Before going home, we first took him to the hospital. On the way, he lay obediently in our arms, sleeping in various positions. During the one – or two – hour journey, he neither barked nor fussed, and didn’t pee or poop (skr~).
He looked like a little lamb.
With a melancholy look in his eyes.
We went to the animal hospital for a check – up.
We did a routine physical examination and a PCR test for canine distemper and parvovirus. When the doctor heard the seller’s “calcium – deficiency theory”, he couldn’t help laughing and said that this little guy might be less than two months old.
While waiting for the results, we went to McDonald’s for a meal and hid the puppy in the down jacket. At that time, he liked to sleep with his neck stuck in a certain position.
We thought it was quite cute at that time, so we let him stay like that. But not long after, he vomited a large puddle on the down jacket. At that time, we were always on high alert, worried that he had canine distemper or parvovirus. We thought these were symptoms of the diseases and rushed back to the hospital in a panic. The doctor said it was okay and that he was probably choked… (Please take this as a warning.)
Later, the PCR results came out. There was canine distemper virus, but the value was not high. I can’t quite remember exactly what the doctor said. Anyway, the general idea was that the dog was too small. We should take it home and take good care of it. If it could survive for two weeks, it would pass the critical period. Once it got sick during this period, the chance of cure was not high. To be honest, we had a psychological expectation for this result, but when we knew that this situation really happened, we still felt very sad. This cute little guy had only been in this world for such a short time and might have to go back to the dog heaven…
The doctor patiently explained and gave instructions on everything in detail, such as what to feed the dog at each stage, how to feed, how many meals a day, how much to feed per meal, whether it needed to be heated, what symptoms it would have if it got sick, and when to start vaccination. (Compared with the setbacks we had in another hospital when helping a colleague take care of a kitten that was just a month old and was diagnosed with parvovirus more than half a year later.) We are really grateful to the doctor at that time. He was really reliable and responsible!!
Despite being sad, there was still a glimmer of hope after all. We did our best to do everything well, leave no regrets, and then accept the reality.
Naming
At that time, we came up with a lot of cute names, like Snowball, Yuwan, Huangtao, Xiaren, Xiaoguai… We really couldn’t decide which one to use, so we discussed that if we really couldn’t choose, we would draw lots.
Hey? Wait! Draw lots? Why not just call him Zhajiu (Lot – drawing)!
Then the puppy had a name~ I quite like this name. It shows a sense of carelessness yet also a bit of carefulness.
Setting up the Small Nest
At first, we let him roam freely in the small bedroom. Since we didn’t know if little Zhajiu could survive for two weeks, we kept everything simple. We used an old cardboard box, spread some old clothes and towels beside the heater as a small nest. At that time, we heard from somewhere that adding some sense of ritual to a puppy’s toilet – using process could help with potty – training. So we modified an old cat litter box into a dog toilet (later facts proved that: the modification was so – so, it might as well not have been modified). And we cut an arc from a disposable paper bowl to make a water bowl (because the bowl was bigger than the dog, and it couldn’t reach the water at the bottom of the bowl without cutting). Since we really couldn’t find a food bowl of the right size, we directly used a larger spoon.
Sometimes he would run to the slippers and sleep.
Later, we upgraded and replaced the food bowl, water bowl, and toilet, and bought some small toys.
To facilitate cleaning and keep the small nest clean, we also bought disposable towels. We would replace them when they got dirty (this thing was quite useful, and after being washed, it could be used as a rag). Worried that Zhajiu would catch a cold, we bought several small cushions. Because the fur around his mouth was easy to get wet, we changed to a ball – point water bottle. The little guy was quite smart and knew how to use it as soon as we replaced it.
Zhajiu grew very fast. In less than a month, he was much bigger than before, his fur grew longer, and his small teeth also came out. We didn’t need to soak the dog food so soft anymore. A light soak would do. At this time, we found an automatic feeder that could dispense wet food at fixed times. We immediately got one, which freed up my lunch break!
Later, we started to teach him skills, like sitting, shaking hands, and turning around. Basically, we spent about half an hour teaching him every day after work, and he learned them in a few days. Who said Bichon Frises are not smart!
However, there were always problems with potty – training. Almost every day when we came back, there was urine near the toilet. After observing, we thought it might be that the toilet was too high and it was a bit difficult for him to get up. So we removed the toilet and directly laid pee – pads on the ground. Later, he really didn’t pee outside anymore!
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