Four medications …

Ned playing in the snow!

Our 13 year old pointer-collie is now on four medications because he shows signs of pain with his arthritis, muscle loss and failing hips.

He is on Cosequin which I pull apart and mix into his food. He is also on Deramaxx which he takes as a treat. He gets one Tramadol at bedtime which seems to help keep him comfortable through the night.

We are having routine bloodwork done on him. He has one slightly elevated liver value and everything else is normal. I have purchased a liver supplement and we are trying to give it to him once daily. It needs to be given 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal and I’m struggling to get it in him properly everyday! I am hopeful it will help keep his liver a little safer since he’s taking the nsaid daily. Thankfully, he is on the low end of the dose currently.

It is so difficult to see him age. He’s always been such a happy and playful dog. It is hard to see him have a bad day, struggle to get up and down, fall and to be grumpy!

the $3500 dog

How much will they spend when their dog is ill?

I recently heard about someone who purchased a specific breed of a dog for $3,500.00. I hope this family will love this adorable creature that God made and take incredible care of it.

I personally would never even consider purchasing a dog for $3,500.00. However, I would gladly spend $3,500.00 on my dog. I buy high quality food for him. I buy healthy snacks and treats for him. I buy him toys, beds and blankets. He has shampoo, a doggie bag, travel gear and at least two visits to the veterinarian each year – just for wellness! If he were ill, I’d do everything possible for him and he’s a mutt. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on him over his 12 years of life although I didn’t pay anything for him.

I just have to wonder, how much would a person who spends $3,500 to purchase a dog really spend on that dog each week? What do they feed him? I think my dog is pampered … and only can imagine what a family who spends this amount of money to purchase “Fido” must invest into their dogs’ life! What would their limit be if he were ill?

~Trina

the bloodhound …

I wrote a blog recently titled “A Sunday visit” which was about a bloodhound which kept visiting on Sundays.

Today, she was sleeping on the deck when I took “Nedd” outside this morning. She is very friendly and thankfully, she and Nedd get along well.

Today, she has a BURN mark on her neck and was not wearing the collar. She also cowered when I tried to pet her head. She also has some unusual marks on her legs which could be from her trotting through brush, weeds … and fences; even barbwire fences.

I would love to contact her owners and ask if they are wanting to get rid of her. I am curious if they’ve just turned her loose at this point. I haven’t seen them make any efforts to find her. She’s gone now and I find myself worried about her and wishing I could provide her a home.

I don’t feel like I can give her a good home at this point. I also don’t even know if they are ready to give her up. I do believe they are not happy with her. She’s a very different breed than they’ve had previously and I’m not sure they’re ready for her.

I am already in love with her. I could give her a home. I’m not in a position to be taking on another dog with so much on the “burners” right now!!! I am grieving over her and praying she is okay.

I’ve already named her “LUCY”. (I’m in trouble!) After Manda passed in November, I said … “my next dog will find me”.

~Trina

Afraid of Spaying

One of my best friends is afraid to have her dog spayed.  Her dog is about 1 year old now, weight less than 10# and she keeps saying, I know I should but I’m afraid something will happen to her.  She has a huge fear of leaving her dog at the animal hospital and a fear of the surgery.

I have explained a few of the many benefits of spaying to her.  My friend is a cancer survivor herself so she seems to understand the surgery would be best for her doggy!

She is going to take a tour of the vet hospital next month, meet the doctors and consider scheduling the procedure.  I wish I could calm her fears.  There’s risk involved with any surgery so there’s not a guarantee to give her that her dog will do just fine although there’s no known or seen reason why a young dog would have a problem.

If you have any ideas for me to pass on to her, please let me know!

A Sunday Visit!

Every Sunday for the last few weeks, I’ve received a special visit from a beautiful Bloodhound.

She’s shy until you speak to her and then she’s very friendly. I would guess her at being less than one year old. I found her owners and returned her home the 1st Sunday she visited.

She is messy, sweet, gentle and goofy! She bounces through mud puddles. She needs to touch me with her paw and it really doesn’t seem like a dominance issue.

Her owners are keeping her outdoors in a large dog run until they can get her more properly trained. They have also fenced the yard with the Invisible Fence. Somehow, this large dog decides she can get out of her Invisible Fence yard but then is afraid to go back into it.

My “pom” who is in heaven “trained” my other dogs. Our greyhound would run under the kitchen table if she scolded him about something. Our “Nedd”, a German Short Hair Pointer and Collie mix PRANCES as he walks. He will stand on the sidewalk to go potty holding his body over the grass to avoid getting wet or dirty!

