Vet Visit (1-year checkup)

When I turned 1 in May, my Momma was so excited about my milestone that she called the vet to schedule my 1-year visit. "Um, noooo, you need to come in for his 1-year BOOSTERS," they said.  Ohhhhh... Silly Momma! Who makes shots that last 9-10 months?

Sheesh.

So on my 14-1/2 month birdday (the more birddays the better, in my opinion) Momma walked me about 5 miles all around the city to go to day care and the vet! The vet was a little scary but I was a brave boy and rode on a table that went up and down and then on the way home we met a nice policeman who gave me his whole bottle of water and then I got home and I was a hot smelly mess. 

The End.

Momma's side of the story:

The Biggietude has been overwhelming the walkers at day care. We had an experimental half day at day care as I took him in and out to go to the vet nearby and then home. It was an exhausting day for both of us. We spoke to the manager about using a Gentle Leader and/or a muzzle and working with the walkers there so hopefully we will be working this out soon!  I went back to being much more consistent about rewarding good behavior and using a command like "leave it" for potentially difficult situations, such as noisy carts, stumbling homeless people, or bikes or scooters on the sidewalk. He walked beautifully through almost 5 miles of crowded sidewalks, people, bikes, dogs, cars, trucks. 

BUT- I think in addition to not having strong leadership when he's being walked, he is territorial about the kennel. He went ballistic at a male yellow lab walking by who was probably also giving him the eye. A lot of sound and fury (from both dogs, but really mostly from Biggie), which stopped as soon as we got away from the kennel. Then, he was attentive about other dogs but not so nuts about them. We have been able to teach him that our building elevator and lobby are not to be guarded and he is accepting of that, so hopefully with some work he will learn.

Biggie did great at the vet, seeing dogs and cats at pretty close quarters. He made friends with the vet's cat, who decided to take a nap on the bench above where Biggie was lying. He really shone while we were in the waiting room. Curious but calm with cats and dogs that came in, Biggie just sat or lay quietly and attentively while they cried or scrabbled around to get away. He welcomed any attention and petting and sat politely while we talked about kuvasz. 

He was a little hesitant to get up on the scale/table since he is not allowed on any furniture at home - this is where his show siblings have the edge on us! He got his rabies but is getting the distemper/parvo etc. titer to check his levels before deciding whether he needs another vaccination. I'm happy about this option of not over-vaccinating him, which is not an option we had 17 years ago with our old dog, Boo. 

The vet really examined his hips and knees thoroughly since he'd had crackly hips in November and a fuzzy xray that seemed to show dysplasia. The vet said his hips felt fine and if anything there might be a little looseness in his knees, but even that was barely noticeable. So - his hips seem to be ok! We will keep up with the cosequin, though. Biggie did so well being on the mobile table so even though his hind end stumbled off as they were lowering it, he didn't thrash at all and they caught him and stuck his butt back on. He stood quietly for the blood draws and the shots, the only sign that he even felt it was that he closed his eyes a bit. Otherwise, no twitch, no noise, nothing. Hooray for my big brave boy. 

And big he is, though probably not as big as he would be on a kibble diet: 98.5 lbs. 

On the walk home in rush hour traffic, we met a policeman who insisted on pouring his whole water bottle for Biggie to drink from his hands, and as we passed people in the crosswalks, many people would drift their hands over to pet Biggie on his back or rump as they walked by. I'm not a huge fan of this but by the time I noticed it the people were usually past us, and Biggie seemed to like the attention, so I let it go.