Bolognese Pups

New dog food

2011-04-08T09:39:00.003+04:00

Have been mixing new food (Acana, Orijen, and Wellness) for the 4 darlings for the past few months .... they seem to love them ...... good, cos Evo Innova is getting increasingly difficult to obtain in Singapore .... While the supplier has yet to increase the price ... but i am sure it will be so in the next few months.

Found the brand 'Ziwi Peak' in Sydney!! Yippe!! Has been reading lots of good review about this brand .. a good alternative for Evo Innova. Bought 5 kg pack, and will be bringing it to Dubai during my upcoming trip. Also bought Tropiclean dental products and some greenies teenies!

Quite a while since i last saw the 4 babies .. the maid has been taking real good care of them - from Skype, i can see that all of them are happy and well taken care of ... and most importantly, fifi's skin rash problem has been resolved .... so far, no more recurring rash .. so the past food products are ok and not creating any allergy issues with them.

The last product that i wish to try out is Artemis Maximal .. which i also heard good reviews about. Maybe the next trip then.

Cannot wait to hug them and spend some quality time together during my semester break.

New clothes for the new year

2011-01-09T14:03:00.002+04:00

All the 4 darlings have really grown ..... The past clothes and accessories have become a little too 'tight' for comfort for them.

Dubai is getting really cold now. Can always find Coco, Hugo, Yoyo and Fifi cuddling each other :). But they still love a good sprint in the garden :))

So for the new year, bought 4-5 pieces of new clothing. Hope these will fit them well.

Various pieces of their beddings etc have also become old and tattered ... would probably need to have them change soon ... like in the next 2-3 months ..

Hope 2011 will be a good year for the 4 darlings .... healthy and happy ..... besides the annual vaccination visit to the vet, and the intended tooth scaling (already postponed since last year), hope they do not have any major aliments that need medical attention ... it is always such a terror to go to the vet!!!

Internet is up ... finally!

2010-08-11T05:37:00.002+04:00

Finally, got my internet hooked up in Sydney. Took almost a month to get this rectified .... gosh!!

Have not seen the 4 darlings for more than 1 month now .. sure miss them!! .. But i see them on skype a while back and they look happy and healthy ... and still having lots of fun at home :)

The maid has done great job in keeping them hair knot-free ... and even managed to clip their nails (which i am not even able to do!!).

Fifi and Yoyo wil be having their 2nd birthday on 18th Aug. So fast .. they are already 2 years old. Coco and Hugo will be celebrating their 3rd birthday on 23rd Sept .... :)

Found that somehow all except Hugo do not seem to 'hear' or 'see' me on skype. I tried to call them, wave at them etc .. but they don't seem to notice. Except for Hugo, who will stare very hard at the screen and tilt his head to 1 side, trying to figure out why is mommy's voice coming from the tiny box. haaaa :)

Hopefully, when i am back in Sept, will be able to take more pictures and update more content to the blog. Yahoo!!

Coco hairless!!

2010-05-04T12:13:00.002+04:00

Coco had her hair shaved .... too much knots on her back ...
But she looked really cute now .. like a puppy!

Now Hugo is getting a little bit of knots (not so bad) on his legs and bum .... so he could be the next one that i will send in for shaving ...

Anyway, summer is here .. and weather is getting hot .. so getting them shaved will make them more comforty.

Yoyo and Fifi are doing well with their hair. Initially, thought pomeranians are really difficult to take care and maintain .. but on the contrary, Yoyo and Fifi never gave me any problem with their grooming ... hair is always fluffy and nice .... even if i only comb them once a week ... they have NO knots at all ...

:)

Hugo and FLEAS!!

2010-04-18T16:22:00.003+04:00

While bathing Hugo yesterday, it seem that there are some bite marks near his neck area. Looks like fleas and tick bites ...

However, did not actually see any fleas or ticks, just a few scabs near those bite marks.

Maid wash all their bedding and furniture ..... we checked the rest of the dogs too .. nothing at all .... hmmmmmmm

Hope it is not Coco's allergy passing to him, or him passing to Coco. These 2 are now under our watchful eyes. :)

Fifi and Yoyo just look lovely in their fluffy hair ... no mess, no matt (touch wood ...) :)

Coco going for grooming

2010-04-18T16:19:00.002+04:00

Coco's itch patch seem to be recovering ... just some scabs left and should drop off quite soon.

She has a few more days of antibiotics, and YIPPY!! She is off them.

Poor coco's hair is getting matted (on her neck and back), despite the fact that her hair is still quite short.... hmmmm .... think due to the itch and we have been putting her tee-shirt on her, we did not brush her out as much ... poor thing.

Hugo's hair is much longer, but his hair so far is ok (touch wood ...) .. not much crazy knots.

Arranged for the groomer to drop by this Friday, and do a good job on Coco ... hope not TOTAL SHAVE again!!! Ewwwwww

Recommended dog food

2010-04-11T12:03:00.003+04:00

Was happy to find this link http://www.nhratterriers.com/goodfood.htm. It contains the recommended dog food. Yippy!! Innova is one of them.

What to look for on the ingredient list?
Quality Foods Should Contain:
- Superior sources of protein, either whole fresh meats or single source meat meal (ex. chicken meal rather than poultry meal)
- A whole-meat source as one of the first two ingredients.
- Whole, unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods. Nutrients and enzymes are more likely to be found in unprocessed foods.

Quality foods should contain very little to NONE of the following:
- Food fragments - lower-cost by-products of another food manufacturing process, such as brewer's rice and wheat bran...Manufacturers usually include at least one fragment to help lower costs. Beware any food that includes several fragments.
- Meat by-products (not handled as carefully as whole meat) - any food that contains meat by-products as the MAJOR protein source indicates a low-quality product.

HIGH-QUALITY FOODS SHOULD NOT CONTAIN:
- Fats or proteins named generically (ex. animal fat/poultry fat instead of beef fat/ lamb meal)
- Artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, ethioxyquin)
- Artificial colors.
- Sweeteners (corn syrup, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin) to improve unappealing food Propylene glycol - a toxic substance when consumed in large amounts; added to some "chewy" foods to keep them moist.

Coco itchy patch update

2010-04-11T11:48:00.002+04:00

Coco's itchy patch is getting better. No longer as red. The 'pimples' have dried up to a scab, and some have dropped when i was bathing her in the weekend. But we still had her tee-shirt on, just in case she or the other dogs lick or scratch the area again.

Once Coco is done with her antibiotic (cannot wait for her to complete them), will have to bring her back to the vet for a review checkup.

But so far, she looks great and eats and plays as per normal. (what a relief)

Orijien dog food

2010-04-07T11:43:00.002+04:00

In the midst of finding alternative dog food, in case my supplier decides to stop further import of Innova/Evo brand.

Bought Orijien 2.5kg pack from Singapore, and have started to mix it into the regular Innova/Evo food.

They love it!!! Great.

But the price is really steep - more expensive than the Innova/Evo brand.

Will continue to source for other good brands, and see which would be the best alternative (both for the dogs, and on my pocket ... *gulp*)

Pet relocation to Sydney

2010-04-05T18:25:00.002+04:00

Was doing some reading up on the import and quarantine regulations of pet into Australia ..

Sheer nightmare.

So much medical checkup + documents .. and the most nasty one is the minimum 30 days quarantine after the pets' arrival. Really cannot imagine having them quarantine in a strange location, being separated from one another (might get 2 to stay with each other), being fed low-grade commercial food + no TLC (tender loving care) from all of us :( ... and for more than 30 days!!!! I am sure they will think we have foresaken them and dumped them for adoption ...

Sigh.

The cost of medical checkup in Dubai is not cheap ... so i figured would cost a few thousand dirhams per dog .... then the airticket for each of them ...

The quarantine fee is not cheap either .. each dog approx AUD1,300 ... so am looking at a total bill of SGD10,000 .... argggggg!! And relocating to Oz might not be permanent too ... *faint*

Let's see how this will turn out.

Coco and her itchy patch

2010-04-05T18:20:00.003+04:00

Hugo has fully recovered from his itch at the groin .... nothing serious .. and he is back to normal.

The maid noted a small patch of rash on Coco's right side 2 days back. Just arrived back in Dubai this morning, and we made an immediate appointment with the vet at 11am. As the small itch patch is localised, the vet did not suspect any allergy or other skin problem attributed to flea/ticks. Whew!

