Zuzu's First Full Day Home

Thursday, April 9, 2010, Zuzu's first full day home following HW treatment. First full day of a new routine for the girls. Running free in the yard, taking walks, playing, jumping on and off the bed, and any other type of activity that could increase Zuzu's heart rate are now off-limits. These two active Vizslas will now try to learn how to be calm, relaxed inside dogs. Couch potatoes, but without the couch (that, too, is off-limits). So we spend the day confined in the office resting, sleeping, and staring at the wall. Not sure who will go crazy first, them or me! But, this has to be to minimize risk to Zuzu.

Tootie, our professional sleeper, has quickly adapted to this new lifestyle. Here, she's sound asleep all stretched out along the closet doors. This lasted for a little while until she went into REM and the sound of the closet door moving startled her. Our brave little girl!
Zuzu, on the other hand, prefers the middle of the floor where she can curl up into a ball or stretch out without obstruction.
We take frequent potty breaks outside. Zuzu hasn't realized yet that these excursions are for doing her "business" and not for hunting little critters that run or fly. Her attention is quickly averted by a lizard scurrying up the wall or a fly buzzing around the grass. She's not thrilled with the idea of being on the leash outside. The other challenge is keeping Tootie calm while we are outside. Once in the yard, she's ready to play and run. So now I put her on a leash, too. They both look at me as if I've lost my mind, walking them in their own yard on a leash.
Zuzu's appetite has not diminished. She likes her chicken, brown rice, carrots, and spinach with a little kibble and yogurt. Tootie is our speed eater. She can clean a food bowl in seconds. Zuzu is more relaxed and takes her time. Of course, we have to check out Tootie's bowl to see if she missed anything in her haste to finish.
So, the hours passed on this lazy Thursday. It was a beautiful Key West spring day with temps in the high 70s, a breeze from the southeast, and plentiful sunshine. The humidity wasn't unbearable, either. I haven't confined Zuzu yet since she seems to remain calm while having the freedom to roam the house. She usually follows Tootie and me around and stays close. Here, though, she took a moment on the lanai to look down on her corner where she used to sit patiently watching the lizards through the fence.
First day of six weeks has passed...only 41 days to go.

Zuzu's Heartworm Treatment

Zuzu spent two days at Marathon Vet Hospital for her heartworm treatment. She checked in Tuesday morning and was ready to go home Wednesday afternoon. She did well with the injections. No negative or adverse reactions to the drug given to kill the adult heartworms. She was most stressed about being alone at the vet.

Below, Zuzu's sporting her purple Marathon Vet Hospital bandana. The picture from my iPhone is a bit blurry and difficult to see her expression. She was definitely ready to get out of there, and she was not particularly happy with me either.

Tootie had to inspect her sister and was curious about her shaved spots where they gave her the two injections.
Zuzu slept during the 45 minute drive home from Marathon to Sugarloaf Key. Once home, she did her business in the yard and wanted to head into the house. She ate her scrumptious dinner of brown rice, chicken, and spinach with a dash of kibble. After dinner, she had her dose of Metacam, we went back outside on lead to take care of any more business, and retired to the bedroom for a quiet evening. She rested comfortably all night in the walk-in closet, her safe zone, and did not stir until daybreak. Tootie, on the other hand, was ready to play. She was so excited to have her sister back home. At one point, she was standing in the hallway outside of the walk-in closet barking at Zuzu trying to engage her in play. Tootie's tail would not stop wagging and she could not stop bouncing around.

This morning, we had breakfast after our morning business in the yard. Here, we are resting in the office. Zuzu would love to go out and chase lizards, but that will have to wait for several weeks.
Day one of recovery...only 29 days to go!

