and as we thought they decided to keep him in and stitch him up.
31st july 2009
This afternoon we took Sandy to the vet for a check-up because they wanted to check all was okay because the area he hurt himself is in an awkward spot on his shoulder and they wanted to ensure the stitches were holding.
6th August 2009
This afternoon we took Sandy to the vet so his stitches could be removed.
27th August 2009
Sandy is now greeting all our guests when they come into the house because he's finally realised they all want to stroke him, which he loves. He's also so much better with all the dogs coming to visit, which is possibly because there are just so many, that is, unless one tries to put their feet on the swing gates between the hall and the conservatory then we hear a low grumble from him letting the other dog know that feet are NOT allowed on the top of the gate!
15th october 2009
This morning we took Sandy to the vet.
7th December 2009
For many, many months we've been taking Sandy out wearing a harness because when he first arrived it stopped him pulling on the lead. I'm not sure what happened this afternoon but for some reason we took them out for a walk and forgot to put his harness on. It was only half way along our walk we suddenly realised that he was walking nicely by our side with the lead attached to his collar. It was lovely to see so in future we are going to walk him more this way only using the harness if we have foster dogs that need that bit more work and the harness is Sandy's 'belt and braces' so to speak in case we come across a situation where we need it.
12th December 2009
This evening as we walked around the corner of the pub we came face to face with a terrier off the lead and Sandy, who dislikes small dogs running around his back legs got a bit uptight so we backed away and used the pub wall to keep him out of site of it until they put the dog on a lead and went into the pub. We were going to take them all in the pub after our walk but with the terrier going in there and Sandy becoming stressed we decided to take him home and because of Misty, our current foster dog's laid back approach to life we left her with him. When we got back all was well and we received a lovely welcome from the pair of them.
23rd December 2009
Sandy really made it a special night this evening. Tess had just arrived and was laying on the dog bed near the TV, Dakota was laying on the settee with his head on my lap and Sandy was laying on the duvet by the side of the settee I was sitting on when Indi suddenly climbed off the settee she was on and went to lay on the duvet next to Sandy. She hasn't gone to lay with another dog or allowed another dog to voluntarily lay with her since our Bobby died. She often cuddled up with Bobby so for her to go and lay next to Sandy on the duvet made a lump come to our throats because she's decided he's now her companion now Bobby's gone. To make our day Sandy let her and they lay with their feet entwined all evening. It was a wonderful moment and one we thought we might never see because Sandy won't let any dog touch him when he's laying down or on his bed without a grumble so it shows he has come to accept her.
3rd January 2010
Sandy is still not happy about having the muzzle on all the time in the house but the moment its not on he licks the cut on his leg caused by jumping the fence into the field on Christmas Eve. We don't often get snow here so we never thought that a good snow fall that has frozen hard reduces the height of the fence! Guess who's now got the job of raising the fence? The cut has been healing really nice until this afternoon when Stuart dropped him and Dakota off at the house while we went in the pub with the other two - it was too busy to take all four in, and when he left them in the house he forgot to put his muzzle back on! We arrived back home to a lovely greeting from Sandy minus the muzzle and minus the lovely scab that had developed and was healing nicely. Oh well! He's the silly one because now he has to have his muzzle on even longer.
5th February 2010
This evening we took Dakota, Indi, Sandy and Solo into the pub 'early doors' where they all lay on the floor in front of the fire and went to sleep.
18th March 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY - 7 TODAY
21st October 2010
This morning Sandy went to the vet for his annual check-up and inoculations. All was okay and he weighed in at 35.9k (79lbs).
22nd October 2010
This lunch time a new arrival appeared in the pack. Maisie is a young lurcher (Greyhound x Labrador) and Sandy knew she was not pure Greyhound. Normally he accepts new members to the pack with no problem other than an odd grumble to put them in their place, but his body language was different this time, which made us realise he knew she was different and because he can be funny with other dogs and we'd not had one in our part of the house before we had to watch to make sure he would accept her. She just ignored him and before long he was following her around besotted by her.
24th October 2010
Since having the run built in the paddock we've been able to let Sandy off the lead for a good run, which he loves and its doing him the world of good. He loves the space to run, play or just have a sniff around. He used to run and push into the others as they ran around the garden, which some of them didn't like so we had to muzzle him to prevent any nips, but since being able to run in a straight line in the run he's been much better and will actually run with another dog instead of running into them all the time. If he starts that trick Stuart takes him to one side and grumbles at him making him have time out and he's beginning to realise that if he plays rough he doesn't play at all.
26th January 2011
Sandy has been charging round the garden today with Blue and Penny and came in with a nose bleed and a 2" cut down his nose, which we bathed and gave him some Metacam. How he did it we are not sure or who did it, but it looked as if a tooth caught him somehow.
9th February 2011
Sandy got hurt while running in the paddock late this afternoon and had to go to the vet for surgery. He started going in to shock almost as soon as we got him in the house so we took him to the vet straight away. He left here around 6pm and it was 10.15pm before the vet phoned to say all was done and he was coming round. He weighed 36k. He's on a drip and been given two kinds of painkillers and antibiotics by injection, and they are keeping him in overnight on a drip as this will help him as he went into shock. The big cut on his chest behind his elbow came together okay, but the on his leg will be more difficult to heal due to it's location and lack of skin to pull everything together. It was a long night here without him!
