Volunteering and More!

Life has been busy! I’m on my own this week, so my time and my schedule. I signed up for lots of volunteering, and it has been great! I started the week volunteering as an usher at my local theater. I get to see a great show for free, and I get to hang out and chat with lots of nice people!

Of course most of my volunteering is centered on animals!

Foster bird Kanga is still at my house, but on Monday I also volunteered at the shelter to help take care of the birds that are still there. Lots of macaws! They are big and beautiful, and their beaks are more than a little scary, but I love them. I cleaned them up, topped off their food and rinsed out their water. I talked to them, played music for them, played Peek-a-boo with some, and did Knock-Knock jokes with another. He likes to bang his beak on the top of his cage when you say “Knock Knock” and then he laughs when you ask “Who’s there?”

Speaking of birds, Kanga is doing great! He’s really a sweet boy. He has new feathers growing in under his wing, and I think they are itchy because he loves to lift his wing and ask for scratches. I know you aren’t supposed to pat birds anywhere but their  heads, but he is hard to resist! I’m very careful to just give him a couple of quick rubs under his wing. For anyone new to birds, some birds get a little “lovey” when you pat their bodies, so it usually isn’t recommended.

Love to see all these new feathers!

This morning was a little bit traumatic for K. He really needed his nails trimmed, so we took a visit back to the shelter. He flew when he saw me pull out a towel this morning, but once he landed he stepped right up on my hand and let me put him right into the carrier. I filled the carrier with wood blocks for him to destroy, and Nutriberries, his favorite treat! He was a little nervous in the car, but not too bad. He was happy enough to munch on his Nutriberries as long as I kept chatting with him. He got noticeably nervous when we got the shelter and he heard all the other birds screaming, but he did great for his nail trim, and he was very calm on the way home.

After a quick couple of bites of breakfast when we got home, he was ready for a nap!

I find it fascinating that even with Kanga and Hector D. Byrd having cages right next to each other, they haven’t been interested in each other at all. They could easily hop onto each other’s cages if they wanted to, but they don’t seem to even acknowledge each other.

Last night I volunteered at another shelter to help take care of some puppies. The weather was beautiful and we played outside in the yard and even attempted going for a walk. One little puppy in particular really stole my heart. It was very hard not bringing her home to foster, but I kinda have my hands full with Kanga.

This is Hope, available for adoption from Mary’s Dogs. She’s got adorable stubby legs, and she is so sweet!

I also got to spend time with these adorable “cow” girls. Nothing like spending time with cuddly, soft, warm, puppies! These two are also available for adoption from Mary’s, and they have a whole new batch of puppies coming in on Friday!

Unfortunately, Cali doesn’t really like riding in the car anymore. I don’t know why. She used to ride everywhere with me, now she gets super nervous. She won’t get in the car anymore. I have to pick her up and put her on the seat.

Maybe with all the trips to the vet for her laser treatments she will get used to it again. She started laser on Monday and had another appointment today. It’s a little hard to tell how she is doing since she can’t tell me, but I do feel like the treatments are helping. She has been using her back leg a bit more. I plan to do 7 treatments total, their recommended starter series, and we’ll see how she does. She went twice this week and will go twice again next week, and then once a week for the remainder of the visits. Hopefully by the end of that she will be using her leg more.

The new Dr. Harvey’s food mix is still something Cali has been enjoying! Amazing considering how tough it has been to find a low protein/kidney friendly diet for her. I’m waiting for their customer service people to call me. They offer a free telephone consultation to help me create the best diet for Cali using their food mix. They actually tried to call me today, but I was at the vet and couldn’t take the call. Hopefully I can talk to them soon.

I had to cancel volunteering with the birds this afternoon so I can get some work done since I had to bring Kanga for the nail trim this morning. Saturday night I’ll be heading back to Mary’s Dogs to help out and meet all the new puppies that come in on Friday! Of course I love my own pets, but I also love getting the chance to work with other animals as much as I can.

Puck wasn’t happy about being in the car, but he and Bean had their annual check ups last week.

Both cats did great, no problems. The vet had trouble finding skin to give Bean his rabies shot, so much hair!

Who else volunteers with animals? What kind of animals do you like to work with? Leave a message in the comments and let me know.

Good night Puck! Have a nice nap!

