Wednesday, March 29, 2006

It's a good thing I have taken over this blog!

So, apparently Mum (or should I say 'Mother') is not only cruel, but dumb too. She had somehow managed to set comments to team members only! Well, now that I am in charge, these sorts of silly errors are unlikely to continue to occur. I will let her post from time to time, but she won't be allowed to make any template or settings changes!

Can you believe she actually brushed my teeth AND put meds in my ears on the same night! - A double whammy! Do any of you know any good evasive techniques that I could employ; she seems to have figured out all of my other ploys. I guess that means she isn't a complete dope. Mum says that she might look into trying those weird drugs that have been reported to help dogs with Degenerative Myelopathy. She's going to do some more research and then talk to my acupuncturist to get her opinion on them. I'll let you know what WE decide. I vote for NO MORE PILLS DOWN MY THROAT!

Oh, here is a picture of me with the kids - we are doing our Laughing Dogas pose.

Laughing Dogas - Ohmmmm

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Give a husky a home!

Okay, so you are saying to yourself, wow, that Tira is adorable, and soo smart! I wish I had a dog just like her! Well, sadly, although I have often considered striking out on my own, Mum's abuse isn't soo bad that I feel the need to look for a new home. However, there are many other lovely husky (and even non-husky) dogs out there who are in desperate need of a home. Maybe they aren't quite as lovely as me, but they would love the chance to bring love and joy into your life.

Please visit the sites below! Mum says she will also add them to the sidebar in the near future (maybe she'll get so caught up she will forget to brush my teeth tonight!!)

http://www.bcsiberianhuskyclub.com/rescue/avail.htm

http://www.siberianrescue.com/sibrescu.htm

http://www.spca.bc.ca/adoption/branches.asp

http://www.petfinder.com/

Will the cruelty NEVER end???

Hello All, this is Tira. Since Mum seems to be too busy to keep up this blog, I thought I'd try my paw at putting up a few posts. So, in my first post, I shall share with you the constant abuse and humiliations I am forced to endure at the hands of my so-called Mother!

Where should I start? Well, would you believe that Mum took me back to that lady who stabs me with the needles. Okay, so it doesn't REALLY hurt, and the lady does coo at me and tell me how wonderful and lovely I am, but still!! Aren't there laws about this sort of thing? Admittedly, I do have a lot more energy afterwards, and it seems a little easier to heft my butt around, but I still think that this sort of thing should not be allowed. I mean, I am a HANDS OFF husky!

Did I mention that every time we go to the "puppy torture palace" (my name for the place, not her's) Mum also weighs me! I know I'm not a young pup any more, but I would prefer to not have my weight thrown in my face on regular basis. I tried to keep one paw off the scale, but Mum caught me. Oddly, Mum seems to worry that I keep my weight up, not down.

Well, I guess I shall sign off for now. I heard Mum mention to Amarok that tonight is claw trimming and teeth brushing night. Can you believe that she brushes my teeth EVERY OTHER DAY!!! Not to mention the brutality involved in claw-trimming. The In-Dog-Manity of it all!! I HATE having my teeth brushed, but she shoves that horrible thing in my mouth regardless. And as if using poultry flavoured tooth paste is really going to trick me!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Tira's hind-end weakness and acupuncture

04-18-04 - Tira the polar bear

In the spring of 2005, Tira began to show signs of hind-end weakness. By the summer, she was scuffing her back feet and struggling with steep inclines when hiking. After x-rays showed no signs of hip dysplasia or arthritis and pain killers seemed unhelpful, we tried prednisone. Not only did prednisone not help, she was decidedly worse after the treatment ended. By late summer, Tira could barely get up the stairs, her legs would sink when she walked, and she was scuffing her back feet badly.

By the process of elimination, it appeared that Tira had 'degenerative myelopathy' (DM) which is believed to be the degenerative neural muscular disease causing the loss of sensation and control of the hind limbs. To be honest, it sounds like a grab bag disease. Although it is very common in German shepherds, it is known to also occur in huskies. As there is really no proper treatment for DM, my vet suggested we try acupuncture, and I would say that the acupuncture has kept Tira mobile and has stopped her degradation. After a session she has a lot more energy and stops scuffing her back feet. This seems to last for about 3 weeks at this point (she has been going since September 2005).

I would highly recommend trying acupuncture if you are faced with a similar problem. If it works, it is well worth the money. The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society at http://www.ivas.org/ lists all certified acupuncturists, and allows you to search for one in your area.

Ahh, the great "What to feed my husky" struggle

Anyone who has or has had a husky in their life knows what finicky eaters they can be. Well, when I started taking Tira to acupuncture, the acupuncturist (who is also a DVM) suggested that I start feeding the dogs fresh beef and/or liver 3 times a week. Well, they were VERY happy puppies! As a vegetarian I never cook beef, and let me tell you, the smell of sizzling beef had Amarok craning his neck into a position I had never previously seen!! The effect on Tira was also well worth it, as she is much perkier and more alert when she has had a meal with fresh beef.

The downside to the introduction of beef was that they all started turning their little noses up to the Fish and Potato food - just didn't compare I guess. So, after trying a few different foods, they have all agreed on the Beef and Barley kibble produced by Nature's Variety Prairie (http://www.naturesvariety.com/). Although it is very high in protein, we don't have any noses turning up at meal times, so I have just reduced the amount of food they receive. Unfortunately, Amarok is inclined to a rubenesque figure, so I may have to switch his food to a light or senior variety. Sadly Nature's Variety doesn't make such a formulation, so I may have to go back to the drawing board for him.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Update

Well, I realise that I have been very lax in my blogging. So, to update - Tira's weakness has responded very well to combining acupuncture and meloxicam. She isn't the same rambunctious dog, but she is quite mobile and is still able to do some sprinting when we go out for our walks. Both Amarok and Elaine are in the pink of health.

I promised to follow up with some puppy photos, and will try to get to that in the next few weeks!

Sorcha