I know I have not been actively participating on keeping with your blogs. For this, I am truly sorry.
To be honest, I only check my email to see what Anne usually sends us for POTPs and friends that have pass through Rainbow Bridge.
However, sometimes, there are just stories that are worth telling, and this is one of them.
Rommel & Badgi's story is a bittersweet one. Rommel's father eloped with a housemaid while his mother left them for her drunkard boyfriend. His company is his pet dog named "Badgi".
According to him, Badgi protects him from Rugby boys (boys who take his money just to pay for an addictive inhalant like Rugby).
Sometimes, we tend to disregard the good things we have in life... Food, shelter--enough money to pay the vet... This kind of story reminds us how blessed we are.
Unlike the English language, the term for mother is different depending on one's point of view.
For instance, if you are referring to your mother, you use the word haha (はは).
If you are referring to another person's mother, you use the word okaasan (おかあさん).
Chooey-ちゃん は しんせつな おかあさん です。(Chooey-chan ha (pronounced as wa) shinsetsu na okaasan desu.) Chooey is a kind mother.
The Japanese word for mother as used in the sentence:
はは は きれいな ひと です。Haha ha(pronounced as wa) kirei na hito desu. [My] Mom is a beautiful person.
「わたし は わたし の」 ともだち の おかあさん に カメラ を あげました。「Watashi ha (pronounced as wa) watashi no」tomodachi no okaasan ni kamera wo agemashita. [ I ] gave [my] best friend's mother a camera.
I finally took the time to contact Dr. M for our neutering schedule. Officially, the medical term used for the surgical procedure of removing the dog's testicles is castration.
Puppy Brown resting at the vetties...Ready to go home.
Poor Puppy Brown must have felt the heavy loss of his balls because he came home like this.
"You stole my balls," says Puppy Brown with a vengeful glare.
This is probably the after-effect of the anesthesia given to him while his little boy part was incised to remove the you-know-what. The poor little guy hung his head like an injured soldier.
In this procedure, Dr. M did three tiny stitches to close the exit point.
Our next visit is due on the 21st to have the stitches removed. Hopefully, within that said period, the antibiotics and Betadine will do its charm on keeping him infection-free.
The Serious...
First of all, it's not as bad as it sounds. I know there are still dog lovers out there who don't understand why my purebred dogs don't get bred.
My answer is simple: I don't believe it's necessary. I used to think it was a great money-making scheme. Then, I got myself educated and realized that I'd be a hypocrite if I said I would be a good breeder and dog-lover if my purpose was to mainly earn from it.
Even though we've been bringing him to the vet constantly, changing his diet to our best capacity, and providing him with all his physical needs, we still lost him to a condition we still don't understand.
Also, given Buchi's history, I'd be damned if I allowed his hereditary issues to transfer from one generation to another.
A lot of people are saying, "Sayang" which means "It's such a waste."
I beg to differ. Puppy Brown lives with Asti. All our female dogs are intact and I want to keep them that way for now. Perhaps my main reason for choosing to have him castrated was convenience, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Raising puppies to dogs--ensuring they're well taken care of--is a big responsibility. I don't want to end up with puppies whose futures aren't secure.
To Neuter or not to Neuter...
Victoria Stilwell discusses facts about spaying and neutering...
In contradiction to neutering and spaying, I also want to share this video from Dr. Karen Becker to keep people informed of both sides...
Bottom line, whatever you choose, don't just choose for yourself--for your convenience, but also for the betterment of your dog. Research on neutering, spaying, and castration.
As for this pack, those balls have to go.
"But I love every part of me," says my cute little Shih Tzu boy.
I almost forgot about this particular experience. It showcases the amazing ingenuity dogs have here in the Philippines. Whether they were trained to do this, I'm honestly not sure. There weren't any humans nearby to signal them except for the ones at the boat. They simply took turns to dive into the river and catch whatever scraps are being tossed at them -from meat to bread.
People enjoying their lunch at the Loboc River Cruise in Bohol. Philippines
Last June, we went to Bohol on a family vacation. One of its main tourists attraction is having lunch at the Loboc River Cruise. Basically, you eat lunch while the boat is cruising around the river.
These two amazing dogs are waiting for their turns to take a swim at the river.
They're really smart. They take turns swimming towards the boats. These two are staying put because there's already one dog who's diving into the water to obtain the scraps thrown at them.
It's this dog's turn to get her own share of the daily feast. She dives in to catch the meat as it sinks faster.
I've had enough with the dog fights! It's not they do it so often. It's just when Puppy decides to defend the scaredy dog Coal, he and Whitey end up in a fight.
