Archive for the ‘Beagle’ Category

The Latest Shorty Report

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008


I hope Shorty will forgive us for the picture. That’s Ian’s hat he’s wearing. I think he was born with more tongue than mouth, though.

On Friday and today Shorty had his final heartworm shots. It was bad yesterday. I thought he was getting the shots in his hip, but he was actually getting them in the lumbar muscle. He did great at the vet but the rest of the day was tough. When I pulled into the garage at home he blew massive chunks on the front seat and, like a waterfall, into the floor. I surely don’t remember feeding him that much. It took four beach towels to clean it out of the car and I also had to wash the floormat. Oh, well, he was just getting back at me, I guess.

He spent most of Friday in bed and when he wasn’t there he went from crate to crate. It was like he felt better with the walls around him. No matter where he was he couldn’t find a comfortable position and he did a lot of shivering and shaking. I hated the thoughts of him having to go again today.

We babysat Ian today and were concerned we would have a problem with him and Shorty. Earnestine took Shorty for the shot while I picked up Ian. I’m glad to report they both did great. Shorty seemed to have recovered a lot by this morning and the new shot did not hit him like it did yesterday. Ian did well being gentle to both Shorty and (elderly) Betty even though he wasn’t perfect at it. He is only two, however.

So, this is a good Shorty report. He still has potential problems ahead as the heartworms die, but I just caught him trying to see if there was food on top of the kitchen counter. Those lumbar muscles must not be too sore.

Stay tuned. I have more little Earnest stories coming but Shorty has gotten the attention for this chapter of Earnest Talks. He earned it.

Posted in Basset Hound, Beagle, Heartworms, Shorty | No Comments »

He’s a Sick Dog

Friday, May 23rd, 2008


It was only a few days ago that I introduced you to Shorty. You could probably tell by that blog that I was smitten. I don’t often get so involved with pets. I like them (and certainly love them) but I’m just a little removed from being enthralled by them. I know that Shorty quickly bridged that gap and stole my heart.

When he originally wormed (pardon the pun) his way in he was in a crate at Petco. For those of you who know our history this will be meaningful. His name then was Fred and the date was December 1, the original Fred’s birthday. We already had a Fred(die) at home but knew we could change his name. Although it has been a long time since Fred left us, this dog certainly used our love for Fred to his advantage. There was no way he wasn’t going home with us that day (the exact course of events might make a later blog.)

The folks at Petco were honest. The told us he had a “mild” case of heartworm. Our vet agreed and said the normal monthly heartworm treatment would take care of that. Well, on Monday he went to the vet to check on his cough. The news was not good. Our vet said the veterinary world had taken an entirely new approach to heartworms in the last six months. Now there was no such thing as a “mild” case and he needed the aggressive treatment right away.

So, Shorty got a shot of something similar to arsenic. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem to be a good thing. It isn’t good for the heartworms. It kills them. Sometimes it also kills the dog. I’ve actually had another dog treated this way but she stayed with the vet the entire time. He told us it would either cure her or kill her. It cured her. This vet sent Shorty home.

He came home very sore. He came home very upset by the whole thing. He lay in my office most of the day and I worried and fretted and came very close to crying on several occasions. I hated seeing him so obviously in pain as he tried to find a comfortable way to lay down. I hated the fear I had that he might die in front of me. The internet says we have to keep him calm for six to eight weeks. He’s a beagle! He doesn’t understand calm!

He has one more, even more traumatic treatment in a few weeks. I’m not sure, but I think he’s probably going to endure it better than I will. I look at him and my heart just melts. His eyes have me totally hooked. When he comes to me for a “scratch,” as I call it, he gets my attention no matter what I’m doing. When he lays on my chest in bed in the morning I’m a jellyfish. Did I tell you he lifts his front leg to be scratched in his pit? He does! And I do!

Earnest is a Shorty wimp. I’m not ashamed to say that. Earnest is scared Shorty won’t make it. I can’t have another pet that comes and goes in a few months, but that’s another blog. Stay tuned for the Shorty and Earnest updates.

Posted in Beagle, Heartworms | 1 Comment »

He’s A Short Dog

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

You can’t tell from this picture, but he really is a short dog. Does he look comfortable? He should, he’s in my bed.

Did you ever think about how our pets own us? Not only that, I believe they come into our lives when they choose. This short dog came into my heart the moment I saw him and he’s there for good. He chose us at a time we were committed to not getting another dog. We could not refuse him, could we.

Some say he’s a Beagle. Some say he’s a Basset. I say he’s the reincarnation of a dog that belonged to my brother when I was a teenager. He was one of two brothers who were the result of an accidental mating of a Beagle and a Basset. One was Duke (the tall, Beagle side) and the other was Shorty (the short, Basset side.) I look at the dog in the picture and know he is short and looks like he’s half Beagle and half Basset. Of course his name is Shorty.

Posted in Basset Hound, Beagle, rescue dog | No Comments »