Hope everyone is having a better start to their new year than Meitou. On December 29th he hurt his foot somehow in our own yard or house. He was fine one minute and then after napping for a bit was limping, so he has some pills from the vet and is on house rest for a while. Not his idea of fun. He missed out on going to see ice covered waterfalls in the gorge. It was probably better than way, anyway.
Meitou has also now eaten mochi, although that was by accident brought on by my butterfingers.
Meitou's foot seems to be doing better, but it still isn't healed up all the way. So now I'm concerned that he won't be able to do the upcoming session his reactivity class. I don't want to set his foot back any. But if I don't sign up for the class then I think I can't do it until the session afterward which will be the end of February...
Meitou seems to be convalescing well, if the fact he stole a squash off the counter and ate half of it means anything. Someone (not me) left her cooked spaghetti squash on the counter and....apparently squash is appealing? Meitou is usually pretty good about not counter surfing, though he dose on occasion.
Anyway, Meitou is missing his reactivity class because of his foot. Right now he seems to be fine, but I am afraid to start letting him do anything because what if that makes it worse again?
Anyway, after massive amounts of vet drama that ended in Meitou getting Ace to sedate him a bit and then being put anesthesia (yeah....he really hates vets).... we still don't actually know what is wrong with his foot. The vet took xrays of his left and right front legs (the right just for comparison). All his bones and things look good, except for tiny abnormality in his left shoulder that both the vet and radiologist believe is not affecting his limping at all. The only thing the vet found that was maybe the cause of his limp was the the skin between his paw pads seemed a little inflamed.
So we've been on super limited activity (he's been handling it okay but is more hyper and has been trying to hump more than he has in a long time).
I'm hoping his foot will be healed in time for a Barn Hunt clinic in a few weeks. Really hoping.
Anyway, I do have a few pictures to post, but I'm still uploading them, so I'll be posting them later.
And have a mentioned that Meitou has eaten ox tail tips? And turkey tails? He was a fan of both of those (yeah, I can find some weird things at the Uwajimaya in Beaverton). I'm planning on a stopping by a local butcher today to see if they have any quail or pheasant.
Yay! Photo time! (Really, I apparently can't help but post a picture megaload every time.)
Here is the cat, without Meitou to bother him.
Since Meitou has been having foot problems he missed out on fun things. Like going to see icy waterfalls along the Gorge with me and my friend.
Well, and the Vista House...
I think Meitou would enjoy going there. He loves cold things.
Speaking of Meitou...
The other thing Meitou didn't get to do (because dogs weren't allowed so I finally went)....going to a auto tour of a wildlife refuge.
Birds are evil, FYI. They like to be so far out on lakes that my phone said "Nope, can't do any better than this. That tiny spec? Yeah. That's the swarm of swans or that lone bald eagle. Good luck with that." I didn't take my normal camera because the memory card was full. And I didn't think I'd want to take any pictures.
Yeah, here are those swans. Those white blobs behind that center tree... And some of the dark blobs in front of the tree are geese. Trust me.
And that eagle...
Meitou always gets so excited when I get ready to leave, like he thinks he finally gets to go places again... poor boy. Hopefully soon, Meitou. As soon as I stop being paranoid about your foot.
We had out a small trampoline last night and Meitou hopped right up on it to play with his toy. I guess it seems like a good dog bed to him.
And after loosing weight last summer during our vacation, Meitou is finally back up to 38 pounds (38.2).
@mdokic Yeah, he's a goober. He is pretty funny. I know people think he's funny to watch in Barn Hunt runs because his brain shuts off and he pretty much just tries to roll in hay *sigh*.
Ohh, poor guy! Paw injuries are so not fun. Any chance he got a splinter or cut between his pads? Inflamed like a burn or sting or allergies? My previous dog would occasionally get fox-tails embedded between his pads, and they would swell and require surgery (did that 5 times). Good to know there's nothing physically wrong, but the shoulder thing is interesting. I hope he's back to normal soon!
@zandrame Well, when the vet cleaned his paw she said she didn't see any cuts, splinters, thorns, etc. Everything seemed fine except it was pinkish red and a little moist. Other than that there wasn't anything she saw that would have been causing his limp. I hope he is back to normal soon, too.
