Giving Table Scraps

We have a fairly strict policy at home about treating Bella with human scraps. Depending on what the food is, we are okay with it as long as we aren't cooking or eating. I don't want her drooling while I cook, hoping she'll get something, or begging at the table.

Recently I had an incident with a house guest who was liberal with handouts. Although I give her kudos for telling me, she mentioned she'd fed Bella some avocado and did I mind. I know there is controversy around avocados, but I was not concerned about the little bit she gave her. However, that she gave Bella anything without asking me first, did concern me. Not only for health issues (did she know about grapes, for instance), but for the fact that I don't want our four years of training to go down the tubes in a single week! I asked that she please not do it again.

Case closed I thought, but then saw her giving Bella bread and cheese. I asked her please do not feed Bella scraps. She apologized and laughed, "Oh! Her face is so cute and she looks so hungry!" I agreed to the cuteness (of course!), but assured her that Bella wasn't starving, but a bottomless pit.

The next day, same story, different page. Stop! Feeding! My! Dog! She was contrite, but not apologetic.

Lucky our guest has left–but she's left us with a dog who now puts her face too close to plates, food, compost all the while sniffing and drooling. It will take some undoing, I fear. Before where Bella would lie in the kitchen, out of my way, and watch, she's now underfoot. Each time I have to remove her to a further corner or put her on a down/stay while eating. What a bother to continually remind her one week of a bad guest and free handouts does not mean a perpetual license to beg.

Have you experienced this with others trying to ingratiate themselves to your pup via free food?

Carbs? Low Carb? No Carb?

In the same day, I received an article from a friend and my brother regarding a new DNA study on wolves and domesticated dogs.  My friend sent it thinking I would find it fascinating, my brother because of the last paragraph in the article he sent. The author, Rosie Mestel, of the Los Angeles Times writes in that paragraph:

"Dr. Oscar Chavez, director of the veterinary technician program at Cal Poly Pomona, said the findings serve as a reminder that dogs don't eat like wolves. He said he and his colleagues are befuddled by the trend toward pricey low-carb dog foods and raw diets, which could stress dogs' kidneys with their extra protein load."

I had told my brother I was feeding Bella no grain/high protein kibble and that her coat was glossy, her stools (a dog owner's odd focus), and her demeanor even keel. He switched his young Wheaten to a similar diet with similar results. However with this news, and his understanding that Wheaten's can have kidney issues, he was concerned he might be hurting his dog with the best of intentions.

First off, I recommended he contact his vet and see what her/his thoughts were. I sent an email to my vet (and have not heard back yet), and went on-line to start reading. It seems in a layman's nutshell, the gist of the study was an apparent large difference between wolves and domesticated dogs ability to digest starch. Domesticated dogs have an enzyme that allows for easier digestion; wolves don't have it. (It is worth reading the articles, plus this one also.)

Someone mentioned to me the correlation in humans between a high protein (low carb) diet and kidney function and sent me the link to this article. I am no scientist and don't pretend to be, but found this statement in the Harvard study interesting:

"While the researchers observed that protein consumption had an adverse impact on women with mild kidney problems, the same did not hold true for women with normal kidney function."

As I wrote my brother, the high protein, low/no grain dog kibbles have been around long enough that if there were significant reports of kidney damage, I believe we would have read something about it. I also found it reassuring that none of the other articles mentioned anything about the high protein/low carbohydrate diets correlating to canine kidney dysfunction and that the Harvard article mentioned in people with good kidney function, high protein diets did not equate kidney problems.

My brother's vet did respond to his email and told him not to be concerned. If he wanted, the next time he brought his dog in, they would do a baseline test to measure Murray's kidney function.


My brother will rest easier and so will I. Thanks to all my on-line buddies at Good Paws for their input and knowledge sharing regarding this issue!

It's Not Over Yet—Drugs, Drugs, Drugs

Bella was sick again last night. Needless to say, I feel helpless. I can't ask her what's wrong; what I am giving her (medications), I can only hope are aiding. The vet took her off the Albon for the coccidia. Some of its side effects are rashes and itching.

I spoke with the Saturday fill-in vet this morning and asked why I must continue giving her drugs for pancreatitis when coccidia was diagnosed. She was great. She said that though the blood test was negative for pancreatitis, it is not definitive; only an ultrasound would undeniably confirm...and of course we don't want to go that route at this point.

My question was why continue the pancreatitis drugs when we're discontinuing the drug for coccidia? Aren't we supposed to be concerned about the latter? The vet said if Bella's gut gets regulated, the coccidia will take care of itself. The Metronidazole is an antibacterial/antiprotozoal which will calm her stomach. Sucralfate is used to treat and prevent stomach problems caused by other drugs as well as irritations in the intestines and stomach. The Proviable is a probiotic that will help re-establish intestinal health. The Benadryl is to be given for one more day.

