Life With Leuca

Patience is a Virtue

2010-03-31T09:53:00.003-04:00

After lunch Leuca sits by the gate, right behind me while I sit by the counter and eat. She just relaxes, patiently waits for me to see what's next...

If there is something I have learned from Leuca, it is definitely...PATIENCE. I can't teach someone, in this case a puppy to be patient unless I have the patience to teach and wait myself. Or could I? Ohhh yeah! My patience is being tested from time to time since we brought home this little cute and cuddly being. It also helps to have strong leadership skills. Well, thank God for mother's instincts. LOL But it is always worth it....just look at her! Can't help myself but smile most of the time even when I get truly frustrated. Worst part is it is a cycle that feeds itself just as the Dog Whisperer teaches. Just have to take 5 and breath and pull myself together again. With patience I've learned to find cues in her behavior and use those cues to train her and get the right response I want from her. Every little thing means something. And timing is very important. But of course practice always makes perfect. Seems like a cliche' but it is true. The surprising thing is, I've learned to slow down and really enjoy life each moment and to really just keep it simple. I'll tell you that is really difficult for someone with a Type A personality like me. Hm? Something I've been trying to learn for so many years. Balance. Funny how things turn out sometimes. Thank God, I listened to my husband and my daughter to go ahead and adopt this bully. Leuca is a gift that reminds me each day how wonderful and simple life is and how it can be if we just let it.

Chillaxin

2010-03-31T09:44:00.001-04:00

Just chilling out with Amanda before she goes to work.

...then waited to go out with her.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2010-03-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

Leuca is not digging this weather either

...just watching the rain today.

Pack Walk

2010-03-27T12:38:00.024-04:00

Pack walk with Leuca, Papa, Mama and Amanda.

Of course I was behind taking the pic. Leuca kept looking back at me. She checked on Amanda too when she walked behind. Leuca always wants us altogether where she could see each one of us. She always wants to be in the middle of things, literally.

This walk was a great opportunity to get us all in the same page with each other especially in learning how to walk Leuca properly. It was the best way to learn to stop and correct any unwanted behaviors from Leuca during a walk such as jumping, fooling around, sudden stops and pulling back and nipping on shoe laces, which she has been doing lately with Amanda and me. It makes me wonder if it is just because she's been sick and we were getting frustrated with her. Today Vince showed us how he walks Leuca. A brisk and power walk works for him. We learned each other's style, got us all in sync and together we learned how to make it work for each one of us by being consistent.

There is nothing like doing things as a family and walking as a pack is just one of them.

Sleep!

2010-03-27T12:35:00.005-04:00

To sleep or not to sleep:)

Too drowsy to think...

Day 2 of her Antibiotic...I guess it's finally working.

Or maybe not! Can't get comfortable in one position.

...or perhaps it is Leuca's favorite lounger? Leuca has outgrown it.

Sick as a Dog

2010-03-25T14:47:00.022-04:00

Leuca got sick last Saturday morning at 2am and soiled her den by accident. Normally Leuca sleeps all night after her last walk at night. She usually does not have to go until morning when we let her out and take her for the morning walk before her first meal.

The first thing that came to mind was review what she had, what she ate and what she did the day or so before. Not that hard to do since we, my husband, my daughter and I, are all in sync with her daily activities and it helps that we keep a Leuca Log (an activity log) since the night we took her home.

We thought, it must be the Interceptor (a heart worm medication she takes monthly as per the Vet) we gave her the night before. I researched online for other possibilities...

- Could it be too much excitement? Well, we did take her to 2 pet shop after the vet's office and she saw a few dogs and most of the people wanted to pet her.

- Could it be something she picked up and ate outside? She is quick to pick up mulch and small rocks outside. We usually get her to drop it or we take it out of her mouth.

- Could it be too much exercise? She did get a long walk as usual and played "fetch" and "jump" with papa a bit more that week.

- Could it be a parasite? She tested negative in her last stool sample test.

What else could it be? Must be the Interceptor. We were convinced since she also had diarrhea just a few days after taking it last month and subsided after a bland diet.

I read online that if there are no signs of dehydration, you should fast the dog for 24 hours or 12 hours for a puppy since the last incident of diarrhea. No food or water to clean her system. We weren't to comfortable with that advise so we gave her gave her Pedialyte with cottage cheese by noon to keep her hydrated but no puppy food just like the last time.

By 2 pm, 12 hours after the incident, we gave her boiled brown rice and boiled lean chicken breast cut in cubes then in shreds when we serve it to her. The brown rice was recommended by an acquaintance, also a Vet and she said the fiber in the brown rice will help clean her system. Her bowel movement was off throughout the day so we gave her a tablet of Pepto Bismol (1mg) before bed that night as I read online. The following day, her stool looked normal so we weened her off the chicken rice mixture and gave her regular puppy food, Solid Gold Wolf Cub. That night her stool was still soft so we gave her another Pepto Bismol tab before bed.

