Vege

Gamby says :

Eat your veggies, kids!
They're good for you!

Daddy says:

Stop eating up our garden!

Pile

Really.
One would think that in a room big enough for 3 elephants would have enough floorspace for 3 huskies.

Baby Sit

The doggies have been very very busy baby-sitting. (snort.)

Happy Halloween

ps - haha. someone asked if this was photoshop-ed. it's NOT! Its a horn headband, with battery at the side for the glow. Her ears are at the back there somewhere - Tagar's the only one featured cos she won't move if you put anything on her head. Togo and Gamby scratched them horns off them immediately, so no photos there.

Rant

I know there's many cat lovers out there who read this blog thats why I never posted anything before but I'm kind of pissed off now Tagar has so far killed 3 cats She's got a really strong prey drive and her hunting skills are excellent She kills roaches everyday She killed a poor little squirrel once too Anyways we walled in our tiny back area for the dogs to roam around A few neighbours keep cats which are no problem when they pamper them and keep them securely in the house But they have this kindly habit of putting food out for stray cats and cats breed like crazy so we have a stray cat problem and they just keep having kittens and pooping everywhere and cat poop is really so very smelly And they like to walk along the walls and taunt the dogs who can't chase them which is still all right But there's some dumb cats that actually come into the walled area I always thought cats were kinda smart but obviously not the last 3 that was dumb enough to come in got caught Tagar don't actually set out to kill them but she catches them to play and breaks their neck when she swings them around So anyway lately there's two not so little kittens playing in the back and they run off when the dogs come but today their luck ran out Tagar caught one and I was alone and when she catches a cat nothing short of prying it from her mouth will get it out and cats when in danger piss and poop and smell really really bad I think they secrete something else in fear and damn did that cat stink and messed up the place and I had a long day and the baby is not asleep yet and I was trying to get Tagar to drop the cat and then it gets worse!!

The other cat was there too hiding in the shelf and Togo flushed it out and the cat ran INTO the house and Togo and Gamby cornered it in the dining room but Togo is a wuss his hunting skill is almost zero he was barking and barking and barking his head off and my stress level was going up and up and up and Togo and Gamby were barking and trying to catch them a cat toy like Tagar cause she never shares hers and the poor terrified cat was fighting with all claws out and there was blood on the wall on the floor on the Togo nose and the cat couldn't escape was secreting that awful awful fear smell and stinking up the inside of the house I dragged Togo out but then Gamby made a go at the cat and I was afraid for her cause she's so young and don't know what she playing with and I let go of Togo and had to start all over again dragging him out Tagar was out in front in the porch with no car and the lights on playing with her cat in full view of cat people there is a huge chunk of peope here for whom dogs are unclean and the devil and the must caught and put down but cats are cute must feed must multiply and is ok not dogs need license and can keep only a limited number but cats don't need and you can keep 100 no one will complain and sometimes sometimes dogs are hated enough to be poisoned and easily so just throw something over the fence and this happens more often than you think so we're afraid and there is tagar flaunting her catch oh no.

After I got the other two dogs out Tagar was still running around not sharing her cat and the dogs are yelling to be let back in to get the cat and I took a broom and shooed the cat but he was too terrified to move and won't budge and I was getting more and more stressed out because if the dog comes in the cat will surely die but he's not letting me save him and I'm not about to try carry a frightened cat cos it will definetely claw me and I was super pissed off I have three excitable dogs howling a baby needing attention dinner to cook a house stinking of scared-shit cat and a cat too afraid to save himself and then luckily Daddy came back and wrestled the dead cat out of Tagar's mouth and wrapped it up and disposed it but we couldn't find the other cat so I guessed it found its way out but after Daddy left I found the damn cat it was sitting in the dining room sink nestled in curtains thats why we didn't see it I found it by accident when I went to wash my hands I can't let the dogs in yet so I opened the baby pool let them play with water and wash the cat blood and stink off them while I wiped the blood and smelly stuff off and mopped up the house and then Daddy comes home and helps the terrified cat out and cleaned up the dogs and the porch and the back and drama over and oh that brings Tagar cat count to four.

And we ordered pizza for dinner.

Sit

We never noticed that Gamby didn't sit. It was only after her surgery, when we started seeing her sit that we realized she probably never could before. She either stood up or laid down, nothing in between.

We catch ourselves smiling now everytime we see her sit.
Because she CAN.

Sit, Gamby!

