The Puppy's Report Card

Not only do I have children with special needs, but my animals seem to be in this category as well.

We noticed that my oldest daughter's cat was having difficulty in "her" litter box.  My daughter said "Sophie" was having repeated accidents and it was bothersome and annoying.  Well, we found out that Sophie is actually a boy and we changed his name to "Mike" and he's a big boy.  He stands up to pee and when he does, he sprays outside his litter box, thus, causing an accident.  I made a new box out of a Rubbermaid tote and it solved the problem. Mike's behavior has improved, his attitude has improved.  Our attitude toward Mike has improved.  He's a joy to be around.

Now on to Khloe.  Khloe was found by the river.  My oldest had to bring her home.  Khloe is a beautiful kitten who is more ADHD than my youngest daughter.  It's profound.  Khloe's fixation is toilet paper and paper towels.  She shreds them.  We were trying to figure out why.  Cat pica is common in kittens who were weaned too early.  I figure this is the root cause.  We also noticed that Khloe will only drink out of the kitchen faucet.  She refuses to drink out of the water bowl, a  round, metal bowl.  We recently discovered that when she needs a drink, her behavior becomes worse and she seeks out toilet paper and paper towels!  Aha.  It's like a sign!  As she runs for these products, we head to the sink and she stops what she's doing and runs to get a drink!  Problem solved.  For now, anyway.  She can't always drink only from the kitchen faucet. 

Now on to the puppy.  the puppy is an 18 pound Chihuahua.  Yes, I said 18 lb Chihuahua.  She went to the vet recently and the vet said she failed her report card.  She has a cherry eye, she is obese (ya think?) and she has a fatty tumor (Hernia).  She also has hip dysplasia.  I asked what the fix was for this, as it can lead to serious problems.  She looked me right in the eye and said "Diet and exercise, that's all".  Ahhhhh.  Alright.  Well, I went straight to the store and found some joint pain tablets for dogs.  Kiki has taken two, just two, so far and her play time has doubled, before she got tired.  In fact, I got worn out before she did.  That's with TWO tablets.  I am shocked.  Absolutely shocked.  It's such a relief for us!  Sweet sweet Kiki will be feeling better soon!

We will start walking outdoors as soon as the weather stabilizes.  It's too chilly out yet.  My hope is to have her down to about 12 lbs by fall, if not 10 lbs.  We shall see! 

When you have pets, you need to take the time to figure out what their needs are.  They are like little toddlers who can't tell you where it hurts or why they are having repeated accidents.  They just hiss and fuss, bite and whine when things aren't quite right.  When things go well they cuddle and snuggle and purr. Try to be patient with them.  They deserve this from you. 

~Maggie