Save it for a Rainy Day

Its been raining a lot recently so walktimes for Nero are sometimes rain drenched, always mud drenched! There are little ponds in the park, puddles in the road, mud everywhere and the smells...oh my!! He's learnt that we don't like him splashing in the puddles on the road while we walk him on his leash. But when he's off leash in a park, he decides his own rules!!

Recently, he's also discovered little toads hopping in the grass. The first time he found one he jumped almost as high as the toad! Now he actively seeks them in the grass and tries to paw them...while we're trying our best to drag him away! No Nero No! They are NOT playtoys!!!!

Bon Appetit

As Nero turns adult, one of the primary dilemmas I face is how much to feed him. Till now he has been on a diet of dalia/veggies/curd for breakfast and roti/veggies/curd for dinner, which bits of dog food added to get him used to the taste. He also gets some titbits from us while we eat, though thats limited to half a roti or so. His activity levels seem to be coming down a bit. He still has his two walks a day, but he tends to sleep/rest more when he is inside.

A lot of net survey, reading on labs and an earlier conversation with his vet reminds me that this transition period is when dogs start to put on weight and their appetite might actually be larger than their requirement. Nero is now 30kgs and I'm planning to bring in some change in his diet. For one, I plan to keep one meal as only dog food. Right now, thats a mix of Royal Canin and Propet. The difficult part is that the recommended daily intake (300g) given on their labels is 1/4th of what he actually eats right now!! Thats a bit difficult to reconcile to! So the modified plan is, one meal of dog food (entire 300g) and one meal of 2-3roti/veggies/curd. Lets see how that works. Meanwhile, a list of questions to ask his vet -
1. What is his ideal weight supposed to be? Now? 3 months from now? 6 months? 1 year?
2. Does he agree with my current diet plan?
3. What is his take on the recommended intake given in on the labels?
4. What about the calcium and vitamin supplements he was taking as a puppy? (He has been off them for a couple of months)
5. What about occassional portions of egg, chicken, meat? Raw or cooked meat?

Here's something useful I came across. A list of what NOT to feed your dog and their consequences. Thanks to the site authors!
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1661&articleid=1030

Doggie Day Out

Day before yesterday, we decided to stay over at my parents' place for the weekend. Since the maid also had the weekend off, Nero came with us.

My parents' home has a huge garden surrounding three sides of the house. New smells, trees, lots of mud, grass, plants, and immediate access - oh my! Does Nero love it or what!! As soon as we parked the car, he shot out to greet my mom standing at the doorway. Mom loves him, but 30kgs of energy jumping at you can be a bit difficult to handle!! Once the family was greeted, he immediately raced to the back of the house to look for Jimmy - the stray adopted by Madhu, my parents' maid. Jimmy was nowhere in evidence, obviously off to do his doggie deeds, so Mr Nero condescended to play with us, running round in the mud, playing fetch, and eventually at the end of two days, losing his ball somewhere among the plants! Maybe mom will find it today!!

He spent a happy couple of days barking at visitors, playing in the garden and trying to play with Jimmy (who we kept chasing off due to his lack of vaccination, tick treatment, worm treatment et al). It also turns out, Nero has a tendency to try to mount Jimmy (yes they are both males, even if Nero is neutered!!). Umm...the implications of that seem a bit radical to digest..but we do plan to ask the vet on our next visit!

Apart from the usual, this stay was marked by an interesting incident. On Saturday night, I decided to accompany my dad to the market, and against better judgement, took Nero along for the walk. Why against better judgement - simply because NCR (thats the National Capital Region or Delhi and its surrounding cities) is a haven for stray dogs. There is no place that is not inhabited by them, especially market places. They exhibit pack mentality and can be very territorial. Normally, they do not attack pet dogs/ leashed dogs accompanied by humans, though a newcomer does rouse their collective hackles! This was the scenario we walked into with Nero.

