Zoomba tricked

Zoomba escaped twice in three days, despite the 2 meter high fence. But how? No gaps under the fence. Did she use the hibiscus to climb over the fence? The almond tree? The yucca? This one can climb trees you know, especially if there’s a cat up there.

We went outside the gate and made cat noises while calling her. It turned out to be the yucca. Poor Zoomba. Fell for our little trick.

The cut off yucca we planted, of course, as Burke explains.

"Virry hippy, think you virry much", sid thi hippy Yucca iwner.

Two years of Zoomba

This week it's two years ago we acquired this house, with Zoomba as an unexpected bonus. If you like you can find some blog entries here: http://jansenendewaal.blogspot.com/search?q=zoomba.

Do you think Zoomba is okay these days?

Zoomba update

Good news: Zoomba has gained weight, from 15.4 to 16kg in one week! So the ehrlichiosis treatment works like a treat, so far. Still very grateful she's leishmania negative.

Zoomba Leishmania and Erhlichiosis

It's Tuesday, June 13th, and according to the Spanish, that's our Friday the 13th. An unlucky day. And that's true. Zoomba tested positive for both leishmania and ehrlichiosis. And that's not good news.

UPDATE: Zoomba is NEGATIVE for Leishmania according to the (more precise) lab test!

UPDATE: Zoomba is NEGATIVE for Leishmania according to the (more precise) lab test!

Zoomba hasn't been eating well for a few weeks and has lost weight. She was once 18 kilos (40 pounds) and a bit overweight, but now she's 15.7 kg (51.5 pounds), and that's really too thin. Nothing else to complain about. She's just going for a long walk, which is still much more important than eating. And she's pooping and peeing happily, and not throwing up. But still.

I thought it was really crazy now, so off to Vera, to Veravet. This weight loss started around the time she was fed chicken carcasses, occasionally raw meat with bone. However, the gastro issues should be gone in a few days. The vet wanted to treat her stomach upset first, and if that didn't help, a blood test. I said I'd rather have a blood test now to make sure she didn't have leishmania or something else.

Leishmania is a very nasty disease. It's a protozoan transmitted by a tiny mosquito that's active between dusk and dawn. Dogs are the "reservoir" for the leishmania parasite, so it's important to protect your dog. You can do this by giving him a special spot-on and keeping him indoors at night. We give him Vectra-3D, which works against long-sucking pests like ticks and fleas, killing them, and against sand flies with a repellent. In addition, we give him a monthly worming pill to protect against heartworms. (Normally you do that every three months, but here every month.)

Ehrlichiosis is also a nasty canine disease. It's a bacteria-like bug transmitted by ticks. The dog becomes tired and has a decreased appetite. (Hey!)

Both Leishmania and ehrlichiosis are typical diseases that occur in warm, dry climates. Around the Mediterranean, that is.

Ehrlichiosis is treatable in dogs. You'll get a few weeks of (yes, indeed) antibiotics. After a few days, you'll be much better, but you have to finish the treatment.

Leishmania is a different story. You can cure people of it, but not dogs. It is, however, easily managed with a simple and inexpensive pill called Allopurinol every day. It's a medication for humans that works against gout, and in dogs, against this parasite. It has no side effects, which is good. Leishmania is a sneaky disease in dogs. You can't see it, but once symptoms do appear, it's too late. Then the kidneys, liver, eyes, and skin are affected, and it's a real feat to get a dog back to a reasonably healthy state and keep it that way. There are also dogs that remain asymptomatic, and therefore have Leishmania, but don't become ill. Only when their health dips does the disease strike.

Despite taking preventative measures and frequently checking the dogs for ticks, Zoomba tested positive for both leishmania and ehrlichiosis. And that's not good news.

When we found her at our house, almost two years ago now, we had her tested for the three endemic diseases because she was very thin. However, she tested negative for these two. So she contracted them after that time, under our care. It's possible she contracted leishmaniasis just before our time, when she was outside day and night with her puppies. The test could still be negative because no antibodies had yet been formed. The ehrlichiosis is likely recent; it's not a dormant disease.

