Pitter-patter of little paws

It’s not often that our phone rings late at night, and it’s especially not often that our phone rings because we’re receiving a call from the Philippines.  However, this happened to us last night for the saddest of reasons—our friend Celine was calling to tell us that her wee cat, Satchel, had died during surgery.  Satchel was a motherless street cat, just a couple of weeks old, when Celine first took him in 10 months ago.  She did an amazing job of raising him without benefit of being able to run over to Petco to buy feeding bottles and kitten formula—she just used her best instincts and some Internet research and raised a fearless little furball who took great delight in tormenting the other cat in the household, facing off with the dogs, pooping in the closet, climbing to the highest and most dangerous tree branches, etc.  Satchel died of an unknown and complicated injury, possibly a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, but only after Celine had done her very best to get him proper veterinary care.  I feel very lucky to be surrounded by friends who love their pets so much, and I’m proud of Celine (who’s so much younger than I am, damn her), for taking responsibility and initiative and just for doing the right thing.  Satchel was a lucky little guy to have been adopted into Celine’s family, and I know that while he lived with her he felt happy, contented, and safe.

In other news in our extended family, my parent’s dog has just gotten over an infection of something resembling kennel cough.  The dog does associate with other dogs at “doggie daycare”, but she’s also current on her vaccinations (and other dogs at daycare are supposed to be current as well).  The dog does suffer from a mild case of collapsed trachea, so the vet treated with both prednisone and antibiotics, and everything resolved okay.  Still, it’s slightly alarming to think that kennel cough might be out-smarting the vaccines against it, and it brings to mind stories about “dog flu”.  There’s no proof this incident was anything of the sort, but I’m glad it resolved quickly and easily, and that the dog is young and healthy.

My Grow With Me doghouse was delivered a couple of days ago and I just love it!  I’ll have to post some photos, but it’s just the perfect size and shape for putting out front for stray cats who need a warm place to rest and a bite to eat.  Sadly, the product was discontinued by Rubbermaid and there are no accessories available for it anymore, because there were once some feeding dishes offered which hung on the side of the house and would have been perfect for food and water (and for keeping the food and water slightly raised off the ground).  I don’t know whether we’ll have any strays around this winter, but the two we had last year were enough to prove to me that there’s a need to feed/spay/neuter/care for the ones which are out there.  One of them is sitting by my foot right now, waiting to go to bed, and I’m sure he agrees that life inside is a lot better than life on the road.

Phoenix goes to the vet on Thursday for her thyroid test, and I’ll use the visit to ask the vet about Atopica.  I’d also like to ask the vet if she’d consider stocking ThryMed chewable thyroid pills… it would really help cut down on Phoenix’s cheese consumption!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/08 at 11:52 PM

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  1. Hey. The vaccines against kennel cough suck. First, they aren’t the best vaccines, and they tend to really wear off after about six mos despite being labelled for a year. Second, they are only protective against one specific type of organism, whereas kennel cough can be caused by a variety of organisms as well. If it resolved quickly it probably was NOT kennel cough, at least not the major one, because that lingers and lingers.
    Regarding the dog flu, I’m thinking it’s overhyped and underimportant :) The mortality is low.

    Posted by webhill  on  11/09  at  09:40 AM

  2. I am sorry to hear about Satchel.  It is always so difficult to lose a pet.  Celine certainly did well by that little kitty. 

    What a cool dog house!  I wish that they made “grow with me” crates.  It is tough to block off a section for a little puppy.  Who knows, they may make such a thing.  It has been awhile since we had a puppy in the house.  LOL

    I hope that your parents’ pooch continues to do well.  Our Border Collie caught something nasty from the kennel last November.  It took even more of a toll on him because they also neglected to give him his medication for his portosystemic shunt.  That is the last time that our kids will ever be in a kennel.

    Posted by Expat  on  11/10  at  02:15 PM

  3. I think I’ve fallen in love with Drs. Foster and Smith.  I ordered Hamlet some of the Male Diapers.  I placed the order on Sunday and they were on my doorstep by Tuesday when I got home from work.  Amazing.

    As for the diapers, they are working much better than the regular doggy diapers we’ve been using.  Nothing covers or gets in the way of his tail and he seems so very happy now.

    Posted by Kate  on  11/10  at  04:24 PM

  4. I’ve been using Foster and Smith for the last few years and they’re always *very* reliable.  It takes them a bit longer to deliver here, about a week, but that’s UPS’ fault.  I especially love buying my aquarium supplies from them, as they replace anything which leaks in transit, and their prices are so good it makes up for having to pay shipping.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  11/16  at  12:06 AM

  5. Expat, it’s taken a long time for me to answer this, but you can buy “grow with me” dog crates.  I’ve only seen them in wire crate models, but you can get divider panels to reduce the available area of a crate while your dog is growing up.  If you do a search on the Foster & Smith site for “divider panels” you’ll see what I’m talking about.  I wish I’d had a crate like that years ago when I had dachshund puppies—it was tough to train them to hold their bladders when they had what seemed liked acres of crate to use as a bathroom!

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  11/16  at  12:13 AM
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