Running

We had a break in weather. To most people that's not a big deal, but for us, it's enormous. We've had rain and overcast skies, chilly weather and NO SUMMER as of June 21. But this afternoon, a hint of sun came out. Yippee!

We grabbed Bella and our mountain bikes and went to the outreaches of an urban trail. No competition and a secluded, wooded path that follows a river. Bella ran nearly ten miles and reached speeds of up to 19 mph. It seems between 8.5-9 mph is her comfortable lope and she's able to sustain that over miles. My husband had to hold her back from going faster.

We got home and he gave her a bath; I gave her a good dinner (with a left over burger from last night thrown in.) She just curled up in her bed and is drying (licking) herself off. Sleep won't be far behind.

Health & Buddies

In the two weeks since Bella was diagnosed with Giardia (and it's been cleaned up), she's put on 5 pounds. She's a whopping 57 pounds now. It makes me think she may have had Giardia for much longer than we suspected. I hope it didn't horribly affect her growth.

Also, just to show evidence of how sweet pit bulls can be, here's Bella with her buddy, Tyce, sharing a stick. Tyce is Mr. Mellow.

Giardia!

Bella has had soft poops for a couple of weeks. When it turned into diarrhea with a bit of mucus-y blood I became worried and took a stool sample into the vet. The diagnosis was giardia. Bella went on a 5-day regiment of Panacur (Fenbendazole) and a packet of Fortiflora once a day, sprinkled on kibbles. It was amusing when the tech said I might want to doctor Bella's food. I asked why only to be told many dogs find the drugs make the food unpalatable. Ha! Nothing is unpalatable for Bella! That is a dog with a cast iron stomach and non-discerning taste buds!

The Panacur started working immediately. The day after her first dose, her poops were more solid. I'm to bring another sample in a week to verify the giardia is gone. Here's an article on those little protozoans.

When we're mountain biking, there is nothing I can do about her drinking in streams. We can't possibly bring enough water with us to satiate both our thirst and hers. But at home, I need to keep her outdoors water bowl more clean (every day) and disallow her drinking from puddles or "community" water bowls placed outside of stores. It seems hard-hearted, but I'd rather she was a bit thirsty and can only get clean water at home than go through giardia again. It also makes me second guess taking her to a dog park where dozens of dogs share a water bowl and not all owners are diligent about cleaning up after their dog.