Doh! Poor Meitou's foot! At least it's structurally sound, and hopefully just a skin issue Red & moist sounds like it's got an irritation similar to diaper rash. That could be uncomfortable enough to bother him, even if it's not anything that looks like it hurts. So hopefully that's just it and it'll clear up. He's definitely living the good life with some good food though! You live in such a great area, Ren and I are pretty jelly haha
The trampoline is pretty interesting too! I think I'll have to see about introducing Ren + her half sis and half bro to one and see what they think.
@Kira_Inu I know, me too. It's way more fun taking Meitou to cool places. He loves nature so much.
@cezieg lol diaper rash foot. He's seemed much less sensitive about his foot so I'm wanting to be optimistic. Since his birthday is Friday I've been considering taking him somewhere on Saturday and see how his foot does. And yeah, he gets to eat a lot of weird food. I have found he does not like organs, though. He will eat raw gizzards sort of. He won't he raw heart (chicken, beef) unless I cook it a little first (or zap it in the microwave for 20 second, lol). Then he eats it happily (the cooking thing also applies to gizzards). He doesn't like liver or kidney. Actually, if he eats too much kidney he throws up everything he's eaten. I guess it is still way too rich of him.
January 30th has come and gone, which means Meitou is now two years old!! Where has all the time gone? It doesn't seem like it has been two years since @TheWalrus helped me import Meitou. It feels like it was so recent, lol. I still call him my puppy when I talk about him at work.
"Who cares about Meitou, anyway? He's dumb. Can I have his dinner?"
Yeah. Amy was really excited for Meitou's birthday.
Things started off fairly tame. After work I stopped by to get a couple birthday cookies (one Happy Birthday and one Good Dog) and a few presents for Meitou. I guess I am that dog person. I had one family member ask me if we were going to eat the dog cupcakes I made. Uh no. Because that was Brigadeiro I made for a potluck at work. Definitely not dog cupcakes.
While we were waiting for dinner to finish thawing we played with Honey Nut Cheerios in the kitchen in an effort to get some side-by-side photos.
I love this next one.
Wait...There was totally more to that video. Where did the rest of it go? Blasphemy. There should have been at least another minute or two. I will figure this out eventually.
Anyway, dinner time...
Then cookie time. Meitou popped off the entire yogurt icing topping in one piece and didn't want to eat it. So Amy got it. Somehow she always wins. Even on someone else's birthday.
Presents. He liked them all. Though he had to share some of the dehydrated beef tendons with Amy. See? She always wins.
So Friday went by without issue. But I had decided the celebrations were not over yet.
That morning it was almost as though Meitou knew something exciting was going to happen.
Since the weather was going to be good Saturday I decided to take Meitou on a short hike with a brother and sister to see how his foot did. The trail was nice, but....so packed! I didn't realize it was so popular. And SO many dogs. Meitou did fine when I could pull him off the trail, but during the middle the trail got to narrow and steep off on the sides that I couldn't pull him off so I ended up having to pick him up. He wasn't really a fan, but it kept any altercations from happening. He did snark at a boxer that tried to lean in a smell him, but otherwise he was pretty good.
Also....SO WINDY. Meitou didn't like the lookout where the windy got particularly strong.
Follow the white Hokkaido down the rabbit hole?
"I could totally tree squirrels..."
After the hike we all stopped at one of the local pet supply stores Meitou and I like best. This is where his dog-crush, Phineas, hangs out. I wanted to get "puppy ice crea' (yogurt), picked up some premade raw, and since Meitou had a birthday he got a free birthday cookie (yay!). He liked this one a lot better than the first one. He also got to hang out with Bishop, one of the two store cats (the one with attitude, he's awesome).
At the beginning of February (the 7th, I think) I took Meitou to a Barn Hunt clinic thinking this might help him out. I learned that Meitou has no actual interest in rats. At all. He would sniff one and then was ready to do something more interesting. He did not have the "must get rat" mentality that some of the other dogs had. He really just likes running around the ring and having fun. He doesn't care about the rats much, if at all. So Barn Hunt is something we will continue to do maybe a couple times a year, but at this point I don't see us going far in it.
Meitou liked the hay bales. He thought those were way more fun than the rats.
Meitou wanted to get involved in the shoulder massage chain...with kisses and nibbles
He thinks balls are for tugging.
This is what Amy was doing while Meitou was engaging in shenanigans.