 

Cali Update

I think I posted about Cali hurting her leg about a month ago? If not, Cali basically did the dog-equivalent of tearing her ACL. She is not a candidate for surgery because of her age, kidney issues, and heart murmur. We’ve been managing her with pain medicines, but she is still limping and not getting around very well. The vet switched her to another pain med last week and that is helping a bit. On Monday, she is going to start laser treatments. Hopefully that will help accelerate the healing process. I’ve done laser treatments myself for stubborn muscle issues and found them helpful, so hopefully they hope Cali!

We had beautiful, sunny weather today, so I couldn’t resist taking Cali for a walk. She seemed to want to go, so we took it slow and didn’t go far. We walked roughly a block, and she still seemed to want to go, so we walked just a little more and then she stopped and looked at me, so we turned around. She seemed to enjoy the slow pace and getting out to sniff! I had some yard chores to do, and she happily stayed outside with me for a while to smell everything in the yard, and to rest in the sunshine.

 

I’m also trying yet another new food for Cali,  Dr. Harvey’s food. Basically it is a dry mix that I will add protein, water, and oil to and mix up fresh to create a new meal for Cali. There is a special low-protein recipe to help her kidney issues, and I’ve also ordered a kidney supplement from them that I’ll try with her. I emailed them to ask what proteins they recommend for kidney dogs, and they told me they will help me customize a diet for her, so I’m waiting for a call from them. Cali hates all the low protein prescription foods I’ve been trying for her, and they are all expensive. Really hoping that this mix might be the answer for her. I’ve mixed up a batch from the sample bag I just got for her to try for dinner. Fingers crossed that she likes it!

Mixing it up was super easy, I just mixed one day’s worth to try it, but I could mix up to 3 days at a time and store it in the fridge. You mix the dry product from the bag with hot water and let it sit for about ten minutes. It’s kinda like making hot oatmeal, and I think there are even oats in this mix! Next I stirred that, and today I added hard boiled eggs as protein since I had them. I think lean chicken and turkey are going to be better alternatives with Cali’s kidney issues, but this was an easy way to try it. I mixed in the eggs, and added a teaspoon of oil, easy. Now it’s in the fridge and ready for Cali’s dinner!

As a quick Kanga/foster bird update, I got her a new toy. She LOVES to destroy wood! Here’s the toy before and after about 10 minutes.

Kanga wastes no time destructing wood! I just ordered a new six pack of perches since he eats through them pretty quickly. The current one is short, but wide and it has been lasting a bit longer. Overall, K is doing great. He doesn’t always want head scratches, so I’m trying to give him treats and reward him when he hangs out near me and doesn’t run into his cage to hide when I approach. Moving slowly to not overwhelm him, but making some progress.  We’ve also been having dance parties every morning. I’ve tried some different songs, but I have to say that Levitating is still his favorite!

 

Quick Foster Update

Just realizing that K is really changing since he has been here. I think he is starting to feel a bit more confident. He is less excited about me patting him, he’s stopped flying all over the place, and he is spending more time in his cage even with his door open.

He is super destructive. He is already working on the replacement perch I put on his door. He chewed through his rope perch that was in the middle of his cage, and he has destroyed several toys.

Unlike Hector who prefers to destroy cardboard, K loves to chew up wood. He could definitely get a job manufacturing toothpicks!

Considering how much he seems to be changing every day, I’m not pushing him right now. I talk to him all the time, hand feed him treats, and pat him here and there when he seems open to it. I’m also providing an endless supply of wood for him to chew up.

I’ve added a ceramic heat lamp for him at night, and he really seems to like that. He was right under it the morning when I uncovered his cage. Although he doesn’t look like a feather plucker at first glance, his back and under his wings are pretty bald. I’m hoping to see some new growth as he settles in here.

Diet is something we are working on. He doesn’t love the fresh chop I make, or really any fresh fruits or veggies. He does eat his pellets really well. I’m doing what I did with Hector when I got her, and feeding them both chop in the morning, and then refilling pellets in the afternoon. He has been checking out the chop each morning and usually throws a bunch of it out of the bowl. I actually just looked over now and I think he is eating some chop, so that’s great! He always has some pellets in his bowl, but not a fresh bowl until later in the day. I’m trying to encourage him to check out the chop, and offering snacks of fresh fruits and veggies throughout the day.

My husband has been able to hand feed him treats which is progress. I still can’t believe when my son tried to give him a treat a few days ago that he put up his little foot like he wanted to step up, then grabbed my son’s finger and tried to bite him!

The cats were very curious about the new roommate at first, but no longer seem at all interested. Cali only cares about him when he flies and thankfully that hasn’t been happening as often.

