July 20th

RIP SWEET DURANGO

My affectionate, goofy and always entertaining foster dog Durango passed away suddenly yesterday. He was less than two years old, and I miss Mr. Trouble very much.

Let me tell you his story from the beginning. We got a plea from the local shelter to take a young dog. He had been turned in by his owners because he had chronic diarrhea, and "the pills weren't working." The medical staff at the shelter put him on the kill list because they didn't have the resources to fix the poor guy, so I went down to evaluate him.

There was no way I was going to let this handsome GSD die alone on a cold table in the shelter. He was very skinny, but I knew that I needed to help him. It turns out that he had a condition where he wasn't able to digest or absorb nutrients from his food, but the addition of enzymes to his meals would manage it and allow him to live a normal life. I broke my "no kibble crosses my threshold" rule for Mr. Rango-Bango. For him to eat raw I would have had to either buy very expensive ground stuff, or buy a strong grinder because the enzymes have to touch every bit of the food and sit for a while to work. Sprinkling them on a chicken leg quarter doesn't cut it. Didn't matter to him though, Durango loved to eat. Even some things he shouldn't, which may have been the cause of his demise.

He was a complete cuddle bug, and took it upon himself to chase all birds and flies out of the yard. One day a sparrow flew in my back door, and he caught it. He took it to his crate and let it go and it flew away. No sparrow dinner for you!

From what he went through in his final moments I think that he either had an intestinal blockage or his intestines twisted. My house is too quiet without him.

Hope there are sparrows for you to catch in doggie heaven Pudda Head.