Day Three, July 15, 2009

Morning:

Another good night. Again, we got up and let Elvis and Haley out first and then back in. Elvis went into his crate while Haley and Skeeter went out and I fixed his morning feeding. Got that in the crate and he scarfed it down. He's been out two or three times now, and seems to be settling down. No coughing yet.

He's a little easier to pick up this morning, which is good. Chasing him around the kitchen to pick him up to put him in his crate (he doesn't know he word "kennel" yet) isn't good because it triggers panic. He's closely eyeing Skeeter since he is frequently either picked up or sitting in someones lap. We also don't have the morning potty time down quite right. Yesterday morning he pooped in the den about 30 minutes after he ate. This morning he did that again, so I suspect that's when his body functions have kicked in and we'll have to adapt to that.

Afternoon:

Talked to the vet's office, and like I thought, Benadryl and Lasix don't fit well together. So no Benadryl if there's an itch that won't stop. The Pepto is OK, so if he needs something for the runs, we're good there. And a size-appropriate topical flea treatment is also OK. I've got an extra couple here for dogs his size, so I'll put one on him after he gets a bath.

Elvis is a Water Baby. I was busy installing a shelf for the cats to sit on in the front bedroom when Randall calls me from the den needing my help. There was water all over the floor by the water dish and he needed help getting up and had no idea how it happened. It happened a second time and he mopped it up. Then he heard Elvis drinking and turned around just in time to see him sit down in the water dish. LOL I'd forgotten the staff had mentioned that he loved playing in the water in a baby pool. Honest to Pete, the dog was sopping wet.

And that experience meant he was up for a bath this afternoon. I was going to wait until the weekend, but his coat has just been eaten up by whatever dip or shampoo was used before we got him here, so he got a good soaping with a mild shampoo and then a leave in conditioner slathered on. He actually handled this very, very well and it actually seemed to help him realize that humans touching could be a good thing. It also didn't seem to trigger too much of a cough, but his meds are handy if he starts in. All in all, a good experience for him, I think.

Evening:

Everything has gone well this evening. I do think him getting a bath this afternoon has sort of helped him. I picked him up earlier while Randall was at the store, and while he still shies away and stiffens up when he's picked up, he pretty well goes limp and relaxed within a minute. He sat in my lap for a bit and it was obvious from his body language that he was enjoying the petting. He's also coming up and sniffing your hand if you're petting one of the other dogs. I'm hoping that in a couple of days, some of the extreme flight instinct he has engaged can be dialed down.

When I was holding him this evening, I was taking a good look at his coat. It feels so much better after the bath, and I know once he's on better food for a few weeks, his skin and coat will improve. I noticed he's still got a lot of undercoat on him. He may be a dog who carries a lot year around, but I think I'm going to try brushing him a bit tomorrow. The bath should help loosen some of it up, so I'll see what it looks like tomorrow. I also want to get a pound or so off of him. He's a stocky little dude to begin with, but right now, I can't feel ribs, and he doesn't have much neck. Once I can get him over onto the Pro Plan completely, I can see about taking some weight off. And, well, it won't hurt his medical condition to lighten up some either.

He's definitely having a reaction to something in the yard. I got some aloe vera cream rubbed into his belly, though that's really hard since his coat is quite thick, and I'll try it again before bed. Randall can't get the yard mowed until the weekend, but I'm hoping that will help. I'll give him another bath after the mowing and then put on a topical flea treatment. And we've not had to give him a cough pill today, and I'm taking that as a very positive sign.