Losing Some Weight

Buffy's general health has become so robust that we can't really call her our "sad little pom" anymore. In fact, she's been doing a little better than thriving. Buffy has become, frankly, a bit fat. Bridget's project of the last couple of months has been to take the dogs' nutrition in hand by feeding them whole food. The primary goal is to have them lose weight. All three Pomeranians (Barkis, Betsey, and Buffy) have needed to lose some weight for some time now, and Buffy's situation had become the most severe. She had the habit of wolfing her food and Pat had the habit of giving treats. These problems are being resolved as Buffy comes to realize her love for chick peas and Pat buys into the idea that food and love are two distinct things.


At the beginning of March, Buffy weighed 14.7 pounds. This week she's at 13.4. She looks better and moves around much more now. When she loses one more pound, we'll take her back to Dr. Ullom to get his advice on the ideal weight for her.


Coming soon: New pictures of grooming day for the very healthy and increasingly svelte Buffy!

Update

      Buffy is doing great! She, Pat, and Barkis are all a happy family. Most remarkably, this winter Buffy's coat has become long, full, and beautiful. It's amazing what good nutrition and lots of love can do for a little old dog.

Buffy and Barkis are Officially Buddies

I had the chance to observe Buffy and Barkis in a couple of spirited wrestling games. It was very good-natured. Both took turns jumping on each other and making the huffing sound that I'm convinced is dog laughter--tails wagging, ears up. They looked and sounded just like my dogs do when having a happy romp. I was surprised to see this after only a month of living together but I guess they may both have been a little lonely. When Buffy first arrived, she could hardly stay awake for very long at a time. Now she's up to playing with her new "brother". It's so delightful to see!

Nightlife Update

Pat reports Buffy has been sleeping quietly through the night in
her crate in the kitchen. This is a great relief to everyone.

Dental Update

Since having her teeth cleaned and the bad ones pulled, Buffy now has lovely minty-fresh breath all the time. In spite of losing 13 teeth several days ago, her mouth is feeling well enough to chew on a hard rawhide bone. She had not shown any interest in these bones (which Barkis has lying around in a number of places) before her dental intervention. Clearly, her teeth no longer hurt her.

Buffy seemed to be very nervous about going outside when we first got her. It's taken a few weeks, but she now goes out into the yard and seems to enjoy herself walking in the grass. I wonder if she's ever walked in grass before her rescue.

Barkis Teaches Buffy How to Greet the Mailman

The mailman pulls up to the curb and Barkis demonstrates the proper level of hysteria such an event merits. Never mind that this same guy pulls up to the same spot every week day, Pomeranians must respond with shock and awe. Happily, Buffy does not quite understand this yet. But Barkis makes sure he gives her a lesson.

Buffy's Teeth

Today Buffy went in for her dental work. She was under anesthesia. Dr. Ullom had to remove 13 teeth that were completely beyond saving. The rest were cleaned. She's now home resting comfortably and will continue on antibiotics for several more days.

Buffy got her vaccinations at the vet's today too.

The folks who work at the vet's went on about how sweet Buffy is. She's such a gentle, good-hearted dog. And she is the world's quietest Pomeranian.

She was very good about the trip to the vet. She even walked along on her leash and harness like a little lady. That's a testament to how much better her feet feel. She didn't want Pat to be out of her sight. She's fine with the car. She's fine with the leash. She's completely fine about every other animal she met at the vet's office.

Buffy now sleeps through the night more quietly each night.

Buffy is moving around much more freely now. She breaks into a little jog sometimes. Her feet look great now and I'll be giving her the last of the ointment between the toes tomorrow. Her ears look really good. The medication for them will probably continue well into next week.
Today Buffy picked up her ears for the first time--something we've never seen her do before. She really looks like a happy pom when she does that. We'll post a picture of that as soon as she does it when the camera's on hand.
This coming Wednesday, Buffy will have her teeth cleaned by the vet. The week after that, we're going to try to get her interested in walking on a leash.

