Piper Update
Jan. 3rd, 2017 03:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogSometimes lately, I have a particular kind of trouble getting to sleep. As I start to drift off, I have a moment of fear or panic and suddenly I'm awake, often curled up on myself and breathing quickly. It typically only happens a few times before sleep, but it's been extra difficult tonight so I decided to get up for a while.
I have a bunch of stuff to write about, including good holiday stuff to make up for the bad before (though there's a little more bad as well). But for now, I'll write the dog post I've meant to write for a long time.
Piper is doing well. After returning from Canada, I took her with to the shelter one evening when I went in to ask about insulin and things for her. The shelter staff were effusive in their expressions of amazement at how good she looks and how well she's doing. "She's not the same dog!" I heard more than once, as well as praise at how well I've taken care of her. That made me feel really good about myself, and was nice to hear after how much of a handful she's been. We've had so many unexpected problems with her.
There was the fact that she went into heat right after we got her home. That finally ended, but while we were in Canada, I had another experience that, having never taken care of an intact female, was new to me. Danae and I thought her enlarged breasts were a result of her gaining weight until Danae was petting her tummy and found milk on her fingers. Piper is going through a false pregnancy and is lactating. So most of the time we were in Canada we were spraying her tummy with bitter apple spray to keep her from self-nursing, which would stimulate her mammaries to produce more milk for longer.
She's been extra growly and defensive, as she is trying to protect her imaginary babies. Noises set her off more than usual, and she spends a lot of time nesting in her crate, where we sometimes peek in on her to see she's not licking herself and other times just kind of throw up our hands. It does seem like that may finally be ending too.
We suspected she had vision problems, but we realized in Canada just how bad her vision is. It was hard to tell here at home because she was settling into a new place and by the time her behavior settled into a routine, she knew the space decently well. In Canada though, we got to see her learn a new space all over again. I understand why she's so scared of steps; she doesn't see them a lot of the time and just walks right off the edge and falls. This has led her to worry that transitions in floor color might be a step. While it made me feel bad for her to watch her at Danae's parents' house, I have to admit it was pretty funny and cute too. Their kitchen floor is a light color while the rest of their floor is dark wood. Piper walked into the kitchen without hesitation to get food or water, but she wouldn't come back out. She stopped at the transition to dark wood, and soon started whining and barking plaintively, asking for rescue. After a week or so, she sometimes managed to get out on her own, but she had to work up courage. She'd stand at the transition, moving toward it and backing away, toward and away, maybe make a few little barks, and then dash across it at full speed as though it was going to attack her.
Piper makes me feel so protective. She's still not the dog I would choose for myself, but I love her a lot. I'm glad the shelter is so careful about making sure dogs go to the right people, because I dearly want her to find a family who understands her issues and will take good care of the dear little girl. Hopefully she will finally be spayed in the middle of this month and she can start being available to meet potential adopters.
In a lot of ways, this has been like I imagine taking care of an infant. We can't take her anywhere for long without planning how to take care of her and packing a bag full of her supplies. We have to work our schedule around her feeding times and giving her insulin. We have to deal with her being loud and annoying sometimes. I'll miss her, a lot I think, when she's adopted, but I'll will be happy for she and us too.
Taking care of Piper is a reassuringly simply positive thing that helps me feel good about myself. I'm making life better for this innocent being who was miserable through no fault of her own. I'm making the world a better place by helping this sweet little dog, I tell myself. When I'm not telling myself that doing so is ignoring so many major problems in the world and getting sad and feeling bad about myself again.
I have a bunch of stuff to write about, including good holiday stuff to make up for the bad before (though there's a little more bad as well). But for now, I'll write the dog post I've meant to write for a long time.
Piper is doing well. After returning from Canada, I took her with to the shelter one evening when I went in to ask about insulin and things for her. The shelter staff were effusive in their expressions of amazement at how good she looks and how well she's doing. "She's not the same dog!" I heard more than once, as well as praise at how well I've taken care of her. That made me feel really good about myself, and was nice to hear after how much of a handful she's been. We've had so many unexpected problems with her.
There was the fact that she went into heat right after we got her home. That finally ended, but while we were in Canada, I had another experience that, having never taken care of an intact female, was new to me. Danae and I thought her enlarged breasts were a result of her gaining weight until Danae was petting her tummy and found milk on her fingers. Piper is going through a false pregnancy and is lactating. So most of the time we were in Canada we were spraying her tummy with bitter apple spray to keep her from self-nursing, which would stimulate her mammaries to produce more milk for longer.
She's been extra growly and defensive, as she is trying to protect her imaginary babies. Noises set her off more than usual, and she spends a lot of time nesting in her crate, where we sometimes peek in on her to see she's not licking herself and other times just kind of throw up our hands. It does seem like that may finally be ending too.
We suspected she had vision problems, but we realized in Canada just how bad her vision is. It was hard to tell here at home because she was settling into a new place and by the time her behavior settled into a routine, she knew the space decently well. In Canada though, we got to see her learn a new space all over again. I understand why she's so scared of steps; she doesn't see them a lot of the time and just walks right off the edge and falls. This has led her to worry that transitions in floor color might be a step. While it made me feel bad for her to watch her at Danae's parents' house, I have to admit it was pretty funny and cute too. Their kitchen floor is a light color while the rest of their floor is dark wood. Piper walked into the kitchen without hesitation to get food or water, but she wouldn't come back out. She stopped at the transition to dark wood, and soon started whining and barking plaintively, asking for rescue. After a week or so, she sometimes managed to get out on her own, but she had to work up courage. She'd stand at the transition, moving toward it and backing away, toward and away, maybe make a few little barks, and then dash across it at full speed as though it was going to attack her.
Piper makes me feel so protective. She's still not the dog I would choose for myself, but I love her a lot. I'm glad the shelter is so careful about making sure dogs go to the right people, because I dearly want her to find a family who understands her issues and will take good care of the dear little girl. Hopefully she will finally be spayed in the middle of this month and she can start being available to meet potential adopters.
In a lot of ways, this has been like I imagine taking care of an infant. We can't take her anywhere for long without planning how to take care of her and packing a bag full of her supplies. We have to work our schedule around her feeding times and giving her insulin. We have to deal with her being loud and annoying sometimes. I'll miss her, a lot I think, when she's adopted, but I'll will be happy for she and us too.
Taking care of Piper is a reassuringly simply positive thing that helps me feel good about myself. I'm making life better for this innocent being who was miserable through no fault of her own. I'm making the world a better place by helping this sweet little dog, I tell myself. When I'm not telling myself that doing so is ignoring so many major problems in the world and getting sad and feeling bad about myself again.