It was an impressive display by the local dogs. There was a veritable relay system going on, from the moment we crossed a neighbourhood park, all the way to the market, a distance of about 700 meters. We stopped at 3 different shops at about 200 mts from the park, 500 mts from the park and at the marketplace. At the first stop, 2 brown dogs greeted us barking furiously, while one black dog lazily looked up from his repose. When we stood in one place (while dad did his shopping), they barked from a distance, observed us very closely and then when they assured themselves we were just sitting and no real threat, gave some more barks, then loped off. At the next stop, another dog (alsation mix stray this time) did the same, except his barking was fiercer, prolonged and echoed by more barks behind us. Lo behold, when we turned into the main market, we were confronted by not 1 or 2, but 4-5 dogs of various heritages, all looking mean and barking pointedly & furiously at us. We sent dad off, found a suitable corner near the entrance of the market and stood still over there. The dogs kept barking at us, actually fanned out in front of us at one stage. It was scary, even though you know usually the strays don't actually attack, and there were a lot of people around. Still, they looked unpredictable!! Meanwhile, our hero, Nero for once seemed to take heed. Normally, he tries to bark and leap at strays barking at him. This time I had him firmly under control (yes my arms/hands suffered) and kept telling him to stay in a low but insistent voice. Wonders, he had his hackles up, but apart from some low growling, he obeyed! The culmination of the stand off was the stray dogs peeing on some poor scooter which was parked a little way ahead of us, clearly marking their territory. It was amazing to see them mark it in turns. Who says dogs talk a different language...their communication was loud and clear to both of us!!

With all that display and caution, there actually turned out to be no trouble. All bark and no bite!! We relaxed and walked back home with dad...only for utter pandemonium to break loose...of all places about 50 meters from our house! There was a woman with a small black dog on a leash and a daschund running free walking along. Now, there definitely is some animosity between Nero and daschunds. He always goes mad when he sees the one in our complex, this one was no better. Nor was the daschund, who totally ignored the woman and barked madly at Nero. Holding on to Nero was literally like holding on to dear life...he was MAD! So was the daschund! And the daschund was free, though he didnt come near us. But he kept running around (mostly between us and the house). The woman called him a couple of times but walked off to the park which was nearby (and obviously her destination) leaving us to deal with the situation! Somehow, we got Nero home (without any physical contact between the dogs), but it was exhausting!!

When we reached home, my dad summed it all up - 'we found trouble as expected, but when it was totally unexpected!!'

Its a dog's life

One year old. Our puppy is now officially a dog! Not that his behaviour has changed overnight. He still as jumpy and chewy as ever, but much much more routinized!! He's up with the sun and by 6:30am, wants to go sit in the balcony and denude the potted palms while watching the world wake up. Chewing on leaves takes precedence though. Unless he can sniff and nudge my hubby awake...then its walk time...ooh heaven! A nice long walk with time aside for his morning toilette. No more soiling indoors...hooray! Hubby likes a brisk walk, so Nero has a nice long morning stroll. Back at home, he accompanies hubby around till he (hubby not Nero) leaves for office. Then its a toss up between overseeing the maid clean the house, or retiring to his favorite place in the whole world - his den. Which does NOT happen to be the crate we bought for him, despite all the crate training. No sir, heaven is below the sofa-cum-bed in the lounge, a dark, cool place where he can rest out of reach of anyone who doesnt want to crawl under the bed. This is his domain, and he spends a happy morning sleeping there.

Then its lunchtime, not for him (he eats only two meals/day now). But any meal times are sacred for him. It is utterly necessary for him to be sitting by our side during mealtimes. Sometimes scraps of roti's do make their way to him!! Post our lunch, its time for him to sit vigil while the maid lunches in the kitchen. He isn't allowed in, but that doesnt stop him from sitting pretty at the kitchen door!! Once all the food has been consumed, its time for another nap. This time, on top of the aforementioned sofa-cum-bed, or in the floor near it. This is also the time the AC is usually on, so the entire room is nice and cool for him.

His internal clock sets off again around 6:00pm. Its amazing, no matter how deeply he might be asleep at 5:59, a quick stretch and he's sitting in anticipation for his evening walk! If there is no immediate movement from me, he'll start with gentle pawing, escalate to harder pawning, degenerate to whines and active jumping on top of me. More often than not it works. Sometimes, I have to hide in the bathroom. Then he lies await for me outside. In the rare case, all his techniques have failed, he selects a toy from his toy box and settles down with it to wait. He knows he's going to get that walk...its just a matter of time!!

Evening walks are leisurely affairs. A variable stroll lasting from 20 minutes upto 1.5 hours! Apart from his evening toilette, its time to check out new smells, jump at passing people and other strolling dogs, and if the park is dry, play ball! Recently, its been raining here and the laburnums are in full blossom. Sometimes I feel like Dorothy, and a rather large Toto, walking down the yellow road!!

Once his route has been walked, the smells sniffed and dusk duly fallen, its time to return home. A quick power nap of 15 minutes or so, and he's ready for games again. By this time, hubby also would be back (or on his way back). So its playing with his toys, either fetch (if the humans are in the mood), or on his own, with lots of sound effects (whines, growls, short barks)! This is also the time to keep going out the the balcony (everytime we just close the door, he's jumping at it within a few minutes), watching the night fall and barking at other people standing on their balconies.

