Ribsy, shepherd mix dog adopted 2012

It's Ribsy here. Just a quick note to let you know how I'm doing. I've been in my forever home with Mom & Dad for a little more than 2 years now and life is good. I am somewhat spoiled (in a nice way of course) and get to do things, go places, and partake of good food everyday (I weigh in at 71 lbs now). I try to be the furry man of the house, but Moses the cat tries to get in the act with that. We're pretty good buddies but still enjoy a chase now and then (I chase him, then he turns and chases me.) Ginger thinks she's queen and has gotten pretty snarky at times, but I usually back away. You know how women can be, better to give in than listen to her complain. I have some very important jobs to do around the property too. I am really, really good at chasing the turkeys out of the yard and away from the bird feeders, and I keep the deer away from the garden. I know I can't chase them into the woods but I can get them away from where they're not supposed to be. Ginger and I do have a bit of a problem with one doe who is a Ninja and has chased us around the yard. She is MEAN!! She even nipped at Ginger's behind during the chase. Luckily I run lots faster than Ginger so she didn't get me! We've learned to stay on the porch and just bark when she's in the yard. I can't bark too good but Ginger more than makes up for it. Mom wants to say a few words now so I'll turn this over to her.

Ribsy has become such a handsome fellow and is such a joy to have. I'd say own but I think he owns us instead of the other way around. It's been so fantastic to see him grow into his skin and become the wonderful dog he was meant to be. We have had our challenges in addition to the severe case of pneumonia the first winter we had him. He has developed a problem that robs him of his oxygen when he gets excited or is running too hard. The vets are totally stumped and treated him for pneumonia again, even with me telling them he didn't have the symptoms he had previously. The internist insisted we go additional rounds of treatment with very powerful antibiotics only to discover that the scars they saw were there from before. What the heck do I know - after all I only live with him every day! It cost a pile of money and did nothing to help. The vets admit they have never seen anything like his symptoms before. He gasps for air and his tongue turns purple for about 30 seconds, then he goes back to normal. He was so frightened the first time it happened he didn't know what to do. A good friends daughter is a very good vet (doesn't live in the area unfortunately) and suggested it may be a problem with his heart or his pulmonary arteries. We are going to try to take him down to WSU for an evaluation when we can. In the meantime we try to limit his strenuous activity as much as possible, but that is kind of hard with his enthusiastic personality. I know that the Lord gave him to us because he knew we would take good care of him. We'll always be grateful to your shelter for taking in this great dog and not leaving him to die of neglect.
Wishing you a very happy and wonderful Christmas. Please know that all the critters you have been instrumental in placing in good homes would let you know how thankful they are if they could.

I often thank the Lord for your shelter and the compassion that was shown to this wonderful dog. He has been such a joy to us and is such a mellow fellow. He can be such a clown and is always so happy acting ( even when Ginger is being a real grouch.) She is giving new meaning to her classification of Bitch. She has been bullying him around and he just backs up, looks confused (like he's saying "what?"), and comes seeks us out to tattle on her. Yet they play for hours, he always wants her around, and looks to her for back-up in squirrel chasing. I've decided his Indian name is Black Footed Dog Who Runs Like The Wind!

Just a quick note to let you know that our boy is doing wonderfully well. He has grown into the dog he always was supposed to be...sweet, loving, affectionate, and full of boundless energy. He is quite the joker and loves helping Dad with his wood chopping and work chores. Anything that is laid down within his reach gets carried away and added to his pile near the front steps. He particularly likes carrying bark, small logs, sticks, and work gloves to add to his collection. However, eating is his #1 passion and he is always on the lookout for his 3 squares and extra treats. He eats anything and everything, anytime, anyplace. Ginger keeps him in his place most of the time and retains her queenly status. He goes along with that for he is very easy going and doesn't try to make waves (smart guy!). I will be writing more on his life here with us next month when he will have been with us for a year.