But he did recommend some antibiotic to get the rash at bay .. in case it is really something problematic .... lucky it is a short course .. as i really hate to put them under any medication.

Coco is still normal ... play a lot, eat alot ... and yes, zzzz alot too ...

Vet suspected that the dogs may have played too rough, and caused some scratches which resulted in the rash ... i think so too ... they do get quite rough when they play together ....

Coco is now 3.9kg .. my goodness .... FAT!!! :)

Will be visiting the vet in another 2 weeks' time. Hope everything clears up then.

Hugo ... a little itchy in his groin

2010-03-18T12:25:00.002+04:00

Poor Hugo .. back from his grooming session ...

Due to the knots near this inner thighs and groin area, the groomer has shaved all the hair there. Think the groomer might have used an electric razor to do the job .. so Hugo is getting a little bit of itch after that shave.

Caught him licking himself more often .. and have to stopped him by washing and wipping which seem to provide some relief.

He seem uncomforty, and did not want to play as much .. poor boy :(

But from yesterday, he seem to be better .. he started to engage in crazy chasing and running games with Yoyo in the garden .. so i guess he is back to normal now :)

Heee

Relocation?

2010-03-17T11:39:00.002+04:00

It seems that my plan for postgraduate studies in Australia will be materialized. If all goes well, I should be moving by early June. If otherwise, next year February.

In any case, will need to start looking at the option for the 4 dogs. Should they stay in Dubai, or move with me to Australia .... hmmmmmmmmm

The only concern i have is the the accommodation in Australia is aan apartment, and not a villa like in Dubai. So, the dogs will not have a big garden where they can run around in. While there is a park nearby the accommodation, but ferrying 4 dogs across traffic seem so stressful for the 4 dears. Arggg!!!

And i need to get them retrained in terms of toilet training - which will be another nightmare!! The accommodation in Australia has lots of carpetting ..... ewwwwwwwwwww!!! Accidents seem inevitable ... OMG!!

Let's see what happen nearer to May ... but i definitely will NOT give my darlings away ... they are staying with me (either in Dubai or Australia) no matter what :))

Food ... Food ... Food

2010-03-17T11:29:00.002+04:00

Looks like Innova and Evo will be slowly phased out in Singapore ... they are getting quite expensive, and many suppliers have stopped stocking them ... Arggggggg!!

Looks like i have to start looking around for an alternative dog food when i can no longer get my hands on Innova or Evo. Am sort of interested in Orijen - but this is SOOOO Expensive (more than Innova or Evo, which i already thought has outrageous price tags). Maybe I should try to get hold of the smallest pack available, so that i can let the 4 dears 'try' it out, before i start any full-scale ordering.

Hugo and Coco are developing a little bit of tar build-up in their teeth ... hoping to avoid teeth scaling - not to mention that it is really expensive in Dubai, but also uncomforty to let them go under GA (you never know what can happen).

Was recommended ProDen PlaqueOff Animal. Seem like it has raving reviews on the effectiveness to improve dental conditions of pets. An extract from the website:

"PlaqueOff is manufactured by the Swedish company ProDen and has been available for use since 2001. It is a specially selected seaweed that contains iodine (SW1313/D1070) which is ground up into a powder and put onto your pets food. It comes in a white plastic pot with a picture of a dog and cat on the front. The contents are a dark green colour and you can see it is ground up seaweed. It has a slight smell but is not unpleasant. PlaqueOff comes in three different sized pots and each pot is supplied with a small spoon for ease of application. It is free from artificial colours, preservatives, gluten and sugar. It is suitable for use on dogs and cats but they do also sell a human version in tablet form. They do not recommend use on pregnant or nursing animals or animals undergoing treatment for hyperthyroidism.

The powder is absorbed into the blood stream and then out through the saliva where it disrupts the bio-film that causes plaque, tarter and bad breath thus over time reducing the build up. It claims results are normally seen after 3 - 8 weeks."

Also bought some finger dental toothbrush .....

Hope the 4 dogs will get used to their new dental routines.

Cold and sleepy

2010-01-04T17:18:00.002+04:00

With the weather now going before 16 degree cel, the 4 dears are always seen hibernating in their cosy corners.

They love their clothes on, which I guess, add to the warmth ... Just adorable!! Yoyo will literally bark your ears off if you take off his clothes without replacing another one for him .. heeeee.

Coco and Fifi just love to come close and cuddle ....... how nice.

Hugo is getting more social and likes to be hugged now. But compared to Coco and Fifi, he is really much more aloof. :)

Now the humans at home are just like floor mats. You sit on the floor, and the 4 will just come crowding around, climbed all over, get some warmth and dashed away .... haaaa.

Little Fifi has also developed this liking to gnaw at my cross stitch stuff .... either pulling the threads, or trying her luck to chew at the cloth .... *&$#&*$#&*(&$*(#($* ... well, she still has that innocent look on her face, so she is spared from any spanking :)

Coco for her return visit to the vet

2010-01-04T17:13:00.002+04:00

Fixed an appointment for Coco to return for her checkup on 16th Jan (Sat) @ 9.15am.

It seem unlikely that she is pregnant - so, she is simply just too fat!! (but we will still get her to be checked out, just in case). If the test turns out negative, then we will proceed to have her vaccinated.

Once that is done, we have to make arrangement for another trip - for both Coco and Hugo to get their teeth cleaned. It will be their 1st time doing it (after 2 years) .... hmmm .. hope they don't get tramatized after that.

Noticed that Yoyo has a bit of built up on his teeth already .. but i think it should hold for another year.

Hugo back on his feet

2009-12-15T09:53:00.002+04:00

Made a few checks on Hugo last night ... he just seem to be zzzz and looked so exhausted .. poor boy.

This morning, he was back on his feet ... waiting for us at the foot of the staircase, wagging his cut little tail :) ... So glad to see him back to his normal state .. lucky vaccination is only administered once a year - so hugo only need to endure the reaction to the vaccination once a very long time.
Great!!

Visit to the Vet Hospital

2009-12-14T21:13:00.003+04:00

Had the whole gang sent to the Vet Hospital for their annual checkup and vaccination.

1. Fifi had her shots a few months back, after she recovered from her Parvo sickness. So, she just tagged along to offer comfort to the rest of the gang.

The vet was nice enough to clip her nails (since we were too scared to do that at home :P).
As we suspected that Fifi might be pregnant due to increased appetite and slight rounder figure, the vet performed an ultra sound on her.

Still too early to tell - we were told to return in another 2 weeks' time.

2. Yoyo had his annual vaccination. Brave boy. Never move an inch, or whimper in pain or anything. Vet also had his nails clipped.

3. Hugo had his annual vaccination. He gave that pathetic look to the vet when the injection was applied. heeee .... Nails clipped as well.

Seem like Hugo developed some reaction to the vaccination when we returned home - slight redness on the eye lid (lucky no swollen), and slight temperature. He does not seem to want to eat, and looked tired.

As he had the same symptoms last year, we are not so worried. Will check on him tomorrow and hope he is back to normal ...

4. Coco is a terror!!! @_@ difficult to carry and manage .... vet had to get another assistant to come into the room to hold onto her. finally get her nails clipped.

As we also suspect that Coco might be pregnant, she was subject to ultra sound examination. OMG!!! Terror ..... so difficult to put her still.

Vet advised that we return again in 1-2 weeks' time. Still a little early to confirm. As such, no vaccination applied until it is confirmed that she is not pregnant and is safe to have her vaccination.

I hope i don't get the result subsequently that Coco is just simply FAT and not pregnant .. gosh, how embarassing :)

But i am glad the whole gang is happy and healthy :) ... that is the most important!!

IV drip

2009-11-10T10:47:00.002+04:00

I finally know how it felt to be on IV drop ... that is, what Fifi had undergone earlier due to her Parvo .... as I myself was on one due to a recent kidney infection episode.

Photo-taking has to be postponed to the weekend ....

The maid is back, and all 4 of them are really glad to see her ... now they shadow her everywhere she goes ... how cute :)

But they all like to come by now and then and give you that 'i still love u mommy' look to assure me that they have not 'forgotten' about me .. heeee

Coco is starting to grow out of her 'baldness' .. so the next photos should look so much better .. in fact she has that puppy look which i really like ... coco has that 'panda' look now as we have stopped the vinegar water thing when the maid left for her 3 week break .. now she is back, hope the resumption of giving the vinegar water will reduce the tear stain soon :)

Hugo still look quite bald ... heee ....

Fifi and Yoyo .. as usual .... terrorists in the house!!!

