T-talk

Welp, Mr. Timber goes in for hip x-rays and a stomach tack on Monday, June 4. I've lost two GSDs to gastric volvulus, and I'm not losing a third if I can help it. I decided to start with Timber because he has such a deep, narrow chest, which is classic conformation for GV. I've wanted to have his pelvis x-rayed for quite a while, too, for several reasons. When he was first found as a puppy he was so stiff and weak in his hindquarters they thought he would have to be put down, but he improved with exercise and good food. He's still very stiff and short-strided in back, and when I first got him he was sensitive in the loin area, and he very seldom wags his tail. He raises and lowers it vertically, and if I walk into a room where he's lying down he'll give me a tail thump--you know the kind, with the bottom half that's a polite acknowledgement of your presence. But he almost never wags horizontally. Taenzer is a full-body wagger when she's really happy, and unless she's actively upset about something, her tail is almost always going--she's basically a very happy dog--so it's quite a contrast.


He was very good at the vet. He greeted the clinic cat politely--although after greetings were over he was sure the cat wanted to play and the cat was pretty sure that was a bad idea--he greeted a shitzhu politely, he was pretty well behaved until there were THREE women in the room (besides me) when it was just all too exciting for him and he wanted to fling himself into their arms. He's such a lover. But I got him to sit and sit up and give paw, so I was pretty proud of him--a year ago he'd have been uncontrollable. He's learning, he's growing up. While we were waiting for Karen, I ran him through all his cues--sit, down, give paw, nose-touch, paw-touch, "chin" (put your chin in my palm), lie flat, "focus." He's such a good boy.


And he's skinny! I've been thinking during our cuddle sessions that I was feeling ribs more than usual. He generally runs around 68 pounds, and he was only 63 today! I ought to start feeding him breakfast, or lunch--I never have time to feed anybody anything in the morning during the week, but I could feed him a mid-day meal.


AND--RED LETTER DAY FOR MR. T!--today for the very first time ever he lifted his leg when he peed in the yard. He's been doing that on walks for several months, but this is the first time he ever did it on home turf. My little man.