The following day, Leuca soiled her den again. Back to chicken rice only this time, I made it with white rice. Leuca was still her playful self throughout this time. You won't know she was sick if not for her stool.

Finally I called the Vet's office on Tuesday, since her bowel movements did not improve. The response was: bland diet. Again. Continue the chicken rice but more rice than chicken for 2-3 days and slowly ween her off of it before going back to her regular food. No dairy as most dogs are lactose intolerant. Give plenty of water. Give Immodium instead, Pepto Bismol has aspirin and the Vet does not recommend it. If diarrhea persists, in 2-3 days while in bland diet, bring her in.

Leuca was still her playful self and not even lethargic. We were sure it will soon pass. So we did what we were advised but no sign of improvement the following day and I am getting worried since she was scheduled to get spayed that Friday at the Animal Welfare Association so I called them to ensure it was still okay to do so with her condition. Their response: consult your Vet.

Spoke to the Vet Wednesday afternoon and she confirmed that it must be the Interceptor and to continue the bland diet and Immodium 2 times per day. Bring her in after 2-3 days if it does not improve. As for the spay procedure, our Vet recommended that she doesn't get it done until she was well unless a presurgical blood test is completed before the surgery and that they give her an IV during to ensure she doesn't get dehydrated. Unfortunately, the AWA does not provide an IV during the procedure and they do not perform presurgical testing.

On Thursday morning, Leuca's stool was as bad as the first day. In the afternoon, Leuca got unusually misbehaved during the walk with me before her meal. My husband, Vince, still did not think much of it and was confident to go through with the procedure. On the other hand, I was getting mixed emotions about it. After getting so frustrated with Leuca's behavior, I wondered if she might have been in pain. I got so worried and emotional about it. Perhaps we were missing something. It didn't take long for my husband to sense my emotions so he immediately got us an appointment to see the Vet that afternoon.

After Leuca's afternoon meal, I got her reacquainted with her seat belt. I let her smell it, touch it and then put it on her. She tried chewing the part that dangled on her sides. She certainly knows how to make me smile. After assuring her it was okay, Leuca fell asleep with the seat belt on.

After a quick nap, Leuca seemed ready to go. Strapped at the back seat, Leuca must have been uncomfortable. She had an accident on her sleeping bag and looked distressed. Good thing she did not soil on the car.

After stopping to walk her out and cleaned up, I finally got her sitting comfortably in the front seat with me while I drive. I gave her my sweater to sit on. She was so calm but she seemed drained.

We picked up Papa that day, so I sat with her in the back seat on her way to the Vet. All was quiet.

We finally arrived the Vet's office. Of course, Leuca didn't seem sick at all. She was excited with the new smells, people and dogs. She was very playful. Everyone was surprised that she was sick since her spirit was high.

Vet noticed her gums were pale. She was alarmed that Leuca had 103 temperature. She lost 4 ounces since Friday when we took her to get the Interceptor but the Vet said that was to be expected since she has diarrhea. She weighed only 29.2 lbs today. Vet ordered a blood test done including the pre-surgical blood work. We were worried and agreed to what was needed to be done eventhough we were temporary short of cash. After a couple of hours, her results came in. Leuca was fine and healthy. Vet later admitted that it was just a slight fever and her gums were probably just pale because she was too excited and hyper-ventillating. Vet was convinced though that it was just the Interceptor that caused it. She also gave her an antibiotic for precautionary measure and a Presciption Diet ID that would be good for Leuca's digestion. And she gave us one hefty Vet bill.

On the way home, I sat with Leuca in the back seat again. As you can see in the picture, she was very mellow and just so sweet.

Ahhh... finally a sigh of relief.

Later that evening, we found out that the diarrhea could have been caused by the Solid Gold Wolf Cub, Leuca's dry puppy food. It has bison meat, which might have been too rich of a protein for Leuca's puppy tummy. We realized that this could be right since it was a new bag of food that we gave to her by itself just days before the incident. We used to mix the Wolf Cub puppy food with another, the Solid Gold Hunden Flucken for puppies but we were not able to that this time since it was discontinued by the manufacturer.

So we decided we would switch her back to Wellness Puppy Mix, with real chicken but also without corn or animal by products, as we ween her off the Prescription diet ID food, after next week. We are certain, Leuca will be better able to digest the chicken meat.

Finally that night, I called the AWA and left a message to rescheduled her spay appointment.

Lounging

2010-03-25T12:39:00.006-04:00

Somebody is finally getting sleepy after playing.

Guard Dog

2010-03-25T09:21:00.005-04:00

For the first time, Leuca barks fiercely. She was about to take a nap on her mat, when she heard the sound of the leaf blower. She saw leaves flying on the deck and she got up alertly with one paw up. When she saw the maintenance man approach the deck to blow off the leaves, she barked...

