•°o.O The Tater Tots Family 2011 O.o°•

[SnowyShiloh]

Hi Sophie! I'm glad you're starting to feel a little better I'll bet getting all the stuff done around the house helps a lot! I've found that I feel a bit on edge if my house is not tidy.

More pictures?

 

[hln917]

Glad you're feeling better. Jeff seems like a wonderful guy, you're lucky to have him in your life. Puck is such a cutie and such a ham! Love back yard and fence. Think you guys can use atrip to the states and do my yard?:biggrin2:

 

[Nela]

We have been sooooooo busy since getting Puck . Lol. Lots of visit and going to visit.

So...

Sandra, Jeff's sister, had her birthday on the 25th of July so we went to her place on the 23rd. They are off to France now so it was nice to see them before they left. Jeff's mom now has Smores and Giggles at her place until they get back. Smores has been having some tummy issues so he is kept under close watch. They are doing great in general though. They areso so silly.

Our neighbors are also on vacation for about 3-4 weeks. We are taking care of their buns while they are away. They told me that I could take them out to run about so I will probably be doing that tomorrow. If I had no common sense I would consider taking in the one they don't like as much. He's a nice bunny but yeah, with my allergies, it's just too hard.

Jeff took last week off. He needed a break and I was really happy he took the week off. He wasn't feeling too good. We mostly played videogames and were lazy. Hehehe. However, after Puck's vet visit on Monday, the vet recommended that we take Puck on walks now so we started that.

It was nice to walk with Jeff. I must admit, I never had a dog before and I do get a bit hesitant sometimes with unknown dogs. On the other hand, with my vet assistant training course thing, I know now what to look for in body language so that reassures me a lot. Plus, really, all dogs here are family pets. They all live in the house and everyone walks their dogs in the same places so they are generally very well socialized. The first dog we met was this huge American bulldog. Lol. Puck literally threw himself on his back and started crying. Oh dear. Luckily, the dogwas very friendly and eventually Puck sniffed him some. He was still scared so we continued on our way. The next dog was much much smaller and that went a lot better though Puck still whimpered. Anyway, in the end, he came around and now he is much more confident. He now goes towards dogs. He still is a little cautious but once he knows they won't eat him, he is very willing to play. Lol.

There was one dog in particular that looked very much like Puck, only adult. It wasn't a cavalier but maybe it was a mix. Puck REALLY liked that one and they played together for a few minutes. When the dog and her owner walked away, he cried after them. He also gets annoyed if people ignore him. I find that hilarious. He's pretty arrogantthe little thing He wants to go up to everyone! If he hears a voice, he actually stops and waits til he can find the person. Lol. I only let him go up to the people that actually want to see him though and he really hates it when someone walks by him and doesn't look at him. Hehehe. Ah well! Luckily, he gets PLENTY of attention so he is very happy with his walks.

On Sunday, we had a birthday party about 2.5 hrs away. Jeff suggested we take him along so we asked his friend about it and when he said yes, we took him. I gave him a nice warm bath, cleaned his ears, dried him up, and brushed him. Mmm I love when he's all clean! This was going to be his first long car ride. He usually rides on me or at my feet but since he is getting older, I really want him seated properly with a seatbelt. I haven't ordered it yet and figured that with such a long car ride (and an unknown experience with lots of people, new dogs, etc), he'd probably be happy to have his bed so we loaded up his kennel. He whined for about two minutes about being in the back and then settled down and rode like a champ. Seriously. Not a peep, not a drop of anything. I was so proud! How wonderful to have him tag along!

There were 3 other dogs there. The first one I saw was a blenheim cavalier :biggrin2:I was thrilled. As soon as we got in, Puck went to see the dogs. They were quite interested in him but the 2 Jack Russells were a bit snappy (notactually biting, just biting the air as a warning)so he was careful around them. He sure loved Daisy, the cavalier, though. Puck was very well behaved and didn't make a mess anywhere, didn't bark when the others barked, didn't chew anything, etc. I sure was glad he was there because I was bored out of my mind to be honest! Lol. The drive back was just as easy as the drive to the friend's house. Puck slept the whole time, completely knackered.

Anyway, all that to say that he has been such a wonderful addition to the family. Really, he's such a young baby. I had prepared myself mentally for the long days and nights that he'd cry, pee, poop, puke, etc. So far though, I really have nothing to complain about. I am soooo relieved too because, as you know, Jeff didn't really want a dog. Hehehe. It's just nice to see Jeff enjoy him as well. The other pets have taken to him well too so that is nice. Things are still balanced here.

I will have to give Maybelle a bath though because she is terribly dirty. Rolo's been spraying her. :expressionlessBleh. I'll get pictures of her soon!

