Stomach flu

Link feeling a bit under the weather.

 I've spent the better part of the early morning hours caring for Link. He woke me up at 2:30 a.m., standing by the door whining. I took him out, but he didn't do anything so we went inside again. He wasn't able to relax at all though, just pacing and whining. I thought it was hormones again, like earlier this summer, so I basically just ignored him and told him to be quiet.
One hour later he started vomiting. First came all the dog food he had eaten the night before and then came a big wad of grass and sticks that he probably ate while being off leash in the forest the previous evening. Then he wanted to go outside and what came out the other end wasn't exactly pretty. After that we fell asleep for a couple of hours before he started vomiting and had to go out again at 7 a.m. To say that I was tired at this point is an understatement.
We are also taking care of my boyfriend's family's dog Scott, so I walked him too after Link was done, and gave Scott breakfast. Link has been on a strict 1-2 tablespoons of Hill's i/d canned dog food (canned food for sensitive stomachs) every other hour and a probiotic paste (called zoolac) every 6 hours since 4:30 this morning.
When he threw up at 7 a.m. I decided that if he did that again, I would have to go to the vet with him. I work at the vet, so I know not to wait to get your dog checked when it vomits. If it only has diarrhea, I'm not so worried, but vomiting can be caused of a number very serious conditions. Also since he had eaten a lot of grass I was afraid that some of that might have passed from the stomach to the intestines and gotten stuck. More than once have we had to surgically remove grass from the intestines of dogs that show the same signs as Link did this morning. When dogs eat a little grass it is not a problem, but when they eat a lot, it can get stuck and block the intestinal tract. This is fatal if not treated, so vomiting should always be taken very seriously.
Vomiting can also be caused by poisoning, and when that is the case, you have even less time to start treatment than when there is a blockage. Poisoning can either cause death directly, or indirectly by first causing organ failure, depending on what the dog is poisoned by.
Luckily for us, Link has not vomited any more, none of the canned food he has eaten has come back up. So either he ate something that he couldn't digest (well yes, the grass) or that he is sensitive to. Or he, like so many other dogs here in Tromsoe, has gotten the stomach flu that is going around right now. Often dogs will eat grass when they don't feel well, so that seems plausible.
While what comes out the other end can best be describes as a brown watery mush (Sorry for the vivid description!), Link seems to be in good shape and he wants to eat, so for now I'm not worried. Let's just hope what he has isn't contagious, since Scott is here.
Here's to hoping that Scott won't be waking us up tomorrow morning...

If you want to know more about what to do if your dog has the same symptoms, check out my blog post about that here.

A radiograph of the intestines of a dog with the stomach flu, after it had been given some contrast solution. In this case there was no blockage, as the contrast solution has passed through the system. This picture is from a previous post I've written about the stomach flu and you can read it by clicking here.

Two weeks before the test

Link and me just chilling at the dog club.

I'm getting rather nervous. Sunday two weeks from now, we will know if we passed the therapy dog test. If we pass it, it means that we will have the opportunity to visit nursing homes, day centers for the elderly and medical facilities to visit the patients or people living there.
The test is really a test to see if my dog is suitable for this kind of work. We will only pass if Link appears to be comfortable with the different test situations. He does not have to be done with his training to pass the test, he only has to prove that he likes working with people, that he isn't easily scared and that he doesn't show any signs of aggression.

Link and his Siberian husky friend Varg, who will also take the test in two weeks.

I really hope that Link will pass the test, it would feel so good to be able to brighten people's day with a visit.
A dog can often be a better visitor than a human. There are no awkward silences with a dog, the dog doesn't make you feel bad if you forget something or say something "inappropriate". A dog can just be there and you can tell it anything you want, or tell it nothing, just share a quiet understanding that you are there in this moment together. A dog can also provide a chance to get physical contact, something that often is lacking in institutions.
So I'm getting nervous... In two weeks time we will know. Now we're going to just keep on training Link to be able to relax in many different environments and to keep his cool around other dogs. Wish us good luck!

Tromsø Dog Show 6 September 2014 - More Pictures!

As I've previously mentioned I took more than 1400 photos during Saturday's dog show here in Tromsø, and I felt that I wanted to share some more of them with you all.

English Cocker Spaniel

American Cocker Spaniel

Kelpie doing agility.

Basenji

Border terrier keeping a close eye on it's handler.

A longhaired Chihuahua on the judge's table.

Dogo Canario during the BIG final (Best in Group)

Dutch Shepherd dog in the BIG final.

English Cocker Spaniel on the judge's table.

English Pointer.

English Pointer.

A puppy and an adult Flatcoated Retriever.

The Flatcoated Retriever that got BIS 2.

French Bulldog.

German Pointer

The judge looking at this Golder Retriever's teeth.

Large Münsterländer, the winner of the BIG in the gun dog group.

