What a GREAT break in the weather!!!!

Mickey had a rough end to last week--he had a bout of diarrhea--mostly mucous and bloody. What a JOY to clean up. I tell you, if I did not have my Spot Bot, I would never make it through fostering or multiple dog-owning. We went through 2 of the small bottles of pet odor and stain cleaner, so I was really ready to have him stop.

I took him to see the vet on Friday where he was given metronidazole for this diarrhea. It works well, but not immediately, unfortunately. Had a stool sample sent off and I chased him around the outside of the office with a small cup to catch enough urine for a microscopic urinalysis to see if he had a UTI. Received the call about the stool specimen--negative. OK, that's good. I'm guessing the urinalysis is OK too, because I did not hear anything about it.

After a couple of weeks of really oppressive heat, it is so great to have some nice, cooler weather. Who knows how long it will last, but it was great yesterday and especially today. Tonight the temp is supposed to drop into the upper 50s--heavenly. I have been able to have Mickey outside during this weather too, and he has really enjoyed it. We have a nice long tie-out, and while I am outside with him, I feel comfortable with him enjoying the outdoors.

Not a single call about Mickey and adopting him. He is still traipsing all over creation with Denny and the bichons--still outwalking them! The diarrhea has stopped (knock wood) but he has been doing something else that has me concerned. He shivers occasionally--it seems to be getting more visible, and longer and more easily seen shivering. He does this when it is hot and when it is air conditioned. I think it probably has something to do with his aging nervous system. He is still eating well and active--it is not as tho anything else has changed; he just shivers. Oh well--I have what is called essential tremor--perhaps he has something similar.

Our rescue group seems to have several of the older dogs that are not even being considered for adoption. I think they are even having trouble placing the dogs at age 10, so if that is the case, a home for Mickey is almost hopeless. Too bad--he has a cute little personality and would make someone a great companion. The wearing of Poise Pads 24/7 has turned out to be not such a big deal...........we just put a pad on him when he's in the house and take it off when he goes outside. Rita from the Save A Yorkie Rescue group makes the best belly bands--they are available online to purchase at: http://www.saveayorkierescue.org. She also makes jackets for the dogs and we have some of the best beds available--the dogs all love them. So, if you have a pup that is in need of any of these, go to the website--all profits go to help rescues.

Mickey finds his inner child

This morning when we finally got up (!!!!!), I went in to test my blood sugar and give myself my morning insulin. When I appeared at the door to my bedroom, there was Mickey dancing around. He went down into that "let's play" position (you know, on his elbows with his butt in the air) and then pranced about. Uh-oh, I thought--what gives? I then found that he had pooped on the pee pad--apparently he was so very delighted with himself that he had to come and show me. So, we went on with "good dog, good boy, Mickey".

We went outdoors so the rest of the pups could go potty and I had Mickey on his leash, tied to the chair. I brought in the recycling tubs and when we came back inside, he danced about again and did the "let's play" posture twice more. OK, what's with Mickey today?

The rest of the day he was very much like he usually has been, but when my husband came home, Mickey joined the other 3 at the door to welcome Denny home. Today he gave Denny kisses for the very first time. When my grandkids came to stay tonight, he actually gave them kisses too.

I don't know where THIS Mickey was for the past several weeks, but he has really shone today. As a nurse who has seen patients improve drastically immediately prior to succumbing, I'm just holding my breath and praying that all this neat action is just Mickey feeling very at home with us as opposed to my nursing memories.

PS. Doesn't he look GREAT with his new haircut??

Prequel--Molly & Mickey

Over the first weekend in August, I received a call about 3 Yorkies that were coming into rescue. Their owner had died unexpectedly, and there was no one competent enough to care for the dogs. Actually, we had known they were coming into rescue the week before, but it took until the very end of July for the person who was Power of Attorney to call for Save A Yorkie Rescue to come and pick them up. And, what a sorry lot they were. Sixteen year-old Molly was blind and deaf--her eyes were so very light blue from the cataracts she had. She was emaciated, and weighed in at 5 lbs. 4 oz. By her frame, she appears to be a dog who should weigh about 7 or 8 pounds. She was filthy dirty, and had teeth that were yellow-green in appearence. It was difficult to pick her up--she was all bones. But could she eat!!!!! She had a rattling cough when she came to me on August 3, 2009, and she kept getting trapped in corners, having to be rescued when under a chair or in a corner.

