Banged bonce and helping other poorly foxies

This week has been a long one......  it started with the beginning of the week at work and Clark had his routine urine test which sadly showed some blood in it so we have had to send it off to the lab for some more specific test. Fingers crossed for some good results tomorrow. We also had the opportunity to review the x-rays again with our specialist orthopedic surgeon Helena White who is a whiz with all things joint, bone and soft tissue related. She talked me through the many fractures that had occurred in Clarks pelvis and we discuss immediate and future treatments for him. In order to control some of the pain he suffers we have decided to use some Metacam to try to ease the limp that occurs after about a 40 min walk - he holds his back right up and only uses his left leg to propel himself along.  

For the longer term it is reasonable to assume that Clark will develop Arthritis in his pelvis and hips and if that becomes extensive or too painful then the last resort would be to remove the femoral head which essential stops the joint having contact when the leg is used, of course this is worse case scenario  but we need to think about his long term health as well as the nearer future. 

 

Had Helena seen Clark when the fractures had first occurred she would have pinned the pelvis and realigned it in many places but the damage is now fixed in the places it healed so intervention would only be prudent if and when pain makes it so. You can clearly see from the above x-ray that his pelvis is shattered in many places but also badly out of line. We are so very lucky to have an amazing group of vets at hand to treat Clark.... Rachael Webb who is an expert in X-rays and Scanning, Helena White in her Orthopedic excellence and Siobhan McInerney in her Small Animal Specialist role. Without them Clark's outlook would be much less rosie and he would not have improved so greatly since his arrival in May. 

On a positive note Clark has been enjoying some lovely walks in the fields now they have been cut. He is very happy when out with his pals and has now progresses to being left with just a short lead attached whilst in the safety of a field with no exits to the road. 

Sadly Clark took a tumble yesterday on the back steps, nothing too serious accept dented pride and a green mark from the algae on the granite!  He isn't marvelous on steps and he tried to get up them too quickly in his excitement to go for a walk. No lasting damage thankfully. 

Terrier SOS never stops helping those terriers in need and sadly yet another very poorly dog has been found in need to help. This little fella, Chico, will not be transported to the UK as he is too poorly and will live the remaining time he has with an amazing volunteer in Spain. We couldn't leave poor Chico spend a cold winter without a jumpie so today Clark and I made him a blue jumpie to keep him warm this winter. Clark was most helpful as you can see both in warming the fleeze :)  and being a model when completed! 

So we shall be posting off the jumpie to Diana, the founder of Terrier SOS, so she can pass it on to Cristina in Spain for Chico. Not all the dogs that Terrier SOS are brought to the UK as they are either adopted in Europe or they are just too poorly or old to travel but they are never rejected, they are given the same support as any of those who do come across to the UK just like Clark. The commitment is to life. The fleece used for this jumpie was generously donated by a lovely friend so not only have we helped a needful little dog but so have they! 

Clark has come a very long way from the the first time a lady in Spain saw him and decided she would help save his life.....

To the day he arrived here in the UK with the amazing Animal Express who had transported him all the way from Spain together with many other dogs and a cat bound for the UK. He arrived in the rain.....dread locked, smelly, exhausted and scared. 

To now.....loving life and getting better all the time despite his many medical problems!

If you would like to donate, foster or adopt please go to the Terrier SOS website. http://www.terriersos.com/dogs/clark-kent-3/

Ninja Cats, Stubble, Whistles and Recall

Dear, sweet, pacifist Clarkus has been attacked by a Ninja Cat! That's right, a Ninja Cat! We were out on our lunch time walk from work and on a route we often take. We came down a few steps with a low wall on our left and as we passed the end of the wall and stepped off the last step out flew a BIG black cat and attached itself to poor Clark's head!  Dear of him he cried, howled and wailed as I batted the cat off him and it danced itself off the path, hissing, into a garden gateway, but then leaped again. This time I was ready for him/her and shooed it away again. Poor Clark was still crying and when I turned around I noticed his collar was missing (luckily I had him on a harness), it was about 4 feet away at the bottom of the steps so I can only assume the cat pulled it off his neck as I had hold of the lead and harness!  Poor boy, it really shook him and me up as we didn't even see it coming and Clark most certainly didn't antagonize it as we hadn't actually seen it until it leaped.  I reckon the darn thing had a black belt and sweat band around its head and was yelling 'hi-ya' as he flew but maybe that's just my imagination!!  I just hope it hasn't affected Clark as up until now he has been very good with cats and hasn't shown any sign of hurting one....... we shall see. 

Not the actual cat but I reckon this is what it looked like waiting behind the wall! :) 

Hurray, the Oat fields have been cut so we are now able to walk in those too. This afternoon Clark had a wonderful walk sniffing the stubble and rolling in the straw (not yet baled). I have now started leaving him off his very long lead and he just has his normal lead left attached to his harness just as a safety measure so I can retrieve him from the hedges more easily. He is so keen to join in the rabbit hunting with the girls and often gets tangled up in the brambles so at least with a lead on I have some chance of getting him back out. His recall is improving and he is following on much much better if we cross from one field to another now. He was happy to stay in the field he was in and not so bothered about coming on with us but he is keener to come along now. Sadly his little back right leg is bothering him when he runs too far and he will hold it up when he is tired and hop along. Today after running about in the fields for 20 mins or so he became quite lame so we walked slowly home and he is now resting in his bed. 