He is a big lovable goofus isn't he. He is still in the last phases of his puppy hood, even though he will be 2 this month. I have a feeling he may be a "puppy" for quite a bit more. He is so happy and energetic, and never walks when he can run. He loves to collect sticks, bark, old bones, garden debris, and anything he can get his jaws on and bring it to his stash. Unfortunately his stash is by the front stoop. It makes for a wonderful first impression when someone drops by. I don't think he ever quite got over his starving time and seems constantly looking for food. He feels anything I eat he should have a share of. He is a wonderful alarm clock and knows when it's breakfast (he gets us up if we're not), lunch, and dinner. After his breakfast he is hand fed his omelette, then he has to share my orange. If I change fruit in the morning he wants that too. He is a doggie garbage disposal system eating anything and everything! The one thing I will have to keep my eye on is his protectiveness towards me. Willie and he are best of buddies in every way possible, but he doesn't like him to hug me, or touch me in any way. He jumps up and tries to separate us with his big feet and play bites. Even in bed he'll try to lay between us if he thinks Willie is putting his arms around me. All of my past shepherds have tried to get between us if Willie hugged me, but none have ever taken it to this extreme. He does it with a smile, but he is intent on keeping me "safe". Willie didn't want to correct him too much since we do live in a remote area. The idea is to find the line between what's OK for Daddy and what's not acceptable for a stranger. He has been such a joy to us, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. He epitomizes the poster that says "Those who say money can't by happiness never paid an adoption fee".
I hope all is well with you and the shelter is nearing empty. What a wonderful thing it would be to not have enough babies to go around for all the prospective parents!

Just a note to catch you up. After a very long and grueling month and a half our boy is doing fine. After many visits and numerous x-rays he is pneumonia free and back to his old rambunctious self. He quickly became the darling of the vet hospital. You could tell when he turned the corner about 3 1/2 weeks into his treatments because his temp finally stabilized and he started eating like a Clydesdale. I thought it was his meds doing it but he is still eating like no tomorrow. He seems like he's always hungry. He is at his ideal weight now, 65 lbs, and he's looking really good. He is back to being our happy boy and is trying to eat the cat instead of allowing him to curl up with him as he did when he was so sick. Throughout his sickness his outside time was limited because of the cold on his lungs. He's making up for it now with the milder weather. There is more quail to scatter, turkeys to chase, and his daily newspaper read (ground sniffing all over the yard). He still thinks he's a lap dog but only climbs up on me. Do you think he knows who the pushover is? He really is a wonderful dog despite his obvious handicap, but maybe that's what makes him so extra special. It always amazes me that he was so socialized considering his start in life. He greets everyone with a wiggly tail and a happy face. I do however see the protective side of him as he watches visitors in our home. He remains very friendly but sits between me and them, especially if it is a man. His shepherd genes are very in evidence.

Ribsy saw the vet yesterday to mixed reviews. The pneumonia is starting to clear from his lungs but it's still half full in his left lobe. His fever is another thing though. It was 105 again yesterday, and it has been running about 104 to 104.9 even with the meds and aspirin I've given him. She suggested he be brought to Spokane and hospitalized there so an internist can laveage his lung and test what bacteria we're dealing with. Needless to say since we didn't win the lottery that was a no-go. I did mention to her that he was wincing when he jumped down from the bed and he has been more hesitant to get up on it. He was also moving rather stiffly. I told her about his 8' leap (twice) off the roof and kind of landing not too gracefully on his chest after his legs folded under him, and questioned whether this could have caused his pneumonia to start with if he had traumatized his lung or cracked a few ribs. She said he could have had a hemorrhage into the lung but he may have hurt his back. The 2 different sets of X-rays (original & yesterdays) didn't show any calcification on his ribs so he probably didn't crack ribs. She is very concerned about his fever because it still shouldn't be that high. She was concerned about a secondary infection. She put him on another round of meds and added Vetprofen for pain and fever. The good news is that after a few doses of the Vetprofen his fever has come down to within normal limits. I have to monitor it 2 x a day at the same time to see if it remains in a good range. Today he is acting more like his old self and is starting to show an interest in his toys and running after the cat. Before it was a very lackluster effort. I really hate to say he is getting better because every time I have said he's turned the corner he did a backward slide. I do think this time may be the turning point though. He has gained back the weight he lost and is now back to almost 65 lbs. I will keep you updated as he continues to improve. He has given me many sleep ness nights these last few weeks when he kept needing reassurance and loving. His tongue was so hot as he gave me kisses throughout the night. Last night he slept on the bed and finally slept through the night. Hurray for him (and me too!).
Being Ribsy he had to be unusual. He had the vet's staff in stitches as he climbed into my lap and sat there the whole time till his turn to see the doctor came. He was trembling like he expected them to kill him. That's my boy!