Speaking of Cali, she was still not using her hurt leg very much when I got home from vacation a few days ago. I called the vet and they suggested she might need more pain medicine. We added a new medicine in the evening on top of the med she was already taking in the mornings and it seems to be helping. She isn’t using her leg all the time, but she is doing much better getting around, and she just in general seems happier. She’ll go back for a check up in a couple of weeks.

 

Settling In

Our son and his cat were home for the weekend. I love the way he sits on the stairs!

Bean absolutely can’t resist a box!

Foster bird is settling in. He is so different than Hector! Interesting to get used to! K is a toothpick making machine! He had a short wood perch on his door that he literally destroyed down to nothing in about 10 minutes. Hector loves to destroy cardboard, this guy is a wood destroyer.

Hector has had a rope perch in her cage for years. I take it out and wash it every so often, but she doesn’t bite or chew it. Today K decided to “work” on his rope perch, and managed to completely chew through it so that it doesn’t attach to the side of the cage anymore. I got two new perches for his door today. He’s already working his way through the first one. Thankfully they are pretty thick, so it is taking him a little time.

If you look at K’s foot, you’ll see he is holding one of his wood chips. He likes to shred wood and then use the bits to scratch himself, so cute!

Thankfully we only got woken up at 5AM to a screaming parrot the first morning that we had him. Since then I’ve been covering him at night, and he doesn’t scream or even talk until I uncover him the next day.

I’d been told he doesn’t prefer men, and that is so true. He seems petrified. He doesn’t want my husband or son anywhere near him and often darts back into his cage if they come over to say Hello. I’ve got my husband feeding him his favorite Nutriberi treats, and that seems to be helping. He’s trying new foods, and enjoying all his toys!

He and Hector still don’t seem all that interested in each other. I did watch Hector climb to the end of her cage today and check out K, but there still wasn’t much interest. I picked Hector up so she could get a better view, but she was more curious about what treats I might have for her, than she was about the other bird.

K likes to dance! I turned on some music the other day and he started flapping his wings and bobbing his head. Dance Party!  So far Levitating by Dua Lipa seems to be his favorite, major head bobs!

“Hi Baby” is his favorite phrase. He has also started Meowing, and I’m pretty sure I heard him say “Pucky” over the weekend. He says “Hi” and “Hey.” He’s a super busy guy. Can’t wait  to see what games he comes up with next!

 

A New Guest!

I have a hard time saying No. It’s a fact. I really like to help out, and I definitely over commit myself at times.

Most recently I’ve been helping out a local shelter with a bunch of parrots that are on a safe hold. The parrots were just cleared to go to foster, so of course I had to volunteer. There were a couple of the birds that I had really enjoyed spending time with when I was volunteering, but of course those were everyone’s favorites and they went to foster while I was away on vacation.

I went to the shelter yesterday to see what they still needed. I kinda wanted to foster a macaw because it seems like a limited opportunity. I’d never go out and get a bird like that myself, but to have one as a foster was very tempting. As soon as I walked into the room with the macaws yesterday, I knew that was a bad idea! They are so loud!

This guy was one I hadn’t spent a ton of time with at the shelter, but I knew him, and I spent some time with him yesterday. He’s a bit shy, but very sweet. He takes treats from my hand and already lets me scratch his head. This morning, I picked him up and brought him home!

 

So far he is settling in really well. He did almost chew through his carrier on the way home, but we made it without him escaping in the car. I can’t imagine trying to explain to my husband that the parrot ate his car seat or dashboard!

Once we made it home, I put him in the shower for safety while I got his cage set up. I’ve got him near Hector, but not quite close enough to touch. They would have to work really hard to get to each other’s cages. Hector was very curious, but quickly went back to destroying a new cardboard box in her cage. K seems to have little or no interest in Hector. 

As soon as he got in his new cage, the very first thing he did was empty both of his food bowls! He yells “Hey” in a cute little voice whenever I leave the room for a minute, but so far there hasn’t been any screaming. He showed me that he can fly and followed me into another room, but thankfully he stepped right up on my hand and let me bring him back to his cage.

Just a couple of hours after being here, he seems very comfortable in and out of his cage. He’s eating, grooming, and even playing with some toys. I hope he continues to settle in easily! My plan is to give him a couple of days to settle and then start working on him with a consistent step up. Stayed tuned for more foster parrot updates soon!

