A trip to the vet. She's happy with his changes, he's gained 7 pounds. Changed to a different kind of medication for the mange and put him on steroids to stop the itching (it's working!!). We suspect he was hit by a car at some point. His limp is caused by a badly healed broken leg, which matches the multiple breaks in his tail. The good news is that the limp does not cause him any pain, he just has a few hitches in his giddy-up.
Off and on snarling at Zoe - we think the problem is Zoe, not Ollie. She does not have much tolerance for Ollie trying to nose his way in for affection (apparently, that is HER job). Charlie just gets out of the way (he is my first Wolf and will always hold first place in my heart, I think). Need to find the camera and take some more pictures.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
August 22,2012
After three weeks of steady improvement, Ollie is starting to scratch again, so I'm worried that the mites are having a resurgence. The poor guy is going to scratch himself raw at this rate and I am scouring the web to try and find alternate treatments. The Revolution *should* be killing the mites, but I have to assume it is not.
And for the first time, we saw a display of serious aggression towards one of the other dogs that made me pause. Zoe (our golden retriever) was bounding around Ollie, and he began growling, stiffened his tail, and put on quite a performance. We distracted them, it passed, and everything returned to normal. But it did make me worry.
And for the first time, we saw a display of serious aggression towards one of the other dogs that made me pause. Zoe (our golden retriever) was bounding around Ollie, and he began growling, stiffened his tail, and put on quite a performance. We distracted them, it passed, and everything returned to normal. But it did make me worry.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 19, 2012
Who didn't see this coming?
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| No - really, Ollie will be an outdoor dog only.... |
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| Three weeks of good meals |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
August 14, 2012
I have let the dogs run together for short periods - 10 minutes or so. It's going well - no fighting. After 10 minutes or so the "big dogs" start to ramp up and want to play rough. Ollie is just not up for that yet, so they get separated and go to their respective corners.
Today Ollie spent a couple of hours on the front porch. He likes it there. A lot. Maybe in the end he will sleep there instead of our bed....
Today Ollie spent a couple of hours on the front porch. He likes it there. A lot. Maybe in the end he will sleep there instead of our bed....
Monday, August 13, 2012
August 12, 2012
Almost two weeks - Ollie has started to recover part of his original personality. He bounces everywhere. Our Charlie-Wolf is a plodder. Ollie is a bouncer - now that he has has the energy, he rarely walks! He is becoming more insistent about eating first, then walking. He seems to adore the sheep, and when he hears small children in the distance, his head goes up and he stares for a long while.
He is growing hair like crazy, his skin starts to feel like skin (and not sand paper). He seems to be running through one "ailment" after another as his body starts to work again. For the last couple of days it's been a goopy eye. He has another two days on the first set of antibiotics, and then I'll give him a week off to see how he is doing.
He is growing hair like crazy, his skin starts to feel like skin (and not sand paper). He seems to be running through one "ailment" after another as his body starts to work again. For the last couple of days it's been a goopy eye. He has another two days on the first set of antibiotics, and then I'll give him a week off to see how he is doing.
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| Rolling over for a belly rub |
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| Two weeks |
August 4, 2012
Ollie is doing well, I think. I admit to feeling in over my head with this, I want him to be better NOW, but I can see he is improving, daily. His skin is not so irritated, what little hair he has is starting to shine, He has times when he is full of energy and bounce, and times when he is very stiff and slow. He has started to relax more often, I have caught him napping a couple of times. He is gaining weight - based on the amount of poop, I am probably feeding him too much (but that seems to be a theme here at the Double Up). His feet do not seem so sore. He is starting to find his "personality" again - maybe. He is still very concerned about being with us.
Will, our black lamb, finds Ollie an appropriate sized playmate, although he is disappointed that Ollie does NOT want to butt heads. Ollie seems pretty sure the sheep are creatures to stay away from, but he likes to go with us for feeding time. To be fair, Ollie likes to go with us for anything.
We have taken the "big dogs" on side by side walks, everyone on a leash so there is no mange sharing, and it's...nice. We've gotten out of the habit of walking the dogs since they can run loose. Ollie has reminded us that it is a good opportunity to spend time with the dogs, and with each other.
Will, our black lamb, finds Ollie an appropriate sized playmate, although he is disappointed that Ollie does NOT want to butt heads. Ollie seems pretty sure the sheep are creatures to stay away from, but he likes to go with us for feeding time. To be fair, Ollie likes to go with us for anything.
We have taken the "big dogs" on side by side walks, everyone on a leash so there is no mange sharing, and it's...nice. We've gotten out of the habit of walking the dogs since they can run loose. Ollie has reminded us that it is a good opportunity to spend time with the dogs, and with each other.
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| Always happy to see you |
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| One week |
July 31, 2012
Sometime in the night, the stray got out of the fenced area, and instead of running off, ran to the front porch, curled up and spent the night there. When I went to feed him again, he opted to follow me instead of staying with the food. That was pretty much the end of the decision making. A starving dog who would give up food to be with a person?
Instead of Animal Control, I took him to the vet. I knew I was hooked when the receptionist asked me for the name, and I said "oh, it's Ollie" - she looked at me oddly and said "No, I meant what's your name". Ollie was in such bad shape, it's hard to tell how old he might be - somewhere between 3 - 8 at best estimate. Emaciated, sarcoptic mange, ticks, fleas, he has worn his teeth down chewing at the mange. But he was negative for heartworms, and his organs all seemed to be functioning. So he was vaccinated for rabies, distemper, and parvo. He is being treated for an impressive worm-load, medication and skin treatments for the mange. He has to be quarantined from our dogs for at least 4 weeks. His skin is so damaged, it bleeds when we tried to put a collar on, so he is wearing a soft rope for now.
He belonged to someone...sometime. He knows what people are for, he rides in the truck like a champ (although he was too weak to get in and out himself). He walks well on a leash - he acts like he was a hunting dog. He wants people more than he wants anything else, even the other dogs. I really was not looking for another dog - but I have a funny feeling he was looking for me.
Welcome home Ollie-Dog!!
Instead of Animal Control, I took him to the vet. I knew I was hooked when the receptionist asked me for the name, and I said "oh, it's Ollie" - she looked at me oddly and said "No, I meant what's your name". Ollie was in such bad shape, it's hard to tell how old he might be - somewhere between 3 - 8 at best estimate. Emaciated, sarcoptic mange, ticks, fleas, he has worn his teeth down chewing at the mange. But he was negative for heartworms, and his organs all seemed to be functioning. So he was vaccinated for rabies, distemper, and parvo. He is being treated for an impressive worm-load, medication and skin treatments for the mange. He has to be quarantined from our dogs for at least 4 weeks. His skin is so damaged, it bleeds when we tried to put a collar on, so he is wearing a soft rope for now.
He belonged to someone...sometime. He knows what people are for, he rides in the truck like a champ (although he was too weak to get in and out himself). He walks well on a leash - he acts like he was a hunting dog. He wants people more than he wants anything else, even the other dogs. I really was not looking for another dog - but I have a funny feeling he was looking for me.
Welcome home Ollie-Dog!!
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| Sweet dog!! |
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| So thin when he found us. |
July 30, 2012
In the evening, a stray turned up in the sheep pasture. I have no idea how he got *in* - the pasture is securely fenced, but there he was. Some kind of beagle, small shephard mix - in bad shape. Extremely thin, almost hairless from mange, limping badly. We lured him into a 1/2 acre fenced area, fed him, called Animal Control, and went to bed.
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