Goodbye my love

After 11 and a half years of blessing my life with love and companionship, my Nero passed away tonight on November 17, 2018 at 10pm after a brief illness. He left me as he lived, always close by, just a heartbeat away ... till his beautiful heart stopped beating. Thank you my love, for loving me.

Nero's 2014 Christmas gift

Huggs

There is a toddler in my house

Poor Nero...it wasn't enough that his playtimes had to be curtailed to till the baby is asleep. Now that Ishi is big enough, she wants to play all day. Everything in the house is fair game...and Nero as forbidden fruit is especially exciting!

If Nero gets out his toy to play, Ishi will immediately race and climb up on to the sofa to watch. If he doesn't fetch it, she will try to fetch it herself! She also loves shaking hands with him, touching his fur, and giving him her food (the last one is courtesy Nero's training!). And the latest is chasing his around in her scooty!

At first I used to think Nero must get really fed up with her. But watching her chase him with the scooty today, I got the feeling that he was actually enjoying it! After all he kept coming back for more! and when she left the room, he went and sat near the scooty! Maybe its finally time I can see them playing with each other. But maybe she needs to grow up a little more. After all, Nero is a big dog, and she is just a toddler who doesn't understand how a dog is different from a toy. Or so I believe. But I'd rather err on the side of caution than see either of them get hurt.

Getting an 'Earful'

After 5 days of antibiotics, Nero was fine, though we continued for another 3 days. Then came his overdue vaccination (5 days after completing his antibiotics course). He made no fuss at all with getting jabbed in the rear. However, on check up, Doc said he has wax in his ears and gave us ear drops to put in twice a day. Oh yes..piece of cake...NOT!

The extremely pungent smelling bottle has Nero racing for cover each time we even pick it, leave alone uncap it. So far, in 4 days, of the 8 prescribed dosages, we have managed to squirt in 3.5. No treat is too yummy to keep him at our side. Last night, while he was in deep sleep on his side, we sneaked a spray into his exposed right ear. He went under the bed with the most pitiable expression on his face. Needless to say, we are the meanest pet parents on Earth to him right now. And the white bottle sits on the shelf, mocking our feeble attempts to empty it in the right place, at any time!

Medical Mystery

So Nero's routine urinalysis came back with above average pus cells, some epithelial cells and occasional RBCs. All else was normal. The doc asked us to wait for the culture report before starting antibiotics. Meanwhile, he continued Nephrotec (2 tbs twice a day) and Neeri syrup (2tsps twice a day). Urine culture report came on Sunday night as all negative. Weird! Anyway, we started Nero on Norflox antibiotics (400mg twice a day for 5 days) and scheduled a second vet trip on Monday morning.

Monday, we took him back to the vet. He was more than happy to go! Even tried to jump on to the examining table by himself (though it was too high and he needed a boost to get up). No need for restraining, just a muzzle one and a tube was inserted to take some blood sample (2 whole vials!). We gave them for complete blood profile, liver and kidney tests and glucose levels. Late night, the reports came back....all normal! Well...what now?? Meanwhile, his drinking seemed to have come down a bit, and though he was still peeing a lot, we were taking him out every 6 hours or so, rather than 3-4 hours. So the doc said to keep track of his water intake and urine for 1 day on Tuesday.

Tuesday, his drinking amounts were almost normal (2-2.5 liters) and he was taken out 7am, 3pm and 6pm. Doc said to limit water, discontinue Neeri syrup (a diuretic), gradually taper off Nephrotec and complete the antibiotic course. Then at 10pm, he acted a bit antsy, so we took him down again. But the night he was fine, and went out at 7am today morning.

