Tamago - My little sad foster pooch

Things are not going well. Tamago is completely unresponsive. Sometimes its almost like she's not a real dog.. just a stuffed animal or a robot. She's numb. She doesn't seem to have feelings. She stares and stares blankly for hours. She just lies down all the time and doesn't move. Her tail doesn't wag. Her ears don't even perk up a tiny bit when she's called. She doesn't react to anything at all. Tamago hasn't eaten a full meal since she got here, just a few nibbles here and there and a few treats. She's been with me about 6 days. She has only pooped once, 3 days ago. That's how little she's eaten. She has only peed 3 times in 6 days. She should be peeing at least two or three times a day. She's not drinking nearly enough water. I don't know what to do. She isn't sick, she's depressed. She always wants to be alone and just stares into space. It's very sad to see her this way. A dog should be such a joyful creature. She seems an empty shell. I can't get through to her. You should see her now. She's just lying there, chin on the floor, eyes open staring at nothing.

Tamago - New mini foster pooch

I said I would never foster a dog ever again after my heartbreak. But I was wrong. I can't resist. I miss dogs so much and my new little foster dog is tiny and completely silent. No one knows she's in my 'no pets allowed' apartment.

Tamago is 8 years old and the best behaved little pooch I have ever met. She doesn't make messes, doesn't chew on things, is paper-trained, she never makes a sound. She's lower maintenance and less attention craving than my cats! Incredible.. but sad.. Tamago doesn't know how to play. She doesn't know what to do with toys. She doesn't know how to walk on a leash. She doesn't know how to have fun at all. She's the best behaved dog in the world because she doesn't know how to be happy and loved. All she does is sleep and sleep. How do I make her happy? She's a sweetheart. Just look at that face. Its not really visible in the photos but her eyes are beginning to cloud a little.. The beginning of cataracts perhaps? How do you teach an old dog to have some fun?

Tom Angus Tulliver - Oh yay! Just fungus.. That's ok right? WRONG!

First, Tom has a new middle-name and its Angus. Chosen by my cousin JY :) I finally managed to bring Tom to the vet today. We didn't make it yesterday because there was a huge storm in the evening and it took me agesssss to get home from work. Bloody KL traffic. It was past the clinic's closing time by the time I got home to pick him up so he had to go on itching and scratching for another day. At least that didn't seem to have any effect on his appetite. He's got a voracious one and has been scarfing down more kibble than I thought possible. I fill his bowl, he wolfs it down, I fill his bowl, he wolfs it down again... Impressive. I think he's going to gain weight fast which is super! Maybe if he's not so skinny and his body's nice and round, that will distract potential adopters from his bald head. Wishful thinking? oh well.. I can hope right?

When I got home I immediately stuffed him into a carrier and dashed back to my car. He meowed pitifully and loudly the entire time which is just freaking fabulous because I live in a building that doesn't allow pets. Grrrr. He continued to be a pain the whole time we were at the vet's, squirming as his temperature was taken 'thermometer in bum' style so squirming really only makes it more uncomfortable I bet. Then he squirmed as Dr L collected a little skin scraping sample to look at under the microscope. He squirmed as he was fed dewormer etc... The good news is that he's actually in pretty decent shape. His only problem is a terrible fungal infestation. That's why his head and neck are bald and patches of fungus have spread throughout the rest of his body as well. Super.

So... a little skin problem doesn't seem too bad compared to other rescue kitty ailments like diarrhea, flu, eye infection, and vomiting yeah? HAH! That's where you're wrong! Out of all the non-serious ailments, i hate fungus the most!!!!!! Why? It's a high-maintenance problem that's why! And as contagious and annoying as bieber bloody fever. If the little dude had diarrhea it really wouldn't be such a pain to look after him. Grown cats and older kittens are going to use the litter box whether they've got the curry shits or not. It hardly makes a difference. Squirts or no squirts they poop, I scoop. Mission accomplished. (Not that I WANT the poor babies to have diarrhea. I'd rather they were all as healthy as Bill Gates' bank account.)

Fungal infections are so annoying because they take so long to clear. 1 to 2 months and during this period Tom has to take oral anti-fungal medicine everyday and he also needs to be bathed with anti-fungal shampoo twice a week. The shampoo needs to be worked into a thick lather and left to work its magic for at least 10 minutes. Have you ever tried to keep a wet and angry foam-covered cat calm for 10 minutes? It feels like 10 hours. Also, poor Tom can't play with the other animals in the house. He has to stay isolated. Fungus is contagious. The last thing I need is another fungus infested creature in my apartment. He can even give it to me and I will not be a happy camper. I've been washing my hands like mad. Have I mentioned money yet? The fudging oral anti-fungal medication costs 5 ringgit per 1ml. I shit you not. 5 bucks for each teeny tiny ml. Dr L warned me it would be expensive, but still... Ouch! And the anti-fungal shampoo is going to cost 42 ringgit. I haven't bought that yet. Ran out of cash today. Will go back and get the shampoo tomorrow! Total cost today is 147 ringgit. Geez.

I told Tom that I was thinking of leaving his fungus untreated so his entire body would be bald and I'd pass him off as one of those expensive hairless breeds and sell him. Devon Rex? Cornish Rex? Sphynx? Sphinx? Whatever.. Dr Evil's cat. Anyway Tom didn't seem to believe me. He knows I'm such a bleeding heart. Boy am I glad my upstairs neighbor donated a big bag of premium kitten kibble! At least I don't have to worry about feeding Tom and I know he's getting good quality nutrition.

