Patton Meets Our Yard

Patton met our yard. Or lack of yard.

We have had so much rain lately that our yard is a giant mud pit.

We let him out there to see what fun could be had.

He had so much fun that he wore himself out.

Check out those muddy paws. If only you could see mine as well. My flip flops got sucked into the mud and are still there. I was covered in mud!

Patton's first bath. He did ok but it took us a while to get all of the mud off of him. I'm guessing this will be the only time we'll be able to wash him in the sink!

It’s been quite the week (and it’s only Wednesday)!!

I stayed home with Patton on Monday to help him adjust to his new home and it's a good thing I did. Beginning around 11am, the little guy started getting sick. I'll spare you the details, but he definitely wasn't feeling well. Our vet said to give it 24 hours and then bring him in if he didn't improve. He mentioned that parvo could be an issue but he didn't want to run the test to early for fear of a false negative. Patton slept all day Monday while I nervously watched him. I was attempting to work from home but I was so worried about him that I didn't get much done.

He didn't improve throughout the day but he didn't get worse either. We thought it was something that would pass but around 9:30pm he started throwing up. Immediately Dave and I were both concerned as puking is a sign of parvo. We rushed Patton to the emergency vet clinic. They tested him for parvo and the test came back negative. I think both Dave and I did a happy dance at that. Unfortunately they had no idea why he wasn't feeling well. He received a shot to help with the nausea and fluids to help prevent dehydration.

He slept pretty well Monday night but I decided to stay home with him again on Tuesday. He did much better Tuesday and has continued to improve. We think he just had a bad tummy ache. I can't even tell you how panicked we were. We've been waiting years to get a dane and we couldn't even keep one healthy for 3 days. We felt like huge failures. He's getting better and has kept improving since Monday so we appear to be in the clear. Hopefully we've gotten the emergency vet visit out of the way for his lifetime!

Oh, the craziest thing of all from the emergency vet visit? Even with being sick, he still gained one pound. At his vet visit on Friday, he weighed 10.5 pounds. By Monday night, he was up to 11.5 pounds!

Here are some photos from the last few days. I'm a proud mama and will be shoving lots of photos in your face, so enjoy!

Patton showing off his jowls.

Sleeping as usual. Notice the hassock in the background.
His favorite place to sleep is under the hassock or couch. That won't last long!

He also love sleeping on comfy blankets.

Comparing paw sizes.

This is his setup in the sunroom. During the day he has access

to the area within the exercise pen as well as his crate.

Giving kisses.

A boy and his dog. Buddies forever.

The Weirdest Thing

Yesterday when I took Patton out, I noticed this on the wall under the back deck.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered it was hundreds of daddy-long leg spiders!

I've never seen anything like this before!

Patton's 1st Day Home

What a busy day! Patton is finally home! I say finally but really it was only an excruciating 2 week wait.

Our day started bright and early as Dave, my mom, and I left for Woodbine, Iowa at 8am. It's only a 2 hour trip and luckily it went quick. We got to meet Patton's mom and dad and his 9 littermates. We also met several other danes that his breeder owns. It was quite the place and there were lots of big dogs in sight.

We got to go in the kennel where Garth and Thelma, Patton's parents, were hanging out. Having 2 huge dogs vying for your attention is an experience. They actually tried to trap Dave in the kennel as were leaving. They really wanted him to stay! I think Dave may have been a bit overwhelmed. He knew Patton would be large but I'm not sure it really hit home until today.

Patton did really well on the ride home. No crying, no sickness, just lots of sleeping.

His Iowa mom (Gale Renz with Dynamite Danes, in case you are interested) gave him this puppy bling. Dave says he can wear it until he grows out of it but then it's not going to be replaced. A boy shouldn't have that much bling, I guess. I think it's adorable and I'm so glad she gave it to us!

The little guy had quite the busy day. After we arrived back in Lincoln, he visited my co-workers, Dave's co-workers, the vet, the park, the pet store, and the softball fields. Here he's taking in the softball game.

With all of those activities, it's no wonder he slept all day. When we finally arrived home, he barely made it in the door. He found the first soft spot on the corner of the dining room rug and crashed.

He has subsequently moved to the living room rug and is trying to nestle under the hassock. It's not going to be very long before he won't be able to do that!

All in all, it was a busy but fabulous day. We'll be here all weekend if you want to stop by and meet him!

That's a Mighty Big Crate

Patton's crate arrived last night.

It's huge! We opted for the largest crate so he can use it forever. We can divide it up in the meantime so it's not so overwhelming for him.

Seriously, it's ginormous! I told Dave I was going to get him one!

It's living in the living room right now because the UPS man did quite a doozy on it when they delivered it. We have to get some replacement parts before Patton can use it full time.

It's also in there because we started staining the windows in the sunroom and aren't done yet. Crappy picture but it was late and I was tired when I snapped it. We've been working feverishly on them so they are done before Patton arrives.

Only 2 more days before we pick him up. To say we are excited is a severe understatement!

Patton at 5 Weeks Old

So tired.

Patton at 4 Weeks Old

Mama Thelma and her litter. Look at her eyes - she has one blue and one black. Interesting.