Meanwhile, I do have a few pictures so I will share them with you in the next post...

 

[Nela]

Puck's modeling his cute bandana:

His favorite toy... He looooves plastic flower pots so I took a string and passed it through the holes, tying big knots at each end. Therefore, he can always flip it over and we can play tug too.

Bath time:

Drying up:

more coming...

 

[Nela]

[align=center]Alllllllmooooost snuggling with Baloo:[/align]
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[align=center]Peekaboo :biggrin::[/align]
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[align=center]See the lil 'chest hair'?[/align]
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[align=center]Just playing:[/align]
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[align=center]aaaaaaaaaaand some cute, courtesy of Aunty Susan (the shirt says 'King' on it but I couldn't get him to stay still for a pic of the back):[/align]
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[align=center]With his Tigger:[/align]
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[align=center]aaaaaand a few from our walk:[/align]
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[align=center]Hot and exhausted, he crashed in front of the fan, happily dozing off:[/align]
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[JadeIcing]

So cute/

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Ha, in so many of the pictures (like the second wearing the hoodie and the first with Tigger) he looks like he's saying, "Mom, seriously? I'm only doing this for you!" Glad to hear things have been going great with him My dad got a puppy when I went to visit him a few years ago and I did all of the puppy care and training while I was there for the couple of weeks. I'd never had a dog or puppy before but Sandy was such a good boy and a dream to work with

 

[Nela]

We are going to the dolfinarium tomorrow. I am quite excited about it. It'll be my first time seeing a dolphin. We have special tickets so we'll be able to stay after closing for a training with the seals. I'm looking forward to the experience.

The only downside is that we have to leave Puck with a friend because we will be gone all day. I am very very very nervous because I do not know this guy well so I am a bit hesitant. However, Jeff has known him for many years and trusts him so I am trusting Jeff's judgement. Still, I can't help but be apprehensive. I am hoping that I will be able to enjoy the outing rather than just look forward to it being over and having Puck back by my side. Lol.

I feel like a mum leaving her kid for the first time. :expressionlessLol. It's strange how puppies are so different from cats, even bunnies. It's just a day, no overnight, and I'm still a ball of nerves. It's an odd feeling. I didn't quite expect it to be like that. Well anyway, I'll make sure we call throughout the day to check on him. :baghead

I hope I'll have some really nice pictures to share with you after the outing :biggrin2:

Ps: I put up some Puck videos on our youtube channel if anyone is interested:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTaterTotsFamily?feature=mhee#p/u/6/nRN_l47A42s]http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTaterTotsFamily?feature=mhee#p/u/6/nRN_l47A42s[/ame]

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hey Sophie,

Great pictures, Puck is soooooooo cute.

How are my Bunnies doing? I need some Maybelle pictures soon.

Have fun tomorrow, of course I know you will have great pictures to show us.

Susan

 

[JadeIcing]

I am in love with Puck. I am putting something together for him. Hope you don't mind. Trust me I know. We are going to my brothers tonight and we will be back tomorrow night.... Bunnies and lizards no problem, leave them watered and pellets for tonight no problems. Kashi? She is getting packed up and comes with us.

 

[Nela]

Just posting this quickie...

I'll be back to answer people and post an update shortly. It's been a long night and day because Puck is unwell. I was surprised to see Jeff here this morning but he too felt that Puck was off and he didn't feel comfy going to work with Puck feeling sick. Luckily he stayed because I definitely want him seen. I suspect he has coccidiosis. I've kept a very very close eye on him ever since we got him and so I have noticed the little things early on so I am hoping that we have caught it early enough and that if it is this, that he recovers well and that I can help him feel better soon.

He's had some goopy eyes on and off. At first it was mostly clear, then some white, but recently it turned a bit greenish so that was one thing. His nose can be runny here and there but not much and usually cleared up. About a week ago, I noticed tiny specks of blood in his poop. I didn't rush to the vets because he's had a habit of eating wood chips (which I always scrambled to take away and now have taken them away altogether) and thought maybe it cut him a bit when he tried to pass it but kept an eye on it. Yesterday, in the middle of the night, he started yelping and crying loudly so I got up to check on him and he was quite frantic, wanting to go out. He finally had a lot of mucusy and very soft graystool with some drops of blood in it and he didn't seem comfy either. I decided to spend part of the night up with him so we watched the Lion King. He watched for a bit and then drifted off to sleep. After a while, I put him back in his crate so I could go back to bed but he started crying. He's not one who cries about being in his crate as he usually goes in willingly. However, I was a bit concerned that he might take too much of a liking to snuggling on the couch and I didn't want him getting spoiled to the point that he would start whining in the hopes that I'd come snuggle with him from now on.

