Jake is approx. 5 years old and he came from Wenatchee. He looks like a "little" miniature Samson although I am certain he is largely a flat coated retriever with maybe a tiny Chow background due to the blue spot on his otherwise pink tongue. When I saw this photo, he looked to me to be about 50 pounds but he is actually 76 pounds as per the vet we took him to yesterday to get him some pain pills and get him a thorough checkup. I guess we are all spoiled by truly big dogs like Samson and the Polar Bear who make Jake look small! So Jake was declared to be in good health other than his current man troubles and is now up to date on everything. He will be groomed and beautified as soon as his conehead is removed in two weeks.
Since I was not there for Jake's initial joining of the family, I insisted my parents get out of bed at 0415 this morning and meet me at the Marymoor dog park so all three of the mutts could enjoy the park with no one else there and I could meet Jake. This also makes it easier for Samson who is very sensitive to heat. So we met at 0500 with the Polar Bear greeting Samson joyously and greeting Jake happily but with a little wariness as to the cone. He has not met the "conehead" breed of dog before and every time Jake hit the cone on something, PB jumped. Jake stayed on leash and walked sedately due to his surgery but Samson and PB played and ran around off leash. I was happy to see that PB had absolutely no adverse reaction to Jake, making me feel even more certain that the muzzle is somehow involved in his previous snarky incidents. So we walked all around the park and the boys all played and then they waited in the cars while we went out to breakfast.
Jake has a great personality. Very mellow, but not too passive, he seems happy, well adjusted, quiet and easy going. They said he loves water so when he's better, we'll introduce him to the slough the borders the park. We got him a bed today and all the fun goodies you get to buy a new dog. Jake seems very people oriented and my parents suspect that he was probably left outside all day with little interaction, much like Hudson was, because he obsessively checks to be sure his people are still around him. So the Polar Bear will have a new brother to stay with in a couple weeks when I climb Mt. Baker. I am also hopeful that when he has recovered, Jake will be more able to play and run with PB at the park as he is desperately in need of a younger, more playful companion than Samson who is not interested and can't keep up.
And now for something a little different. Inspired by my various friends who get their fruits and veggies through CSA's, I happened upon an add for Full Circle Farm on our employee classified site at work. This is a local 300 acre farm that grows everything certified organically. They deliver all over the Eastside, Seattle and Alaska and luckily for me, straight to City Hall where I pick up my box of assorted fruits and veggies right outside my locker. For $30 every two weeks, I get a large box of whatever's in season along with recipes and any extras I want to add. $30 pays for enough for two people which is fine because I eat only the fruits and veggies for two weeks as the majority of my diet and I can easily eat it all myself. The best part is that it has inspired me to cook finally and I eat far healthier in terms of variety than I used to.
So for anyone who has hesitated about organically grown fruits and veggies, the cost or accessibility, I would strongly encourage you to look into a local CSA. They are quite prevalent now, they are economical and they support a local business in addition to being healthier and tastier than the "enhanced" stuff you get in your local grocery store.
And that's my soapbox for today. More photos of the boys to come....
5 comments:
Oh wow! Jake is beautiful!
BTW, I never coned baby when he had his manly bits lopped off. He wore shorts instead (a pair of women's 30 with a drawstring fit him just fine LOL) & it was only for a few days. They recover from neuters really fast.
The cones wreck your walls & I couldn't handle the noise of him crashing into things. If you find you need one, these are a bit nicer design
http://www.bitenot.com/
You could rig one yourself with a large yogurt container, polar fleece & some duct tape :-)
Back to Jake - enjoy the good life now! You've landed in paradise.
Ah good idea...maybe we'll try the shorts as the cone is driving us all nuts, including Jake and of course, shocking I know, Baby is terrified of the "Cone" breed of dog and runs from him in the house! Unfortunately I suspect whoever did the neutering did a slap dab job of it as it is extremely red, swollen and painful so I think it might take a bit longer. Thanks for the advice!
Jake is a beauty. Welcome home, Jake!
Didn't Baby have some swelling and bruising for quite awhile after his operation, Hornblower? I remember a pic of Baby in his shorts. He carried them off quite nicely.
I'll admit to using hubby's underwear for my dogs at times, too. Funny, afterward hubby threw them away... go figure... could it be the hole I cut for the tail - LOL??
Yes, Baby had a real problem recovery. He had bruising and the scrotum was swollen to the size of a grapefruit. The swelling went down in about a week but he also had a hard plum sized mass in there which took over a month to resolve - I think it was essentially a clot.
We used
-ice packs (wrapped in cloth of course) and tucked into the shorts.10 min on/30-60 min off.
-no offleash play. No running & jumpping for the first week or so.
-aspirin. The dose is 10mg/lb q 12h.
I only used the shorts at night etc. If we were close enough to him to watch him, you can interrupt if they get carried away with licking. And I do actually let them lick a bit. Obviously if they're really going crazy & getting at the stitches then no. But the ones I've had here had all really clean incisions with stitches inside & the outer layers were glued. Mostly they were licking the fur growing in. The vet who does all the fosters get carried away with shaving IMO. It really itches growing in....
Jake seems to be healing quickly. I think a lot of his discomfort is exactly that - the hair coming back in. Our vet said they really botched the shaving job. Other than that, he is doing quite well and adjusting very quickly although he is really wary of the huge black bear that is Samson!
All the talk of Baby's shorts actually reminded me to put shorts on him as well as his T Touch tee shirt. My T Touch lady really emphasized the tail T Touches and making him secure about his hind end and rear legs so I thought I'd add in the shorts instead of a wrap. He really seems to like it and seems to feel more secure. The things we do for our dogs!
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