Carter went to the vet yesterday for a checkup and I was really kind of bummed about his weight until I did some thinking. He's 100 lbs right now. Before we went to the vet DH and I both felt like he's put some weight on since he came. He still feels horribly thin but not as emaciated as he felt when he came. Supposedly he was 100 lb when he came though so I couldn't figure out what was going on. Went back to his records and the 100 lb was when he came in to rescue at the beginning of April. I didn't have a weight from the day he was neutered. I'm guessing he actually lost weight in rescue probably due to stress. She said he was only eating about 5 c of food free choice. Here he has eaten anything and everything I've put in front of him! I've actually limited his intake since I didn't want to upset his stomach. She had to give him a relaxer (clomicalm) or he'd freak out in the crate at night. He was not able to be outside there at night due to neighbors close by. He is not a laid back, take what comes kinda dog. He's very loving and sweet, but he is high energy, a bit of a worrier, like both Jesse and Eider. I think he was just completely stressed out and not eating as much as he should have due to that. Anyway, he does seem to be putting on a bit of weight slowly but surely. He seems to have plenty of energy and seems to feel pretty good so I'm happy with that progress. We'll just keep on what we're up to I guess and see how he continues. He's got plenty of room out there to run and patrol and seems quite happy working. He also LOVES attention! He and DS#2 are great play buddies.
Had the vet check his hips and back legs thoroughly because he seems stiff on them at times and carries the one kind of strangely. He said his muscle is keeping the hip in place right now if there is a problem with the joint itself. He said the best thing to do is let him settle in for another month or so and see how it is doing at that point and possibly to get an x-ray at that point to see what is going on. He thinks there is some arthritis setting in in one of the joints but hard to say where exactly without an x-ray. Carter doesn't seem to have any specific pain that he could find but he obviously doesn't put his full weight on the one side. I've started glucosamine chondroitin supplements to try to help fight off those problems as best I can but only time will tell.
His ears looked clear as far as he allowed the vet to look. We backed him into a corner to try to get in and look at those ears but he was pretty spastic about that. He put up about 300 lb of fight! LOL! I was drenched in sweat from trying to control him. He wasn't nasty, just pawing, squirming and what not. Hard to get a look when that is going on! If we get the x-ray on the hips, I'll have them check the inner ear then. We're pretty certain that he doesn't hear much. He does hear a little bit but only certain ranges and when it is loud. That said, he gets along fine and it doesn't seem to impact his overall health! He is alert and certainly interested in what is going on. He relies a lot on his sight and also somewhat on Katie. They are a great working team!
Katie is still asserting herself over the other dogs. She's gotten a lot more at ease with Carter but she still gets kind of snippy at times, esp when she wants to be the center of attention and he is too close. She puts the capital B in _itch in that respect. She doesn't tolerate Eider, but we also find his pestering annoying at times so who can blame a gal! LOL! She absolutely adores the kids and all people and loves to have her belly rubbed. If you walk anywhere through their enclosure, she's right there glued to your leg. She's truly a people person! DS#1 and DD are both in love with her. That said, she's also a great guardian! She's so alert and woofy if she sees any critters that don't belong. She chased the guineas quite a bit the first few days but when told "no" she was quick to stop. She seems to be settling in pretty well now, eating much better, though still not with Carter's enthusiasm, and just all around seems pretty happy.
I've been walking them in the evening - my very favorite thing to do! They've gotten so that they really look forward to the walks and start looking up to the house for movement in the early evening. If I go outside any time after dinner, they start woofing, jumping and getting all excited. They're so cute! They are both pretty good on the leash but a few things have cropped up that have me thinking I might want to go ahead and get Gentle Leaders for them. Carter LOVES to chase cars! He's not really that hard to handle as long as I get a grip on his collar but it is a bit disconcerting at times if one comes up kind of quickly and I'm trying to get hold of his collar! Katie goes nuts when she sees deer, woodchucks or other critters. She thinks she's going to give chase and kill! That's ok if I see it first but she's got quite a pull there when she catches me off guard! She gets all excited, yippy and jumpy. What a pair! They've certainly been keeping me busy getting into a good routine! Whew! Anyway, here are some pics from this week:
