Saving Skippy
Two years ago I left a retirement party and went to volunteer to walk dogs at the local animal shelter.
While there I met an ornery 10 year old dog who was in immediate danger of being "put down" for biting and general inability to get along with anyone. I was asked to take him for "one more walk" and decided I would walk him to my car...where we started our lives on the lam...
(I did go back and pay for Skip but for obvious reasons, he didn't come back for the trip.)
We had a rough start that led me to think "What have I done?" But a few stitches and two years later I have a great dog who it turns out at the time of our meeting had the good fortune to have been abandoned from a horrifically abusive household, was very ill, and in a lot of pain and therefore biting everyone who came in contact with him.
Skip is now 12 years old and if I only have him for a few years they will all have been worth it to have introduced him to the glories of living his golden years in poodle heaven.
So What's with the Turkeys?
When Skip first arrived it was obvious he was having a few issues...call me quick but the six stitches in my left leg pretty much cued me in. He would often just stand in a corner and stare or whine. It was apparent that he couldn't get comfortable lying down or sitting...I'm sure some of it was anxiety but he looked guarded and in pain. So we found the best vet in the world and realized he had some variation of colitis. Imagine swallowing a couple of lit matches that stay lit while they slowly work their way through your digestive tract and you probably have a good idea of the colitis family at work. Well, with much experimentation and the ridicule of friends and acquaintances I set out on the fantastic voyage to find that exclusive combination of ingredients that is Skip's diet. So this is where the ridicule comes in...and I quote...
...Oh my Gawd...who else would PICK OUT a dog that's allergic to dog food?...
... So when are you bringing him back?...
...Get out! You are MAKING dog food?...
...Killing him is looking a lot better now huh?... (a joke said with the utmost love and affection...Im sure...)
...He eats better than you!...that aint right...
Through very non-scientific experimentation we very gradually discovered what Skip could and couldn't eat and in the interest of brevity let me say he can't eat anything but duck, turkey, chicken livers and a few veggies (non-gassies please)...Believe me it's easier than listing what he can't eat. So if it helps any other persnickety dog owners who happen to live with a "hot-house flower," I am including the recipe (at the behest of my good buddy, anna...)
This batch is good for a week for one 16lb poodle who is eating 2times daily:
1lb of ground turkey
about 6 oz of roasted turkey
(every couple of weeks we use chicken livers instead)
one large diced, cooked (not peeled) sweet potato
about 3/4 cup of diced cooked green beans
Each meal he gets two spoons of this and about 1/3 cup of Pro-balance low ingredient duck and potato formula dry food. Once a month he gets a tsp of bone meal. I found that if he eats any of these things exclusively he still gets the gut ache
so does it kill me to saute the above mix once a week? No, no it does not....although I reserve the right to kvetch about it.
Poodle-izing
skipper gets a poodlization about every 3 months...this is generally the time when strangers start to ask "What's her name???" I don't think he takes it personally...but I do. I really prefer him to be a long hair kinda rasta looking guy but he seems to prefer the feeling of being close clipped. He really loves being pink in the summers. What can I say...I finally found a man who's secure in his femininity.
Skip realized he was lucky to be standing after getting trapped in the dryer
Hey feel free to help me out here and leave a suggestion... be kind, remember its not easy to type without opposable thumbs.
(hit that purple little "comment" thingy at the bottom...)
