July 27-29, Monday-Wednesday

Wednesday

Believe it or not, there really isn't much to report today. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and Elvis joined me and Haley and Skeeter. He even more or less held his ground when I was rattling muffin tins around. I tried to do it as quietly as possible, and he did seem to be more interested in the smells from the oven than the banging of the utensils.

He does seem to be making a stand against Savoy on occasion. I'm not sure this is a good thing because while Skeeter and Savoy chase each other in play, Elvis seems to think it's something other than play. I've had to stop him from that this evening and it's something I want to keep an eye on. I do know Elvis has a real problem if one of the cats stare at him. That's at least understandable, but I don't want to see budding self-confidence turn into aggression. That won't work in this house, so it's a situation that definitely will be monitored.

Other than that, though, he's doing very well. Again it's hard to believe how much progress he's made in just a little over two weeks. And he's obviously benefiting from a better diet. His weight is stabilizing in the 8 pound range, his coat is softer and has a gloss that comes from the inside out rather than something put on it from the outside.

I've got company coming on Sunday, so I hope to post a three day update that morning.

Tuesday

Went by and picked up Elvis' Lasix this morning. I also asked Liz to talk to the vet about the possibility of heartworm treatment if his condition continues to improve. I've no idea if it's even an option, but if it is, I'd like to work towards it with him since he's stabilizing so nicely. I'm not sure a senior dog with congestive heart failure and untreatable heartworms is adoptable, but if not, he's got a place here for as long as he needs it. He's in no danger of being evicted.

There's also been a new development in the treats department. Night before last, when I was putting him in his crate, he licked at the treat/bribe I had in my fingers. Last night, he nibble at my fingers when I was holding it. Today, I held him here at my desk and he took a treat out of my fingers. He did the same with Randall. This is a really advance because he's been really scared of hands if he's unsure of the movement. It's made it kind of tough for me because training show dogs to "watch my hands" is second nature and NOT meant the way poor little Elvis apparently thinks of it. Anyway, this is a plus and I'm hoping in a day or two he'll take the treat directly from my hand if I'm not holding him.

He's still doing a bit of leg lifting. Maybe every couple of days even though he's got many opportunities to go outside. I'm not really surprised considering he's intact and was used at stud. Hopefully it will get less and less as time goes by.

Monday

Things are pretty much in a holding pattern here. We continue to work with Elvis to get him over whatever it is that he's decided Randall is going to do. We're still not sure what set this off, but Randall has been going out of his way to pet him and pick him up and just generally coddle him. Elvis still goes over to him for "protection" whenever I start making too much noise in the kitchen, so whatever perceived problem he has apparently isn't enough to interfere with his need for reassurance. And that's good.

Tuesday afternoon we're going to run down to the shelter and pick up another supply of Lasix. Elvis won't need to make the trip which is good considering how how it is.

One thing I haven't really mentioned in a while is his relationship with Haley and Skeeter. He still relies on them for some things. And if either of them do something, he tends to shadow them...and that's definitely good when it comes to experiencing new things and pestering people. Elvis is certainly learning from them that human attention is a good thing. :) He's also learning the joys of plate licking. He still won't put his head down in a bowl, but he does get in there and go for the plates. And since I made chicken stock today, he'll learn about cooked veggie goodies in his bowl. Since they're soft from being cooked, he should be fine with them.