A Little Quiet

Things are pretty quiet around here. I’m still expecting to see Logan when I walk in to certain rooms. I got a lovely card from my vet yesterday with the wood token in the above picture. So sweet. Today I’ll be heading to the vet to pick up Logan’s remains. Never a fun trip, but closure.

My son was home last weekend with his cat, Martin, so we got the three crazy boy cats running around and getting into things all weekend, fun!



I’m not fostering right now. I’ve got a trip coming up, and with Cali still recovering, it didn’t feel like the right time. I have been volunteering at a local animal shelter and taking care of a bunch of parrots. It has been so fun! I’ve realized that as beautiful as macaws are, they are huge birds, and I much rather play with cockatoos and of course my own African Grey. There is something really scary about the beak of a macaw!

I’m getting a chance to spend a lot of quality time with some cockatoos, and I just love them! One tiny little Goffin’s Cockatoo is a real clown. He escapes from his cage, loves to get down on the floor and run, and also does these funny swings from the top of his cage down the side and back up, like little birds circles. Another doesn’t want to be picked up, but loves head scratches. If I turn away from him to visit another bird he says “Scratches” in this sweet little baby voice until I come over and rub his head.

I’ll be taking care of my Dad’s dogs this weekend. Two Portuguese Water Dogs, one is still a puppy. Should be fun! Looking forward to getting in some weekend puppy time! I hope we have nice weather so we can get outdoors.

Heading out of town next week, so there may be a break before my next update. I’m thankful that I have an amazing friend that will take care of Cali while we travel. She’s going to be a little extra work with her leg injury.

Anyone else vacationing soon? What do you do with your pets when you travel? Leave a message and let me know!

Content Warning – Euthanasia

Logan as a tiny Foster

Unfortunately, today was the day we had to say good bye to our kitty, Logan. Logan came to us when she was two weeks old with her brother, Pirate, and her mom, Angel. Pirate was a sick little kitten. We tried everything we could, but he didn’t make it. We were determined to do everything we could to make sure Logan stayed healthy, and she did!

Logan and Angel were fosters. We kept them until Logan was eight weeks old, then we returned them to the shelter to be adopted. Well, we tried to return them to the shelter to be adopted. We brought them back to the shelter, and we came home and cried. What if they didn’t get adopted by nice people? 

First thing the next morning, I called the shelter and told them we wanted to adopt Logan. I picked the kids up at school that afternoon and told them I had to stop by the shelter to pick something up. My daughter cried she was so excited when she found out that Logan was the thing I had to pick up!

Logan was such a good sport. Our daughter loved to play with her, and that meant Logan danced with her and played piano with her, and she even played school with her.

Munk and Logan

Logan has had some health issues for the last couple of years. She had kidney issues and became diabetic a couple of months ago. We tried treating her, but last week’s blood work showed that the medications were helping some things and damaging other things. 

The vet suggested euthanizing before she really started to suffer. It was really difficult to make the appointment. She seemed happy. We spent the weekend spoiling her with lots of extra attention, and special dinners of tuna, chicken, and other fish, all treats she hadn’t been able to have in a while because of her kidney issues.

This morning I realized she was no longer cleaning herself, and she wouldn’t eat her breakfast. It was time. There was no reason to let her suffer.

The house is definitely feeling a bit empty this afternoon. After sixteen and a half years, it’s very strange to not have our Logan. Rest in peace sweet girl. 

 

Today’s Treat!

Cali’s New Bedroom

Cali is doing OK. She is slowly learning to get around a bit better, but I still have to carry her around a lot. I’m not letting her do stairs at all, so lots of carrying her in and out when she needs to go outside. The pen above is her night time set up for now. That’s in our bedroom, so she gets to stay close, but I don’t have to worry about her attempting stairs in the middle of the night. So far it is working out really well.

The Treat Planet goodies have been a life saver with Cali being hurt. The other night we were all in the living room and she was a bit restless so I pulled out a giant treat for her.

This was the Etta Says Mega Chew, Elk recipe. It’s huge! It’s about an inch around, and about 14″ long. It must smell really good to all meat eaters, because not only does Cali love it, but I’ve seen the cats chewing on it! This has been another great, long lasting chew. Cali worked on it for a couple of hours the other night and didn’t even chew up a quarter of it. Keep in mind, Cali is a 10 lb dog, so I’m guessing a bigger dog would go through it faster, but they do last. I love that Treat Planet is very careful about getting quality ingredients. Everything comes from the United States. I read that the elk is sourced from Texas.