So now, we continue antibiotics for 2 more days, nephrotec from tonight I'll make it 1 tab twice a day till his antibiotics end and of course keep track of his water intake. It is 10:45am and so far he has drunk about 500mls. But he has not had his medicine mixture and hence his breakfast yet. *sigh*

Feeding Nero medicine is a nightmare. He will not eat them. We usually smash them into curd and roti mixture. And then try adding egg, chicken or just refuse further food till he eats it. Doc gave us the idea of putting the tablets in sheekh kebab. We tested two different sheekhs (Green Chick and Republic of Chicken) with the latter being more meatier and less spicy. The first couple of times it worked. But then he figured out how to chew away the meat and spit out/isolate the pill. So now its back to crushing..and waiting...and waiting. *looong sigh*

Water water everywhere...

Last week or so Nero has been peeing a lot. While at first we didn't take note of the excessive amount he peed on his walks, last Sunday and then again on Wednesday night he peed in the house...something he has not done in years. Sunday, we thought it might be our fault as we had gone to the market when he expected his walkie and got back late. Wednesday morning, hubby left for a business trip and is expected back on Saturday evening. On Wednesday night Nero came and sat by me, unusually panting and tail down. I wondered if it was stormy but it wasn't. I thought maybe something had scared him, and let him sit close. He had been outside earlier near the main door, but I thought it might be him waiting for hubby to get home, as he usually does. Then when I went to bed around 2:30am, he let go outside the bedroom door. That is when I realized he actually wanted to go out! Moreover, there was so much pee...I was actually concerned. Mopping it all up, I went to bed thinking to check with the vet next morning.

Next morning, went out early, he again peed a lot, and mostly clear. Coming back he also drank a lot of water. I checked with my maid and she too remarked that his water intake had gone up significantly in the last week or so. Earlier 1 liter would last him from morning till evening, now it was over by afternoon. I called the vet, and he asked me to bring in him for some blood test.

At the vet, Nero at first was tail-down but waggy. But then we had to muzzle him to get him on the table. There he had to be held down to get the blood sample. The first try didn't work because he moved. Then they tied him down and took the sample. Poor boy didn't like it much, more the restraining than the actual needle. Once done, I got him on leash, he jumped off the table and we unmuzzled him. I gave him a bikky for being a good boy. Meanwhile, vet ran his sample on the glucometer. His random sugar came to 103, which the vet said was fine. The next thing is now to test for UTI, for which we need a urine sample to culture. He gave me a sterile bottle, and bottle of Himalaya herbal tablets (Nefrotec) for the time being (2 tabs twice a day). He deferred his vaccination (due on 28th) for the time being. We had already given him deworming tablets on 19th. I decided to take the sample in the morning, which is the best time to take it.

Back home, we established a 3-4 hourly routine of quick trips outside our apartment block for pee time. Each time he peed quite a bit. This went on till midnight. Then we bunked down, and I hoped we would have no more middle of the night accidents. Unfortunately, the nice breeze at midnight soon turned into a thunderstorm. I put on the music and made up his cozy corner. All was under control till the electricity went off. Then a flurry of digging started, till I could get the ipod playing on the generator run power point. Unfortunately that too went off in a bit and there was more chaos. In all this, Ishi woke up as well, though she remained in good humor throughout. In the background, I had switched off the AC because it was dripping water and flooding the room. I had checked it earlier that night, and removed some leaves from the water outlet in the balcony, but not tried it on again, preferring to wait till it got repaired. So, suddenly we were without AC or fan! Then, the phase not under generator came back, but since the AC was dripping, we couldn't put it on. I tried putting Ishi's stroller fan on her cot to keep her cool, but it has light display that kept her up. The music was going on and off. Nero was scared. Ishi was not able to sleep. It was insane! All at 3am in the morning!

Then I decided to try the AC, hoping the leaf removal would help a bit. Something must have worked, because there was no dripping this time. I put on Ishi's musical mobile and removed her stroller fan. Nero too heard the music and went to lie below her cot. Finally there was some peace. Some time later, the electricity came back, but I just noted it vaguely around the edges of my sleep.