Merry Christmas Aunties,

I hope you are enjoying life as much as I am now. It's wonderful to be in a loving home where I am spoiled shamelessly (yes, even I have to admit it) and I owe it all to you. Things looked pretty bleak for a long while for me, but then a miracle happened...somebody came along and loved me! Now I have a sister who I can annoy (aren't little brothers supposed to do that?) and we run and play all day long, stopping only long enough to chow down and sneak in restful naps. I have a cat I chase and who chases me, I have toys I chew up, squirrels to chase, and life is good.

I've gotten to be a pretty good lumberjack carrying pieces of wood to help out Dad. I'm not sure about which logs he wants though because I bring over a piece and he takes it back, then I go get another one because the first one wasn't what he needed I guess. He is very picky because I may have to bring over 5 - 6 logs a day. I even try to smooth them down for him by chewing them. He told Mom that not to worry about me if I ever fell in the water because with all the wood in my belly I would probably float!

Mom told me today that she will only be feeding me 3 x a day now since she thinks I have reached my ideal weight. I'm not sure I'm happy about this development but she told me she would soon have to call me Chubs instead of Ribsy at the rate I was gaining. Two weeks ago I weighed 63.4 lbs and I've gained since then - I'm looking gooood!

We got snowed in this past week and couldn't get out. We had a 28" snowfall on top of the 12" that was already on the ground. So much snow was kind of confusing at first but I realized I could jump through it like a gazelle. It was higher than I am tall so I had to almost swim in it like a dolphin. Ginger and I had a grand time, especially when we sniffed out some gopher holes and dug down to try to get them. We've got special paths running all over the yard. We were having fun but Mom was really worried because we were running low on our dog kibbles and she didn't know if we were going to have enough to last till we could get out. After 3 days they brought in a scary big thing Mom called a dozer and opened up our driveway and private road. The first thing Mom and Dad did was hop in the car and head for town to get our food. She was almost out of chicken feed too and I had thought that if worse came to worse Ginger and I could have snacked on hens, but it didn't come to that. I'm kind of glad because I really enjoy my over easy egg every morning.

Mom and Dad were going to bring me over for a visit before all this snow thing happened, but then she got a really bad cold and is feeling terrible. She's really upset because she never gets sick and this had to happen just before Christmas. I try to help her feel better by taking my naps snuggled up against her on the bed. I think my sloppy kisses and warm body helps. I'll sign off for now because it's time for me to get after that pesky squirrel again. It seems a guy's work is never done!

Mom and Dad send their greetings and best wishes for a very merry Christmas and a happy new Year. The same goes for me, Ginger, and Moses.
Love,
Ribsy

Well our boy has been here for 2 months now and it's hard to remember a time when he wasn't. His weigh in was inconclusive since he wouldn't stop wiggling or tail wagging, so he may still be 62 lbs. I had cut back his feedings to 3 x a day (that didn't work out well...he tried to eat everything that wasn't nailed down!), so I went back to 4 x with reduced amount so he wouldn't gain too much. He's still looking for more so I'm not sure if he really needs more or he's just an oinker. We may not be able to continue to weigh him here at home because he is getting too big, heavy and squirmy. He looks so good though. His coat is shiny, he's bright-eyed, and goes around with a perpetual smile on his face. He is a happy, contented boy, albeit a very busy one. I wish I had half his energy!

He's forced me to come to an unhappy conclusion tho...super heroes are just not what they used to be. We bought him an "Invincible" snake, guaranteed to take the roughest chewing and remain intact and keep on squeaking. Well...1 hour after he had it the tongue, half the tail, and a side was opened up exposing a squeaker. After 2 days it is now missing 2 squeakers, half it's body, and who knows what else. So much for Invincible! He seems to be though. Somehow in his playing he managed to get into my fenced in garden that has kept out rabbits, deer and moose. He was frantic because he was on the inside and Ginger was on the outside. Willie let him out but still couldn't figure out how the heck he got in there to start with. When he came inside he took part in a boxing match with Moses. Moses was on his hind legs, Ribsy on the floor chomping his teeth and swinging his paws while Moses is batting him with both front feet (and claws I might add). They act like it's the Coliseum and they're the gladiators. He also has found his niche as a turkey chaser. We finally got a dog that will chase those #@^%$#@@ turkeys out of the yard...yeah! The problem is that he also enjoys chasing the quail, jays, squirrels ( a bonus plus), and any bird that happens to land on the ground around the bird feeders. He hasn't yet learned to specialize.

