn how to swim.

And swim he did.

Prior to last week the only times I'd seen Owen actually IN the water was when he was itty bitty and Ibis carried him out much farther than I was comfortable with. Since then I've only seen him run along shore, chasing Ibis and barking in this high-pitched yip that sounded more like a squeaky toy than an animal.

I couldn't believe it when I looked out at the water and saw Ibis running backwards in waist-deep water, Owen paddling after him. They went back and forth, back and forth, until me, being the ever-paranoid person that I am yelled for Ibis to give Owen a rest. When they came ashore I asked if Owen seemed like he was having fun or if the look on his face was more of a OMG! OMG! GET ME OUT OF THIS WATER NOW! type thing, and he said it was kind of a combination of the two.

I'm just happy he can swim.

There was also a lot of running, jumping, barking, leaping, and general chaos. And digging. Lots of digging. How the sand only stuck to his nose, I don't know.


I swear he wasn't as miserable as he looks here.

From Puppy to Dog

When exactly do you start calling a puppy a dog? A year? That seems to make the most sense to me. While I know we're still months away from that transition, we are seeing progress with Owen that makes all our training efforts worthwhile.

He's starting to sit when people come to visit (which is helping with the excitable peeing that keeps happening), he only jumps up once or twice when we have food on the couch, and he doesn't try to eat my ponytail while I'm doing sit-ups. He does still lick my face, but I'll take that.

He still cries like someone just cut his heart out whenever we leave, but I can't expect him to act like a big boy overnight, right? He also makes other animal noise -- cat, bird, turkey, you name it -- but we're hoping those stick around.

*melts*

Have a great weekend everyone!

Working Like a Dog

My recent lack of activity aside, Ibis and I are both very athletic and try to get some form of exercise every day, or at the very least several times a week. We enjoy a variety of sports/activities -- volleyball, tennis, rollerblading -- and actually like going to the gym on a regular basis. So it's only fitting that we'd expect the same from our dog, right?

Owen is over four months old now, so we figured there's no time like the present!

First I went over his workout regimen.


Then I got him started on neck and back exercises.


Next up: loosening those teeth! (He lost three more Thursday & Friday)


Survey says: he likes it!


Sure, it only weighs a couple ounces and squeaks, but you have to start someplace.

Exercising With a Puppy

I stopped going to the gym when I went home at the end of August (long story) so now all my exercise is done at home. I still do Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred series, and while I often yell at her during the routine, I now have someone else to yell at too.

Owen.

Seems jumping around is puppy code for LET'S PLAY! LET'S PLAY! BITE ME! LET'S PLAY! It only took one well-timed jumping jack with him between my feet to stop him from getting too close during cardio, but it seems nothing will keep him away when I'm doing sit-ups.

He starts innocently enough. First he meanders over (or pounces, depending on how sleepy he is) then plops onto my belly. This is the preferred position. I can still do sit-ups with him lying on me, and he doesn't weigh much so it doesn't slow me down.

But the belly sitting doesn't last long. After maybe five seconds he scoots forward until we're nose to nose and he snuffles my face. Doesn't matter which part -- whatever's closest works. I, in turn, laugh (read: giggle) which is puppy code for STRANGE NOISE! COMING FROM MAMA! LICK! BITE! SNUFFLE!

At this point I push him off me -- still trying to do my sit-ups (I'm following along with a video here) and he burrows his nose in -- you guessed it -- my armpit. Aside from the gross-factor, it also tickles, which causes more giggles and usually an unintentional elbow to his head. I push him away again and he moves around to...

*cue harps and angels singing*

MY PONYTAIL!

Game over. Have you ever tried doing a sit-up with an animal clinging to your head? It's really not as effective as you might think. Fortunately at this point the video has moved on to the next round of cardio, at which point Owen backs off and regroups until it's time for sit-ups again.

The last time I worked out I finally put him on his leash and tied him to a chair just out of reach, so instead of him attacking me, he talked to me the entire time. At least he was encouraging during the sit-ups. :P

Who me?


Here he is acting all innocent while visiting friends earlier this week.

Already?

Friday morning I woke up and discovered Owen is missing THREE teeth. Three! I knew they start losing them around four months, and as he turned four months on Thursday that makes sense, but I didn't expect him to be so prompt.