Morning, up at 6:30am, luckily the AC hadn't leaked yet, fan was working, all was fine. Both Nero and Ishi were up, Ishi playing in her cot, Nero waiting for me to get up. I got prepared to take his urine sample, something that I was NOT looking forward too. I had planned to get up even earlier to take it so that the roads would be a little less crowded, but after that insane night, that was not to be. I used my mom's suggestion of covering my hand with a polythene bag to get the sample. It worked, I took the sample, came up and left it and then took Nero back down again for his proper walk. It had rained all over and of course was totally muddy and wet. Why should life be easy! Nero went potty all fine, poked around in muddy places and wet bushes. On our way back however, he refused to come back. Suddenly in the middle of the road, we were in a tug-of-war with two school buses full of children bearing down upon us! So what happens...Nero pulls his head out of his collar and runs away from me towards the bus! Oh shoot!! Luckily the bus was driving slow and the driver had already seen our little tableau and was watching out for Nero. Nero swerved away from the bus and had me chase him down to a little green (and very wet and muddy spot) a little way down the road. Also luckily there were not other dogs, stray or pets around, otherwise there would have been mayhem! I caught up with him, he let me slip the collar back on him, and we made our slow progress back home. I can do with less adventures early in the morning!!

Now his sample is ready and I will take it to the vet later this morning. In other news, as usual, feeding him his tablets is a pain. They smell of haldi and pepper. I have been smashing them and mixing in curd to get him to eat them. Yesterday that worked. This morning, smashed pill curd is still sitting in his bowl. As I write this, the AC has started dripping again. It is still 30 hours till his dad gets back. I hope I can keep it together meanwhile!

4 years old and training babies!

Nero turned 4 years old on May 14. Hubby made a commemorative photograph for the occasion while he had his favorite treat - egg!

This year has brought a basket of eggy delights for him. 2 months into his 4th year and egg has been introduced into Ishi's breakfast menu. However, she never eats the whole egg. So guess who gets the left overs! Moreover, his patience at sitting next to her during her meal times has been rewarded. She has taken to dropping small food bits on the ground and watching him snap it up!

Uh-oh! My 4 year old dog has trained my 9 month old daughter to feed him scraps before she can even feed herself!! And who said we were the smart race???

Tick Bath!

Last week, we visited my mum's place and Nero had a gala time running around in the garden. But with the onset of the monsoon, the bugs are out in full force and we found a big green tick on him! ugh! This despite his tick collar. The tick hadn't latched on (probably thanks to the collar) and we disposed of it.

All was well, till a couple of days later, I found a similar tick on the wall of our lounge, right next to the bed where Ishi's play gym is kept!! Ew Ew Ew! So out went hubby and Nero, into the balcony, for a full fledged tick bath. I had first suggested to send him to his spa, but hubby was reluctant as Nero tends to misbehave there and doesn't let them do their job properly! Bad dog!

So onto the balcony they went with lots of shampoo, tick powder and a hosepipe of water. After some rigorous scrubbing and talc massaging, Nero was left out to air dry for a bit, while we cleaned up inside. Once dry, he was nice and clean and sweet smelling. The balcony was a disaster! It took 3 days of cleaning to get in back in shape. Didn't help that the substitute maid isn't as efficient as my original one...sigh. Still! No signs of any more ticks yet. Fingers crossed :)

Strange Happenings

Last evening and night had been stormy - definitely NOT Nero weather. He spent the night occasionally digging in the corner, wanting to be comforted...a wakeful night for both him and me. That is not unusual. What is unusual is his sudden relieving himself in the house this afternoon, and then going into the balcony for doing his bigger business! He never ever does that inside the house. The last time that happened was almost 2 years ago and he had an upset stomach. Plus, he had gone for his customary walk both last evening and this morning, and done his business, so there was no question of having to hold in for long periods either. It was all very strange. He does not have an upset stomach, he is not scared right now, and doesn't seem stressed (except after he relieved himself in the house, which he knows is wrong and he had his tail down looking very apprehensive). It all seems very mysterious.

