The Grim Reality

Posted on July 5, 2008
Filed Under Jasper, Things That Make Me Want To Cry | Leave a Comment

this morning i woke up to the sound of jasper screaming in pain. i had no idea what was wrong with him. i started massaging all over his body to see if he had anything obvious going on but could find nothing. he was in no hurry to sit or lie down, something very unusual for him. so within about 15 minutes of the original howling session, we made an emergency appointment with the vet. they checked him over, he was showing no obvious signs of pain and declared that they had no idea what was wrong with him and to monitor him throughout the day to see if some other symptoms developed. he seemed rather groggy but that was nothing unusual since i had to give him a vallium to get him through the 4th. so instead of going to the store or gardening in the backyard i stayed around the house all day to monitor him. i told him on several occasions that he couldnt have anything wrong with him and he was not allowed to die. it seems to have worked. :) i hope i never ever ever have to hear him in pain like that again. unfortunately the entire episode highlighted the fact that at some point, he will no longer be here. i hope that day comes later rather than sooner because it is going to throw me in such a deep depression that i dont know if i will ever be able to come out of it. sometimes i think i love that dog more than i love myself.

Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom!

Posted on July 3, 2008
Filed Under Care, Jasper, Mistakes, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

since getting jasper, any holiday (or the days proceeding and after) where firecrakers might be enjoyed, i am no longer a willing participant. my days and nights are spent in sleeplessness, dealing with an uncontrollable panic that not even 10mg of vallium can deal with. jasper is completely terrified of firecrackers. last night a thunder and lightening storm rolled into town. about 2 am in the morning jasper started freaking out. i had given him melatonin around 6 pm not expecting there to be an issue late into the evening but it turns out i need to start watching the weather reports, apparently washington state can have thunderstorms just like the midwest. i had to end up giving jasper a vallium to get him to settle down. liame on the other hand didnt seem phased at all by the noise - thank god. i hope that in the next couple of days i am able to keep jasper from freaking out infront of liame. i dont want liame to learn that firecrackers are something to fear. my dream is to one day be able to go see the 4th of july fireworks display from the space needle. my strategies for dealing with keeping jasper calm are the following:
make as much noise as possible (fan, tv, radio)
exercise, exercise, exercise
give melatonin at least half an hour prior to the first signs of firecrackers
get a prescription for a powerful sedative from your vet at least a week before the start of the festivities and make sure you have at least several days worth of the medication

« go back