Time to take more pic

2009-11-01T11:50:00.003+04:00

Busyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ....

My work load is finally settling to a reasonable level .. so i will have more time to update the blog, and take more pictures (before the camera grow MOLD!)

The past 2 weeks have been really hectic, especially with the maid being on her vacation ....

Have to wake up at 6.30am each morning to feed the 4 darlings ...

since we have no time to coax them to eat their dry food, morning breakfast is chicken + rice, which they glurp up everything within 10 seconds .... then have to send them out to the garden for their run and play, while i scrub the kitchen floor which will be filled with their pee and poo. Argggg!!

Then rush to have myself fixed for work, then breakfast.

Not forgetting to coax all the 4 dogs into the kitchen again before we leave for office. I think the neighbours really HATE us for the past few weeks, as the dogs are practically barking their heads off, and whinning as if being abandoned ...

For the past weekends, we just cannot go anywhere, but stay at home, to 'pay compensation' to the 4, and spend more time with them. (Actually, over the weekends, they just zzzzzzzzzzzz next to us, so it really makes me wonder what's all the barking and whining during the weekday about!!)

Cannot wait for the maid to return this week!!!! Yippy

Maid on a long break

2009-10-24T23:18:00.002+04:00

The maid is on a long vacation for 3 weeks .... the 4 darlings sure miss her.

Have difficulty getting them to eat .... they have just become so fussy as the maid has really spoilt them ...

Now, we have to cook them chicken + rice in the morning, then dry food in the evening ...

Poor Fifi is having a little loose stool due to the slight change in diet :( ... hope her tummy get better soon ...

Hugo got himself shaved ..... a month or 2 after Coco ... :) .. now both of them look soooo bald .....

:)

New camera - great photos!!

2009-09-30T15:18:00.005+04:00

Wow .. the new camera is really fantastic ... the pictures taken of all the 4 little ones turn out really well - almost like profesional shots!!!

Poor Coco is sooo bald now ..... when her hair grows back in another month or so, will take a really nice picture of her :)

The darlings just look fantastic

Fifi on heat??

2009-09-28T20:26:00.003+04:00

Got a shock when we saw Fifi rubbing her bum on the floor, and then a streak of bloody mess swept across the floor ..

Have to wash her ....

I think it might be her mensus ... but after the wash, we did not see any further bleeding .. so would probably have to wait till tomorrow to confirm this.

As she is active, playful and eating, i doubt it is the Parvo attack (bloody stool).

Sheesh ... now as long as i see anything that hint blood (or traces of blood), i get really paranoid .... after the Parvo scare, i am really more careful with all the little ones now ... as long as i think something is not right, we will make a bee-line for the vet.

Hugo successful in climbing stairs!

2009-09-25T09:10:00.002+04:00

Finally, my Hugo gathered enough courage to climb up the flight of stairs ... yipee!

Was sooo surprised to see him outside the bedroom door in the morning :)

He is now as quick as the rest and is confident to move up and down the stairs as he please.

Great!

Finally ..... :)

Coco and Hugo had their birthday on Wed ... 2 years old now .. how time flies ...

Hugo shaking and trembling for no reason

2009-09-13T21:41:00.002+04:00

When we came home tonight, we got a BIG scare of our life.

Usually, when the door is opened, the 4 dogs will go crazy and try to burst through the door to welcome us home. But today, only 3 came. Hugo was struggling towards the door - walking slowly, back arched, and shaking/trembling.

We dropped everything we have, and tried to see what's wrong with him ... he has no vomit, no loose stool, no fever, he ate his full dinner and drank water ... he is not in pain ... just sitting there shaking and trembling ....

We called emergency and were told to wait out a little.

After a while, Hugo is back to normal and can lie down to rest .. he drank and licked everyone .... so he is like back to normal ????

Sigh ... we fed him alittle bit of honey (in case it is due to slight seizure from low sugar) ... and put him to bed.

Hope he is really ok ...

Tomorrow we hope to see him back to his normal self again ....

Stress!!!

Coco used to her short hair

2009-09-13T21:35:00.001+04:00

Ms Coco is back to her normal self and is eating and playing hard.

That is a great relief!!

She does look a little strange now with her hair sooo short ... but still cute :)

Now that her hair is off, she looks so 'tiny', and not at all 'fat' as we all thought ...

Hope the hair grows back soon, in time for the autumn and winter ....

Coco acts weird

2009-09-11T18:23:00.001+04:00

Poor Coco has to have all her hair shaved ...... REALLY SHORT!!!

Her hair's so badly matted ... really feel like scolding the groomer - if he had done a better job earlier, and diligently brushed out all the hair ... this would not happen .. imagine she just had her FULL grooming 1 mth ago.. really ridiculous .. . i think i will be searching for other groomers very soon ... really disappointing!

Anyway, i think the shaving really stressed her out .. and as this shave is really close to her skin, she is itching a little ... she is quieter and not really wanting to play ..... sigh ...

Hope she recover soon and gets back to her old self .. poor baby

Coco for another round of grooming

2009-09-06T08:36:00.001+04:00

The last grooming about 2 weeks ago was not well done .... Coco's hair is still badly matted. ... what the stupid groomer did was just to make the top coat look fluffy etc .. but the ones deep inside are not really brushed out ....

Now she is quite badly knotted ... sigh .. might have to shave her off!!!!

Called the groomer again .. and asked for the Japanese groomer who was just fantastic .. .arggg .. he returned to Japan and no longer with them .. ARGGGGGG ...

Booked her in for Thurs ... if they do not do a good job again (for AED300!!!!), i will make a BIG complaint and look for others.

Poor Coco.

Showing dominance

2009-08-24T19:00:00.002+04:00

Late in the evening, all 4 dogs were crazy playing with one another ......

Then Yoyo tried to hump Hugo to show dominance .... then Fifi humped on Yoyo to show hers .... and finally Coco humped on Fifi to show her dominance ...

It just got soo confusing ..... seeing all 4 dogs humping another another ... Quite funny too .. ....

After a while, all of them were exhausted and went back to the kitchen to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

:)

Lazy weekend ...

2009-08-22T15:58:00.002+04:00

Yoyo has fully recovered from the medication allergy ... his stool is back to normal and is no longer vomiting (as long as he avoid the low fat youghurt .. he has to eat the full cream version).

All 4 dogs are bathed, groomed and trimmed ... looking pretty and handsome !!!

They really enjoy each other's company so much now ... cannot imagine separating them .... :)

Yoyo stopped medication

2009-08-19T22:13:00.001+04:00

Got a call from the vet, and was told to cease the antibiotic medication, as it could be the reason why Yoyo is vomiting.

It seem that Yoyo stopped vomitting in the late morning, slept, and even ate his lunch (without vomitting) .... and after engaging in crazy play time with the rest of the 3, he zzzz again .

When we went home in the evening, he is back to his old self - super active, and playful .. and had a good apetite.

Cross my fingers that he does not vomit tomorrow ..... Poor boy.

Yoyo vomit white sticky foam

2009-08-19T09:16:00.002+04:00

Poor Yoyo ... not sure why, but he is vomiting white sticky foam in the morning ...

Yesterday morning, he only vomitted a little in the morning and evening, likely due to extreme playing and exercising after food ... but after than that, he is active and full of life.

This morning he is still 'normal', still bark at the door, climb all the way to 2nd floor and want attention. Still come when called .. but just vomitted on a few occasions white sticky foam ...

Heard from the maid that after we left, she tried to feed him .. he ate, but still vomit ... ARGGGGGG

Called the vet .... now waiting to see if Yoyo is allergic to the antibiotic ... poor boy.

Happy Birthday to Fifi and Yoyo!!

2009-08-18T22:52:00.002+04:00

How times fly ....

Fifi and Yoyo are 1 year old today .... their birthday :)

It has been quite an eventful year ..... they join Coco and Hugo and had the intial tension period, underwent the puppt uglies period, switch food to Innova, leant how to climb steps to reach the 2nd floor and crawl our doors ... and not forgetting that Fifi suffered from Parvo (and luckily made a full recovery), and both had their 1st teeth extraction + dental ....

I am so glad to have them in the family ........

Happy Birthday!!!! Stay healthy and happy ..... LU both!!

Next month will be the birthday of Coco and Hugo ... wow .. 2years old!!

Yoyo and Fifi looking great!

2009-08-17T21:44:00.002+04:00

Picked up Yoyo and Fifi after work. They looked alert, happy to see us, and in good shape....