I hope all is well at the shelter and you will have abundant orders to be filled for the holidays. I know it isn't the best time to bring a new animal into a household with all the excitement of family, friends and entertaining, but I'm sure all the poor orphans would like having a warm and loving family to call their own. Let's hope you will have nothing but empty cages.

Today is the day we finally made fighting weight…60 lbs! Don’t ask me how with the amount of coat he is now trying to blow. I thought for sure he’d lose at least 15 lbs with the amount of hair he’s currently shedding! As his health has improved and he got stronger, his coat came in thick, glossy and soft, or at least as soft as a Shepherd’s coat ever gets. It also has come in more carrot red with his black over lay. So now we are the proud owners of a blond and a red head. The weather has been so wet here everyday that it has curtailed a lot of his hikes in the woods, but when he does get to run he never stops. He is like greased lightening and never seems to tire. At least it calms him down some at night. I wish I could take a picture of him when he gets ready for bed. He snuggles down next to me, on his back, and lies with his back legs out like a frog and his front paws folded over his chest. I have seen many dogs lay with their legs out like a frog, but always on their bellies never their backs. He still rolls over like no other dog, first the front half, and then the back follows. And…he still pees like a sissy boy – no leg cock. This weather has also taken a toll on our footwear. He insists on carrying my slippers around, and will proudly bring one to me. He does the same with Willie’s sneakers and will offer him one when he’s in the bathroom or at the table. Yesterday we left the "kids" at home and went shopping. When we came back Willie’s slippers were reconfigured and were more like partial sling backs with no inner soles. Do you know anyone that may have use for leather squares about 3” x 3”? He knows he’s going to get scolded, he knows he’s being naughty, but still he can’t resist. Maybe I should buy him his own pair of shoes.

Hi,
Just wanted you to know that I found some amazing stuff today. Mom calls the nifty stuff snow and did I have a good time with it!
It even smelled good. Ginger and I played and played and made 3 million tracks in the snow. We ran thru the woods and got covered in piles of the stuff when it fell off the trees. I bet I sleep good tonight!
Love,
Ribsy

Well another week has come and gone and if our boy gets feeling any better and gets any more energy you will be hearing from me from the infirmary. He has been so wound up and eager to go. He weighed in this morning at 57 lbs, which is still pretty good considering he had more than a 24 hour fast Thurs/Fri. He is probably burning a lot of what might have gone to weight gain with his crazy antics and trying to outrun the wind. The Spokane vet called me yesterday to check on him and wound up bursting my bubble about him maybe outgrowing his megaesophagus. He said it will probably never disappear and will most likely get worse as he ages. So I guess the best we can do is what we are doing and just constantly monitor him for signs of aspiration pneumonia. That might occur at anytime if he manages to get particles into his lungs. The vet still hasn't come up with any ideas about his raspy breathing on exertion, but we make sure we bring him inside if he gets too breathy. It never seems to slow him down any even tho he sounds like someone in a death throes, so we know it's not asthma.

And speaking of antics...he has managed to chew up every toy and nylon bone in the house this past week. Shoes, slippers, dooor stops, firewood, furniture coverings, and arms are a given. The vet suggested rawhide bones for him, as opposed to real knuckle bones for two reasons, #1. if he chews a piece off it will be soft and squishy instead of hard and #2. it would be nice to have some furniture left when he matures (?). I will probably need to buy one of those 6' jobbers for his jaws! Ginger was supposed to be a calming influence on him but guess what...it's not going to happen. She has instead taught him how to snap his jaws so his teeth clang, so they both do that now when they are having a stand-off. Our kitchen and living room area has become a wrestling arena and the sofa is no longer a safe haven but an elevated platform for more wrestling. Ginger can't keep up with him though and after a while asks to go outside to get a much needed rest break. His bark is getting stronger and louder when they play, but he still pees like a sissy and doesn't cock his leg yet. He has also claimed Will's side of the bed as his own when bedtime comes around. It has become a game each night to see who can get in bed first and claim territory. Since Will is larger you'd think it would be an unfair match, but it is usually a 3-4 min tussle until everyone is in and somewhat settled. Somewhere in this time period I usually get mushed and sat on at least once or twice. All in all, he is a crazy, lovable, energetic clown, very much a gentleman in many ways, smart as a whip, and a real joy to us.

