Agent Jake of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Look what I got! Mom got them in the mail, it's badges made like the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on TV and movies! Mom made one for all of us... it was after Zoya passed away so we didn't get her one, but it's okay.

Mom said that the height options were too big for me and Atom, so she just did the smallest size for Atom and then a few inches bigger for me. And there wasn't an option for "Tri-Color" under hair color so Mom just picked "other".

Caninsulin Adventures Begin: Dealing with Canine Diabetes

The weather got really warm really fast! I want to go for more walks but I've been feeling yucky. After losing my sister, Zoya, Mom and I did a few walks but I started feeling sick. I was getting clumsy, like falling and stuff. I lost weight too, so I was excited at first...

These are from one walk after Zoya passed away...

I found a bird nest!

It was empty though...

But then I started having... accidents...
A lot of them... like, I'd move and just tinkle.... or I'd try to hold it and I couldn't....

At the vet's clinic for a little lab work...

I don't like needles so I couldn't watch... "Tell me when it's over!"

Atom, my little brother, came for support... he watched.
Needles don't bother him when they're sticking in someone else...

Mom noticed how thirsty I was all the time too and she brought me to see the doctor. At first he was afraid it would be something called renal failure, but when my lab work came back he called and told Mom I have diabetes.

I weighed about 18.2 kg which is just around 40 pounds. Last year I was 55 pounds... about 24.5 kg. I thought I was doing well, losing all that weight, but it turns out that a lot of it was a thing called muscle atrophy.... Mom says it's when the body eats muscle because it isn't getting what it needs from food. In my case, I was eating but I wasn't able to use the glucose I'd get from the food so over time my body started attacking itself to survive and I lost weight from that.

It's scary to have something that you didn't have before and now it'll be with you for the rest of your life. I didn't know what to expect, and I don't really understand what's going on.

The doctor said it hasn't been going on very long, it's just good that Mom and Dad saw symptoms to bring me in to the vet clinic. If it went on longer I could have been really sick. I don't feel great now, but I'm starting to get better.

Caninsulin... the insulin Mom has to give me every morning and night.
Right now we use these needles, but Mom is going to get a thing called VetPen so Dad can help too.

I'm practicing making this face a lot. Whenever I do, Mom snuggles me and gives me kisses.

It's only been a few days, but I've been trying to be good about taking the injections every day. I have to have a bigger dose in the morning, after I eat, and then a half-dose at night, also after I eat. The thing is, I'm not always hungry when I need to be to stay on that schedule -- Mom's been trying to help. She mixes enough food with some canned food so I eat enough before getting my injections, then leaves the regular dry food for me to pick at during the day if I want.

I like to sneak Atom's food sometimes. It's tiny, like little candies! But the doctor said I can't do that and Mom and Dad have to be extra careful about it. I also have to change to a different food. It's one with a prescription. Luckily, I can stick with Vet-Concept... Oh! Did I mention that? I was using the Hill's Metabolic Diet, but then I stopped enjoying it and Mom decided to switch to Vet-Concept like Atom gets. I was eating a Care Pack food from them, for older dogs... but now I'll start to switch to the prescription food for diabetic dogs. I hope it tastes good!

Mom can also get the low-fat canned foods to add to my morning and evening dishes, so I eat enough when it's time for injections.

Life changes are tough! 

They're tougher when you just want to make a change but have no real consequences for making or not making the changes... in this case, I have no choice but to change things in my life or I'll get more sick and probably die. I'm just not ready to go yet, so... change it is!

Jake's Diet Updates for 2014 - Dealing with a Loss

I haven't posted in a while. The winter was yucky for exercising. It was very cold in the mornings, and the ice on the sidewalks made it slippery, which hurt my hips and knees too much to walk a lot.  But we didn't get much snow, so it was just cold.

Then it got warmer during the days, 60 degrees or higher! Great for walking in the morning... but something happened....

Dealing with a Loss in the Family Pack

My Mom and Dad went on a short trip in April. Zoya, Atom, and I stayed in a dog hotel. It wasn't a bad hotel, we had our own room to share, and it was big. With a chair and beds and blankets to snuggle on, fresh air, walks every day, plus time to play in a fenced yard -- we got to play with the small dogs, no big scary ones to make me nervous. It wasn't a long stay, only about a week, and everything seemed fine. But the last night we were there, we all went to sleep but Zoya never woke up.

Mom and Dad were very sad. Zoya was my big sister for about 10 years... she was only about 12-years-old, or so we thought... but Mom says that sometimes animal shelters estimate ages as young as possible, to give dogs the best chance for adoption. They told us Zoya was about 2-years-old... and that was in 2004. In reality, she could have been older. She never got white hair like me and Atom have... she always looked like a puppy... Mom joked that Zoya "moisturizes so she stays young"... I don't get that... must be a person thing.

Adjusting After a Loss

Anyway, so now it's just Mom and Dad, me and Atom. Our Pack feels a little small... Dad always said "no more" but after Zoya passed away Dad said "Okay, probably more... but probably not until we move back to the States." I don't know when that is... Mom said it depends on work and school situations for her and Dad, so I guess we'll see.

It's an adjustment when a Pack gets smaller... everything is quieter. Zoya was always the loudest at barking... and she was always afraid of stuff, but I miss that. For the first month, Atom kept sleeping on her bed in the bedroom every night. I wanted to sleep there too so sometimes we shared. He misses Zoya too, even though he's younger so he only knew Zoya as a big sister for 6 years. It's still all he ever knew, so he's been sad.

