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Gabbs Dogs Update #4

From Steve Markwell, Executive Director:

Dixie gave birth to three puppies Monday morning; one was stillborn. The other two seemed to be having trouble feeding and Dixie was not making much of an effort to care for them. I feared she might be too stressed to take care of the babies, and I was concerned that they were not nursing, so I rushed mother and puppies to the vet. An exam determined that the puppies both had severe cleft palates; they would not have been able to nurse without fluid going into their lungs, and would have died horrible deaths by starvation, suffocation, or aspiration pneumonia. There was little to no chance that surgery would have saved them; fortunately we caught the problem before the little ones had a chance to suffer, and I made the decision to have them humanely euthanized. It is always sad when puppies die, but I'm thankful that they were able to go peacefully, when so many dogs are killed every year under much more horrifying circumstances. Dixie seems to be coping with her loss, and I have continued to work through her conditioning process. She has started leash training; we're not going on walks yet, but Dixie is getting used to feeling the pressure of the leash through very brief sessions.

The other dogs continue to make progress, but I feel that Herbie presents a bit of a problem, in that he continues to bark and behave fearfully when I pass by the kennels, and his fear tends to be contagious. I will probably move him into his own room this week, so that he is not as heavy an influence on the others, and I can work with him without distractions. I think one of the reasons I have had more success working with Dixie than with the others is that she has been isolated from the rest of the group; her only socialization with other dogs has been with Clyde, Charlie, Lupe, and others who are easygoing and love people.

The kennels I purchased are working out well, but the flooring is not ideal for indoor use. I'm debating whether or not to remove it. it is designed to channel urine out of the kennel and keep the dogs' feet out of their waste, which is great, but it is very difficult to clean and tends to trap feces. I think my bare wood floor with a mop and bucket, some bleach, and a little pet stain and odor remover will make for an easier setup to keep clean. As far as the flooring is concerned, I might find some use for it, perhaps if I ever need to set up a kennel on my deck and I can clean it with a hose instead of a mop. Of course I'll need to build my deck first.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

-Steve

Posted on March 21, 2008