Mazz

One year ago today, it was Saturday, June 21, 2008, we took Elke on her last ride. It was a ride we had taken 14 years 8 months, and several days before, when we picked her up at the same vet clinic. This ride was different. She was near the end of her time here. Elke had been a wonderful and beautiful Husky. She had given us so much joy, and at the same time, she had also challenged us beyond belief. Yet she was a member of our family. Her health had taken its toll. She could no longer walk, sit, or stand. Her hearing was all but gone, and the vet suspected she was blind in one eye. But for over 14 years, she had been active, athletic, and free-spirited.

That morning, I laid her down in the cool grass in front of the house, while I prepared the back seat of the truck for her last ride. It was the first and only time I was ever able to let her be off leash. Elke was not well, and we knew it was time.

We miss her so. She remains in our daily thoughts, and will never be forgotten. Elke was the best. She had trained us so well and taught us what having a Husky in the family meant; through trials and tribulations, through chases and captures, we learned the responsibility of Husky ownership is not to be taken lightly, that Huskies cannot be taken for granted.

It's been a year. It still hurts so bad. Elke is now pain free, running with her old buddies, and doing what Huskies love to do.

My wife had her's done in 2000. I had mine done in 2002, and my son had is done in 2003. All had excellent results. No pain, no discomfort, NO MORE GLASSES! My wife's cots $4000. Mine cost $3000. My son's cost $1500. We each had the operation done at different facilities. My wife had her's done in Chicago (hence the high cost). But at that time, it was the closest place to where we live. I had mine done in town. My son had his done in Rockford, Illinois.

I've been around cameras all my life, and use them in my profession. There are a couple of things to consider.

Optical zoom is much better for quality than digital zoom.

Some digital cameras require you keep very still while the photo is being processed and saved, otherwise you get a blurred image. So look for a camera with image stabilization.

Megapixels is the more the merrier. You can always reduce the quality on the computer with the right software, but it's real hard to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

TTL (through the lens) vs. PNS (point and shoot or view finder) - TTL allows you to view the image as the lens will capture it. Also gives you many lens options. But, much more bulk and equipment to care for. Also, you'll be limited to digital stills most likely. If video is something you want, best go with a PNS type.

PNS cameras have come a long way in the last few years. The basic issues to consider here are control placement, megapixels, zoom range, storage capacity. The problem with these types of cameras comes into play when doing closeups. Parallax enters into the mix, where what you see through the view finder is offset by the distance to the lens. For distance shots, this is not an issue, but for closeups it becomes more dramatic.

Storage media - some cameras use universal format storage devices, others use priority storage. Pick a camera that uses universal format storage devices.

Builtin flash is a must, as is autofocus. Some cameras use centerweighted sensors for autofocus, some give you an option os centerweighted or offset. Also, with flash, some cameras have a red eye reduction feature that sends out a quick flash to make the person or dog eye pupils close down, so the main flash does not bounce back with red picked up from the back of the eye ball.

I could go on at length. A good site to check for information and comparisons, plus articles, is http://www.crutchfield.com. They also sell the stuff, but they by far have a vast array of units for comparison, plus a wealth of information to help get you informed.

Here's a link to a site that lists No-No foods for dogs, and the risks.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1661&aid=1030

Frontline does not repel all ticks or fleas, but Frontline kills ticks and fleas that make it past the barrier. In order for Frontline to do its intended task, the flea or tick has to attach to the animal with the Frontline applied. Then and only then is Frontline fully affective. Once that takes place, the flea or tick will die within a reasonable amount of time, which is usually wthin a day I believe.

Our vet explained Frontline and other like-products, and worked with us to choose the product we felt would work best. We live in a rural area with all kinds of wildlife, including all sorts of ticks. We often find ticks attached to Zoya, some are already dead, indicating Frontline has done its job.

Don't know how it is in your part of the world, here in the US, there are outlets that sell Frontline and other vet-prescribed meds. Prices are usually fairly cheep. But the products are also near or after their intended shelf life. I always source meds for Zoya through our vet to ensure we are getting fresh product, plus our vet will stand behind any products they provide to us.

Oh boy. What an ordeal. I'm not going to be much help, since it's been years since I had a dog with a litter. In some states, puppies cannot be sold or given away, until they are 8 weeks old. I don't believe they can be shipped by air until they are 8 weeks old, so I would say that they should be kept with the mother until they are 8 weeks old.

If they have teeth, you take some puppy food, and soften it with some warm water. I would maybe wait until they are 4 weeks, but you should get confirmation on that. If you have not yet done so, you should get them to a vet and have the mother and pups checked. There may be some meds that will be needed and shots will be required at some point. Wormer will probably be needed as well. The mother may need some supplements. She should probably have a series of blood tests taken to provide a baseline for her current overall condition. I'd also avise that you talk to the vet at some point in the near future, regarding having the mother spayed.

It's too bad the Husky mom was shaved. Huskies should never be shaved unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe in this case it was. Their fur will not always come back in properly.

I would keep the area where the mom and pups are, quiet, clean, and in an out of the way place. Make sure the mom has some time to herself for eating and bathroom duties.

I commend you for taking on this responsibility and recognizing the serious issues that the Husky mom was facing. It sounds like you'll be much more responsible than the pervious owners, who in my book, should be charged with animal cruelty.

Took our last Husky to the vet for impacted anal glands. The vet said, "This is fairly easy to do. You could do it yourself." I said, "You must have me confused with someone else." He replied, "No, here, see, it's real easy." My retort, "Doc, you get paid the big bucks, not me, so knock yourself out."

