Memories of a Scottie Dog

Driving to work, the memories came flooding back. Then the tears, two years later and still tears, missing my little girl. What triggered the thoughts? I do not remember, maybe something I heard on the radio, something I saw as I was driving by, or was it Callie reminding me that part of her remains with me. I like to think it is the latter.

My precious Scottie dog, Callie

They hit when I least expect them, thoughts of Callie and what a wonderful, little dog she was.

I thought of how smart she was. She knew routine, if we came home at the same time everyday, she would be at the door waiting. Somehow she knew when it was evening and sometimes I would give her ice cream as a treat. How did she know, I would often wonder. There was no mention of ice cream or a treat. As I was sitting on the couch, I would realize that she was staring at me, then realized why, ice cream.

Diabetes diagnosis

After her diabetes diagnosis, as I was giving her the insulin shots, she knew what times of the day she would get them. Morning was easy, after I would get up, I would give her the shot. The first day of insulin, I made her a scrambled egg. I wanted to make sure she ate, she was not eating prior to the diagnosis and I did not want her blood sugar to go too low. Then every morning it started the routine, a scrambled egg and her shot. She was so patient with it, I would pinch her skin and administer it. Callie would stop eating and stand still until I was done and continue eating. Never snipping at me, only occasionally she would yip, I must have hit a tender spot.

Night was different, sometimes I would give her a treat, some fruit or canned food, then her shot. I would call her to the kitchen, she would come out and patiently waited until I drew it up and gave her the insulin. Do you think she knew that what I was doing was helping her? Sometimes she would try to hide. Maybe tired of the shots and the illness. I think they know, she knew she did not feel well at times. She knew we were doing what we could to make her better and to feel better.

Puppy Callie, miss this little girl.

Love for a Scottie

I wanted her to stay with me as long as possible, acting silly, with the puppy personality that she had. Enjoying her walks, sitting outside with her nose twitching, smelling everything on the wind. Having a treat of ice cream and a ride in the car. I so enjoyed her sitting on the couch with me, and snuggled up to my back as I slept. I miss those things, I miss her. The memories flood back with no warning, sometimes I smile, sometimes I laugh. Some days, like this morning, the memories overwhelm me and the tears flow. I miss my little girl, that little scottie dog.

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Health issues in Scottish Terriers

Many of us that love Scottish Terriers, know they have health issues. I hope to share information in this blog on research into the many different problems that the breed faces. It will also be a place to share anything about Scotties, their stubbornness, loyalty, silly side and how they steal our hearts.

I lost my beloved scottie, Callie to complications from diabetes. After talking to other scottie owners, reading posts on social media, and personal research, it seems they have similar health problems.

Common Scottie health issues

One focus of this blog is research, support and sharing information that will help other scottie lovers keep their fur babies healthy. I still feel I could have done more to help her and treat her diabetes. I will focus my research on diabetes management in scotties and all of our beloved canines.

Scotties are known for elevated liver enzymes. Why is this so common amongst the breed? They are prone to certain types of cancer, bladder cancer being a prominent one.

Skin issues plague them, causing discomfort, trips to the vet and many dollars spent on products to treat it to make them comfortable. One common treatment is the use of steroids. This leads me to question the link between the common use of steroid treatment for skin conditions and the increased incidence of diabetes.

Like my scottie, they can develop histiocytomas, that are usually benign growths that appear on their body, usually on the paws. Histiocytomas sometimes disappear without treatment and sometimes require surgical intervention.

These and other ailments that affect the breed are what I hope to offer information on. A place to discuss concerns and offer advise to other Scottie moms and dads. My focus will be on diseases that affect Scottish Terriers but parents of all fur babies are welcome.

This will be a place to come for advise, research and support for our fur babies. We want them to live full lives free from pain and illness. But most importantly, we want them with us as long as possible. Scotties are a special breed, anyone that has owned one will attest to that.