Where the Wild Things Are

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

I have an eight month old Border Collie called Meg. She is far from perfect (and so am I).
Today she has been about 60/40 good. The 40 included chewing up my camera memory card which DH is sure he put safely on the mantelpiece. Every time I look down at this screen she takes a quick munch of the coffee table with her eyes on mine. This despite a 2 hour walk which included much in and out of streams.

It is worth mentioning moose and I will bear that in mind when I talk to the vet. I doubt it is an infection as it happens so infrequently (been about 3 months since the last time until today) and after anything between 30 mins and 4 or 5 hours he is back to himself, tearing the place up! Worth ruling out any other abdo pain possibilities too though.

It seems to affect his neck too...he twists his neck and stretches his head right out. Like his leg when he stretches it looks really still and rigid. He has only done that briefly this time though that I have noticed this morn. It is definitely mainly back legs and tummy this time.

He is sleeping now. Usually wakes up fine after a long snooze so we shall see. Dh says he took him out whilst he mowed the lawn yesterday and Maz found it highly amusing to dive in, snaffle a huge mouthful of grass and then dive off eating it so that is also in the mix of unusual things consumed!

Definitely intend to involve the vet needa, just needed to have a reason to go at the time rather than a 'well, you know how he is fine now but used to be ill...' I thought it would be best to do it when he has had a recent episode rather than talking about historic stuff iykwim? Plus I thought if they do blood tests to rule out other issues, it would perhaps be better if he has had symptoms more recently? He has been in vets with it several times before but because it is few and far between it has always been a pain killing jab and then when he is right as rain two hours later the vet has always said it must have been something he has eaten . Because it happens rarely now, until I have read about CECS, I have never put 2 and 2 together to think that they were maybe not individual episodes. Maybe they are, I guess time and several vets visits will tell (prays thanks I took out plan that covers all consults and disgnostic annual blood tests! Though he is insured)

Oh, and glamour for me means putting my hunter wellies ans berghaus jacket on to cover with mud....I can tell myself it is okay because it is functional quality!

Fan, I didn't mean I think you may have it wrong. I get the feeling that you are so intuitive about your boy you really should trust your instincts with this. It just hit me that I'd come across the same behaviour/symptoms before and how awful it is for the dog and how upsetting it must be for you.

I don't do glamour at all, especially not these days. I've gained three stone over the last two years and am desperate to lose it again, as when I started gaining I had just invested in lots of new clothes which are now sitting in my wardrobe taunting me.

I am planning to have all my hair cut off and sent to the Little Princess Trust on, of all days, April Fool's Day! I started growing it when pregnant with dd 6 years ago, have had a bit of a couple of time since, but it's now mid/lower back length and getting on my nerves. It's always plaited to keep it out of my way and I keep lying on it and waking myself up when I turn over at night. Had a look at the website and it says they take 7" in length or more, then measured mine and I reckon I can give them 11" and still have enough left for a decent short haircut!

Here's my boys from today, lovely day and super walk. Hector is gaining in stamina every day now! So, we are roaming a wee bit further very gently.

Lovely to see all the doggy pictures. I was reading the last page and a 1/2 and thinking " these are fantastic women" coping and getting on with life and all its problems, with children, husbands and dogs to look after as well. Helps to put my issues/problems into perspective. You're all amazing!!

Your boys are beautiful needa. I love that we have such a mixed bunch between us!

And Moose, please don't think for one minute I was being defensive in my earlier reply, I did genuinely mean I will ask what they think. I suspect CECS in my gut but.I am not a vet obviously! I'm just using this thread for my musings as I think dh is of the opinion that maz is fine now, why go looking for problems. But today proves again it rears its head now and again.

Is predicted he has woken up from his sleep back to his usual self. I took him to the park for what I intended to be a short little pootle. Maz however decided that he had energy to burn after a quiet day and after trying to launch himself at everyone who ahhhed at him out side the tearooms, whined when we got to the bottom ponds until I detoured into the cornfields. He knows I'll let him off there so he tore around and had a nice dust bath. My quick pootle lasted an 1hr and a quarter and he is now perched on the chair with his head in the blinds checking he hasn't missed any action on the street today!

Sorry, my phone is showing a different set of pictures to the laptop, not sure what you guys can see!

Needa, lovely pictures. I love the one of them cuddling up together.

I tried to get some of my two off ds's phone this afternoon but the little monkey bluetoothed his entire photolibrary to me and froze my laptop. Then when I'd sorted that out they were all blurry and out of date anyway.

I have a hopeless old phone with a rubbish camera, so rarely take pictures myself. Will have to ask dh to take a couple and send them to me, as there are already lots of older ones on my profile and I want you all to see what a grown-up, lanky boy he's grown into.

Fan, don't worry about it I wasn't thinking that at all. So pleased to hear Maz is feeling better and back to his usual tricks.

Needa - lovely boys, look bright and lively then gorgeous cuddled up together! Good idea about the nails, might try that myself.

Moose - your hair sounds amazing, you sure you're ready to go short after 6 yrs with it long? A big step to take but might be quite liberating.

Fan - I feel like that when I have mine cut and no one at home notices- a house of boys though here so can't expect any different!

Teenage pics are fab!

Wow moose - Little Princess Trust is an amazing charity - I'd never heard of donating hair in that way. What a lovely thing to be able to do, well done you.

I've done it before Mint, when I was in my teens. I could sit on it then and had it cut into a pixie cut, I had an audience in the Salon, as none of the other customers would leave until it was finished - it was so liberating.

I am more than ready to do it again, my hair is holding me back!

