Tues 10th Jan: Teacup dogs are not a breed

I had a surprising number of adoption enquiries for the teacup Yorkie today, although there was bad news on his health when he was checked by Dr Tony in the afternoon.  The thing a lot of people don't understand about teacup dogs is that they are not a breed and cannot be bred to be that small.  Teacup dogs are the runt of the litter, the smallest and weakest one, just as there is always one in every litter regardless of size or breed.

Yorkshire terriers aren't large dogs anyway, so the runt is very small, teeny-tiny in fact, and with that comes a host of problems.  Even if they don't have any health issues as such, they are incredibly fragile and an accidental kick or fall can break their bones or cause serious injury. They can't safely be around other dogs because of this, but in this new boy's case he is especially vulnerable because he was born with a rare condition that means his skull and spine aren't fully connected so, as Dr Tony described it, he's like one of those nodding dog ornaments where the head wobbles around on a stalk.  

Teacup puppies are the runts in the litter

I took both the Yorkie and the new shih tzu to AFCD for licensing before we went to Acorn, and as neither were registered it meant once again assessing their ages. Tiny dogs almost always have dirty teeth from a young age unless they are meticulously cleaned, so the tartar build-up is inevitable.   I estimated the Yorkie as being around four years old,  Dr Tony added a year, but the best thing that can be said is that the tiny tot has survived this long.  However the X-rays don't tell lies and the defective vertebrae can clearly be seen and the long-term prognosis isn't good.  Still, Wobbly is alive and needs a home to be safe from the other dogs, and in the meantime Dr Tony is researching possible options to see if anything can be done surgically.

The shih tzu is very sweet

The shih tzu is, as expected, totally blind due to untreated dry-eye, but he's a very sweet dog and will be fine once he is settled in a home. He does however have heartworm, which is quite unusual in an inside dog but not unknown, as mosquitoes are as happy indoors as out.

While at AFCD I asked about the progress of a poodle's case, one of many disputes when couples break up and each side is claiming the dog.  The release of this poodle is hopefully imminent, so I keep checking in case he's free to go. The answer was still no for this poor poodle, but I was told there was another one, a very sad case, even worse than the long-term one.  This new poodle has been surrendered because of a "genetic and untreatable" problem which caused intensely itchy skin.  The now ex-owner told AFCD staff that every vet had said nothing could be done, and I was even asked if it was fair to take the dog or if it should be euthanised.   In fact there is nothing worse than a typical and very common allergy issue, which almost all poodles have,  and with a restricted diet and short-term steroids to stop the itching, he will be fine.

Allergies seem to be very common in dogs and people these days, and as a result of a previously-unknown allergy to dogs, puppy Chess had to be returned today.  It was upsetting for all sides, but the reaction was very serious so this wasn't just an excuse.  Chess is a lovely puppy, as sweet as he is handsome, and also very well behaved.

Chess has taken Derek's foster space

Anyway at the end of the afternoon when I dropped the small dogs back at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre, Chess was waiting for me to bring back to Lamma. The problem was that the puppies I now have are all much younger, and as kind and gentle as any older puppy is they still tend to play too rough with the youngsters.  I suddenly remembered that my neighbours, adopters of Benji and Susie, had a free foster space after Derek moved out on Sunday.  I messaged ahead asking if Chess could stay, and having been given a yes felt relaxed on the sampan back home.

When I arrived I let Chess out of the crate so he could run along the pier to the beach, but for some reason he totally panicked and dived straight into the sea.  He was clearly as shocked as I was to find himself literally in deep water, and started swimming in circles while I was trying to encourage him to come back to the side so I could pull him out.  He eventually calmed down and headed back, but it it was a heart-stopping few minutes and I really didn't fancy diving in fully dressed to rescue him.