Getting Better After a Loss

I think things are getting better now... we're still sad. Mom is still sad sometimes, but she puts on a strong face for us so we know everything is okay.

Everything will be okay... As long as Mom and Dad are around, I know everything will always be okay.

Starting a New Week

So this past week, a LOT happened!

On Tuesday Mom had a test so we decided to try something different. Atom, Zoya, and I went with a nice lady that let us play all day with some other dogs! Usually, I don't like being around other dogs... just my family... but I think it's okay when I go to see that lady. Mom says I always behave when she's not around, but I'm not so sure.

I also got mail last week. First, my scale came! Dad was surprised the box was so big but he said it wasn't heavy. Mom set the scale up and let me try it, but I wasn't sure if I should stand or sit, so I sat... standing is a lot of work. But the thing is... I'm a little round. And When I sat down on the scale I slipped right over the edge! So Zoya tried it out first...

Mom said she will get the sticky things that make the bathtub safer so you don't slip, and she will put them on my scale so I have some traction.

On Friday, Dad came home at lunchtime and brought me a big box that had my food. FINALLY! It was shipped on 21 August and didn't arrive for over 4 weeks! But Mom said that's ridiculous because she ordered jeans online last week and they arrived in a week. I guess the mail is slow for some things...

Anyway, Dad already ordered my food through the vet here on the base, so I can now start transitioning from the other food to the new food and keep going with it. I tried it out for the first time Saturday (yesterday). Zoya and Atom tried it out too. Atom struggled a little but he always struggles because he's tiny. He gets his own small food anyway so it's not like he'll starve. He acts like it sometimes though!

I loved the food! I tastes good and it's crunchy... not too big but big enough to get some good chewing in. When you have to chew the food, it's more satisfying. When was the last time someone said "Oh, I'm so full from this Jello!" lol

So I started yesterday with the food but since Sunday is the start of a new week, let's call today the new Day #1 :-)

I'll share some more soon, about my walks, my adventure (or misadventure) at a local farmer's market, and my official weight and measurements which Mom said she will take today.

Visiting the Vet and Weightloss Update

After my walk yesterday, Dad took me to the vet on the base. This was my first trip to the vet here. When we first got here, Dad just had to bring them paperwork; no visit required.

Anyway, Mom learned that she can order the Hill's Metabolic Diet Dog Food through the vet, since it's a prescription dog food and they checked to see that they could actually get it. Since it was on the list for their distributors, they just needed to see me in order to give me the new prescription for the food.

So yesterday, I went for a walk with Mom then Dad took me to the vet before he went to work. It was cool going in the car with just me and Dad... usually it's not just me.

At the appointment I had a check-up and they weighed me....

BAM!

I am down to 44.6 pounds!

Mom was so happy because she was sure I was over 52-55 pounds a month ago. Comparing my weight to a fully-loaded BowFlex SelectTech Weight which holds 55.2 lbs. I was definitely heavier a month ago. So this is GREAT NEWS!

Dad placed an order for my food, getting me the BIG bag. The one Mom ordered in late August still hasn't arrived yet, but I'd like to think it'll arrive any day now. That one's only the medium-sized bag though, so it won't last long. Probably just long enough to transition use from the food we're eating now to the Hill's Metabolic Diet completely.

I'm still waiting on my scale too.... but I'm glad to know my weight is going down and I'm pleased with my progress so far.

A Morning Walk in Germany

Mom and I got up this morning earlier than the sun! It was too dark to go out though so we waited. You see, not all the streets are well-lit and the main street near our house is real busy sometimes so we wanted to make sure we were safe.

Mom got my backpack ready and helped me put it on. It slips if the weight isn't balanced so I carried Mom's wallet on one side and half a bottle of water on the other side, along with Mom's keys, waste bags (haha for pooh!), and hand sanitizer.

I got my leash on and we went out for a quick bathroom trip first, then started our walk.

Mom checked for things nearby that were within walking distance and we decided to try a bakery. It said it was only about 10-15 minutes away. The funny thing is, the directions from the map on Mom's phone were not very good. Next time we will use a different App. So the walk took longer than expected but it was still nice. We had trouble finding the bakery because it was in between buildings but I could smell it so I helped Mom find the way :-)

I had to wait outside at the bakery but I was good. Then I carried half of the baked goods home so I could give one to Dad. It made me feel really important!!

The walk home was quicker because we didn't get lost or listen to the directions again lol

Mom let me have a piece of a croissant as a treat. I couldn't have the whole thing, but a piece was good enough for me.

This was my first time using my new backpack. I had one before but it wasn't as nice and it wasn't designed to fit nice so I struggled with it and Mom ended up carrying it the one time we tried to use it. This Outward Hound Backpack is much nicer, and it has mesh pockets inside the big side pockets so even if a zipper broke, nothing important falls out.

Mom used an App on her phone to find the way to the bakery but the map wasn't very good so I started sniffing around and I found the way!

I don't shy away from stairs! Sometimes they're too much for me but I still try my best! 

Found it! 

I had to wait outside but that's okay. I got to carry some breakfast :-) 

Sometimes walking on the grass is nicer when my paws get tired... 

Mom shared the "bounty" with Dad and they gave me a little of the croissant to try since I carried it... 

Almost home!

A few collages from the walk...