A Tale of One Sad Loss and Two Miracles

Once upon a time this blog was titled ‘Loving a Lhasa Apso’ and it applied first and foremost to Simba who was my first Lhasa baby. My household has grown since then and now I have two adult female Lhasa Apsos and three pups.

The first ever picture of baby Simba

Simba as an adult

At 9-years of age Simba was still in his prime but I have come to accept that his time had come and that he had to go. However, what still bothers me is the harsh and negligent medical care he had received from the vet who over-medicated him for what was just an itch. First though a short backstory: I had migrated from Mumbai to Pune in April 2013 and was trying out a new vet whom I have decided not to name here. 

Simba and Lasya during their last ever play session

Besides two courses of powerful antibiotics during a two-week period, this vet had also prescribed a topical lotion called Tope Derm which includes a strong steroid as I discovered later when he became obese with trembling legs and difficulty in breathing within one month.

I called up my old Vet in Mumbai Dr Makrand Chausalkar who advised path tests to look for possible organ damage. The urine test showed negative but during his last 6 months Simba’s immunity was clearly compromised leaving him frail with continued difficulties in breathing and walking. And these were only the external symptoms.

Meanwhile, the first of the miracles came from Simba’s daughter Palden Michewa who had whelped a litter of four pups in September 2014, sired by Kayaraa’s Thumper. My second puppy litter (Lasya’s being the first which was five years ago) and I still found the birthing a miracle of life. 

Mishi's litter of four pups during their initial days

Mild-mannered Mishi surprised us all by becoming extremely possessive and protective mama who wouldn’t allow her dam Lasya and her sire Simba near the pups! One day, Simba walked purposefully into the puppy nursery and checked out only the male pup Dorje Kalden while we all held our breath collectively. Then he trotted out of the room in a childlike manner which I had found very endearing. Later I felt it was almost as if he had wanted to ensure that this male progeny could take the baton from him. 

Brave little Dorje stood still while Simba checked him out!

Simba’s end had come shockingly quick due to gastro enteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea from morning until before midnight and despite receiving timely treatment his small, damaged body simply could not take any more stress. Then what scared me further and our new Vet Dr Kalhapure too was when Lasya who had an old history of kidney and liver issues also showed the same symptoms of gastro a week later; we were both determined not to lose her too.

The highlight of her day used to be playing with the pups in the garden and Lasya eventually came out of this illness, albeit weak and minus her gorgeous coat. With four small pups, a new mother and an ailing adult to care for besides my own grieving, I often wondered if I was doing enough. By then I had gone into a protective mode which even included the pups. 

Malaika Fernandes surrounded and sharing love with her favourite buddies

A couple of months later, Malaika Fernandes who is a certified dog trainer based in Mumbai and had recently completed a course as pet communicator, announced that she wanted volunteers to practice on. Lasya was still quite frail and had lost her joy of living. I needed to know what was on her mind, and to comfort her if Malaika could reach out to her. 

What emerged from this pet communication was simply amazing to me and to Lassie as well. Lasya communicated to Malaika that she wanted more one-on-one time with me. She surprised Malaika further by wanting to be well groomed! What's more, when I questioned her about this conversation Lassie’s reaction was comically surprised: she looked zapped that I knew about it and then with a sheepish look she actually shied away from me. Lol!

Feeling reassured, I stretched myself to make sure that she wouldn’t feel neglected and as months passed she rediscovered the joys of playing with the growing puppies and became naughtier than them. My old Lasya was back! Until, probably due to an injury caused during a play session with Dorje who is now a big male, Lassie suddenly could not even stand when lifted down and had great difficulty during her walks.

Months of treatment helped Lasya to walk about for limited periods and she needed to be carried during her walks. A couple of people gently suggested euthanasia which was absolutely unacceptable to me.

Then one day, Lassie suddenly communicated with me asking if it was time for her to go. I was shocked when I just heard these words in my mind while I was resting and reached my hand out to her instantly with a big NO and projected a thought that I would do everything in my power to get her well. At the same time Mishi suddenly became panicked and came running into the room; she wouldn’t leave my side for the next few days and needed to be reassured. I am not a trained communicator like Malaika and was just as baffled as Mishi.

