What A Day !!

First, today is National Puppy Day, which must be one of the very best days of the year. In honor of the day, all the pics on this post will be of my puppies when they were little tykes.

Now as for our day, it started early. Once everyone was fed and had been out a couple times, we put Fudge, Tess, Lola, Bailey and Noah in the car and drove to the vet clinic. Today was flu shot day.

 Fudge and Lola were there for their booster and the others needed their first shot.

When we arrived they all spun around and greeted everyone and acted like it was a holiday/

When Sara, one of our favorite techs came into the room, they all swarmed her. I grabbed leashes and we started with the girls, but Noah couldn't wait. He was so excited that after Lola and Bailey had their vaccinations, he pushed Tess out of the way, sat down in front of Sara and reached out with his paw to nudge her. "Please, please do me next!!" We all laughed but she did him next. Then after Fudge and Tess were done, Noah thought maybe he could get another but Sara said not today.

We came home and I got  to have a snack, then after a couple hours we grabbed Sydney and Mackey and went back again. Syd was scared, sat in the corner and trembled but she didn't growl or snap. Dr B got down on the floor with her so she didn't have to get on the scary table and she let him vaccinate her without any trouble. Looks like the Prozac is helping her.

Mackey didn't make any fuss, just hid her head under my arm and that was that. We discussed her seizure for a bit, then we were done.

I don't usually take seven dogs to the vet in one day, but it wasn't a bad experience at all. I just can't help thinking why can't they all be like Noah?

Just think, in three weeks we can do it all over again.

Spring???

Last week I was enjoying the trees that were starting to bloom. Spring is my favorite season even if it does cause my eyes to water and my nose to twitch and makes me sneeze a lot.

 When I got up Sunday morning and stepped onto the porch with Norma Jean, we were both surprised to see snow. I know many of you in the East had snow, but this was only our second snow of the winter/spring.

 After experiencing 70 degree days in January and February, it didn't seem right to have snow on the first day of spring. Then yesterday morning when we got up the water in the fountain was frozen. So far, not so good.

Norma Jean had her sutures removed yesterday. She was very excited about getting rid of the hat and promised to be good. So far, she has kept her promise. The vet said the incision looked good and the growth was just a minor thing, not something to worry about. Best of all, Fudge and Noah have lost interest in following her. I guess the  growth had quite a scent for them.  It's a relief for her and me that they're no longer interested.

This morning little Mackey had another seizure. In January when she had the first one, it was so short that we weren't sure it was a seizure, but this time there was no doubt. It lasted about four very long minutes and she had the classic signs, twitching, drooling etc. She's resting now in her basket.

The vet said if she has one more, we'll do tests to see what's causing them. Mackey is a very sweet little girl and seeing her so frightened is so difficult for us. I'm hoping there's something we can do to help her.

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day for us, but I'll wait till then to let you know what's happening. Till tomorrow!

Chewy To The Rescue

 Sometimes a girl just feels a little down.  That's the way I'm feeling lately.

 I guess it could be because I'm walking around here with stitches in my naked butt.

 Or maybe it's because I have to wear this not very fashionable bonnet.  It's so yesterday's style and you all know what a fashion plate I am. 

 With a name like Norma Jean, I have a reputation to uphold. You'd never have seen the other Norma Jean wearing a hat like the one I have.

Anyway, I haven't been my normally exuberant self lately. Mom insists on walking me around on leash, but I really want to run and roll and smash into the other girls.


When Mom feels blue she eats chocolate and it always makes her feel better but she doesn't share her chocolate.

Sometimes Mom visits Amazon  for a little feel better shopping, but she won't let me do that either. What's a girl to do?

 Today Mom sent all the other dogs to the back yard. I wanted to join them but she said she had something to make me happy. Look what she had!! Chewy sent us Fromm Salmon with Sweet Potato Treats to taste test. 

 These are a nice size, not too big to make a girl choke, but not so tiny that you can't taste them. These are just perfect.