Nobody would have wanted mine I am afraid even if I had gone the extra 3 inches....it had been red, plum, dark brown, stripped and dyed royal purple, black, stripped and dyed purple again, dark drown and then black again then left to fade back to mousy brown before finally getting the chop. I cannot believe my hair holds colour so badly that I can grow black out with darker roots! Abused is the word I think I am looking for!

Go for it moose - I had my hair cut short just before Christmas and it's fab

Right, I need to get car travel sorted...

We used to have a rigid travel crate but Fitz got too big for it. We tried two different types of car harness but Houdini pup can get out of them in ten seconds flat grrr

We were going to get a new car so haven't got it sorted but have decided to stick with our old Peugeot 807 for a while longer. It doesn't have a discrete boot space as it's a 7-seater so it's quite hard to find room for a permanent crate. Any suggestions?

What about these crates? [ www.safedog.co.uk/Peugeot.htm]]

Not sure how expensive they are but saw them at dogs unleashed show last year and they looked pretty good. I didn't look at pricing etc as Maz is really good in the car with harness and belt clip, he just goes to sleep or looks out of the window. I don't think escaping has occured to him!

www.safedog.co.uk/Peugeot.htm

BB - we decided not to take up a fixed amount of space with a car crate but go for a more flexible option so we bought a big outdoor type waterproof bed from PAH, and have a lead tied into the very back of the car so dog hops in, is clipped into lead and is supposed to lie on the waterproof bed but insists on standing the whole time! Means he crashs around as we go round any bend, or stop so that is a pain but I imagine he'll settle in time and I love the ease of him just hopping into the bed.

Anyone know what to do for constipation? Minty has been struggling a bit since we changed foods but I imagined it would straighten out. But he's a bit distressed tonight after trying in garden a few times - then had an accident inside of a solid chunk - now been scrapping his bottom along the tiles & carpets as though it's sore or itchy.

I have some rhubarb in the fridge - should I try him on a small bit?

Thanks fan and mint - will check those options out

Fitz is in my bad books today - this morning we were just about to finish our walk when he managed to find the muddiest, stinkiest puddle on the whole common and LAY DOWN IN IT aaarghhh - I had to shower him off when we got home - then this afternoon when he was lovely and clean HE DID IT AGAIN - different park so different puddle but just as muddy and stinky ...

Tinned sardines always sort Finn out if he's a bit constipated, I drain most of the oil off if I'm adding it for that reason but he has the ones in tomato sauce regularly.

I'd give sardines a go as well Mint, but it could be related to his anal glands if he's scraping his bottom on the ground, so if the sardines don't do the trick, he might need his glands emptying at the vets.

Pip has driven me insane this morning. Mum was having ds1 while I took the other two to and from school this week and said he was leaving half his breakfast/lunch and then just whining at the kitchen gate for me.

Yesterday ds1 went back to school. Pip was fine in the morning, when I was out for 17 minutes. Then he was left for half an hour at the afternoon school run, because I was held up. Got back and listened to the tape - he started yelling 6 minutes before we got back. He's not howling, just whining, but really loudly (blooming gobby Salukis!).

I think he's expecting me to go straight into the kitchen when I get back, so this morning I left the door shut to see what would happen. I was out for 17 minutes again. I came in quietly, but obviously he'd have known I as back and he whined, loudly, intermittently from 5 minutes after I got back at 9.05 until 9.55, when he took a break for long enough for me to get into the kitchen without rewarding the whining. I went in, ignored him. Did the breakfast dishes, let him out and back in, then came back in the living room and shut the door. He's been silent ever since - so just coming up to 45 minutes now. I know he can do this for up to 1 hour 45 minutes, as he was happy for me to shut the door so I could sleep while I was ill a couple of weeks back and again last week until ds1 was off school.

Am now trying to work out whether it was just that he needed to go out, as he is fine with me leaving him in there and shutting the door - so it can't be over-attachment. He's also absolutely fine at night, we just put him in his bed and go upstairs and there's not a peep until we get up the next day - although he always seem to wake up early on Sundays for some bizarre reason.

At one point, in the middle of all the whining, he decided to stop and start harrassing Lurcherboy and got told off, but other than that he whined the whole time.

I think my neighbours have both started working Thursday and Friday, so that gives me a good window each week to work on this. Wondering if I should try skipping the kong, greenfeeder and treat balls (takes him less than 20 minutes to empty the lot despite it being a well frozen xl kong) this afternoon and just shut the door like I do during the day. Maybe he's started to associate the kong etc with me leaving and they've become triggers? The only other thing I can think of is boredom, but that doesn't seem to fit, as he's happy to sleep in there for a couple of hours with the door shut normally.

Only spanner in the works is that I think the lady next door arrived home while I as picking up the dcs last week, so it might not be the best time to try it for.

Had to post a picture of Finn now we can! He's 7 months old in this photo enjoying his walk. He varies between being perfectly behaved and a little sod, very typical for his age.

Oh what a handsome lad he's grown into.

Here's one of Pip objecting to the kitchen light being turned on when he was trying to sleep.

Still haven't got one of him standing up showing off his supermodel pins.

Oh - and he's still asleep in the kitchen without so much as a squeak. That's since not long after 10.00 am and he hasn't had a walk yet, so he can do it - at least when I'm in the other room mnetting.

This is a pic of Monty now 18 months old, slightly teenagerish still at times. Good recall mostly but NOT when he has found some yummy new grass to snack on. Goes deaf, almost as if he is addicted to the stuff. He let us walk away from him (he was in a ditch) for about 400 yards, round a corner out of sight. I had to go back and there he was chomping away totally oblivious to the the fact we had disappeared. My DH says if we had kept walking he would have eventually followed us. Is this true, dog people?