I also read that Treat Planet has partnered with Goodwill Industries since 2010: 

“Everyday, a dedicated team of adults with intellectual and /or physical disabilities, work to label our extensive chew line with the support of a supervisory team.

At Treat Planet, we’re proud to partner with our community and continually seek new ways to make a helpful impact.”

Cali was so excited when I gave her this chew. She sniffed it and then looked at me like, she just couldn’t believe her good luck! Once I told her it was OK for her to have it, she wasted no time at all getting to work on it.

Bean was also very interested in this chew and worked on it for a few minutes when Cali put it down! As with the other Etta Says chews I’ve tried, there haven’t been any stains on the carpet which I love!

Who wouldn’t want a Yumm stick?

I had to go out for a couple of hours this morning, so Cali got an Etta Says Chicken Yumm stick. This one smelled so good! These treats have no additives, they  are all natural chicken, no hormones, no nitrates or nitrites, no MSG, and they are soy and gluten free. They really smell like something human-grade.

Cali has been hanging out in the little house above quite a bit since she got hurt. I had put the treat down just in front of the house, and she grabbed it before I could even pick up my phone for a picture.

As the cats smelled the treat and came to check it out, Cali managed to stand herself up to growl at them and explain it was her treat. When I got home, this treat was gone!

This morning I spent a couple of hours volunteering at a local shelter. Such nice people! I loved spending a couple of hours there with all the other animal lovers. I probably won’t foster again for a while , so it’s another way to help out and get some more animal time.

Does anyone else do any volunteer work with animals? What do you like to do? Share in the comments.

Weekend With Cali

It’s been tough dealing with Cali, trying to keep her from doing too much, carrying her around, medicating her, and constantly checking on her. This morning I woke up to her barking at 6:30AM and had to go find her. She made her way downstairs (I’m going to have to gate the stairs from now on), had an accident, and couldn’t get back up to the bedroom. I wish she had just woken me up to put her out!

Today, I have to give a huge thank you to Treat Planet. I discovered their treats in a local pet store recently, and reached out about getting some more products to review. They sent me an amazing variety of treats, and it has been a life saver with Cali being injured.

The chew sticks, bars, jerky and Yumm Sticks have been great for keeping Cali occupied while she can’t really move around.

This Etta Says bacon flavored chew kept Cali busy all day yesterday. I like that there were no messy crumbles, no stains on her bedding, no odor, and she worked on it all day and there is still about a third of it left.

The Etta Says brand focuses on meat-based treats and unique chews. They are easy to digest, and thankfully they aren’t smelly!

I’ll be writing more about Treat Planet in the coming weeks, but wanted to thank them for their perfect timing on these treats for Cali! I’ll be writing about some of their other brands in the coming weeks. Overall, they have 5 different brands with different focuses, surely something for every type of canine.

 

 

Do you have a favorite brand of treats? What do you look for in a treat? Let me know!

The Fun Never Ends!

Just when things seemed to be calming down for Logan, Cali starts limping. I put her out yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure what happened, but when I called her to come in, she was just sitting in the driveway. When she tried to come to me, I noticed she wasn’t putting any weight on her back right leg. I didn’t think too much about it. I assumed it was cold or she got some snow in it. I scooped her up and brought her in the house and washed all her paws with nice warm water.

It didn’t help. She was still limping and not putting much weight on it at all. I gave her some CBD, wrapped her in a blanket and let her sleep. I was hoping she would be better this morning, but she wasn’t.

I cancelled all my plans for the day and was able to get her in to the vet this morning. Unfortunately, it’s not good news. They are pretty sure she tore a ligament, similar to a human tearing their ACL, it’s basically what poor Cali did.

Unfortunately, they don’t want to do surgery. She has a heart murmur and kidney issues, and they feel that operating may cause worse problems than the knee. The vet says to keep her quiet and see how she does as she heals. She’s on pain meds and a joint supplement. Poor baby.

Puck is keeping Cali company.

Poor pup, she is so miserable, but the pain meds do seem to be bringing her some relief. I guess we’ll see how she does over the next couple of weeks.

The good news from the vet visit is that she hasn’t lost any weight. I’ve been worried because she really doesn’t seem to like any of the Kidney diet foods I’ve tried with her. I’ve been mixing some regular dog food in with the prescription food which isn’t the best for her kidneys, but She’s too little to lose much weight. I guess she is eating enough to maintain herself at least, so that’s something.

Any one else have a dog with a torn ligament? Did you opt for surgery? Share your experiences in the comments, I’d love to learn more.