Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Kind Of Hush And An Incontinent Beagle


(It was not my intention to put Herman's Hermits in your head all day; apologies for title).

Here's the dog whose name should have been Moxie but is instead Zoe Mae. She's my force of nature, my inner intractable rebellious unstoppable and preternaturally (thank you, Anne Rice) focused beast.

Does she want a walk? A treat? Is this the same old fight over giving her the car keys?

But on this very quiet morning, after the blizzard of posts here and e-mails to klevine@npr.org (that address is good for another three weeks), and the blizzard of sorts settling outside, even Zoe Mae is sleeping, as is her snoring beagle sister Starlet. She's the one with the incontinence I mentioned in passing yesterday, that several of you seemed anxious to know about. And I thought my obsessions were unbalanced...

Well, if we are talking dogs then I will say that of late, whenever Starry does her beagle thing and props up pillows and blankets to cover the pea lurking somewhere in her bedding (Princess and the Pea, remember that one?) , she now "releases" everything from drops to tablespoons worth of urine. It's become chronic and really tiresome.

No, no infection. Blood work fine. Food hasn't changed. Certainly somewhat related to the steriod she has to take for her even more tiresome allergies, but she's been on them a while and the incontinence is about a month or so old.

I take excellent care of my animals (read: pre-emptive strike). However, I don't love this little dog as much as I'd hoped to. I got her two years ago, she's probably about 9 yrs old now, and wherever she's been, she was likely always starved and ready to run away. She is sweet and has her endearing qualities, I love sharing the covers with her and have learned to sleep through her snoring, but once she's stirred, I am the first to admit she is a royal pain in the ass.

I don't suppose anyone else has an animal like that, huh.
at 9:22 AM

15 comments:

  1. Um, the dog in the photograph is not a beagle.
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  2. You are right, DogLuvr! But I haven't figured out how to embed a pix in the middle of a post. I'm use Blogger; do you know how?
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  3. Sorry to hear that you're gone from NPR. LOVE your stories. For your dog's incontinence, try Proin. It is a supplement that I've been giving my 12 year old Shepherd for her wetting problem and, remarkably, it's solved the problem. Check with your vet.
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  4. Excellent. I'll inquire. Thanks, Brooke
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  5. Connie in OrlandoDec 24, 2008 11:41 AM
    Other dog related: Sports Illustrated is on the newsstands today (no I don't buy it normally) and the cover story is The Vick Dogs Now! For those who haven't followed the aftermath, please pick it up and share it, or read the story online. There are links on the BADRAP blog at http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/

    And, yes, dogs, cats can be pains, but so can family, friends, spouses, coworkers and significant others - usually much less often though.
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  6. Connie in OrlandoDec 24, 2008 11:43 AM
    Oops, meant the human variety are the pains much more often than the dogs or cats.
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  7. Hi Ketzel; so sorry you will be gone from NPR! when our elderly female dog became incontinent a few years ago, our vet prescribed estrogen, and it helped a lot. A young, mid-thirties friend thought that sounded nuts, but it did work, and for someone on the other side of menopause it makes a certain amt of sense.... Kate
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  8. AS soon as I can figure out how not to be anonymous, I'll fix it, but for now, I am berzerk with joy about my cold frame, which I started using this year, and my efforts to do sheet composting to improve my marginal soil (steep clayey slope in Utah). We spent all spring eating lovely arugula, lettuce, spinach, turnip greens, and so on, and it was almost no work. There has to be an opportunity in people's interest in eating better quality food, spending less money, driving less, and eating organically. You have a lot of credibility, maybe you could parley that credibility into educating people on how to do more sustainable gardening in small areas? Kind of a Mary Janes Butters for the urban set? Kate in Utah
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  9. Ketzel, add me to the throngs of those who are sorry that you've been uprooted from your beloved work. But as a longtime freelancer, let me assure you that the old adage is true. One door closes, and others open. You have many talents and this strange time WILL pass. It just takes time and faith. I am cheering you on from up here in the wilds of Nova Scotia.
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  10. Estrogen and Prion, thanks for the tips. I guess I could just share mine w/her!

    And now I have to google "Mary Jane Butters", and consider whether it's time for me to grow food. Of course the next step will have to be cooking it, so it's a very slippery slope.
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  11. Everything happens for a reason..so they say, much to my dismay at times. I look forward to your many posts in this medium and it is NPR's loss. As for the beagle, I too have experienced the "warmness of urine," what a way to wake up, and Sophie would sleep right through it. Still love her with all my heart but had to evict her from my bed into her own. Hopefully, the vet will be of some help. Can't wait to see what you decide on in the gardening area. Cheers! Stefe C
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  12. Here's to a healthy dog bladder. I hope that you and your vet find a solution.

    Very crappy news about your job--I'm so sorry to hear that. However, I smell a book coming along sometime soon . . ..
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  13. I'll echo the Proin suggestions. We have a malamutt, and it helps her greatly. She only rarely has an accident.

    We did have one dog that nothing would help. She was our only true outside dog. She was also the sweetest dog we've ever had. When we had her spayed the vet did a little exploratory and found out that the nerve that gives dogs bladder control was nonfunctional. He said that our dog's mother was probably injured or ill the day that the nerve was to have developed so it never did.
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  14. i'll be checking your new blog with interest!
    wrt the dog, not sure what form your dog's allergies take or what you've tried and i've got nothing for the incontinence, but a raw food diet helps my golden retriever's skin itchiness a lot. She's 90% better on it. there's a noticeable difference when we slip and run out and give her backup dry food in the interim. she scratches to the point of gouging. you might visit the Hawthorne vet clinic to see what advice the holistic vet types might have.
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  15. Oh, shit. I just checked what meds Starlet's been on and one of them IS Proin. She was having me give her 1/4 tablet every 8 hrs, maybe that wasn't enough. I'll consult. Thanks, gang.
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