We see a veterinary ophthamologost and formal apology to Dolce

So Poor Winnie's right eye is looking much worse today then it has been.....is is much more closed and tearing like crazy. Dolce went out with Brenda today and Winnie and I laid around the house looking rather pathetic. Winnie was wearing her cone and I was still in my bathrobe! I stayed home sick today trying to fight off the nasty cold that Tim had earlier this week. Yuck!!

So I left the house a just before noon to pick Tim up from ACT. Dolce wanted to stay home so I let him knowing that he would NOT enjoy the trip ahead of us. I collected Tim and we headed out into the wild blue yonder.......

The trip was rather uneventful and quite easy - no traffic to speak of and no tricky freeway changes. We arrived into the Stockton area after about 90 minutes of fast freeway driving. We had lunch at Taco Bell because we were both very hungry and on the road we pretty much have 2 choices - Taco Bell or In N' Out.

Winnie was an marvelous traveler.....very quiet and mellow though her eye was really bothering her. = (

We got to the clinic an hour early. So we drove down the street through a pretty neighborhood and found a beautifully manicured sports park. We walked her around but she had very little energy.... it was pretty warm. Back to the clinic and she laid down at our feet while waiting for her appointment.

Dr. Olin brought us in after he reviewed her medical chart. His first question was actually about her leaking... he seemed very concerned which of course got me more concerned again.

He tested her right eye for tear production....and asked if she ever held that one closed of if she sneezed....well she doesn't but apparently that eye was low on tear production. He said it could be due to her immaturity but sounds like it is something that I will need to keep an eye on.

He looked at her eye without gear, then with a scope then he turned off the lights and used a mask with a light on it. He said the eye has a "mechanical problem". I am sure that the look on my face was priceless.....he then explained that the ulcer was caused by and wasn't healing due to an eye lash growing the wrong direction. He told me that he could sedate her and burn it off right then and there.

While Tim and I discussed the idea he drew up an estimate. We decided to have him do it rather than trying to come back or trying to have a vet in SF take care of it. We left poor little Winnie there for 90 -minutes.

Tim tried to keep my mind off the pup so he took me down to Weber's point and we hung out on the grass and people watched. That is a nice, pretty park.

When we arrived back to the clinic she was done and ready to go.....even though we only gave them an hour and 10 minutes. She was happy to see us and very perky. The Doctor said it went well and she shouldn't have any problems with that lash coming back. He said she may have another lash that does the same thing at some point though so I will be on the lookout for that.

I really liked him A LOT and wish that he was closer. He suggested that I measure her water intake for a 24 hour period and that I think about having the contrast study done and perhaps an endoscopy to try and figure out what the bladder deal is......he is concerned about ectopic ureters or perhaps kidney malfunction. EEEEeeeek.

Did you know that a 12lb dog should drink about 1&1/2 cups of water per day?! Tim and I are both sure she drinks more than that....we shall see.

The trip home was longer than the trip there but much lighter ..... it was such a relief to be told that Dolce had *not* caused the scratch on her eye and that it should heal very rapidly now.....

Since we had been gone soooooo long Deirdre picked up Dolce and took him to Holly Park and then let him play in her yard with Clancy. She even managed to get him to hang out semi-peacefully on the couch while watching TV with them. We picked Dolce up at about 7:30 and were home by 8pm. The dogs and I were very tired and in bed by 9pm.

Talk about excellent timing....Winnie needs to see an Opthalmologist

Like I mentioned earlier Dolce guarded a bone from Winnie last week and he ended up scratching her right eye. She has seen her vet 3x and been on antibiotic drops for just over a week now. There has been no change in her eye but luckily her eye doesn't seem worse...to me or to her vet. It still bothers her a lot and she tries to rub at it all of the time. She started off in a flexible cone but now wears a hard plastic one.


Dr Fong referred us to a Veterinary Ophthalmologist in SF and San Carlos. This week happens to be the yearly conference for these guys so all of the ophthalmologists in this area are gone - except 1 in Santa Rosa, 1 in Stockton and 1 in Rocklin (North of Sacramento). The Santa Rosa lady is booked until the 2nd of November. Dr. Olin in Stockon had an opening at 3:30 tomorrow so I will work a 1/2 day and then we will head out there tomorrow.

Del Valle

Winnie's first trip to one of my favorite local dog shows....

