First Mia, then Kess

From the desk of Kess' mama:

In the last 2 months, both our beagles have undergone surgery. Mia went first as we had decided to get her spayed after we took her to the vet for a check-up. We are aware of the benefits of spaying a female dog - reduction of risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, as well as reduction of risk of unwanted pregnancy. Kess was also spayed, so it made sense to spay Mia too.

Mia was rather disoriented post-surgery, which is normal.

 

She did not like her buster collar, which was normal too as it got in the way of walking, sniffing, eating and playing. Plus she kept bumping into Kess each time she tried to play with her big sis, which Kess did not like...Thankfully, it did not stop her from enjoying a lie in the sun.

After a week, Mia was recovering beautifully and we we were able to remove her buster collar, which was a great relief to Mia (and us) and life was back to normal again for our happy-go-lucky beagle pup.

 

Next, it was Kess' turn. As Kess grew older, she started having lumps. A few years back, she had a wart-like lump on her left hip. We had it checked out by Kess' vet in Malaysia and at that time, it was not deemed to be a concern. It did however grow larger over the years. Earlier this year, we noticed two lumps, one near her left eye and one on the top of her head. Again, we got it checked out by Kess' vet in Hong Kong and at that time it was still quite small and not deemed to be a risk. However, the lump on her head got aggravated as Kess and Mia had their doggie sumo wrestling, as I like to call it. Mia would usually initiate their play/fight/wrestle and both dogs would head-butt, nip and chase each other around.

This sometimes result in bleeding, and then it would scab as the wound healed but it would occur again when they played next. Since the lump had increased in size, we consulted the vet again and decided to go for surgery to remove all 3 lumps. It was a tough decision due to Kess' age, and let's face it, nobody likes putting their dog through surgery. But it was the right thing to do.

I have to admit I was shocked when I picked up Kess post-surgery yesterday. Unlike Mia's spaying procedure which is on the belly, Kess' stitches were very visible as they were on her head, face and hip area. The cuts and stiches were also longer than I had anticipated, which looked worse because her fur was shaved around those areas. She looked like a patch up doll - my poor Kess. The upside was that she was full of energy, grabbing onto her leash, eager to go home. In the car, she knocked out and pretty much slept the entire journey home. Once home, she was hungry and wanted her dinner - she had to fast before the surgery and missed out on her breakfast. We were only supposed to feed her half her normal meal at 8pm but she was so hungry that we relented and gave her meal at 6 pm. She was still hungry after her half portion, that we gave her the other half since she did not seem to have any problem with keeping her food down. Anyway, the fact that she had her appetite was a good sign.

 This morning, Kess woke up early - because she was hungry! Typical beagle. She seems to be back to normal and is able to go for walks. We try to keep Mia from disturbing Kess too much. Mia misses her play mate! Kess' stitches looks less red today. Similar to Mia, we take pictures of Kess' stitches each day so that we can compare the recovery progress daily. Kess' lumps have been sent to be tested for cancer and we will know the results in about 4 weeks time. We pray that all will be well with our dear old beagle.

 

A New Grass Patch for Summer

 The effects of dog pee on grass is pretty potent! My little 3 by 4 ft balcony grass patch was starting to look and smell bad after about 9 months, which is not surprising considering the potency of dog pee. So a couple of months back, my humans decided it was time to replant a new batch. They first had to dig up the old patch, which was not a very pleasant job.

It took them a while to get a new batch of grass replanted. The nursery said to wait until the start of summer so that they would have new batches of grass in. So, during that time, this beagle had to make multiple pee trips downstairs a day.

"Hmm..Where is my grass?"

Finally, my grass arrived. The first batch that came in accidentally got planted in the apartment's common area. It was a series of unfortunate events. So, I had to wait another few weeks. This time, it got planted correctly on my little planter box. I tested it and it works fine.

My humans dilligently water it after my pees but it is already starting to brown...Oh well...:-)

A clean bill of health

My dental surgery went well. The vet cleaned my teeth and got most of the tartar out. My two back teeth showed signs of receeding gum due to tartar built-up over 10 years but both teeth were still stable so no extractions were necessary. The vet also took the opportunity to do an ultrasound of my abdomen to make sure that there were no crystal build-up which could lead to stones in the kidney. For the first time in my 10 years, I had a comprehensive blood test as well. All tests were negative so this beagle was given a clean bill of health.

