Hard work pays off

Hark! I heard mom say she got me a "training collar" for Christmas. If Santa shows his face around here, he better be ready to give up that hat!

Hank, my "big" brother is on the "Neighborhood Most Wanted" list for DOG AT LARGE. He was spotted a few doors down chasing chickens. And because of that, he is now the prime suspect in the murder case of Mr. Rooster. I don't think the chicken cops around here have met Mr. Wylie Coyote yet. They think he won't come near someone's house, and Mr. Rooster was murdered right outside the garage! Probably in broad daylight! What is this world coming too? Sigh.

Back to important stuff, namely, me. I heard mom say that my "training" list is WAY longer than Hank or Harley's. I am really outdoing them! I bet I'll get an extra treat for my hard work.

Wags-n-Kisses
The Okie Dobie

Dober Kisses are the best!

My momma loves me!

photo by Leigh Anna Thompson

My Christmas Card debut is coming soon!.....Stay tuned to a mail box near you!!

I'm Healed!

Wags-n-Kisses! Kolten here. I am feeling sooooo much better these days. My skin is totally better. It never bothers me anymore. Don't you think I'm beautiful?

This was a few weeks ago...


This is NOW!


Mom says I am gorgeous. She bought me a winter coat. It 's a bit large< and I don't like the color too much. What was she thinking?!? I don't know how I am supposed to romp and play in that thing..but I DO KNOW how to take care of this problem. I will TEAR IT TO SHREADS when she leaves me wearing it unattended. Then she will have no choice but to buy me a new one. One that I LIKE! Well, I gotta get back to chewing on my dog bones and napping. Thanks for checking in on me. Wags-n-Kisses, Kolten Lehman /div>

Happy pic

Wags-n-kisses! I love my new pillow bed. Thanks Mom!
As ya'll can see, I am back to my usual, happy self.


How ya like my sporty lamp shade hat? Ya like it, ya like it?


Kolten, the okie-dobie
(this is the look Kolten gets before he slaps a big kiss on ya!)

What's under that bandage?

Yesterday I took Kolten in to get his first bandage change. The wound on his back is healing nicely. His nurse (Vet tech Lennon) told me that one week ago there were deep pockets where they removed damaged tissue. They filled it in with some kind of gel to help the epidermal layer grow back smoothly. And it worked!

We are not far from being able to do home treatments. I will have to clean his wounds and maybe bandage him. He may be able to get the bandage off soon.

Kolten can have supervised excersise as long as he is wearing his "lamp shade." He has made friends with the EC, and can now walk, run, fetch a ball, eat, drink, and everything with it on! He even took a ride in my Mustang wearing it. Such a cool dog.

Thanks for your prayers for Kolten.

Kolten update

Kolten came home Friday, but before bed time he had chewed the itchy skin off his back. It looked like a bad burn. The vet said to put hydrocortisone cream on it and it would heal but may not grow hair back.

When I took Kolten in for his follow-up appointment on Wednesday, the vet was really concerned about his skin. He said he thinks he may be having a drug eruption (reaction to a medication--allergic or maybe autoimmune)So, he had to do minor surgery to remove the dead skin.

Kolten has to wear an Elizabethan Collar, which we both hate, but it is necessary to keep him from bothering his bandage. I am sure the area under the bandage looks much worse than the exposed areas. This is the place where they had to take off a lot of skin. I do not think all his hair will grow back.

We aren't sure if this injury is from blood flow getting cut off and causing deep tissue damage or if it is from a drug eruption. We won't know until we see how he starts to heal and respond to the treatment.

Lord please let this be the last of the vet bills for a while! I need a break!!!

Kolten is HOME!

Kolten reports he is happy to be home. He has a bad burn on his back from the heat damage and his hair is coming off. Not sure if this will grow back. If not, it will be ugly, but a reminder of God's faithfulness in healing him.

Here are some pics from his first night home:

Warming up after BATH TIME!



Wags N Kisses--Kolten

Kolten recovery update

Monday I went to visit Kolten at the vet clinic, and he was really weak. But, the vet was encouraging with news that he has a strong 75% chance of making a full recovery.