Winnie and I picked up Deirdre and Clancy about 6:59am. I was supposed to be there a bit earlier than that and D & C were already sitting on their stoop.... oops! Oh well. We got Clancy's crate loaded into the car and then squeezed Winnie's in beside him and off we went. We arrived in the parking lot at the show at 8:01. We collected all of our crates, bags, dogs etc and lugged them over to the rally ring. Winnie and I wondered around a lot. She was a bit sluggish .... stress? heat?
They started the show off with the National Anthem which was over a loud speaker... Winnie sat right next to me and listened carefully. I don't think that she had heard a PA system before.
There were lots of BIG dogs there - newfies etc..... which cause her to whine and go around me in a big banana shape..... Keeshounds have the same effect on her..... actually any HUGE dog or dog that looks like a chow. We shopped a lot... I bought her some hair bands, another pin brush and some panties. I asked the lady who makes the panties to fit her for some.... Winnie wore them like a champ.... in fact she laid down while I chatted with the lady about VIP and poodlepedigree.com. Turns out that she and her husband are looking to add a poodle to their family. We watched some of the conformation in the big buildings s0 so noisy and hectic it worried Winnie a little..... we went back a number of times and she got more accustomed to it all. I tried to get her to train with me a little but she had almost no interest at all. I crated her a few times and got to watch the toy poodles......
Florence was there so I chatted with her for a brief second but she was busy chatting and the Poodle ring went silent so I didn't stick around for long.

We got home about 2pm. I was at home for a while and then went to run a few errands. Winnie was crashed out. When at home I have been waking her and taking her out regularly. She had been out recently (can't remember exactly but should be timing) and was sound asleep on her dog bed. Tim went over to get her to cuddle and she was wet. Grrrrrrrrr.

Bernal trip # 2

Both dogs and I spend about 45 minutes on Bernal hill. The dogs are doing a good job of riding in their crates in the back of the truck. Tim stayed home sick today so we left him at home to rest. We found parking without a problem and I unloaded them. I had put Winnie's harness on at home so that I could quickly change her to the flexi. I let Dolce off to run around and handed him a ball to carry. I had Winnie's wubba toy and string cheese treats. She is captivated by other dogs. We started off down the hill and both dogs pooped so I cleaned up and walked back up towards the trash cans. We ran into Aishe and her poodle (a chocolate Mini) and her big dog. We walked as a group up the hill. Dolce followed along as I tried to manage Winnie playing with Farfel. We ran into 2 white Minis so had a little Poodle party going at one point. Dolce left his ball somewhere which makes managing him a bit more challenging. To keep Lola and Dolce sucessful we walked back down the hill about halfway. Winnie was really good - and by the end (about 45 minutes) was becoming more responsive to me and to her recall.

After the trip we headed down to Pet Club to look at a new crate for Winnie. Managing these two in a pet store is tricky but we are getting better at it. I found a crate I like - a Midwest crate that is supposed to be for dogs up to 25lbs. It lists Chihuahuas, Pugs and Shih Tzus but the dimensions are 24L x 18W x 21H.....seems awfully big for a Chihuahua!? I didn't buy anything. I also had Dolce try out a few orthopedic dog beds to see if he found one he liked.....of course he liked the biggest one.

We didn't exercise much but both dogs were crashed out after that trip. I let them out for a potty break and left them at home and went to run some more errands. I asked Tim to listen and if Winnie fussed to take her out immediately.

I got home about 3 hours later and she had soaked herself. She was in her pen with her pee pad etc. Tim said she didn't fuss at all.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Our first trip to Stern Grove

Saturday we (Deirdre, Clancy, me, Dolce & Winnie) all went out to the grove. Deirdre picked us up at work and we drove over in her car. Winnie was in the way back with Clancey which she did not really like. She didn't want to play with her toy at the grove but she did do some recalls for chicken. I had her on a harness and flexi because I really don't trust her to stick around of some back. We met several dogs friends and were harassed by a pair of darling beagles. Sometimes when I call she comes right back. Other times I have to stop her with the flexi and still other times she heads back towards me and then veers off when she gets close. Dolce got really jealous - the chicken maybe? Maybe because I was working her so closely ?! I was sharing with him a lot......anyway she got excited and bumped into him and he went after her. I was so angry with him I think I could have exhaled flames. I leashed him and we went and waited on a park bench for Deirdre to be ready to go. It took me a looooong time to mellow out again. Winnie bounced back quickly though. Bless her heart.