The vet is a bit surprised, because the blood tests don't show anything unusual, except that she tested positive for these two diseases. And that's actually very good news; her blood doesn't show any signs of illness. Another blood sample is being analyzed at the lab, where they're determining the severity of the infection by counting the number of leishmania parasites ("titer"). Perhaps it's not so bad. She's a local dog, who knows, perhaps one that's fairly resistant to this disease. In any case, the leishmania isn't very active, and it's the ehrlichiosis that's caused her weight loss.

This means a blood test every year or six months, and a daily Allopurinol pill for the rest of her life. With that pill, most dogs live a normal life and grow old healthily.

Zoomba has been on antibiotics for a few days now, and we think she's already getting a bit better with food.

Zoomba's adventure

The fence has a gap for the digger machine and other work. Intended was to use the big gate,
but that wasn't big enough, so a portion of the fence and wall were taken out. And Zoomba's are smart enough to notice.
And take advantage. Especially if there's a hint of cat or a suspicion of rabbit, freedom calls. And that freedom was enjoyed! From seven in the evening till half past one at night. And what do you do a a responsible parent? As you understand.. We let the light on, the door ajar, a window open, and you peek out of the window to see if you see her coming. Lucky Papaya has excellent hearing too, so she noticed Zoomba even before we did.

And as a youngster (that she still is at three years = 3x7=21) she was enormously hungry and thirsty after her escapades. And she smelled of grass (the cow food stuff) and dust. We're sure she had a terrific time.

We're very happy she's back.

Spring

Good turd

As good parents we keep an eye on our dogs' poo. Zoomba has really lovely turds, usually, but Papaya produces sort of smelly chocolate mousse. We got a big bag of puppy food with her, but we're not going to use that much longer, as another brand gives us this one. Good, huh?

We were told Papaya has a sensitive stomach. That would not fit well with her gluttony, actually.

Zoomba and Papaya

We think Zoomba and Papaya are getting along well.

If the video does not work please try Facebook

Zoomba in Zeeland

We were told Zoomba much feared the sea. Fake news. SAD!

Fence almost ready

The fence is almost ready. Yesterday it was almost ready too, but it did not pass the Zoomba-test. Within 5 minutes she was outside, as she wriggled under the mesh. So now the fence has a cement border at the bottom.

You'd think she's explore the terrain within the fence, but no. Only the area beyond the fence is of interest, and she sniffles along the fence to get OUT.

Geotextile and

gravel

And yet again: a Zoomba outside the gate. The b*tch knows how to jump over the terrace gate from the wooden stairs, then jump down 2.5 meters from the terrace wall, and not break anything. While on the flat grass in Amersfoort she managed to break a toe while we were not looking. That is why two old mattresses are put up against the gate.

No mouse

Etc. etc.



Uren! // Hours!

Zoomba 1 year later

First

Then

A few days later

And

the

rest

is

history.

Nivea Pavlov reaction

When we go for a walk with Zoomba we always slap on sun cream. She is now conditioned so that if we put on sun cream to do a chore outside she comes running to us, barking loudly and expectantly. Pavlov was right.

A drowned ZoombaTracker™

All very well, this irrigation business, and jolly for Zoomba that she likes it a lot here, chasing rabbits, but not so great she returned all wet, with a malfunctioning ZoombaTracker™.

She rummages around the irrigation channels, and sticks her nose into the conduits, thus putting the ZoombaTracker™ in water. It is dry here. Very very dry, so this is something I had not taken into account.

Now and then the tracker gave a sign of life, but more often it did not. Lucky my soldering iron and spare parts had just arrived with the car, so I had a spare ZoombaTracker™ and some Arduino Trinkets.

The SIM still worked, so did the LoNet GSM/GPS, but not the lipo-battery. Even after days of drying it cannot be re-charged. That is eleven euros down the irrigation channels. (Update! The battery is fine again.)

With the spare battery still malfunctions. Grmbl. (And worse.) Then the remaining part to swap is the Arduino. Screw-glue-desolder-solder-curse-grmll-sweat. But, it's working.