Yesterday I went to visit Kolten and was thrilled to find him much more spunky. Still not himself totally, but obviously feeling better than the day before. He found a rawhide chew when we were walking outside and was interested in it. I took it from him and he wanted it back. I saw him wag his tail! He barked at a couple of other dogs passing by. All this is good. The bad thing I noticed was that he is overly afraid of people he does not know. He has always been a little shy, but this is more like scared. Maybe post-traumatic stress? He does not seem brain damaged to me. He remembers the sit and down command, and knows his name. The vet said he wants to make sure that "Kolten will be Kolten" before he lets him go home. He is concerned he won't be the same dog he was before. Which kinda scares me!

The vet is concerned about his liver, it is still struggling...BUT he said that he THINKS we are past the point of worrying about him taking a turn for the worse. He says it will just take time for his liver to heal, and we don't know how long. He has to stay in the hospital until it gets well enough that he doesn't need fluids to flush out his system.

Keep praying for God to heal his liver and that he will make a full recovery and be the sweetheart he was before.

THANKS!

Kolten update-an answered prayer

Dear friends:
Sunday was a beautiful afternoon, mild temps, sunshine and a nice breeze. I put Kolten on the tie-out in the back yard while I rode one of my horses. This is for both of our safety, so he doesn't come inside the arena while I am riding. But today it was a very unsafe, almost deadly decision.

Although I could see and hear Kolten from the arena, I did not know he was in distress. I thought he was playing w/ Hank. When I finished riding I went to release him, and found him tangled in the tie-out and very hot. He could not walk and collapsed. We hosed him down to cool him off until his breathing was normal, then rushed him to the emergency clinic.

We thought he was having a heat stroke. I was told I had to either euthanize him or treat him. He would not make it through the night without life-saving treatment, and even with the treatment his chances of survival were only fifty-fifty.

So, Danny and I decided to euthanize our baby. We were saying good-bye, and I was crying and praying for the Lord to tell me what to do. I did not have peace about the euthanasia decision, but I also did not have peace about proceeding with an expensive treatment that might not work. I looked into Kolten's eyes and the Lord told me to give him a chance. So, with Danny's permission we proceeded with treatment--not knowing what would come of it.

As a Christian, I believe that with the faith the size of a mustard seed I can move mountains. I have faith that God can heal our Kolten and that He will answer my prayers. If you have helped by praying for my family and for Kolten --THANK YOU! Prayer is real and it works for those who believe.

Please continue praying. Kolten is doing much better today, but is not out of the woods. He is at Battleground Hospital for Animals clinic getting support care. His survival chance is a strong 75 percent. We are concerned about his liver function. His kidney function is good.

Dr. Russell does not believe he had a full blown heat stroke, but rather the vascular constriction from getting tangled in the tie-out caused the symptoms we were seeing. Regardless, what ever damage that is going to be done is done. Now we need him to continue to get better.

Kolten is 9 months old, 80 pounds, and very loving. A truly good dog-friend. Danny and I love him a lot. This a great opportunity for me to witness to others the great things God can do for those who believe in Him and love Him. If you are also a believer, please join me in praying.

Thanks,
Berta

Life w/ the Okie Dobie

Kolten has really been enjoying summer! It's super hot outside, and he likes to stay in the cool.

He's really tall now, especially when he stands on his hind legs. He can reach the top of our horse fencing! Everything he can reach is fair game for becoming a toy. He chewed up an old pair of horse boots that I had hanging in their proper place in the barn aisle. He stole Richard's work gloves and chewed them up. Yesterday I found Cody's grooming brush in the front yard. That dog is SNEAKY!

He usually puts his play things in a certain place. It's kinda funny. He takes his toys and puts them together, he'll even line them up in a neat row sometimes! He likes his toys and doesn't want Harley or Hank to get them.

He loves harassing the cat, Callie Ann. He loves playing with Hank, our Jack Russell. Sometimes this turns into harassment and I have to intervene on Hank's behalf. 

The Stranger

An alien space ship landed on our back deck patio table! Thankfully, Kolten spotted it and barked at it ALL DAY until it took off and landed back in it's storage spot in our basement.
It was pretty funny. He was really concerned about this STRANGER!

