One More Week - Then Virginia!

Well the 17 day work week is closing down, hump day has come and passed. Seven more days and then we'll be off to Virginia. A few more caesareans to do (french bulldogs are also known to have to have human help in the fertility department). As I am thinking about fertility in general, I am wondering if Dr. Stormy Winters will accept referrals on any of the fertility manners I may have at hand, especially mastitis cases. I will have to call and ask. Went practicing shedding in the rain last night - I had gone on the weekend, and it seemed that I and my dogs had forgotten how to do it - no 10 point sheds done, heck there were really no sheds done period. After regrouping for a few days, the shedding was much more successful last night, albeit in the rain.

Fly was bred to Clive when we were out in Kingston, and I have been crossing my fingers and toes - it seemed to work. There were two lines!! Seriously, there is a test to do -she carefully peed on a stick and results were in after 10 minutes. She should be due the first week in October. This is her last litter - and her last season running field trials. She hasn't really slowed down at all, and I think the 2010 USBCHA Finals will be a good way to end her career. Probably will still do a few arena trials until she can't catch up any longer. Is hard to shelf the old standby, but she still will be going trialing with me - can't leave her at home - it would likely cause her to go in a deep depression. We have some offspring hopefully that can fill her shoes - Creed is so much like Fly (but then if you looked at his pedigree, it would be apparent why - his grandfather is his father). If you look closely, you can see the single eyebrow - but he works great, shows great stuff that I like. Floss is a FlyxClive offspring ready to do the nursery for next year, and quite like her as well. It all really is a crapshoot game really, but it is fun playing the game.

I have been keeping my eye on the trials - great work Jean Gellings and Star for winning Soldier Hollow. They were out in Ontario for the Canadian Finals, and Denis won with Jake the week before! Definitely on a roll, and couldn't happen to nicer people. As I am keeping tabs on Meeker, it appears that the Canadians are still on a roll, Denis seems to be near the top with Jan, along with Bob Stephens and Pat, Nancy Stephens and Jenn, Ian Zoerb and Freckles (Western Canadian Champion 2010), Joann Zoerb and Mik, Amanda Milliken with Roz and Clive. Hopefully we will see them in the finals on Sunday. My fingers and toes will be crossed. They will probably will be cramped by then.

On Call, Wishing I Was Trialing

Labor Day weekend - for the past 5 years or so, Chris and I had made it our annual holiday to go to the states to trial with the dogs at Kaycee, Wyoming. The trial doesn't exist anymore, so I decided to have a wonderful weekend being on call. Sometimes, being on call means you come to the clinic in the morning to check on the patients, and then have the rest of the afternoon to do what you like - the phone being quiet. Other times, you come and don't get out until it is dark. Today is shaping up to be one of those long days. It started early this morning (1:30 am) with someone finding their cat after having been lost for 1 week. I would have said come in the morning, but they were frantic since the cat was crying. Minnie, was actually mini. She had been quite an overweight cat to start with, but after losing about 3 pounds, her backbone is showing. Unfortunately, with fat cats, when they don't eat for a spell, their livers can rebel. Minnie's liver is rebelling, and hopefully we can get her back eating soon.
In between calls, I am closely watching the outcomes at Soldier Hollow and Steamboat Springs, imagining I am there, and not doing yet another parvo test on a sick dog. The bloody stool in the dog I am looking at is not due to parvo, but due to it's eating it's own platelets, causing it to bleed. A good wack of steroids may help - I hope - we have it in it's early stage, so I will just readjust my horseshoe in my butt and clench.
I am hoping Jenny will blog soon with a play by play description of the runs at Soldier Hollow as I am cleaning up from a bulldog caesarian - 8 pups - doing my part to populate the veterinary community with the breed that can be a vet clinic's major client. We see alot of bulldogs here - and even though they are still dogs, some think this clinic is the best for bulldogs. We have had bulldog owners come from Thunder Bay, Ontario for us to see their pets. Special people bulldog owners are, very special.
Then I recheck the blocked cat - that is a cat that can't pee. It has been quite of a pisser of a case. We usually place a catheter in, then take it out in a couple of days and they can go on their own. This morning was the third time I replaced the catheter - it is becoming quite a pain in the butt, or more correctly, a pain in the urethra to fix this cat. I am going to pray to the cat gods tonight.
Now it is a dog with something stuck in it's mouth. Please people, don't feed bones to your dogs. Here I am, sedating a dog so I can remove a bone which has remarkably lodged itself on the top palate between the teeth. Thankfully a quick fix.
The phone is silent for the time being - I guess I'd better put it back on. A quick check on the Soldier Hollow website - Johnny and Sly must have had a rotton go with their 96, Denis Gellings and Jan was an RT, Faansie and Jill are leading it thus far. Yet another twinge, wishing I was there watching - better yet, competing there. It is early yet in the afternoon, and I am going to go and find some sheep for Fly and Gin for us to do shedding with. My own personal trial. Ten point sheds all the time. Perhaps we can repeat this at Virginia in 2 weeks time. Speaking about repeating, I had better go and repeat the bloodwork on the bleeding dog. The clotting gods will hear from me tonight.

Does Anyone Have A Turbo??

What the H, E, double hockeysticks is a turbo - whatever it is, it got broken on the truck as Chris was making it home from Maple Creek. Synopsis - Western Canadian Finals was at Maple Creek, Chris had taken the horses down to set for the finals, I left early (Saturday), to bring the kids back home, left some dogs with Chris since I couldn't take them home all with the load I had. Chris spent all week waiting for the clutch to be repaired on the truck. We had limped it into the mechanics (Cheverolet Dealership in Maple Creek) on the friday of the trial - ample time to get the parts in, and fix it on the Monday (day after the trial). They finally got it done on Tuesday afternoon, and then Chris tried to put it into reverse to hitch the trailer. Alas, there was no reverse. Back into the mechanic the next morning, and they discovered they were not supposed to machine the piece they had, so they had to order another flywheel (what the heck is that anyways), from Saskatoon, so that was another day of waiting. Finally Friday they had everything done. Thank goodness, since I am up in Wetaskiwin for the next 3 weeks, and Chris's mom is leaving for a holiday. I only brought Gin and Fly with me since we are flying out of Edmonton for Virginia, so the rest of my dogs are at home. So it all worked out, so I thought. At 9:30 last night, Chris calls on the east side of Brooks - the turbo is gone. When it rains it pours. In the end, a towtruck pulled the truck and trailer home, to the tune of $700. Not sure what a turbo costs. Probably has to be shipped in from Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.

The trial gods are likely peeing themselves laughing. I, however, don't find it that amusing. Oh well, everyone is back home now. Possibly I will laugh when I pay the Visa bill - on second thoughts, not likely.

Back To Work I Go

As everyone else has gone off to more dog trialing, I have returned to work after a summer hiatus - a break that I felt was well deserved. However, it feels like I never left. Spays, neuters, quills and impacted anal glands - these are a few of my favorite things (Julie Andrews eat your heart out). I have brought Gin and Fly with me since after my 17 day in a row stint, we will be going off to Virginia for the finals - I hope to redeem myself and the dogs. Possibly the break will do them good, but do want to do some brushing up before we go - Norm Schmuland is close by, so will likely stop by at his place and do some sheep stuff.

When we were at the last dog trial in Maple Creek, the clutch went on our truck - here it is a week later and Chris is still stranded in the big metropolis of Maple Creek. Not looking forward to that bill. I wonder if it was planned that way - they had it "fixed" and Chris never even left the yard, since he couldn't get it into reverse. Never trust a one handed mechanic.