And it fits the little plastic Oropax box a lot better, with shorter wires, shorter battery wires, and the clever use of Tesa black tape.

ZoombaTracker™ IoT

This is the fruit of last month's work: the ZoombaTracker™, GrannyFinder™, CarTracer™, etc.

Remember Zoomba? Of course you do. Well, she runs off, which is worrying for city dwellers. The ZoombaTracker™ is a wearable IoT "Internet of Things" thingie consisting of a GSM+GPS module, the smallest Arduino I could find, a LiPo battery and two antennae in a little (match)box, that will be attached to Zoomba's collar.

GPS trackers for pets are readily available, but they usually come with a subscription service that costs a lot of money, and I don't like that. The ZoombaTracker™ is different. It can be controlled by sending it a simple SMS, and it will return the GPS location of the device as an answer. So, at the cost of one SMS you will know where Zoomba, granny or your car are.

The device is designed to be sleeping mostly, to save the battery. Current testing show the device will work up to 50 hours on a charged 550mAh LiPo battery, which is not too bad. The tracker is active 08:00 till midnight, so 16 hours a day. It should work two days on a charge. Perhaps removing the 3 LEDs will further decrease power consumption.

The ZoombaTracker™ will send an SMS when the battery is low, to remind you to charge or change the battery.

Here is an example: some commands, an SMS with a link to Google Maps, and the result.


(Gw=send GPS location as soon as fix is obtained, Mg=send in Google Maps format, Gf=force send GPS location NOW, G0=GPS off)

The complete device. It will be attached to a dog collar next, and tested in the wild.

Zoomba and the poor pink paw

We did not see it happen, but it did. This little energetic, acrobatic creature managed to break a toe. On flat grassland. Wooshed after a ball, and right when you don't watch and mind your own business your dog comes limping back, holding up her paw. She does this too when a nasty little thorny seed attaches itself to her paw, so we can unpick it. Here there was nothing to unpick, this time.

We carried her home, all 18 kilos. She was still wooshing around, chasing the cat in the garden, jumping up and down the couch, and everything. Still, the next day, Sunday, of course, it had not bettered, and she was still limping. Call the vet, weekend service. Got there at 12:00. Saw doctor by 13:00. It was clear no main bones were hurting, but it is difficult to see if a toe is broken. So, let's make an x-ray.

The x-ray machine had just gotten a new Windows computer. And yes, that is problematic. It had been switched off for a day, and it needed to update itself. The update took ages, and failed. Then, Windows restores the previous situation, apparently, and that takes even more ages. Unbelievable that after twenty years this bloody Microsoft company still produces ABSOLUTE SHITE. We left the vet at four, minus €250, but with a nice photo en new experiences.

No doubt it's broken. And here she is, with her pink bandages. She needs to REST 4-6 WEEKS, not run around, very short walks, and absolutely no jumping on and off couches, bed, etc.

This dog? Oh dear.

Zoomba here, Zoomba there, Zoomba nowhere to be found

Can you spot Zoomba?

Well done.

Zoomba has had a really terrific week. Chasing one cat into a telephone pole, another into a fig tree, and yet another into an orange tree. And she's really impressed the neighbour dogs with her barking. Also, running wild in artichoke fields is great fun, as is doing acrobatic stunts on the edge of the water reservoir.

We saw her attempting to jump over a fence from the very edge of the 4 meters deep empty water reservoir, and barely succeeding (path A). Had she failed she could have ended up 4 meters down. Don't be mistaken, this basin is four meters deep. I widened the opening in the fence, so I hope Zoomba will now take path B instead of A. Also, the old blinds should help her recognise the open opening.. No, closing off that opening is no use, she can reach the edge from all directions. And try to stop this dog when she has something on her mind. Dogs tend to become alike their caretakers, indeed.

There is not much traffic here, but Spanish people are not careful drivers, and Spanish dogs are not careful dogs. A possibly lethal combination that we need to counter with a) installing a fence b) a GPS Zoomba-tracker.