Just how big is that baby?

Kolten Lehman is 1o months old and 69 pounds of puppy!

Porch Swing sittin'

Kolten is too big to sit in the porch swing with me! We still have fun relaxing on the front porch.

Lobster Fest!

Kolten loves his lobster souvenir from my trip to Boston!

Scooby dooby do!

ruh oh!

Ugh! Mites!

Kolten has developed a weird spot on his shoulder where the hair is thinning. I thought it was from pressure on the area when he sleeps, and wasn't too worried about it.

When I took him to the kennel for boarding this past weekend...they said "Better scrape this spot to check for mites." And sure enough, it came back POSITIVE. He has to have 3 treatments of Mitoban dip. It is very toxic, and has to be done by the vet.

The condition is formally known as "Demodectic Mange." It is NOT CONTAGIOUS. Puppies get it all the time. Basically, all dogs have these mites in their bodies under the skin. When a puppy has an immune system that is not strong enough to keep the mites where they are supposed to be, under the skin...they can come out and become bothersome. If left untreated, the condition can cause health problems for the dog.

My yorkie, Bailey, developed Demodectic Mange in her older years as a result of her failing immune system, but hers never cleared up. If your dog is losing hair or has a weird looking spot on it's skin, it's a good idea to get it checked by your vet.

What's in a name?- got good ideas for dobie names? Post them here.

Choosing a name for your dobie can sure be hard! I was in a "western outlaw" phase the last time a got a pup, thus Doc Holliday. His brother was John Dillinger.

For this pup, I wanted an authenic German name, being that my husband is 3rd generation German, and the Doberman is a German breed. So, I searched and narrowed it down to a few.
Kolten is the word for "coal town" in German. It is an actual town in Germany.

I thought it was a fitting name for this pup, since he has more black on his face than most black and tans, his chin is black, and his paws have areas with a black dusting. Plus, it sounds cool.

In memory of Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday was my first Doberman.
It is because of him that I fell in love with the breed. At age 11, he died suddenly on May 17, 2005—probably from bloat. He passed before we could get him to the vet.

Doc was always smiling. He showed a gentle nature to all creatures. He loved to follow me around and stuck to my side like Velcro.

When greeting you, he would walk up and lean his head against you, his way of giving you a hug.

Sweet, devoted friend. We miss you tons.

The Ear Crop

To crop or not to crop. That was the question. Reputable breeders sell their pups with the ears already cropped, but Kolten was a rescue, so I had to decide what to do with those cute ears. While dobies are beautiful just the way God made them, I really like them with their ears cropped. It used to be the only standard for the breed.

Nowadays, you see more and more uncropped ears on breeds like dobies, boxers, and great danes and schnauzers. There are fewer and fewer vets who perform this surgery. It is very important to find a vet who has done lots of crops on your particular breed. Ear cropping and tail docking is outlawed in other countries and even is unlawful in the state of Pennsylvania.

The practice has been illegal in other countries since the 18th century. Today, we have humane ways to perform surgery with anesthesia, so I do not view ear cropping or tail docking as cruel at all. I have cropped two of my dobies' ears and they were not the least bit bothered by the procedure or after care.

If you want to crop your dogs ears, don't let other people guilt you about it. Do your own research and make up your own mind. Thankfully, we can still make these decisions about our pets.

Please share your ear-crop thoughts and stories with us!

Training: sit & gimme five!

Doberman Facts

Dobermans are not viscous. This is an ill-formed misconception.

The breed originated in Apolda, Germany 1890.

Named after Louis Dobermann. He crossed German Shepherds and German Pinschers to create a perfect dog with both agility and natural loyalty.

Other breeds in the dobie recipe include: Rotteweiler, Weimeraner, Blue Dane, Manchester Terrier, and English Greyhound.

Pinscher means "terrier."

Dobies are intelligent and easy to train.

Dobies are great dogs. They make therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs and family dogs.

Dobies have short hair and can not tolerate extreme temperatures. They are INSIDE dogs! Plus, they love to be with their families.