Then Lasya displayed her natural instincts yet again and brought about her own miracle. She began to suddenly crawl on cemented surfaces in what looked like a doggy paddle swimming action. 

Lasya poses for a picture while doing her exercise!

This has become her regular workout every chance she gets. The vet was baffled but her gait was getting stronger and sprightlier, until one day she began to play with the pups again, literally pulling a leg from under them and instigating rough play… and just like that, my old ‘mad girl’ Lasya (now 8-years old) is back, once again, and she still amazes everyone with her dedicated fitness regime. Here's a link for a video of how she does it!

https://youtu.be/1z_MkD39Ois

Simba turns 5-years-old

Simba is my oldest Lhasa Apso male and on 31st August 2011 he turns 5-years-old; although he mostly behaves like a serene monk Simba has been the naughtiest of them all having pulled of some of the greatest pranks as a pup. The whole of India will also be welcoming Lord Ganesha into their homes on this day - just as we did five years ago. Well, back then I was taking home a little pup along with the Ganpati processions on the streets of Mumbai.

Perhaps the urge for a pet came when my niece gifted my brother with an American Cocker Spaniel pup named Honey, although after losing my first pet Tweetie when I was fourteen I had thought that no other pet could take her place.

When I finally decided to own a pet I fell back on memories of Tweetie and was keen on getting a Pekingese but a quick research on the Internet showed that the breed required constant company at home. At that time I was working long hours away from home and found out that Lhasa Apso dogs who are independent by nature don't need someone constantly around them.

Being a first time pet-parent I made lots of mistakes with Simba, using the old pet disciplining techniques which I'd grown up with. I quickly learnt that he hated the whacking sound of a rolled newspaper, even if I was only thumping it on the ground to scare him with the noise. Another thing he hated right at the beginning was grooming and being a Lhasa Apso he absolutely had to be accustomed to it from the beginning.

Simba became a rebellious pup and by the time he was 3-months-old I had almost given up all hopes and even thought about returning him to the breeder since I could see that he did not appear to trust me, and that was the saddest of all. But I was ashamed at my failure and decided that I couldn't give up on him and began to seriously research on dog training. That's when I found out that using the rolled newspaper is now considered faulty and came across a technique called Dog Whispering.

Whispering or speaking to Simba in a mild tone worked instantly and he magically became a changed dog. He began to respond to me and bond with me. Many people have noted that I'm partial to Simba and favour him over my other pets. The fact is that this poor baby has been through lots of tragic events in his younger days which affected his temperament and personality.

To begin with, the breeder lied to me about his age - I took him home under the impression that he was 7-weeks-old although I wanted the pup to be at least 8-weeks-old. I found out exactly a year later on his birthday that he was in fact just 6-weeks-old at the time and though I had found it strange - and mentioned to the breeder too - that, the little pup I had taken home was not yet able to drink milk from a bowl. He had probably not been weaned from his Dam and here I was trying to teach him to behave in ways acceptable to humans!

Simba and I found our way to each other but by the time he became a year old he had been assaulted by my friend's pet (when we tried to introduce them to each other), by strays in an unfortunate incident and finally at his breeder's kennel where I had left him for a week.

One thing I learned from my experience with that breeder was ETHICS. I used this lesson when I decided to get a female companion for Simba because he had completely isolated himself from all canines, having learned to hate them. I've mentioned in a previous post about Simba's cautious beginnings with Lasya and how she has been a huge help in his socialization.

Over the years I learned considerably more about dogs' psychology and in particular about Simba's temperament. Watching their pups grow has also been an eye opener for me and I can see how Simba might have developed as a tiny pup with his litter-mates.

Today I can proudly say that Simba is a happy and confident dog and we understand each other's body language. He understands every spoken word of English and Hindi and even picks on my phone conversations and knows just what is happening! There's a world of a difference in his temperament and we truly enjoy our relationship as pet and adoptive parent.

