#RiddickPup Is Twenty Eight Weeks Old

Last Monday afternoon I dropped him off at SAGA's kennels so they could make sure he didn't eat or drink anything before his castration surgery on the Tuesday, and he was stoked to find he was sharing a kennel with Zanzi and Zilla- both girls in to be spayed!

Riddick is standing between the two girls

He was having a whale of a time when I left, but apparently when he was driven to the vet (and back to SAGA after his op) the next day he howled non-stop, there and back again! When I arrived to fetch him on the Wednesday he was very happy to see me, and I was told by our SAGA PDS that I had to make sure he didn't get too wet (not a problem as he doesn't like water  as much as Volt does) and that he and Volt had to chill on the roughhousing... I thought I could keep them "calm" for a few days.
I was wrong.
On Wednesday night we had to drive back to BVH to get his cut re-stitched. The vet said he didn't even seem to notice the needle as she stitched him up again with a little local anesthetic, and she gave him an antibiotic shot just in case, with more tablets for the next few days. AND he came out of the vet's office with a Cone Of Shame!!

It was very funny to watch him because every time he bumped into something he thought he was being held and would stand and wait till he got freed, but hells bells! Those things should come with a warning for the humans in the house! And even with the cone he still managed to get dirty!

Because Riddick follows me around so closely he spent the next few days bumping into the back of my legs with the edge of the cone! I am amazed my legs aren't striped black and blue! By Friday afternoon I had had enough of the blasted thing and I took it off him. I've had to stop him licking himself in his sleep a couple of times and I am stopping any hectic rough play between him and Volt, but so far so good.

he puts his front feet and head on the bed, his "lift me I'm too little to jump" pose

This morning the vet's scale clocked him at 26.9kg so he's gained 500g since last week! I look at photos of him as a tiny baby and I can hardly believe he was ever so small!

asleep on my bed

asleep on the floor in my room

Unfortunately Riddick caught Volt's kennel cough. His cough was different to Volt's in that it didn't sound like a cough so much as it sounded like he was throwing up, buy he's already much better with cough mixture and the antibiotics the vet put him on when she re-stitched him. And taking a tip from SAGA, I discovered it is FAR easier to give the puppies their meds by putting the pills in my hand with a few of their pellets as a treat and they gobble everything up without batting an eyelid!

I found a rubber ball this week that has a bell in it! That means that even if he's not looking when I throw it he can hear when it lands! He loves it!

And! AND! He is finally - touch wood - sleeping till 6am! Its glorious!