Dinner time for him, and then either he goes back to playing or settles down in the lounge with us, curling up against us as we watch tv. Sometimes curling up that is, other times stretching out and nudging us towards the sides of the sofa/bed and he hogs the center! Family time entertainment indeed. When the day is finally done for the humans, usually he's been asleep on the sofa/bed for a while. Very reluctantly, usually dragged off the bed, he joins the humans in the bedroom and finally condescends to use his den (the crate..yess at last!) to sleep in, interspersed with bouts of naps on the rugs and near the foot of the bed.

Thats his day, everyday. Sometimes, we both go out and he's left alone with the maid. Then I'm told, he sleeps in front of the main door (and the maids door which is just inside the main door). Doorbells need immediate investigation, with lots of sniffs under the door, barks and jumps. The wall near the door is scratched to bits!! People coming to work home, plumbers, electricians, repairmen etc. need thorough investigation. Usually denied as most of them insist he's locked in a room. So as soon as they go, a round of sniffing around to ensure he's complete on top of things happens. Visits to my mother's place are full of fun. Lots of garden place to run about and a stray dog, domesticated by their servant to play with!

The days are packed. Life is good =)

Snip and Tuck

Nero turned 7 months a couple of days ago and today he went for his much debated snip and tuck aka neutering operation. While we had decided earlier on that we would go in for the operation (based on the glowing pictures painted by the vet and well wishers - neutering=healthier dog happier dog happier family etc. etc.), when the recommended 6 months arrived, immense emotional debates raged through us. The vet assured us it was a short procedure, less than an hour. We bring him in, and in less than an hour he is castrated (ouch!!) under general anaesthesia and could even walk back home, maybe a little tipsy. It was best for the dog and around 6 months was the best time to do it. Financially, it wasnt too much of a stretch either, just a one time Rs 2500, considering we spend at least Rs 1000/month on him on bones, toys and stuff anyway.

Practically, it was all cut and dried (pun unintended). Emotionally, we were wrecks! The tearing emotional struggle! The responsibility for making such a big decision with such final consequences that would stay with us for the rest of all our lives! We knew that we had made the decision, but God, it was so difficult to actually act on it! We second guessed and third guessed our decision, looked up wiki and google, spoke to people, read articles. The internet even had entire surgeries online, in full pictorial detail. Umm...too much information!!
Almost all third party sources were 'for' the operation. But the biggest 'for' for us as it turned out, was as the hubby put it..since he isn't going to get any, why torture him with the urge! The biggest 'against' of course was our baby would no longer be intact. It was an operation for heaven's sake, not a natural progression as nature intended it. We had faith in the vet that the operation would be quick, largely painless and safe. But it was so final. Did we really want to erase a whole aspect of our baby? Was it fair to him? Would it really benefit him in the long run? And what about having pups? Even if we thought we didnt want his pups, would we always feel this way? What if we wanted to change our mind? After all dogs, sadly, have notoriously short lifespans with respect to humans. Would we not like to keep the association of the genes alive? But then again, he's not a pure breed, so breeding him would just be wishful thinking anyway. Wouldnt it?

In the midst of all these doubts, self recriminations, raging internal debates and an underlying current of the sadness of finality, we met the vet to fix a date. The first date was fixed for 12th dec. However, a new snag appeared. Pets have an Elizabethan Collar, a funnel like device tied around their necks, to prevent them from licking and reopening their wounds in case of operations and other deeps cuts or wounds. This collar was not available in Nero's size anywhere! We spoke with our usual Pet shop owner but he not only declined having any, he went so far as to tell us that it had not been available for the last 6 months and there was only 1 distributor in these parts who imported it. We asked him to check with him but to no avail. Only a smaller size was available, but it wouldn't cover his snout and thus prevent him from licking and messing up the dressing, the stitches and possibly his recovery.

Surely we could not have an operation without the collar. Knowing our baby, he would surely do exactly what he's not supposed to. How could we go ahead? Maybe he was destined not to be neutered!

We got back to the vet with the sad news. The vet said he would try something and bring him in at 12:30pm on Sunday and lets see. The path of destiny just did a u-turn.
So at 12:30pm on a winter Sunday morning we landed up at the vet place. He didnt have a collar either but said he would tell us how to convert a plastic dustbin into a collar (as people used to do for ages and ages before this new fangled collar arrived) and we would go ahead. The moment had arrived and I wasnt sure how we reached there so fast!