There's a yummy birthday cake waiting to be cut later but since it is the early hours of 31st August already - Happy Birthday Simba!

Mishi steals Janmashtami prasad

Like every year I celebrated the Janmashtami festival at home with the addition of a beautiful Bal Krishna and a Jhoola and had prepared the typical Sindhi meal for the day hoping to partake of the prasad this morning as my breakfast. But it appears that Mishi, my youngest Lhasa Apso had the same idea!

The Mitha Lola (sweet roti) is made of wheat, jaggery and heaps of cooking oil and just half of it would suffice as breakfast. When Mishi woke me at 7am this morning I let her and Yeshe into the living room to play while I snoozed for another hour. Then at breakfast time I found the platter raided!

So how do I know that its Mishi and not Yeshe who has stolen the Lola? At first I had a few anxious moments because Yeshe has gluten allergy and would have a bad case of diarrhea just from the wheat and God knows what all the oil would do to his sensitive digestion... At second thought, the dogs were back from their morning walk at breakfast time and settling down to their meals. So I only needed to look at who left their meal untouched and was lethargic from this rich and heavy breakfast.

All the evidence pointed to little Mishi who has grown out of her shy and reclusive puppy stage and has become the most mischievous of all my pets. While she will always remains the smallest - or most petite - of Lasya's pups, Mishi has grown out well and is a sharp little cookie. She saw me taking care in placing the platter further out of reach earlier this morning and knew there were goodies in it. Also the fact that I had been giving out yummy looking treats from this platter to visitors yesterday certainly made it most tempting, I must say.

So my little prasad-chor had a feast all by herself leaving proof as crumbs under the sofa. She got to it stealthily and hid in her dark little corner so Yeshe wouldn't come chasing her for this tasty meal. Thankfully, Mishi's digestion was strong enough and after a lethargic day she was hungry and looking at the kitchen by 4pm.

Oh, she did leave a tiny crumb in the platter for me too... I've decided that I've found the perfect nickname for Mishi - Lola!

Lasya's sixth pup Tashi a surprise gift!

Tashi Skamar is Lasya's sixth pup which was totally unexpected and caught me unprepared! Lasya  had shown a litter of five pups in two sonography tests during her pregnancy, which according to the Vet was a big litter going by the size of a Lhasa Apso dam.

On the afternoon of Monday 2nd August 2010, after the fifth pup Mishi was whelped I cleaned up Lasya and her whelping bed - discarded her soiled mattress and the old towels covering it. And then almost an hour after Mishi was born Lasya began pushing out again and I panicked. I called up the Vet and he congratulated me on this surprise pup which he said would bring good luck!
                                                                               

Tashi means Lucky or good luck/auspicious/prosperity in Tibetan language and Skamar means Star. What else could I name this little one but Tashi Skamar - Lucky Star!

A female pup, Tashi came in at exactly 4.05pm, weighing 160gms. Except for Mishi who weighed 145gms all the female pups (including Misa and Lucy) had the same birth weight. With the last three pups normally whelped and with intervals, Lasya now had time to look around and clean each pup as I held them up for her. Tashi was tagged with pink wool while the pup Mishi whelped before her was tagged with light blue wool.

Usually in a large litter there is always a chance of losing a few pups since they'll be jostling for space inside the dam's womb and at feeding time. Some pups invariably get short-changed on their nutritional needs and attention.

As the runt of the litter I was worried about losing Tashi and kept a close eye on her but she turned out to be a true fighter and would race to Lasya at feed time to find the juiciest teat! She fought well to push her way through the crowd and even push away some of the other pups after they'd had a chance.

Tashi grew to be the chubbiest and furriest of all the pups; she soon became the favourite with my neighbour's kids Rehaan and Esha with whom the puppies took their first steps of socialization. Tashi was nicknamed Princess by Rehaan who till date loves and misses her.

This popular little puppy was also momma Lasya's favourite as she seemed to have inherited all her mischievous qualities. As soon as the pups were weaned Lasya began playing with them and training them. But watching Lasya and Tashi together was a pleasure - they were almost like sisters!