Last weekend Wena and I participated in an agility display at the Cornish Steam and Country Rally at Stithians and on Sunday Clark came along to have a look around. He coped really well with the noise of the Steam Engines and their whistles. It was quite busy and he was great with the crowds too. We said hello to lots of people and their dogs as he had his 'Adopt Me' coat on and drew a lot of interest. He was so relaxed in fact he had a little roll about in the Duck Poo! 

He loves his walks and loves the long grass to hunt to mice and rabbits in, his nose is getting more and more in tune with their scent and here he is poised listening for something to chase!

All in all he is doing really well and next week we shall be doing a urine test to check the PH of his urine and whether crystals are forming. This check is essential to ensure that he never goes through the pain of having bladder stones again. I shall let you know the outcome! 

   

Improved barking and hard work!!

A bit of a breakthrough at work with the barking!! Clark is back in the kennels and is settling with a lot less barking!  I have had him up in the kitchen for a few days and he had settled so we have moved him back to kennels for most of our day at work together. I hope he now believes that I am still there, I haven't left him and he doesn't need to worry. He is a sensitive little soul. 

Something that I have learned from fostering, or I should say something I have had confirmation of, is that rewarding what you want from a dog and ignoring what you don't want works. Clark now knows that he should wait before leaping out of the boot until he hears our release word, he has picked it up without any 'formal' training. We just always use the wait command and the release command (OK) for every time we go in or out of the boot and he has picked it up. His recall is improving too and he is more and more reliable coming back when asked.  All our friends who have studied dog behaviour, formally or informally, will know all the things we do has a direct impact on the dog and we can undo improvements so easily by not thinking through all our actions and directions to our charges. I have learned so much having Clark here.... from my girls reactions to him, from friends support and help, from reading more about behaviour and training and I am so grateful to Terrier SOS for giving me this opportunity to have Clark as our foster boy. 

This fostering business is hard, rescue is hard, both emotionally and physically. I have always supported rescue but until we had Clark I didn't really appreciate how much it takes to have dogs come into your home and into your heart!  He is just such a treasure and absolutely worth every bit of extra work but we have to work every day around all three dogs needs.... I am cautious about leaving him with my girls unsupervised (I am not worried about him, more about Wena eating him!!) Clark therefore has to come to work with me and that means his cage need maneuvering, medication needs to be taken with us, food needs to go, trainers and coats for a walk at lunchtime and lunch for me that takes less then 10 mins to eat as Clarks needs come first.  Walks at home have to be managed as Clark cannot walk as far as my two and he really only needs just two 30 minute walks a day whereas my girls are used to having more.  Feeding time needs managing as Clark has special Urinary food and Wena wants his and he wants Wena's!  Bedtime is easy, the girls have always slept on our beds but Clark has never even attempted to get up, his bed is by my side and he is very happy to be snuggled up down there in his bed, warm and happy.

If you have never fostered but would like to then please don't read the above as a complaint it really isn't, I would do anything to make Clarks time with us right. Read it more as an indication of the ways your life changes without you realising by how much  to accommodate a little life in need of love and attention. It is an absolute pleasure having Clark here and I cannot recommend fostering highly enough so if you would like to take plunge then fill in a fostering form and go for it! 

http://www.terriersos.com/volunteer/

Long journey, a walk with friends and clipping!!

Last weekend we went to Norfolk, yep thats right, Norfolk!  All the way from Cornwall......750 mile round trip and not a grumble from any of the three dogs!  Clark travelled really well and was a happy chap for the whole 11 hours up and 7 hours down. 

We left on Friday at 9am and arrived there at 8pm with a couple of short stops on the way. The traffic was hideous and we all arrived exhausted. 

On Saturday we met up with other supporters of Terrier SOS and some of the wonderful dogs that are in foster or have been adopted! We were delighted to meet Sidney who made the long journey from Spain with a devoted supporter who drove down and back just to collect him. Sid found travelling in a cage beyond his abilities but he came on up in the camper happily and contented on his personally chauffeured trip! Sid has some hip issues similar to Clark but he is not going to let it get on top of him!  He is a treasure and is looking for his forever home too!

http://www.terriersos.com/dogs/sidney/

We also met Bosso, an Airedale, who was shut in a cage for the first 7 years of his life in Belgium.  Terrier SOS free'd him and brought him to London where he learnt to be a 'house' dog and he fell madly in love with Terrier SOS founder Diana Brusi. He will stay with Diana now for the rest of his life, happy and loved. What a difference for him.... from life in a cage where he damaged his teeth and nose chewing the bars to get out, to a life of cuddles, a soft bed and good food. 

We all went for a lovely walk together, all 18 terriers, and had a wonderful guided walk by John. Hilary and John hosted the meet up and whilst we all enjoyed a walk Hilary arranged for us all to be fed on our return! Doggies included, cheese and ham, on tap! 

This week we have been trying to improve Clarks barking at work again and he is housed for part of the day in the kitchen and for other part in the kennels. He is settling a little but still dislikes the kennels, much preferring to be closer to me at reception.  Fortunately I don't work every day so he only has a few days a week to put up with work! 

He loves to be out with my girls and now joins them 'guarding' the road against cyclists and tractors!  You can see in the photo that he uses his left leg to support him more than the right one. 

Today Clark has had a full clip!  He was getting quite curly and hot so I have clipped all three today. The sun has been shining and we have had a lovely walk in the fields again, Clarks recall is improving all the time and he really enjoys his walks. Sadly the spring that feeds the stream has dried up so no paddling for them nor a refreshing drink whilst we are out but they all still love to be out there in the Cornish air!

He certainly is a handsome fella!!

'What....You talkin' to me?'