I enjoy the visits from this goofy girl. I really like her and am falling in love! Her owners are use to a different breed and this is their first experience with a bloodhound. I hope it works out for them but if it doesn’t, I’d find a way to welcome her into our lives although I cannot imagine welcoming this drooling dog into my home and I cannot imagine keeping a dog outside!

~Trina Daniels

His love for Nedd …

I see it and experience it everyday. They share a special bond. Nedd accepts me into the pack but think of me as a “buddy” who feeds him and takes him out. He comes to me when he’s sick or doesn’t feel well too.  Nedd kisses me and romps and plays with me.  He cuddles with Marty without kisses and gently plays with Marty.  He will let Marty brush him for a long time and barely lets me brush him for a minute!  Somehow, Marty is still the one who Nedd adores!

My “doggy soul mates” have passed on and I miss them terribly. I love Nedd … but it is obvious he’s Marty’s “doggy soul mate”!

Read this recent blog written by Marty. It is talking about the upcoming Oprah show about puppy mills.  It is also a great dog story.

Nedd is truly Marty’s best friend!:

http://humbleoradio.com/oprah/oprah-is-going-to-the-dogs/

~Trina

Nedd and treating his arthritis

We’ve known for over a year that Nedd has arthritis.  He has had about three “flair ups” where he has began limping and we’ve had to give him Rimadyl for several days at a time.

At this point, we are able to treat his arthritis with Cosequin.  He took a large dose for about a month and now he’s on a maintenance dose of one tablet in the morning and one tablet at night.  He thinks it is a treat so getting it in him twice daily is not a problem.

In the last few months, I have noticed him having more difficulty with stairs.  I have noticed him getting off the bed slower.  I notice him choosing to sleep on his dog bed more and more often instead of climbing into the bed with us which he’s always done!

Nedd has always been the most gentle large dog.  He’s fun, goofy and very playful.  In the last year, there’s been a few occasions, and last night was one of them, where he suddenly becomes grumpy.   He was laying in bed with us and we had been loving on him, massaging him, rubbing his ears and his belly and all the sudden he showed his teeth!  I have no idea what happened.  It was strange.  I am trying to contribute it to possible pain in his neck or back and the fact that his Cosequin was about two hours “late” last night.

He acts perfectly fine today.  He is running, playing, happy and enjoyed his breakfast.  I brushed him thoroughly today trying to see if there was a painful spot but he even enjoyed being brushed!

introducing a logo

Here’s the logo my hubby designed for me! It is based on our dog, Nedd!

~Trina

Nedd vomited piece of dental bone …

In the middle of the night, I heard the sound.  I jumped out of bed and ran toward Nedd.  There he stood with the sad look in his eyes, his belly jerking as he vomited by the door.  There was the normal stuff you see in vomit and there was a piece of a dental chew that he had enjoyed while we watched the American Idol last night.  This piece of the dental chew was about the size of the palm of my hand.

I feel like a terrible pet parent right now.  I didn’t even know he had swallowed it!!!  I buy these particular dental chews at the vet hospital because they are of a good quality and are a food product.  They really do help his teeth.  I’ve purchased these for about 3 years and we’ve never had this problem previously!

I’m a little frightened right now.  This is a treat he really enjoys and he has one about every other day.

He acts perfectly fine now.  I gave him a late breakfast and he’s still doing fine.  I didn’t call the veterinarian … at least not yet.  If he vomits again, I’ll be calling very quickly.  I try not to call over every little thing while at the same time not overlooking a health concern.

~Trina Daniels

How do they steal our hearts?

I’ve never loved a pet like I’ve loved my dogs!  For some reason, DOGS steal my heart.  My own dogs own me and other dogs sure do grab my attention.

I’ve never met a dog I didn’t like.  I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a bad dog.  If the dog is acting up, I believe it is the dogs’ humans who haven’t helped the dog learn!  I’m sure there’s exceptions to this as there is with everything … but typically, there’s no bad dogs!

I’ve seen giant dogs be gently giants.  I’ve seen what some call stubborn dogs listen better than a child.  I’ve seen a PIT BULL be bossed around by my 10# pom!  The PIT BULL would run under the deck when the POM barked.  The PIT BULL would also let my POM hold its leash and lead it around the yard.

I wouldn’t turn my pom loose with just an pit bull … this was a friends dog … and I knew how it was being raised and trained.  I knew it was a gently dog with good manners!

It doesn’t matter what the breed is or even if it is a “mutt”, I love each and every DOG that God created! 

DOGS REIGN!