I hope Tom loves me! He better! His road to recovery is going to be a little longer than most but all will be worth it when his head is fuzzy, his fur lustrous, and he goes to a permanent home. :)

New Foster Kitten - Tom Tulliver

I've got a new foster kitty! My friend and fellow rescuer WS found this little dude today outside her office and brought him to my place after work. He's about 4 months old, scrawny with bald patches all over his face, head, and neck. His eyes are very watery and the rims of the lids suspiciously pink. I'm thinking this guy needs some medical attention. He's a little timid but not hissy at all and once over his shyness he is gently affectionate. He nudges my hand with the gentlest of little head-butts. I don't think he's feeling well and this is probably why he is so subdued. Will bring him to the vet tomorrow!

I think I'll call him Tom Tulliver because I'm reading "The Mill on the Floss" by George Eliot. My mother's favorite childhood book.




He's got absolutely enormous ears. He's obviously not well but doesn't he look like a sweetie? Let's hope for the best shall we :)

An afternoon visit with Tony, Spike, and Coco.

Oh I can't belieeeeveeeeee how silly I am sometimes. I went to visit my dogs Tony Montana and Spike who live with their dad. I meant to take new photos of my two beloved pooches but I forgot my camera :( Bloody hell! I so wanted new photos of them. They've both lost weight and look healthier than ever! Especially Tony, who is quite old and was so fat and wide before that I swear you could balance a tray on his back. He's slimmer now and more active thanks to daily walks he gets from his Dad's brother. Spike has a long body and short legs and he was looking rather stout at one time too but now he's slimmed down as well. His ears look enormous but he's still such a cutie! I miss them.

I had a dream about them and Molly last night. I wish they were still all with me and mine to see and love everyday. Visiting my dogs is always nice but when I leave them I always feel sadder than before. Being with Tony and Spike always reminds me of Molly and makes me miss her more. Leaving Tony and Spike at the end of a visit makes me feel guilty. I wish I could explain things to them and make them understand. I am glad though that their Dad wanted them when we split up and is taking such good care of them. They have such a big yard to play in and their Dad even had a dog house made that their crates fit into. I can't care for them in my little apartment. They'd go nuts with boredom.

Every time I visit I bring presents. Usually toys, treats, rawhide bones, wet food to mix in with their usual kibble. Today I brought treats and vitamins. Vetzyme Conditioning Tablets. Tony devoured them like he devours everything else, as if its the tastiest thing in the world. Spike as usual, graciously took them from my hand... and then quietly spat them out on the floor. This Spike.. Sighh.. He absolutely refuses to eat anything that is medical or health related, no matter if its labelled "beef flavor" or "feed as a savory treat". He's not fooled. He also spits out heartguard after holding it in his mouth for a few seconds to fool us... It's supposed to be meat flavored! We'd think he's eaten it, then find it wet and soggy in his crate later.

I also saw Coco who went with her Dad when we split up. She was very nice to me, not cranky at all. In fact she was very affectionate and loving. I was pleasantly surprised. I suppose she was happy I was just there to visit and she can tolerate me in small doses. When Coco and I were under the same roof she did some awful things to me, like take craps in my laundry basket, or pee on my shoes. She also climbed into two of my large handbags and peed in them. She only did this to my stuff, never her Dad's.. I got the hint!

NEXT TIME I WILL TAKE PICTURES! In the meantime, here are a few old ones..

The sometimes evil and now loving Coco.

Molly. Love love love! May she rest in peace or if not peace, I hope she's having a blast.

Tony Montana. This old boy loves car rides and his humans. I love him too.

Spike. My baby.

Mr Orange has been adopted and other ramblings..

Mr Orange went to his new home on Thursday night. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad. I'm always sad when a foster leaves me. Can't help getting attached to the twerps no matter how many times I remind myself to maintain an emotional distance from them. It doesn't matter how many have passed through my doors, I've loved them all and it does hurt when they go. It didn't help that Fatfat gave Mr O a few affectionate paternal licks as Mr O's new dad and I talked about old times when we used to work together and caught up over a quick ciggy. Even Mr O's dad felt a little sad about separating them but I assured him that Fatfat does that with all my fosters and he'd be just fine which is true! He's fine.

So my next project is rescuing my friend one-eyed Jack Manfred Sparrow. Why is he always around when I've got my hands full but MIA when I'm foster-free?

Another ongoing project is Cricket the German Shephered mixed breed dog I've been feeding for AGESSSSS now. I think I wrote about her a few weeks ago. She's still scared of me but I've found out that others in the neighborhood have been feeding her and now one of the neighbors has said that if Cricket can be rescued and spayed, he would gladly have her live on his farm outside the city. He happens to have a dog in his home now that looks exactly like Cricket and in fact the first time he saw her, he thought that his own dog had run out the gate. My dad is going to talk to another neighbor across the street about allowing me to catch Cricket in their compound because Cricket sometimes wanders into their yard to play with their dog. If they cooperate with me, and let me know when she's in there, they can close the gate, and I can safely feed her food laced with tranquilizers knowing that she can't wander off and get hit by a car. I could then immediately bring her furry butt to the vet. Let's hope all these things fall into place for Cricket. She's such a sweetie, just scared.