360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Nova's blood sugars are remaining stable at the moment (but I believe that they need to be checked again in a couple of months). There will always be some variations. His thyroid medication is also working as well.
Recently Nova has been working on his resource guarding and is coming along really well.
Now that his diabetes and grumpiness are under control he is going to the eye specialist on January 20th to see if anything can be done to correct his cataracts.
Now for the fun updates on Nova:
He loves to sleep in places that aren't necessarily recommended. For example, earlier this week I found him sleeping inside my daughter's recently sharpened skates. He is on a non-stop hunt for food at all times (except for when he is sleeping) and as a result he recently broke into the air-tight food container for the other dogs in the house. I have had the container for 20 years and no one has ever broken it before. I bought something called a "Vittles Vault" to keep him out of the food--. so far he hasn't figured it out--. Nova also has a vast knowledge of how to get into closed rooms and passed shut doors. He is also happy to share his skill with Danny and they have now taken to shredding toilet paper when they can't find anything edible.
All in all he is a happy boy who just likes to nap in warm places and use his beagle parts to hunt down food.
Nova has been working really hard to get his thyroid and his blood sugar numbers back down to a normal range. The good news is that he has finally gotten both of these numbers within range. It is also clear that he is feeling better now as he is back to his normal puppy self. Now that the weather has suddenly turned cold he is really enjoying cuddling under the covers with his people and cuddling up to the other dogs in the house to be able to steal their body heat.
Nova is currently working on being less possessive of his valued food and garbage cans. He currently thinks that paper towel and toilet paper are extra fibre in his diet. While he enjoys this we don't love picking up the shredded bits of paper in the house. He is picking up these things very quickly though so I expect that to be relatively quick to correct. He loves to trade for treats. Not that the pugs in the house aren't smart because they are, but Nova is smarter than the average pug (probably due to the beagle part of him).
All in all, he is a lovely lovely boy. He takes his medication without complaint and loves nothing more than being close to the people and dogs in the house. He loves to meet new people and dogs. Also, he is the most fun dog to pet because he is as soft as a bunny.
Nova continues to be a little character who now rules his foster mom's home. He had a great summer and really enjoyed his short strolls into the lake.
His thyroid meds were recently adjusted and he seems to be doing well. He also recently had a blood glucose curve done. His numbers weren't great so we have adjusted his dose and he will be re-checked again very soon.
Nova is continuing to do well on both his insulin and his thyroid medications. He is down to an ideal weight now. He also appears to be feeling much better as he started to chase his tail and has become even chattier, adding some new sounds to his repertoire. He continues to get along well with all new human and fur people that he meets. His thyroid is due to be rechecked shortly so I am hopeful those meds are now perfect. His insulin curve is due to be redone in two months. All in all he is a really delightful little man.
We have started to call Nova "Nugget" because he's just such a cute little nugget. He has started to go both up and down the stairs in the house which shows that he is feeling better and is totally comfortable in our home. He loves his food and has an internal clock set to 7:00am and 7:00pm. If his food is even a minute late he starts to chatter non-stop and jump at the kitchen counter. If that doesn't work he resorts to ramming me in the shins with his head.
He continues to love all of the other dogs in the house and still likes to cuddle with Kitty. If Kitty is not available he now cuddles with Charles (which is kind of amazing because Charles has a tendency to be unpredictable). Charles seems to know that Nova needs a bit of extra patience and he's fine with that. Nova likes to give kisses but with his funky tongue an intended kiss to the cheek often becomes a kiss to the armpit.
At a recent visit to the vet Nova's insulin curve was done and his numbers are much better than the last time. At this point he doesn't need another curve for 2-3 months. This is very good news. The vet also re-checked his thyroid and the news wasn't quite as good. His thyroid is still a little low so his medication has been increased and will need to be re-checked in a month.
All in all Nova seems to be doing really well. The longer he is with us, the more entertaining he becomes.
Nova loves all people that he meets (big and small). He has settled into my house seamlessly. Our resident grouchy dog Charles has even taken to him. Like all of our male foster dogs Nova has formed an attachment to Kitty ( she pretends she doesn't like Nova but we know she does).
He likes to have long periods of napping and has an amazing internal clock that tells him when it's 7:30 twice per day for his feeding and insulin times. He always eats well and takes his insulin like a champ. He spends most of his time upstairs and when he feels that he would like company he wails at the top of the stairs for us to either come upstairs and pay attention to him or carry him down to go outside, get him some water and cuddle on the couch. He is a very well behaved boy with only one exception......he lives to shred toilet paper (we are working on that).
Nova had his first insulin curve with us mid-February and his second today. The vet will call tomorrow with the interpretation of the results. I had a fast look tonight and his numbers have gone down from before so I think an another adjustment will be made.
He is a little character who with a little extra effort would fit in just about anywhere.
Nova is a super sweet 9-year-old puggle with a tongue that goes on for days. He has settled in at his foster home quite quickly because he's a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. As long as he has a human to snuggle and his favourite toys, he's perfectly content. When foster mom goes to work, he naps and plays in his own quarters with no evidence of any anxiety. Nova has a hard time seeing so he is prone to bumping in to walls and other fur siblings but is quickly learning to navigate his way around. He has had no accidents indoors to date. This happy, cuddly boy has been a complete joy! More updates to come as we get to know this little man.