Mickey, upon admission to rescue, was described as having dreadlock-looking hair hanging from his mouth. His teeth were the worst the vet in Williamsport had ever seen. In fact, before he could come to me for fostering, he underwent removal of all his teeth--they were all decayed and rotting. In fact, they had to anesthetize him to even clip his hair around his mouth. He was also very emaciated, weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz., and his frame looks like he should weigh in at around 10 lbs. For the first week with me, he ate ground beef or chopped chicken with rice, and was he EVER a sloppy eater!!! Food went everywhere as he learned to navigate eating with only his tongue and no teeth. I had to feed them in the exercise pen--if I did not, my little piglets would have wanted to share in their food.

I did not get their 9 year-old sister, Missy, to foster. She went to another SAYR volunteer. She was the one who made it first to the bowl of food, tho, as she weighed in at 16 pounds. The person who picked her up said she looked like a barrel with stick legs. Missy went off to the exercise spa, whereas Molly & Mickey came here to be pampered and fattened up.

This prequel is long overdue--I was so caught up in caring for both of them that I just could not take the time to sit down and let you know how they came to being in Yorkie Hospice & Senior Rehab. In another prequel later on, I will introduce you to my "helpers"--my own three dogs.

Crunching Without Teeth!!

You go, Mickey!! Caught him today eating Evo--not the Evo which I ground up and put warm water on for him but the Evo from the dish. I had been told that once a dog loses all teeth that the jaw bone fills in and eventually these dogs learn to eat kibble, but I did not believe it.

Sorry to be absent for a spell--Molly's death hit me a bit harder than I expected it to. It hit Mickey, too. He did not eat for a day, and I was worried that we were heading down the same path as Molly. I cooked the boy almost any and everything I could think of, but he did not eat. Then, the next day he got up and ate everything in sight.

He has been doing very well and settling in here just like one of the pack. He is a very easy-going dog whose only desires are to walk and to eat, and I think they are in that order. These long, hot, humid dog days of Summer have taken a lot out of me and take a lot out of the dogs when they walk.......not Mickey--he could go right back out and walk just as far again. Not the bichons, and they are 6 and 7 years younger than Mickey. I am just so very sad that no one seems to be looking at him to adopt him--he would be GREAT for someone up in years who is also an active person, just looking for a buddy to walk with. I'm praying for someone to see him and want to give an old dog a home for a couple of years. Look, this guy does not act his 15 years--he is spry and loves to go, whether it is walking or riding in a car. Now he's eating hard kibble without teeth!! Mickey's only problem is that he dribbles urine, and that is SO easily handled with belly bands and Poise Pads. I would imagine men up in years could identify with Mickey--especially if a man has had his prostate removed. Mickey's an easy dog.........REALLY.

Little Molly goes to the Rainbow Bridge

LITTLE MOLLY 1993 - 8/13/09

Precious little Molly-girl went to the vet this morning in her pink and orange t-shirt which read "Does this t-shirt make me look fat?" Deb said that the techs laughed at the irony of the shirt and loved on Molly simply because she is so very cute. The vet decided to recheck her blood levels because they had not been good when she first came into rescue--there was some hope that by giving her the medication that those levels would improve. However, the levels this morning were much worse, and this was after two weeks of antibiotic therapy, Lasix, and Vasotec (heart medication). After the vet and techs closely checked her teeth, and combined with her declining blood levels and decreasing zest for eating, the decision was made to free Molly to go the the Rainbow Bridge, where she is now running freely through the meadow, chasing butterflies, hearing the birds, and playing with the other dogs and animals who have been restored to health. We will see all these animals again one day, as we pass Rainbow Bridge on our way to our forever home, and they will come running to meet us, restored to health and enjoying life again. I frequently debate with people whether or not dogs (and other loved pets) will be in Heaven--I guess my feeling is that it would not be Heaven for me without my dogs.

