Photos and text copyright Romping and Rolling in the Rockies 2009-2017.

All photographs and text within this blog are copyrighted.

You may not copy or repost any photos or text without specific permission from the author of this blog. When in doubt, please ask.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The nose of a dog

I'd love to have the nose of a dog in all except a few putrid circumstances. Yesterday, a young buck walked across a trail behind our house.
A few minutes later, K and I walked past the same spot. I had no idea that that a deer had just sneaked through. K knew. Look how she sniffed and peered in the direction of the deer.
That young buck was no match for this big guy. I've been capturing photos of him shepherding small herds of does through the forest. Today was the first time he's been alone in weeks. Perhaps the rut is winding down.
This morning, K and I walked out into our forest teeming with wildlife. K wore the hated boot because it seemed to make her limp less severe. Despite the evil paw boot, she still enjoyed the scents of our world.
She stood on a boulder gazing over her meadow.
The world shined so brightly that her eyes were closed most of the time in my photos!
Suddenly, last night, the pads on K's paw with the amputation looked horrendous with little disks of tissue jutting up from the pad surface. It looked so alarming that we went to the vet today (there really should be a "frequent patient plan"). It's hyperkeratosis, an overgrowth of tough pad material. We have to baby her paw for a week, applying black tea bags and bag balm. If it's not better after a week of those benign treatments, the disks will be removed by cauterization. Yes, that would be her third round of general anaesthesia in a couple of months. Sheesh.

We're still waiting for the pathology report on one of her paw bones that may tell us how much function K will retain in her front limb. Why do these reports take eons to complete? My adrenal glands have burned out with all the waiting.

I had some bike time with R prior to taking K to the vet. We headed straight to the top of our world. R leaned into the howling wind like a ski jumper soaring over his skis.
Then, when I put his muzzle back on, he did the "get this thing off of me" slide across the snow in the shadow of me and my bike.
Houndstooth asked whether there are some snow conditions that I like better for winter mountain biking than others. Whew - don't get me started! I love very cold packed snow that has never melted and refrozen. I hate slush, and I hate when there's a layer of ice below the snow - like right now. That's how I fell the other day, jamming my wrist into a rock garden. I couldn't see the ice below the snow so I was taken completely by surprise when my tires slid sideways throwing me to the ground. Until we get a thick layer of new snow, I've abandoned my snow bike with the super-wide non-studded tires. I'm riding my relatively skinny-tired bike with 300 studs per tire. Those studs keep me upright even on sheer ice.

As I write this post, I'm sitting by a roaring fire with the pups snoozing at my feet. Outside the windows, the wind is howling and frequent flashes of light explode toward our windows. Those flashes mean that we have animals outside being photographed by my wildlife cameras. I wonder if the alien coyote with green laser beams emanating from his eyes is outside now?

22 comments:

  1. And here we thought R was doing the Cheoah snow (er, grass) slide.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry about K's latest 'let's scare the crap out of Mom' event -

    I loved the picture of R The Ski Jumper Wannabe!

    And as always, the coyote pic!!!

    Here's to hearing news soon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, at least we know why she holds up her paw! The poor baby!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's going to be rough on all of you to care for that paw. No more letting her get by with anything. Here's hoping the treatment works wonders. It will be hard to limit her activity even more but will be worth it in the long run. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope K's paw gets better! She looks beautiful as usual, and R looks like he's having a lot of fun!

    Love the picture of the wildlife, as always.

    Woofs,
    Pepsi

    ReplyDelete
  6. We just knew the Herd would have that comment:) If we had beat them here, we would have made it.

    Poor K, she just can't catch a break. Hope the treatment makes things better and thus helps avoid another procedure. And yes, we so understand about waiting for those reports. Hope it come soon with good news.

    For some reason Ciara and Thunder have shown a great interest in my laundry basket - you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yikes! K, give us all a break on the scare department! Is the boot she's wearing a Thera Paw boot? I know a lot of Greyhound people swear by those.

    I'll be curious to see what you end up with tomorrow for wildlife shots!

    R, the Greyhounds want you to know that you can flip that muzzle off if you catch it just right behind your ear with your paw! You won't have to do any rolling in the snow unless you just want to! ;;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. If you need me to come over and take care of that alien coyote, just let me know!

    Your pal, Agent Pip

    ReplyDelete
  9. Don't know about the tea bag soak, but K will probably enjoy the gentle massage as you rub in the bag balm. Love that stuff. Guess being in the cast & boots prevented the usual abrasion that would keep the paw pads smoothed.

    Are you supposed to keep her off her feet? Would have thought the abrasion of walking would help, but perhaps the uneven paw pad was responsible for the limping, as you indicate she limps less with the dreaded boot on?

    R and his muzzle look like Jed with his Cone: rub it off!

    Jed & Abby

    ReplyDelete
  10. Its time for the healing to begin,,,,,,,and so,, we wish on the moon and stars.
    I know your heart gets so fearful, like a frightened bunny,,, trembling.......... it is so scary when furrys who we love so much,,,,
    have obstacles to overcome..
    oh we love K so much,, and we all pull for her,,,
    if only you could bury all your worrys and have them never come back.
    Awsome photos, thank you for sharing
    xoxo
    tweedles

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my word, it's never ending for you!! Well here's sending your K good wishes for a speedy recovery!

    On a different note - photography is also one of my hobbies, I'd love to know what camera you are using for the general shots? Your pictures are stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Is it possible that the paw pad problems are exacerbating the lameness? Especially since it gets better with the boot on?

    I sure hope that's the case, as it doesn't sound like a very hard "fix." Wishing all the best for you and K. Bag Balm is good stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Poor K! She just can't get a break. I'm sure hoping the remedy works and you get some good news soon!

    Love the laser-eye coyote!!

    Holly

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great shot of R taking podium above the hill top! K has been through so much, may the tea and balm help and reports come in.
    The roaring fire with sleepy pups sounds perfect!

    Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
    Sierra Rose

    ReplyDelete
  15. We really hope the overgrowth will get better soon. K has been through so much! Poor girl.
    Love that picture of R!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, a coyote with super powers! So sorry about K's newest problem and your spill. Ouch! I'm wondering whether you have health insurance for your dogs. Java's been so healthy but I've been looking into it so I don't get caught unprepared. Once they have a condition, a lot of times insurance won't cover it.

    And in case you didn't catch my thank you, I'll repeat here. Thanks for information on the front clip halter. Very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.

    God Bless You :-)

    ~Ron

    ReplyDelete
  18. K looks SO beautiful, and we're pullin for a quick recovery for her sweet paw! And R looks absolutely Royal!

    As all ways, I love the pitchers of your world!!!

    wif love from the Luke

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am sending more puppy prayers fur K! Mom often wonders what it is I am smelling when we is outside...

    Woofs and Licks,
    Maggie Mae

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

    I am getting K a Therepaw boot, based on several suggestions.

    She's supposed to keep walking and building her strength but, for the next week, always with a boot on. Then, we'll reevaluate whether to cauterize the overgrowths on her paw pads or not.

    No doubt, her paw pad issues were causing much of her lameness. She limps a bit with a boot but much less than without it.

    And, Houndstooth - no giving R tips on how to take the muzzle off. I'm not letting him read your comment :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I had a crazy long week at work. Just stopping by to catch up on things. I hope K's paws are feeling better. Off to check the rest of your updates. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete

If you are a Blogger registered user, you can skip the step asking you to verify that you are not a spammer. For posts older than 5 days, I have comment moderation turned on.

Thanks for your comments!!!!!