Conker observes the cats across the street.
And examines some shrubbery.
In other news...
Some dickwad put this shit in our swimming hole in the creek.
Showing posts with label stupid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupid. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Conker's Luxating Patella Journal
I have decided to write up a post where I will come back and add in things I notice about Conker's Luxating Patella. I need somewhere to keep track of this, so I figured I'd post it on the blog since that's how I keep track of Conker's food stuff.
History.
I first noticed a possible problem with Conker's knees way back in St. Louis when he was still a little demonic pup. His joints snapped, crackled, and popped (like the cereal) sometimes, and I thought it was odd that a young dog's joints did this. I asked around a bit. I did not get any definative answers, only that it might be X, or Y, or maybe A and C, but no one was sure that the noises were indicative of anything. So I just kept an eye out for anything odd, but paid special attention to Conker's knees since Luxating Patellas are common in Shibas.
The first time I wrote about Conker's Luxating Patella was on April 3rd 2011. It was an infrequent occurrence, and did not appear to cause Conker any problems. The knee would go back in on it's own 80% of the time, and I had a vet show me how to put it back in correctly so I didn't damage the joint further. Conker was around 8 months old when I found this out. his knees were diagnosed as "Barely a grade 1." on the right and "Basically non-existent." on the left. Vet's words, not mine. Good news! I thought at the time, but I still did what I could to ensure his joints wouldn't get damaged further.
I began to give Conker increased dosages of fish oils and added in joint supplements to his diet.
The next time I wrote about it was in June 2011 when his LP seemed to get better. I was still giving him fish oils and various joint supplements. I did not know if those actually helped or what, so I kept it up just in case they were. Conker had been eating an entirely raw/homecooked diet for 7 months and was now almost one year old.
Fast forwards to October 2012. Conker had previously been on raw/homecooked foods for one year and five months, but had now been eating commercial foods for 5 months. His LP began to occur more frequently than before, and was more severe when it happened. Now I had to manually replace the kneecap 50% of the time it went out. Conker was still getting joint supplements.
This is when we went to Alaska, and Conker basically got zero exercise other than when he was taken out to do his stuff in the yard, or when he was penned and raising hell since he wanted to be near me. Conker was eating EVO Red Meat and still got fish oils and joint supplements. However, he now only put light weight on the right leg, unless he was running or walking briskly. Whenever he stood only his toes were touching the ground. He started to hold his entire leg up during December and January and began to use only the Left when he walked. His right knee was now almost constantly luxated in some manner or another. Manual replacement only resulted it it slipping right back out.
Back in Oregon... I started giving Conker more fresh foods and increased his joint supplements and fish oils. I saw no immediate improvement. I started Conker on an exercise program (hiking) and he put on some much needed muscle that he lost while immobile in Alaska. His knee briefly got better, but shortly returned to "toes touching, light weight only" status. Much to my annoyance, the full leg lift returned as well. To top that off, he's developed a funky gait in his right rear leg where the part of the leg below the knee is held at an odd angle.
(You can see the leg lift here, here, and here, the toe touch here, and here, and the odd gait here and here.)
The here and now.
Conker is still eating commercial foods, but I have reduced the amount to less than 1/2 of the overall diet. Once what I've got on-hand is gone I will most likely cut out all commercial foods and resume a completely raw/homecooked diet. I might even stop feeding Conker the commercial foods sooner than that and just feed what's left to the Girls. It all depends on how pissed off I get.
Conker currently gets two 1200mg fish oil capsules (around 900mg of EPA and DHA combined), 500mg Glucosamine, 400mg Chondroitin, 500mg MSM, and the membranes of at least one eggshell daily. This stuff is not meant to treat Luxating Patella, but to help reduce inflammation and possible joint damage from slippage, and as a preventative measure against arthritis. Which I am convinced this joint is going to be riddled with by the time Conker is 5.
The joint does not feel right to me. I am in no way a vet or whatever, but I can tell the thing is off. It feels nothing like his left knee, which has otherwise been in excellent health as far as I can tell, nor does it resemble either of the Girl's knee joints. I cannot describe it, just that it feels wrong. It is most likely inflamed or swollen. Or something worse. Who knows.
Conker still uses the leg normally about 50% of the time, loves to hike, and will still run around like the maniac he is. Other than not putting weight on the leg some of the time and biting at the joint (a sign of discomfort or pain), he shows nothing else to indicate that his leg is bugging him. But it is, or he would be using it normally and wouldn't bite at it.
The worst part about all this is that I can't afford to treat this properly. Can't afford the surgery to correct his patella, which I am starting to believe is not salvageable anyways. I can't even afford to take Conker to the vet to get some damn x-rays.
Hopefully I will be able to soon, but I highly doubt it.
My belief is that Conker's right knee has increased to grade 3, based on his current symptoms.
Updates.
3/26/13
Conker has been back on raw foods for just over 4 weeks now. I have seen a slight improvement in how he carries his leg, and he will now put his full weight on it on ocassion. He still holds it up or toe-touches a lot though.
Conker is currently getting MSM every day.
Causes of Luxating Patella in Dogs.
Luxating Patella can be caused by a few things. Most commonly it is a genetic issue. Shallow trochlear grooves and weak tendons are two causes. Unfortunately, LP is strongly believed to be hereditary. So if one or both of your dog's parents had it, there's a good possibility that yours will too. It could also be from some other sort of joint defect (inbreeding is a strong cause of such things). It might be caused by an injury to the knee, possibly from trauma to the leg like landing incorrectly from a jump or getting rammed into by something (another dog, perhaps), or from a very sharp and fast turn. Poor nutrition can also affect joint growth and overall health. It has even been linked to altering, which if done early (as in Conker's case) can negatively affect the joints of growing dogs, especially males.
A dog with Luxating Patella has an increased risk of tearing the cruciate ligaments. There is a huge increase of this if the dog has been altered, regardless of when the procedure was done.
I believe Conker's LP is caused by a possible combination of things. Namely:
1. Poor genetics. He is, after all, a puppy mill dog. They don't breed for health in those places. It's incredibly common for mill Shibas to develop Luxating Patella of various severity in one or both knees, which makes me think this is a very probable cause.
2. Early neutering. The shelter I got him from had him neutered at around 2 1/2 months old. I now know that is a very stupid and horrible thing to do and will no longer support anyone who does this.
3. Possible injury. I can't remember if Conker might have twisted that joint wrong when I was with him, but I think it's recent degeneration might have been hurried along by an injury I did not witness. He gets an immense amount of unsupervised time in the backyard. Something easily could have happened while chasing a cat, fence-fighting with a neighbor's dog (I've tried to stop this), or jumping off the pool deck into the bushes.
4. Nutrition. Mill dogs are generally not fed high-quality diets. He was also not fed a quality diet while at the shelter, which might have helped lead to his condition. I have noticed though, that his LP seems to get worse when he eats lower protein foods (below 30%) regardless of type, and it also seems to worsen when he eats commercial foods. Nutrition is one of the biggest the building blocks of health so his poor diet as a pup might have contributed to the condition.
How is Luxating Patella Diagnosed?
Symptoms of Luxating Patella are but not limited to: Skipping a few steps or "bunny hopping", popping sound in the knee, holding the affected leg up briefly or for extended periods of time, biting at the joint, limping, "donkey kicking", or crying.
Diagnosis is done by a veterinarian who will manipulate the dog's knee joints in and out of place and be able to give a general grading based on how the patella performs and by comparing described symptoms and watching the dog walk. X-rays can be used to determine how shallow the trochlear groove is, if some other deformity is the cause, or if arthritis is present in the joint.
Grade 1: The patella can be pushed out of the groove manually, but it returns to position when pressure is released.
Grade 2: The patella can be pushed out of the groove manually or can spontaneously move to the side when the joint is flexed, and it remains out of place until it is manually repositioned.
Grade 3: The patella remains out of the groove most of the time, but can be manually repositioned with the joint extended. However, flexing and extending the joint results in the patella slipping out of place again.
Grade 4: The patella is out of the groove at all times. Moreover, it cannot be manually repositioned. The trochlea is either too shallow or is missing all together.
How is Luxating Patella treated?
Depending on the severity of the condition, Luxating Patella can be treated by simply increasing straight-line exercise, providing a high-quality diet, and adding preventative joint supplements. Or with surgery. Dogs that need surgery are usually those with grades 3 and 4 Luxating Patella(s) but sometimes a dog with grade 2 is a candidate. Surgery is usually one of two procedures: Deepening of the trochlear groove and/or modification of the connecting patellar ligaments.
History.