10th February 2011
This morning the vet phoned to say Sandy could come home this morning so Stuart went to get him. He was pleased to see him and pleased to be back home. He had stitches in his leg, under his arm pit and on his side, but the ones on his back didn't need any. However, he was covered in bruises and had one or two smaller nicks, which the vet said would heal on their own. We put the safety gate across the kitchen doorway so Sandy could go in the living room or bed room and be in peace while Blue and Penny stayed in the kitchen all day. However, Sandy took to the crate in the living room and made that his bed, the door was open so he could come and go, but he felt happier being in the security of the crate and to be quite honest we were pleased because we knew none of the others would stand on him as they moved around the place. .
14th February 2011
Sandy's been sleeping in the crate in the living room most of the time since he got hurt and this afternoon I popped my head round the corner of the door to see how he was. He was laid on his back with legs akimbo, which is the first time I've seen him do this since he got hurt. What a good sign to see them asleep on their back and this indicates the wounds on his side are not as painful as they were. They certainly look less bruised today and look as if they are healing well.
He enjoyed his walk this afternoon, but as I was putting his coat on and straightening the bandage we put on his right leg to stop him licking the stitches and area the vet couldn't stitch I thought his wrist looked slightly larger than the other. While on our walk his bandage began to slip so I decided to slip it off over his foot and put it back on again when we got home. As I was doing it he winced and had a bark, which at first I thought was because with holding the other dogs I was doing it one handed.
When we got home I wanted to get the bandage back on his leg as quick as I could so as to stop him licking and after he had his chew I let him in the garden. I don't know what I touched as I was straightening the bandage before he went out, but he gave a sharp bark and grumble so I'm going to have to watch his wrist and leg as he's obviously in pain. It may be he twisted during the incident and even though he's on antibiotics I hope it's not becoming infected.
15th February 2011
I know the vet said to give him the Metacam 4 or 5 days, but because of the way Sandy is I've decided to keep him on it a little longer. His antibiotic course doesn't finish till Saturday night so I will see about stopping his Metacam the same time.
He's been doing very well as he's not attempted to lick any wound on his side and the ones on his leg we are covering with either a crepe bandage or a dressing held on with the sticky roll the vet gave us. The vet was more concerned about the injury to his leg than the others as there isn't much skin to hold things together and could easily part. With him practically living in the crate at least he's resting so there is less risk of him damaging the stitches.
He's still very wary of Blue and Penny as they walk past the crate, but he is no longer growling at them as he did the first couple of days.
16th February 2011
Sandy has lost a lot of confidence around Blue, he's okay again with Penny, but Blue he keeps a sharp eye on and stays in the crate unless he needs to go to the garden to do his toilet. Won't go out if Blue is out and walks around the kitchen table to avoid him if he's asleep on the dog bed. We have an issue here and I'm slowly piecing together what happened and seeking how to resolve it. It appears we have inherited a pack because Blue and Penny were with the same owner before he retired through ill health, then they went to another kennel for a few months together, then they came here. Although Blue and Penny have been with us since the beginning of December, something happened last week in the paddock and it was one pack against another. Sadly, Sandy was the one who got it and the annoying thing is he won't fight back - he will growl, but he stands and takes it. Thank God Stuart saw it start and got there in time.
17th February 2011
Now we know we have a 'pack within a pack' we can work towards adjusting it and from now on Sandy and all our dogs are going to eat from Blue's dish as well as I am so as to lower his position within the pack and raise Sandy and our dogs up above him. That and as well as Blue and Penny always being together we will ensure they are split and Penny will be allowed to mingle with out pack and leave Blue out on his own. Neither of them will walk together and neither will be allowed in the garden without a muzzle on until we have a resolution.
18th February 2011
Sandy and the others didn't quite know what to make of being offered Blue's dinner and being allowed to eat some - Blue, muzzled at the time, was going to have a heart attack when he saw them!
19th February 2011
This morning was Sandy's last antibiotic and having had Metacam for the past 10 days we decided to stop this also.
20th February 2011
Well Sandy hasn't bothered with his injuries and the bandage on his leg has mean't he's left that alone - until last night! When we saw him this morning the bandage was off and so was the nicely healing scabs on his legs and the one on his side had been well and truly licked. Not being able to put an Elizabethan collar on him because it won't fit in the crate with him we had to think of something else. I got an old short sleeved jumper and put that on him, which covered his sides and his leg. He looked funny, but if it stops him licking then so be it.
21st February 2011
This moring Sandy had worked out how to lick the wounds through the jumper!
This afternoon we took him to the vet who cleaned up the wounds, took the stitches out the big wound and cut a flap of skin off the wound on his side, which is the one he badly licked. He's back on more antibiotics, we've to start the Metacam again and this time he is having a muzzle on covered with tape to stop him licking through the gaps. Asking the vet if she thought licking on the Saturday night tied into having no Metacam that night or was it a coincidence she said he was probably still feeling very sore and not having the Metacam triggered him to lick. What a shame I stopped it, but the vet originally said four or five days and I did it nine!