A Tagar's Instinct

It was a few days before my due date. The doctor had put us on 'anytime now' alert - the hospital bag was packed and ready to go. I was huge, and was waddling around grumpily.

That day I started having more frequent pains. Not close enough to warrant a rush to the hospital, but definitely getting more pronounced and frequent. And then Tagar did something that amazed us (so much so I've told this stories many many times since).

Tagar started tailing me closely around that day, which is not normally a habit of hers. Each time the pain came she snuggled up to me, put her head on my lap and looked at me. And she just kept her head on my lap, moving off only after a long while.

Tagar repeated that the whole day, sticking close by at all times. I restlessly moved around a lot, sitting here, there and everywhere, and anywhere I sat I got a comforting head on my lap.

I knew I was going to pop very, very soon, judging by Tagar's unusual behavior. Sure enough, that night we went to the hospital and the next day we welcomed a little red wrinkled person into our family.

And really, some people wonder why you can love a dog too much. =)

A Tagar

Sleepless

We're learning (the hard sleepless way) that a human puppy is 10 times more work than a furry baby! And only half as cute, too.

Baby Togo.
So cute.

Baby Tagar.
So cute.

Baby Gamby.
So cute.

Baby VW.

Not cute, especially not at 3AM.

Six

Togo, Tagar and Gamby would like to say sorry to all our dear readers for the lack of update.

It's not that there's nothing going on to blog about. On the contrary - there's been too much going on! We're now a large family of six!

Tagar eyeing the newest addition.

We will be posting more soon! Stay tuned.

Play Time

Gamby's recovering very well indeed. She's walking lopsided (good news!), because she's beginning to use her surgery leg to walk. Now when the big ones do zoomies across the house, there's a small furball hurtling at top speed behind them, going as fast as her legs will take her.

Here's Gamby and Tagar playing in the garden. It brings us smiles watching this - just a few short weeks ago Gamby was in too much pain to play. And just a couple of months ago Gamby can only sit and play - now she plays as boisterously as the Togo and Tagar. We like.

Headless Huskies!

Bite you

Bite you back

Play time over, time for cuddles

Surgery

Who's this lampshade gamboling around the house?

It's Gamby!

She had surgery ten days ago. Two days before that, she started showing signs of pain again. Gamby had noticeable difficulty getting up and settling down, whining in pain at the effort. We also noticed that she painfully lifted her right hind leg up when walking, using only three legs to get around.

We've wanted to bring her to this new vet, recommended by the last vet we took her to for her vaccination jab. The recommended vet has done surgeries for similar conditions before. We've been wanting to take Gamby for a consultation to see what options there are to help her, but couldn't get an appointment earlier as he was on holiday.

Luckily we managed to get an appointment on Saturday, just as Gamby's condition started deteriorating. The vet examined Gamby and said her hips are bad and her back legs are deformed, possibly due to her hip. He needed an x-ray of her hips, so he knocked her out with a couple of jabs and sent her in for an x-ray. We then sat outside in the waiting room for the diagnosis - with a stoned Gamby, tongue lolling to avoid choking, at our feet sleeping at our feet. We got a LOT of pitiful looks from the other patrons because with her tongue out, Gamby did look kind of - erm - deceased.

The vet called us in and explained Gamby's x-ray. Her hips are very bad, her right hip more so. The thigh bone is not sitting in the hip socket correctly, instead its rubbing against the edge of the socket where there are a lot of nerves, hence the pain. He explained the surgery needed, using x-rays of another dog that had it done previously. The hip bone is cut in 3 places, and tied to a support that will help the bone grow into its correct position. This surgery is a 3-hour, major surgery and must be done when the puppy is between 5 - 10 months. Also, it costs quite a bit.

The vet also explained an alternative, to get her out of the pain. Another lesser surgery can be done, where the ball of the thigh bone is removed completely. The ball won't be rubbing against the hip socket anymore, and that's an instant pain reliever. The vet explained that Gamby will learn to use her leg muscles (in place of that bit of bone) to support herself and walk. This surgery is not suitable for heavier dogs though, they might not walk again because of the weight on the leg, but a husky is light and this type of surgery can be done. This surgery does not have a limited time-frame to must-do and the procedure takes about an hour. Also it costs one third of the other surgery.