I first noticed a possible problem with Conker's knees way back in St. Louis when he was still a little demonic pup. His joints snapped, crackled, and popped (like the cereal) sometimes, and I thought it was odd that a young dog's joints did this. I asked around a bit. I did not get any definative answers, only that it might be X, or Y, or maybe A and C, but no one was sure that the noises were indicative of anything. So I just kept an eye out for anything odd, but paid special attention to Conker's knees since Luxating Patellas are common in Shibas.
The first time I wrote about Conker's Luxating Patella was on April 3rd 2011. It was an infrequent occurrence, and did not appear to cause Conker any problems. The knee would go back in on it's own 80% of the time, and I had a vet show me how to put it back in correctly so I didn't damage the joint further. Conker was around 8 months old when I found this out. his knees were diagnosed as "Barely a grade 1." on the right and "Basically non-existent." on the left. Vet's words, not mine. Good news! I thought at the time, but I still did what I could to ensure his joints wouldn't get damaged further.
I began to give Conker increased dosages of fish oils and added in joint supplements to his diet.
The next time I wrote about it was in June 2011 when his LP seemed to get better. I was still giving him fish oils and various joint supplements. I did not know if those actually helped or what, so I kept it up just in case they were. Conker had been eating an entirely raw/homecooked diet for 7 months and was now almost one year old.
Fast forwards to October 2012. Conker had previously been on raw/homecooked foods for one year and five months, but had now been eating commercial foods for 5 months. His LP began to occur more frequently than before, and was more severe when it happened. Now I had to manually replace the kneecap 50% of the time it went out. Conker was still getting joint supplements.
This is when we went to Alaska, and Conker basically got zero exercise other than when he was taken out to do his stuff in the yard, or when he was penned and raising hell since he wanted to be near me. Conker was eating EVO Red Meat and still got fish oils and joint supplements. However, he now only put light weight on the right leg, unless he was running or walking briskly. Whenever he stood only his toes were touching the ground. He started to hold his entire leg up during December and January and began to use only the Left when he walked. His right knee was now almost constantly luxated in some manner or another. Manual replacement only resulted it it slipping right back out.
Back in Oregon... I started giving Conker more fresh foods and increased his joint supplements and fish oils. I saw no immediate improvement. I started Conker on an exercise program (hiking) and he put on some much needed muscle that he lost while immobile in Alaska. His knee briefly got better, but shortly returned to "toes touching, light weight only" status. Much to my annoyance, the full leg lift returned as well. To top that off, he's developed a funky gait in his right rear leg where the part of the leg below the knee is held at an odd angle.
(You can see the leg lift here, here, and here, the toe touch here, and here, and the odd gait here and here.)
The here and now.
Conker is still eating commercial foods, but I have reduced the amount to less than 1/2 of the overall diet. Once what I've got on-hand is gone I will most likely cut out all commercial foods and resume a completely raw/homecooked diet. I might even stop feeding Conker the commercial foods sooner than that and just feed what's left to the Girls. It all depends on how pissed off I get.
Conker currently gets two 1200mg fish oil capsules (around 900mg of EPA and DHA combined), 500mg Glucosamine, 400mg Chondroitin, 500mg MSM, and the membranes of at least one eggshell daily. This stuff is not meant to treat Luxating Patella, but to help reduce inflammation and possible joint damage from slippage, and as a preventative measure against arthritis. Which I am convinced this joint is going to be riddled with by the time Conker is 5.
The joint does not feel right to me. I am in no way a vet or whatever, but I can tell the thing is off. It feels nothing like his left knee, which has otherwise been in excellent health as far as I can tell, nor does it resemble either of the Girl's knee joints. I cannot describe it, just that it feels wrong. It is most likely inflamed or swollen. Or something worse. Who knows.
Conker still uses the leg normally about 50% of the time, loves to hike, and will still run around like the maniac he is. Other than not putting weight on the leg some of the time and biting at the joint (a sign of discomfort or pain), he shows nothing else to indicate that his leg is bugging him. But it is, or he would be using it normally and wouldn't bite at it.
The worst part about all this is that I can't afford to treat this properly. Can't afford the surgery to correct his patella, which I am starting to believe is not salvageable anyways. I can't even afford to take Conker to the vet to get some damn x-rays.
Hopefully I will be able to soon, but I highly doubt it.
My belief is that Conker's right knee has increased to grade 3, based on his current symptoms.
Updates.
3/26/13
Conker has been back on raw foods for just over 4 weeks now. I have seen a slight improvement in how he carries his leg, and he will now put his full weight on it on ocassion. He still holds it up or toe-touches a lot though.
Conker is currently getting MSM every day.
Causes of Luxating Patella in Dogs.
Luxating Patella can be caused by a few things. Most commonly it is a genetic issue. Shallow trochlear grooves and weak tendons are two causes. Unfortunately, LP is strongly believed to be hereditary. So if one or both of your dog's parents had it, there's a good possibility that yours will too. It could also be from some other sort of joint defect (inbreeding is a strong cause of such things). It might be caused by an injury to the knee, possibly from trauma to the leg like landing incorrectly from a jump or getting rammed into by something (another dog, perhaps), or from a very sharp and fast turn. Poor nutrition can also affect joint growth and overall health. It has even been linked to altering, which if done early (as in Conker's case) can negatively affect the joints of growing dogs, especially males.
A dog with Luxating Patella has an increased risk of tearing the cruciate ligaments. There is a huge increase of this if the dog has been altered, regardless of when the procedure was done.
I believe Conker's LP is caused by a possible combination of things. Namely:
1. Poor genetics. He is, after all, a puppy mill dog. They don't breed for health in those places. It's incredibly common for mill Shibas to develop Luxating Patella of various severity in one or both knees, which makes me think this is a very probable cause.
2. Early neutering. The shelter I got him from had him neutered at around 2 1/2 months old. I now know that is a very stupid and horrible thing to do and will no longer support anyone who does this.
3. Possible injury. I can't remember if Conker might have twisted that joint wrong when I was with him, but I think it's recent degeneration might have been hurried along by an injury I did not witness. He gets an immense amount of unsupervised time in the backyard. Something easily could have happened while chasing a cat, fence-fighting with a neighbor's dog (I've tried to stop this), or jumping off the pool deck into the bushes.
4. Nutrition. Mill dogs are generally not fed high-quality diets. He was also not fed a quality diet while at the shelter, which might have helped lead to his condition. I have noticed though, that his LP seems to get worse when he eats lower protein foods (below 30%) regardless of type, and it also seems to worsen when he eats commercial foods. Nutrition is one of the biggest the building blocks of health so his poor diet as a pup might have contributed to the condition.
How is Luxating Patella Diagnosed?
Symptoms of Luxating Patella are but not limited to: Skipping a few steps or "bunny hopping", popping sound in the knee, holding the affected leg up briefly or for extended periods of time, biting at the joint, limping, "donkey kicking", or crying.
Diagnosis is done by a veterinarian who will manipulate the dog's knee joints in and out of place and be able to give a general grading based on how the patella performs and by comparing described symptoms and watching the dog walk. X-rays can be used to determine how shallow the trochlear groove is, if some other deformity is the cause, or if arthritis is present in the joint.
Grade 1: The patella can be pushed out of the groove manually, but it returns to position when pressure is released.
Grade 2: The patella can be pushed out of the groove manually or can spontaneously move to the side when the joint is flexed, and it remains out of place until it is manually repositioned.
Grade 3: The patella remains out of the groove most of the time, but can be manually repositioned with the joint extended. However, flexing and extending the joint results in the patella slipping out of place again.
Grade 4: The patella is out of the groove at all times. Moreover, it cannot be manually repositioned. The trochlea is either too shallow or is missing all together.
How is Luxating Patella treated?
Depending on the severity of the condition, Luxating Patella can be treated by simply increasing straight-line exercise, providing a high-quality diet, and adding preventative joint supplements. Or with surgery. Dogs that need surgery are usually those with grades 3 and 4 Luxating Patella(s) but sometimes a dog with grade 2 is a candidate. Surgery is usually one of two procedures: Deepening of the trochlear groove and/or modification of the connecting patellar ligaments.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Fagtastic
Well, blogger decided be be a total asshole and deleted all the comments from January 21st 2013 onwards, so all the recent comments are gone. They appear as "This comment has been removed by a blog administrator." when I did not remove them at all. And thanks to blogger's assholery, there is no way I can get them back on my interface.
So, sorry about that.
I've contacted blogger about this but highly doubt they will do anything to fix it.
I might switch to WordPress if this shit happens again.
So, sorry about that.
I've contacted blogger about this but highly doubt they will do anything to fix it.
I might switch to WordPress if this shit happens again.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Oh Yay!
The Girls have worms. I don't know if Conker has them too, I do not think so, but I have suspected something along those lines for a few days now. Poop has not been, satisfactory, so I "explored" a couple turds and found some little round-tubular-shaped worms (not tape segments, thankfully) in a couple of them. So totally happy about that.
