Things are moving right along here with Snicker's integration into the household.
When Randall got up this morning, he used the same routine he did yesterday morning which was to let Haley, Skeeter and Elvis out first. Once they came in, he let Snickers outside. Unfortunately, it was raining, so Snickers refused to leave the back step.
When I got up (about 7:30), it had stopped raining, so we were able to get Snickers (and Elvis) to go out to take care of business. He came right back in and climbed on a pillow and snuggled up until it was time to feed Elvis. Skeeter has complained very little today, so I suspect that by tomorrow or Monday, most of the contentious behavior will be past us.
It's pretty obvious that Snicker's is used to his main meal at breakfast. He was quite animated this morning when I went in to start fixing Elvis his, so he was quite happy when I put him in his crate and fed him, too. He ate just about all of it.
I'll offer him a tablespoon or so of food tonight when we do our regular feeding, but he may not want it. If not, that's fine.
He's still having the same issues with his mouth (not unexpected since nothing has changed since yesterday). He seems a bit brighter today, but it may just be the cold. He's a definite comfort seeker, so when he finds a place that's warm and soft, he needs a lot of motivation to move. This is good in a way, because with the rain and our van windshield wipers not working right, I'm not sure how we would have gotten out to the shelter today if he had been having real problems with his teeth.
I'm hoping that Monday we can get things organized to get him in to Dr. Walthall for the neuter and dental work. I do know that when he goes in, I'm going to call Melody to warn her to wear her mask when she starts in on this teeth. I have never smelled breath on a dog that was this foul. I literally am looking at his other end because I SWEAR he's pooped. That's how bad this is. :(
Since he's been here two days, I'm getting a better reading on his weight. Thursday afternoon he was at 11.6 lb. Today he's at 12.0. Getting his feeding schedule set and getting him on good food means I'm going to see that weight go up a tad. I suspect that when I weigh him on Tuesday, he's going to be right at 12 pounds. That will be the starting point for his diet. I figure if that's where he is, then 3 pounds needs to come off for him to be at a healthy weight. He's getting 1/3 cup of soft food in the morning, and 1 tablespoon offered at night. Come Tuesday, I suspect I can see what I'll need to cut back to start seeing his weight reduce.
Once the rains clears up, I want to see just how leash broken he is. If he does well, I'm going to ask Randall to take him for a short walk every day (since I can't walk, it's got to fall to Randall to do the exercise bit). If I can get his metabolism up a bit, I should see a bit more consistent weight loss.
Not sure if I'll get another updated posted this evening or not. If not, it's not because anything has gone wrong, but because Randall and I are watching a movie and eating popcorn. :)