Yoyo had 4 teeth removed, and Fifi 2. Both had their teeth scaled and cleaned. Poor dears .. they must be feeling a litle sore.

Yoyo was whining throughout the trip home .... :( He sure did not take the visit too well ....

But once home, he rushed in and started playing with Coco and Hugo ... so i guess he is just home-sick.

Both Fifi and Yoyo had rice+chicken .. and ate the food in zeal ... they drank and played .... really happy to see that they did not have any major adverse reaction from the dental procedure :)

Yipee!!

In chinese ...

2009-08-17T14:09:00.003+04:00

Has been trying to find out the chinese translation for the Bolognese and Pomeranian breed name.
Finally, found it on a China website - http://www.kupet.cn/. It contains almost all breed.

Bolognese : 博罗尼亚犬
Pomeranian : 博美犬

They do sound nice, even in mandarin :)

Yoyo and Fifi off for their dental appointment

2009-08-17T10:10:00.002+04:00

Poor Yoyo seem to have some reaction from the deworming .. and he vomitted a little, and has soft stool. But he is active and playful, so it is ok.

This morning, had both Fifi and Yoyo put into the carriers, and brought to them the vet for their dental appointment.

Yoyo was whining his head off throughout the journey .. sigh .. he REALLY HATE to go to the vet ... also suffered from motion sickness, where he vomitted a little :(

Fifi is more used to the travelling and visiting the vet .....

Hope to see them really soon :)

Yoyo and Fifi scheduled for teeth scaling

2009-08-15T21:18:00.002+04:00

Like Yoyo, Fifi need to have some milk teeth removed and teeth cleaned ...

So an appointment on coming Monday is made where both Yoyo and Fifi will be sent in ...

Think will have them dressed up ... and remind the vet to watch the heat pad (don't want them to get burnt AGAIN!!)

Hope they don't get bad reaction after the teeth scaling (keep fingers crossed)

Fifi re-vaccination

2009-08-15T21:15:00.002+04:00

Took Fifi to the vet this morning to have her re-vaccination.

Everyone in the hospital remembered her :) How sweet ... everyone came to see her and were thrilled to see her in her cute little outfit ... heee

She had her vaccination jab .... and seem to have some minor reaction from it after that.

When we reached home, she vomitted a little, and was sleepy the whole afternoon .... but the maid managed to coax her to eat .. so it was good ..... she still played a little, but just looked sleepy and tired .... other than that, she is fine :)

The rest of the 3 dogs were madly playing and running around chasing one another ... making so much noise ... Fifi just continue her snoozing, unaffected :)

Constipation?

2009-08-11T09:37:00.002+04:00

Hmmm ... it seem that Yoyo is eating well, playing hard, taking his medication etc ... but just no stool (for the past 1-2 days) .... can the medication be causing him to have constipation?

Sigh. If he still does not have any more stool, will need to call the doc and see if need to stop the medication.

But he is enjoying himself with all the rice and chicken diet :)

The maid has been nice to share a little of the rice and chicken with the rest of the dogs so that they don't get overly jealous :)

Yoyo back to normal

2009-08-10T12:25:00.001+04:00

Seem that Yoyo has a great apetite, and finished all his rice and chicken quickly :)

He took the medication well too .... from this evening onwards, we will be slowly switching him back to the dry food, just avoid the yoghurt.

Coco and Hugo look SUPER CUTE after their grooming ...... so ROUND :)

Cannot wait to take pictures of them soon !!!

Yoyo visit to the vet

2009-08-09T17:17:00.002+04:00

We took Yoyo to the Hospital where Fifi was earlier admitted as we have built up the confidence with the vets there.

The reception remembered Fifi, and they were all thrilled to see Yoyo. :)

Poor Yoyo was a little car sick, and vomitted a little on the way to the hospital.

The vet checked and diagnosed that the low-fat yoghurt could be the source of the tummy upset and vomitting. Poor boy was given anti-biotic jap, and we have to put him on some oral medication for the next 1 week.

During the examination, the vet mentioned that some of the milk teeth have not dropped off yet, and are obstructing the growth of the adult teeth. So after Yoyo is done with his current tummy upset and vomitting, and has totally recovered, he has to be brought back for some teeth extraction .. guess that is quite a common issue for small breed dogs.

Yoyo going for checkup

2009-08-09T09:10:00.002+04:00

We have recently changed the yoghurt from full cream to low fat, and since then, Yoyo has been having loose stool, and slight vomitting. Luckily, the rest of the 3 have adjusted well to the switch.

Yoyo is behaving normally, playing and very active. But this morning, he seem a little less active (but still alert and not sleeping in a corner). Sigh, so booked an appointment in the afternoon to bring him for a checkup.

The full cream yoghurt is making everyone FAT, so i really do not want to switch back. But let's see what the doctor say ...

Poor Yoyo. . First it was Fifi, now Yoyo .. but at least i am damn glad, it is not Parvo .... *cross my fingers*

Poor boy, hope he feel better after the visit and some medication.

Grooming booked :)

2009-08-06T10:11:00.002+04:00

Grooming is booked for Coco and Hugo on 9th Aug (Sun).

Great. They need some help in the hair, nails, knots, hair in the ears etc .. i am sure they will look fantastic.

Have also booked for Fifi and Yoyo to have their nails trimmed, and hair in the paw removed.

Think it may be a good idea to have the grooming session fixed on a regular session - like once every 3-4 mths :)

Yoyo down with soft stool + vomit

2009-08-02T15:10:00.002+04:00

Poor Yoyo down with soft stool and vomit this morning.

He still likes to play and chase everyone around the house, but he has vomitted a little (and some of his food) on a few occasions in the morning.

After the Parvo scare with Fifi, we are on high alert to monitor Yoyo, so that if there are any warning signs (touch wood!!), we will have him rushed to the vet immediately.

So far, the maid has given him chicken bits + dry food, and he finished all of them. Still playing and full of energy .. so i guess he will be ok ..

Hugo can climb stairs

2009-07-30T11:57:00.003+04:00

Finally .... after more than 1 year, and after all the other 3 are able to run and down the stairs with zeal, Hugo has picked up the courage to try climbing the stairs.

To date, he will climb the stairs only when the other 3 dogs are all playing upstairs (as the maid is upstairs cleaning the rooms) ....

Never really see him in action, but according to the maid, he will move slow and steady up the stairs, and like wise, slow and steady down the stairs .... guess he still need to build up on his confidence .....

Would love to see Hugo 1 day outside the bedroom door, demanding to be let in :) .. that will be nice

How much the 4 dogs have grown :)

2009-07-30T11:20:00.011+04:00

Was going through the photos of Coco, Hugo, Fifi and Yoyo, and really amazed how they have changed and grown ....

They are now all cute and so 'grown up'. (well, only for Fifi who still looks so tiny)

Coco

Hugo

Yoyo

Fifi

Fifi has completely recovered

2009-07-30T09:51:00.002+04:00

The scab on the burn wound has completely dried up and dropped off.

The skin has also nicely healed up. Cannot wait for her hair to start growing and cover up the scar.

Will be able to bathe her in another week's time. Yipee!!

She is now able to run up and down the stairs .... guess she no longer feels any 'stretch' or 'pain' on the side :)

Often catch her running after Hugo and Coco and disturb them ..... :)

Mad dash in the garden .... as usual

2009-07-28T14:15:00.002+04:00

Maid let the dogs out into the garden early in the morning, and i can hear them barking their hearts away ..... All dashing mad all over the garden, over the fish pond (via bridge), playing tic and tac.

Fifi is chasing poor Hugo all over the place .... she is back to the playful self, and looks like the trauma from the hospitalization did not change her personality a bit .... :)

Cannot wait for weekend to come .. and spend time with them :)

Swim wear for the dogs

2009-07-26T10:59:00.003+04:00

Coco is getting a little too round for her good .... contemplating if we should get her a life jacket so that she can do some swimming in the pool ....

The summer weather will las till Sept, and it would be good to have Coco lose some of that weight! Those in Dubai are soooo expensive .... saw some in Singapore which are much cheaper ... hmmm .. maybe will get that next month ....

Hugo on the other hand is lean, and i hope he gain a bit more weight :)

Yoyo and Fifi are just doing fine :)

Bath time @_@

2009-07-25T14:40:00.002+04:00

Bath time for Coco, Hugo and Yoyo. Fifi would have to wait till next week, just to let the wound area heal much better before i subject her to the wet bath and shampooing.

