Thursday and the crate

Well, based on the problem behavior, I figured the only alternative was to crate Bubby. I crated her when I left Thurs. morning and Ben let her out when he got up. Everything seemed fine there. I came home early to take him for a haircut and after finishing my last conf. call, I put her in the crate so we could run him over to the haircut place and to shop for dinner. Our friend Lori was coming over for dinner with us and she called to say she got to the house when we were finishing our shopping. When we got home, she told us that she found Bubby making a lot of noise and struggling to try to get out of the crate. The crate is one of those really big plastic ones that I got from the shelter and it had a little crack at the front bottom. Well, Bubby had started chewing on it and made the crack somewhat bigger and cut her mouth and bleed in the crate (you know how mouth cuts are, blood seems to get everywhere) in the process. There were bloody footprints all over the freshly cleaned house (it was cleaning lady day) and blood all in the front of the crate to clean up. So much for crating her.

Could I be any more stupid

Bubby was fine Monday and Tuesday when I left her home and Ben wasn't up and I just figured the window sills all happened one time and it was just a fluke. I left the house at 7am this morning and Ben called about 10:30 to tell me that Bubby had woken him up because she was eating the mini blinds in the computer room. That was the only room open in the back of the house. That is where she has been spending all her time during the day with Ben. Yeah, fool me twice, I know. Well, I have an email into Dana about the behavior. I tried to get Bubby interested in puzzles in the kong and in another rubber toy with food in it but she just wasn't interested. There are lots of "chew" toys around, but she is obviously bothered by something. The mini blinds were pretty cheap and had a few kinks in them and could have used to be replaced. The loss of the blinds will actually be easier to deal with than the window sills. I think I can sand down 1 of the sills, but the other 3 will take a bit of woodworking to make serviceable or will need new pieces cut.

The plot thickens

A new piece of data and don't know where it fits in the timeline. When I came home from diving yesterday, I noticed a small chunk of wood on the floor in my bedroom. A closer look showed that Bubby had chewed to various degrees (teeth marks up to chunks taken out) 3 of the window sills in my bedroom. The problem is, I didn't do a close inspection of them when I found the well chewed up one in the laundry room on Friday. For all I know, they could have been chewed up at the same time since I always have my bedroom open. Likewise, for all I know, they could have been chewed up previously. I would guess that the cleaning lady would have said something and the last time she came was a week ago. So, we have more chewing and not sure when. I don't think it happened yesterday between the my leaving for diving and Ben getting up later in the afternoon because I gave Bubby 2 benadryl and she had multiple chew toys, but it could have. This could be separation anxiety related and Ben gets up pretty late in the afternoon after staying up so late playing online games. There was a window of time while I was gone and he wasn't up. I think that today I will give her a couple of benadryl and crate her while I am gone diving and Ben can let her out when he gets up. She has a raw hide, a pigs ear, and a ham bone to chew on, let's hope that if she gets the urge, that she opts for one of those things.

Vet visit

Bubby and I visited the vet this morning and she looked at the broken tooth. She pointed out to me that the top incisor comes right across it and the other bottom canine and that the other bottom canine is cut into from the incisor. She suggested that the broken one was probably cut into also and predisposed to break. She didn't think we needed to do anything for the tooth except watch it. She said if the pulp in the tooth becomes inflamed, it will be painful for the dog and the tooth will look pink. That would be an indication that we need to do something. In the interim, she thinks that the tooth is starting to recalcify and cover over the spot. The doctor said that we could put a sealant over the spot, but that it was likely to be knocked off in general usage.

The doctor's bigger concern was what started the episode that had Bubby chew up the window sill and break a tooth. She noted that Bubby is overly nervous. I told her that she has been a "panter" ever since she came to us and we didn't have a history on her before she was dumped at the shelter. The doctor suggested that we needed to treat whatever was causing her to be so anxious. She said that we could try 2 Benedryl tablets to make her more relaxed or that she could prescribe valium. She also mentioned that we could try some anti-depressants though she warned that it is hard to find the right thing. Overall, I am not sure how to proceed on this one. I don't think that benedryl or valium on a regular basis is something that an adoptive owner is going to want. I think it is time to consult a behaviorist.

Broken Tooth

Last evening, while I was sitting at the table playing cards with Bubby standing next to me panting (she is a panting machine), I noticed that she had a canine missing. Looking closer, she seems to have broken off the top of her bottom right canine fang while chewing up the window sill in the laundry room. I went back there to investigate a little further and found the missing piece on the floor. I did a little searching online and it appears she will need some dental work. I sent an email to the shelter to let them know and I need to get a call into the vet today. I touched the tooth in her mouth and she didn't seem to be in pain, but it has to be taken care of soon so that it doesn't become a problem. She is still eating, so it must not be a big issue for her, but don't want the pulp of the tooth to become infected and carry the infection down into the bone of the jaw.

Full Disclosure

Don't know what was going on today, but seems a bit high strung. Ben was home playing on the computer all day, though he probably got up in the afternoon and I left for the day at 8:30. When I got home this evening at 5, I went to put the dirty laundry I had left in my room into the laundry room and I found that Bubby had chewed up the wood on the window sill in there. This is the first incident that we have had with her. She did a number on the sill which is only about a foot off the ground. I will have to trim it off and sand it down or maybe just replace it. I don't know what got into her, but as I walked to the front door to let a guest in, I noticed that she had been drooling in the front windowsill (which is only about an inch off the floor). She must have seen something out there today that upset her. The window sill in the laundry room is at the same height as the ones all over the house, so I don't think it is an access thing. She regularly has access to them all over the house. There must have been something outside that got her riled up. I don't know why Ben didn't check on it. He seemed to know something was up because he told me she had been bugging him all day and asked what she was doing there in the laundry room. Oh well, a little bit of fix it work and this will be patched up. I guess I need to keep the front bedroom and laundry room doors closed.

3 weeks and counting

Bubby is still doing very well. No signs of side effects from the heartworm treatment. This past weekend was 3 weeks since treatment and her energy level is good. I worry that she gets too excited when I come home. She still needs a few more weeks of quiet time. She spends almost all day just lying in the hallway or a back bedroom hanging out, so that is good. She will be ready to get out of the house on 6/22. I have a few things I already know she needs to work on. She doesn't like the car. Little wonder in that she was dumped at the shelter, brought here, taken for heartworm treatments all in her last car rides. When she is good to go, we are going to take some car rides to the park, to the Petco for treats, etc. She needs some good associations with car rides. She could also use some training. She is very sweet and she can sit on command, but I don't know that she has any other commands. While she recuperates, I think it best to leave that alone, but when she is better, I will work on down, come, etc.