The Dalmatian Diaries Blog

I got this new bed for Widget because she likes to burrow and be covered up when she sleeps. However, Browser quickly decided that it was his. Now the battle of the bed begins. Both dogs have actually been sleeping in it at the same time so I'm hopeful that once the weather cools off again they will learn to snuggle and share. This was the first attempt at sharing.

Many of you have asked about the Peaceful Paws we use on Widget. It's a calming blend of essential oils made by Skillful Paws, located here in Austin. You can buy it online now at the Skillful Paws Etsy shop!

Skillful Paws is owned by Christina Hardinger. She is certified in animal acupressure and massage and works with both dogs and horses. If you are in the Austin area I highly recommend her!

Having Dalmatians is kind of like having cartoon characters living in your house. But we REALLY have cartoon characters living here - check out our weekly comic strip, "Dot-Comics", that features the entire CDKitchen family (including Widget and Browser!)

Yep, I know. I've been so bad about updating the blog lately. Trust me, it's not for lack of dog stories and photos!

We had houseguests this week. I have to say that Widget surprised me. She was SO well behaved! She barked at our friends a couple of times but for the most part was a good hostess. Browser, of course, was his usual social butterfly self

Both dogs are doing well. They are going to daycare one day a week right now. Browser would probably like to go more often (he has lots of friends there) but they've matured into such good pups that I don't *need* them at daycare as much. And during nice weather I usually sit out on the patio with them and work via my laptop.

Health-wise both dogs are good too. Widget had one little relapse a couple of weeks ago but she's been fine since. I'm pretty sure her problem stems from getting overheated and then drinking too much water. It seems like her electrolytes get out of whack and she can't bounce back as quickly as she maybe should.

More to come soon (I promise!!)

Browser is feeling 100% again. In fact, he was feeling so good today it was the most energetic I think I've ever seen him! He just wanted to run, run, run. His tests at the vet didn't show any problems but they sent him home with a supplement that is supposed to keep the enzymes or good bacteria or whatever it is in our tummies in check. His tummy has been good for a couple of days now and his appetite is back to normal.

Widget, however, isn't doing much better. Her tests showed nothing really - no kidney problems, no bladder infection. The only thing that was "off" was the specific gravity of her urine. The vet(s) didn't suspect it was anything serious though and chalked her incontinence up to hormones. When dogs are spayed they can often have incontinence. Sure, that's possible. But in Widget's case it's not probable. She's only 2 yrs old and spay incontinence usually starts later in life. It also is more common in heavier dogs - which Widget definitely is not. The docs put her on DES (a hormone drug) but it hasn't done a darned thing. So, tomorrow I'm calling them back to see what the next step is. If I don't get a good vibe from their ability to diagnose her I'm going to try a different vet. I've been wanting to switch for a while so it might be a good time. I'd like them to rule out something more serious like diabetes.

I'm adding a few more pictures finally. I have a ton of great ones but I just haven't had much time to edit and upload them.

So, now I've not only fallen behind in uploading pictures but I've been bad about even taking pictures for the last month. I think it's because the dogs are home more now. I'm only bringing them to daycare one day a week. When they are gone more I tend to miss them and snap more pictures. Of course, there is also the added element of the fact that all they do is pretty much already photographically documented Let's see we snooze in the grass, chase squirrels, sit pretty for treats...

Tomorrow I need to take Widget to the vet. I think she has a bladder or kidney infection. She's been incontinent when she sleeps since Saturday evening. It's only when she sleeps though. She doesn't seem to have the usual bladder infection urgency though. Will know more tomorrow.

Of course, if Browser doesn't keep his food down he might have to take a trip to the vet as well. He's been throwing up off and on since Friday. He hasn't wanted any of his kibble but has gladly wolfed down the chicken and rice I made for him. He kept his dinner down so fingers crossed he eats breakfast fine tomorrow too.

It's always something!