For Valentine's Day Meitou got to go on a hike! It ended up being pretty busy, which I expected due to the specific day as well as the nice weather. Meitou did pretty well considering all the dogs. Not perfect all the time, but as long as I made sure he had some distance he did well.
This random tree had two red heart ornaments hanging from its branches.
Gravel piles
Drinking muddy puddle water
Later that evening Amy and Meitou each got a Valentine's Day gift.
Amy got freeze dried liver treats
Meitou got a squeaky toy that I think is supposed to be a Valentine Devil or something.
Meitou also met a sister's boyfriend when they came to visit (it was the first in-person meet for all of us). I was worried Meitou would have some stranger drama, but he took to the boyfriend pretty much instantly. A little surprised, but pleased.
Haha Meitou! His "happy place" expressions are so nice to see He really loves being with his people. How long did that stuffed doll survive?
I have a feeling that Katana is going to be very much like Meitou, where he'll be more interested in just goofing off and having fun running around vs being focused on accomplishing a particular task. But hey, whatever's fun for them!
@cezieg Amazingly it is still in one piece. But tonight he finally did kill the squeaker. He apparently likes it enough that he feels like he must resource guard it from feet, so I can't just let it lie around the house so I only let him have it for short periods of time. Which is probably why it isn't missing body parts yet.
Yeah, Meitou just loves to run around and explore. It is interesting, but in doing Barn Hunt versus going hiking... Meitou LOVES hiking. He loves going walking and exploring and finding new smells. I don't know that other people see it, but I can see a difference in the expression in his eyes. There is just this light his eyes get when we are out hiking and running around and doing random things that isn't the same as in Barn Hunt. I mean, he likes Barn Hunt fine, but I don't think he loves it the same way as being out in nature. Meitou and nature were just meant to be...he clicks with that environment in a way I didn't expect. I mean, he's still naughty and reactive to dogs, but when it's just him and his people (or even random strangers who don't touch him)....he's in his element. Maybe that sounds weird? I don't know, but I love to see him happy in the woods, even though he has to be on leash. I think he would love hiking even more if he could be free (too unpredictable due to reactivity), but the leash doesn't matter. He has me. He has nature. It's weird, but it feels...free?
This morning Meitou and I had a visit with our trainers (one of whom is also a vet) to figure out a plan to work on Meitou's intense reactions toward vets/vet techs. We think we've got a decent plan for moving forward...which include Meitou's own personal muzzle. We're going to work on getting him used to it, but both Scott and I could get him to take treats by putting his noise into the muzzle and even mess around with the strap. So hopefully I can continue to get him acclimated to it, which I am hopeful about since he did so surprisingly well with it today.
While we were at the training facility they had me weigh him so we could figure out dosage for some medication we are going to try...and holy crap now he is 41 pounds. Kind of impressed.
Also just kind of impressed with how well he did at the meeting. There was no poking and manhandling (we'll work on all that once he is comfortable with the muzzle), but he was friendly and pretty relaxed (took naps or explored while the humans talked). And while he has always loved Scott it was nice to see him be relaxed and open with Dr. Valli. If only all vet visits could be like that.
So we have some fun(ish) things to work on. It feels good to have a plan and the support of people who understand reactive dogs like Meitou. I love these people.
As for more lighthearted things.... Laser pointers.
Meitou is a fan.
And some pictures from our walk around Officer's Row near Fort Vancouver:
Ignore the photobombing fingers.
I love this next one. I wish I had the Photoshop skills to edit out his leash and harness. Alas, I do not.
Woooooo alright! It's always good to get a plan together to work on. It sounds like you have a really supportive vet and trainer too!
Is Fort Vancouver an actual fort? That's a really neat place, and will definitely be on the To Visit list once Ren and I get up there Meitou almost looks like a spirit dog against all that green!
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After wrapping gifts (before Christmas) Meitou got to play with a used up wrapping paper tube. He loves these.
And then it was time to pose in front of the Christmas tree. He looks a little crazed because I was using his paper tube as a reward.
Back to destroying the tube.
He knows how to grip things so they are easier to chew.
Back in front of the tree. "This is stupid," Meitou says.
Getting impatient.
"Can I do something else now? Anything else?"
The world's weirdest chewing post. Why, Meitou, why?