Anyway, I took him out for a quick walk just in case, and to check if he was feeling ok. He was quite happy going for a walk, and roamed around normally. Of course, having done his business inside, he didn't have much left to do outside. It being afternoon, and very hot, we kept to nearby lanes and his normal route.

That is when we had another strange appearance. I left him on a loose leash, and sniffing around, I suddenly heard a big rustling, and found him standing still in surprise. I saw a big lizard (about 1.5-2 feet long) basking in the sun near a house compound wall, totally camouflaged by the dry sand and grass. The only reason I saw it was because it had its head up, looking at Nero and because of the rustling sound that movement had made. Luckily, Nero was far to surprised to growl or get his hackles up, or even move. I slowly reeled in his leash, and slinked away from the lizard. Nero throughout seemed surprised but came easily, waiting till I loosened his leash again to start nosing around. I had reached the end of the lane and was turning back for a second look, when Nero surprised a stray dog sleeping in the shade and I was locked in the tussle of getting him back in control. By the time, I looked back, I couldn't see anything. The lizard might still be there, but was camouflaged. I certainly wasn't going to go and check. I briefly thought of taking a picture, but discarded the thought because a) taking pics with my mobile camera is a pain and b) that would involve going back and looking for the lizard again. No thank you. Plus, I didn't know how Nero would react the second time around, and the lizard was big enough to harm him if it came to that.

We walked back, me still slightly in shock, Nero, panting about in the sun, walking normally. Called hubby and told him the story. He laughed and commented that he walks Nero twice a day and sees nothing, and I take him for one walk and get to see it. Yea right...like I don't wish it wasn't me either! Googled it at home, and where I had described it iguana-like, it seems monitor lizards are found in the general area and there is even a species called the common indian monitor lizard! Ugh! Like monkeys weren't enough pests in the neighborhood. But then, maybe we are the pests in the lizard's area. Whatever the reason be, it sure has been one strange afternoon.

Boarding

With Ishi's mundan and first visit to her paternal grandparents coming up next month, we need to make arrangements for Nero's care while we are away. Normally, we would have left him with my parents, but they too are travelling with us. Hence, it is to the boarding kennel for Nero. He has already spent some time in Kennel1, a dog boarding farmhouse, 3 years back. But he was much younger then, and we weren't sure how he would take to it now.

So today, we visited the Kennel again. He seemed to recognize the place. We decided to leave him there for the day and let him get used to staying there. When we left, I saw him sitting in his good boy pose in the fenced enclosure, whining behind us..and it broke my heart. I'm missing him so much...:( I know its good for him, he needs to get used to an alternative whenever we are out of town, and also get socialized with other dogs. But I MISS him! I know he'll be fine, but I can't stop worrying..hoping he is alright, having fun, not missing us, making friends - human and canine alike. Sigh!

Its getting hot in here...

Spring is in the air...actually it went from cold to hot in a blink of an eye! Hot days make Nero lazy. But more than the heat, its the wind thats driving him nuts! Even a soft breeze, if our verandah doors are left open, creates wind tunnels in the house and totally freaks him out. Ahh Nero, the list of things that scare you keeps growing..:( What ARE we to do with you!!!!

I'm feeling laaazyy..

..and so is Nero!

Its been a year since the last post. Since then, Nero has unflinchingly stayed by my side through a difficult pregnancy and 6 months of bedrest and now has a new addition to his pack - Baby girl Saisha (Ishi)! And since I'm feeling lazy, here is a copy of Nero-Ishi relations to date from Saisha's Blog!


We had all wondered about Nero's (our dog) reaction to Ishi. While we let him smell her discarded clothes to get her used to her smell, we didn't let him sniff her or actively introduce her. The plan was that she would seamlessly join the family without any fanfare (well for Nero at least! :) )

So everything was kept as normal. He still slept on the floor in the same room with us, while Ishi slept on the bed. After a couple of weeks, we got our heirloom cot for her and fitted it next to the bed, without removing his crate/den. He made his cosy sleep spot under her cot!