Molly is trippin' & Mickey is trotting

I drove Molly to Selinsgrove today to meet Deb Caulkins in preparation for her dental tomorrow morning. Molly will finally be rid of those pus-infected teeth and when we give her antibiotics, they will now fight off infection without having more being dumped into her bloodstream. I will be anxious to hear how she made out tomorrow afternoon--if she recovers like Mickey has, I might need help keeping up after these senior dogs!!! ;-)

Mickey seems rather lost without Molly, so he is sleeping here in bed beside me in his Save A Yorkie Rescue tube bed--he just could not seem to be able to get comfortable without it, so I brought it back and put it on top of my bed. Now, he's sawing logs. He enjoyed some extra personal time this evening, and I tried to get some video of him so you all can see how active he is. The video is not the best--I will try to get better video tomorrow or another day--but you can get an idea how lovely his walk is and how active he is. He is really blossoming into a nice boy.

Proud Mickey

This boy continues to amaze me--at his 15 year-old age, he would wear me out. He walks daily with Denny, and when Denny walks Murphy, Megan & Mickey, they are not short walks--they are usually gone 20 minutes to one-half hour--yet Mickey is always ready to get his collar on, go outside, and would go for another 20 minute walk in a heartbeat. I ended up taking him for a walk down the block to deliver information to a new neighbor--he never wanted to stop and sniff or stop and rest, just go, go, go. He is also much longer than our Yorkie, and other rescue people who have seen him think that possibly instead of being a Yorkshire Terrier that he is a Silky Terrier. When he walks, he is so light on his feet and he trots like a race horse, hair flowing in the wind.

He behaved so very well today at the vet's--of course, he wasn't the patient so that made it easier. He weighs 9.5 now and that is up from 8.6 as of 7/29/09. He is eating well, his jaw and mouth are healing well and I am now able to wipe off his mouth. He will also take food from my hand and will bring his jaws together to take food from me--that is new. A week ago, he did whatever he could to avoid touching his jaw. He is also really coming out of his shell and really showing a neat personality. Without his teeth, his mouth is shaped into a constant SMILE. I worried that he might have trouble holding his tongue in his mouth but no problem.

I have switched Mickey over to the same food that the rest of my pack eats--Primal with a side of Cesar, or lately we tried Chef Michael's (The dogs get very little of this--I split one container between all four dogs). This is what he gets for dinner, but I have continued to give him his scrambled eggs for breakfast and a bedtime snack of the rice and meat. He seems to have adapted to the food change very well. My dogs also have access to Evo, but I realize that Mickey cannot chew Evo at this point in time--perhaps I will try putting some in water to soften it to see if he likes it. He is doing so well--I think God sent him along with Molly to encourage me--it really helps me to know that even though Molly is not gaining weight (probably because of the severe infection in her mouth) that I AM doing the right things because Mickey is thriving. He is a joy, and I wish that someone who is looking for an active dog would consider giving him a home. I cannot believe that he is 15 years old!!

More on Molly's saga

(Photo at Right--I took this of Molly sleeping--if you look closely, you can actually see her ribs to the left of her collar. Poor baby.)

Molly had an extremely bad time Friday evening and all day Saturday--on Saturday I could not even get her pills into her. I worried but was encouraged from one of my rescue buddies that I was doing the best I could do for her, and at age 16, she's bound to have some bad days.

Sunday morning she woke up and took the pills. She ate, but it did not seem to be with the same gusto as before, and she still has not been attacking the food like she did a week ago. However, she was better than the previous day and has continued to eat.

Today I took her to the vet--I asked (nay, begged) him to take her teeth out--he showed me where her eye teeth (I think in dogs they call them "canine" teeth, but they are the ones like our eye teeth.) were just oozing pus and explained to me that probably the infection had eaten its way into her nasal cavity. She had lost weight and is now down to 5.4 again. I have been getting up with these senior citizens and cooking 3 eggs for them each morning, including vitamins in the eggs. For the rest of the day, they get rice and chicken or rice and ground beef, and Molly gets some cheese with her meds. Sunday and Monday I fed these guys 3 meals, and still she lost weight--feels like there must be something else I can do.