She's to continue with the I/D diet for two weeks. Poor girl...at least the facial swelling is diminishing.

Food Again

Anyone who has followed this blog knows that over the past year I've been poking my nose into improving Bella"s diet. I've researched raw and home-cooked until I'm more confused than ever. My final straw was a friend who remarked to my lamenting, "What's wrong? Is Bella sick? Is she not eating? Does she have allergies?" To which I could happily and honestly say, "No, she's fine; I'm just curious." This, of course, is why we have good friends because they cut to the quick. Her departing comment to the conversation was, "Why are you so worked up about it if buying good commercial kibble works?"  How can you fight that argument?

But still, I was unsettled. Since we returned from Baja, Bella has had what I call a "bothersome butt." She licks it frequently. She's been on Trifexis since before we left. I've seen no evidence of worms in her stool, yet something is bothering her. She has always farted when she sat (a somewhat oddly charming personal trait of hers), but is doing more so now. If the bottom licking continues into next week, I'll take a stool sample into the vet, but until then, I've been focusing once again on her food.

When we hit the border coming back into the US, she was nearly out of food (Acana), so it was necessary to get more. I stopped at Costco to pick up some things for us and noticed they had a grain-free kibble and got that. But is it as good for her as Acana? I doubt it (though it is given 4 out of 5 stars by DogFoodAdvisor). To help with her "issues," I picked up a couple of cans of organic pureed pumpkin, thinking some extra fiber may help. And then came across some videos on choosing good food for your pup by Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic vet. I approached the videos a bit skeptically as she is affiliated with a site which sells products, but I was quite pleased that she doesn't promote any brand in these videos. The argument she made for raw that I found most compelling was that kibble is dry and dogs need around 70% moisture in their diet and they receive that from eating raw. My vet has said several times, despite Bella's huge water slurping consumption, that my favorite girl-dog is a bit dehydrated. Dr. Becker's comments along with my vet's persuaded me to get more serious about introducing raw food into Bella's menu. At this point I am not going 100% raw, but am certainly willing to incorporate it into her daily food regime—along with going back to Acana when her present kibble is gone.

Take a look at Dr. Becker's two videos and tell me what you think. Are you already feeding raw? What results have you seen in that food move? If you aren't presently feeding raw, are you toying with moving that way—and why?

Video 1: Choosing the Right Dog Food/Part 1

Video 2: Choosing the Right Dog Food/Part 2

Christmas Chews

I come from an extended family of pet gift givers. In fact, I live in a neighborhood of dog owners who give other dogs a gift. Not everyone is as picky as I about what Bella is allowed to eat, so it is important to remain diplomatic while sometimes disposing of the treat after the fact.

What won't I give her?

• Anything that says "Made in China." I'm sorry, but too many horror stories have come from there regarding contaminants in human food that there is no reason to believe a pet toy would be higher quality. 
• Any toy that does not say where it's made. There is no reason to believe anything made here is better, but if it says made in the USA, I'm more of a believer. If it gives no place of origin, I am highly skeptical.
• Any toy of a vibrant, unnatural color where the smell is the most prominent thing about it. (This does not include disgusting, but obviously tasty, bully sticks.) What makes it smell like that?
• Any toy that is soft or has loose, easy-to-swallow bits. Bella is too vigorous a chewer to waste the money or risk the hazard.
• Rope toys with lots of color. I know some will be ingested so what dye did they use?
• Raw hide chews. This has been because of choking, but then I read this article in Bark. (I really should buy stock in that magazine. I love it!) If I could make the screeching sound here of tires squealing to a stop, I would. The author's description of how chews are made is enough to stop anyone from ever buying a raw hide chew again.

I quote from the magazine article:

Other poisonous residues that may show up in rawhide include arsenic and formaldehyde. Even dog skin is a possibility. An ongoing investigation of the fur trade by Humane Society International, an arm of the HSUS, resulted in this information, as listed on their website: “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.”

I'm sure there are toys that I give Bella that are far from perfect, that do contain dyes that aren't good, but I do try to find out where it is made and of what. In fact, I am almost more careful with what she gets, because I know some of it will be eaten, no matter how closely I monitor.

What I don't feel badly about is letting the gift giver know what can go into the manufacturing of a raw hide chew. It isn't good for any dog.

Stuffed Kongs

What do you mean you don't want to throw the ball now?

Besides the Chuck-It, the Kong has been the favorite, most used, dog toy/product I've purchased for Bella. We rarely see a day that doesn't have at least one Chuck-It session and any time we leave the house for an extended period of time, my Bell-Girl gets a Kong.

In fact, she has four Kongs through which she cycles. Once they are "finished," meaning she has successfully licked the insides clean, they are washed, refilled and thrown into the freezer. Licking it clean takes her all of a matter of minutes, so whatever is frozen inside, barely has time to thaw.