He was half asleep here and didn't want me to open his mouth, but there's a red spot where his top tooth fell out (to the left of the tooth you CAN see). The two bottom front ones are also gone.

Last night our friend Mary, her husband, and another couple came over for dinner and after a couple hours of running from person to person to person, then Oh! back to another person, Owen crashed.

Leaps & Bounds

So much love. I just can't get over it. :)

We had a big milestone this week -- Owen learned how to jump onto the couch! He's been pulling himself up for quite awhile, much like a toddler, and a couple nights ago launched himself and almost made it on top. He just couldn't figure out how to pull himself up.

Later that day we got him all riled up where he runs in circles around the condo, hurdling chairs and diving under the coffee table, and he LEAPED into Ibis's lap. On the couch. I think Owen was more surprised than we were!

He can't do it every time but I'm sure in another week he won't think twice about it. Other big things: he can stay, he wakes us up to go outside, and he's figured out that there's no sense following me into the kitchen because he gets NOTHING. Ibis on the other hand...

This is Really Starting to Tick Me Off

Can you guess what these are?


If you've been following along on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then you might guess that these are ticks. I pulled these off Owen in the space of about half an hour, and removed the same amount the day before (then again later after this picture was taken). I put water in the bowl because it's easier to drop them in there, and this way I don't have to squish them and they can't run away. I just have to keep Owen from drinking the water.

He's had bugs since we first got him, so we check him daily for little critters. (He's surprisingly well-behaved while we do it, too. Yesterday he even fell asleep while I was attacking his face.) After one particularly disgusting excavation about a month ago, we thought we had them all and didn't see any for several weeks. Well, it looks like the new litter is here. And now they're attacking us.

We've tried everything short of bug bombing the house, and that's only because I haven't figured out if they actually sell bug bombs here. We've bleached the floor countless times, torn apart the bedroom, washed the curtains... you get the idea. And they still keep coming back.

Since I'm picking them off him with my fingernails -- don't worry, they're just on the surface of his skin -- inevitably one or two ends up crawling on me, and now I have the constant sensation that creepy crawlies are on me. It doesn't help that I have lots of moles and freckles.

Right arm:

Left arm:


Do you have any suggestions for non-toxic remedies, both for Owen and the house? So far people have suggested feeding him garlic, washing him in dish soap and/or flea & tick shampoo (which we do have), and giving him an oral pill (which we're looking into). My preferred option is MOVING, but we need something a little more short-term.

Thanks.

ETA: LurkerMonkey just informed me that my short story is up at his blog today.)

What a Crybaby, Part 2

Our first video of Owen! You might want to shove a cotton ball or two in your ears before listening -- he's hitting an octave that sopranos can only dream of.

Owen Says He's Very Excited About the Possibility of Moving Someplace Cooler

I've never actually seen his tongue hang out that far -- I only seem to capture it in pictures when I'm looking at the little screen. Poor baby is HOT.

Roo Roo Roo

That is the sound Owen makes when he's excited, frustrated, happy, hungry, playful, and sad. This is him "roo-ing" right after Ibis left to go to the store.


He howls at the door, then turns around to face me and howls some more to make sure I know Ibis left. I imagine his cries are something like "HE'S GONE! HE'S GONE! (look back and forth) DID YOU KNOW HE'S GONE?" It's so pitiful but I try to ignore him so the behavior isn't reinforced. But he's so cute and gets all snuggly afterwards.

This was a couple minutes later. He'd stopped crying and just looked super-duper-wooper sad instead.


I keep waiting for the cuteness to wear off, but I could stare at him all day long -- some days it feels like that's all I do. I can't tell you how many times one of us will say "look at him!" because he's doing something adorable, like rolling over, rubbing his face, twitching his ears... you get the idea.

Life Is Hard

That's what we say whenever we notice Owen sleeping. As I'm sure most puppies do, when he first wakes up, he lifts his head, looks around the room, maaaaybe starts to get up, then he collapses in a heap on the floor. If he was in his bed and started to climb out, he often gives up halfway out. Or he inches himself out bit by bit over the course of half an hour until he's half in/half out of his bed. Yes, we ooh and ahh every time.


This was after a bath. I put the towel on the floor for him to snuggle with, he dragged part of it into his bed, then eventually worked his way back out again.


Hanging out with "papa".


He'd been asleep for at least an hour before we noticed his ears were flipped over. Trying to hear us talking about him, perhaps?


