When we got Obie last month there was pink around both eyes and the hair grew in around one eye, but the other one kept losing hair. When Doctor Dan gave him shots and checked him the first time it really wasn’t that noticeable. When we took him back for his second round of shots this past week  his vet then got a little concerned so we have him on an antibiotic called Cephalexin.

When I checked out the Cephalexin I found that it is FDA approved for humans, but not animals however it is widely used by all vets for bacterial infections.  He has been on it for 2 days and he does fine with the first dose because I give it to him soon after he eats, but the second dose he has been rejecting. These are in capsule form and at first it was hard to get him to swallow it even though I put it as far back as possible and kept his mouth shut and massaged his throat.

The easy way is to put it in a spoon full of applesauce, tilt his head back and it slides nicely down his throat. Applesauce is not harmful to dogs like chocolate and some other fruits for those that are wondering. The applesauce or jello technique also works well for you humans that have a hard time swallowing pills. I had to look up the side effects and the most common is of course vomiting shortly after giving it to them .

It’s usually not a sign of any serious disease, but it does indicate that your pet is sensitive to Cephalexin so since Obie doesn’t throw up the first dose with food in his belly I’ll just have to change his feeding times for the next 5 days and give him 3 meals a day and see if that works for us. If this doesn’t help his poor little eye then the next step is to take a scraping and see if it’s a mite. He hasn’t rubbed or scratched his eye at all since we got him so I really don’t think it will be  mites.

Cephalexin isn’t effective against infections caused by mites, viruses, fungi, or parasites (intestinal worms). Mites cause mange which makes the hairloss, but there are no sores, he doesn’t itch and there’s no ozzing of any sort. All we can do is wait for now and see if the Cephalexin kicks in. March 15th the poor little guy is going to be chipped and clipped (neutered) he’ll be 6 months old then, he’s really such a nice little guy and the vet is very impressed with him and so are we.

We’re very happy he’s sharing our home. If anyone has been through something like this with their pet I would love to hear your input.

Yesterday a commenter took ownership of  The 10 Commandments From a Pet’s Point of View that I had previously posted and love. While checking for more information I ran across The 10 Commandments of Pet Ownership written by Michael W. Fox for Boy’s life in 1985 on page 14.
Sep 1985
96 pages
Vol. 75, No. 9
ISSN 0006-8608
Published by Boy Scouts of America, Inc.

I also ran across a version that you can read better:
The 10 Commandments of Pet Ownership

1. All companion animals should be treated humanely — with patience, compassion and understanding.

2. All pets have the right to have certain basic needs satisfied — regular exercise, play, companionship and grooming. They also have the right to a clean and quiet place to live, rest, eat and sleep.

3. All pets have the right to receive fresh water and a complete and balanced diet each day. They all have the right to receive proper veterinary treatment if they are ill.

4. Like people, all pets have the right to fulfill their lives within the social constraints of responsible ownership, which may include the curtailment of certain needs and instincts — such as the need to roam free or the instinct to breed — for the ultimate benefit of the animal, of society and of the environment.

5. A caring owner (or more accurately, custodian or guardian) understands animals needs and provides those conditions most conducive to ensuring their physical and psychological well being.

6. No person has the right to exploit any animal inhumanely for profit, pleasure, or other selfish purpose, without regard for the animal’s intrinsic worth, interests and needs.

7. Understanding owners respect and appreciate animals for themselves, independent of personal bias and selfish wants. Such owners attend and listen to animals, and even when they appear to misbehave endeavor to ascertain what the animals need or are trying to communicate. Animals should not be overindulged (‘humanized”) to the detriment of their physical or psychological well being.

8. No owner should physically or psychologically abuse, neglect or abandon an animal. The ultimate responsibility is to ensure that when the time comes, the pet will die painlessly and with dignity, if euthanasia is required.

9. Before obtaining pets or giving them to other people, all people have the obligation to the animals to assure that they will live in a home that will best satisfy their basic needs and also that their basic rights will be recognized and upheld at all times.