If you let it go too long, they become very infected and can rupture. That's really nasty.

I'm, of course, in the US. The problem is, posting this type of information on the Internet seems harmless. Someone sees the video who is in the US, and is not aware of the problem, feeds their dog raw salmon that is infested, and, well, I think you can imagine the outcome. I'm glad you were aware and that there were no issues for you.

Oh to be a dog. But to be so beautiful at the same time. Thanks for sharing.

Oh gosh, I almost hesitate to post this response. . .

Don't want to poo-poo on your exuberance for feeding raw, nor do I wish to cause you any needless anxiety, but I hope if the salmon was not cooked, that it had been frozen for at least two weeks. Salmon carry a parasite that can be lethal to dogs if the fish is eaten raw. Not all salmon have the parasite, but many do. It requires heat through fully cooking or frozen at 0*F (-32*C) for fourteen days to kill the parasite. The parasite does not affect human consumption.

The reason I am aware of this, someone brought their dog into the local clinic. Their dog was deathly ill. After questioning the owner at length, the vet finally found out, but too late, that the dog had been given raw salmon the night before. Had the owner fessed up when they first brought the dog in, it would have been much less expensive and there was a good chance the dog could have been saved.

What a beautiful Husky. She is absolutely, without a doubt, one gorgeous million dollar baby. Congratulations. I can tell by the enthusiam of your posts, that you will be one heck of a Husky Momma to her.

Our rule is to never give our Husky table scraps, while we are at the table. It encourages begging. We only, selectively, give our dog small amounts of chicken, beef, carrots, or green beans, and only in her food bowl, along with some of her kibble. My son has an Aussie, and he tosses food from his plate in the air, and his dog jumps up to catch it. During dinner, his dog drewls something terrible, all because of the anitcs my son has incorporated into the evening meal.

If you run your fingers along his back, you should be able to feel slight depressions between his vertebrae (sp). Same with running your fingers along his rib cage. Looking down from above, he should have an hour glass figure. If his ribs visually protrude, I'd say he would be a bit too thin. Huskies, in general, should be lean. I think their fur gives them a more robust appearance than other dogs of the same general size. If he's healthy and active, that would be better, much better, than being overweight.

Oh you are finding out the idiosynchrosies (sp) of Huskies first hand. They can be such finicky (sp - again!) eaters. Our last Husky, Elke, was extremely picky when it came to food. Our current pack member, Zoya, eats without issue. One thing that we've done different with Zoya, is no human food whatsoever. She does not beg, and is not interested in what we eat. Enjoy your new Husky. How old is she? I read your other posts, and it sounds like you guys are a perfect match.

Good for you! Huskies are awsome dogs. With you being home, and not having to work outside the home, you and the pack member should share lots of great moments together.

My wife just ordered a dual head furminator. I think it's a fairly new product. One description of the product stated, "The FURminator Double-Edge Tool has two edges instead of one to quickly and easily remove the undercoat and loose hair without damaging the topcoat." We'll see. Once we get it and try it out, I'll post the results.

sorry yeah its text talk lol yeah we arent in US we r in uk isnt benedryl cough medicine?

Benedryl is an anti-alergy / anti-histamine which also causes drowsiness. We'd give our last Husky 1 Benedryl when a thunderstorm was active. Otherwise, she was a nervous wreck.

Zoya will go out once, maybe twice to fetch. She will bring the fetched item back within a few feet of me, but then that's it.

Wow, they are beautiful!

Awesome Husky. And about this site, I agree, it's the best Husky forum. Great looking Web site too.

Oh boy, I had a heck of a time trying to read your post. Spelling must be for texting. We would get tranqs from our vet for travel. Otherwise, Benedryl (over the counter) helps make them sleepy. I assume you are not in the US, so don't know if Benedryl is available where you are.

My wife knows about this. She went to bed about an hour ago, so let me see if I can remember what she told me.

When dog A approaches dog B, and dog A licks the mouth of dog B, dog A is showing respect to dog B. If dog B in turn licks the mouth of dog A, the respect is returned.

I've observed this between our Husky, Zoya, and our son's Aussie, Koda.

I have no idea if this is correct, or where my wife picked up this tidbit of info. It may have been from a gal we know that raised wolves for introduction into the wild.

I've not put anything on the pads of my Huskies. Yes, they do get rather rough. The issue that we have here in Iowa, is if we walk on the streets in the winter, and there's been salt used to melt snow and ice, the salt will really attack the pads, so we avoid any areas like that. As long as the dog is not showing any signs of limping, or the pads are not so dry that they are cracked or tender, there should not be much that you need to do. Vaseline or petroleum jelly would be OK to use, but it would have a tendency to sit on the surface and leave tracks or pickup debris that otherwise would not get picked up. There are topicals made for dog's pads, that are used for hunting dogs, to help protect their pads from cuts and scrapes. Also, there are creams that you can use that help to heal injuries. The thing to remember, the pads need to be tough to withstand punishment. If you make them soft and smooth, they may not take the punishment intended.

Zoya came from a small kennel in Northern Wisconsin. We chose this kennel over many that were closer to our home, and some that were further, because the breeder had the same outlook for the breed that we have. We could not be happier with Zoya. She is such a good dog, even though she digs, digs, and then digs some more.

Papers, schmapers. We got the application form, but honestly, we never send those things in.

I used to use conditioner to get chewing gum out a high strength one it makes the fur soft so the chewing gum should slide right off x

That's another good method. That might, in fact, work better than peanut butter.