Ouchies! That shot hurt!!

I got the rest of my shots at the vet this past Friday. He said I am 32 lbs now.

I was upset cause the shot hurt, but mom told me its important to get your shots because if not, I could get sick.

Here is a list of some icky things that you can get if you dont get those pointy needles in your butt.

There are a variety of preventative shots and medications available and your pup may or may not need them depending on where you live and how much exposure your dog will have to such things as other dogs, parks, wooded areas, etc. or areas heavily infested with mosquitoes, fleas or ticks. Here are some of the more common reasons for your pups shots and medications.

DISTEMPER - This is a common viral disease, highly contagious and spread by secretions from infected animals. It is easily destroyed by disinfectants. Symptoms are: fever, watery nasal discharge, yellow eye drainage, and loss of appetite. If ignored, distemper can affect the respiratory, GI and central nervous system with twitching, unsteadiness, weakness, paralysis and seizures. It can be fatal, or result in serious chronic physical problems.

HEARTWORM - Contracted from the bite of an infected mosquito, it grows into a long, threadlike worm that makes it home in your dog's heart. Symptoms are: coughing, decreased exercise tolerance, and weight loss. Advanced stages will have a swollen abdomen, fever and difficulty breathing. It is difficult to treat, but left untreated, it is fatal.

KENNEL COUGH - Caused by several different bacteria and viruses, such as canine parainfluenza, canine adenovirus-2 and bordatella bronchoseptica. Severity of symptoms varies with age and condition of dog. To puppies, older or debilitated dogs, it can be fatal. Symptoms are: spasms of dry, harsh coughing, usually followed by gagging or retching, fever, nasal discharge and depression.

LEPTOSPIROSIS - Transmitted through the urine of infected animals, it has been on the rise in the past few years. It is contagious to humans. Symptoms are: vomiting, depression, kidney pain with frequent urination, ulcers of the mouth/tongue, and a thick brown coating of the tongue. Both bloody vomiting and stools may occur.

LYMES DISEASE - Transmitted by ticks during their feeding. Symptoms are: a rash that is "target" like in appearance, fever, lameness caused by joint stiffness/swelling, and paralysis. Treatment is difficult and can extend over a long period of time.

CANINE HEPATITIS - Not the same as the human form, this disease primarily affects the liver, kidneys and the lining of the blood vessels. Symptoms are various as this virus can be anywhere from mild to fatal and can strike suddenly with rapid advancement. High fevers, bloody diarrhea, refusal of food, painful movement, jaundice, bleeding gums and sensitivity to light require immediate vet intervention.

RABIES - Transmitted via infected saliva and affects the brain. Symptoms are personality changes, staring off into space, sensitivity to light, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. As the virus progresses, the dog will either become agitated and aggressive, or paralytic - the mouth drops open with the tongue hanging out, drooling, coughing and pawing at the mouth. Once symptoms develop, it is fatal. Definite diagnosis can be made by autopsy only.

PARVOVIRUS - Highly contagious between dogs, it is transmitted by contaminated droplets and stool. It can easily be transported from kennel to kennel on shoes, crates or other inanimate objects. Affecting the GI tract, bone marrow, lymph nodes and heart, the symptoms are: abdominal pain, fever, bloody diarrhea, depression with loss of appetite and difficulty breathing. It is highly fatal to puppies. This virus is resistant to most disinfectants.

CORONAVIRUS - Coronavirus is transmitted by contact with infected saliva and/or stool. The stool is usually noted to be yellow-orange in color, foul smelling,watery, and often bloody. Dehydration, weight loss and death can occur. It can reoccur 3-4 weeks after the initial symptoms subside.

GIARDA - Caused by contaminated food or water from an infected animals stool, most often a wild animal or cross contamination at a dog park or other place where many dogs gather. It is usually asymptomatic in adult dogs, but will cause diarrhea, possibly mixed with blood and mucous in puppies. Diagnosis can be difficult, but once found, is easily treated. The source of the giardia contamination must be removed.

COCCIDIA - Very common in the canine population, it is estimated that 80% of all domesticated dogs are infected with coccidia. Again, like giardia, it is asymptomatic in adult dogs, but the spores are shed in stool, recontaminating the ground for youngsters to pick up once they tred through contaminated areas. It is also easily treated, but often recurs due to the spores shed and ground contamination. Luckily, treatment is cheap, however must be given for 21 days. Immaculate yard pick-up of feces is a must during this time. There is no way known to completely decontaminated the yard/play area, although it is surmised that a good winter freeze will do the trick. This writer suspects that it is just the pup coming into adulthood that ceases the symptoms, rather than a winter freeze.

Growing Pains

My human cousins (3 girls) are coming to stay with us for a week. They arrive today! I am very excited to have some play mates. My mom said that kids are a lot like us puppies: unruly, have selective hearing and are full of energy.



Here are some stages we go through:
Birth to 3 months

They alternate between spurts of high activity and deep sleep. They are totally dependent on their parents/owners and can be very clingy and fearful around strangers. Food is a strong desire but only certain food is appropriate for them and problems can occur if anything "strange" is ingested. Owners spend a lot of time monitoring body functions!

3-6 months

They begin exploring their universe and they get into everything. The word they hear most often is - NO! Their bodies don't always seem to follow their instructions: "How did my head get between these railings? I'm pretty sure I can fit under this couch. Boy, those stairs are hard to climb up and down!" They seem to be trying to communicate and sometimes they even understand what you want. "Sit? Did you say sit? Oh, you mean, sit. Did you mean now?" Their adult teeth begin to emerge - everything ends up in their mouths!

6-9 months

They start to make their way in the larger world - dog classes, visits to exciting places, new situations. They begin to develop their unique personalities as they are exposed to different things. It's all the owner can do to keep their attention and not have them go running off to play with Spot & Rex. They go through some sudden growth spurts which often leave them physically confused. "I used to be able to get through this hole. These stairs aren't that bad." Their diet changes from "kid stuff" to more grown-up fare and if they haven't yet discovered people food, this is the time they will root it out - out of your hand, out of the garbage and off the counter.

9-12 months

The dreaded "H" word: hormones! Suddenly the boys are lifting their legs and the girls are flirting or snapping. What happened to that mild-mannered puppy of yesterday? One moment they're strutting, bossy, sassy, fearful, ignoring you! Then they are all sweetness and light, shy and bashful, wrapping themselves around your legs. All these physical changes are confusing. Please let this be a phase - tell me that my pup will settle down again!

1 year +

We're in the home stretch now. There are still a few kinks to work out and an inevitable crisis every once in a while, but now begins the test to see just how solid a foundation we were able to build during those early years. All those days of love mixed with discipline, compassion mixed with common sense and striving to understand, will begin to pay off. Now we step back, take a look and say "I helped create this wonderful being with whom I will be happy to share my life."

...I am in phase 3-6 months now. And ummm, yeah, last night, I ate my dad's favorite recliner. Well, now they all know its mine!

ATTN Weimys of the World!

There is a photo contest that will be judged by Mr. Wegman.
Here is your chance to be discovered! Mom is going to try to enter me in the contest too. All photos must be submitted by August.

Photo Contest