The 3 really take the toll out of me ..... tired!!! @_@ .. but they are now all smelling fresh, and fluffy now :)

Coco and Hugo are getting some knots here and there, and their hair is getting a little long ... need some trimming and detangling work done ... the nails are getting LONG and the hair in their paws are getting quite long .... time to get the groomers in again ... think will book shampooch for next week ...

After bath is really a mad play session for the dogs ... before they all collapse to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz :)

Coco and Fifi

2009-07-24T16:23:00.003+04:00

Coco is really cute .... always following Fifi around .. i guess she really misses her when she was hospitalised ...

She will constantly check on Fifi, as if to check if she is ok etc .....

What a nice big sister :)

A relaxed weekend ... Finally!

2009-07-24T13:01:00.003+04:00

Finally, all 4 dogs are enjoying the weekend ... TOGETHER :)

Everyone is back to the rowdy mode .... Fifi is chasing everyone around the house ... and irritating everyone to give in to her.

Coco has started to taken a liking to the cushion hut too ... how strange :)

Fifi on the other hand, remains a spoilt princess, and demanded to be held on the lap while she zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Hope everyone will remain healthy and happy .... the episode with Fifi is finally over .. and hope will never recur.

Yoyo enjoying the new house!

2009-07-23T11:44:00.002+04:00

Bought this new cushion hut quite a while back. But it is not well taken by the 4 dogs .. they basically did not like it, and refused to use it.

Due to Fifi's initial need to be segregated, we had the idea to have this little hut being used for her. But she did not like it, so it remained a white elephant in the family room.

Surprisingly, Yoyo tried it, and seem to like it.

Found him snoozing inside the little hut. CUTE!!

Fifi is back to normal

2009-07-23T10:12:00.002+04:00

Early in the morning, Fifi is already at the bedroom door, demanding to be let in. Ok ... so, she is back to normal :)

Her energy level is high, and has really good appetite. Need to put back her weight ... she dropped from 1.9kg to 1.7kg .... quite a bit of drop for her tiny size ...

She still likes to go to the corner at times, to avoid being disturbed by the others .. but at least she will still walk around and try to engage in play when she feels like it ....

Guess need at least another few days for her to really resume her full energy level .. but she is really doing well .... glad that she no longer needs to have any more medication .... really terrified for her to be over-toxicated.

Fifi home AT LAST!!

2009-07-22T22:34:00.002+04:00

Upon arrival at Dubai, we rushed to the hospital immediately to pick Fifi home.

She looks great. Her dressing is off, and her wound has completely dried up and is healing well. There is no longer any need to return to the hospital for any follow up check or re-dressing.

She whines so pathetically when she saw us .. i am sure she misses everyone at home.

Once we reach home, she jumped on her gang, and ran around the house to look at all her favourite spots :)

Had a hearty meal too ... seem like her apetite is back ....

Keep my fingers crossed that she will fully recover.

She is now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz away .. just comfortable in her favourite corner :)

Fifi to stay in Hospital till next Wed

2009-07-18T16:36:00.002+04:00

Fifi looks great.

She is no longer vomitting since the vet has stopped all oral medication. She is eating, but to be on the safe side, she is still put on drip.

Poor Fifi was whinning her head off when she saw us. We stayed for as long as we could.

Would be visiting her tomorrow before we leave.

Cannot wait for Wed where we will bring Fifi home.

Fifi hospitalized for a day

2009-07-17T16:16:00.002+04:00

Dr Selina called.

Fifi has been tested Parvo-negative - Yippee!!! That means the vomitting is not due to replase of Parvo. Great news.

It is indeed due to the oral medication that has been administered.

She has been fed and is currently on drip to avoid dehydration .... She is in a good condition.

Will be visiting her tomorrow, and hope can see if we can have her home.

Fifi suffering from side effect of Metacam

2009-07-17T14:51:00.002+04:00

Poor Fifi ... as it turned out, Fifi is suffering from the side effect of Metacam, which is an oral medication given for anti-inflammatory + pain-killer .. it is for the burn wound.

Her other symptoms include loss of appetite, and change in behaviour .. As her wound is no longer giving her pain, the vet has advised us to stop ALL medication ....

She is now in Hospital, under observation ... i hope she get to eat something today as she has not eaten for the past 12-18 hours ... :(

Waiting for the vet to call back to advise if Fifi need to be hospitalized and be on drip, or she is ready to go home .... Her burn wound is also healing well and may not need daily change in dressing ..

Keep my fingers crossed.

Fifi vomitted @_@

2009-07-16T19:46:00.002+04:00

Fifi came home and was over zealous in her food intake.

She has been feeling a little car sick (but no vomitting), and i think the over-eating created problem with her system. VOMITTED!!! @_@

We tried to force food, but she will throw them out. So we withhold food and only give her water, and the vomitting subsided.

From the vomit, it is clear that it is the food and water that have been expelled .. no traces of blood etc. .so i think has nothing to do with the Parvo.

The daily car ride is really creating problem for her. Think tomorrow at the vet, have to get a confirmation if we can change her dressing at home for her. If yes, then it should solve her problem and she should feel much better after that. If no, then maybe we will consider putting her in the hospital till we return next Wed :(:::

Fifi is more lively today

2009-07-16T13:08:00.002+04:00

It seem that Fifi looks much more lively today.

On the way home from the vet, i was playing with her, rubbing and touching her throughout the whole journey. She respond well by licking and wanting more ...

I dropped her off at home, and headed back to office.

The maid called and said Fifi surprisingly had a better appetite, and ate her food without much coaxing .. and she stopped hiding in a corner and zzzzzzz (which she had been doing for the past few days) .. while she might not be playing with the rest of the gang, but at least she is walking around and not just sulking in her cushion .. that is great news!! It may mean that the wound has stopped the extreme itch which is causing her moodiness!!

Tomorrow have an appointment to see the vet in person .. hope to hear that the dressing can be done at home by ourselves and the bandage can come off soon.

How to coax Fifi to eat!!

2009-07-16T09:12:00.002+04:00

Sigh ... Fifi is not playing as much now, and sometimes she does not want to eat (or eat very little) ...

While the vet is saying that the wound is healing really well, but i guess she is just miserable from the daily travelling to the vet (to and fro), the summer heat, and the inability to play with the rest .... poor poor Fifi.

I hope she is doing much better now ....

As we are travelling again from Sunday-Wednesday, i hope her dressing can be done at home (need to confirm with the vet), or else we may have to leave her at the hospital again for the 4 days .. :(

Fifi is sooo spoilt!

2009-07-13T18:57:00.002+04:00

This Fifi is really spoilt now ....

She now only eat if the food is delivered right to her little cushion hut ... OMG! She is lazy to walk and if the food is put on the floor (no matter how near to her), she will not eat ...

Coco, Hugo and Yoyo all sat outside her little hut and watched her.

Hugo tried to pinch some food from her, and got a LOUD warning .. heeeee .....

Cannot wait for her wound to heal, then she will have to behave like the others, and have no more princess treatment.

Boys are getting really handsome!

2009-07-13T09:42:00.002+04:00

Yoyo and Hugo are getting really handsome now! Looking at the potential to have Yoyo trained for show - but first we will need to get him less hyper, and more discipline.

Hugo has a very timid personality, so he might not be a suitable candidate for training .... but can explore ....

Love them!

Crazy travelling schedule

2009-07-13T09:35:00.002+04:00

The start of the crazy travelling schedule .... until Thursday!! It will goes like this:

Taxi pick up at 7.45am from home
Drop off Fifi at Hospital at 8am
Drop me off at office at 8.20am
Work in the office till 11.30am
Taxi pick me up at the office at 11.30am
Head to the Hospital
Pick up Fifi at Hospital close at 11.45-12nn
Head back home to drop off Fifi
Head back to office at 1pm
Work in the office till 5.30pm
Head back home

Thought it would be easier to have Fifi go home in the mid-day, then to wait till end of the day ... at least Fifi get to eat her lunch and play for the rest of the gang before dinner .... easier for me too as i always have to carry so many things with me at the end of the day ..... guess i am looking at AED200 per day for the next 4 days. Yikes!!

Never mind, once Fifi's wound start to close, they can have it stitched and the whole ordeal will be over.

It seem that the wound dressing came off last night ... argggg .... hope the dressing today will be better .....

Going to be quite a tiring and stressful week!

Fifi is the princess!