To be honest, I did not enjoy my visit to the vet and could not wait to go home. I left the vet with a pink bandage on my paw (for the drips) and some medication. The first thing my humans did when we got home was to take me for a short walk. The next day, I pretty much moped around the house, tail down and stuck close to my humans. All our friends noticed my sad mood and naturally showered my with lots of pats and attention. But I was back to my normal cheery self on Sunday as memories of the dreaded vet visit was forgotten. All is well again.

A visit to the vet leads to the dentist chair...

My human took me to the vet for my annual check-up and vaccination. Dr. N, has been looking after me this year and fully understands this beagle's fear of the slippery examination table. After all, I've already visited her three times this year (once for the follow-up examination for my urinary problem, once for a ear infection and now for my annual check-up). She doesn't mind getting onto the floor to examine me. although it's not the most comfortable position for her. She is also the first vet to discover the best way to give me my jabs. I hate needles and needless to say, there is a lot of struggling involved whenever the vet tries to give me my injections. My human sometimes fears that someone else may get jabbed by mistake. Anyway, Dr. N discovered the trick is to get my human to carry me, instead of trying to hold me down as I tend to struggle more. Then the good doctor, with her awful needle ready, does her job quickly, followed by treats for the good beagle :-0

Anyway, Dr. N suggested that a proper dental check-up, which for canines involve going under anesthesia, may be appropriate since there is evidence of plague on my teeth. She can then do a thorough cleaning, check and extract any rotting tooth. My humans only brush my teeth once a week and I suppose over 10 years, issues could arise. My humans were understandably concerned about me having to go under anesthesia but they also are aware that oral issues can lead to serious health problems. After getting feedback from fellow bloggers, some of whom have recently gone for the dental check-up, my humans decided to go ahead with the surgery, which will also include a comprehesive blood test, also a first for this beagle. The dreaded surgery is next Friday. My humans still worry but know that it's better to do it now whilst my health is still good. The last time I went under anesthesia was when I was spayed many many years ago. Fingers crossed...

My Very Own Patch of Grass

After much delay, my humans have finally got me my very own garden patch of grass. Can't really call it a garden when what it actualy is, is a 3 by 4 ft plastic box filled with pebbles, soil and grass. So, I thought a patch of grass is more appropriate. I have to say though, it's quite a lovely patch of grass. Our neighbours are all quite impressed that we actually got real grass. Some of them got synthetic grass for their canines. My humans thought that the real thing would suit our needs better since this beagle is used to real grass back in Malaysia. My humans are grateful to the manager at our apartment who helped them source for the custom-built box and grass supplier. Otherwise, this would not have been possible. My little patch of grass is placed at our balcony. My humans did not let me out to the balcony for 1 week after the grass was planted so that the grass can take root properly. Finally, in the second week, they decided to introduce me to the grass patch. As always, this beagle is cautious when it comes to exploring new things and I gingerly climb onto the box and sniff.

I check out the Hong Kong view from the patch of grass:

I have a snooze on the patch of grass:

I did everything but pee on the patch of grass, which was why my humans got it for me in the first place! After a few days of failure, my humans thought of an idea. When they took me down to pee, they took a leaf that I had peed on and brought it back up to transfer the pee scent onto the grass. So the next morning, they opened the glass door to the balcony, fed me breakfast so that I would have to a full bladder, and stood in the cold balcony, encouraging me to pee. (The things our humans do for us...). Their perseverance pays off!

I still don't use the grassy patch on a regular basis, preferring to go downstairs instead. So my humans still have to take me downstairs for my night pee before bedtime. However, they now don't have to take me downstairs first thing in the morning. Instead, they open the balcony door and leave the option to me to pee there whilst they have breakfast. Sometimes, I'll pee on the grass and sometimes I just wait until my morning walk. Hey, it's a beagle's choice after all :-)

A taxi ride and a visit to the vet...already???

