Sunday, November 29, 2009

Well, it's been more than three months, but I am here to report that Beau's wound is CLOSED!  Last time I wrote about it, at the end of September, we had just attempted a surgical closure for the second time, with mixed success.  The center section of the wound stayed closed, but we ended up with two open wounds, one at each end of the attempted closure.  The one in front was about an inch by an inch-and-a-half, and the one at the rear was about two inches each way (and sort of square-ish).  When we pulled the stitches, about two-and-a-half weeks later, we decided to leave them for a while, and see what they would do.  We were hopeful that the smaller wound might close on its own.  In early Novmember I took Beau to the repro vet to have him collected, and they gave me a tube of a horse product called Derma-Gel.  I don't know if it was the ointment, or tincture of time that did it, but soon after that the wounds scabbed over, and, about two weeks ago, the scab fell off of the front wound, and it was closed.  Today, the scab fell off of the larger, rear wound, and it, too, is closed.  Hair is growing over almost the whole area, and so that horrible 8 inch by 4 inch wound is gone, and it looks like all we will have to remember it by is two small areas of scar tissue, where it doesn't look like hair will grow back, each about the size of a thumbprint!

The Blog is getting a little unwieldy, even though I don't write often, so today I am organizing it!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rain (the kind that falls from the sky, not the Whippet) early this week has ensured that we have an adequate supply of mud.  And consequently, a more than adequate supply of dust.  I can't wait for snow cover!  Then the dogs stop tracking mud in, and we can clean the house and have it stay that way for more than half an hour!  The kitchen is the worst.

Charlie went down to visit with each of his daughters (and their families) over Thanksgiving, so I have a long weekend with the hounds.  I had hoped to be able to go lure coursing this weekend, but no dice--no way could I make the drive to Hanover PA and back in one day, and I hate leaving puppies with my son.  He is a good dog-sitter, but I know the puppies don't get the attention they need.

I do want to try to get in a trial for Rain (the Whippet) before the end of the year.  As of January 1 she would need a Qualified Courser certificate before she could run, and I'd just as soon avoid the aggro of finding another Whippet for her to run with.  I think my only hope is New Year's Eve in Hanover.  I hate running at that time of year, but, hey, that's why I have fleece-lined jeans!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

I'm embarrassed to admit that it was almost two weeks ago that we went lure coursing, and I haven't written anything about it!

We went down to New Jersey for a weekend of AKC trials with IWAGS.  I had gotten in some practices with the Whippets, and was hopeful that they might get their JCs.  Isabella didn't quite have the concentration for a whole course, but Rain handled the two courses with ease, so she is on her way.  And Isabella did much better on Sunday than on Saturday, so we'll keep working at it.

It was also Memsie's first trial.  I was a little leery of entering her, as she would be running with LeLe and Boudicca--two kennel-mates.  The conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't run kennelmates together, as they are more likely to play.  But unless I drive eight or more hours, it's hard for me to find competition.  So I tend to find out early if my dogs can run together.  Fortunately, it has not been a problem up until now, and Memsie was true to form.  Not only did she run clean, but she beat her kennelmates!