~ 2006 ~

March

Tiko the blood-donor.
My brave boy has donated blood again and handled it magnificently. He remembers prior visits to the vets, smells etc and is not really all that happy about being there, but knowing it is what I want, he tries his very best to please me and is such a good boy in there.

He has also made a HUGE impression on the staff there! Both last time and this time, they kept saying how gorgeous he is and how lovely he is temperament-wise. He licks, kisses and plays with the staff, between getting needles inserted and blood drawn. And he also knows precisely where the candy-jar is located! He is also well aware that after anything remotely uncomfortable is done to him, he will get treats and cuddles and he is SO quick on his feet next to the jar whenever he thinks he's been a champ. He totally crack me up, lol

This time around I tried our nail-trimming trick and it worked a charm. If we can keep doing that, donating blood will be sooo smooth.
The thing is, I have got a joint disease, called Reumatic Arthritis, and he doesnt like getting his nails trimmed. Hence we had to figure something out as it was a struggle - a very painful struggle - every time they were due a trimming.
Well, problem-solver that I am, I taught him to lie down still on his side, with his head on the ground as well. I trim his nails and he isnt allowed to get up until I am done with all 4 paws. Then it's treat-time, and the party is on! He goes into total puppy-play mode and runs around like mad, so happy to have survived yet another life-threatening ordeal of having his nails trimmed. Lets face it, everybody knows you can die from it, right?

Anyway, last time he donated blood, they wanted to have him lie down on a really narrow height-adjustable bed, which was tricky, and quite stressful for him, as most of his legs wouldnt fit on the bed and it wasnt the most stable construction I've ever seen, especially for such a large dog.
So this time I said to them that I wanted to do my lying on the side trick, on the floor. And it worked a charm. He didnt move a muscle, just like I knew he wouldn't. Blood was delivered in less than 2 minutes, the speed still amazes me. Apparently when a person donates the same amount, it takes them on average 20-30 mins. But on dogs, they draw the blood from a large vein in the neck and there has got to be some pressure there because the bag fills up in no time.

We got pressies again when we were done, this time he got his vaccinations, a flea collar for the spring-summer period and the usual bag of food. And of course a lot of treats and cuddles. The staff cant seem to be able to keep their hands off him, lol
They actually remembered my Saffran too, and asked about her. That was very sweet of them, and it also told me Tiko made a huge impression on them, as his last (and very first) was about 5 months ago, and they still remembered him, and the fact that I had another BB at the time.

Donating blood is for me good on so many levels. Tiko gets the ultimate kind of social training, having to behave not just acceptable, but impeccably and under stress, which he does with flying colours. It is also a good thing to be donating blood, it makes me feel good and I'm sure Tiko would too had he only known what his visits was about. He also gets check-ups every time we get there, his blood gets checked on the day, prior to donating any. The free vaccinations and flea-collars are of course also a welcomed bonus.
So all in all, I think it's super and my conviction that he is the most amazing dog, just gets fed! ;-)

~ 2005 ~

~ November ~

More bad news..my beloved Saffran has ended her days. After x-raying her elbow that she hurt a good while ago and that several vets looked at, initially saying she had just sprained it, it turns out that her elbow was horribly bad. The x-ray of it looked awful.

I also went ahead and had her hips done at the same time, and they were evaluated as "E" which is the worst on the scale here in Sweden. Although none of that mattered as she could not have lived on with an elbow like that. I kept her very lean, almost skinny, as well. To save the elbow from strain as much as I could. She was destined to be a big girl and when she filled out, that elbow would have to be able to withstand a great deal of weight.

I have no doubt in my mind that I did the right thing by letting her fall asleep in my lap on that autumn day, but that does not lessen the horribly intense pain I have been feeling ever since. Not a day goes by without me missing her. So does Tiko. He grieved so badly in the beginning, and so was I. We were a right pair of miserable sods.

I dont know yet if I will get another pup. The thought seem so far-fetched at this moment, and the thought of replacing Saffran sounds criminal to me for the time being. I know Tiko would be in heaven though, with some female company again. And I sure could use another cuddler, as none of my two boys are very cuddly.
It is so hard to let go, and having to do that makes me feel put off having dogs for life.
Luckily though, Tiko is forever sunshine, always a happy camper, always laughing and playing, enjoying life fully. I have never had a dog nearly as happy as him, ever. He sure makes those rainy, dark days easier to handle.

~ August ~

Unfortunately, a lot has happened this month too, but it hasn't been good.
Kalle, my chinese crested powder puff, has become very ill. It happened on the 7th of August, and started with him screaming his little heart out, just out of the blue. After this, he couldn't walk on his hind legs. He was in shock, and so was I.

Obviously i rushed him to the hospital, where they needed to keep him and put him under tons of different meds. He stayed in the hospital for two very long days and they x-rayed his back as well as took an ultrasound on his heart, because he has a heart condition as well, which has also grown worse since last time (two years ago) I had it checked. This will complicate surgery if it comes to that.

The verdict isn't final but they strongly suspect that it is two discs between his vertebraes that has broken, with the fluid inside leaking out and pressing against his spine and marrow, causing his hind legs to fail. To add to the misery, he wouldn't eat or drink anything, and i had to give him water "by hand" several times per day for most of the week (since he got back home). He isn't allowed to walk anything yet and i carry him out to do his business and then carry him back in again. While inside, he is in a cage, for his own good, both so that his movement is restricted, but also to protect him from the very curious boerboels, both wanting to know what's going on with their friend. One of their friendly paws on his back at this time would be devestating, so I will have to arrange so that i can separete them for a few weeks until Kalle has his strength back. They say it will take 3 weeks to stabilize, so two more weeks to go.

Keep all your fingers and toes crossed! He IS a little better now, finally! (14th august) He walks slightly better and he has started to eat and drink by himself. So there is hope once more.

~ July ~

Lots has happened since I wrote last, but I've been too busy/lazy to update the website, sorry about that!
Our family has grown larger with the addition of a Boerboel puppy, a female, that came home to me at 3,5 months of age. She is not only gorgeous to look at, but she has a wonderful temperament and is just a super dog to spend your days with.
All three dogs get along fine, and Tiko and Saffran (the name of the new pup) have SOO much fun together! She gives him a run for his money ;-)

I have added some photo's of her in the "My Own BB's" section.

~ May

Sat 14th

I have updated the page about the appraisal system. I had gotten it wrong and thanx to Carine Bollen, I was able to understand the appraisal scoring system better and get it up on the website. Thank you Carine!

Tue 3rd

Tiko has had surgery today. He was under anaestethic for approx three hours. They removed two broken teeth between his canines in the lower jaw. He also got a root-canal on one of his canines. He had broken it when living in Denmark and had it fixed there apparently, but for one reason or another, it didn't stick and he had to have surgery to fix it properly. He is receiving atntibiotic treatment as well as painkillers for about a weeks time, to prevent any infection in the surgical wounds.

But now he's as good as new! And no more risk of a possible infection in his tooth spreading down to his jaw. That can be very damaging.

This was the second time my poor lad had to "go under" this year. First time was when he got his hips and elbows x-rayed in February and now his teeth. Poor boy.

~ April

Tue 20th

* Added a gallery page with lots of pictures.

* Changed background in the guestbook, to suit the new websites design.

* Added the training diary, found a blog-site online.

Tue 12th

* Completely new design on the webpage!

* Added lots of new links.