2009-07-12T20:09:00.007+04:00

Everyone is fussing around Fifi, and i think she likes that, and is using that to her advantage.

She will now whine or act pathetic to get what she wants .. .Grrrrrrrr!!

As we would want her to eat lots .... fed her rice + chicken tonight. Hope to get her to eat her normal food tomorrow morning ...

The others are just green with envy ... poor dears.

New members in the aquarium

2009-07-12T18:41:00.003+04:00

Bought new fish for the aquarium ....

As the tank is quite big, hmmmm ... the number of fish looks miserable .. heee

Guess will need to replenish more .....

Hmmm ... think will be spending more time in the living room now :)

Fifi has poor appetite

2009-07-12T11:40:00.003+04:00

Sigh ... her wound area is now getting itchy. With her neck guard and bandages, i think she is finding it uncomfortable as she has difficulty scratching (which is the whole point of all these things put on her) ... She is a little grumpy now, and is not wanting to eat.

Sigh. I hope she is not eating really just becos of the discomfort, and not becos of any replase from Parvo (Scary!!!)

Poor Fifi.

Hope can induce her to eat with more chicken and youghurt (which we have stopped recently). Her stool is good, so i guess we can try to convert her back to her normal diet soon.

New aquarium

2009-07-12T09:21:00.003+04:00

Bought a new fish aquarium (1.5 metres length), and fitted with all the internal and external filtering system (and all the techno-gaugets which i have no clue what they do) ... it is now sitting really pretty in the living room .....

Next step is to buy 8 baby koi fish and put them there ..... but i guess it will be a temporary location as once they are slightly bigger, they will need to be transported to the fish pond in the garden .... But with the recent and past experience with the technical vendors or contractors in Dubai, i just keep the fingers crossed if the fish can even survive ... arggggggg

Then the aquarium can have filled with lots of small little fish .. am sure it is going to be a pretty sight!!

All the dogs are just crowding near the aquarium, and just wondering what this big piece of furniture is doing there ... :)

Coco and Hugo lazing around

2009-07-11T15:41:00.003+04:00

Coco and Hugo enjoying the weekend.

Coco really need to lose some weight. .... getting alittle too 'round'. :)

Adorable!

Fifi back for her daily change of dressing

2009-07-11T15:30:00.002+04:00

Fifi is back to the Hospital for her daily change of dressing.

Surprisingly, she no longer vomits - maybe she has gotten over her motion sickness problem :)

The vet said her wound is healing well .. but they are waiting for the area to close up further till it is good enough for sitches. May be looking at around 10-12 days .... my goodness ...

That means, Fifi need to go back and fo the Hospital 10-12 times on a daily basis to get her dressing changed daily ... hmmmm .. maybe i should have also asked the hospital to compensate me for all the inconvenience and time loss.

From tomorrow since i will be working .. i will need to drop Fifi off early in the morning at 8am at the Hospital, before i go to the office, then back at 5.30pm to pick her up before heading home .... At least, she get to stay home and spend time with the rest of the family and not alone in the cold, little cage in the Hospital.

Fifi back home for the day

2009-07-10T16:14:00.004+04:00

Fifi looks great.

We decided to bring her home and have her visit the vet on a daily basis to change her dressing. We know she misses home very much, and letting her be happy and have the company of the rest, her wound will heal faster. I will also be practicing my reiki on her to see if her wound will close more rapidly.

When Fifi is home, it is obvious that she is back to her normal self. There is no more pain, and she is driving everyone in the house mad :) ... chasing, playing and being naughty.

We are very sure she will recover pretty soon. :)

Another day in Hospital

2009-07-09T15:57:00.003+04:00

Fifi is doing well.

The wound does not have any infection or complication. But the vet is keeping her in for another day to treat the area.

They are going to remove more 'dead' skin so as to allow for faster healing. They assured me that the removal will not cause any pain to Fifi.

Boy .. poor little Fifi.

We will be visiting her after work at 5.30pm.

Hopefully, we can pick her up tomorrow and bring her home. Just need to continue with the skin treatment.

Fifi hospitalized again!!

2009-07-08T12:46:00.001+04:00

Aiyo ... Fifi is back to the Hospital again.

We noticed this wound on her her left side of the body, which is a little strange, as her incision is in the front and she has healed perfectly. The wound has gotten a little wet, and she seem to feel some pain around the area.

Have Dr Lucinda to look at the area, and was told she was likely 'burnt' during the operations, when the heat pad was applied on her. Ouch!!! Poor Fifi.

So, the vet is getting her to stay in the Hospital for 2 days for free, so that they can treat the burn area to make sure she is properly cleaned up, and there is no infection. In any case, she looks great and active, so i guess it is ok.

Poor Fifi. Now she will REALLY HATE car rides, since she will associate the travelling with vet visit and staying in the Hospital. :(

But as long as she is ok, we are happy. Coco, Hugo and Yoyo will sure miss her again.

Parvo information

2009-07-07T10:00:00.002+04:00

After this Parvo scare with Fifi, i have indeed become more aware of this terrible disease, and how deadly it can be. Hope many pet owners will also be more educated about this disease so that they too can help to minimize or prevent their pets from getting this.

Parvo virus can be brought into the house by anything, ranging from birds, ourselves (through our clothing and shoes), and other animals.

While Parvo is said to affect mainly the younger puppies which are less than 4-6 months old, but Fifi who has vaccination and is close to 1 year old, still get infected. The only way to minimize or prevent the occurrence is to ensure the environment is clean and the dogs do not get in touch with contaminated feces and soil (which dogs all love to get their paws and mouth on).

It is lucky that Fifi displayed the symptoms early, and was rushed to the hospital immediately. I guess, in future, i will not take symptoms like vomiting (even without blood), diarrhea, lack of appetite and lethargy lightly.

When i was doing research about this disease, it is sad to know that at times treatment was given to the dogs late, as pet owner do not really pay too much attention to the symptoms, and often this result in mortality of the pet.

Would say that Parvo is a relatively expensive disease to treat (and not forgetting that there is no guarantee that the dog will recover). For Fifi, she was lucky and only spent about 1 week in intensive care. The bill is at an alarming AED9,000. This is excluding subsequent follow up visits for re-vaccination and other checkup. As such, i can understand that there are many pet owners who give up the treatment halfway and opt to put down the pet when the bill get too high to maintain.

All in all, one lesson learnt. And i hope none of my darlings get so sick ever .... *keep my fingers crossed*.

And Fifi, we are ALL HAPPY to have you home :), no matter the costs!!

Fifi 1st oral medication

2009-07-07T09:56:00.002+04:00

Fifi is all active and started playing with the rest of the gang. But it seem that they are still very careful with her .... wonder why .... maybe dogs do have 6th sense and tried to be gentle with her at the moment.

Fifi ran up the stairs to the bedroom, but was noted to have difficulty climbing down the stairs ... think maybe the action to come down require over-stretching which cause some pain in her wound.

She has great appetite and ate all her food as well as her medication :)

Now, my job is to pacify the rest of the 3 so that they get equal attention.

Hope to get photos of all the 4 dogs soon and have them uploaded .. .:)

Fifi had her 1st meal

2009-07-06T18:29:00.002+04:00

Fifi did not really like the 'hard' food at the moment. She approached, but quickly backed away .. i guess the 'smell' is not appetizing enough.

As what the vet has suggested, we boiled some chicken, and mixed it with the crushed dry food .... Goodie, she ate them all up!!

That is a great sign, and a sure road to recovery.

Poor Coco, Hugo and Yoyo just eyed her with green eyes, with the special food and attention. Poor gang .. but the priority now is to make sure Fifi is strong enough to be put together with the rest, and to have the same food etc.

Way to go, Fifi! :)

Fifi is HOME !

2009-07-06T15:49:00.002+04:00

Finally after 1 week of hospitalization, Fifi is declared in the pink of health and has recovered well from her scary parvo episode.

She came home today - full of vigor and energy. She was just sooooo happy to see the rest of the family, and so were we :)

Once she wasback, she ranafter everyone, and tried to engage in play. Goodness, really cannot tell them she was just discharged (after her operations and drips)!

But i am really glad she is doing well.

As full separation is not required, we only put her in the other side of the room, separated by the gate. She will have a separate diet for the next 1 week plus, until she is ok to continue with her normal food.

She will be back to get her vaccination in another 2 weeks' time.