 Today I, Norma Jean, am going to review these special fishy treats all by myself.  In my expert opinion,they are FABULOUS. Tell your peeps to get a bag of these from Chewy and keep them handy for when your spirits need a lift.

We all like Fromm food around here. The boys eat it every night and we've tried a few of their treats before, too, but these salmon ones are the best I've ever tasted. I'm feeling better already.

 Mom says to tell you that Chewy sent this bag of treats at no cost to us, in exchange for our honest review. 

March 16

Fifteen years ago today a puppy was born that would change my life. Today is Samba's birthday.

Never was there a more happy, loyal and loving dog and I will always be grateful that I was able to share my life with her.

I miss her terribly, but I'm so lucky to have been able to watch her pups grow up and become silly, sweet adult dogs. I see some of her in each of them. Norma Jean and Grace's love of swimming, Bailey's hunting and nosework, Tess's running laps across the yard, Noah's cuddling and Lola looks so much like her Mom that it brings me to tears at times.

Thank you Samba for giving me these pups to love.

A Long Chewy Review

I've had dogs all my life. At one time it was easy to feed a dog. You went to the grocery store, bought a bag of Purina Dog Chow or a can of Kennel-Ration, plopped the food into a bowl and the dog ate it. That was that.

Now things have gotten much more complicated. There are hundreds of brands and varieties of dog food available and we are more aware of ingredients and dogs themselves are more complicated. Now we know about allergies and food sensitivities and calories and protein levels etc, etc..... Now selecting dog food takes time and research. Now we read labels and make comparisons.

Like many others, the huge recalls a couple years ago reinforced my awareness. I started looking not only at the ingredients but the sourcing. I signed up to be notified of any future recalls and I do lots of research on just what I'm feeding my dogs.

So recently I found myself with a dilemma. My review selection from Chewy this month was a dog food that I hadn't heard of. That's not altogether unusual, I know that new dog food brands spring up all the time. We've tried some in the past and they've become favorites. This time I expected the same experience, but this time was a little different.

I chose to try Tiki Dog Food this month. I had never heard of it but when I read the ingredients, I couldn't resist. For instance Ahi tuna on brown rice with carrots, prawns, egg, garlic and kale, or wild salmon on brown rice with sweet potato. These sound like something I'd order in a restaurant, so why not feed them to my dogs?

When the case of cans arrived I happily opened the box and then saw 'Made In Thailand' on both the box and the cans. Ah oh!!

Now, I know that Thailand isn't China, but I still hesitated and headed for the computer to get some more information. A few months ago we tried a brand new to me called Weruva. Their food is also from Thailand and I went thru the same steps. Weruva turned out to be a pleasant surprise and when I offered it to Morgan during one of her fussy periods, she absolutely loved it. It was the steak and potatoes variety and looked like big chunks of steak and potatoes and veggies that I could easily identify. I was pleased with Weruva.

So here is what I found out about Tiki.  First the 'Dog Food Advisor' gives it five stars. That may or may not mean anything to you. I don't put any faith in the Dog Food Advisor because he or they only read the labels and don't get into the sourcing. The food could come entirely from diseased animals in China and still get five stars from that site as long as the proportions were right. Still I checked.

What I found that did matter to me  is that the company was formed in 2005 by Christine and Robert Hackett. All food used in Tiki is certified by the USDA as suitable for human consumption. The food is low in sodium, iodine, magnesium, phosphate, carbohydrates and has a low glycemic index, making it suitable for dogs suffering from kidney stones or irritable bowel syndrome. They also meet AAFCO recommendations. Tiki has had no recalls.

So, armed with this information, I decided to go ahead and try it with my group of experts. I had chosen Gourmet Carnivore Chicken and Turkey. First to taste test it was Mackey. She is a surprisingly fussy eater. There are only certain foods she'll eat and she even passes up a number of treats. She loved this food. She licked her bowl till it sparkled.

I was surprised when I opened the can. Tiki is in a broth instead of gravy, so it's easy to spill.

As I spooned it out onto the girl's kibble, I was impressed with the amount of shredded chicken. It looks pretty good but now for the real test.