First, the ride...
This beagle had my first taxi ride in Hong Kong yesterday. Now, in Malaysia, dogs are not allowed in taxis. Not so in HK. Animals are allowed in taxis with a surcharge payment of 5 HKD (around 60 US cents). I suppose in a country where most of its residents rely on public transportation, it makes sense that taxis carry canine passengers as well. However, not all taxi drivers like to carry canine passengers as mum and I found out when we tried to hail a taxi. Although the taxis had the "For Hire" sign, some did not stop for us. However, the fourth taxi driver that did not stop for us was a really nice chap. Mum and him were happily chatting about the plant on his dashboard in the limited Malaysian cantonese that mum could speak.

Meanwhile, I wasn't pleased that mum didn't allow me to get on the seat. She said that it's not our car and other passengers may not appreciate sitting on dog fur. So, she made me sit on the floor. Naturally, I tried to get onto the seat. So mum gave me the sit command and as reward for good behavior, I got to eat doggie treats. So that kept me happy throughout the journey.

Then, the vet...
Which brings me to the purpose of this beagle's taxi ride in the first place. My humans decided that a visit to the vet is required due to a couple of pee incidents. The first happened whilst I was staying with gramps before I joined my humans. Gramps had given me a wonderful bath that evening and this beagle was so comfortable that I fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, gramps discovered that I had wet my bed during sleep. The second incident happened in HK. I was sitting in the kitchen watching my humans eat dinner. When I got up, my humans discovered a small pee puddle where I was sitting.

Their conclusion - possible case of incontinence. After all, this beagle is 9 years old. So, that's how we ended up visiting the vet at the HK SPCA. My vet, Dr. Laurie is a very nice German gentleman and immediately put me to ease. Mum told him that I did not like going on the steel table so he examined me on the floor instead. He gave me a clean bill of health on the physical examination. Then he went away to test my urine sample. Fortunately, it was clear too. No case of infection. So, he concluded as my humans did that it was urinary incontinence. He said it was a common issue among female dogs that were spayed when young. So, I'm now on Propalin syrup which mum injects into my food twice a day. I 'm supposed to take it for two weeks to see if that helps me. Chances are I may have to take it for life. Unfortunately, one of the side effects is loose stool. So my humans have been monitoring me to see if I need to "go". They are getting a lot better at reading my body language. When they see me pacing around, they now know that I need to pee/poo.

By the way, thanks for the suggestions and prayers about our situation. My humans is seriously considering gettting a patch of real grass in a box to put on our balcony. They now have to do some research on where to source for that in Hong Kong. Until then, my humans will have to take me down often to relieve myself. Meanwhile they are relying on Urine Off to get rid of the pee odor when I do have accidents (which apart from the Typhoon 3 incident, has been kept to a minimal).

Hits and misses

It's Kess' fourth day in HK. It's great having her here with us. She is adjusting well in most respects. She enjoys meeting new canine and human friends on our walks. She loves going on the lift to go down for a walk. The staff at our apartment love her. She'll perform tricks for treats for them and all parties benefit! Those are our hits...

And now for the misses...from house to apartment. Back home, we used to leave the door open for her to go to the garden to pee. But we can't do that anymore coz we don't have a garden! So, our biggest miss is Kess having pee accidents in the apartment. On her first day, she had 2 accidents. We learnt from that and adjusted our pee walks. In a day, we take her downstairs 7 times. First thing in the morning, after breakfast (which is also her long walk), mid-morning, mid-afternoon,evening (second long walk), after dinner and before bed time. The schedule worked fine for 2 days, until typhoon 3 signal hit HK today. Strong winds and showers put a halt to our pee schedule. I did take her out around noon despite the wind and rain but she was more interested to sniff than pee. After a small branch falls from a tree, I decided to head back before a bigger branch fell! Well, lo and behold, pee accident no. 3 happened in the apartment, followed by pee acccident no. 4 an hour later.

I had followed some tips on the internet about soaking some pee and transferring that to a section in the back room where we had laid newspapers where we had intended for her indoor pee place. Somehow, it's just not working...Sigh...Maybe I just need to keep at it. I'm frustrated and I'm sure she's confused too... We welcome any suggestions to help Kess live happily in our apartment.

Beagle quirkiness or unintended consequences?

