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

Brushing teeth …

We were visiting relatives and Nedd was with us, of course. He used excellent manners and everyone was so impressed.

Nedd has his own travel bag full of necessary items, such as his Cosequin as well as dental treats, healthy treats, his brush and his toothbrush and poultry flavored toothpaste. One evening, Nedd was knocking at his bag with his foot. The folks we were staying with were amazed at Nedd’s personality and wanted to watch. I went to Nedd and started going through our nightly ritual. I brushed his hair, gave him his Cosequin and a treat.

I then proceeded to get his toothbrush out and his toothpaste. The folks we were staying with couldn’t believe Nedd sat so proud while I brushed his teeth. They couldn’t believe how much Nedd enjoyed it.

I learned the hard way! I had a pom whose teeth I didn’t take care of because I started to try when she was five years old and after she had to have a dental. It was too late. She hated it and I never got to brush her teeth. She refused dental treats. She had numerous dentals in her lifetime. She passed away in November 2007 at the age of 18 with only seven teeth left.

Nedd is twelve years old, has some tartar, has some wear on his teeth from being a power chewer but has never had the need for a dental from a veterinarian.

Still going!

Manda at nearly 18 years old, with heart disease, congestive heart failure, renal failure, arthritis and a collapsing trachea is still going strong. She is also nearly blind and nearly deaf. She has also started having “episodes” where she collapses. It’s only happened three times within the last three months … so we’re not doing a lot about it.

She still greets me at the door, recognizes people and pets she knows, wags her little tail, loves to eat and loves to be with her human family. As an old dog, she no longer tolerates nail trims or being brushed even though she use to enjoy being groomed when she was younger.

I cherish my time with her. She thinks taking her seven medicines every day is a treat! She spins in circles as I prepare her meds two or three times daily. I admire her attitude and spunk! What a life lesson!

12 million to “Trouble”; the dog

This week, I read an interesting news report about Leona Helmsley, the late US hotel billionaire leaving 12 million dollars to her dog, “Trouble”. While Ms. Helmsley was known as the “Queen of Mean”, I can only imagine that there were some shocked humans at the reading of the will.

“Trouble” is a beautiful white Maltese who will receive the best of everything for life and will someday be buried beside Ms. Helmsey and her late husband, Harry.

It was reported that her brother will receive 10 million and will have the privilege of continuing to provide “Trouble” with a pampered lifestyle; two grandchildren will receive 5 million only if they visit their late father’s grave at least once a year and the other two grandchildren were excluded due to reasons which are known to them.

Okay, from what I’ve heard, it sounds like she really earned her title of “Queen of Mean”. I have to wonder though, was it survival? Did she experience a grand failure of mankind to drive her to the point of leaving a trust of 12 million to her beloved dog?

Geriatric dogs…

They have already been senior citizens for a long time. They are now in the geriatric phase of their lives!

My 17 year old dog is now on eight medications every day. She doesn’t tolerate the heat at all. She spends most of her time indoors. We now have to purchase “doggy pads” because she can’t hold it very long.

She has heart failure and renal failure. She can’t see very well and can’t hear very well.

She still gets up every morning with great attitude and tail wagging as she gets our her few morning coughs. She spins and jumps as her food bowl is filled despite her arthritis. She gets very excited as I prepare her medicines several times each day and views most of the medicines as special doggy treats.

This phase of her life is different. She requires a lot more “care” than she use to. She no longer enjoys being brushed and hates having her nails done. Both of which she never minded until the last few years.

She’s worth every bit of time and effort. I already miss the girl she use to be but I love her all the same. I dread the day that she’s no longer with me.

Caring for our geriatric pets takes a lot more time, effort, money and energy. They’ve dedicated their entire lives to us and rarely asked for anything. I feel I owe it to her to give her the best possible life I can even until the very end.

I’ve had to make the toughest decision of my life once, two years ago. I understand that sometimes it is necessary and the best thing we can do and the last thing we can do for them is to have the veterinarian help us send our pet to heaven.

Bellagio for pets!

I travel with our dogs as often as possible. I’ve only left my dogs a few times in their lives in a boarding facility. I have been very fortunate that most of the times I have ever left the dogs, we’ve had a wonderful pet sitter to come to our home or we’ve left them with their grandparents. It has helped me to feel a little less guilty when I have had to leave them.

Have you seen some of the new boarding facilities for dogs? They are like luxury hotels! They are wonderful. I can’t wait until there’s one near me. I’m sure I’d feel much more comfortable leaving my dogs knowing they were not in a cage.

These state of the art facilities have play times, grooming times, cuddle times and sleep time. They have TV’s playing upbeat cartoons, soothing jazz music, beds, pillows, toys and nearly all the comforts of home. The only thing missing is “mommy and daddy”!

www.doghotel.net

It’s a win-win!

Over the years, we’ve tried a LOT of different shampoos for our dogs. This is a WIN-WIN! If my dogs could talk, I’m sure they’d be telling me that this is their favorite and to never buy another product again.

We recently discovered this product when Manda was at the veterinarian.

This shampoo is gentle and all natural. It has no dyes, synthetic ingredients or fragrances. It has jojoba oil which really makes her coat look great. To top it all off, this product is non-toxic, biodegradable and earth friendly!

This product makes bathing the dogs easier. It is called Ezall Dog & Cat Shampoo.

I hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Enjoy!
~Trina