The girls went right to work tasting Tiki and they didn't lift their heads till it was gone.

 I'd say this was a resounding success.  Here's the before.........

And the after.

It's not as easy to feed dogs as it used to be, but with a little research and a partner like Chewy,  it can be a happy experience.

Chewy sent us a case of Tiki dog food at no charge to us in exchange for our honest review.

Canine Influenza

We've been aware since last summer that there was a new and deadly strain of dog flu in the country. The outbreak started in Chicago and is a mutation of the avian influenza virus. It's called CIV H3N2. As with any flu, it's most serious among the very young, the very old and those with other health issues.

When I first heard about this outbreak, I checked with Dr B. I was most worried about Morgan as she was old and had other health problems that we were aware of. He told me that there were no reported cases in Missouri at that time but we agreed to give Morgan the vaccine anyway because of her condition. He said he would let me know as soon as he heard of the flu coming to Missouri and we could vaccinate everyone at that time.

Well, you guessed it, it has arrived! Though there are a number of cases statewide, so far there is only one diagnosed case here in Springfield. We're not waiting. My dogs are getting their flu shots. Seven of my dogs are now seniors and although Sebastian, Sydney and Mac aren't in a high risk group, they're also getting the vaccine.

This is a nasty flu, responsible for a number of canine deaths across the country. Dogs exposed to other dogs in kennels, shelters, dog shows, etc are most at risk, but pets can also come in contact with sick dogs during the course of a normal day. How many of us know if our neighbors give their dogs good veterinary care and if their vaccines are up to date?

The clinical signs are familiar, coughing, sneezing, lethargy, fever and discharge from the nose and or eyes. Pretty much the same symptoms we would have with the flu. Remember how awful you felt last time you had it?

Check with you vet, especially if you're planning to board or leave you dog at  the groomer's. This is an easy, relatively inexpensive way to protect your fur kids from what could be a serious illness.

In Stitches

Oy vey, what a week!! Last week Fudge and Lola visited the vet. Fudge told you about his diagnosis, but I was pretty concerned about Lola, too. She's lost  a bit of weight and looks too thin to me and she's drinking a lot more water than I feel is normal. It was almost time for her checkup anyway, so we opted for a senior exam and bloodwork, plus a urinalysis. My concern was either Cushings Disease or Diabetes. Dr B agreed and checked for both. He also agreed that she's a bit on the thin side but we decided to wait for the blood report to come back before doing anything else.

On Friday the reports were back and we were pleased. Her thyroid was a little high, which may explain the weight loss. She's already on thyroid meds, so we just made a slight adjustment and will recheck in a month. Her urine was perfect and although one liver value was slightly elevated, it wasn't high enough to be of concern. We'll recheck that in a month, too. He said there was no muscle wastage as he would expect to see with diabetes and nothing in her labs indicated it, so for now we're thinking she's just thirsty or feeling a little stressed.

A couple weeks ago Fudge and Noah started showing way too much interest in Norma Jean. She's been spayed, but the boys were constantly following her around. I questioned Dr B about it and he suggested having a urinalysis done as she might have an infection that was giving off a scent that attracted the boys. We actually did two as the first was inconclusive and the second was perfect. His second thoughts were that there might be a hormonal issue and we'd need to do a blood test.

Rob gave her a bath on Monday night and discovered an angry looking bump on her rump. When we took her to the vet the next morning, he was pretty sure that it was the attraction that the boys were following. It was ulcerated and starting to ooze a little. This morning she had it removed and now she has a big bald area on her back end. We're telling everyone that she had a butt lift.

After more discussion on Fudge's 'stud tail' situation, we decided to go ahead and have him neutered and have the bump on the tail removed. My thinking is that he's now eleven years old and I don't want to put him under general anesthesia when he's older, so this is the time to get it done. He's scheduled for surgery on April 1st.

There are several other time consuming issues that I had to deal with this week, but now they're all resolved, so maybe the weekend will be somewhat relaxing. Let's hope so.