From the desk of Kess' Mama:

Since puppyhood, we have always practiced feeding Kess just before we leave for work in the morning. This way, we reckoned we would reduce the anxiety of being separated (I'm quite sure we must have read it somewhere). Anyway, inevitably, there are times when we forgot to take something and would have to open the gate again. During those times, we would take away her feeding bowl, took whatever it was we forgot and give her back her bowl for her to finish her meal.

Just the other day, I again fed Kess just before I left home.After I realized I forgot my car keys, I went back in. My beagle, upon hearing the gate opened, started eating even more quickly (for those of you who have beagles, will know how quickly they eat under normal circumstances)!

The question is this - Is it beagle quirkiness - a love for food gene imbuilt into this perpetually hungry breed, or is it unintended consequences from her humans taking away her food bowl in the middle of a meal during her puppy days? What do you think?

A beagle's weekend at Puppy Cottage

Last weekend, my humans went away for a short break. Now usually, I get to stay at one of my two gramps' homes but this time, my humans were going away with both sets of gramps. Mum had done lots of research on canine boarding before deciding on Puppy Cottage. The major plus factor is that the dogs get to roam around freely in a secured area, instead of being kept in a cage the entire time. The only time the dogs are caged is at night during bedtime.

It really was quite a fun experience. I've never been let off-leash with so many other dogs before. Most of my fellow canine boarders were small dogs, mainly terriers. When there is a pack of dogs, you can be assured of lots of excited barking dogs zooming around. Dad's camera can't cope with the speed of canine movements. Hence, you get an almost surreal effect.


R, from Puppy Cottage commented that I was one of the most well-behaved beagles they've boarded. When my humans related that comment to gramps and the rest of the family, they laughed. I guess they were surprised given the mischief I get into when I stay at gramps place.

Did I enjoy my stay at the Puppy Cottage? The smile on my face says it all.


Despite the fun time I had at Puppy Cottage, I was ready to go home with my humans.


See ya fella boarders. Be good!


Hop on to the car to go back home. Woohoo!


Followed by a nice long walk


All in all, this beagle had a pretty fun weekend. Despite being away from my humans, I made lots of new friends at Puppy Cottage. My humans are glad to have found a safe place where I can be boarded without being caged up whenever they travel. So, it's a solution that works out well for all of us. Humans and beagle are happy!

The dreaded visit...with a happy ending!

"Kess, it's time to go for a car ride" mum said one sunny Saturday afternoon. My ears perked up. My tail did a boogie woo "left-to-right-and-back-again" wag. I rushed to grab my leash from the top of the shoe cabinet. Car rides are on my list of favourite "To Dos"! Little did I know...

It was actually the car ride to X@#*! (This is a child-friendly blog after all). We were going to the VET! Aargh...It's every doggie's nightmare (I know coz I've read your blogs). Apparently, it was time for my annual check-up and vaccination, which is actually top of my"Don't Do" list, but do my humans take that into account? No, of course not! They say it's for my own good. Huh? How does having a vet prod my anatonomy, peer into my ears and mouth, put me on a weighing scale (I don't need a vet telling me I'm fat!) and stick a needle on my butt helpful?

But, no amount of pleading eyes and whining could change their minds. They say that the vet needs to examine me to make sure I'm in good health. In fact, after my last check up, the vet recommended that I take glucosamine because of my weak hind leg (my humans reckon it's from all the climbing and jumping off fences when I pretended to be Houdini, the famous escape artist...If you're new to my blog, read about my escapades and adventures).

Well, I wasn't about to cooperate with the vet. Plus I really detest the slippery metal table they put me on!. So I struggle to get off...

After a long while, I got tired and succumbed to the vet's stethoscope. Kess - 0, Vet -1.

Check out the size of the needle! And I got jabbed twice - once for the core vaccination and once for heartworm. Kess - 0; Vet - 2.Heartworm disease, which is carried by mosquitoes can cause serious harm to the heart, lungs and other vital organs of dogs. If untreated, heartworm disease can result in death. Read more about it on American Veterinary Medical Association's ("AVMA") and American Heartworm Society's websites. Pretty serious! However, I much preferred when my humans fed me the Heartgard tablets every month. But since mum and dad suffer from bouts of forgetfulness, they opted for the annual injection to minimise the risk. The AVMA website also has a section of vaccination, if you're interested to read up about it.