In other news, Meitou really likes yak meat.
Meitou's foot seems to be doing better, but it still isn't healed up all the way. So now I'm concerned that he won't be able to do the upcoming session his reactivity class. I don't want to set his foot back any.
Anyway, Meitou is missing his reactivity class because of his foot. Right now he seems to be fine, but I am afraid to start letting him do anything because what if that makes it worse again?
Anyway, after massive amounts of vet drama that ended in Meitou getting Ace to sedate him a bit and then being put anesthesia (yeah....he really hates vets).... we still don't actually know what is wrong with his foot. The vet took xrays of his left and right front legs (the right just for comparison). All his bones and things look good, except for tiny abnormality in his left shoulder that both the vet and radiologist believe is not affecting his limping at all. The only thing the vet found that was maybe the cause of his limp was the the skin between his paw pads seemed a little inflamed.
So we've been on super limited activity (he's been handling it okay but is more hyper and has been trying to hump more than he has in a long time).
I'm hoping his foot will be healed in time for a Barn Hunt clinic in a few weeks. Really hoping.
Anyway, I do have a few pictures to post, but I'm still uploading them, so I'll be posting them later.
And have a mentioned that Meitou has eaten ox tail tips? And turkey tails? He was a fan of both of those (yeah, I can find some weird things at the Uwajimaya in Beaverton). I'm planning on a stopping by a local butcher today to see if they have any quail or pheasant.
Here is the cat, without Meitou to bother him.
Since Meitou has been having foot problems he missed out on fun things. Like going to see icy waterfalls along the Gorge with me and my friend.
Well, and the Vista House...
I think Meitou would enjoy going there. He loves cold things.
Speaking of Meitou...
The other thing Meitou didn't get to do (because dogs weren't allowed so I finally went)....going to a auto tour of a wildlife refuge.
Birds are evil, FYI. They like to be so far out on lakes that my phone said "Nope, can't do any better than this. That tiny spec? Yeah. That's the swarm of swans or that lone bald eagle. Good luck with that." I didn't take my normal camera because the memory card was full. And I didn't think I'd want to take any pictures.
Yeah, here are those swans. Those white blobs behind that center tree... And some of the dark blobs in front of the tree are geese. Trust me.
And that eagle...
Meitou always gets so excited when I get ready to leave, like he thinks he finally gets to go places again... poor boy.
We had out a small trampoline last night and Meitou hopped right up on it to play with his toy. I guess it seems like a good dog bed to him.
And after loosing weight last summer during our vacation, Meitou is finally back up to 38 pounds (38.2).
The trampoline is pretty interesting too! I think I'll have to see about introducing Ren + her half sis and half bro to one and see what they think.
@cezieg lol diaper rash foot. He's seemed much less sensitive about his foot so I'm wanting to be optimistic. Since his birthday is Friday I've been considering taking him somewhere on Saturday and see how his foot does. And yeah, he gets to eat a lot of weird food.
This area is definitely pretty cool.
"Who cares about Meitou, anyway? He's dumb. Can I have his dinner?"
Yeah. Amy was really excited for Meitou's birthday.
Things started off fairly tame. After work I stopped by to get a couple birthday cookies (one Happy Birthday and one Good Dog) and a few presents for Meitou. I guess I am that dog person. I had one family member ask me if we were going to eat the dog cupcakes I made. Uh no. Because that was Brigadeiro I made for a potluck at work. Definitely not dog cupcakes.
While we were waiting for dinner to finish thawing we played with Honey Nut Cheerios in the kitchen in an effort to get some side-by-side photos.
I love this next one.
Wait...There was totally more to that video. Where did the rest of it go? Blasphemy. There should have been at least another minute or two. I will figure this out eventually.
Anyway, dinner time...
Then cookie time. Meitou popped off the entire yogurt icing topping in one piece and didn't want to eat it. So Amy got it. Somehow she always wins. Even on someone else's birthday.
Presents. He liked them all. Though he had to share some of the dehydrated beef tendons with Amy. See? She always wins.
So Friday went by without issue. But I had decided the celebrations were not over yet.
That morning it was almost as though Meitou knew something exciting was going to happen.