I feel terrible for having gone to bed after that.

At some point, soon after, he started yelping and crying again.I waited to see if it would pass, and when it did, I drifted off to sleep. I had a nasty migraine so I stayed in bed late, not hearing Jeff get up or anything. Normally, Jeff should have gone to work but I was surprised to find him home when I went downstairs. Turns out, Puck is feeling very off today. He pooped all over his pillow and had to sleep in it. I feel so bad about that. It's so not like him and he really gets upset about pooping in the house. I wish I had stayed up with him. Then again, he might have pooped on me and the couch since he can't control it... But anyway. He had quite a bit of diarrhea with mucus and blood (just a bit)so Jeff figured we'd be taking him to the vet's so he stayed home.

We have an appointment at 4:30, so in 2 hours. Puck is quite lethargic and dehydrated so I have him on electrolyte solution and he is snuggled beside me. Worst thing is, I have to give him a bath because he's got poop all over.

My poor lil monkey... I hate seeing him unwell.

Wish us luck!

 

[irishbunny]

I saw a dolphin up close for the first time a few weeks ago, though it was a wild dolphin while I was waiting on a pier to catch a boat. It was letting people rub it before swimming off when the boat came. Very cute. I took lots of pictures.

Sorry to hear Puck is unwell, hope he feels better soon!

 

[MiniLopHop]

Poor Puck I hope the vet can fix him up quick. :hug:

 

[Nela]

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for your thoughts and message on here and off. We saw the vet yesterday and I was on the right track. After looking at the stool samples I brought in and explaining symptoms, she thinks he either has giardiasis or coccidiosis. She felt that giardiasis was a more likely cause so he is on Panacur treatment. He also got an ointment for his eyes which she thinks is something unrelated. Anyway, we will see how that goes this week. If I am not satisfied, I will take stool samples in for testing but that might give us false negatives so I am hoping that will be our last resort. He was looking much better after I gave him the electrolyte and she even commented on how good he looked. I told her that he had been dehydrated and that things seemed to be progressing so that's why we took him in. Anyway, she is quite confident that this should do the trick.

Meanwhile, I am going to be keeping Puck at home so that he cannot infect other dogs. I also have to keep an eye on all our family members, furry and not, because giardia is contagious. Hopefully, we won't have any issues. I am keeping Maybelle in the shed for now and hosing down the yard carefully to rid the yard of poop in the hopes of getting rid of the risks of contagion. I really wouldn't want the girls getting sick from Puck.

There was another puppy with exactly the same problems as Puck so I imagine there isn't much else we could have done to prevent it as he's current on shots, dewormer, we clean his surroundings thoroughly, etc. ...

He is having diarrhea again now and is sleeping a lot. I am keeping an eye on his hydration but he seems alright for now. He had quite a bit of energy this morning too.

So anyway, we did go to the dolfinarium on Saturday. We dropped Puck off at the friend's house and headed out. He cried as we left but I knew not to turn around.I tried to avoid thinking about him but it didn't quite work. Lol. Jeff's friend texted at one point saying how much they loved Puck and how we didn't have to pick him up. :expressionlessHehehe. We had a really nice time at the dolfinarium. I did get really grouchy at times though. The first time I got grouchy, it was about the fact that the parking was so far away from the site and they had no shuttle. It's not fun when you are hurting from walking even before you get there. :grumpy:The second, was when some stupid man pushed me while trying to go meet his wife further up in the line. Dutch people have absolutely no manners and that is something that really aggravates me here. I swear, people here are so unbelievably rude. They see you, but they choose to walk right 'through' you instead of even saying 'sorry' before they push you around. Sure,I have been pushed before in Montreal, but that's only from the few rude people. Here, it's common practice. Like at the supermarket, I never grab something by passing my hand right in front of the person's face. Here, people ALWAYS do it or they simply push you out of the way. It's quite pathetic really. Don't even get me started on the nose-pickers...

Okay where was I? Sorry about that, I needed to get that off my chest

Yeah so the dolfinarium was great. I was really disappointed though because we messed up and therefore couldn't see Morgan, the beached Orca that was brought there to recover. It's been a big thing here as they were planning to send Morgan to another park but activists say that they hadn't done enough to release her. A judge sided with the activists and ordered the dolfinarium to keep her until specialists could look into it. I was happy to have a chance to see Morgan, but missed it because they had limited hours for viewing and didn't get there in time. Ah well! I wish Morgan all the best and I really hope they do what is best for her. Aside from that, I enjoyed the shows. My favorites were the walruses really. They were just so quirky and silly. The dolphins were absolutely beautiful though. I thought it was really amazing to see how intelligent all these animals are.