Other than when I put them on heartworm preventives this past summer, the Girls have not, to my knowledge, been dewormed. Ever. Conker had been several times by the shelter I got him at as well as when he was put on heartworm preventives, and before I went to Alaska. I guess it's a bit my fault since I have basically taken over the Girls' care, but they are also Mom's responsibility, so she takes a bit of the blame as well.
I don't yet know where these worms came from, I do not think I ever will either.
Upon discovery of the little nasties, I promptly ran out to the Grange to grab some deworming medication. Last time I did this for just Conker I got the canine safe-guard dewormer for about $10. It would cost (with the current local price) about $55 to deworm all three dogs using that product. Instead, I bought the goat safe-guard dewormer since it is the exact same chemical, but in a different form (liquid instead of granules) and concentration (10% instead of 22%).
I learned a few tricks about saving money when it comes to this sort of thing during my stay at the sleddog kennel, like using this variation of the dewormer instead of the other one, as well as proper dosages for this (fenbendazole) and other (pyrantel pamoate, ivermectin) dewormers in various concentrations.*
Anyways, the 125ml bottle cost me $20 and will treat all three dogs for three days in a row (which is what you do with fenbendazole) twice. I saved about $90 right there.
The Grange did not have any liquid pyrantel pamoate for some reason, so I only got the fenbendazole. I wanted both just to have them on-hand since I prefer to rotate dewormers instead of using the same one every time. I guess I'll check the other two smaller feed-stores next time I am near them to see if they've got it.
So starting tomorrow all three dogs will get dewormed, then again in a few weeks just to be sure the little buggers are gone.
*No I will not share this information. In the event of someone attempting to DIY ends up killing their pet, even if they followed my dosages exact and did not overdose or whathaveyou, I do not want to have been the source that resulted in that pet's death. If you are really that curious about it, ask your vet. Or figure it out yourself, the math is really not that hard. Either way I recommend you talk to your vet first.
Other than when I put them on heartworm preventives this past summer, the Girls have not, to my knowledge, been dewormed. Ever. Conker had been several times by the shelter I got him at as well as when he was put on heartworm preventives, and before I went to Alaska. I guess it's a bit my fault since I have basically taken over the Girls' care, but they are also Mom's responsibility, so she takes a bit of the blame as well.
I don't yet know where these worms came from, I do not think I ever will either.
Upon discovery of the little nasties, I promptly ran out to the Grange to grab some deworming medication. Last time I did this for just Conker I got the canine safe-guard dewormer for about $10. It would cost (with the current local price) about $55 to deworm all three dogs using that product. Instead, I bought the goat safe-guard dewormer since it is the exact same chemical, but in a different form (liquid instead of granules) and concentration (10% instead of 22%).
I learned a few tricks about saving money when it comes to this sort of thing during my stay at the sleddog kennel, like using this variation of the dewormer instead of the other one, as well as proper dosages for this (fenbendazole) and other (pyrantel pamoate, ivermectin) dewormers in various concentrations.*
Anyways, the 125ml bottle cost me $20 and will treat all three dogs for three days in a row (which is what you do with fenbendazole) twice. I saved about $90 right there.
The Grange did not have any liquid pyrantel pamoate for some reason, so I only got the fenbendazole. I wanted both just to have them on-hand since I prefer to rotate dewormers instead of using the same one every time. I guess I'll check the other two smaller feed-stores next time I am near them to see if they've got it.
So starting tomorrow all three dogs will get dewormed, then again in a few weeks just to be sure the little buggers are gone.
*No I will not share this information. In the event of someone attempting to DIY ends up killing their pet, even if they followed my dosages exact and did not overdose or whathaveyou, I do not want to have been the source that resulted in that pet's death. If you are really that curious about it, ask your vet. Or figure it out yourself, the math is really not that hard. Either way I recommend you talk to your vet first.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Beans
Short story is: I was completely miserable.
Things were fine for the first few weeks, but once we got into trucking the dogs in order to run them, it just kinda flopped from there. I hated trucking the dogs, hated running them. I thought it would get better once I was more experienced and knew what I was supposed to be doing, but that never happened.
Then the cold hit.
Not cold as in zero degrees cold. Cold as in -20 is the high, -45 the low. For weeks. Now those temperatures wouldn't be as bad if you didn't have to be outside in them all day, but I was. The dogs had to be loaded onto and off of the truck several times a day which took at least an hour to do, and there was always something else that needed to be tended to. I figured, again, it would get better, once the cold was gone. Once we were running out of the yard with the snowmobile and sleds.
Did that happen?
No.
It kept getting worse and worse. We got snow we needed and put the trails in and were running the dogs with the snowmobile and sled instead of the ATV's, but it was still just as bad. I did not enjoy any part of "training" and really hated the days we did it. Off days, as they were called, were spent doing things I didn't mind so much like fixing things and maintaining the trails. It still sucked, but it wasn't as bad as running the dogs.
Keep in mind that I never got to ride the sled, so I do not know if that is actually fun or what.
The dogs... I did not like them very much. Which surprised me a bit. I liked a few of them, Router (who was a megabitch, funny how that works), Lark, Miter, Kodo, and Flywheel. Dar, Kubota, Fergy, Case, and Massey were the only others you could say I liked. The rest, no.
They were incredibly rude dogs. They bit, smashed into you, jumped all over you, and were just a pain-in-the-ass to handle. Yeah they weren't pets, but they should at least have a few manners to make being around them a little easier.
They all ate shit, and a good number of them (especially Mig) would wait until I was out scooping to eat it. When I was watching. Usually as I was heading to their spot to clean it.
I was almost never given any form of positive feedback. I get it that when I do something wrong I am told not to do it like that, but when you just tell me "We'd like to train today so you need to do that faster." without telling me how...Yeah.
I would help with the dishes, take out the trash, vaccum the house... I didn't need to, but I did anwsyas (because I was told i'd get an "allowance" if I helped with household chores, which I never did get) and for the nearly three months I was there, I was thanked enough times to count on one hand. I hauled all the firewood too, was never thanked for that.
I mean, how hard is it to say, "Good job with the snowmobile today, just try not to run yourself off the trail on the straightaways." or "Thanks for giving Dar some extra straw today." or even, like I said before, "Thanks for taking out the trash." It's not very hard at all, and my Mom thanks me EVERY TIME I do it at home and it always surprises me, since I think I should just automatically do it since I am her 24 year old spawn and it's my duty to do it since I suck at life and still live with her.
That one really hit me hard. No form of positive feedback is very difficult to work with when you are basically doing servant/slave labor. Which is what I've decided is what these people wanted.
So I tried to tell them once that I couldn't handle it anymore and either something needed to change now or I was going to leave, which they took as "The handler is having a mental breakdown, they all do it around this time of year. It's normal." So when they blew me off I gave them a few more days to see if it would get better (we'd all agreed to attempt a few things to make stuff easier for each other, all of which I did, they didn't) but it did not. Seemed like it, as usual, got worse.
I'd had it, I really couldn't stand it anymore. I was getting out. And I let them know.
Oh man the shit hit the fan! I got lectured, was insulted, and generally made to feel very uncomfortable and afraid.
Funnily enough, I'm usually the first (and often only) one to throw insults. This time however I didn't say one damn negative thing about these people. I thought they were nice, which they seemed like they were, until they decide they don't like you, then they were complete assholes.
Being told that: "You are very good when nothing changes, but when one little thing gets changed, you can't do shit. You would do really good in an environment like an office where it's the same thing every day and you don't have to think." Was perhaps the most insulting thing I have heard in years.
Problem with this is: When something did change in the routine, I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT IT. It just changed, nothing said or explained, and I was supposed to magically know about it.
Conker is a subject all of his own.
He was not liked, at all. He was basically given one introduction to the three house dogs, one of whom he growled softly at when she got in his face, then became socially isolated. Well, I never told them since I wasn't supposed to be doing it in the first place when they weren't around but... The three house dogs and Conker got along JUST FINE. When they were at work and I was in the house, I'd have all four of them out and there were no problems.
Finch, actually, was the one who was the asshole. She'd walk up to Conker and growl at him. He was usually just standing around or laying and she'd up and growl at him. So really, it wasn't Conker who was the asshole, it was their precious Finch.
Since Conker was "bad" and not trustworthy, he did not get to be around other dogs, or anyone other than me. When we were in the house he could be in my room, but that was it, so that's where I spent most of my free time (they called it "hiding in my room") because that is where Conker was and I honestly did not feel very accepted around them.
When we were outside, he could either be in a wire crate in the garage, or in a pen outside. I did not like putting him in either, but preferred the pen since he could move around if he chose to. When he was in the pen he would bark (he'd bark in the garage as well but not as much). At other dogs, animals, people, whatever. No biggie, all the other dogs would bark at those things too.