The vet says we can go for the second option, especially as Gamby is in so much pain. He says that sometimes an x-ray can show hip dysplasia, but the dog does not show signs of pain, so that's ok as long as the dog is not suffering. But Gamby is obviously in much pain. He was holding Gamby's hips and legs while explaining this, and Gamby started to come around. Gamby whined and cried in pain, even through that haze of drug. The vet recommended we do surgery for the right hip first, as this was causing her the pain. After she has adjusted to her lack of ball bone and has built up muscle strength on her right side, we can come back in about 6 months time to do the other hip.

We were very impressed with the vet. We could see that he obviously loves dogs, and so does his staff. We were very happy at how they handled Gamby, soothing her like their own when she was injected for the knockout. We liked that the vet explained everything in detail, and did not push for the more expensive option. Instead he genuinely had the best interest of the dog in the treatment recommended. Also, he greeted all the other patrons like old friends. We decided to send Gamby for surgery, the second option.

The vet was done with surgery for the day (it was 4pm at that time), but he said he would do it that day, since its a short surgery, and Gamby was in pain. He'll also spay her since she'll already be under anesthetic. and at 6 months old its time for her to be spayed. We kissed Gamby good-bye and left her at the surgery.

We came back the next day and picked up this lampshade. We expected her to be fast asleep (Tagar was out for two whole days after she was spayed - that's an untold story yet), but we were pleasantly surprised with a smiling, tail-wagging Gamby. The vet took her out of the kennel and made her walk, which she did with no whine of pain at all. We were truly amazed. Gamby is not using her right hind leg still, but she's not yelping in pain, and that is a huge improvement. We could even touch her lower spine and back legs - something she never allowed us to before.

Oh. And the vet gave us the bone parts they took out of her. Gross.

For the next week the lampshade was gamboling around the house, knocking into doorways and furniture. Gamby was pretty annoyed at not being able to crawl under the bed, her favourite place in the room. At first she slept a lot, but as she gradually got her groove back she became more active, walking around with her lampshade. She was still using only 3 legs, but the vet said that will take time.

Gamby got a lot of attention, much to Tagar's annoyance. I hand feed her since her collar makes it hard to eat, and everytime I do jealous Tagar comes nosing, poking her head through seeking attention. We also pet Gamby a lot for being so strong, and Tagar comes running everytime, demanding her share of pets. Haha. Togo is not too bothered. He was like that when we first got Tagar, so I guess he's grown out of it.


This is the stitches. After about three days it started bleeding. We panicked of course, having so many bandages soaked with blood. We took her to the vet where they rebandaged her properly (you really need a good adhesive to stick to dense fur growing back). The vet says its normal, since the stitches are on a joint. Also its not all blood, its partly fluid from the new cavity.

I can't fit under the bed! Hummph.

Its been the required 10 days since the surgery, and we took Gamby back to have her stitches taken out. Its a testament of how wonderful the vet is - while he's taking out her stitches, Gamby was actually wagging her tail. Wow. Togo and Tagar start shaking in fear as soon as we reach their regular vet. What a difference! Gamby did not stop wagging her tail until we got back to the car.

Gamby is fine now. She's mighty pleased the collar has come off. She beginning to use her leg, to balance and also when she is walking slowly. When she gets excited she forgets and runs about on 3 legs (yes, she runs now). We're very happy that she is happy =)

Poser

Just wanted to share this photo of Togo being cute.
He does it without fail, when there's adoring visitors around.


Photo courtesy of Kian Yang.

Gamby-Play

How do you play with a puppy with bad hind-legs?

Here Tagar demonstrates how to play with 'I'll scream bloody murder if your press my back legs' Gamby.

Puppy's Story

Thank you guys for the tons and tons of well wishes sent to our little puppy.

Sorry for the lack of update. The few weeks after the last post was very painful, and I just couldn't bring myself to blog about it.

This is what happened :

First we took puppy to our regular vet. He gave us a very grim prognosis, and referred us to a vet in Jalan Ampang to get an x-ray done as he did not have an x-ray machine at his practice. The ride home from this vet visit was very dour.

Next we took puppy to the Jalan Ampang vet for the x-ray. We had to leave her overnight, as she had to be anesthetized for the x-ray and that must be done on an empty stomach, to avoid the puppy throwing up while unconscious and choking on the puke. We were pleased at how both the vet and his assistant handled the pup, carrying her correctly and very very gently - we knew we were leaving her in good hands.

The next day we had our answer - the x-ray confirmed that puppy has hip dysplasia, and quite severe for her age. She also has a loose kneecap on her right hind leg, adding to her walking difficulty. Hip dysplasia is not curable, but it can be helped along. The pain is from her hip condition, and it will be something that will come along on and off. As she grows bigger, the extra weight on her hips might only make the condition worse.

