Izzy: Full Tilt

After over a week of having to take it easy, I let Izzy run around and play. Her and Frodo wrestled for ages and this is just a little snippet of that.

Mealtime Madness

I was in the middle of preparing a mealtime for the dogs when I looked at the table and thought, "this is crazy! I've got to get a photo of this!"

We are watching a previous foster, have two special needs fosters and then our healthy and rambunctious Frodo. With all the supplements, and foods and medications added to each mealtime, it can get really crazy.

Here's what gets added:

Tilly gets Orijen adult kibble mixed with Merrick soft food, probiotic powder, vitamin and Omega 3 supplement, drop of oil of oregano for immune system and the kennel cough she caught from Izzy, pinch of buffered vitamin C powder, and a tablespoon of pumpkin to avoid the soft stool caused by all the supplements!

Izzy gets Orijen puppy kibble mixed with Merrick soft food, and all the same supplements as Tilly PLUS pain pills, post surgery antibiotics and in the evening, a glucosamine supplement. Luckily the pain pills and antibiotics are done now.

Frodo gets Orijen adult kibble with a dribble of Merrick on it along with the vitamin and Omega 3 supplement and vitamin C (until the kennel cough passes.)

And Bud, our house guest, gets his kibble mixed with soft food along with the sprinkle of vitamin C that I'm giving the other dogs.

With each foster the things I add are different, depending on what their health is. I've ended up collecting quite a full bin of medicines both from the vet and homeopathic to deal with things that come up. Sometimes we use things from the cupboard, like honey as a cough syrup, but if you do this, check and make sure that the things you are choosing are safe for dogs, not just humans. Some things that we eat are toxic to dogs.

The Modified Rattie-run

I'm happy to say that Miss Tilly is acting more and more like a rat terrier everyday. This morning she partook of her first rattie run around the living room. It wasn't the typical circuit that Frodo and most of our fosters use, but it was Tilly's very own puppymiller style modified rattie run.

For those of you who have dogs of other breeds, let me explain to you what a rattie-run is. Out of nowhere at any time of the day, a rat terrier will break out into a joyous sprint at greyhound-like speeds in large looping circuits. In their mind there is a particular track that must be followed at any cost, no matter what lies in their path. Couches lept in a single bound! Stairs? What stairs? Who needs stairs when you can fly? Another dog? Isn't that just a hurdle?

It is something glorious to see (unless of course you are one of the obstacles that they are jumping) and you just can't watch without a grin. At the dog park you will see people with big dogs turn, jaws dragging on the ground, staring in wonder as Frodo, a tiny 12# streak of tan and white flashes by, rattie style. Guys who previously had turned up a lip at my tiny little terrier change their disdain to respect when they have witnessed a full speed rattie run.

Anyhow, Tilly has discovered this joyous terrier past-time and has adapted it to her comfort level. She will tear from her favorite corner over to where I sit on the floor and then stop in front of me in play position. When I reach for her she will tear to the other corner and sit in her crate (not out of fear, but that's just second base). When I say "Tiiiiilllllyyyyyy" she races back to my lap and then back over beneath the dining room table. In each spot she freezes a moment, listening for my "Tiiiillllllyyyyyyyy" and then she's off again, back to me. My husband saw her doing this and said, "wow, she's acting like a normal dog!" For a dog who used to roll over and pee on herself when you looked at her from across the room, this is major!

Tilly playtime

I thought I'd share a little shot of Tilly playing. I wish I had been able to get more but she noticed a rawhide and decided that was more interesting than me.

If only I had taken video of her when she was first with us. The difference would be amazing.

Pupdate

Both of Allie's little puppies here in Washington have received names, thanks to Marilyn Y. She donated $200 for the vetting expenses of the pups and received naming rights. Their names are Benny and Katie, and here's the great story behind how she decided:

After much thinking, I have decided to name them Katie and Benny -- and here's why. I'm a newspaper editor who got in this business because I saw the power of newspapers when The Washington Post's great work ultimately led to Nixon's resignation because of Watergate. I was just a kid then but knew from that moment on that journalism would be my career and my passion. (Along the way, I added rat terriers and Kenny Rogers as passions, too, but that's another story.) So, Katie gets her name after Katharine Graham, who was the publisher of the Washington Post during Watergate, and Benny is named after Ben Bradlee, who was editor of the paper. (And would probably kill someone if they called him Benny!)

There was recently a puppymill bust in North Carolina and 137 rat terriers were seized. New Rattitude has foster parents fostering several of the mommas and their newborn pups so there may be more opportunities to name a few more puppies.

In the photo, Katie is on the left, and Benny on the right.

Izzy's Surgery

I picked Izzy up from her surgery yesterday, and boy, did the poor thing look pathetic. Her rear end and legs are shaved making her look like an odd cross between a rat terrier and an American Hairless terrier. At first she was quite unsteady on her feet, which is understood. She did quite a few face plants as she tried to balance and walk on her front feet only.

What a difference a day makes, though. Today she has learned to use the cone as a tripod and will sometimes walk along with two feet and the cone. It's hilarious! However, by this afternoon she was walking almost normally - just a little stiff.

The happy surprise after the surgery was that it came in at $775, rather than the $1,000 that we were quoted. Kathy Young has covered the cost of surgery until enough money comes in to pay for it. That way we didn't have to make poor Izzy wait for the surgery until we were able to raise the full amount of money, which may take awhile.

If you can donate even a little bit to her surgery, link to New Rattitude's Canine Clinic page and there's a donation button on the page that will specify the money goes to cover Izzy's surgery. We need to get this paid off ASAP because there was a puppymill bust in North Carolina and 137 rat terriers were seized. New Rattitude will be fostering many dogs and puppies from this bust which will be a bit of a financial strain.

"Name the Puppies" Fundraiser

New Rattitude is proud to announce the birth of our first set of rescued puppies! Their momma, Allie, was about to give birth but there was parvo in the shelter and if the pups were born in that environment it would be a death sentence. All dogs would have been put to sleep, including momma.

We found a volunteer flying from Dallas to Seattle and had Allie carried on the plane and hand delivered into foster care. That was about 1 1/2 weeks ago and now this week the pups were born. Sadly, the first pup - Pumpkin, didn't make it, but the other two are healthy roly-poly little munchkins (1 male, 1 female) just waiting for names.

Puppies can be quite expensive. Just like newborn babies, there are lots of visits to the doctor and lots of vaccinations, which add up very quickly. This is why we are running a fundraiser for this darling duo.

So the first $100 donation toward each puppy's vetting expenses will earn the giver naming rights. If you aren't first, your donation will be reimbursed. Aren't they sweet? If you are interested in participating, link to the puppy page on NewRattitude.org to learn more. The black and white pup is the male and the brown and white one is the female.

Psst... There is a lot going on right now so check the blog regularly for posts about Izzy, a rat terrier puppymill bust in South Carolina that we are helping out with, and more!