Today, however, we ended up bringing Whitey to the vet. Why you may ask? Aural Hematoma or Ear Hematoma. It's like Buchi's Blood Blister but it's on his ear.
Whitey is grounded! He will be wearing the cone of shame this afternoon.
What is an aural hematoma?
An aural hematoma or ear hematoma is a type of swelling in the flaps of a dog's ear. The dog's ear is filled with fluids coming from ruptured tiny blood vessels. It's like a blood blister.
Note: Whitey's ear drooped and puffed up like it had air in it and he kept on shaking it. This occurred moments after he fell down, getting toppled by Puppy.
Causes of Aural Hematomas or Ear Hematoma:
1. Scratching caused by itchiness due to allergies, mites, infection, yeast and foreign objects in the ear canal
2. Shaking the head alot
4. Smacking the ears unto something hard like how Whitey landed on his ear on the ground.
If you want to learn more about Ear Hematomas, Mercola's video explains it pretty well.
Treatment of Aural Hematoma
On Whitey's case, his ear was drained of the fluid. It was also bandaged and pressure was applied so that it would stop. Prednisone was given as an anti-inflammatory drug and he is due for the cone of shame. The veterinarian charged us 250php (about $6 - $7) for the procedure.
POTP for Whitey
Although most hematomas usually resolve in time by being absorbed back into the body, there are instances that it may get worse. It can also rapture the skin because of the fluid build up(and the dog shaking his head).
The vet said that if it didn't heal within the next 7 days, Whitey might need surgery. This was really bad because Whitey is about 8 years old. Administering anesthesia on old dogs can pose a health risk.
As we've mentioned earlier, we finally received our Mischief Master Class book. Yes, Chooey and Buchi... errr Peanuts... are famous.
Even in Snoopy's absence, this book is up to mischief! LOL
By the way, Peanuts is doing pretty well with my beau. This picture was taken last June when I visited her to see how my soul dog was. Apparently, I'm no longer her first love. She only allows pretty pictures when my beau holds the camera.
Whether it's Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T in the US or Smart, Globe and Sun in the Philippines, nothing beats Dog Mobile in terms of customer satisfaction.
Chooey Update: Chooey's doing a lot better. She's recovering pretty well. I've taken off the Cone of Shame during day time as she's no longer fighting the bandage tape muzzle that was made by the vet for her jaw bone to recover. She's on strict dog soft diet and she's crated every night.
You must be wondering what I am talking about. Seeing as most of my bloggy friends are non-Filipinos, I'll be giving a short definition of an askal/aspin.
Brother dog is a full-fledged, 100% genuine aspin. He's been with us for a long time now. He's probably 7 or even older.
An aspin or an askal is a dog native to the Philippines. They are often found in streets and homes of the average Filipino family. They are independent, cunning and street smart (literally speaking). Askals/ aspins are often categorized as mongrels, mutts and mixes, but I still personally like calling them street dogs because of their intelligence (and persistence) in finding their own food and evasion skills as escape artists. You don't normally learn that in a sheltered environment.
Literal Translations:
Askal - asong kalye - street dog
Aspin - asong Pinoy - Filipino dog
Why should you adopt an Askal or Aspin from your local pound?
1. Most askals/aspins are food-driven. They're not picky on training treats.
2. Aspins/ Askals normally thrive on people food, but dog food works wonders on them. I give mine Bow Wow dog food and their coats have turned extra shiny.
3. Aspins make great models for photography.
The camera may have the wrong settings, but dear Ginger's pictures will always be perfect.
4. Since the askal / aspin family tree is so diverse, the tendency for them to have genetic diseases are slim to nothing.
5. A little training goes a long way. Food rewards are highly effective. Saver the Wonder Dog is one of Philippines' most famous askal.
Note:Don't be discouraged by their stubbornness. You'd be surprised how easily they learn the rest of the tricks once they've gotten the first one right.
6. Most askals/ aspins have survived without vaccinations through the years. This means that most of them have built an immunity against highly contagious diseases.
Note:Fortunately, due to government programs providing free anti-rabies vaccinations, the rate of rabies infection in cities have decreased.
7. They're far cheaper to adopt. Some Philippine pet shelters already have their dogs and cats spayed / neutered and vaccinated.
Note:The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) charges an adoption fee of 500 php for cats and 1000 php for dogs. These pets are all neutered/spayed, rabies vaccinated, groomed and dewormed before adopted out.
8. They require less maintenance than purebred dogs.
Bottom line, aspins / askals are great dogs to take care of. And some city pounds are teeming with them. So do VISIT THEM before you buy that puppy in the pet store or online ad.