...calmed down when I told her it's okay. What a good pup!

Don't Have a Cow Man!

2010-03-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

Most chew toys do not last long for an Olde English Bulldogge Puppy. So far only certain ropes or the Kong chew toy has withstand the test of Leuca's puppy fangs. This plastic, squeaky cow toy is no exception. Of course, I should have known but no I didn't follow my brain and just went with my emotion...it was cute and she liked it. Ohh well. That's that. Well worth it for one night!? Yes she Leuca enjoyed it. But maybe not so good as she chewed off the tips of its ears.

Holy Cow!

Fasten my Seat Belt

2010-03-19T10:04:00.005-04:00

In this video, Leuca was going to the Vet today with Mama and Amanda to get her monthly heartworm medicine. It was the first time she rode in the car at the back seat alone and with her new doggie seat belt.

We apologize for the noise in the background, we had to leave the windows open a bit for Leuca.)

Grilling Time

2010-03-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

Papa cleaned the grill today. First grilling for this season. Amanda's friend came over to join us and Leuca was excited. Papa made grilled veggies and chicken breast with mama's marinade, served over a bed of lettuce greens with mama's special lime dressing for dinner... Yummy!

Leuca helped...

This was Leuca's first time out in the backyard with papa at the grill:-) although she won't be eating any of this. Leuca's dinner will be her Solid Gold Wolf Cub puppy food with Bison meat.

Sisterly Love

2010-03-18T20:29:00.012-04:00

Amanda takes Leuca for an afternoon stroll. It's a great way for them to bond while exercising and practice their training together...

Leave it!

Good Girl!

Heel!

Look Right!

Look Left!

Let's go!

Sit!
Good Girl...

Cheese! LOL

Heel.

Heel...Not sit on Amanda's feet:-)

Let's try that again.

Heel! There you go! That's it!

Good girl Vundapup!

Wolf!

2010-03-18T10:03:00.004-04:00

...Leuca's main squeeze. Yes! Still here. Would it be long? Stay posted...

Zzzzz

2010-03-17T20:33:00.000-04:00

This might brighten your day:)

It brightened mine.

Love at First Bite

2010-03-16T18:20:00.006-04:00

This is Leuca's new main squeeze. Hope it lasts longer than her Camie, the Loofa Dog.

Stay tune and see...

Puppy Eyes

2010-03-12T08:25:00.004-05:00

Look at those eyes? How could I resist them? Easy. NOT!

So whenever I feel vulnerable to give in to her puppy eyes, I stop and think for a minute and ask...what could she want now? What does she need? Has she eaten? Does she need to go do her business? Does she want to play? Is she sleepy? Or does she just want to cuddle? Perhaps a belly rub? or just to be with me?

Speak! Not Whine.

2010-03-11T15:53:00.016-05:00

Leuca just had her lunch. It's time to relax and unwind before her nap. Sometimes we let her nap in the kitchen on her favorite "place". But usually we take her with us to the living room on her "place" to settle down. She would play with her toys on her own. Recently she would whine and would want one or more of the following:

1) wants attention usually to play with or to sit next to us when we're watching a movie
2) wants to go out and do her business (usually goes after 30 minutes to an hour after her meal or sometimes after a short nap)
3) wants a food treat (oh but she'll take that anytime if we let her...lol)
4) sleepy but wants 1, 2 or 3 intead

In this instance, she wants number 4.

Because she continued to whine, which she doesn't do often, I tried to take advantage and see if I can train her to "Speak" on command. Let's see what happens...

When teaching our puppy Leuca a new command, I usually just catch a behavior I like then take the opportunity to train her by associating the behavior with a command. Usually I give her a treat such as food like boiled chicken in bits or a soft treat cut up in small pieces, a praise, petting and/or a nice belly rub when she turns on her back. Patience is the key to her training and practice definitely makes perfect. In this case, I caught the wrong behavior and used a wrong command. Talk is not the right command because she was whining. Leuca barely barks so we have to wait until she does and teach her the command "Speak" which is harder to train with.

We quickly learned that t is really about staying our ground as her guardian. Times like these reminds me when my 18 year old daughter, Amanda, was still a toddler and tests my patience. Sometimes it is easier to give her what she thinks she wants because she looks so cute and melts our hearts however we do know we just need to be a little patient and remind each other to put things into perspective. We want a well behaved and balanced dog. Not a spoiled brat.

Minutes later, Leuca finally, relaxed and eventually feel asleep. Sometimes a few human minutes waiting can make a big difference to the well being of a determined puppy.

Nap Time:)

2010-03-10T14:45:00.006-05:00

After an afternoon walk and lunch with mama, Leuca loves to take naps.