Since the weather was going to be good Saturday I decided to take Meitou on a short hike with a brother and sister to see how his foot did. The trail was nice, but....so packed! I didn't realize it was so popular. And SO many dogs. Meitou did fine when I could pull him off the trail, but during the middle the trail got to narrow and steep off on the sides that I couldn't pull him off so I ended up having to pick him up. He wasn't really a fan, but it kept any altercations from happening. He did snark at a boxer that tried to lean in a smell him, but otherwise he was pretty good.
Also....SO WINDY. Meitou didn't like the lookout where the windy got particularly strong.
Follow the white Hokkaido down the rabbit hole?
"I could totally tree squirrels..."
After the hike we all stopped at one of the local pet supply stores Meitou and I like best. This is where his dog-crush, Phineas, hangs out. I wanted to get "puppy ice crea' (yogurt), picked up some premade raw, and since Meitou had a birthday he got a free birthday cookie (yay!). He liked this one a lot better than the first one. He also got to hang out with Bishop, one of the two store cats (the one with attitude, he's awesome).
Meitou loves Phineas.
The party ended with playtime with Sullivan. And naps with Sullivan.
Naturally the cutest stuff happened before I got the camera on.
And some random playtime from Sunday.
The way Meitou folds his paws up.. I'm totally imagining this -
Meitou liked the hay bales. He thought those were way more fun than the rats.
Meitou wanted to get involved in the shoulder massage chain...with kisses and nibbles
He thinks balls are for tugging.
This is what Amy was doing while Meitou was engaging in shenanigans.
You need many hands to subdue the shenanigans.
Chewing a venison ear
This random tree had two red heart ornaments hanging from its branches.
Gravel piles
Drinking muddy puddle water
Later that evening Amy and Meitou each got a Valentine's Day gift.
Amy got freeze dried liver treats
Meitou got a squeaky toy that I think is supposed to be a Valentine Devil or something.
Meitou also met a sister's boyfriend when they came to visit (it was the first in-person meet for all of us). I was worried Meitou would have some stranger drama, but he took to the boyfriend pretty much instantly. A little surprised, but pleased.
I have a feeling that Katana is going to be very much like Meitou, where he'll be more interested in just goofing off and having fun running around vs being focused on accomplishing a particular task. But hey, whatever's fun for them!
Yeah, Meitou just loves to run around and explore. It is interesting, but in doing Barn Hunt versus going hiking... Meitou LOVES hiking. He loves going walking and exploring and finding new smells. I don't know that other people see it, but I can see a difference in the expression in his eyes. There is just this light his eyes get when we are out hiking and running around and doing random things that isn't the same as in Barn Hunt. I mean, he likes Barn Hunt fine, but I don't think he loves it the same way as being out in nature. Meitou and nature were just meant to be...he clicks with that environment in a way I didn't expect. I mean, he's still naughty and reactive to dogs, but when it's just him and his people (or even random strangers who don't touch him)....he's in his element. Maybe that sounds weird? I don't know, but I love to see him happy in the woods, even though he has to be on leash. I think he would love hiking even more if he could be free (too unpredictable due to reactivity), but the leash doesn't matter. He has me. He has nature. It's weird, but it feels...free?
While we were at the training facility they had me weigh him so we could figure out dosage for some medication we are going to try...and holy crap now he is 41 pounds. Kind of impressed.
Also just kind of impressed with how well he did at the meeting. There was no poking and manhandling (we'll work on all that once he is comfortable with the muzzle), but he was friendly and pretty relaxed (took naps or explored while the humans talked). And while he has always loved Scott it was nice to see him be relaxed and open with Dr. Valli. If only all vet visits could be like that.
So we have some fun(ish) things to work on. It feels good to have a plan and the support of people who understand reactive dogs like Meitou. I love these people.
As for more lighthearted things.... Laser pointers.
Meitou is a fan.
And some pictures from our walk around Officer's Row near Fort Vancouver:
Ignore the photobombing fingers.
I love this next one. I wish I had the Photoshop skills to edit out his leash and harness. Alas, I do not.
I love this boy.
Is Fort Vancouver an actual fort? That's a really neat place, and will definitely be on the To Visit list once Ren and I get up there
Lol, the laser pointer! Just be careful of obsessive behaviors with it. It seems herding and hunting breeds are more prone to it -
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/10/02/pet-laser-toys.aspx
*ETA: omg it looks worse now that I've reduced the size. ; A;