This was Thursday, our last day, and lunch time, also for dogs. We needed to leave around 4. But, no Zoomba.

"Hay un pequeño perro marrón?" - "no."

"Have you seen our dog?" - "No, but I'll take the car and look near the village", said our very nice neighbour.

Where can she be? Hopefully she did not run along the road back to where we saw those rabbits, yesterday? Argh!

No Panic!

One o'clock, no Zoomba. ("We'll tie you up in the house and...")

Half past One. An exhausted doggy, tongue twice as long as normal, and she's hungry.

Relief!

Better call off the search party... Where's my iPhone? God, how do you dial numbers here with Bliep? No caller id? Now what? Apparently I have to accept that call, and then there's a connection. Is that modern technology? grmbl.

Back home quickly finish the ZoombaTracker..!

Zoomba en de køtkat

Een weekje na de vorige blogpagina kom ik met hond de buuf tegen, waarop zij kreet: "héé, dat is de hond die laatst achter mijn kat aan zat!". Ik zei: "ja, dat kan". Nou, dat was niet zoals zij het zich wenste. En dat zij "maatregelen" zou moeten nemen als het nog eens voor zou komen. Ik zei: "ah, je houdt je kat binnen?". En zei, "doei!", en ben doorgelopen. Trut.

Leuk he, mensen die zeiken dat mijn hond in hun tuin achter hun kat die in mijn tuin zat aan zit. (Precies één van de redenen om een wat dunbevolkter deel van de wereld op te zoeken.)

Køtkat

[Dit verhaaltje speelt in augustus, red.] Er zit al een tijd een fraaie jonge kat in onze tuin. Dit voorjaar viel ie al op: mooi muisgrijs, slank, naïef poezig rondkijkend. Uu kent het wel.

Nu blijkt het beest er eigenlijk altijd wel te wezen, en zo ongeveer te wonen, onder de rozemarijnstruik/varen. Gezellig is het er ook, het poezenhol is gedecoreerd met enkele gedroogde vogelvleugeltjes. Zelfs met regen biedt een varen nog wel een zekere droogte. Echt schuw is ie ook niet, als ik de deur open laat zit poes binnen. Mja, hatsjoe, traan, snotter, snurf, en zo.

Een bezoekende kattenkenster riep: "hé, dat is een abbessijn! [Het lijkt eerder een "chartreux", red.] Wat een mooie!". En, "die is vàst weggelopen, ergens!". Wat toch een zorgelijk gevoel losmaakte, gezien de er reeds aankomende winterstormen, overstromingen, op stapel staande Zoomba, en zo. En dat je zo'n dier toch niet buiten in de kou...

De dierenbeschermering maar eens gebeld. "O, maar het kan best zijn dat de poes het gewoon èrg leuk vindt in uw tuin, en 's avonds gewoon naar huis gaat. Weet u wat, doe 'm een bandje om met uw telefoonnummer!".

Een bandje omdoen.. Hoe dat je dat bij een kat..?

Een blikje kattenvoer. 49 cent van de AH. Hm, ruikt geeneens verkeerd. Paté? Dat vond poes ook, en liet zich zelfs over de bol kriewelen na een paar hapjes. Een dag later en een poezenbandje+adreskokertje rijker (à 4,50 + 2,00), nog een poging: en succes. *klik!*

Erg gewaardeerd werd de halsband niet, er werden koddige sprongen gemaakt, maar daarna toch nog een hapje gegeten, dus het viel wel mee.

Een uurtje later: telefoon. Een beledigd klinkende buurvrouw van verderop, dat er een BANDJE OM HAAR POES zat! En dattie best wel een thuis had, en eten, en 's nachts bij haar op bed... (Getver, al die mensen met hun beesten op bed!)

Ach, het beest heeft dus een thuis, en daar ben ik blij om. Hij(?) lijkt het naar z'n(?) zin te hebben, en ik vond het een naar idee om zo'n beest een dierenbeschermingdomesticatietraject (3x woordwaarde) in te duwen, met pootjes en opzitten, en zo.