But unlike the other dogs, he would constantly bark. All the time. This was a new behavior from Conker that I had not seen before, and it took me a while to understand what it was.
If there were people over, he was going to bark. We all knew that. I'd try to keep him quiet but STRANGE PEOPLE MUST BARK AT THEM! Or if someone let the dogs in the garage (injured) out, STRANGE DOGS MUST BARK AT THEM!
But this constant barking... I figured it out when I took the time to stand there and really listen to it. It was completely new to me, and from my limited experience with dogs, what I heard was loneliness. I tested that by walking over to his pen to see what was up. If it was a strange person, dog, or animal, he would not stop when I approached. If it was not one of those things, and was this new bark, he would stop. If I turned around and left, he would start up again.
Conker was calling me.
They said that they didn't think being socially isolated (my term) was bothering Conker at all, but after discovering this new bark, I knew they were full of shit. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out, but it did, and once I did, I knew something had to change.
So I asked if we could try having Conker with the house dogs again.
"No, he growled at Finch."
He was not even given a second chance.
All these things and a few more made being in Alaska completely unbearable. And with how I was treated ("You need to find a flight out of here, the sooner the better, because we are not going to feed you anymore.") when I tried to tell them in a nice way that I couldn't stand it anymore, there was no way I was going to stick around.
So that night, after I told them the problems and that I was leaving, I booked my hotel room, flight, and vet appointment.
Conker and I were driven to the airport (Conker didn't get to ride in the cab, he had to stay in his crate in the bed of the truck regardless of the temperature) after N had done morning dog chores and had his breakfast while I finished packing and cleaning up my room.
Let me tell you, stepping out of that truck and dropping my bags on the curb and retrieving Conker felt great. I have no regrets and do not feel bad in any way about ditching those people in the middle of their season. Many other things were said to and about me the night before that made me realize that they were not actually very nice people at all and had a huge problem with communication. I am so glad I did not stick out the last three months with them.
The End.
Things were fine for the first few weeks, but once we got into trucking the dogs in order to run them, it just kinda flopped from there. I hated trucking the dogs, hated running them. I thought it would get better once I was more experienced and knew what I was supposed to be doing, but that never happened.
Then the cold hit.
Not cold as in zero degrees cold. Cold as in -20 is the high, -45 the low. For weeks. Now those temperatures wouldn't be as bad if you didn't have to be outside in them all day, but I was. The dogs had to be loaded onto and off of the truck several times a day which took at least an hour to do, and there was always something else that needed to be tended to. I figured, again, it would get better, once the cold was gone. Once we were running out of the yard with the snowmobile and sleds.
Did that happen?
No.
It kept getting worse and worse. We got snow we needed and put the trails in and were running the dogs with the snowmobile and sled instead of the ATV's, but it was still just as bad. I did not enjoy any part of "training" and really hated the days we did it. Off days, as they were called, were spent doing things I didn't mind so much like fixing things and maintaining the trails. It still sucked, but it wasn't as bad as running the dogs.
Keep in mind that I never got to ride the sled, so I do not know if that is actually fun or what.
The dogs... I did not like them very much. Which surprised me a bit. I liked a few of them, Router (who was a megabitch, funny how that works), Lark, Miter, Kodo, and Flywheel. Dar, Kubota, Fergy, Case, and Massey were the only others you could say I liked. The rest, no.
They were incredibly rude dogs. They bit, smashed into you, jumped all over you, and were just a pain-in-the-ass to handle. Yeah they weren't pets, but they should at least have a few manners to make being around them a little easier.
They all ate shit, and a good number of them (especially Mig) would wait until I was out scooping to eat it. When I was watching. Usually as I was heading to their spot to clean it.
I was almost never given any form of positive feedback. I get it that when I do something wrong I am told not to do it like that, but when you just tell me "We'd like to train today so you need to do that faster." without telling me how...Yeah.
I would help with the dishes, take out the trash, vaccum the house... I didn't need to, but I did anwsyas (because I was told i'd get an "allowance" if I helped with household chores, which I never did get) and for the nearly three months I was there, I was thanked enough times to count on one hand. I hauled all the firewood too, was never thanked for that.
I mean, how hard is it to say, "Good job with the snowmobile today, just try not to run yourself off the trail on the straightaways." or "Thanks for giving Dar some extra straw today." or even, like I said before, "Thanks for taking out the trash." It's not very hard at all, and my Mom thanks me EVERY TIME I do it at home and it always surprises me, since I think I should just automatically do it since I am her 24 year old spawn and it's my duty to do it since I suck at life and still live with her.
That one really hit me hard. No form of positive feedback is very difficult to work with when you are basically doing servant/slave labor. Which is what I've decided is what these people wanted.
So I tried to tell them once that I couldn't handle it anymore and either something needed to change now or I was going to leave, which they took as "The handler is having a mental breakdown, they all do it around this time of year. It's normal." So when they blew me off I gave them a few more days to see if it would get better (we'd all agreed to attempt a few things to make stuff easier for each other, all of which I did, they didn't) but it did not. Seemed like it, as usual, got worse.
I'd had it, I really couldn't stand it anymore. I was getting out. And I let them know.
Oh man the shit hit the fan! I got lectured, was insulted, and generally made to feel very uncomfortable and afraid.
Funnily enough, I'm usually the first (and often only) one to throw insults. This time however I didn't say one damn negative thing about these people. I thought they were nice, which they seemed like they were, until they decide they don't like you, then they were complete assholes.
Being told that: "You are very good when nothing changes, but when one little thing gets changed, you can't do shit. You would do really good in an environment like an office where it's the same thing every day and you don't have to think." Was perhaps the most insulting thing I have heard in years.
Problem with this is: When something did change in the routine, I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT IT. It just changed, nothing said or explained, and I was supposed to magically know about it.
Conker is a subject all of his own.
He was not liked, at all. He was basically given one introduction to the three house dogs, one of whom he growled softly at when she got in his face, then became socially isolated. Well, I never told them since I wasn't supposed to be doing it in the first place when they weren't around but... The three house dogs and Conker got along JUST FINE. When they were at work and I was in the house, I'd have all four of them out and there were no problems.
Finch, actually, was the one who was the asshole. She'd walk up to Conker and growl at him. He was usually just standing around or laying and she'd up and growl at him. So really, it wasn't Conker who was the asshole, it was their precious Finch.
Since Conker was "bad" and not trustworthy, he did not get to be around other dogs, or anyone other than me. When we were in the house he could be in my room, but that was it, so that's where I spent most of my free time (they called it "hiding in my room") because that is where Conker was and I honestly did not feel very accepted around them.
When we were outside, he could either be in a wire crate in the garage, or in a pen outside. I did not like putting him in either, but preferred the pen since he could move around if he chose to. When he was in the pen he would bark (he'd bark in the garage as well but not as much). At other dogs, animals, people, whatever. No biggie, all the other dogs would bark at those things too.
But unlike the other dogs, he would constantly bark. All the time. This was a new behavior from Conker that I had not seen before, and it took me a while to understand what it was.
If there were people over, he was going to bark. We all knew that. I'd try to keep him quiet but STRANGE PEOPLE MUST BARK AT THEM! Or if someone let the dogs in the garage (injured) out, STRANGE DOGS MUST BARK AT THEM!
But this constant barking... I figured it out when I took the time to stand there and really listen to it. It was completely new to me, and from my limited experience with dogs, what I heard was loneliness. I tested that by walking over to his pen to see what was up. If it was a strange person, dog, or animal, he would not stop when I approached. If it was not one of those things, and was this new bark, he would stop. If I turned around and left, he would start up again.
Conker was calling me.
They said that they didn't think being socially isolated (my term) was bothering Conker at all, but after discovering this new bark, I knew they were full of shit. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out, but it did, and once I did, I knew something had to change.
So I asked if we could try having Conker with the house dogs again.
"No, he growled at Finch."
He was not even given a second chance.
All these things and a few more made being in Alaska completely unbearable. And with how I was treated ("You need to find a flight out of here, the sooner the better, because we are not going to feed you anymore.") when I tried to tell them in a nice way that I couldn't stand it anymore, there was no way I was going to stick around.
So that night, after I told them the problems and that I was leaving, I booked my hotel room, flight, and vet appointment.
Conker and I were driven to the airport (Conker didn't get to ride in the cab, he had to stay in his crate in the bed of the truck regardless of the temperature) after N had done morning dog chores and had his breakfast while I finished packing and cleaning up my room.
Let me tell you, stepping out of that truck and dropping my bags on the curb and retrieving Conker felt great. I have no regrets and do not feel bad in any way about ditching those people in the middle of their season. Many other things were said to and about me the night before that made me realize that they were not actually very nice people at all and had a huge problem with communication. I am so glad I did not stick out the last three months with them.