Finally, he LOVES his toys. I keep moving them out of his way so he can sleep, but he chooses to sleep on top of them. During the day he'll stick his head in and grab one, then another, then another toy to play with. At least he appreciates them!


Can you believe how big he's gotten? Compared to the first pictures I posted of him in his bed, he looks like a giant!

Who Are You & What Did You Do With My Puppy?

I got home and couldn't believe how BIG Owen got while I was gone! He's nearly doubled in size since we got him.


I knew Ibis would teach Owen something during my two-week trip, but I didn't expect him to learn how to go up and down the stairs. He's barely taller than the steps, but can navigate all four flights, sometimes faster than us. He cries a little when going down, but I'm sure that will end soon.


Gramma (my mom) bought Owen a couple toys and he LOVES THEM! He carries the soft ring with rattle things dangling from the end all over the house, and the soft plastic toy has saved my fingers countless scratches.

Finally, happy 21st birthday to my nephew!

Crocs to the Rescue!

Hi! I'm back and I swear I plan to tell you about my trip -- I've already compiled a list of bizarre things I saw over the past two weeks -- but something more pressing is on my mind.

On the first full day of my trip I slammed my big toe into the side of the island in my cousin's kitchen and by the next day it was looking pretty gross. I've been comparing it to the alien that busts out of Sigourney Weaver's stomach -- all flesh and blood and other goopy stuff, none of which is very convenient when you're traversing across three states.

It looked like it was getting better over this past weekend, but then Tuesday things went downhill. Walking through three airports* on Wednesday didn't help, so as soon as I got home we found a doctor and headed right back out. Now I have antibiotics and creams and, most importantly, an appointment to get the whole mess sliced off on Saturday. (yum)

So where do the Crocs fit into this story? Well, as you may be aware, we have a chewing, biting puppy who doesn't understand that the slightest touch will make me pass out from the pain. I spent an hour running around on one leg (which is not as easy as it sounds) before I remembered my camouflage Crocs I bought when I was home last year.

They're perfect because the bulbous area up front doesn't touch my toes and they are sturdy enough to kind of keep Owen off me. They may also keep anyone else from coming near me, but since I can barely walk, I suppose I'll take it.


*While writing this post Wednesday night I found out there was a hijacking situation with a Mexican flight and that the plane was in Mexico City. I was there when that happened but all I saw were some Federales dealing with something important (ie: running around looking all serious 'n stuff).

6am Ponderings

I'm not a morning person. Once I started dating Ibis, I went from sleeping until 10-11am on the weekends to getting up by 8am. 7am is the earliest I wake up naturally and I can function pretty normally at that point.

Then we got a dog.

Yes, all you parents and pet owners are laughing at me right now, but it's 6am and I my coffee isn't ready yet so I'm too groggy to hear you. Ha!

The good thing is I've been writing in these early hours. I'm not as motivated as some of you to get up at 4am, but being at my computer before the sun rises is a huge accomplishment for me. Granted, it's 6am, I have the fan pointed at me, and I'm still coated in a slick of sweat, but it is cooler than during the day.

Speaking of writing, yesterday I reached 69K words (I left off at 62,750 last December) and I have four pages left to edit. My goal was to finish this draft before I leave for the US on Wednesday, but I have at least 4-5 chapters to write and I honestly don't see that happening. I plan to print out the last chapter -- or maybe my outline -- so I can write by hand while I'm gone.

That's all I've got this morning. What's new with you?

We Should Have Named Him Left-Eye

Are you ready for the cuteness? Do you look forward to these posts, or am I boring you? How can this face bore you?


He's even adorable when he sleeps. This is what I see when I look down from my desk chair. Usually he's on his belly or side, but every now and then he wraps around the chair leg or my foot.


Can I just tell you, he's got this innocent look mastered. He's all sweet, acting like a perfect stuffed animal and then...


... your toe twitches and it's all over.


He has officially learned to sit, although he doesn't respond without food or a treat, and he's letting up on the crying when we leave. Friday afternoon we blocked him in the kitchen while I did a workout video, and aside from a couple yelps, he was quiet.

Speaking of which, he still hasn't developed his bark so it's either a howl or a cat-like meow. Ibis keeps asking Owen if he's "a sheep or a wolf." (Ten points if you can guess that movie reference) So far, it looks like he's all sheep.