10. All pet owners and those who care for animals have the right and responsibility to share with others, especially children, the ten commandments of pet ownership and to intercede in defense of any animal when its rights are violated and when it is being treated inhumanely, either through intent or indifference (neglect). The same principles hold true for the custodianship of laboratory, farm and zoo animals — indeed, all creatures under our dominion, including the wild creatures of the land, skies and water of our planet.

Michael W. Fox /From The New Animal Doctor’s Answer Book/published 1989

Click on  Dr. Fox to learn more

Obie’s all kicked back looking cool and relaxed, but he’s just waiting for Sadie to come down and walk past so he can jump her, he likes to attack her and then zoom through the house and when she doesn’t follow him he scrunches down low and barks at her ( the only time I have ever heard him bark) to chase him. He’s so little compared to Sadie that he runs in and out and under her belly biting at her.

As a rule I don’t usually dress my pets unless it’s a kerchief around the neck or a jacket to keep them warm when it’s freezing outside. I have a feeling Bill will be buying all kinds of Harley attire for Obie though. He does look cute in the Harley t-shirt and he hates when I take it off, of course we have to get him some doggie goggles for the trike also. Bill always wanted a biker dog, he’ll probably start leaving me at home now.

I had suggested waiting for Spring to get a puppy because of the weather and I knew we would be in and out every time we turned around. I know Bill was really impressed with this little dog the first time we saw it because Obie was pretty calm. We did walk away from him and even looked other places and then went back a week later and Bill said if he was still there then we’d get him since they had dropped the price and he was still there he figured Obie was meant for us.

Well, he is a nice little guy, but I’m fricking tired and my bones are getting old and cold. What crappy weather to housebreak a puppy in. If it’s not snow and ice then it’s raining and he does make a bunch of mistakes even though I’m using a crate and watch him like a hawk when he’s out, he’s pretty darn quick. Of course unless I catch him in the act it does no good to scold him. I need to teach him how to let me know when he needs to go out, we haven’t gotten that far yet.

I had forgotten how much work and responsibility it takes to have a well mannered and behaved housebroken companion. I am finding it difficult training because of Sadie and I feel guilty that she isn’t getting the same attention, but she already knows all this stuff. With Shadow I used a shaker can with coins in it to curb his bad behavior, but I can’t use that with Obie because Sadie thinks I’m punishing her for something.

We are also socializing Obie so we have been taking him in the Jeep and yesterday we took him for a short ride on the trike to get him use to the noise and the new adventure, he did very well all snuggled up in my jacket. We plan on getting a carrier for the trike so we can take him with us and there again we feel guilty leaving Sadie behind, but it’s something we’ll just have to get over and so will she because it’s what Bill wants. He wanted to take Shadow, but he was just to big and so is Sadie.

I also know it’s confusing for a pup when both people and everyone else in your household do not use the same commands. I think when one person can do the training and make sure the little pup knows what is required then it really doesn’t matter what anyone else says when they’re older they seem to just realize once they are on a schedule. I bought all natural small treats to help with the basic training like sit, up, and down, but there again Sadie thinks she’s suppose to join in the training and get the same treats.

They also recommended Royal Canin33  puppy food since that’s what they were feeding him and he was pooping all over the place and lots of it, yuck talk about smelly, but when I checked about Westies it said they were prone to allergies and shouldn’t have food with beef, wheat, and corn so we changed him to Nature’s Recipe and I didn’t have to search all the labels everything I needed to know was right on the front of the package and believe me it’s made a big difference he doesn’t poop as often and not as much when he does and it doesn’t stink as bad.

I can  feed this as a puppy, adult, and senior. I’m sure there are many great brands out there, but so far so good with this one so I’ll stick with it and only natural treats and carrots. I’m learning a lot about this breed and I love the fact that there’s very little shedding and very low dander which is great since Bill has asthma. Well, I need to go see what the little brat is into now, he has mastered the stairs with those little short legs and cracks me up going down, first the front paws then the back ones sideways until he gets to the bottom few then either takes them head on or jumps the rest.