The End.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Anyways...
Conker and I are booked to boogie at 2:20 tomorrow afternoon. We spent one last stress-filled sleep-deprived night at the kennel then got a quiet yet quite Republican (Rush Limbaugh was on the radio) and uncomfortable ride to Anchorage where we were dropped off at the airport then caught a shuttle to our hotel. (Intentionally done that way.)
I dinked around on the free wifi for a bit before taking Conker to the (rather expensive) vet to get a health certificate so he can fly tomorrow. The vet tech and veterinarian were very nice people and just LOVED (and also knew where it was from) Conker's name. He was not so fond of them but they still adored him anyways. The vet noticed his right luxating patella in a snap, which I told her I am fully aware of, and she reconfirmed that it is not severe. The vet tech was surprised to learn that I was also fully aware of how severe the heartworms are in the States and that since I am going to (returning) to them that Conker should be put back on (though he was never really taken off of) preventives. She was also surprised to learn that I happened to be going to one of (if not the) worst areas for heartworm infections in Oregon. But she was glad that I was not only aware but had already taken the steps to avoid Conker getting infected.
They were impressed with Conker's weight (I admitted that his condition wasn't as good as it's been before, he lost a lot of muscle mass over the past couple months much to my extreme annoyance) and complimented me on keeping him trim, especially since his knees are bad.
It was the fastest vet visit I have ever had, which was good for Conker since he was already stressed from the hour and a half ride in a cold crate in the snow-filled back of N's truck down to Anchorage, as well as the 3 mile hour long walk along the ice covered sidewalks of the city as traffic rushed past a bit close for comfort.
They were incredibly nice people, fast yet thorough, and even though we were never going to see them again, I could tell that they cared about Conker's well-being. That was pretty cool.
(Holy crap a TV show just came on that's about the Amish mafia... Watching this for sure!)
After the vet visit we walked (slower than before, my feet hurt and it got 10x slicker during that brief visit) back to the Puffin Inn where I left Conker for a short moment and hopped over to Mc Donalds where I picked up a McKinley Mac, an Angus with bacon-and-something burger, a large Diet Coke, and large coffee (with creams and sugars!) for myself and...
A double cheeseburger for Conker. Yes, giving my dog (who has a history of digestive issues) a double cheeseburger the night before a full day of airport madness was probably not the best idea in the world, but it was only $2, Conker had not eaten anything all day (nor had I, N and J refused to give me food) and I was greatly lacking in the give-a-shit department. Which I still am.
He also got some french fries which he just adored, moreso than the cheeseburger, oddly enough.
I took a nice long relaxing shower as Conker snuffled around our rather small but very cozy hotel room (seriously, it's barely bigger than my old trailer, but I like it) looking for more french fries, and nosing his head into the shower every few mintues to check-in with me. (Funny fact: If the shower has a curtain instead of a hard door, Conker will regularly stop by and brave the indoor rain for a moment to be with me, but if it's a solid door he wants nothing to do with the shower.)
Well, it's 6:30, the Amish Mafia are, mafiaing, and I am beginning to hear the calls from the frosties at the Wendy's across the street. (Remember what I said about the give-a-shit department?) I might jump the road and get one in an hour or so.
I might write another update tomorrow morning before we jet (or propeller?) but will save the explanation post for when we are back home and comfortable again.
I dinked around on the free wifi for a bit before taking Conker to the (rather expensive) vet to get a health certificate so he can fly tomorrow. The vet tech and veterinarian were very nice people and just LOVED (and also knew where it was from) Conker's name. He was not so fond of them but they still adored him anyways. The vet noticed his right luxating patella in a snap, which I told her I am fully aware of, and she reconfirmed that it is not severe. The vet tech was surprised to learn that I was also fully aware of how severe the heartworms are in the States and that since I am going to (returning) to them that Conker should be put back on (though he was never really taken off of) preventives. She was also surprised to learn that I happened to be going to one of (if not the) worst areas for heartworm infections in Oregon. But she was glad that I was not only aware but had already taken the steps to avoid Conker getting infected.
They were impressed with Conker's weight (I admitted that his condition wasn't as good as it's been before, he lost a lot of muscle mass over the past couple months much to my extreme annoyance) and complimented me on keeping him trim, especially since his knees are bad.
It was the fastest vet visit I have ever had, which was good for Conker since he was already stressed from the hour and a half ride in a cold crate in the snow-filled back of N's truck down to Anchorage, as well as the 3 mile hour long walk along the ice covered sidewalks of the city as traffic rushed past a bit close for comfort.
They were incredibly nice people, fast yet thorough, and even though we were never going to see them again, I could tell that they cared about Conker's well-being. That was pretty cool.
(Holy crap a TV show just came on that's about the Amish mafia... Watching this for sure!)
After the vet visit we walked (slower than before, my feet hurt and it got 10x slicker during that brief visit) back to the Puffin Inn where I left Conker for a short moment and hopped over to Mc Donalds where I picked up a McKinley Mac, an Angus with bacon-and-something burger, a large Diet Coke, and large coffee (with creams and sugars!) for myself and...
A double cheeseburger for Conker. Yes, giving my dog (who has a history of digestive issues) a double cheeseburger the night before a full day of airport madness was probably not the best idea in the world, but it was only $2, Conker had not eaten anything all day (nor had I, N and J refused to give me food) and I was greatly lacking in the give-a-shit department. Which I still am.
He also got some french fries which he just adored, moreso than the cheeseburger, oddly enough.
I took a nice long relaxing shower as Conker snuffled around our rather small but very cozy hotel room (seriously, it's barely bigger than my old trailer, but I like it) looking for more french fries, and nosing his head into the shower every few mintues to check-in with me. (Funny fact: If the shower has a curtain instead of a hard door, Conker will regularly stop by and brave the indoor rain for a moment to be with me, but if it's a solid door he wants nothing to do with the shower.)
Well, it's 6:30, the Amish Mafia are, mafiaing, and I am beginning to hear the calls from the frosties at the Wendy's across the street. (Remember what I said about the give-a-shit department?) I might jump the road and get one in an hour or so.
I might write another update tomorrow morning before we jet (or propeller?) but will save the explanation post for when we are back home and comfortable again.
Homeward Bound
Conker and I are leaving this fucking place A.S.A.P. More information coming soon to an internet near you.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Mother Nature can be a bitch at times, or, Why it's a good idea to wear long-sleeves when foraging in the Pacific Northwest
The first two are from last night, of my left arm in various places.
These two are from tonight, left arm in various places again.
This is my right arm, last night.
Don't have any others of the right arm since they are all craptastic, and it's actually getting better now.
Anywho, can you guess what caused this?
The lovely little plant called... Toxicodendron diversilobum.
Anywho, can you guess what caused this?
The lovely little plant called... Toxicodendron diversilobum.
That's right! I have urushiol rashes again. Last year I rashes right after the other in, September I believe. It's not as bad as it was on either of those occasions, but it's in very inconvenient places. I can't comfortably rest my arms on anything (especially when driving and sleeping) and ARGH ANTS ON MY KEYBOARD!!!
Well, it's obnoxious, but not anywhere as painful or itchy as the last year. Probably because the rashes aren't as expansive as they were then.
I think I got it when I first foraged for blackberries along the creek with Conker about a week ago (undocumented on the blog) since the "timing" for the rash's development fits that scenario. If not, then I can't explain where I got it, since it's not on my legs, just my arms, which were groping around in bushes for tasty little fruits rubbing up against who knows what sort of plants.
Did you know that ants have a distinct smell when you smash them?
So how do I cope with this? Last year, I dabbed rubbing alcohol on the rashes every few hours. Sounds harsh, but it really helped cut down on the burning and itching and shortened the general length of the rash. This time however, I haven't done anything, because I am partly curious as to how it "naturally" progresses since I augmented it last time and, you could say, ruined the experience.
Every now and then I get annoyed with the dried popped blister ooze (which, I think, is a very beautiful deep golden orange color in full sunlight) and pick it off. More fresh ooze appears and sometimes I dab it off, or I'll let it dry, which can take a while. There are some unpopped blisters still.
Other people get, I could say, disturbed, when they see the rash. They must think it looks terrible. I don't, but that's because I've had a terrible urushiol rash before, and this certainly does not stand up to it.
I plan on doing some more foraging soon, my 2 pounds of blackberries that I gathered recently lasted half a day. This time, I think I'll be wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Just in case.
Edit: 3 days later...
It's a bit angrier now.
Edit: 3 days later...
 | |||
| Cruddy cellular phone picture |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thanks for ruining my day, Conker
Today was a relatively "nice" day, about 50 degrees with patches of clouds and sunshine here and there. The ground was a bit damp but not soaked like it normally is. Juneau has been off all medications for a short while and her mouth looks good (to me, a non expert, at least) and has been needing some exercise. I took the dogs hiking.
