Update on Jedi & how to make it easier for a dog to take his medicine

Jedi is improving. We are still limiting his activity ensuring that he gets plenty of rest, but we can tell he feels so much better.

His brother, Padawan, was getting jealous. He got treats when Jedi did (that was where we hid the pills). So we gave Padawan a heat pack for his back when we put one on Jedi and that seems to have solved the problem. Padawan is happy again.

I had some emails asking me how we got our dog to take his medicine. So let me share...

The store was out of Pill Pockets by Greenies. (Normally $8.49 to $9.49 for 7.9 oz) So we substituted. We purchased Blue Bits ($5.99 for 4 oz) They are soft and can be squeezed around the pills. We had to break the pills, but we were instructed to do that anyway. 

After we got home, I realized that we had some treats called Catty Shack that we purchased at a big box store (about $1.50 for 4 oz). Yes, they are cat treats, but our dogs love them. They are also soft and can be squeezed to shape around the pills. 

This is the Catty Shack information and by what I can tell, it was made in Ohio. 

Here is the information on the Blue Bits. As far as I can tell, this too was made in the U.S.A.

I couldn't get this photo to come out very well because it kept bending, but the address is in Connecticut. 

So that is how we got Jedi to take his medicine. :)

Our dog, Jedi, has back problems

Our poor puppy has back problems, a possible bulging disk. Jedi is lying in his bed with a pillow and quilt. He has a cold pack wrapped around his back and soon it will be exchanged for a heat pack.

Last night, I thought that I had stepped on him because he yelped. I don't have feeling in one foot so I could have and not realized it. Later, I hugged him at bed time and he yelped again. Both times, he was trembling in his hind quarters. 

This morning, he stayed in the bedroom instead of coming out to be with me in the living room. I waited an hour and he hadn't moved. I picked him up and brought him to the front room and, in the process, discovered that his back legs were again shaking.

We took him to the emergency animal hospital immediately. 

They suspected a bulging disk from his symptoms. He did not show signs of neurological damage, but if he gets worse, we are to bring him back immediately. 

They gave him muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory medicine. Then we then picked up pumpkin puree to help prevent constipation. We also tried to find pill pockets. The store didn't have them so we got some soft treats that I could hide the pills in. It worked great. 

By the time we got home, Jedi felt a lot better. He finally went potty. He was still moving slowly and we are going to keep him crated to help him rest, but we are already happy with his progress. 

The photo above shows Jedi wearing a hot/cold pad to help his back. The vet tech told us that we could use it to help his healing. Five minutes of each (cold and hot) and we can do that four times a day. 

To help prevent injury from jumping off our bed, we are going to take the bed frame apart and just put the mattress on the floor with no box springs. Hopefully, the height of the mattress alone won't bother his back when he gets on and off our bed.

Cats' ideas of sewing

I wanted to share our cats' ideas of "helping" me when I sew.

This is Mystique. She actually pulled her cat mat over to cover my project and my portable ironing pad.  

This is Lathandar. He feels obliged to test the comfort of anything that I make.  

Here is Lathandar after he saw me put a pillow into this pet quilt. I had made it like a sham so it could hold a pillow for more comfort. After I put the pillow away, I came back into the room to discover that he had scooted into the opening. 

Our pets often make me laugh.

Interesting morning

Here are our pets enjoy the new quilt on our bed. The cat, Mystique, is bathing herself as the dogs go crazy. Jedi is the dog rolling around and Padawan is the dog sniffing the quilt. 

The dogs wanted a lot of attention this morning. As I got dressed, they grabbed my ... intimate apparel and ran around the house as I, mobility impaired, tried to catch them. 

My husband tells me this kind of behavior is my fault since I use old socks as play toys for the dogs to tug. They just haven't learned that some of my clothes are not for playing.

After I got my clothing item back from the dogs and finished dressing, I took them to the front door to let them out. Well, it was raining and our dogs are afraid of that magical water that drops from the sky. So this meant that I had to go with them or they would suffer with an uncomfortable bladder. Of course, I went outside to protect them from the magical drops of water thus getting wet with them. 

Now, the three of us are drying off. I am reading my emails and they are eating their doggy biscuits. Ah, life with fur-babies.  :)

Out of the crock pot and into the scrap box

Our cat, Lathandar finally got out of the crock pot so I moved it into the cupboard. Later, I left my sewing to get more tea. I came back to find Lathandar in my scrap box. *sigh*

Those are the scraps for the pet shelter quilts, which I am working on. So, being the parent who is wrapped around each of the fur-babies paws, I reached in carefully to pull out scraps as I tried not to disturb Lathandar's comfort. 

Old Drawers as Beds

The dogs love to lay under the desk as work on my laptop or sewing. I always felt bad that they were on such a hard surface, so I used an old drawer and turned it into a bed for them. There is a pillow and a pet mat in it to make it comfortable. I can pull it out by the drawer handle to sweep under the desk so that should help. I got the idea from Pinterest. 

For those who want to know: Jedi is in the back and he has the curlier hair. He also has a cute under bite. Padawan is in the front and he has darker tips on his ears and the tip of his tail. He is the one who always wants to be babied. 

Here is Mystique, the grumpy cat. She decided that she wanted the bed. As a grumpy cat, she often scares the dogs and they left once she came around. The dogs got the bed back later, though. 

The other drawers will be used in closets and storage areas to help hold items so they can be easily removed. 

Our Pets are Crazy

This is Lathandar sleeping in my electric crock pot! The table is currently a mess as my project is cleaning out some storage cupboards and closets. The craziest part of this is that he is in a room with 5 pet mats that he could have slept on. 

Our pets are crazy!

Cat claims quilt

I finished the quilt and our cat, Mystique, claimed it. She hates the flash, but her wink is cute. 

The quilt needs washed, but she can use it until it gets into the laundry.

Another comfort tester

I took a break from hand sewing my binding onto my quilt to get a cup of tea. Look what I found when I got back. Our dog, Padawan, was on the quilt with his biscuit. 

The biscuit meant he was planning on staying in that spot for quite a while. I had to ruin his plans of a nap on the quilt, but I did move him to the couch where he curled up and fell asleep. So it wasn't too much of a hassle for the poor doggy.

I am guessing he decided to test the comfort of the quilt. I'm sure it is a lesson he learned from the cats. 

Padawan being playful

Well, our babies do need to play. Today, Padawan brought me his sock, which used to be my sock, but got demoted to a toy since it got holes in it. We played tug and he had quite a bit of fun. 

I have been spending a lot of time in my sewing room, which the dogs are not allowed in, so they have been missing me. Funny since they can see me the whole time. Even if I wasn't in the room, they wouldn't be right on my lap, but since they are not allowed in, they feel lonely. 

I'll have to have a bit more play time with the dogs today and any day that I am in the sewing room.