Seven + One

Janna and Jen have both done this meme that's going around the blogosphere. There's a picture and some rules, but I don't feel like bothering with all that. I'm supposed to list seven things that you may not know about me, but I've altered that and listed seven things that are on my mind this week, that you also probably don't know about me.

If you'd like to play along, please leave your seven things in the comments, or let me know if you post on your own blog.

1. We haven't had a phone in four days. I'm not sure if it's the line or the phone, but that shows you how often we actually use it.

[Since writing this Ibis fixed the line. But then the power went out because we didn't pay the bill that never arrived.]

2. I've lost 2.5 of the 5 kilos I'd like to lose. I'm not liking how my body behaves now that I'm in my mid-30s -- it's hard to maintain and even harder to lose -- but what are you gonna do?

3. I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my left wrist. I sometimes wear an athletic wristband to elevate my wrist (so it's higher in relation to the mouse) but I worry I'll eventually need surgery. And now my pinkie on that hand hurts as well.

4. I'm no longer planning to buy sheets when I go home. Ibis completely shredded our top sheet a couple nights ago (there was a shout of frustration, then a big RIIIIIP, then much huffing and puffing as he tossed it aside) so I put a twin-sized sheet on our bed for the time being. Turns out it's exactly as wide as our bed, and since I only cover a leg at most, that should work fine.

5. I'm jealous over how excited Owen gets when Ibis comes home, but I'm thinking that I might need to actually leave the house if I want Owen to be excited to see me. He is happy when I come home from the gym, but it's not the same. On the flip side, I'm worried he won't remember be after I'm gone for two weeks!

6. Speaking of Owen, Ibis has joked that he's only going to feed him a little bit so that Owen stays small. Yes, it's a joke. But we also keep joking that we want to eat him in a taco. So. Fricking. Cute. *dies*

7. *sits back up* Here's one that is a general thing about me, nothing isolated to this week: I often start washing my dishes while I'm still chewing my last bite. If I don't force myself to stay in my chair and savor the last bite, I'm up and in the kitchen before I realize it. Needless to say, we rarely have dishes in the sink.


+1 This is a Friends reference. There's an episode where Phoebe and Rachel take a self-defense class and declare they can kick anyone's butt (or something like that). Ross makes it his mission to prove them wrong, then they in turn try to scare him (you know how these shows go) but he says because he studied karaté, he has "unagi" (said while pointing at one's temple) and sees everything.

They ridicule his word unagi, and throughout the episode everyone asks "isn't that eel?" By the end of the show, the girls scare him and Rachel points to her temple and says "salmon sushi roll." Good times.

Ibis happened to watch this episode with me, so now every time he does something that surprises me, he points to his temple and says "sudoku."


Now tell me whatcha got!

Our First Full Week

Owen has adapted very well to living with us instead of his mother and sister. He gets very excited for his mushy food, he nibbles my neck when I carry him up and down the stairs, and he sleeps beneath our feet.


He's already responding to his name AND we've started teaching him to sit.

His favorite spot is in front of the open refrigerator. Smart dog. He comes running every time we open it and we have to be careful not to shut his little head in the door.


This is his second favorite spot.


It's been ridiculously hot the past several days (I currently have a heat rash on my neck -- very attractive) so we've been "showering" him a couple times a day. He LOVES it.


Friday evening we finally decided it was time for a haircut. He was very good for most of it, but I did have to let him chew on my fingers to keep him still while Ibis cut his head. (That's why there aren't any action shots.)



We are so happy we have him and wouldn't trade him for the world, even if he does wake us up at 4 & 5am. Every day.

Meet Owen

Puppies...


do not like to...


sit still.

We Have the Puppy!

Yesterday we stopped by the vet to see the puppy and upon our arrival he said we could take him right then. Say what? If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you shouldn't be surprised (I don't know why I was) because time here isn't nearly as... hmmm, how do I say this?... IMPORTANT as it is in the US. Things are more flexible. Usually it works against you, but every now and then you get a puppy a week early!


We scrambled around town to get the last minute things (like food and a leash) then went back to pick him up! The crate at the vet's was pretty nasty so we gave him a bath in a tupperware bowl and MAN, was that water gross. I think we still need to give him another one, but it's already an improvement.


We haven't chosen a name yet because we want to get a sense of his personality first, but I'll let you know as soon as we decide.