It was almost a disaster.
The first 3/4's of the hike went well. We didn't run into anyone, saw no critters and the dogs were relatively well behaved. Juneau is still adamant about walking just off the trail which is annoying, but I don't think she's ever going to realize that walking on the trail is what I'd prefer.
As we are nearing the last portion of the hike that is pretty close to the parking lot I hear the sound I'd hoped I wouldn't. Horse hooves, and they appeared to be going at a pretty good clip compared to what I normally encounter. That meant I didn't have as much time as usual to gather up the dogs.
I rapidly grabbed Juneau (the horse-reactive dog) and struggled to get her leash on. I dragged her and Sasha over to the side and... and... where's Conker?
BAROOOO ROO ROO ROO!
Shit.
The stupid dumbass charged the damn horse! He let out the shortest growl I'd ever heard before he went barreling towards the horse, demanding it do whatever the hell he was telling it to. So much for a nice warning. The rider pulled the horse up and stopped as Conker advanced to within one foot of the horse, fur bristled, bellowing out that loud obnoxious bay of his.
Despite my colorful language directed at Conker, the rider seemed amused. The horse just stood there and looked at him with little or no interest whatsoever. Conker continued to bark and bay at the horse as I apologized over and over, unable to retrieve my stupid dog since I didn't want to risk getting Juneau any closer to the horse than she already was.
As I was trying to find a way of getting Conker without scaring the horse or getting Juneau any closer, Conker noticed a terrier who was acompanying the horse about 30 seconds into his vocal attack and split off to pursue the terrier into a game of chase. Again I apologized many times as the rider and horse began to move on. She just smiled and said it was alright (which is wasn't) and that the horse likes dogs.
Lucky me.
She correctly guessed Conker's breed as a Shiba Inu, which I found somewhat amusing, but other than that the whole encounter was really, really bad.
Conker could have been killed if that horse was not a "dog friendly" one, or the rider could have been thrown or something worse. It all would have been my fault, and I feel really stupid for what he did. This doesn't mean he's never going off-leash again, it just means that privilege has been revoked (at Cathedral Hills and other horse trail areas) until I can hammer into his head that horses are to be ignored, not barked at. The problem with Conker is, if he's done it once, he's going to do it again.
It was almost a disaster.
 |
| Blurryface Juneau |
As we are nearing the last portion of the hike that is pretty close to the parking lot I hear the sound I'd hoped I wouldn't. Horse hooves, and they appeared to be going at a pretty good clip compared to what I normally encounter. That meant I didn't have as much time as usual to gather up the dogs.
I rapidly grabbed Juneau (the horse-reactive dog) and struggled to get her leash on. I dragged her and Sasha over to the side and... and... where's Conker?
BAROOOO ROO ROO ROO!
Shit.
The stupid dumbass charged the damn horse! He let out the shortest growl I'd ever heard before he went barreling towards the horse, demanding it do whatever the hell he was telling it to. So much for a nice warning. The rider pulled the horse up and stopped as Conker advanced to within one foot of the horse, fur bristled, bellowing out that loud obnoxious bay of his.
Despite my colorful language directed at Conker, the rider seemed amused. The horse just stood there and looked at him with little or no interest whatsoever. Conker continued to bark and bay at the horse as I apologized over and over, unable to retrieve my stupid dog since I didn't want to risk getting Juneau any closer to the horse than she already was.
As I was trying to find a way of getting Conker without scaring the horse or getting Juneau any closer, Conker noticed a terrier who was acompanying the horse about 30 seconds into his vocal attack and split off to pursue the terrier into a game of chase. Again I apologized many times as the rider and horse began to move on. She just smiled and said it was alright (which is wasn't) and that the horse likes dogs.
Lucky me.
She correctly guessed Conker's breed as a Shiba Inu, which I found somewhat amusing, but other than that the whole encounter was really, really bad.
Conker could have been killed if that horse was not a "dog friendly" one, or the rider could have been thrown or something worse. It all would have been my fault, and I feel really stupid for what he did. This doesn't mean he's never going off-leash again, it just means that privilege has been revoked (at Cathedral Hills and other horse trail areas) until I can hammer into his head that horses are to be ignored, not barked at. The problem with Conker is, if he's done it once, he's going to do it again.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The weather was a bit odd today
Dunno what was up with that. It's been odd a lot lately. Forecast for rain, we get sun. Forecast for clouds and light winds, we get drenched. Stuff like that.
Anywho, Conker continued to boycott eating his food for two days before I got fed up with him. See, there's nothing wrong with him. He just didn't want his food. He wanted everyone else's food like he normally does, but his food, no. Not interested. At. All.
Why was he not interested in his food?
I was attempting to get him to eat Coot. When I'd cooked up the Coot I shot, Conker almost stole it off my plate. Good! I thought, He'll eat the rest of it with no problems. I was wrong.
Conker flat-out refused to eat any of it. Heart (he loves heart), gizzard, kidneys, lungs, neck (also loves necks) frame, liver, feet... all of it. This is the first time since the liver incident that Conker has completly refused to eat something.
And I don't know why.
I somehow got Conker to strip a tiny bit of meat off a neck and crunch a little, but still nothing. So after the first day of boycotting, Sasha got Conker's food. She munched it up, everything, without a hitch. She wanted more, but there was none left that day.
Day two of boycotting got Conker to eat a bit of breast that had some meat attached to it, and the frame, but he still refused everything else. I sat on the kitchen floor at 3:50 in the morning last night shaking the frame and saying, "Good boy Conker! Git it! Git git!" As he licked the frame to death. Took him 30 minutes to eat it. He did not enjoy it. I made a huge bloody mess on the floor and am glad I decided to attempt to get Conker to eat in the middle of the night. Nobody would have been happy to come down to that.
This morning I offered the rest of the Coot to Conker. Again it got rejected. Juneau happily slurped it up but wasn't sure what to do with a foot, so Sasha stole it and ran off to eat it on the living room carpet.
I've discovered that Conker wants the meat, but nothing else. He tried to strip only the meat off every time he nibbled on something. Didn't want the bones or organs, just the meat. Weirdo.
So any future Coots I shoot will be offered to Conker, and if they are not eaten, give to one of the Girls. I think that I might be able to get Conker to eat Coot if I grind everything up with the meat (and maybe some other kind of meat to make it... better?) but for now, since I have no meat grinder, he gets to be a stubborn buttface who eats "normal" stuff like chicken. Which is what he eventually got today and ate it without any problem whatsoever.
Anywho, Conker continued to boycott eating his food for two days before I got fed up with him. See, there's nothing wrong with him. He just didn't want his food. He wanted everyone else's food like he normally does, but his food, no. Not interested. At. All.
Why was he not interested in his food?
I was attempting to get him to eat Coot. When I'd cooked up the Coot I shot, Conker almost stole it off my plate. Good! I thought, He'll eat the rest of it with no problems. I was wrong.
Conker flat-out refused to eat any of it. Heart (he loves heart), gizzard, kidneys, lungs, neck (also loves necks) frame, liver, feet... all of it. This is the first time since the liver incident that Conker has completly refused to eat something.
And I don't know why.
I somehow got Conker to strip a tiny bit of meat off a neck and crunch a little, but still nothing. So after the first day of boycotting, Sasha got Conker's food. She munched it up, everything, without a hitch. She wanted more, but there was none left that day.
Day two of boycotting got Conker to eat a bit of breast that had some meat attached to it, and the frame, but he still refused everything else. I sat on the kitchen floor at 3:50 in the morning last night shaking the frame and saying, "Good boy Conker! Git it! Git git!" As he licked the frame to death. Took him 30 minutes to eat it. He did not enjoy it. I made a huge bloody mess on the floor and am glad I decided to attempt to get Conker to eat in the middle of the night. Nobody would have been happy to come down to that.
This morning I offered the rest of the Coot to Conker. Again it got rejected. Juneau happily slurped it up but wasn't sure what to do with a foot, so Sasha stole it and ran off to eat it on the living room carpet.
I've discovered that Conker wants the meat, but nothing else. He tried to strip only the meat off every time he nibbled on something. Didn't want the bones or organs, just the meat. Weirdo.
So any future Coots I shoot will be offered to Conker, and if they are not eaten, give to one of the Girls. I think that I might be able to get Conker to eat Coot if I grind everything up with the meat (and maybe some other kind of meat to make it... better?) but for now, since I have no meat grinder, he gets to be a stubborn buttface who eats "normal" stuff like chicken. Which is what he eventually got today and ate it without any problem whatsoever.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Burrs
So, I went hiking yesterday and took all the dogs with me. Somehow everyone thought it would be fun to completly ignore me and run around off the trail. Ah well, no biggie. Then I remembered the burrs.