We just got back from Spokane with Good/Bad news. The vet (Dr. Broharski - he was super!) agreed that a scope was probably the better choice after doing a pro and con. The upshot was Ribsy really has megaesophagus. After I poured over every article I could find on the Internet about it and drawing the conclusion it couldn't possibly be, it was (so much for my professional opinion! Good thing I don't train EMT's any longer). I am so very glad that we did the scope on him though because he also ruled out anything wrong with his lungs, bronchial tubes, larynx, and abdomen. He has no explanation why the dog can't bark normally and the breathing problem is from mucus getting into his airway when he breathes heavily from exertion. He said his esophagus was just filled with mucus and little bits particles (most likely pillow stuffing!). The reason he was getting better was because in my happy ignorance I was doing everything right for his condition, i.e., elevated bowl, slow feed bowl, food made into slurry. The only thing he wanted added was an elevated water bowl too and some metoclopramide (Reglan) to take temporarily to help his esophagus tone. He also said that megaesophagus was often associated to myasthenia gravis but he thought testing for it now was a waste of money. If that should be the case it will get worse, his condition would deteriorate and it would become plainly evident. I appreciated his honesty and not just adding to the bill.

I'm going to keep hoping and praying that his condition is congenital and he might outgrow it. Things that fortunate don't usually happen to this family, but hope springs eternal. I think Ribsy is another case of a dog needing to find a family that would take the necessary steps to keep him healthy and alive instead of abandoning him to his fate. Our last Shepherd was one such dog, and it seems that Ribsy will be our second. If he turns out to be as wonderful a dog as she was, and he seems to be headed in that direction, we will count ourselves blessed.

His coughing concerns me also and I was really so thankful we went for the scope since it is recommended in all cases if at all possible once the diagnosis has been made. His lungs are clear so far, but that doesn't mean he can't aspirate particles and get pneumonia in the future. It is something we will keep very close tabs on. The scope also showed his larynx to be normal so why the heck he can't bark is beyond me. He has an overabundance of mucus in his esophagus that seems to make him gag when he gets running too much. It will be quite a balancing act to allow him enough exercise to keep his busy little self happy but not enough to get him gagging and regurgitating. I will continue to post his progress for you as he grows and gets healthier. I have never heard of this condition before, even though the literature states it is a condition many large breed dogs, i.e., Shepherds, Labs, Irish Setters, Shar pei, Great Danes, and Newfoundlands, are genetically predisposed to. I hope you never again have to encounter this problem in the needy pooches you take in, but at least you will have a heads up should it occur. This is a learning experience for all of us.

More in the continuing story of our boy Ribsy. I'll first delve into his antics that take me back to having 4 kids at home thinking up mischief. This week has been particularly hard since he wasn't able to get out and run as much with the rain...I'll admit it, I'm a candy-butt and don't like getting soaked. So with all of that pent up energy he: "killed" and/or mortally wounded his unstuffed fox and Gingers; he destroyed a tiger tug and is working diligently on another; he took a rose quartz and hid it somewhere; he chewed the ties on the sofa slipcover; he keeps stealing my slipper; he teases the cat and they wind up in a chase until he gets a little too exuberant and Moses cuffs him in the nose; he managed to convince Ginger to play “tug and chew” with a sofa scatter pillow, of which I caught them both in the act. Unfortunately for Ginger she couldn't feign innocence since a piece of stuffing was hanging out of her mouth and he ran faster then she could. They both wound up slinking under the table hoping I would forget about the whole thing. They both got a 2 minute dressing down which was then followed by a 5 minute suck up from them. I could go on but I guess you get the picture. I know we need rain but....If he wasn’t so darn cute and endearing in his ways, I’d consider him a royal pain. But he is and we’re so happy he is a member of our family. One thing we do notice, and have since we got him, is that when we take them in the car he tries to melt into the seat when we park so we won’t ask him to get out of the car. It’s almost like he’s afraid we are going to drop him off somewhere. Hopefully he will soon feel secure enough that that won’t ever be a concern of his.