Buffy Sports Her New ID Tag

Who's that happy dog?

Buffy has a new leather collar--in pink, of course--and hanging from it is her new ID tag with her name, address and phone number.

(Well, it's actually Pat's phone number but don't tell Buffy).
Her ears are getting much better and her breath is already very good.

Heartworm Test Results In

The vet's ofice just called to say Buffy's heartworm test was negative.

YEA !

Buffy visits the vet.

Starting with her head:

I apologise for the poor sound. My Flip Video camera is amazing in every way except that it obliges me to ask people to scream into it.

Scanning for a microchip:

Well, that was a surprise! But, after calling "Home Again" ( the chip company), it was discovered that no one had registered her. Apparently, breeders have the chip installed but it's up to the next owner to update information. All we know from the chip (#4959383634) is that it was shipped to "Hunt Kennel." Their phone number was given as 800-829-4155. Maybe I'll call them to at least find out when the chip was shipped since that may give us an idea of her age.

Checking out her pelvis

and discussing the teeth:

Buffy's meds:

So, we have cream for her yeast infected ears and another cream for her infected feet. There's also an antibiotic orally every day. There's enzymes to sprinkle on her food to help her mouth and she received a de-worming pill. Bridget is the lucky gal who gets to deliver all these treatments to Buffy. After she's healed from mouth treatments, Brian will get the job of brushing her teeth (or whatever is left of them after the vet works on them next week) on a regular basis. (Shhhh! Don't tell him. It's a surprise.)

Finishing up with Dr. Ullom

(the greatest vet ever!) :

We'll have the results of the heartworm test soon.

And then when we got back from the vet's, I gave Buffy and Barkis their enzymes

mixed with a bit of cheese to ensure the yumminess of the experience.

Suddenly, she was a new dog: her tail was curled up on top of her back

like a Pom's tail should and it was wagging plenty:

I had been sure that she had mobility problems. Yeah, her feet were messed up, but she just moved her whole body like it was stiff. I thought it was because she was old and arthritic. Looks like not. In fact, it's getting hard to figure exactly what her age really is. I think she's going to surprise us in coming days, weeks, years.

A Video Report on Buffy's First Night

in Her New Home:

Her name is Buffy!

She was rescued by the good folks at Keys Lawn and Garden. When Tahlequah'a great friend of dogs Toni B. came in, she saw the poor little dog, "I had spoken to her when I walked in. I just thought she was a shop dog lying contentedly on her pallet, water bowl and food dish nearby. She came to the middle of the shop, lay down, crossed her paws and smiled up at me, waved her tail." Toni publicized the plight of this sweet little dog on the internet: "I inspected her and discovered she was covered in mats, fleas, and sores. Her teeth are dark brown, ears encrusted. I suspect she'd been a brood bitch at some puppy mill and had been tossed out after she'd reached old age. The owner [of the shop] said, 'I think she must have been in a cage because her nails are so long.'"
Toni took the little dog home, cleaned her, groomed her, and tended to her wounds. Toni's publicity paid off in Tahlequah where Judith A. took print-outs of Toni's description and digital photos to all the local dog lovers. When she arrived at the Cowlishaw home, Pat Roussell just happened to arrive. The Cowlishaw-Roussell Conference on the Welfare of One Sad Little Pomeranian convened. Before sunset June 30, Pat and Bridget went to interview said Sad Little Pomeranian at Toni's house and found her as sweet and gentle as described.
The little dog is now at Pat's house, sitting on Brian's lap and getting to know a very well-behaved Barkis. Looks like there are now two Roussell Pomeranians in Tahlequah. Of course, a name was the first order of business and Pat decided on "Buffy" in honor of her brother's favorite character. The name fits (besides being a nice alliteration for "Barkis") because this pretty petite blonde has been through a lot -- and clearly has dealt with some evil-doers.

Buffy has an appointment with Dr. Ullom tomorrow afternoon. We will post again after that and let everyone know what the vet says. We'll also post video of her!