Oh no, I HATE those...
All three dogs probably had about 800 burrs collectively attached to their fur and harnesses. Ooooh fun. Luckily, I have a secret weapon to combat the burrs. A metal flea comb.
Unfortunately none of the dogs would sit still long enough for me to be able to get a picture of their new decorations, and since Fuji is stupid even outside, you only get pictures of burs on harness straps.
It didn't take as long as I thought it would to get most of the burrs out of the dogs fur. Maybe 20 minutes or so, because I was getting them out with a flea comb instead of my fingers. So if you've got a dog who likes to get burrs stuck all over their dumbess, get a metal flea comb. It will cut down on de-burring time immensely.
Oh no, I HATE those...
All three dogs probably had about 800 burrs collectively attached to their fur and harnesses. Ooooh fun. Luckily, I have a secret weapon to combat the burrs. A metal flea comb.
 |
| A small, very small, fraction of burrs. |
 |
| Small amount on harness strap and in background. |
Thursday, December 22, 2011
It's finally dead!
Despite the limited internet access here in Buckeye Arizona, had to write about this since it finally happened. The inevitable event that I have predicted for many months has finally come to pass.
The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS digital ELPH is dead.
The lens will no longer open. It hasn't been able to zoom (in picture mode) for a long long time and recently it began to give me lens errors and it would shut down. Well, the other day I went to take a picture of Conker being cute outside while the wind was blowing his ears and tail everywhere (it was quite intense for a bit there) and it wouldn't open. So I pulled it open but then it wouldn't turn on, and it wouldn't close. So I closed the lens and that's whan it decided it had had enough. Keep in mind that I have not been gentle with this camera for a long time so it's my fault that the lens broke after it first began to give me trouble.
It's still dead though.
That does not, however, mean that there will be no pictures on the blog. There will in fact be pictures, but I will be using a a different camera (Mom's camera) that will hopefully be better than mine and actually do what I'd like it to. For what a simple point-and-shoot is capable of.
But...
It's a Fuij. Mom's camera is a Fujifilm FinePix J10 and if you've read some of my other posts about photography, you will know that I do not like that brand.
Anyways, I will not be getting a new camera for some time since I would like a Canon 20D or 30D and those aren't really something you go to the store and buy on a whim. And since I have purchased a good amount of dog things here in AZ (that aren't available in GP unless you order online) I have set back my camera purchase by a bit. So even with the passing of the five year-old point-and-shoot, don't expect the picture quality to increase just yet. They will eventually, but unfortunately not now.
The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS digital ELPH is dead.
The lens will no longer open. It hasn't been able to zoom (in picture mode) for a long long time and recently it began to give me lens errors and it would shut down. Well, the other day I went to take a picture of Conker being cute outside while the wind was blowing his ears and tail everywhere (it was quite intense for a bit there) and it wouldn't open. So I pulled it open but then it wouldn't turn on, and it wouldn't close. So I closed the lens and that's whan it decided it had had enough. Keep in mind that I have not been gentle with this camera for a long time so it's my fault that the lens broke after it first began to give me trouble.
It's still dead though.
That does not, however, mean that there will be no pictures on the blog. There will in fact be pictures, but I will be using a a different camera (Mom's camera) that will hopefully be better than mine and actually do what I'd like it to. For what a simple point-and-shoot is capable of.
But...
It's a Fuij. Mom's camera is a Fujifilm FinePix J10 and if you've read some of my other posts about photography, you will know that I do not like that brand.
Anyways, I will not be getting a new camera for some time since I would like a Canon 20D or 30D and those aren't really something you go to the store and buy on a whim. And since I have purchased a good amount of dog things here in AZ (that aren't available in GP unless you order online) I have set back my camera purchase by a bit. So even with the passing of the five year-old point-and-shoot, don't expect the picture quality to increase just yet. They will eventually, but unfortunately not now.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Conker's Current Campaign
Remember this? Well, that is what Conker has been up to lately. Getting up onto the table and eating whatever is there while I'm still asleep. But while people are still home.
A week ago is was some spaghetti.
Yesterday it was a plate of lebkuchens.
Today it was leftover teriyaki chicken.
And that's not all. Conker has been going upstairs where he has in the past, secured another plate of spaghetti, a bowl of salad (wtf dog you are not herbivore) several cups with icecream reminants and other various food items. He's not allowed in either elevated place. This is not making me happy.
Last week Conker had an explosion in the back yard. I could not figure out why. I don't know why nobody bothered to tell me that they had SEEN Conker on the table eating the spaghetti until yesterday. I would have liked to have known that the day it happened.
The only reason why I knew Conker ate the lebkuchens was because Mom came home, saw there were none left and remarked that she remembered there being some when she left and asked who ate them. Her BF says, oh, there were some there, but Conker got up on the table and ate them.
Thanks for letting me know ahead of time.
And today, Conker got the leftover teriyaki chicken which who knows what kind of effect it's going to have on him since it was probably mostly juice and sauce. Which is one of the things he CAN NOT have. Just like wheat, which was in the spaghetti and lebkuchens... which thankfully Conker deposited on the dirt rather than the rocks.
I really cannot understand how people can't follow simple instructions like, if you see Conker on the table, YELL AT HIM TO GET THE FUCK DOWN SO HE'LL LEARN NOT TO DO IT AGAIN!
A week ago is was some spaghetti.
Yesterday it was a plate of lebkuchens.
Today it was leftover teriyaki chicken.
And that's not all. Conker has been going upstairs where he has in the past, secured another plate of spaghetti, a bowl of salad (wtf dog you are not herbivore) several cups with icecream reminants and other various food items. He's not allowed in either elevated place. This is not making me happy.
Last week Conker had an explosion in the back yard. I could not figure out why. I don't know why nobody bothered to tell me that they had SEEN Conker on the table eating the spaghetti until yesterday. I would have liked to have known that the day it happened.
The only reason why I knew Conker ate the lebkuchens was because Mom came home, saw there were none left and remarked that she remembered there being some when she left and asked who ate them. Her BF says, oh, there were some there, but Conker got up on the table and ate them.
Thanks for letting me know ahead of time.
And today, Conker got the leftover teriyaki chicken which who knows what kind of effect it's going to have on him since it was probably mostly juice and sauce. Which is one of the things he CAN NOT have. Just like wheat, which was in the spaghetti and lebkuchens... which thankfully Conker deposited on the dirt rather than the rocks.
I really cannot understand how people can't follow simple instructions like, if you see Conker on the table, YELL AT HIM TO GET THE FUCK DOWN SO HE'LL LEARN NOT TO DO IT AGAIN!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Conker is determined to make me angry
He ripped down the black stuff I put along a part of the fence where he was fence fighting with the neighbor's dogs. So now he and Juneau are always making a racket out there at the new neighbor dogs, who are nice and DON'T want to fence fight. Stupid dumbass dog.
So...
Conker got a little bit of Honest Kitchen, some ZiwiPeak and a bit of chopped pork and turkey gizzard, and a small piece of turkey neck.
In other news...
Notice something a bit... off... about that upper carnassial tooth? Yeah, it's broken. The tip got chipped off by something. I'm not exactly sure when or by what, but Sasha broke it sometime within the past three days. This is what it SHOULD look like.
See that bigeass tooth before the molars? It's got a nice sharp point. Sasha's doesn't.
So...
In other news...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Whats going on lately?
Not much.
I am attempting to teach Conker how to pull open my door with a piece of rope attached to the handle. So far he's just grabbed it when I flap it in his face then drop, but today he pulled slightly and got the door to open enough that he could go out. I hope that with a bit more work I won't have to stand there and wave the rope for him and that he'll grab it and pull on his own. The whole point of this is so I don't have to let him out of my room, which I keep the door sitting shut but slightly open to retain heat.
Conker doesn't seem to much care about getting dirty.
He makes dirt fashionable and dignifying.
In other news...
I can jog a mile! Not consecuatively, unless it's entierly downhill, but I am slowly getting back in shape. It's neat though, that when I first began I couldn't even jog a half block and now I can go something like 7 before I need to slow down and walk for a block or two.
Also, Conker didn't like jogging at first. But now, after the warm-up walk (about a half mile) he doesn't want to slow down once we begin jogging! I'm glad he's finally decided that jogging on-leash is fun (he has no problem zooming around on hikes) and he kinda encourages me to keep going.
Rules:
When walking, we go at my pace. If Conker wants to stop and sniff something, we do that.
When jogging, we go at Conker's pace. If he wants to slow down we will, but he rarely does.
Always look both ways before crossing a street at a jog. If there are any cars, slow to a walk.
No chasing anything, including cats.
