The trials and tribulations of Menchi...

Last night we had a rough night...

Not quite sure what happened, but either some bug stung/bit Ms Menchi or she came in contact with something her system disliked intensely. The result was a painfully swollen and red muzzle and facial area. She also was insanely itchy...poor little soul.

Of course these things like to happen after hours when all the good little veterinarians have gone home to their own families and pets. I considered the emergency vet option...but they would have just given a steriod shot and suggested benadryl...

So we grabbed the benadryl and dosed the suffering soul and cleaned her puffy face gently to apply some calamine lotion. It took a while, but once the itchies slowed down she settled in to sleep.

I examined her closely this morning and the area looks normal. No more swelling or redness. So I gave her another benadryl since she still seemed a little itchy and fed her breakfast. If she had still looked like an angry puffer fish we would have had a nice trip to see the vet for that steroid shot.

What is in a name...

If most of you good folk are like us then your pets have names and nicknames...

In our case here they each even have several nicknames, not only that, but the all know their names and their nicknames.

Watson goes by a couple of aliases around the house. He was labeled big brother when we brought home Menchi and "Brother" has stuck as a nickname. I often call him that and he responds to it. The most generic nickname he has is probably "Buddy" because he is my buddy.

He also goes by "Babyboy"...the label that is used when he comes for cuddles...and the less flattering "Snark", which is applied in moments when he has decided to be true to his Basenji rebel nature. I also often refer to him as my "Barnacle" or "Barnacle Dog" because he sticks to me like one :)

Menchi is of course "Babygirl"... To many of our friends she is the "Sock Puppet" or "Hippopotimus Puppy". My most often used names with her are "Squishy", "Chi Chi", and the ever popular "Chunky Monkey". The last three she listens to just as well as her name...

The most odd nickname in the house goes to Autumn the cat...we call her "Banana" and she will come to that when called. She also listens to the shorter "Nanners". To our friends she is known as the "Ghost Kitty", mostly because they know she exists, but many of them have never seen her. She is pretty shy.

To me all these various names are all little facets of my guys...little pieces of their wonderful personalities expressed and shared as best I can with the world.

Pei day :)

So we did make it to the dog park on Monday evening...it was so busy though that I did not want to divide my attention by trying to get pictures (Sorry...dog safety first).

After many months of never seeing another Shar Pei it appears this Monday was Pei day at our favorite dog park. We encountered not just one or two, but four other Shar Pei total. Three of them belonged to one family and also came from the same breeder as Menchi. We had a good chat with the other Pei owners.

We also saw the pair of Tibetan Mastiffs again that we had previously encountered. Those dogs just get more awesome every time I see them. I totally want to get one...if I can ever afford to get a humongous dog that will be it!

Someone also told Watson how amazing he is...as if he didn't know this already (it is pretty much a Basenji birthright). He was playing with an Aussie and a Chow mix, doing laps around me and the other owners as we chatted, and impressing the people watching with his athleticism and agility. When he stopped the Aussie's mom crouched down and pet him and noted "He is not even breathing heavy...what an amazing, little creature."  Watson happily soaked up all the admiration.

Optimistic...

It has been about three weeks now since Menchi managed to injure her shoulder. She was on pain medications for a week and has not limped since. I am thinking it may be time to see how she does with some off leash exercise now.

If the weather cooperates this weekend we will have to test this theory. Most of this optimism comes from her moving normally around the house and playing without gimping with her brother...the rest of it stems from all three of us going stir crazy.

Leash walks are okay...and we do them occasionally...but for real exercise nothing beats a nice off leash romp in a safe area!

I sloemnly promise to try and remember to bring the camera if we get to head out this weekend and get some new pictures for all of you in the curly tail fan club. Now there is a club I should really start...mostly because we can not take a walk without my guys being stopped at least once so someone can ask about one or the other of the pair ;)

Off the pain pills...

So Monday Menchi too her last dose of the pain killers that Dr. Miller prescribed for her gimpy shoulder. So far so good. Her condition has not worsened again without pain control and she has continued to move soundly.

I gave the doc an update today and we are doing the wait and see. If Menchi were to start limping again it would be time for an x-ray.

Keep your fingers crossed that the peiby baby is going to be all healed up soon!

Poor Menchi...

...she is just not high on Lady Luck's list these days. The other day there was the beagle incident...and now she has a sprained shoulder.

We went to our favorite park yesterday, because it is large enough for them to run off leash and me to get some walking in. Everyone had a good time. Then last night I began to notice that the peiby was moving a bit on the gingerly side.

This morning we woke up and she was very obviously favoring her left front leg...a call to the vet later we were on our way for Dr. Miller to check her out.

She is on pain killers and her activity is going to have to be restricted...

Keeping her still is going to be a challenge...getting the basenji to let her be still is going to be a near impossibility!

Could have been worse...

...could also have been better.

We went to a new dog off leash area today. The plan was to meet up with our friend Sam, her son Ben, and their puppy Frankie. The goal was to work on Frankie's social graces. That part worked out just fine.

The part that was not fine is where a lady failed to restrain her reactive beagle and he bit Ms Menchi on her fluffy little muzzle. He got her good enough for there to be blood...but luckily did no real damage beyond a couple of small cuts. No stitches or vet intervention needed. Just TLC and antibiotic ointment. Thank the powers that be!

Now this particular dog had also growled and threatened a couple of dogs prior to his pouncing the Squishy. We were actually trying to move further away with our little gang, but his owner did not get the hint. *sigh*

This is the dark side of the dog park...things like this and worse can happen. Not everyone is in tune with their dog or with dogs in general. Or observant, or careful, or even considerate...

My dogs like to play and run off leash...they enjoy the company of other dogs. Generally most of our experiences are positive and happy ones. Sometimes though I ask myself is it worth the potential risk?

It's a hard question to answer...

Happily the mishap with the beagle did not sour Menchi on the rest of the fun to be had. Once the beagle vacated the premises things were safer. A lot of other folk and fun dogs showed up. The curly tails and Frankie had a good romp with a corgi, some setters, a white GSD, a boxer, a basset, and several canines of mixed origins :)