January 1, 2011, last night here

Jazz still hoinks her throat now and then, I think the tonsil problem is not fully resolved yet (or there's something more going on back in her throat). She's eating like a dockworker though and has enough energy - today she went running with Wietske again and came back inside, barely winded.

Blues is bored here. I wish I could take her out running somewhere, but she really does not listen to me at ALL when I call her (in the Dotty days, I would send the border collie off to fetch her when she developed a hearing problem). Anyhow, there is no way I could fit her and Jazz (can't take her alone) into my car to take her to Hitland or a similar place where she can run full speed. And finally, the car has been under a thick layer of snow and the roads were ice rinks over the past weeks - I went nowhere by car if I could help it. Even walking was a risky business with all the sidewalks as slippery as hell.

They will definitely be very happy to be back home and on the Veluwe, where they can run like the wind. I enjoyed having them here and will miss them. Sam will be glad to see them go, so he can dribble about to his hearts content!

Deerhounds are truly such charming creatures. I am seriously thinking of maybe. MAYBE. getting a pup from the next litter. I'll see how my job progresses and whether I'll be able to work at home enough that I can raise a pup from scratch. These past weeks I worked at home most days, and nobody blinked, but I'm not sure how they will take this if I do it outside of the "holiday season". By the time that litter arrives, I'll be able to make a better evaluation.

Here is Blues, looking cute:

Couch decorations

Some pictures of the snow you missed!

 

Oh, and as an encore, a happy picture of Sam:

Wednesday, Dec 29

Both girls have been out for a good longeing run today. It's been thawing a bit today, making the world a lot less slippery than it's been these past days.

I'm still finding accidents in the morning - pee or poop, rarely both. I let them both out late in the evening before going to sleep - under severe duress. No matter it seems, in the morning there's a "gift". I wonder if it's because they are out of their normal routine, or because they have to sleep downstairs (I close the door to the stairs at night when I go to sleep). I also think they miss Connie, a lot.

Since finishing the antibiotics, Jazz has perked up a lot. She's not coughing at all any more, or hoinking. Her appetite has perked up too - she eats about 900g - 1 kg of food a day (finishes her own and then dives into what Blues leaves over). Blues is eating well, but less than Jazz now - I'd say about 700 gram a day.

Both dogs are inordinately obsessed with their nails. The sound of it sends shivers down my spine...

Poor Sam is still persona non grata in this tribe. Not that he notices it, he's very happy. It's clear that a second dog would do him a world of good. He's still increasingly playful and mobile, a joy to see.

Thursday Dec 23

Blues snores like a trucker with a beer belly. Jazz is a quiet sleeper. Both are amazingly lazy, I have a hard time getting them to go outdoors. Perhaps it's the snow and wind and cold? In any case, I still find pee in the morning, now and then. Even if I drag them outside around midnight, the sphincters remain tightly shut till I am fast asleep.

Oh well.

Now and then they become playful in the snow. Usually, a tennis ball is involved.

I have been working at home most of this week (my car is snow-bound), things are fairly slow. I'll work at home next week too. Beginning next year, I'll see how much I will work at the office, and where.

Jazz is not coughing any more but now and then still clears her throat like she's a TB sufferer. She and Blues have started acting territorial over the space on the couch next to me, there have been a few snarling confrontations. Poor Sam is barely tolerated in the same room. So, he sleeps a lot (which never is a hardship for Sam).

The other day, Sam and Blues were out back playing "chase the ball". Blues banged into Sam's front end rather hard, he walked a little way on and then lay down in the snow & proceeded to have an epileptic fit. The two deerhounds became very agitated, I first had to get those two inside before tending to Sam. The attack lasted about 3 minutes at least, could be longer,. After, he was very disoriented and drooly, could not stand up and when he finally did, could not walk a straight line. After about an hour or two he seemed right as rain again. This is the second attack in under 3 months, so once the two deerhounds are back home I'll take Sam to the vet.

Here are two vids of Sam and Blues playing in the snow (a day before the epileptic attack), each in his/her own unique way.

Blues playing chase:

Sam playing chase:

PS I gave the dogs some horse meat scraps from the butcher in Alexandrium. I've never seen Jazz scarf down food like Sam does - 800 grams in a minute, all gone! I guess she likes it ;-)

Sunday, Dec 19

We have had a lot of snow these past days with more to come. The dogs love it!
My back yard has become their playground and my house is permanently soggy because of all the walked-in snow.
I have given up on the couches... time to visit the second hand store when they are back home!

Jazz is better since I started on the second course of antibiotics - she still eats very little but when I started adding Losec to her medicine, things seem to be improving. This morning Blues hoinked up some stomach content... I hope it's only that she ate some snow and that she's not getting sick!

Here are the dogs in the snow:

Tuesday Dec 14

Perhaps it's too soon to be cheering but it looks as if this current antibiotic is doing it's work. Jazz stopped hoirking and coughing and barfing... still not eating a lot but she had a few mouthfuls of food today. I'd say about 300 grams... it's more than yesterday, at least.

Sam is getting donered by both girls. When Jazz goes for him it's all fury and sound but when Blues jumps all over him, you see fur flying. Even so, no grievous bodily harm. Sam is acting like a dribbling grannie because he's incredibly food-driven right now. He's fanatic about food, if he even thinks there's some for him, he'll barge elephants out of his way. The girls don't like it and give him hell.

Nothing special today, I was at work for about six hours. Monday too. Tomorrow I'll be working at home for the day. Who knows, perhaps Thursday and Friday too (or at least part of the day). Even the cold is not keeping the fireworks kiddies at bay, they are making a LOT of noise now and then, which makes the dogs nervous.