So Where Have We Been?

Well that is a good question!  We have not actually been anywhere but have been dealing with various things at home and time has been short.

This last week we had contractors show up unannounced to install bay windows in our living room and master bedroom.  We had purchased the windows back in July and it has taken until now to get to the top of the contractors list.  While it is good to be having our windows installed a little notice would have been nice!

The new windows will make our view of the girls pasture even better and it is amazing how much bigger and brighter the rooms seem since they were installed.  We can cria watch in style now.

Along with the contractors we have also had puppy Blue back to the vet again.  It seems she has quite a sensitive stomach which is not helped by her wanting to eat everything she comes across.  We thought we were making some progress with her but tried a tiny amount of a different dog food on Friday and she is back to having an upset stomach – looks like I will be cooking meals for a little dog as well as humans as she seems to do fine on cooked chicken.

We have also been busy buying alpacas – a couple for us and a couple for a client of ours.  More on that in later posts, but my search for a black male alpaca is over!

Ric has been busy preparing for the New Mexico State Fair and the show program is now coming together.  He will leave for Albuquerque on Wednesday to get things set up at the show grounds before the exhibitors start arriving on Friday.  I will be staying at the farm, looking after alpacas and cooking for dogs.  If you are attending the State Fair make sure you go and say hello to Ric and I am sure he will be happy to see you.

So life has been a little time consuming (are we getting older or are the days really getting shorter and going by quicker?), but that’s how life goes sometimes and before long everything is back on track.

Contractors and sick puppies permitting I hope to resume the posts to the blog in the coming week.

Rosemary

One Sick Little Puppy

Not much time for writing on the blog the last few days as our little puppy Blue was taken ill at the weekend.   We still don’t really know what the problem is; our vet suspects a bacterial infection and hopes it is that rather than an intestinal blockage.

On Sunday evening we could tell Blue was not well, as the evening went on she progressed from having diarrhea to starting to vomit and then becoming lethargic.  We already had a vet appointment for Monday for Blue’s last vaccinations and so arrived at the vet poop sample in hand (the vet has us well trained) to see if the vet could figure out the problem.

We ended up taking another trip to the vet on Tuesday as Blue was getting worse.  Now with some antibiotics, antacids and anti nausea medication Blue is making some progress but in fits and starts.  We are optimistic when she eats only to have our hopes dashed when she goes back to not eating the next day and vomiting again.  We have had days when she will not eat or drink anything – a worrying situation when she is only a 9 lb. puppy.

Yesterday Blue seemed to be doing a bit better.  On Wednesday evening we gave her some of our tried and trusted MSE drench (yes you can use it on dogs too).  While Blue hated the taste of it (that’s understandable) we did get most of the ½ cc dose into her.  We also syringe fed her chicken and rice baby food to try and stimulate her appetite and gave her a photonic red light treatment for nausea and to increase her appetite.  By Thursday morning she did seem a little perkier.  Yet another consultation was made with the vet who feels that the antibiotics are starting to have a positive effect and that we should see greater improvement today and Saturday.  Let’s hope so!

So with a little sick puppy who did not want me out of her sight (how can you resist those pleading blue eyes) there was not a lot else done around the farm except routine chores.  I did manage to do a little spinning as Blue was too lethargic to try and bother my wheel as I used it.  She still had her influence though as she had been into one of the bobbins of yarn I was plying and had made a huge tangle of the yarn.

By Thursday evening Blue was up to playing and starting to be able to take a little more food, but the amount she can eat at one time is very small and we are being very selective about what we feed her.  We have found a homeopathic anti nausea remedy called nux vomica that seems to help.

It’s difficult to tell what started Blue’s illness, she loves to pick things up in her mouth and while we try and stop her sometimes she does manage to sneak something past us.  It’s likely Blue picked up something up that had some nasty bacteria on it which then entered her system.  Whatever it is really hit her hard, but it looks as if we might be turning the corner and heading toward Blue’s recovery.  Who would have thought we would have missed her flying face licks and cracker dog sessions so much.  We look forward to seeing Blue flying through the air at us again soon.

Rosemary