After the trauma of the slippery table and needles, mum gave me some treats to make up for my suffering! Sigh...bribery works all the time with me. Finally, dad lifts me off the table and I could just kiss the floor! Suddenly, a strange dog comes bounding into the examination room through the back door. Now mind you, I was already traumatised at this point, so I wasn't my usual friendly, docile self. I growled at this strange canine and my humans had to quickly remove the newcomer before things got ugly.

I was more than happy to say goodbye to the vet and left the room before my humans changed their minds and decided to have a 2nd session with the vet. Out at the waiting room, I saw the new dog again. By now, I was back to my normal self. After taking turns butt-sniffing, I became pals with QQ, a beautiful retriever. Unlike me, QQ was very excited to see the vet (so much so she couldn't wait for her turn and sneaked into the examination room before her turn!)

Anyway, both QQ's and my humans were glad that we became friends.
So, there was a happy ending after all! I gained a new friend.

Exercise Tip - Running With a Bike

Remember my earlier post on the Dog Whisperer in May? Well, I thought I'll share with you an exercise tip from Cesar Millan which my humans have tried out on me. If you've watched the Dog Whisperer series, you'll see that a recurring them e in rehabilitating dogs is exercise. As the daily walk is paramount, Cesar introduces some tools such as skates and bicyles (for the human, not the dog) to add intensity and variety to the walk with the dog.

We tried out the bicyle tip so that I could get a good run during our weekend walks. In Malaysia, there are very few parks which allows dogs. Certainly, there are no dedicated dog parks where we can run freely. So, my humans decided to give this a go. Mum, who is on foot, gets the leash first as we get the "poo and pee" business out the way. Towards the end of the walk, dad, who is on the bike takes over.

Initially, my humas were apprehensive as they weren't sure how I would react to the bike. So, they found a quiet road to test it out. I admit, I didn't take to it like duck to water at first. I tried to go as far as possible from the wheels. But, after a couple of times, I got used to it and began to enjoy the run. I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it as my neighbours were quite amused (and impressed) at the sight of dad on the bike and me running beside him. I guess they don't see many beagles doing that.

The only problem with this is that poor mum has to walk back home by herself as dad & I speed off. But, she doesn't mind coz she loves me :-)

Bath Time

Bath time is not one of my favourite events. After all, doggies love rolling in the grass and in the mud. The smellier the better. So, I’m not sure why my humans seem to think bath is good for me. Despite my protests, I get a bath almost every weekend. I try to hide under the car, or under the table…But my humans know how to lure me out. They use Bacon Bits (the doggie version, not the human type,). It works everytime without fail. I can never resist it.

I can always tell when it’s “bath time”. Out comes the blue bucket, the towel, the shampoo, toothpaste and the toothbrushes. My bath routine starts with brushing my teeth. My humans use a toothpaste specially for canines and felines. Actually, it’s not too bad. It tastes a lil’ bit like liver paste…Brown and gooey. (No minty flavour for me!)

Then comes the proper bath time. First, I get doused with water. My humans are very careful to keep the insides of my ear dry.

Then, because my floppy ears tend to sweep my food bowl when I'm greedily gobbling my food, my lobes get a brush with a toothbrush (no, it's not the same one used to brush my teeth...) Again, my humans are careful not to get water into my ears.

Next, I am lathered with dog shampoo (yes, you saw correctly, it is in a handwash bottle, but I can assure you it's dog shampoo). Front paw, body, back paw, face (fortunately, the shampoo is a tear-free formula), tail - no body part is left unlathered.

Once my humans are satisfied that I am thoroughly clean, I get rinsed. Since I am getting wet anyway, I decided to have a drink of water.

Then comes my favourite parts, I shake off the water. If my humans are not quick enough, they get wet too. Hah! Hah!

I wriggle on the ground (sometimes I wriggle on the grass, depending on my mood). Hey, I have to get rid of the the yucky smell of the shampoo!). This is my superdog pose.

Finally, I get to play with my human when she tries to dry me with a towel. Hee...ha... After standing quietly as I get drenched and lathered, I get to have some fun at the end.