The first few days, when she cried, he would come up the side of the bed to investigate. Later (and till date) he ignores her. As Ishi grew a bit bigger, we started taking her to our daybed on the lounge where Nero is also allowed to climb on bed. Soon they were sleeping side by side, separated by a mountain of cushions! Of course all under supervision. Neither of them currently seem to be concerned with the other right now! They'd be lying side by side, Nero deaf to any wailing, Ishi largely ignoring any loud woofing! Often, when I feed Ishi, Nero will lie on/near my legs, separated by a quilt/cushion barrier, like a nice warm hot water bottle! And given the winter we've been having, his warmth is very welcome!

They both get their own times with Mommy and Daddy, who have ambitious future plans of taking them for walks together, once the weather gets a bit warmer!

Modelling

Nero is sooo photographic! Hubby has a new passion - photography. And guess who his showstopper is!

We put him on a diet last month after his doc said he was getting too fat. He's responded nicely and is looking all nice and lean again. All healthy except dandruffy. Its been really cold lately so he's always in his t-shirt (+ coat for walks and sometimes at night). All those clothes are giving him dandruff .

He's taken to sleeping in the lounge room bed and looks sooo pained when we wake him up when we retire for the night to our bedroom. He has to be coaxed with treats (rub it against his mouth till he opens it to eat it, let him lick it, then take it away into the bedroom. Then leave the door open and avoid all eye contact till he hops off the bed in a pained manner, shakes himself and condescends to come into the bedroom!). Lately, its been so cold, we've been thinking its better to leave him sleeping on the bed than forcing him to come into the bedroom and sleep on the floor (or on his rugs rather). The bed is cosier, and he is particularly fond on curling up on the quilt on the bed! While this is fine, its a pain for us in the morning, and he is up at 6am (brrr) and whining and scratching on the bedroom door! Well lets try it for a few days and see how it works out. More my hubby's problem anyway since he is the early riser and the morning walker. Tee hee hee hee :)

Pea Pods

Nero has a new love - pea pods. He had been staying with my mother, and she gave him some shelled pods to eat. He loved them! Of course he only like the crunchy green ones, not the old white speckled ones. And the odd pea falling his way is yummy too! Peas on earth goodwill for man!!

Bedrest and a sedentary life

I have been put on bedrest for medical reasons and am getting a dose of Nero's days. Sleeping/ Lying down all day is something most people would envy. But it must be one of the most boring things in creation!! No wonder Nero is so thrilled when hubby comes back home in the evenings.

Though I must say he (nero) is far better and organised at resting than I am. He has his rest areas well marked out - some for total inaccessibility for humans (under the lounge bed), others for when he needs a cool space (main bedroom corners), sunny spots in the verandah and part sentry spots (under the living room sofa) where he can keep track of activities in the house/ has a clear view of the kitchen doorway/ is next to the main house door to bark at visitors). He has the household daily routine pretty much figured out as well. Morning time - wake hubby, walk, do his business outside, eat, check on me, see hubby off. Mid morning, bask in the sun or retire to semi sentry spot when house gets cleaned, bark at doorbell ringers, come out to investigate if anyone enters or remains at the door for longer than usual. Lunchtime - hunt me out, get his tidbits, go back to sentry spot or lounge. Early evening, remain in lounge sleeping, or unearth uneaten bones/ toys and look for ppl to play with. Late evening, take up position in front of main door waiting for hubby, fawn all over him, shadow him till walktime, go for walk. Night - eat, wait for us to eat, gets more tidbits, lie down with us, watch tv and go to sleep. A place and a time for everything, forever ready for a game or a nap.

I do think he is getting far too sedentary, though how much is truth and how much is my own frustration with bedrest is difficult to distinguish. With winter setting in and days getting shorter, his walks are getting shorter too. But I have plans for him. Just lemme get over this confinement. (cue evil laugh)mwah mwah mwah!!!!!

Of spas, pigs and rainy weather

Life has been generally quite chilled out for Nero lately. He made friends with our new maid, got his second year booster vaccines and got pampered at a doggy spa!