Speaking of cats... Conker chased one across the street the other day and completely ignored me. The dumbass cat was on our property (so it deserved it) but when it saw Conker it took off across the street to it's house. The woman who owns it came out and yelled at Conker, "Git! Git you!" Which I don't think she realized that "git" means "get", as in attack to him. So that didn't help at all and he didn't break off from chasing the cat until the woman stepped after him and he finally heard me bellowing at him. He comes trotting back like nothing happened... at least he did come back, and at least there were no cars.
So now Conker gets zero off-leash time unless properly enclosed and is gonna get some serious no-chasing-cats training.
I am attempting to teach Conker how to pull open my door with a piece of rope attached to the handle. So far he's just grabbed it when I flap it in his face then drop, but today he pulled slightly and got the door to open enough that he could go out. I hope that with a bit more work I won't have to stand there and wave the rope for him and that he'll grab it and pull on his own. The whole point of this is so I don't have to let him out of my room, which I keep the door sitting shut but slightly open to retain heat.
Conker doesn't seem to much care about getting dirty.
In other news...
I can jog a mile! Not consecuatively, unless it's entierly downhill, but I am slowly getting back in shape. It's neat though, that when I first began I couldn't even jog a half block and now I can go something like 7 before I need to slow down and walk for a block or two.
Also, Conker didn't like jogging at first. But now, after the warm-up walk (about a half mile) he doesn't want to slow down once we begin jogging! I'm glad he's finally decided that jogging on-leash is fun (he has no problem zooming around on hikes) and he kinda encourages me to keep going.
Rules:
When walking, we go at my pace. If Conker wants to stop and sniff something, we do that.
When jogging, we go at Conker's pace. If he wants to slow down we will, but he rarely does.
Always look both ways before crossing a street at a jog. If there are any cars, slow to a walk.
No chasing anything, including cats.
Speaking of cats... Conker chased one across the street the other day and completely ignored me. The dumbass cat was on our property (so it deserved it) but when it saw Conker it took off across the street to it's house. The woman who owns it came out and yelled at Conker, "Git! Git you!" Which I don't think she realized that "git" means "get", as in attack to him. So that didn't help at all and he didn't break off from chasing the cat until the woman stepped after him and he finally heard me bellowing at him. He comes trotting back like nothing happened... at least he did come back, and at least there were no cars.
So now Conker gets zero off-leash time unless properly enclosed and is gonna get some serious no-chasing-cats training.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Today is... as usual... boring.
My "goal" for today is to attempt to get Conker to quit harassing the neighbor's dogs. You know that dog who is always barking at your dogs, who won't shut up when told, who always seems to be out when your dogs are out? Yeah, that's Conker right now. And he's really begun to piss me off.
In other news...
Conker finished off the rest of the Zeal we were sent. I re-hydrated it with mackerel juice and added in about 1/4 of the can to round it out a bit. Conker loved this, and wanted more, but sadly there isn't. And for the first time ever he wasn't trying to rip the girls' faces off while I was preparing it. He sat in the doorway to my room almost the entire time and only ventured out when I dropped the can of mackerel on the floor.
The current forecast is for partly to mostly sunny tomorrow, with Tuesday being partly cloudy but warmer, Wednesday being the warmest and Thursday something like Tuesday. If that forecast changes tomorrow and predicts more rain, I will hike tomorrow. If not? I'll hike on Tuesday and Thursday (the usual days).
Also, who else thinks daylight savings time is totally stupid?
In other news...
The current forecast is for partly to mostly sunny tomorrow, with Tuesday being partly cloudy but warmer, Wednesday being the warmest and Thursday something like Tuesday. If that forecast changes tomorrow and predicts more rain, I will hike tomorrow. If not? I'll hike on Tuesday and Thursday (the usual days).
Also, who else thinks daylight savings time is totally stupid?
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Foot pain
So, about a week ago, I took Conker and Juneau on a walk. Sometime during that walk I decided to jog a bit. Well, Juneau completely misunderstood that jog meant go slow and she took off RUNNING! She dragged me about 100 feet down the sidewalk before I was able to get her to stop and by then the tops of my feet were in a lot of pain.
That's right, the top of my feet. Not the bottom, heel, ankle (what I originally thought was in pain), knee... tops of my feet. It's a very weird place to experience that sort of pain.
Anyways, I think it's something like extensor tendonitis or whatever. The pain is still there and does a really good job of preventing me from running, jogging or even walking quickly on my toes. Which I used to do a lot of. The toe-walking thing.
So if someone happens to try to rob me I won't be able to get away. Since it'll be super fucking painful to attempt that. I guess it's a good thing that I live somewhere with like, a 0% crime rate.
Other things I can't do are go down stairs (up is fine) and bend my feet a certain way. Which is required to walk so even walking is mildly painful.
I just hope it gets better soon, since I am not quite fond of doctors. You know the dogs who, when taken to the vet, need to be muzzled and given a tranquilizer? Yep, that's me. Plus I tend to disagree with everything they say (even though they are most likely right) especially when it comes to dudes who just write a perscription to treat the symptoms instead of trying to find a way to treat the cause.
So, I haven't done much exercise lately, and I feel like crap. I was just getting into a nice walking/jogging routine and then Juneau has to go do this to me. Yay, now I'm gonna get lazy again.
At least I'm still able to "work out" a bit. Lift weights and all that. Maybe I'll get a membership at the gym and go do laps in the pool or something, since that doesn't really put any stress on your feet.
This means that interesting updates are probably going to be at a minimum until my feet feel better. So, sorry if the blog gets boring for a bit.
That's right, the top of my feet. Not the bottom, heel, ankle (what I originally thought was in pain), knee... tops of my feet. It's a very weird place to experience that sort of pain.
Anyways, I think it's something like extensor tendonitis or whatever. The pain is still there and does a really good job of preventing me from running, jogging or even walking quickly on my toes. Which I used to do a lot of. The toe-walking thing.
So if someone happens to try to rob me I won't be able to get away. Since it'll be super fucking painful to attempt that. I guess it's a good thing that I live somewhere with like, a 0% crime rate.
Other things I can't do are go down stairs (up is fine) and bend my feet a certain way. Which is required to walk so even walking is mildly painful.
I just hope it gets better soon, since I am not quite fond of doctors. You know the dogs who, when taken to the vet, need to be muzzled and given a tranquilizer? Yep, that's me. Plus I tend to disagree with everything they say (even though they are most likely right) especially when it comes to dudes who just write a perscription to treat the symptoms instead of trying to find a way to treat the cause.
So, I haven't done much exercise lately, and I feel like crap. I was just getting into a nice walking/jogging routine and then Juneau has to go do this to me. Yay, now I'm gonna get lazy again.
At least I'm still able to "work out" a bit. Lift weights and all that. Maybe I'll get a membership at the gym and go do laps in the pool or something, since that doesn't really put any stress on your feet.
This means that interesting updates are probably going to be at a minimum until my feet feel better. So, sorry if the blog gets boring for a bit.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
No hike today.
I really wanted to, but if I did, the Jeep might not have made it back.
It's fine, just really, really, and I mean really, low on gas.
So I've been lazing around in this freezing cold house eating chocolate chip cookies and bananas. And listening to classical music, reading online comics and shit... Whoo, so much fun yo.
Conker is pretty bored too. I've been hounding him like mad since all he's doing lately (as in, the past two weeks) is go outside and bark at like... nothing? Other dogs, birds, people... Whatever. It's really getting on my nerves.
Today sucks. And we have a fuckton of leftover spaghetti... I really don't like leftover spaghetti, or spaghetti in general. Especially angel hair spaghetti, which is what the leftovers is.
It's fine, just really, really, and I mean really, low on gas.
So I've been lazing around in this freezing cold house eating chocolate chip cookies and bananas. And listening to classical music, reading online comics and shit... Whoo, so much fun yo.
Conker is pretty bored too. I've been hounding him like mad since all he's doing lately (as in, the past two weeks) is go outside and bark at like... nothing? Other dogs, birds, people... Whatever. It's really getting on my nerves.
Today sucks. And we have a fuckton of leftover spaghetti... I really don't like leftover spaghetti, or spaghetti in general. Especially angel hair spaghetti, which is what the leftovers is.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
WELL...
I have apparently exceeded my photobucket bandwidth. Since I'm cheap and will not pay for such services, I guess the blog will be lacking photos for the rest of this month.
Sorry about that.
Edit: Just figured out why my pictures aren't showing up... I wasn't paying attention while uploading photos and went over by one on my limit. Oops! I guess they punish you for doing that by taking away viewing capabilities of your pictures for the rest of the month.
Sorry about that.
Edit: Just figured out why my pictures aren't showing up... I wasn't paying attention while uploading photos and went over by one on my limit. Oops! I guess they punish you for doing that by taking away viewing capabilities of your pictures for the rest of the month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)