A Sick Buddha

The four days without power really took a toll on both dogs but especially on Buddha. Even after the AC was on, he was lethargic, didn't want to eat his food and would not drink water. It broke my heart to see him that way. I checked for all the outward signs of dehydration such as skin elasticity and whether or not his gums were moist. I kept his temperature down with cold, wet towels and occasional baths but to no avail. Finally I knew I had to get drastic. Since he was not eating (which is insane!) or drinking water, I gave him another chance. He rejected both things. So I took the doggy syringe and loaded it with Powerade. I had no choice but to open his mouth and squeeze the Powerade down his throat. He hated every moment of it but I didn't stop there! I tempted him with some yummy dog food and after he got the taste for it, I dropped some in a full bowl of water. He was reluctant at first but then he started fishing for the pieces of food. This in turn led to ingestion of the cold water and within a couple hours he was spunky again.

The power outages really got to all of us but I can't even imagine what the boys went through. I'm glad it's over!

Devastation and Dehydration

Over 72 hours without power. Lots of damage everywhere and it really looked like a tornado had come through. What a freak storm! We lost tons of food and sanity and gained intense heat and dehydration. I was really worried about the dogs. The heat and humidity were absolutely oppressive. Temperatures were over 100 degrees and the only saving grace was that we had cold water. The only way that I kept cool was by taking several cold showers a day. The dogs did the same thing. It wasn't enough for them to drink cold water but they needed to be soaked as well.

Buddha had the hardest time in the heat. Being a Husky is not easy with these temperatures. He willingly went into the the bath and allowed me to soak his body. I left him in there so that his paws would cool off as much as possible. However, I noticed that he was very lethargic. He is still recovering today because we only got power back last night. Today, he refused to eat food and instead wants to lay still. I checked to make sure that his gums were moist and that his skin had the right elasticity. He did have diarrhea and refused to drink water so I got crafty and took a syringe and shot water down his throat. You gotta do what you gotta do for your babies. Hopefully he will feel better by tonight.