Humans, with our techno-iPod-twitterized life, tend to be blind to the simple and pure things in life.

Tonight I was sitting at the kitchen counter with my multitude of laptops complaining to myself about how much work I had left to do. Widget was barking at me for her bubbles (and I was doing my best to ignore her). I happened to look out through the open door to the patio, where I saw Browser lounging on some steps.

These are steps we never use. They go to the master bedroom and we just don't use that door very often. The dogs occasionally run across them to chase some bugs, but that's about it.

But there Browser was. He had found the last "sun spot" of the setting sun and was basking in its warmth. I went out and sat down next to him. "Good eye, buddy" I said. He lifted his head and kissed my cheek. He then put his head back down to finish enjoying the last few minutes of the sun before it set.

When the sun set behind the trees he got up, gave me another kiss, and went off to play in the grass.

And yes, I realize I'm behind again with the pictures

Well, I knew it'd happen at some point. Widget was bit by either a copperhead or rattlesnake last night. She must have not seen the snake because it bit her in her paw, not her nose (which would be most likely if she had noticed the snake before it noticed her). Her leg swelled up to over twice its normal size. We brought her to the emergency vet where she got a round of antivenin and spent the night. Her tests all came back great so it sounds like we got her treatment quickly enough. When I picked her up this morning her spirits were VERY good! She was all wiggly and kissy despite having her big swollen (and very painful) foot. She can walk on it but it clearly hurts. She was so excited to go home though that she jumped into the back of the car by herself (before I could even get her crate door fully open!).

When we got home she gobbled down a whole bowl of food and took treats just fine. A good sign that she's doing well.

Browser was probably the most traumatized by the whole ordeal. We rushed out of the house last night to bring her to the vet and he was home all by himself. While sitting at the vet's office we realized we hadn't checked him over for bites - and since the dogs rarely do anything independently of each other we were worried he had been bit too but we hadn't seen it. So, I rushed BACK to the house to check him out while Brent waited for word on Widget's prognosis. Browser was fine but then I rushed back to the vet's office. When we came home without Widget, Browser was a little confused. This morning when I got him up he looked in her empty crate with a look on his face that clearly said "What? She's still not home?". I had to sit with him while he ate and when he went outside he was looking for her in all her usual favorite places. He's very happy that she's home now and fully inspected her paw.

I'm sure my ramblings here are more incoherent than usual this morning. I got about 4 hours of sleep last night. Widget is napping under my desk now and I'm thinking of joining her

I decided to work backwards with catching up on my puppy photo uploads. Looks like I only have a couple of weeks of photos to finish now - so I'm making progress!

Last night Widget threw up a couple of times. She wouldn't touch her dinner and didn't want any treats (including cheese). She was still acting funny this morning so I kept them both home from daycare. She did eat some rice and chicken broth and ate a cheese snack (had to put her pill in cheese instead of just putting it on her food). She still was acting funny but didn't throw up (thankfully!). I brought out the bubbles and she perked up. I also gave her a galileo bone which she sat down and gnawed on. She's still not quite herself, but does seem better. I think she may have gotten a little bit of a tummy ache from too many snacks yesterday.

Browser is doing great. He doesn't mind that Widget wants to just hangout indoors today. Even though he's my rough and tough boy he's still a couch potato first and foremost He's always up for a good nap on my office sofa.

You may have noticed that the photos are slowly being added. I've got everything uploaded finally but just need to get them in the blog. My neck is doing much better but I'm so behind on work that I haven't had much doggy blog time.

The pups are doing great. Widget went to the vet on Friday and didn't bark once! The vet was impressed with her progress. We use "good quiet" to let her know she is not to bark.

Browser is as silly as always. He was racing around the yard the other day at full speed and smacked into a tree. He was very suspicious of that tree after wards. He had a bloody nose but was fine. 18 month old Dalmatian puppies need to be indestructible or else they'd be extinct