He is stronger and looking so much better every day. He harasses Ginger constantly and she plays until she is finally exhausted and asks to go outside to escape him. She still makes plain her position as queen bee with him and he respects that, at least for now. As he gets heavier and older, he may start to challenge her leadership, but you know how women are and I doubt she'll abdicate.

News of our boy is both good and bad. After almost 3 complete weeks of no upchucking, Sunday he threw up once, then again Monday late afternoon and late night he threw up. He was so fearful that we were going to scold him and looked so dejected. I tried comforting him, stroking him and holding him, and when he threw up late at night, I let him come up on the bed with me (that has turned into a permanent thing now - the little bugger!). The only good thing about that part is at 4 am he jumps up on the bed with us and snuggles down, and lets me go back to sleep...YEA!!
Now I'm in a quandary about whether he is actually vomiting or regurgitating since it seems to be symptomatic of both. It's so difficult since he does so well for so long, then problems. When we go to Spokane in a few weeks I'm going to buy him a slow feed bowl, but since he is still eating a mash it might not help as much. He really needs to have the barium x-rays done I think for us to ever be sure of what is wrong.. Oh just think what God could have done if only he had money!

The good news is that he now weighs 54 lbs. and is getting pretty good at sitting on command and heeling. The sit/stay thing still needs tons of work with his antsy nature, but he is so smart! If I could just get him to put away his toys as easily as he drags them out, or barring that, giving me half of his energy so I could keep up. It always looks like a toddler lives here now.

His built-in alarm clock is telling me it's feeding time so I'll sign off for now. Before he eats my slippers (again!)
More later.

To continue....

I didn't want to leave you with kind of gloomy news so I'll tell you more about this special boy. He is a joker and loves to tease Ginger and Moses, although Moses seems to go out of his way to swat at him and make him chase him. I think he does it so we'll scold Ribsy and he can smile. Today they were after each other and seemed to be getting a little carried away when Willie yelled stop! Ribsy looked up with that "who me? I didn't do anything" look and a mouth full of cat fur. Moses just stomped off.

He and Ginger also have a thing going with the nylon bones. Which ever one has a bone, that's the one the other one wants. They run around with it hanging out of their mouths like an old cigar and pass in front of each other. Of course that leads to stolen bones, and rolling around on the floor to get 'em back. We have quite the Circus Ole' (my play on words) here.

He loves running in the woods and is so very good about coming when called if he is ranging too far. He is gaining a lot more muscle strength and appears to have grown some, if that's possible at his age. He was slightly shorter than Ginger when he first came and now is slightly taller. I'm not sure if it's an actual growth spurt or just a more confident carriage.
I've sent his pictures to our kids and even his aunt & uncle and they all think he is fab! Ginger has come to love him to pieces and I think she has ended her period of mourning for our old dog Sport. I think Sport would be happy that she's found a new brother. I also think his spirit sometimes is around to check things out, for Ginger will suddenly stare at the spot where he used to lay and case her food bowl and she'll bark at him like she did when he was physically here. More woo woo stuff.
And so the saga continues.

Ribsy has quickly learned where the toy box is and helps himself to the contents. He fell in love with a rubber squeak toy most of all and carried it around the house squeaking as he went. Then he started having new favorites, especially squeaky ones, and left them scattered throughout the house. Then yesterday his “big sister” Kandi sent a box with toys to add to the clutter. I’m sure it is a revenge thing for all the noisy toys I bought for her children when they were little! She sent 2 of everything for him and Ginger. He loved the nylon bones and stole Ginger’s right out of her mouth. When she went to take it back he put his foot on it and kept the other one in his mouth. He wasn’t too sure of the unstuffed fox she sent and walked around it on the floor all afternoon. Since I put the other one in the toy box, I think he may have thought it was lurking there and was back-up for the one on the rug. Ginger ignored it, but Moses started dragging it around for a while. Ribsy kept watch on it with a wary eye. This morning at 4 am he discovered the fox had a squeaky tail AND head, so he made up for lost time. Last night was the first time he got Ginger to play tug

