Eggroll

So to personalize this blog a little more, I thought I'd pepper in some stories about the background and profile of MY pets.


I'm starting off with my dog because, while everyone seems to know I am a "cat person", some still do not know I own a dog. AND yes I love dogs too! I just find that sometimes cats are the biggest "underdog" in the pet world. 

This little guy came to me when he was a few months old. He was originally from a pet store. Upon exam, the vet that checked him found he had a congenital defect, called a dermoid cyst, on his cornea. It's like a piece of skin that grew in the wrong place. 

This is on a human eye but it's basically what his looked like before he scratched and rubbed it into a huge ulcerated mess.

He was "unfit for sale" and was taken by the store manager to their home. To tell the truth I can't remember the convoluted transfers that took place but suffice it to say he ended up in 2 other homes before coming in as a patient to us. A colleague of mine saw him for an "eye problem." None of the owners that had him either realized or wanted to properly deal with his eye problem. He needed surgery by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Instead, they let it go and his eye was so ulcerated and infected that it was nearly to the point it needed to be removed. The "owners" didn't want to pay for anything, so the animal hospital adopted him. We were going to get him fixed up and find him a good home.


Meanwhile, I was in the process of having my home built and my husband really wanted a dog. A stray collie had been in the hospital I was working at for 1 month. No one claimed him. I grew up with a collie and was in love with this dog. I'd take him out each day for walks. I had him updated on everything and neutered (yeah, he was un-neutered at 5 yrs. of age - no surprise he was a stray).  I couldn't take him until my house was done. Well, lo and behold, the owners show up. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. He was from quite a distance away too. 


Meanwhile this cute little 4 mo old Shih Tzu had his eye dealt with by a ophthalmologist and came back to have his treatment continued with us. So my husband came by to see him because I thought he was cute. He fell in love with him and since I had named our other pets (at that time 3 cats), he was allowed to name this one and because he was 1)of Chinese origin and 2) like a little roll - he got the name Eggroll. 


He did get to keep his eye, thanks to Dr. Peiffer, but has a scar on the area where the growth was removed. It doesn't bother him at all. 

He is truly a wonderful dog. We took him to obedience class (which I recommend to ANY one with ANY breed dog) and he did great. It's as much for you to be trained as a pet owner as it is for them. I still remember the trainer saying the most important thing they learn is "no" and it's true! I still reinforce those lessons with him daily. They are like kids - you have to - they won't "just do it."  He is great with any human or animal. The cats dominate him though. He was afraid of little tiny hissing Caipurrinha when I brought her home. Still, he routinely plays with Sahara and Cai, my youngest girls. 


I never thought I'd own a small dog but he is a dog in every sense of the word - loves going outside to play, not afraid of weather and his feet do touch the ground!  


Tomorrow, I'm transporting a special kitty to a neat place. Look for a story and video on that!