My heart can beat now :)

Fifi Update - 4th July

2009-07-04T14:21:00.002+04:00

Fifi is getting better :)
She only vomited once (a little tiny bit) last night but none again today ... so hopefully that situation will continue.
She is off her drip, as she is not vomiting and she is eating .....
Keep my fingers crossed that she will be in a good condition to come home on Sunday.
Really miss her :)

Fifi Update 2nd July

2009-07-02T18:27:00.003+04:00

Dr Lucindar is on rostered off today. Tried calling the hospital for the other vets the WHOLE day .... and they are either busy, or outstationed. Quite upset, as i was promised to receive a daily update on Fifi.

Tried calling at Dubai time 6pm (they close at 7pm), and still the hospital just 'promise' they will call back. REALLY ANGRY!!!

Anyway, there is nothing i can since i am out of town .. if i am in Dubai now, i will just march into the hospital now and demand to see someone.

I hope i get an update tomorrow (they better!!!) as Parvo is not something to play with ... and Fifi can get worse any time, even though we all try to be positive about the situation at all times. I just don't want to get a shock at the last minute.

I am sure the maid is worried too, as she is also waiting for an update on Fifi's condition.

2nd update - 1st July

2009-07-01T13:40:00.003+04:00

Vet called and said an ultrascan was performed, and she was sure that there should be some issues with the intestines. As she wanted to make sure that there are no blockage or intestine deformity (as a result of the virus), she suggested a surgery be done.

Poor Fifi. Sigh.

The ops was quite fast. The vet called me back within the hour, and said internal situation is ok - no blockage and intestine looks great.

So i guess, the final thing to resolve now is the vomit.

I just hope the Parvo virus does not mutate or anything and make the treatment difficult ... *cross fingers*

Poor baby ... hope she will recover quickly ....

Fifi Update 1st July

2009-07-01T10:39:00.003+04:00

Got a call from the vet after i have landed in Singapore.

Fifi is bright and alert, and the vet assessed that she looked better than yesterday (which is great, as yesterday i found her quite lively and in a good condition).

She is no longer in any tummy pain (yipee!!) and no fever or diarrhea ... she still vomit a little .. apparently clear liquid (not food) ... so the vet is being cautious to check out the source and cause of vomit ... if it is due to internal blockage (unlikely as she has no more inflammation), or just gastric over-active reaction ..

But so far looks good .... we continue to pray for her ....

I hope we can pick her up from the vet on Sunday when we come home .... :)

Visit Fifi 30 June

2009-06-30T18:19:00.002+04:00

Visited Fifi at the Hospital before i leave for Singapore this afternoon.

When the vet opened her cage, she saw me, wagged her tail, and walked towards me. Then climbed into my lap and sat there, just like how she will act when she is at home. I was sooo happy as she seem so alert and still 'willing to move' ....

The vet has to pick her up and put her back into the cage. Poor Fifi got angry and sat there watching us. How heart-breaking, but getting intensive care is her only ticket to survival and recovery.

No more bloody vomit. She has not tummy upset so far (so no bloody output), no fever etc .. but still vomiting a little. Vet checked her stool (by inserting a tube) and said the stool has turned from runny fluid (with some flakes of blood) to a more hardened and darker consistency. According to her, it looks like the 'blood' has start to dry up that is why the darkened colour. In any case, it is better than runny stool.

The blood test revealed that Fifi is doing well on her blood test, and her protein level .. so i guess the IV treatment is helping to stablise her at the moment.

I pray that she stop vomitting by tomorrow, or else she will need to do more tests. I hope nothing is 'stuck' inside her intenstine, which is possible, since both Fifi and Yoyo love to bite and gnaw at everything.

Keep my fingers crossed!! She look ok, and i hope she pull through. At home, we are already making plans on where to house her after she return (at least for 1 month so that she does not pass on any virus to the rest of the 3 dogs).

All of us are praying that Fifi can come home .... God bless!

Fifi hospitalized!

2009-06-30T09:54:00.002+04:00

Fifi has been hospitalized since 28th Jun (Sun) night.

She has been diagnosed with Parvo disease. This is sooo heart-breaking. Now under intensive and supportive care at the vet, i do hope very much that she will pull through. No idea how she can contract that when she has all her shots etc.

But thinking back, Fifi is the 'weakest' one among the 4 dogs, so maybe her immune system is not so strong, and all the nosing around and eating of poops in the garden and outside, it might have landed her being sick. Coco, Hugo and Yoyo all miss her sooooo much ... we miss her too .. can only hope for the best!

Lucky i sent her in on the emergency at the 1st sign of vomit. She has no fever, or loose stool etc. So i guess i was still quite timely enough to get her being treated.

Wished i had purchased the insurance on her (did not want to buy due to the crazy 50% increase in premium fee, and that they all are sooo healthy .. arggg). But $$ is the last thing and concern on my mind, i just want to have Fifi back in the house, happy and running around again. Just need to dig a deeper pocket (guess will cost close to AED8,000 at the end of the session).

Fifi, we all love you! Get better soon.

Reiki on puppies??

2009-05-11T04:48:00.002+04:00

Have been sooooo busy in the past months.

Now back in Singapore for work.

Have keen interest in Reiki and took a level 1 class over the weekends. Yahoo!! Now i can get to try the reiki on the puppies when i go back.

Cannot wait to see my 4 darlings .... good that i am going back Dubai on a Thurs, so i get to spend the weekend with them. Going to take LOADS of photos this time .... arggg ..have been postponing this for MONTHS .. time to get myself discipline to maintain the blog .. heee

New look

2009-03-17T11:50:00.004+04:00

Have been soooo busy, and did not have time to update the blog.

Had a very good experience with the new groomer. They are GREAT.

The guys spend over 4 hours at our place to do the grooming for all 4 dogs. Coco and Hugo took the longest due to their matted and tangled hair. They look great, and so fluffy. The groomer did a good job by not just shaving them off which the previous groomer will just do.

Will definitely book the new groomer again. The next time, probably just Coco and Hugo. Fifi and Yoyo are easy, and they have no matted hair issue. :) Save some $$$.

Trying hard to take pic of them in their new clean-cut hairstyle, but just sooo difficult to get a decent shot. Argggg.

Fifi went missing

2009-03-02T11:14:00.002+04:00

Came home last night, and saw the maid come rushing out of the door, and looking panicky. She's almost in tears, and said Fifi has gone missing.

I nearly got a heart attack.

All of us went combing the house, and calling for her. Was really worried sick that she will run onto the road and get hit by the cars.

Then we saw her playing underneath the heavy curtain near the dinning area. Terrible rascal. She just laid low and watched the scene happening around the house, and kept really quiet. So naughty. Really want to give her a good spanking.

Only when i was siting down on the floor, looking beneath cupboards/tables, Fifi came to me for her usual back and ear scatching. The maid was in hysteria and was really thrilled to see Fifi again.

Fifi is just so tiny!!!!! Next time, must really make sure all the doors are locked etc.

What a scare!!

Fifi and Yoyo still small

2009-03-01T15:42:00.005+04:00

Weekend is spent fixing all the broken and torn toys.

Never a needle and thread person, but i have acquired this skill, thanks to Yoyo and Fifi. Never have the problem with Coco and Hugo as they are not so destructive with their toys - they have more expensive taste, and prefer to damage my shoes and laptop bags :)

Whatever Fifi and Yoyo can get their mouths on, i bet there will be a torn corner, or a one-piece item disintegrating into multiple pieces. MONSTERS! Heee.

Fifi is still so tiny, and she looks like she will remain that size for quite a while (or maybe permanently). If i shave her hair, i think she can pass as a chihuahua.

Yoyo has grown a little 'taller', and looks really handsome. Smarty too! And of course, at the price of more mischef and destructions around the house.

Heard from the maid that Yoyo has jumped into the swimming pool that day when we were out in the office, and apparently enjoyed his swimming session. I hope that will NOT be his habit now. It will be a nightmare to dry and comb him. Comparing to Coco and Hugo, the pomeranians take much longer to have their hair dried - due to the 2nd coat of dense hair beneath.

Grooming time again

2009-03-01T15:29:00.002+04:00

Coco's and Hugo's hair is getting longer now. They still have that puppy cute look, but part of their hair is getting matted already. Now with all the clothes off (as it is getting warmer now), they can chew on each other again. Not to mention, Fifi and Yoyo can join in the fun too ....

So, time to get them groomed, and have all the matted hair detangled.