With Misa having left our home very early (she lives in my complex and would visit almost daily to join play sessions) Tashi ruled the roost as the naughtiest pup. Diki (Lucy) was quieter but more aggressive while Mishi tried her best to become invisible so that the others would leave her alone!

Princess Tashi reclining on my duvet!

Then came the day just before Christmas in December 2010 when I found a loving home for Tashi. When her prospective Momma came to see her and the family it was love at first sight - for Hetal and Lasya! Hetal asked Lasya for permission to take Tashi, promising to take good care of her and Lasya wagged her tail and gave her a lick! We said goodbye that night itself with a little care package containing kibble, a bowl and a couple of toys until she could get to a store the next morning. We passed on this little 'lucky charm' and the little princess continues to hold court in her own home now spreading the magic of doggie love and joy.

A week late wishing you but... Happy Birthday Tashi!

Long rest before the fifth pup Michewa whelped

Lasya's fifth pup Michewa was a female too, whelped over an hour after the fourth one - at 3.07pm and was the smallest of all the Lhasa Apso pups weighing in at a mere 145gms. Named Phalden Michewa which means Glorious Heavens in Tibetan language little Mishi has grown up to be a petite little lady.

Mishi suffered from colic within the first week itself and refused to take her feed. Instead she would keep racing in circles around the puppy bed and even when I placed her on Lasya's teat she would still climb over and continue her circling. This meant a weight-loss she could ill afford and when the other pups got Diarhea in the second week little Mishi had a further drop in her weight. Four days after the pups were born, on 6th August, I had to call the Vet for an emergency home visit at midnight because the last pup Tashi was sickening. While this pup responded quickly to the treatment the Vet found Mishi's low weight a matter of concern and instructed me to watch her closely for the next 48 hours.

At 3 weeks while the biggest of the pups Rinchen (now named Akki) weighed 762gms, Mishi weighed just 636gms. This is also when I had to introduce a supplement for the pups because Lasya's milk began drying up. Possibly she was stressed because she was constantly feeding the huge litter of six pups who were always jostling with 1 or 2 always being left hungry. At 8 weeks Rinchen weighed 2.2kgs and Mishi weighed 1.57kgs - almost half his size!

By this time they were already being weaned to kibble food and were discovering their taste buds. Mishi was completely overshadowed and outnumbered by her bigger and more aggressive litter-mates who would push her out of the way and finish her meals. The poor little pup would keep crying out to me after mealtimes when the others were sated and took their naps  - and I thought she was just wanting attention. It was only when she reached for and gobble Simba and Lasya's dinner in the kitchen a couple of times that I realized that something was wrong. This added to her weight issue and growth and she has since remained a slow developer.

Mishi sharing a chewstick with Lasya at 3 months

Being a timid little puppy Mishi was also the quietest of them all, which is why she was always overlooked by prospective adopting families who were looking for a playful pup. After four of the pups found their new homes by December 2010 only Yeshe and Mishi were left with us and that's when Lasya began to train her with more one-on-one attention. She helped Mishi gain confidence and coaxed her into playing games and even taught her - and Yeshe - to get a little aggressive with her!

Mishi exhausted and taking a well-deserved nap after the Dog Show

A little after Mishi turned 6 months old I entered her in the Bombay Presidency Kennel Club Dog Show in the minor puppy class where she won the 1st Place with a Gold Medal on 6th February 2011. The two judges gave positive comments on her good looks and coat quality. I'm currently preparing her for the next Showing season and hoping that she does well. The aim is of course to earn a Championship or even a CC (Championship Challenge).

Mishi in a pretty red dress enjoying her 1st Birthday Dinner on Tuesday 2nd August.

Yeshe and Mishi on their 1st Birthday. While Mishi got a pretty red dress Yeshe got a matching bow tie! Happy Birthday Michewa - my petite baby!

Lasya's fourth pup Diki a true middle child

Lasya's fourth pup Dechen Diki was a true middle child - lost in the big litter of six Lhasa Apso pups. This female pup with birth weight 160gms was born at 1.55pm on Monday 2nd August 2010, exactly 15 minutes after the third pup Yeshe. After having whelped 3 pups within 10 minutes Lasya got a short breather and so did I.