Dr. Schaberle and I spoke about her quality of life, and I had brought Mickey along--I really just wanted to use the scale to check on his weight. I told him how infected Mickey's mouth had been and now how well he was doing, so we decided to pull Molly's teeth. Only problem is that he cannot do this until August 21--a week and one-half away. That is a lot of up and down days for her. So, I spoke with another foster mama whose vet is extremely helpful, and she was able to get her scheduled for this Thursday. So, either this Thursday (8/13) or next Friday (8/21), Molly will undergo anesthesia for her teeth to be removed, and hopefully, if she survives the surgery, the infection will be able to heal as opposed to simply continue status quo. I firmly believe that if she is meant to, that she will survive the surgery--if not, then she will wake up at the Rainbow Bridge and it will be for her like she was when she was a puppy. She will run freely, see with perfect vision, be able to hear, and her heart will be healed and well.

Mickey--what a boy!!

Mickey is shining--he eats like a little horse and runs like a thoroughbred! His trot is just the cutest thing I have seen in a long time--I will try to video it and attach it here--you have to see it to believe it. I was having a great deal of trouble with Mickey barking barking barking--seems the longer time went by, the longer he would bark. Finally, I was just about at my wits' end with what to do about it and I called a friend from another rescue group. She informed me that what I was trying with him was possibly rewarding him for his barking--UH OH!! That's not what I wanted to do at all. She then suggested possibly using a squirt bottle which piqued my memory about the THREE citronella-spray collars I have stored here. I could not believe that I forgot about them. Well, the squirt bottle with a stern, "Quiet!" was seeming to work well, but at 11:30 PM, I was not ready to sit up and practice discipline with the squirt bottle, so I attached the citronella collar to his neck. It only took him two or three barks and squirts for him to get the message that he needed to remain quiet. He's been such a good boy since then.

He is gaining strength by leaps and bounds, and tonight he communicated to my husband that he wanted to walk again. It was terribly hot and humid here today, but this 15 year-old Silky Terrier walked as far and as fast as my 8 and 9 year-old Bichons. Murphy came home with his tongue hanging way out--Mickey could have gone for more!! What a boy!! I cannot believe we have him in "Yorkie Hospice"--he could be ready to go to a forever home soon if someone wants to give him a place for the rest of his life.

A Molly Rally!! Hooray!!

After not eating for a day and a half, little Molly woke up Sunday morning hungry and ready to eat. She took her meds with gusto and ate about a half cup of her chicken and rice mixture--she left the rest and Mickey finished it up. I offered her another half cup around lunch time but she was not interested in it. Then, around 5 o'clock, I gave her another cup of food and again she ate about half of it--I saved the other half for later but again, no interest. I just think perhaps her teeth are hurting badly and she cannot eat well. I am planning to call my vet on Monday to see if perhaps they would give her light anesthesia and pull those gray-green chipped and broken teeth. I cannot help but believe she would feel better if they and their infection were gone from her mouth. Again, Sunday night she scarfed down her capsule and two pills. Way to go, Molly girl!

Tricky Mr. Mickey

LOOK AT THIS SMILE!! Is he a happy pup, or what?

Mickey is doing great--he eats like there is no tomorrow, and has been walking for long distances with Murphy & Megan (my bichons). He checks on Molly at times, but when she refuses to eat her breakfast or dinner and I have offered it to her for the fourth time and she refuses, he is only to happy to eat it for her. Unfortunately, this will not help her to build up her body and defenses. I believe his mouth is healing well--he seems to put more pressure on it, or at least did until his antibiotics ran out last night. When he first came here, I could barely get close to his mouth to give his antibiotic with cheese--by yesterday, he was biting it off my finger. He has also allowed me to get closer to his mouth, although when I tried to wipe it off (he hasn't learned neatness without teeth yet), he threw his head one way then the other, trying to avoid my touch--I guess he still remembers his hurting teeth.

He has the most gorgeous trot that I have ever seen--one of these days I will get my act together and video his gait for you to see. He reminds me of a stallion, trotting oh, so proud. I'm working on helping him learn not to bark, and not to mark if he is out of the ex-pen. But he walks every bit as far as my 8 and 9 year-old dogs without tiring. What a boy!!