If Sandy is in his crate Blue leaves him alone, but once Sandy starts to move to go outside Blue is there next to him so he will be muzzled for some time until we are certain he isn't going to do anything else to Sandy. We have been told that if we see no change then for the sake of Sandy, Blue may have to go into kennels so he doesn't get the chance to do anything like this again.
25th February 2011
This morning we took Sandy to the vet again. We were asked not to feed him in case they decided to keep him in. This they did because the area on his side that had 'broken down' needed further surgery to have it re-stitched. When we collected him in the afternoon the area had been re-stitched - it was quite large and the scabby patches on his back had been cleaned off.
2nd March 2011
Stuart took Sandy in the paddock the other morning and as he came back in the garden through the gate Blue had a real grumble at him for coming back into the pack. Sandy just ignored him. After Sandy came back from the vets and walked into the garden Blue did the same, but not as bad. Thankfully on both occasions he was wearing his muzzle. Since then we've been lead walking Sandy along the drive and down the road as opposed to around the garden because the others bump into him and it's very muddy and unsafe under foot. Sandy enjoys his short walks and now Blue is becoming quite used to him going away and coming back to the point he's accepting it no problem.
4th March 2011
At last the wound in Sandy's side has stopped weeping and today has been the first day I've not needed to bathe it with a Hibiscrub solution to keep it clean. He must be feeling a bit better because he's not been sleeping in the crate in the living room where he took up residence from the time he got back from the vet after the incident happened, instead, he's been sleeping in the dog bed in our bedroom or on the settee. He's still wearing the muzzle, bless him, because he's a monkey and will NOT leave the wounds alone, but will lick them incessantly, which is not good. His muzzle is all taped up so he can't lick through the holes - even the two drink holes in the bottom! We couldn't believe he was licking his wounds through those! The problem with that is we have to watch he has enough liquid because his muzzle is so taped up no water can get in for him to drink. We had thought about putting a teeshirt on him, but the last time I did that just before he went to the vet on the 25th February he learn't he could lick through the material if he made it wet enough. We hate keeping the muzzle on him, but think under the circumstances it's the best thing to do.
Just before lunch today Sandy was on the settee resting when Blue came over and climbed on next to him. When Sandy grumbled at him his behaviour was quite submissive as he carefully lay down and curled up in the smallest corner he could get into. We watched at a distance to be on the safe side - Sandy had spread out on the settee and Blue curled in a ball - perhaps Blue was saying sorry!
8th March 2011
Sandy and Blue walked side by side quite happily this afternoon on their walk. For more than half and hour they were so close together they were almost touching at times and not once was there a stare or a grumble. We were so chuffed to see them walking side by side with no problems.
9th March 2011
This afternoon Sandy returned to the vet and had some of his stitches removed. The vet took them all out with the exception of the middle four, which they wanted leaving in another three days. The vet said it had been a nasty wound and would take some months to heal properly. The reason he still lifted his leg when standing still was because of the muscle and nerve damage to the area. The couple of little lumps I noticed yesterday on his neck the vet said could be muscle trauma, in which case it would disappear and we were to keep an eye on them.
When we came from the vet we drove over and visited Flash and Tiger on our way home, went for a short walk with them then called in for a cup of tea and a chat, and where Sandy lay on the carpet and slept with the others.
When we got home we all went for a walk before it got dark then we fed the dogs. I don't know if it was the stress of going to the vet's or if he did a little too much walking, but Sandy didn't want his tea and when he came in from the garden he took up residence in the crate again - the first time for a few days. As this indicated he wasn't feeling too well I took a look at the wound - it was a little warm and red and Sandy gave me a grumble, so I knew he wasn't feeling too well. We let him rest for the evening, but he was limping a little when he went out for his last walk. The vet had mentioned this afternoon that the wound was a deep one and would take some months to heal properly as a number of muscles and nerves would have been damaged and will take time to heal.
10th March 2011
Commencing a couple of days ago Sandy and Blue will walk side by side on our walks from now on - they seem fine walking so close and their body language, which we are watching is amicable.
11th March 2011
Sandy has gone back a step today. Since some of his stitches were removed and we thought things looked good he's not been eating all his food and he's been sleeping back in the crate. The wound looked a little red, but I didn't think overly warm. However, during the night he's been licking it and it looks a bit sore this morning and it's 'weeping' where one of the stitches was removed. We bathed it with diluted 'Hibiscrub', gave him some Metacam and put his muzzle back on. When I phoned the vet for advice she wasn't sure why this should be as it looked so good when she saw it a couple of days ago. She advised we kept the remaining stitches in until Monday, to give him more Metacam and she will put some antibiotics out for us to collect for him. She mentioned with it being such a deep wound some of the muscle and nerves would have been damaged and when nerve endings repair themselves they tingle. For some reason dogs can take pain, but they can't take a tingling sensation, and this is possibly what he is feeling.
18th March 2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDY - 8 TODAY
23rd March 2011
Blue and Sandy were happily wandering around the garden together while we were doing work outside.



more soon ....................