Things started to fall into place far to quickly. Nero was injected a preanaesthetic, and we were sent off for a 10 min walk. In a lapse of communication, we had not realised he was not supposed to eat before the operation and he had had his breakfast at 8am in the morning. However, post that he had been for 2 walks, had evacuated both his bowel (once) and his bladder (a few times) so we hoped it would all be ok. Back after 10 mins, he was on the table and a bit of hair snipped off his right forelimb elbow. And then the anaesthetic got injected in. Before we knew it, our baby was relaxing in our arms. I was holding his face, his dear little face...his pupils had dilated to almost the full size of his eyes. His breath was calming down and his pupils were so large I didnt know if he could focus on my face. I could barely focus on his through a misty veil of tears that just materialised from nowhere as I looked into my baby's eyes. He was ready for the operation and we were supposed to come back in 30-45 minutes. Frankly, I was in a bit of a daze, leaving him on the operation table, with no clear thought except that the faster we leave, the faster we can get him back. As I came out of the clinic, my biggest regret was not having a single damn tissue on me. The rest I didnt want to think about.

We spent the time in a nearby supermarket, shopping for general household stuff. Back to the clinic, as we entered, they had finished. Our baby was awake! He even wagged his tail a bit on seeing me. Surely its not possible for a heart to explode from too much emotion, but mine was doing a highly credible attempt. The doc then started speaking of making dustbins to collars and post operative medicines (antibiotics and anti-inflammatory), helping focus on the situation and preventing a full emotional meltdown. He was awake but groggy. He managed to get up on his own and walk a bit. We carried him down the stairs into the car park and put him into the car. Then we decided, what the heck, lets try again looking for that damn collar.

We went to 5 different shops looking for the collar, and parallely though about various alternatives, plastic dustbin, plastic buckets, cardboards, lampshades, plastic electrical wire holders (my mom's suggestion), moulded plastic stationary folders (my hubby's idea). Finally we decided to buy a couple of the real stuff, albeit in the smaller size. After all if we were indeed to cut, paste, tape and otherwise modify materials, why not do it with the real stuff!!
So we went back to our pet shop, got 3 collars at size 3 and finally went back home. Nero managed to walk a bit and walked from the lift back to the door at our floor. Once in we settled him onto his mattress covered him with his blanket and after a bit of shuffling around he went to sleep.

We've hovered around him since then with oodles of love and cuddles. Making a place for him on the bed with a thick sheet when he wanted to come up, covering him with his blanket as he slept on the ground. I even held up his bowl to make him take a few sips, his mouth was soo dry! Once he had slept a while, he kept whining and trying to reach his stitches. So we tried to make him walk around a little using his favourite biscuits. He wouldnt walk much, sitting down after a couple of steps and refusing to move. With a combination of biscuits of lots of encouragment, we made him walk up and down his normal fetch route - dining room to drawing room, and then took him out to the balcony to see if he wanted to pee. Did he ever! He went reluctantly, but once there peed a river! Later, he hungrily ate a bowl of liquidy khichdi (rice and pulses cooked together into a watery consistence) and is now sleeping again, having somehow manouvered his bulky collar under the low bed.

Now that the operation is through, all I'm focussed on is ensuring he recovers as fast as possible and that he's as comfortable as he can be. I have no regrets on the operation. Maybe someday I'll look back to today with different eyes. Maybe never. But for now, my baby is well, is home and healthy, and thats enough for me for now.

Nero's first winter

Its been a while since my last post. In the meantime, Nero has turned 6 months old, moved from puppyhood to doggy teenagerdom, torn a bean bag, made a girlfriend (Sujjain - female black lab 3.5 months old at a neighbouring high rise) and got his first winter jacket. Life is never dull!

Nero - tall enough to investigate the top shelves

Nero - in his brand new jacket, being sidetracket by biscuits and bones so that he does not chew or pull off his jacket.

Nero goes to School...

...or rather the school comes to Nero. Our baby is now 4.5 months old and has got his own personal trainer! October 4 was the day Nero started school. He is starting on basic commands. He already knows Sit, Down and Come...the key is he has to do it on command, NOT only when he feels like it! Currently, his trainer comes on alternate days and he is on basic obedience training for 4 months. And its needed!! He's growing so big, he already reaches my shoulders when he jumps!

So far he's had 2 classes with his trainer. The trainers are a brother duo - Gopal & Mohan. Gopal, the elder one, who started the first day told us Nero is quite an energetic dog, more than most labs (well he is a mix!). As if we needed further reinforcement of that!!!!!!