My helper Sarita played a big role by generally running around, fetching hot water, clean napkins, kitchen weighing scale, the hygiene kit I had earlier prepared. She even took the sire Simba out of the room when he began barking in distress when Lasya screamed in pain during the first three breach whelps. Thankfully Diki's was an easy whelp and having had a 15 minute break both the dam and I were better prepared since we were taken completely by surprise, not to mention the first three assembly line whelps! LOL!

Lasya had completed her 63-day cycle so the whelping was expected over the weekend and I was on leave as of Monday. However, since she showed no signs of labor yet and I had even taken her outside for relieving herself at 12.45pm. I was chatting online with a colleague at 1pm who asked for news and turned to look at my Lhasa girl who lay in her whelping bed. That's when I saw her already in labor and with Misa whelped at 1.30pm you can imagine how quick my responses had to be and for a first-timer I'm glad I kept myself together!

I still had to pull out the fourth pup as it came through but this time instead of wiping it clean and snipping the umbilical chord I held it in front of Lasya and she instinctively knew what she had to do - although I had to hold the chord for her to snip off. Her color coded tag was in green wool.

Little Diki didn't begin as a very healthy puppy - she suffered from colic and had trouble taking her feed in the first couple of weeks. With Diarhea adding to this confusion when all pups kept jostling around Lasya at feed-time keeping her well-fed was a challenge.

Lasya paying attention to Diki while the other pups sleep after a feed. She would lave their face and groom them after every feed and in the initial weeks the dam even licked cleaned their urine and feces.

Diki after being laved by her mother Lasya

Diki on the right with her chubby baby sister Tashi Skamar on the left. Diki left our home at the beginning of December when she was 4 months-old and while her new mom Pooja was a first-time pet owner she had already brought home a Pug puppy born a day after Diki. She renamed Dechen Diki as Lucy and very soon added a Labrador pup to this menagerie!

Dechen Diki in Tibetan language means Health, Wealth and Happiness and I'm proud to say that this little girl has brought all these and more joys to her human mother Pooja who told me later that she keeps getting compliments on Diki's looks and temperament.

Happy 1st Birthday little bundle of Happiness!

Third pup Yeshe whelped breach

Lasya had a tough but quick whelping with her third pup Yeshe, the second male weighing 182gms born ten minutes after the first one at 1.40pm. The first three pups - Misa, Akki and Yeshe came out breach (feet first) within five minutes of each other and while Lasya wasn't in trauma she was in a lot of pain. Also, with each new pup being followed with labor pain she was focusing on pushing them out rather than cleaning the newborns.

I was told by the Vet and other breeders that I just needed to be with her for moral support and she would do everything by herself but on that day I was thankful for having found whelping videos on YouTube which showed the breeder cleaning up the newborn pups and even cutting the umbilical cords; I was prepared for this event but had to overcome my own nervousness to help her calmly by cleaning the first three pups.

Yeshe was tagged with Navy blue wool for colour coding and his complete name is Yeshe Chogyal - which is The Wise King in Tibetan.

                                          Yeshe's profile pictures taken at 6 weeks

This little pup soon discovered a friend in Rehaan, my young neighbor and would crawl across his baby bed and even fly into Rehaan's hands every time he visited after coming home from school. This special friendship continues till date with both Rehaan and his younger sister Esha as seen in pictures in earlier posts.

Yeshe has always been a sleepyhead and can sleep through any amount of noise and distraction - he even sleeps through the noise created by firecrackers during festivals, thankfully since my older Lhasa Apso  Simba and even Lasya tremble at the slightest bit of firecracker noise!

I decided to keep back Yeshe as he showed Dog Show potential with the perfect body structure and temperament. He has also turned out to be the lightest in coloring.

Yeshe is also probably the most mischievous of Lasya's pups having taken after his dam. This little joker is also ready to challenge his sire Simba and any other dogs in the locality including a Siberian Husky in my complex! Happy Birthday Fly Boy!