So what do we do? This was the vet's advice - 'I don't advice you to keep her, but I don't advice you to put her down either. It's up to you and the quality of life you can provide for her.'

He told us there is a surgery we can do (if we can afford to) to help her hip, which must be done before puppy is a year old. The surgery might help for a year, or it might help for 9 years, or it might not help at all - no guarantee.

Puppy was not moving much, and eating and drinking badly. She still wails in pain at the slightest move. Togo and Tagar could not understand why puppy will not play like before, and their curios nosing and attempts to play only distressed her more.

We had a choice to make. What do we do about puppy? We did not plan on having more than 2 fur-kids. Especially not at a time when we could afford neither the time nor money (a baby very soon, plus a 20% cut in our household income from the current economic times) to take another puppy, much less a special puppy with special needs throughout her life.

Let's rephrase the question : If we had a special needs baby born, would we snuff his life just because he's an inconvenience? OF COURSE NOT.

Puppy was still very poorly at that time. We gave ourselves two weeks to decide again - if she does not improve and is suffering too much, the kindest thing to do was maybe to let go. I set two personal indications to judge - if puppy's tail wags come back, and if she starts walking about with her tail curled up (they do that when they're happy).

The next two weeks the household adjusted. We stopped puppy's daily painkillers dose. We set her on a routine to get her to walk and use her legs, on the rough surface outside which is better for her condition that the smooth floors inside. I started toilet training her (we never did because she was meant to leave, and then she got too sick to). Puppy started eating and drinking better with a routine. We carried her up and down stairs, as stairs were bad for her. Slowly we got rewarded with more and more tail wags.

Puppy was still yelping in pain, though. She's constantly running away to hide from everyone. After a week or so, we realised she might be yelping more from the fear of pain than actual pain, when we or the big ones touch her. We tried out our theory and it's true - she yelps when she's knows she's going to be touched, a reaction to fear. Getting her to overcome this fear was a slow process that taught us a lot of patience. We had to re-gain her trust that we are not going to hurt her, and slowly she got more confidence to come out of hiding and amble around at her own pace.

We kept and eye on Togo and Tagar, to avoid them harassing her so much. We're amazed at how well they adjusted to puppy's limitations. They stopped calling her to play rough games with them. After learning that puppy will yelp only if they touched her back legs, they learnt to sit down and play-bite with puppy, head and front legs only. They take turns playing with her like this, keeping puppy entertained for hours (and giving us more tail wags). When Togo and Tagar play zoomies, puppy learnt to stay out of the way, and in turn the two big ones learnt not to run into her. These little adjustments are so heart-warming to see.

And this is puppy now, chewing up our floor


We've named her Gamby, for gamboling around so much. She's much better now, and has gained a lot of strength in her back legs. She will walk funny all her life, but she's a happy puppy, and that's all that matters to us.

And yes, we get a lot of tail wags daily, and Gamby does walk around with her tail up now =)

Pain

This video is taken two weeks ago, during happier times.
Notice the happy puppy gamboling around, even if she's a bit funny in her legs.



Three days ago, our active jolly little pup crawled under the car and sat there. And sat there. And sat there. Instead of gamboling around as she usually does, she just sat there unmoving. She hardly ate or drank the entire day.

We carried her in at night for bed and she was very listless. She whimpered a little bit when she was carried. The next morning when T&T Daddy tried to carry her down she yelped out in pain. Touching her back legs made her scream out. T&T Daddy managed to carefully carry her down, but her yelps really got to us.

I was to take her to the vet that afternoon. I tried to lift her and she yelped so badly. She was obviously in a lot of pain. I tried to move her and she was in so much pain she bit me. My palm now has tiny puppy teeth scars on them, but they don't hurt nothing compared to seeing her in so much pain.

Poor puppy is on painkillers now. It lessened her pain but did not take it away completely. She still does not walk beyond a few steps, and sometimes whimpers and yelps when she tries to get to her feet. She's also eating and drinking very poorly.

We're taking her to the vet again tomorrow. I hope this is something that can be cured. We suspect she has a very bad case of hip dysplasia, but we hope hope hope its something minor like a sprain. We do not mind a lame pup that will not walk again, but a little pup in so much pain is heartbreaking. The alternate option, if we cannot help her get better, is to put her down. I don't want to think about that now. =(