Molly is still not eating like she had earlier in the week, and tonight she refused to take her pills--very, very odd for her since she previously had scarfed down her pill (a CAPSULE!) simply by coating it with Easy Cheese. This morning I had to place it into her mouth and she was not happy about that; tonight she refused to take it at all. So, I emptied the contents of the capsule into 2 cc of water and tried to give it with the syringe. Poor baby--she threw her head back and the liquid drooled out of her mouth. Her breathing is very wet and labored.

Molly is not eating food today.

I have offered food to her four times today and each time she "buries" the food and goes back to sleep. I have rescued her food bowl from a pee pad each time--she pushes the pad into the food and does not eat anything. She did take her pills with the cheese, but otherwise has taken nothing by mouth. I hope this simply means she is full from having an extra snack last night. I will offer her some food later this evening......I hope this is a temporary setback.

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Little Molly was coughing a lot more today than she had previously--it sounded quite moist/wet to me, so I called the vet and off we went. Those of you who are in Save A Yorkie Rescue and have been following Mickey and Molly's progress will be happy to know that after stripping her of her t-shirt and harness, Molly topped the scale at 5 lbs. 8 oz. This is an accurate weight on the vet scale as opposed to my do-it-yourself postal scale. This means that she has gained almost 1/2 pound since she was seen in Williamsport on 7/29/09, when she weighed in at 5 lbs. 4 oz. GREAT!! Of course, she's a little piggy and will eat almost anything put in front of her.

She looks so adorable in her little t-shirt which says on the back "Does this t-shirt make me look fat?" Her eyes are just so cloudy and blue and her hearing is soooooooo bad, but if I clap, she can hear it--her little ears perk right up. I tried a clicker, thinking that might work, but no go. She is a very feisty little girl, tho, and will take off across the lawn walking wherever she wants. And, she is very sweet, giving lots of kisses.

Now, in addition to the antibiotic she came to my home taking (Antirobe25 mg), she is also taking Pet Forms, 1/2 tablet--a pet vitamin; Salix 12.5 mg--which is a lasix diuretic for pets; Encard 2.5 mg--which is a heart medication. These last two are quite small tablets which then are cut in half again because of her tiny size.

Her teeth are AWFUL--there is no other way to put it--she desperately needs something to be done for those teeth. Her breath is bad, color of teeth is almost green-gray; teeth are broken off, and she does not seem to chew much with them. The vet thinks that once she has put some bulk on her, possibly she could tolerate light anesthesia simply to pull her teeth and eliminate the poison from infection from invading her heart, kidneys, and liver. She thinks that after the diseased teeth are gone, that Molly's body can recover and eliminate all the infection from her little body once and for all.

Thank you for keeping up with what is happening in Yorkie Hospice &/or Senior Rehab here. Tomorrow I will try to give more information on Mickey, who is creating quite a bit of trouble by continuous barking at bedtime. I have tried everything I can think of--putting the ex-pen in my bedroom, feeding a bit of food--discovered they really like plain yogurt, went out to pee/poo several times, played a radio (he's not deaf), sang to them. I also gave him a tiny dose of benadryl in hopes of helping him to relax and go to sleep. Yet, tonight he barked for 90 minutes. I tried holding him but all he seemed to want to do is to run around on his own--would not settle on a chair, on the sofa, on a lap. Anyone out there think this could perhaps be senility and sun-downers syndrome? Here's a photot of the little guy just for you to enjoy and to entice you to come back to read tomorrow. Oh, and I am open to suggestions as to how to handle little Mickey at bedtime. Thanks.

Rescue Takes A New Turn

I got into rescue because I wanted another Yorkshire Terrier. After taking in 4 younger Yorkies and having 3 of them adopted and one go to another foster home, our rescue group was faced with three Yorkies of upper age--9 years, 15 years, & 16 years. My home has become the refuge for the 15 and 16 year-old Yorkies. I want to do these precious pups justice, so I am simply introducing them in this post--next entry will cover their entry into Save A Yorkie Rescue and their vital statistics. This post simply introduces the dogs--16 year-old Molly and 15 year-old Mickey.