Our scrawny little guy is starting to turn the corner. He is showing much more energy, his coat is starting to feel softer and look a little glossy. I am trying to keep him from too much running (he goes like greased lightening chasing and/or leading Ginger) because he immediately starts wheezing and coughing. It doesn’t seem to slow him down any but he starts gagging along with his heavy, wheezy breathing. This is a really major concern for me. I can’t help but think he has an irritated esophagus and perhaps even aspirated some stomach acids into his bronchial tubes or lungs that caused his breathing problems. Something certainly affected his bark for he sounds like a sissy dog! J I’m equally sure that somewhere in his linage there is camel for he drinks enough for 2 dogs.

He is such a happy guy. He’s alert, smart as a whip, and extremely eager to please. He is still very much a puppy though, with chewing your hands even though he’s been corrected constantly (I’m not sure if that’s puppy or the Lab part), finding corners of items to chew (again, puppy or Lab?), and an affinity for shoes – he neatly lined up a sneaker next to my husband’s slippers when he was putting on his socks, and takes my slipper (1) and sneaker (1) and brings them to his bed during the night. He is also allowing me to get a little more sleep and is only waking me up with kisses 3 – 4 times a night. I’m not sure if it’s a need for reassurance or just to let us know he’s there. However…he’s got this 4 AM thing and has decided that’s when everyone should get up since he’s awake and raring to go. He usually wins on that point since he keeps giving smooches to both my husband and I until we give in and realize there will be no more sleep for that day.

The very day I spoke with you last and reported he was doing so well with his meals he started upchucking for an afternoon and made himself one sick little puppy. I’m sure it was my fault for feeding him so frequently. I’ve also informed Will we will not be giving him a half pancake in the morning. Now Ginger gets a half cake and he gets hard boiled egg slices. I’ve also started grinding his kibble into mash. He seems to be swallowing that better and not coughing or choking.

Our boy has also started to demonstrate some different behavior. Will was going to take Ginger for a walk and brought him inside because he was wheezing so much after playing. I had been in another room, and when I entered the kitchen there was you-know-who standing in the middle of the table looking out! I don’t know who was more startled – me or him. I let out a bellow and you never saw feet scrambling so fast to move off anything in your life!

Oct. 10th…Latest update:

I brought Ribsy to my vet today for an official weigh-in and to drop off his paperwork for their files. He weighed in at 50 lbs!! I also spoke with the vet there about his problems and she said there would be no way to tell if his esophagus is inflamed or scarred without a scope or mega without a radiogram. Unfortunately neither option is in our budget at the present time. I am praying that a good and steady diet, vitamins, and a probiotic will allow him to heal. It is encouraging that he has no diarrhea, is gaining weight, and has not been vomiting. She listened to his heart and lungs and said they appear to sound fine.

I’ve included some photos of him at play. I will try to get better shots if I can get him to sit still for more than 5 seconds.

Hazzard's adopters are now calling him Ribsy. He's doing very well, eating 7 cups of dry grain-free dog food a day, getting along with the other dog, Ginger, the cats, and the chickens, playing, coming when called, putting on weight, and not waking her up as many times during the night (first night was hourly, just for kisses and reassurance).

Just a note to let you know Haz is home and kind of taking over the joint. As he walked in the door Moses the cat greeted us as he always does. The cat's tail went 5 times normal size but Haz just sniffed his rear and walked on by, as if to say "oh, just a cat". He has explored everything, in every corner, and then some. He found his dog bed in the bedroom and lay down for a while (all by himself) except for the cat who was on our bed watching him. Moses has been 2' behind him for the last hour. He's either stalking him or casing him out, not sure which. Ginger is slightly jealous of the attention he was getting and decided to try to be a lap dog (the horse!). Haz thought that may be a good idea and tried the same.

Sarah's love and attention is very evident in him for he isn't afraid, and just showed signs of uncertainty about what was expected of him when we first got home. He now seems completely at ease and keeps snuggling up for pats and kisses. He was totally delighted with his food bowl and I'm sure is looking forward eagerly for his next feeding.
I will keep you informed of his progress as the days go by.