Have been trying out 'Pet Style' for a while. While i am not unhappy with them, but i noted that they tend to just shave off the hair real short to solve the knots issue. Want to try out other groomers who are probably more patient and have ways to deal with this problem.

Wrote to 'Creature Comforts'. Nope - fully booked again. Lady is working full time too, so she only deal with her regulars.

Then i remember the mobile pet groomer who drive around in a van, and groom the dogs in the van, stationed outside the house. Did not get any luck to reach them or get an appointment a year ago, but i still tried, and this time i got through (guess the economy downturn has really affected all businesses).

Surprisingly, i got an appointment fix for this Thurs. Yahoo!!!

Coco and Hugo will go for the full body works, while Fifi and Yoyo will just have the normal wash and nail trimming etc ... Yippy!!! I am spared from the 'labour' for this week. If they are good, i will book them with this groomer every 2-3 months. Not cheap though - this is going to burn at least AED1,100 in my pocket ...... but well, for them, it is always worth it.

Now who is on heat??

2009-02-16T12:11:00.003+04:00

OMG.

Cannot tell who is on heat now. It is Coco or Fifi? Hmmmmmm ...

It is just challenging to figure out who is on and who is off now. Both Coco and Fifi are so active, and it really difficult to examine them. Sigh

It seem that the heat only lasted 1 day??? But i read that some female dogs keep themselves quite clean, and it is at times difficult to even detect that they are on heat.

Shall monitor further. Hope to get a confirmation that it is Coco on heat, so i spare her the agony of having to visit the vet again.

On Heat!

2009-02-15T17:05:00.002+04:00

Maid called me in the office, and mentioned that there are bits of blood in the living room and kitchen.

Finally, one of them (Fifi or Coco) are on heat!

I hope is Coco as she is really quite late already - into her 1.5 yrs. Cross my fingers.

Hope she is feeling ok.

Cannot wait to go home later after my dinner appointment and see she is doing.

Morning walk on V-day

2009-02-14T18:43:00.002+04:00

Brought the 4 dogs for a morning walk.

Fifi, to my surprise, walked on her own, and enjoyed her walk as much as the others. Even one of the neighbours whom we bumped into, who saw us the last time we brought them out for a walk, also commented 'oh .. the little one is walking on her own now' :)

I am soooo proud of her. Despite her tiny size, her stamina is great and is able to match that of the other 3.

The rest of the day was spent with them, brushing their hair, grooming them, and basically spending time with all 4.

Had a relaxing weekend and refreshed to start the new week. :)

What a handful

2009-02-09T22:30:00.002+04:00

Came home earlier today.

When I opened the front door, all 4 dogs greeted me with zest! I practically have to hug and calm all 4 dogs at one time.

Coco and Hugo were jumping, and demanding to be carried, while Yoyo and Fifi are standing on their hinds and scratching my legs for attention. Goodness!

Really a big handful.

As usual, I gave Coco and Hugo my 1st priority attention to avoid them becoming upset. Yoyo had learnt the trick to bite at the end of my hair and pulled me away. Fifi being the smallest can only continue her scratching.

So naugthy!! But CUTE!

Princess Coco

2009-02-09T11:42:00.006+04:00

Coco is getting really cosy with Yoyo and Fifi.

However, she still has this little jealousy issue whenever i carry Fifi or Yoyo. She will just walk off and stay put in the kitchen.

Sigh. Have to carry her long enough, while Yoyo and Fifi scratch me to death. :)

Coco is so ROUND

2009-02-08T09:53:00.004+04:00

Coco and Hugo really loves to go out into the garden, and out into the communities for their daily walks.

With the weather now becoming warmer, the maid will be resuming the daily walks. The only problem is Yoyo and Fifi will be screaming their lungs out when Coco and Hugo are away. So far, only Yoyo walks. Hmmmm, it is quite impossible to leave poor Fifi alone at home though. Hmmmmmmm. It may mean that the daily walk will become weekend walks then. Normal days when we are not at home, they just get their daily exercise in the garden.

Anyway, from the way they play with each other, i think they are getting their daily dose of exercise.

Coco is noticed to be gaining a little bit of weight. Partly from her hair (getting fluffy), and which is making her look so round :).

Happy and contented :)

2009-02-07T19:02:00.004+04:00

Weekend with puppies!

2009-02-07T16:48:00.004+04:00

Gave 4 of them a good bath. Now they are smelling nice, and looking fluffy.

All zzzzzzzzzzzzz right after the bath. What a good life!!

Morning walk with the 4 dogs

2009-02-06T11:54:00.002+04:00

Decided to bring the 4 dogs out for a morning walk.

Coco and Hugo are really thrilled when they see me reach for their leashes. They were basically in ecstasy!!

Yoyo and Fifi had their 1st trial at wearing the cute harnesses. Think they are not so used to it and were chasing each other to bite the harnesses off. Rascals.

After a while to get them ready, we set out on our walk.

Yoyo is a little unsure initially, but he soon overcome the feeling of uncertainty and join Coco and Hugo in the brisk walks. Fifi is the only one who refused to proceed further, and she practically glued herself to the floor. So in the end, i carried Fifi, while the other 3 are led on the leashes.

Came across one villa, where the owner (father) came out to collect his newspaper. He saw the 4 dogs and quickly yelled for his children to come out to see them. A family of dog lovers!! :) They are just so in love with the 4 darlings.

They have a yorkie (but not the normal miniature breed), who is a little reserved around the 4 dogs - but she seems to get along fine with them after a while. The owner is so thrilled that he decided to get another dog so that his yorkie will have company like ours.

It is always nice to see another dog lover(s) in Dubai. Yahoo!!

Yoyo eating vomit

2009-02-06T00:36:00.002+04:00

The maid mentioned that Yoyo has vomitted on a few occasions recently, after his meal time.

Yoyo still eats well, plays hard, and is full of energy. No sign of sickness at all! Guess he is just throwing out all the rubbish he has been eating - eg chewing at my shoes, eating the wood pellets in the garden etc. Or he has been eating too much and too fast.

Last night i was watching TV and Yoyo was happily playing with Fifi, when he suddenly came over to my leg, and let out a small amount of vomit on my pants. Strangely, he quickly licked off all the vomit, and proceeded with his play and mad chasing.

Was quite puzzled .. and really worried that he is getting sick.

I checked a number of forums, and it seem that the action of eating vomit is common among dogs. In fact, vomitting on an object (in this case - me), is a sign of showing dominance over, or 'ownership'. Hmmmmmmmmmmm ... is he trying to tell Coco, Hugo and Fifi that he 'own' me? But Yoyo has indeed become very clingy to me ... he shadows me wherever i go, and loves to sit in my lap etc.

As i will be spending my weekend with them, will keep a close watch on Yoyo. I think he is ok. From his energy level and his appetite for food, i doubt he is sick or ill.

Miss my babies

2009-01-30T17:10:00.002+04:00

Been to Vietnam for the Chinese New Year holiday. Finally have a short break, away from work.

Now back in Singapore, before heading back to Dubai on Sunday. Cannot wait to see my 4 little ones :).

Think will give all of them a good bath and brushing session on Sunday itself.

Bought 6 kg of dog food, and a new shampoo. Hmmm .. wanted to buy more clothes for Hugo, but did not seem to see any suitable ones. Maybe i will buy some on the online auction sites (cheaper and good).

Chinese New Year coming

2009-01-19T20:20:00.002+04:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner again.

The maid is now busy cleaning up the house, and taking down the xmas decorations in the house.

It is interesting to watch Coco, Hugo, Yoyo and Fifi shadowing her whereever she goes. If she goes upstairs, Coco and Yoyo will follow, leaving Hugo and Fifi barking and whinning for the maid and their sibling to come back :)

It seem that Hugo and Fifi have become good friends - they always walk together, zzz together, and Hugo is much more patient with her as compared to Coco. Perhaps he knows that Fifi is a small puppy, and thus more tolerant towards her nonsense.

Coco and Yoyo are good with everyone, as usual. Princess Coco still has a little bit of stuck-up attitude at times, and demand special attention and treatment from the rest. But it is ok - she always has my special hugs and attention :). Coco is just too cute to ignore.

Yoyo is the super mischievous one. Always looking for troubles :). But he is a really smart puppy and has show-dog potential. Maybe should try to train him to be one?

One of the residents staying near the house has 2 full sized pom (6 yrs old). Wow. Black and white. Really nice. But they are quite BIG. I am looking at Fifi, and really wondering if she will be the miniature pom even for a full grown size. Hmmmmm