Here is Nero sitting in the tub at the doggy spa.


The owner/handler was Nero's old friend (he used to work with Nero's vet before opening his own store). Nero was put into a tub and given a good scrubbing! He was as good as gold when my hubby wasn't around, but as soon as he returned, Nero started getting naughty. The shower was fine but nail clipping...ugh! He hates getting his nails clipped. Finally, he made so much fuss that any thought of clipping one of his front paws had to be abandoned! Still 3 paws out of 4 ain't too bad!

Apart from that, life has been just peachy with lots of fun and naps...especially with his li'l piggy!


The only dark cloud on the horizon are the monsoon clouds. Nero hates it when it rains. He gets sooo scared, gets into a corner and tries to dig through the tiled floor. Even biscuits and treats get ignored! Poor baby. The funny thing is, he has no problem with the rain when he is outside! He will happily walk, frolic and get wet in the rain. But inside the house, as the barometer drops, so does his tail. Aww baby! Come to mama!

Happy 2nd birthday!

Nero turned 2 on May 14, 2009 and was thoroughly spoilt. He got his favorite boiled eggs for breakfast and dinner; a garfield squeaky toy; a ring toss toy; lots of bones and a starring role in a video! 

Here is the video.

Loldog

 

Nero debuts on ICHC with the following pictures.

Dognapped

Sadly, this is not another fun post on Nero sleeping. It is about the real thing.

Nero’s only friend in the neighborhood, Scooby, was stolen day before yesterday. We were completely shocked when our maid told us. Apparently, there were 3-4 people in a car, who stopped to talk to the boy who walks Scooby, lured Scooby (who loves to ride in cars) into the car and drove off!! In broad daylight! And on the same road that we walk Nero. Sometime back, I had posted a picture of a road lined with trees with yellow flowers…well about 10-20 meters down the road from that place was where this horrible crime was committed.

My heart goes out to Scooby and his family. Firstly, poor Scooby, caught with strangers, God only know how they would treat him. His walker and minder, had told us he was very finicky about eating, would only eat from his dish, and would eat specific food. We too noticed that he would never take biscuits from us, even while Nero would be all over us clamoring for one. I hope he is taken care of. And the poor family, who has had him for so many years. I cannot even begin to imagine how they must feel. I really hope the police are successful in getting him back.

Apart from being distressing, I also found it strange that Scooby would be stolen. Though a pure breed and not neutered, unlike Nero, he is not a champion specimen (or at least never looked like one to us). He is a pretty placid and quiet dog. Never reacted to Nero jumping all over him. Not aggressive or particularly energetic. A fairly staid, average-joe dog, going his own way in life. Not particularly young either…about 4-5 years old. In the same apartment block, there is another person who actually breeds Labradors. Now his dogs are glossy, perfectly conformed, and look champion material. Scooby, just looked like an average dog, affectionate, but not a breeder champion. Of course, this assumes he was stolen for breeding value. If he was stolen as simply a home/guard dog, well I don’t know what to comment except that if he went so willingly with strangers, he’d probably not make a good guard dog. Labradors aren’t really known for guard qualities, like say a German Shepherd anyway. And if it was for a more sinister reason….no I don’t think I even want to go there. He is such a sweet dog :(

He was the second of the three musketeers. While Nero was growing up, they were a trio of dogs who used to meet at the park in the evening. Pepsi, a 3 year old yellow female lab, Scooby and Nero. Pepsi moved away last year when her owner shifted house. Slowly the evening romps dwindled, till Scooby and Nero just met on the odd walks. But every time Nero saw Scooby, even at a distance, he was literally uncontrollable. Standing on his hind legs for a better look, straining to get near him, dragging us on his leash, uncaring of getting choked, jumping all over Scooby, doing mad jumps about him, running in and out entwining their leashes…and all the while Scooby would stand placidly and bear this hyperactive half-grown dog’s antics.

Scooby, our wishes are with you. May you stay safe and come back home soon.