Delicate flower and awesome obedience lesson

So Winnie has a scratch on her eye. She acquired this scratch from her older (grumpy) poodle friend Dolce. Her Vet had her on antibiotic eye goo but I took her in again yesterday (we were just there Monday) as I thought it looked worse. He changed her antibiotic to a stronger drop because he said the scratch was still there for sure. She has 1 week to disappear this scratch or we are off to see a veterinary ophthalmologist. I might board her this weekend as I might be off to see my Grandmother who is in the hospital. Things are a bit chaotic here these days. Winnie looks awfully cute in her cone.......

Thursday we had a terrific lesson with Denise.
We worked on:

• heeling right circles
• Right pivot
• left pivot
• front (with sits)
• Find front - sticking 1 foot out and she has to come around it...

Winnie worked really well despite her one itchy eye. She is very independant and does not "need" me which is something that we are working on. At our lesson I threw the toy and she bounded around the training area with it.....she rushes to get the toy but then plays on her own.

She did that in the MPR the other day too! I left and came back a few minutes later and she was still galloping around happy as a clam. I guess anxiety on the out of sight stays will not be too much of an issue ;-)

Back in the saddle

Last night we managed to get over to San Leandro for conformation class. There were only 2 other dogs but that was fine because we have enough to keep us busy. The biggest problem last night was Winnie searching for treats on the floor. I had chicken and string cheese but I think that there was Natural Balance on the floor.....she sure wanted some! Our table stacking is decent. Her free stack is a mess - I suspect that has something to do with the fact that I NEVER work on it ;-)

She was excellent in the car and kept her crate dry. She was stressed outside of the training room - I suspect it was mostly because it was dark but the room is off of a very busy street.

Little Poodle girl has a big day

Today was a day of many firsts:

• First rabies shot
• First bordetella
• First trip to Fort Funston - in the rain no less. I did try to take pictures but I couldn't get any = ( I had her on a harness and longline which I held on to most of the time. We practiced TONS of recall ("here") and some fetching.
  

Let's see on the peeing front:

• Peed on herself last Monday - even though she was in her pen and could have used her pad
• Tuesday/Wednesday dry as far as I know
• Thursday she peed on her self 2x = (
• I took her out when I came down and she had peed on herself - I took her out anyway and she peed a huge puddle in front of Avanzino door
• Friday I honestly can't remember anymore
• Saturday she peed on herself. UGH!

There seems to be a correlation between exercise, water consumption and her peeing problem
She has been dry each night in her crate though most nights I am getting up to take her out in the middle of the night.

Today she peed in her crate between the house and the vets. She peed before we left so not sure why that happened.

She was great at FF. She whimpered a few times just after we arrived but for the most part acted like she had been going to FF all of her life. = ) I was impresssed. We were rushed by a growling chihuahua whose dog walker made excuses for her. Then we were rushed by a 6m old white mini schnauzer (same dog walker) and the excuse there was that he was 6 months old. Do you think I care how old he is? Does it make it alright for him to act like that because he is 6m old. I should have sniped - "Well, this is the time to work on these behaviors!!!" But of course I didn't. We were approached/passed by lots of packs and Winnie took it in stride. Managing 2 dogs is tricky!

I took her Kong wubbie but she was only marginally interested in fetching.

She has a scratch on her eye presumably from Dolce's attack on her during our last grooming session. What a jerk!! She is on antibiotic ointment 2x a day for 7 days. Poor princess!

I asked the Dr today what the likelihood would be of a culture not showing a UTI. He said very, very unlikely and would require lab error. He is sticking to his "wait and see if it is behavioral" opinion. He continues to point out that if it were a serious defect problem that she wouldn't have dry days and wet days....they would all be wet.

Where are we now.....

• The urine culture came back negative - she does not have a UTI. Dr. Fong said that was "good news". It wasn't what I was hoping for ......
• She has only had 1 big self-wetting episode in 3 days which leads Dr. Fong to say that it is behavioral. I am not buying that but none the less am on a house-training rampage
• FREQUENT outings
• fish treats or turkey/cranberry cookies (her favorites) when she pees
• I am not rationing her water but I am interrupting any big binges that she starts on and not letting her drink much an hour before bedd
• She fussed last night in her crate at 3am so I took her out - she has runny butt = ( Nice of her to wait! Thank goodness she woke me up!!) I am guessing that it is from the marrow bone that I gave her yesterday. She had nasty runs this morning first thing too. YUCK!!
• Heeling is coming along and painfully cute too
• Her attention on me is noticeably better - it really stood out to me yesterday.
• She still has her baby canines but not for much longer I am sure.
  