This is how Leuca lays on her lounger for a nap.

She sleeps in the oddest positions like she is trying out new doga (yoga for dogs) moves. Quite adorable actually... wouldn't you agree?

Yes these pics were all taken in one nap time....probably within 5-15 minute intervals. LOL

Who sleeps like that? Only our dog Leuca of course:) lol

Leuca does not like to stick in one position when sleeping. She definitely like to strrr...etch. She probably slept about an hour and a half while I took a break to watch TV. Leuca woke up when she heard someone at the front door... my daughter, Amanda walked in. Leuca got up so excited to greet her.

Late in the evening about quarter to nine, Leuca wanted to play some more and tried to get our attention while sitting on the couch. She whined a little bit and then lay down on the floor to get some love. When we did not budge she moved to her lounger and lay there. She knew it was time to unwind. A few minutes later she was snoring.

By 9:30pm, Amanda takes her out for her out for her last stroll before bed and usually in bed by 10pm except on weekends...and that's an entirely different entry.

Live the moment!

Vitamin time!

2010-03-09T10:05:00.007-05:00

Leuca loves her Melaleuca ProCare vitamins and minerals. She must love the smell because she sits still before she is told, then gives us her undivided attention and patiently waits for us to give it to her. It helps Leuca sleep well at night and nap time. It also helps her stay focused and active during the day. It is a nutritional and natural treat for dogs and cats as well. It also regulates her digestion better. In February during the major snow storm in the North East, Leuca got sick with major diarrhea. Yikes! We realized she was out of Melaleuca ProCare treats for about 2 weeks then. As soon as we got the order, we gave her 2 tabs after her first meal. It worked wonders and her bowel movements were back to normal again. My husband promised not to miss our order again. We've been giving Leuca Melaleuca ProCare vitamins since we brought her home in December last year. She was about 8 - 9 weeks old then. Now Leuca is 4 months and she is healthy as can be.

Leave it!

Take it!

For an additional mental stimulation, we put the Melaleuca ProCare tabs in her Kong toy. It takes Leuca less than a minute to take it out. What a smart pup!

(To learn more on how to order Melaleuca products and save about 30% to 40% over other brands sold in the supermarkets, contact Vince at VSchlesier@gmail.com)

Just Resting...

2010-03-09T09:39:00.008-05:00

After a rigorous walk in the morning and the feeding ritual, Leuca goes to her favorite spot by the kitchen sliding door to sit, lay down and rest... just chillax!

And takes s short puppy nap:-)

She loves the morning sunshine. Need I say more?

Heel, Look and Listen!

2010-03-09T09:31:00.003-05:00

As we walk at the pedestrian crossing, Leuca heels when told.

She looks right and looks left and waits until I say "Let's go!"

Leuca is very alert and crosses the street with confidence.

"Good girl Leuca!"

Stop and Sniff

2010-03-09T09:25:00.005-05:00

After a good 10 to 15 minute walk, I let Leuca slow down to sniff the grass. This is her reward for being focused on her walk.

Morning Walk

2010-03-09T09:12:00.006-05:00

Leuca observes her surroundings patiently when we walk outside our community. She stops to look at the cars, listens to the birds and the wind and watches the leaves blow away. When she is focused on the walk she ignores any object like twigs, rocks, pebbles, leaves, etc. on the ground and does not pick them up. She was very attentive with me this morning.

Sniff!

Observe!

While Leuca gets her exercise and mental stimulation, I get to seize the moment, enjoy the walk with her and just let go any thoughts and feelings...just be here and now.

It was a great walk on this bright and beautiful morning...a great start of an awesome day:)

Learning the Ropes

2010-03-08T13:25:00.001-05:00

Leuca learns the ropes from Papa early on her puppy hood. LOL

(Taken: 12/30/2009, Leuca was just about 2 months old)

Supervised Play

2010-03-07T20:30:00.007-05:00

Leuca loves to play fetch

We taught Leuca to sit and stay before she fetches a toy. She has to sit first and look at the person throwing the toy in the eye (not the toy) before we throw the toy for her to fetch. She is very attentive and quick with her moves. She goes for or fetches the ball, the frisbee, her Kong wubba or her ring when you throw it and she brings it when told. Most of the time she just wants to play with the toy longer and keeps it in her mouth. She wants you to chase her at times but we won't do it. She is learning how to release the toy on command. Way to go Leuca!!!

Leuca loves to play and will keep on going if you let her. But it's important not to exhaust her and to end every play at a high note to set her up for success!

Leuca takes a break in between play and keep her hydrated by giving her water.

Leuca certainly knows her boundaries and limitations as we set them up early in her puppyhood. She is now 4 months old and we continue to stay consistent with the rules. We make sure she is calm first and she sits and wait for our queue before any activity. The rules definitely keeps the order in this relationship, making us all happy and satisfied.