Near Month Four for Kazu and Koji

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Kirin has recovered much, if not all, of her thick undercoat. We see her run and play with her pups more often now.


Watched Kazu whine for an extended period while Jimmu ate his evening meal treat last week. Jimmu freezes himself while the whimpering goes on, and then, probably finding it unbearable, leaves his bowl. Kazu takes over and cleans it up. This is independent of the amount of food on her own bowl!

Jiji told me about this practice of Kazu a week or so ago but it was only recently that I witnessed it. I always thought it was just a prelude to a game of chase. We occasionally restrain Kazu to give Jimmu some time to eat.



Koji follows Kirin




Weighed Kazuko and Koji last night and they are 40-45 lbs. Koji seemed to weigh a bit heavier, though Kazu is slightly wider. We find it difficult to remember that Kirin weighed the same when we acquired her at almost nine months. The siblings will be four months old at the start of August.

At Three Months and Three Weeks

The regular bath day for the past few weeks has been a Saturday. This past weekend Kazu and Koji are both 35-40 lbs. They still harass their father Jimmu at treat time in the evening. At times they simply do the same while Jimmu is being groomed and give chase!




Splash! . . . Kazuko caught pawing her drinking pail.











Koji wondering what's inside that box that I keep on sticking onto my face. . .

The level of intensity of their play remains high. We slowly start to take them out of the house more often (with a collar of course). This will help in getting them used to having a collar when they're out. They still chew on the leash a bit but adjust to walking without pulling on them for the most part of the abbreviated time that they are out (just under 30 minutes. . . Kirin and Jimmu are out for about 45 minutes to an hour or so).

The Weekend: Introducing Rice. . . Eye Irritation

Since last Saturday (14 July) we started mixing rice with their meat treat instead of dog food. About two cups of rice to one of meat. They still free-feed on dry dog food.

At three and a half months Kazuko is 30-35 lbs, and Koji is somewhere 32-37 lbs when weighed last Sunday. They have practically the same weight. Kirin was only 40 lbs at 8.5 months.

Had a scare with Koji last night when, after walking Kirin and Jimmu, I saw him pawing his closed eyes. The area surrounding both eyes were inflamed.

Kazu tried to play with him, but Koji was not responding. He kept on pawing both eyelids. In what appeared to be a show of sympathy, Kazu licked him for a while and then left him alone.

Jiji and I decided to give Koji a bath (they just did last Sunday) to clear with a lot of water whatever it was that irritated his eyes. Continuously having water flow around Koji's eyes for over ten minutes proved to relieve him a bit. Opening his eyes slightly now, but with eyelids still inflamed.

Jiji communicated the condition to Vet Jemimah and she recommended a dose of mefenamic acid. We still did a few more minutes of water until Koji started to resist it. Shortly after that, Jiji returned with a "chorizo". She explained that she embedded the (500 mg) tablet in it. Koji readily ate the treat. By the time they were to take their rice and meat treat (about an hour later), Koji was already playing with Kazu.

We wondered about what caused Koji's irritation. Jiji ruled out any of the plants, having been around them for a while they would have shown an adverse reaction earlier. She suggested that it may have been a caterpillar. The macopa tree has some she explained. Whatever it was, we are just glad Koji recovered fast from it.

Adjusting to Minus One

After an initial scare on the condition of Kiko in Naga from text messages being exchanged between me and our vet and with Kiko's new guardian/owner, we got news that she started eating better and is playing a day after she arrived.

There were so many contributions to Kiko's stress: the final 6-in-1 vaccine together with the rabies shot (Sunday, 1 July), change of guardian/owner (Wednesday, 4 July), travel by air to Naga (Thursday, 5 July), and change of food! Apparently "Pet One" is not readily available in Naga City. Or at least Jeff (the new guardian/owner of Kiko) is not aware of where it may be obtained within the City. Jeff says that Kiko took to the beef adobo well enough to fully adjust by the following day.


We shifted almost exclusively to Pet One for dry dog food after the dog food scare on many brands, including our staple Eukanuba. The only Eukanuba we give the pups and our other dogs is the "Healthy Extras" treat.

The parents Kirin and Jimmu also showed preference for Pet One, I guess mainly because it is easier to munch (it has smaller grains). In a large number of instances they would pick the Pet One granules in a mixture with Eukanuba (Large Breed. . . They are not crazy about the Lamb and Rice formula). The main addition to their diet is the mixture of chicken liver (adobo without garlic and onions) or ground beef with their dry food in the evening. The main supplement is a daily dose of Pet Tabs and a few milliliters of virgin coconut oil. The regular treat is Pedigree's milky bone flavored biscuits.


In the first few days of Kiko's absence, the siblings seem to display a sense of confusion. The parents didn't seem to have changed any behavioral patterns. Play between Kazu and Koji lacked the intensity it had when Kiko was around. We wondered if it was just the rainy weather or my absence (having contracted colds I did not risk playing with them, fearing that I may add to their stress) that conditioned the lower intensity of their play.


Let the games resume!


When the weekend came, I was better and started giving them a bit more time.


After their bath on Sunday, they resumed their intense play for quite a while - lasting just under two hours.

That evening, we walked all of them out of the house. The pups are not yet used to having a collar on and were moving about in all directions initially. Kirin and Jimmu were happy to be out after an intermittent schedule due to the rains.

Before their evening meal, Kirin and Jimmu took their heartworm prevention tablet for the month. Vet Jemimah advised to begin the same for Kazu and Koji when they are at least four months old. She adds that it is good to start before the pups are 5 to 6 months old.






As before, cooling after play.









A scene that we have to start getting accustomed to - Kazu as the only puppy (in a while).

Maybe the Last Group Photo of KKK

This is the most recent group photo of Koji, Kiko, and Kazuko.

Tonight is the scheduled trip for Kiko.

We are all starting to miss her already. She proved to be the easiest to call. A simple clapping , even without calling her name, results to her running, eager to greet the human.

Vet Jemimah administered their fourth 6-in-1, and their rabies shot for the year last Sunday, 1 July 2007, when they turned three months old. It is recommended not to impose much stress on the pups every time they get a shot. That includes bathing. Though we were informed that if that is not exactly stressful (if they actually enjoy or like it), then they may do so without having to worry about any possible negative consequence directly related to the vaccination.

All for now. . . We'll need tissue here. . .