Zoomba part 10: Home, really, now

Well, we had just three full days here, and needed to be in Alicante early Sunday morning to catch our flight to Rotterdam, so we had to leave Saturday afternoon. And guess what? Saturday morning the RCD was dried out sufficiently to let us have power! Well, at least that allowed us to have a vacuum clean session.

And we need to make sure the house stays better ventilated when locked up. The cellar now has a big opening to the kitchen, so damp air from below enters the house. Not good. But we want the electricity to be completely shut off while not there, so we can't use the ventilator that is there now. Perhaps install a small solar cell powered fan, next time.

Pack the car, lock up the house, switch off the power and water, off we go. The hotel is on one side of the highway, so we need to drive 10 km past it, and then turn. Nice room, huge bed. Can't hear the traffic, good.

Dinner. But, Zoomba has a big preference for lying on the bed, which even in dog-friendly hotels is not "done". As a test we lock her up in her bench, and leave the room. We stay behind the door to hear what will happen. And yes, a short bark, followed by some wailing. Hm. Enter room, just to show we're still here, but ignoring her. Repeat exit. Again, "WoOoo!". Damn. Another short entering of the room, just to show we're still around, and exit. "WoOooOo!" This time we decide to give it a few minutes, or else have dinner separately. And she shuts up.

Well, even though it is not very relaxed, with a locked up dog, we need to eat. The restaurant turns out to be a big self-service canteen. You should not order lamb chops in such a place, but burgers and fries. However, we were being posh, and had them anyway, with a small bottle of ros&eacute. The fries were okay, but the rest was not. Make up with a chocolate pie and coffee.

In France you often get the most vile and bitter coffee, we've never had bad coffee in Spain yet. Every "café solo" was good, and here, too.

We let Zoomba out of her prison, put the old sheet on the bed, and had a warm little dog curled (see pic above) up between our feet. Just this once, then...

"We have forgotten something."
"hm?"
"We forgot to actually close the gas bottle downstairs."
"HM!"
The bottle is outside the house, but still, not a comfortable feeling. We must ask V&W to shut the bottle, and tell them where the key of the locker is.

Breakfast is take-away, too. A croissant, a cake and something apple-y. Sweet? "My dentist is rich."

Off to the airport. Checkin. and get a sticker for the bench. You then deliver your dog and bench to a special office, where they will scan the bench for hidden "merchandise", as we were told by a friendly fellow passenger with same bench, and quiet dog, that Zoomba was quite not in like with. (WOOF WOOF! Grr! etc.) Best you are with two people, one staying behind with luggage, the other taking care of checking in the dog, as you are scanned as with regular security. Then you lock up the Zoomba, and you are off shopping. Well, actually you only hand in your dog just prior to boarding, as to have her in strange hands as short as possible.

The quiet dog was quiet because he was on half a pill, his owner confessed. But, the airline tells you not to, because a dog may seem quiet, but isn't. And may not be able to control his body temperature well.

And once boarded the plane you must check that your pet was actually put on board with the purser. She was there, and Zoomba, too.

Rotterdam. You oldfashionedly get off the plane with stairs, and then must board a bus that will transport you the remaining 100 meters to the arrival. There you must wait behind a glass door, watching the plane, and seeing the luggage and dogs being unloaded. Ah, there she goes! And there she is! Eager to get out of the bench, but we'll only do that outside the terminal building. That strip of green may have been the first actual grass she had under her feet.

The one hour drive was okay, with a Zoomba that needed to sit on your lap to have a better view of the outside world.

At home she sniffed around, while we pointed out where her cushion and basket were. Try the garden? Why not. Open garden door, let Zoomba out, see Zoomba fly over the fence after the third neighbour's cat. "Woof woof!" (Zoomba) "Scream! Scream! Yell!" (neighbour woman).

This was rather undesired behaviour, apart from getting rid of the cat, as this dog has no notion of traffic, roads, cars, so this is potentially lethal. We found her on the pavement. So, no free reign garden for you, unfortunately. Bloody cat.