whassap

Let's see:

• Winnie's focus is growing and she did some great heeling in the training room this week. She isn't super foodie so I have been using a tug. (sucks for position change training tho)
• Tonight we were working on (pet dog) recalls in the yard and worked on some fronts
• She has started "nesting" on beds which is darling
• She is getting the routine of going into her crate at night
• No big leaks yesterday or today so far
• She is back on raw
• She seems to care more about me and interacting with me
• She had urine drawn with a needle from her bladder on Friday - we are waiting for the culture. Should heard Monday
• She danced away from Sonja tonight when Sonja attempted to pet her. I had Sonja give her some treats. Need to address that kind of thing quickly and thoroughly.
• Brushing going better - nail clipping is great. Easy to clipper her tail, some challenge on her paws - face is awful. Still jerking away and getting really ramped up.
• She is really, very cute
  
• 
  

Pee journal....

10-4-07

Woke up at 5:30am - thought she may have peed in her crate. Took her out and nothing. Back to her crate until 6:30am. Took her out - nothing.

Put her in her pen

Peed in MPR at 9am ish

Peed in Avanzino at 11am.

Looked like a pee and some spots in the at the end of the day. NO soaking wet poodle to this point. Might have been some leaking in the crate while napping w/ door open

big pee in the office on the way to the door at about 6:16pm

legs wet....dripping just before? pee in back yard about 645pm


On Oct 3, 2007, at 10:12 PM, Mollie Harris Tunks wrote:

She peed in her pen between 2-4pm

She peed a huge puddle at about 6:30pm

Got home about 745 and she drank a bowl of water. At about 9 she peed in the yard. I brought her in and was setting her down in the front room and she leaked on me. Rushed her back outside but she didn't pee

Put her back into her pen and went o get her about 2 hours later probably. (She does have a pee pad in her pen) She was sound asleep - even making dreaming noises and her bed and backside were soaking wet. ARGH

Took her out anyway and she peed immediately. I suspect that when she "binge" drinks is when we see the leaking.
Today she got almost no exercise and yet was quite mellow...napped a lot. She is transitioning from the Eukanuba low-res back to Primal

The to bed about 11pm - in her crate.

A day in the life of a Poodle Puppy

We drove to work today. It was a pretty uneventful day. No wettings or leaks that I noticed. I lined her pen with puppy pads to try and soak up any urine. I took her out as often as possible but between 2-4 when I was in a meeting she used a pad. I dont' know if it was leaking or intentional. Tonight we wen to see Dr. Fong again. Winnie finally got her 3rd DHPP shot!!
Dr. Fong wants to draw urine to culture it so I will take her in at 8am on Friday for that. He said that she can start going out for walks tomorrow afternoon ;-)

She drank nearly a whole bowl of water tonight when we got home. I took her out to pee about an hour later and she went within a few minutes of being outside. We came inside and went to watch Tim hanging curtains in teh front room. I started to set her down and she dribbled on me so I rushed her back outside. She didn't go again so she ended up in her pen.

Falling apart......

So Winnie finished with her 7 days of Clavamox but her urine leaking is not
better. I have another appointment for this evening and will plan to take
another urine sample in for testing/culturing. I was unable to catch her first pee this morning though which is a bummer. Now I fear that they may need to draw one. = (

She is wetting spots where she is lying - not always but frequently. Yesterday at work I think she wet her area 3 times!!! She gets a bath nearly everyday as i am trying to keep her clean and dry and trying to prevent her from becoming a "dirty" dog!

Sunday night she slept through the night and when I woke her up she had wet her
crate.

Later Sunday morning she was napping on her dog bed next to me (and had
recently been out) and I smelled urine so I woke her up and she was indeed
wet.

Monday afternoon we were outside on the patio and she was lying by my side. I
was pretty sure that she needed to pee so I encouraged her to get up and go
into the grassy area. When she got up there was a wet spot where she had been
resting.

Her obsessive drinking seems to be gone which is good.

I am taking her out about every 60-90 minutes and rewarding any outside pees
with YUMMY treats. The reason for the frequency is that I am trying to
accommodate her frequent need to pee. I got up at 2:3o this morning to get her
out to pee and she was dry!! She peed and we went back to bed until 6am. SHe
was dry at 6am too = )

I have calls in to 2 other trainer friends for an outside house-training
perspective.