We bought Puck a small dolphin stuffie and headed to pick him up. It was a really long (though fun) day and I couldn't wait to see him. When we got there, Puck was sleeping and barely took notice of us. Lol. He was quite comfy. They had no trouble with him at all and I was really proud of him. After much blah blah, Jeff took the hint and we FINALLY headed home. I was soooooo exhausted.

Oh yeah, I got grumpy a 3rd time because, while we were eating at the dolfinarium, Jeff asked that we visit with his mother the next day. I had sooo been looking foward to a quiet day since it's been several weeks that we've been out and about, seeing so and so, etc. I was really not happy about him having decided that like that. I had been asking him to call her for days to check up on her since his sister and her family are out of town. I didn't ask him to just throw me in the batch so that I'd have to entertain yet again. I was annoyed, truly. I see her during the week because she comes over for coffee and all. Just because he is too lazy to call, I had to entertain her again. Anyway, she ended up coming for dinner on Sunday. I told Jeff to order. I was in no mood to run around cleaning the house and running to cook on top of it. Plus, I really haven't been feeling well and I just wanted to rest. It was a flop. Lots of silent moments, so I felt like talking was forced because we were tired, including Jeff who was half asleep at times. On top of it, she didn't like dinner. We had ordered Chinese, and she spent a lot of time commenting how the nasi wasn't like the nasi she expected, etc. I've always been one to think that you should do things because you want to, not because you feel like you HAVE to. Well, this proved to be one of those times where I should have listened to myself more and not felt guilty. This only proved to be more forced than anything and I fear that might have been felt. That's not the kind of energy I like to give off.

Then that night is the night Puck was sick so I barely got any sleep at all. I just can't seem to re-energize these days. To top it all off, it's Jeff's 40th birthday on the 18th soI have to spend this week cleaning, deciding what to cook, doing some trial baking, etc. and then the next entertaining on Thursday and Saturday. :expressionlessBleh.

I am not one for having a big social life. In fact, I quite hate it. I hate seeing so many people in such a short time and having so many late nights. It really does a number on my body and it will take me several weeks to get back to an okay state. On top of it, I seem to have hurt my foot so now I have to wear my sling again. It feels like a sprain but it is behind the foot so I have no idea what I did. I do remember my leg snapping back last Friday at some point. I stood up and it's like my leg had no bones all of a sudden and bent backwards like a noodle. LOL. It didn't hurt at the time but maybe I overstretched something, causing the foot problems. Ah well!

Sorry about the whining I'm just tired and looking forward toa good rest so that I can feel better. I'm terribly sore all over and getting migraines like no tomorrow because I'm too tired.My sugar is also crashing left and right. Iguess I have entered another 'episode' from having done too much at once.Ah the joys of having health problems!

No worries, I'll upload pics of dolphins and others to make up for my whining

 

[JadeIcing]

I like people but in small doses. Work is fine, it's work and I love it but outside of work... Small doses.

 

[Nela]

[align=center]Pictures (I couldn't find my 2nd battery so Jeff took most pictures while I filmed parts. These are the few pictures I have but I will upload some of Jeff's in a bit because they are better. I'll also upload videos and give you the link):[/align]
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[align=center]This is a baby shark or ray in an egg case (not sure anymore which it was):[/align]
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[Nela]

[align=center]After the dolfinarium, we grabbed some Kibbeling (fried cod YUMMY) and walked in the rain... At some point, we came to an arch and I thought it was beautiful. I decided to take pictures of it and then we walked through it to find a most beautiful area... It was very old and very village-like. We were in a fishing village but we had been in a more industrial area before passing through the arch. Anyway, I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking...[/align]
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[Nela]

[align=center]Pics from Jeff:[/align]
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[Nela]

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[Nela]

Susan:

Hehehe. The buns are doing well. Unfortunately, they are stuck inside again while I sort things out with Puck. I hope to get proper sunshine soon so I can take pics of the girls

Ali:

Lol. I am glad you love him. Awww that is so sweet of you. I am sure he'll be thrilled. Yeah I hear you about the animals... Everyone else, I can leave as long as there is food and water. Puck is a whole different story though. Hehehe. Having a dog really does change things. What do you do with Kashi when you can't take her? I am scared of those boarding places... :expressionless

Oh and totally agre with you about small doses. Lol.I am so nota people person anymore. *Blushes* I think it's awesome to have Puck with me while people talk all around me. Lol.

Grace:

How lucky are you?! Awww I think that is the ultimate experience, seeing them in the wild. I would love to touch a dolphin! Thanks for your thoughts for Puck.

Brandy:

Thanks Brandy. I hope so too!