Irish Softcoated Wheaten Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

A Labrador (I think) competing in agility.

Lancashire heeler doing agility

Little Lion dog aka Löwchen in the BIG final

A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever doing agility

Miniature Bull terrier

St. Bernard

Rhodesian Rigdeback

Whippet doing agility

Shetland Sheepdog

White Swiss Shepherd Dog

Whippet

Dalmatian, BIS winner!

Rottweiler in the BIG final

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever in the BIG final

Golden Retriever in the BIG final

Bullmastiff in the BIG final

Spanish Waterdog

I think this is a Shih Tzu? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

For the main blog post about the dog show, click here.

Mountain hike and photo editing

Link and I on the top of Nattmålsfjellet.

Yesterday was spent mostly going through the 1400+ photos I took during the dog show on Saturday, but Link had to get a walk too, so Mads, Link and I went for a short mountain hike on a small mountain called Nattmålsfjellet.

Link happy to be off leash!

 It took approximately one hour, and best part was that unlike last time Link could now be off leash. The law states that between April 1 and August 20 all dogs must be kept on leash in Norway, to protect the wildlife.

Beautiful dog amd beautiful view.

Last time there were also lots of people and dogs, this time we met one dog with its owner where we parked the car, and they had just come down from the mountain. So it was a perfect day to let Link stretch his legs.

It is wonderful to hike in the beautiful Norwegian nature.

 Now I have to continue editing the picture from the dog show, you find the first post from the dog show here.

Tromsø Dog Show 6 September 2014

Dalmatians at the dog show.

 There was a dog show this weekend here in Tromsø, and even though I wasn't showing my own dog, I went there on Saturday. I know several people that show their dogs and I also knew that there was going to be an agility competition, so I was looking forward to meeting other dog enthusiasts and taking a lot of pictures.

A whippet jumping over an obstacle on the agility course.

My friend Monica, that breeds Siberian Huskies on an island outside of Tromsø, showed one of her own dogs and helped show a puppy from her kennel. It felt really good to cuddle a bit with Vida, whom I've known since she was born. I miss them all so much! Must make sure to visit them more often in the future.

Monica and her Siberian husky Vida, showing great contact. Both of them has really come a long way since there first dog show together. I'm so proud of both of them!

Vida trotting beautifully.

Storm, a puppy from Monica's kennel.

Monica's friend and team mate on team Snykovet, Silje, showing her Siberian Bella.

 For the second time ever I stayed for the final where they compete for Best in Show, or BIS for short. The first time I did that was because I then helped show some dogs in Harstad. Read more about that here.

A Gordon Setter, an English Pointer and a German Pointer in the Best in Group (BIG) final.

 My favorite part is the puppy BIS final. The stakes aren't as high there and there is more focus on letting the dogs have a good experience than it is for the adult dogs.

A chihuahua puppy being rewarded with liver paté during the Best in Show puppy final.

 I also met a friend and her new Malinois puppy Mar. She was stunning! Now I almost want one... But Link is still enough work for me without adding another dog. At least for the time being.

The 11 week old Malinois puppy called Mar.

A slightly older Malinois puppy in the BIS puppy final.

 During the day I also seized the opportunity to check out another favorite dog breed of mine, the Danish Swedish Farmdog. There were about ten of these wonderful dogs there and they showed quite a lot of diversity, something that is to be expected in such a young, and so far relatively healthy, breed.

This guy looks like he could be the brother of Mads' parent's dog Scott, with the same color and very similar markings.

Four Danish Swedish Farmdogs waiting to get their chance in the show ring.

There was of course time for some play before their turn in the show ring.

 I took roughly 1400 photos during this day, so here comes some of the best ones:

A Bernese Mountain dog puppy.

Bichon Frisé that won BIG (best in group).

Cairn terrier puppy in the BIS puppy final.

A Chinese Crested.

Flatcoated Retriever, if I'm not mistaken, this dog got BIS 2, which means second place in the Best in Show final.

French bulldog

A couple of Golden retrievers sniffing a very interesting spot on the ground.

Two Gordon Setters.

Icelandic Sheepdog

Jack Russel Terrier

Lancashire Heeler

Leonberger puppy in the BIS puppy final.

A Miniature Bull Terrier puppy in the BIS puppy final.

A closeup of the Miniature Bull Terrier puppy.

A rather uncommon breed up here, actually don't believe I've ever seen one before, this is a Podenco Ibicenco.

Pomeranian in the BIG final.

A Rhodesian Ridgeback that got second place in the BIG final.

The Dalmatian that won Best in Show! This picture is from the BIG final, which it of course also won.

Samoyed

A Shetland Sheepdog puppy in the BIS puppy final.

Shetland Sheepdog doing agility.

Shiba.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

For more pictures from the dog show: http://dogtelligent.blogspot.no/2014/09/troms-dog-show-6-september-2014-more.html