Do Not Read This Title

( For those who don't want to read it )

We buried Jaz in mum's yard just after 6 pm last night. My sister came by on her way home from work.

We put in her red lead, her bowl, that still had the tender lambs chunks we'd bought her on Sunday in it, the new tennis ball she'd never played with and my old jeans, because she liked to sleep on my clothes. I think that's everything a little dog needs. Then some daffodils and the first tulip & iris from mum's garden.

Two weeks, even a week ago, she was happy, active little dog. She shouldn't be dead.

There's a scene in the novel I'm working on now, where Tibe is talking to his foster father. Dari says "How many of us get to die in our beds surrounded by those we love?" One thing I was always afraid of was having to decide whether to have her put down or not. Instead she died in her sleep, in the same place she always slept, knowing her person was near and watching over her.

When we buried her, mum said she was the most alive looking dead animal she's ever seen, and she's seen too many. But she was a Jack Russell and they're always lively, even when dead. She was always the epitome of what a JR should be :)

Puppy all gone :(

I went down to watch King's graduation test today, but I didn't want to leave Jaz at home. So I thought I'd take her with us, thinking I could leave her in the car to sleep.

When we got there, she wanted to get out. So I took her over with me, thinking she'd just lie near my feet. Last night she couldn't stand up by herself.

But no, she had to walk around. More of a lop-sided stagger around, but she had her legs under and she wanted to move around. There didn't seem a lot of purpose to her walks though. Some of them were targetted at the water bowls, but some just seemed to be wandering, because she could. Which is a typical JR trait -- doing things because they can. She got a lot more steadier during the day too. I think she's been frustrated because she wasn't able to walk or go where she wanted to. But now she can. Mostly. Sometimes she even heads towards the right. She's also much more alert today and generally happier, but still not eating.

Of course, since we got home, she's slept. Not stopping when you get tired is also a typical JR trait. Although she had to climb back up the stairs when we went out for a toilet break too. She just took off into the other room, headed for the water bowl, and I couldn't find her until she started throwing up. Then she collapsed and looked a bit dazed. Poor puppy.

I took some photos today. She was keen to pose for the later one, on the grass, even if she couldn't manage a sit. Unfortunately, the sun is in a bad position.

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Just got back from vets. Last night Jaz was almost normal
again, after being lethargice and sorry for herself all Wednesday.Then this morning her back leg had gone :\

Her whole left side is weak (her head is tilted to one side). Vet doesn't
know what it is. He says cerebrovascular accident and hopefully it's over
and done with now, and not something that'll keep deteriorating. She had a
shot of cortisone and we've got tablets to take every day, and we'll see
what happens next.

She looks so miserable. She alternates between being determined that she can walk, even though she trips over things and falls into her water bowl, and laying there looking miserable.

And I feel bad because I don't know what's wrong with her and can't make her all better and I don't have any way to pay for even today's visit and I don't want my puppy to die :(

Taking dog to the vets this evening.

Usually when I come home & dog is outside, she starts barking at me and, when I let her inside, she does laps around the room. Today, she didn't want to get up from where she was sleeping, and she's walking slowly. Tail down. Scowling at everything. Drinking a lot. Wasn't interested in the sardine I gave her.

She's been sluggish all day, but that's not unusual first thing in the morning.

Edit: Vet couldn't find anything obviously wrong. He gave an anti-inflammatory.

She's perked up now. Still with the tail between the legs pulled down and the low slung back (that's part of her "I'm poor, old dog, feel sorry for me" routine), but head up, moving quickly, looking for food etc.

Not sure if that's because of anti-inflammatories or the long walk + checking out interesting place + car ride home.

After a discussion yesterday about snow, or the lack thereof in our lives in recent years, we decided today to head up to Mt Barrow.

Launceston claims three mountains for itself (which is much better than the mere one they have down in Hobart, if you don't count Mt Nelson, Mt Direction etc. because they're just big hills & you ignore that the three mountains can't actually be seen from most of the city, and where they are, they're sort of blue blobs on the horizon), being Mt Arthur, Mt Barrow & Ben Lomond. Mt Arthur is up north somewhere, you see it sometimes if you're up that way. Ben Lomond is to the south, it's a long, flat thing with a ski resort & snowfields that are sometimes open in winter. Mt Barrow is out east. The turn-off is just 26 km from the city & it's a good location for biology excursions, for both secondary & uni students, there being alpine fauna, wet sclerophyll & mixed forest. (Dry sclerophyll is your standard eucalypt forest; wet sclerophyll has less eucalypts and more rain forest species.)

So we loaded up the station wagon with three adults, two kids, three dogs and enough coats & scarves that if we got stranded somewhere we could support ourselves indefinitely by opening a coat & scarf shop. And off we went.

( More, with photos )

Picked up new camera today!

You know what comes next!

It's a scary camera. I took a few photos around the city, then read the manual :) Took some photos out in what's left of the garden, although it was getting a bit dark. And some photos of cute doggy iside, although she doesn't like the flash.

Nothing exciting. Just "ah, so what's what it can do photos".

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One thing about shorthaired, white dogs who like tummy rubs, is it's obvious when they have fleas, because you see them or their droppings. I assume. It's possible that the dog has fleas and they aren't seen.

The dog doesn't scratch either.

If fleas are never seen and dog isn't scratching, then there's not likely to be fleas. I assume. Yet other people in the area have ongoing problems with fleas.

If dog has had to stay somewhere, like the vet's, overnight then she'll often scratch for days afterwards. I assuem fleas. I sprinkle the environmentally & cheap "flea powder" about (it's talc + eucalyptus oil, that's all) and scratching stops. I assume fleas have gone. Yet other people have to go complicated things like monthly applications of stuff or flea collars.

Is it possible for there to be fleas but no sign of them? And does it matter.

I should go and worry about mice instead of fleas (although they seemed to have declined in obviousness lately).

My dog is weird:

"You're happy now you've been fed? I think we need a code. How about one bark for food, two barks for water, fifty barks--"

"Woof!" *expectant look*

Then she wonders why I'm laughing at her.