Heartworms

We learned earlier this week that Zuzu has heartworm disease. She is scheduled for treatment on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 when she'll receive the first of two injections to kill the heartworms. She will have to spend the night at Marathon Vet Hospital for observation, and will receive the second injection Wednesday morning. She can come home that afternoon. The injections are probably the easiest part of the process; unfortuntely Zuzu cannot exercise or get excited for six weeks following the injections. The medicine slowly kills the worms living in her heart and pulmonary artery, and the worms slowly break up into the blood stream and are absorbed and passed out of her body. To avoid a clot or pulmonary thromboembolism, she has to rest for six weeks. The mellow Tootster will set a great example! She'll show her sister how to sleep and relax. It won't be easy keeping her in the house for six weeks of rest. At least the lizards will have a break from the crazy brown dog!

Hunting Lizards

How do two Vizslas from Missouri pass the time in Florida, land of no squirrels or rabbits? Well, they chase and hunt lizards, of course! These quick little creatures have grabbed Zuzu and Tootie's attention. Now if they could only sink their teeth into one. Helas, they are just took quick for Zuzu's sharp eye. The robellini palm in the yard is a veritable "Disneyland" for Zuzu and Tootie. Well, probably more for Zuzu than Tootie. The Tootster will chase lizards for a couple of seconds before finding a nice shady spot under the palm to rest and snooze.

Below, Tootie is getting into the act of chasing those little critters. Too bad their keen noses can't fit into the cracks of the rocks.
Zuzu is amazed that Tootie has devoted more than thirty seconds to the hunt! In this picture, you can see Zuzu's tail. This is unusual since it is always in constant motion. We normally just see a brown blur as it quickly wags from side to side. Happy dog!
Can you find the palm tree climbing Viszla? I'm sure this action is not programmed in their genes from Hungary!!! One must adapt to the local prey, though!
And now it's time for a rest for Tootie. We'll leave the serious hunting to Zuzu. I'm sure she'll share her catch if she happens to grab a lizard. Unlikely, but not impossible with Zuzu's persistence.
This is how we spend our Saturday afternoon on Sugarloaf Key. When's dinner?

The Sweet Life on Sugarloaf Blvd.

Zuzu and Tootie have been in Florida for six weeks. We arrived on Sugarloaf Key on Friday, February 19, 2010 and they have settled in comfortably. They enjoy the relaxed and laid back lifestyle of the Keys. Tootie usually wakes up around 6:00am and will either ask to go outside for a quick pee or will settle back into her bed. She's probably trying to get Zuzu up, but she will have none of that until daybreak. We have learned that Zuzu is afraid of the dark. Or, more specifically, afraid of the night. We are lucky to have her in the family room in the evening with us, but she usually retires just after sunset to her den in the master closet. Tootie, however, has no fear of the dark and will occasionally explore the yard with confidence during her last trip out before bed. So, in the morning, Tootie waits patiently for Zuzu to get up and make her appearance after daybreak, usually between 7:00 and 7:30am.

After a quick romp on the bed seeking free back and belly rubs, it's off to the yard to potty before breakfast. After breakfast, Zuzu and Tootie usually sleep in the office while we work, and will occasionally lie in the sun on the driveway or sidewalk along the house. We usually take them on a walk down the path to explore new smells, look for cats, and chase birds.

Sometimes, we take them for a ride in the car, especially if we have an errand to run. They will ride along to the Summerland Key Post Office, make a quick trip to the Winn-Dixie on Big Pine Key, or take a drive into Key West to visit the dog park near Higgs Beach. All you have to say is "bye-bye in the car" and they are in it and ready to go!

During the day, we usually leave the front door open so the girls can go down into the yard to sleep in the sun, hunt and chase lizards on the wall near the dock, or simply survey the land and Sugarloaf Blvd. from the front porch.

And by the afternoon, they retire to the lanai for more sunshine as they await the 5:00pm dinner bell. After dinner, it's time for another walk down the path and some romping and playing in the yard before sunset.

While the past six weeks have not been free of setbacks, challenges, and frustrations, Zuzu and Tootie are making excellent progress as they continue to gain our trust and live their new lives.