The Kong site has some great recipes to get you started, but I tend to serve up whatever I have available in the house. I nearly always include an organic grain (though the kibble I feed her is grain free): brown rice, millet, farro, quinoa, etc. If I plug the small opening with peanut butter, I may dribble in some chicken stock at the end through the other ingredients. If I don't add a liquid, I don't bother plugging the end.

A typical stuffing for Bella is brown rice, yogurt and banana. I may add some peanut butter mixed in with it. Often I'll dice carrots which she loves or fruit and mix that in to. Today she got her Kongs filled with brown rice, sunflower seed butter, ground flax, blueberries and diced, organic chicken hearts with a dribble of chicken stock.

What do you put in your Kongs?

Dog Food—What do you feed yours?

I'm sure some of you have read this article by now. Information like this seems to circle through the dog community fairly rapidly. The article isn't strictly about food, but the pet industry in general. However the part I took notice of was the food. I don't know about you, but what I feed my pup is a big issue for me and I've discussed it before. (Just search this blog for "food" and see how many posts show up!)

Now things like super gourmet food, fancy dog coats, or heaven forbid—"neuticals"—is not my style, but making sure I'm keeping track of what's going on in the dog food market is in Bella's (and my) best interest. So although the fashion trappings don't rock my boat, I was stopped dead in my tracks when I read this section in the article from a professor of veterinary nutrition:

Are our pets healthier for all of this? Tony Buffington, a professor of veterinary nutrition at Ohio State University, says his students have studied the diet history of thousands of animals and have not yet determined that one pet food is better than another.

“We have been unable to distinguish an outcome in healthy animals eating a wide variety of foods,” he says. Asked about the variety at megastores like Petco, he says, “I don’t even go in there anymore. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

He adds: “If you put them all in a plain brown bag, you’d probably be fine with any one of them.”

Huh? There's got to be some missing information here. What pet foods are they studying...just premium or all foods? Is he saying they studied dogs who ate a wide variety of foods (meaning their diet changed regularly) or the dogs they studied were all eating a different diet?  (I had read something similar in the past stating that any dog food would be adequate for your dog; that basically ingredients were the same.) I don't buy it. I am not a scientist, but it doesn't add up. And all ingredients are not the same.

With my first dog, Suzy, I noticed a rapid decline in the shine and silkiness of her coat when I switched to a less expensive, generic brand. When put back on a better food, her coat lost its coarseness and once again was glossy. For Pete's sake! I know how I feel when I eat junky food. (Just watch the movie Super Size Me and tell me a crummy diet works!) Why would I expect or want less for my dog? This of course is one of the selling points in feeding (home-made) raw to your pet—you have control over the ingredients.

Bella has had a bout of (sorry) diarrhea lately, so I immediately cooked up a bland organic chicken and organic brown rice diet for her (which she loves). If I eat organic foods, it makes sense to me that I would also feed my dog organically if I could afford it and find it.

Granted, I have not switched to raw yet. (I don't feel confident enough yet figuring out the essentials.) I also realize many people with limited budgets can't afford a better grade pet food—and that's okay. We all do the best we can within our circumstances. But to say that the students at Ohio studying pet nutrition haven't determined one food is better than another seems downright silly. Better food is to going to make for a stronger, healthier body.

What's your opinion?

Raw or Home-Cooked?

There is a woman staying at this location with us who is a big advocate of the BARF diet. She has had several Rottweilers who have had skin or intestinal issues and she believes this type of diet has cured them. I know with Lucy, who barely and rarely ate, the home-cooked cancer diet was a winner.

I've been curious about this particular food, but is it necessary? Would I be diligent about making it day in and day out? Would I be able to supply both the variety and required nutrition? Is really good commercial food really that bad? My vet recommends rotating through different commercial products to keep the dog not only interested, but to make available different nutrients in each product.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I was browsing links today to come across the pros and cons of this very topic. It certainly didn't answer any questions and the topic seems as controversial as ever. For the time being, Bella will remain on a variety of commercial foods. But perhaps I can offer occasional raw or home-cooked treats...

Weigh in with your thoughts. What and how do you feed your dog?

Cardboard Makes the World Go 'Round

When Bella is bored, there are are two things we can count on her doing. If socks are out, she'll steal one and dash around the house. Several very hearty shakes and air tosses makes sure the sock is thoroughly dead. (She has yet to destroy a sock. She seems to be able to kill it without eating it.)

If there are no socks, and the basement door is open, the recycling container is fair game. There always seems to be a supply of cardboard to be had. Where would a puppy be without a good piece of cardboard to ripe up?

Since I am in the midst of Christmas baking (dog biscuits for her and cookies for us), she found both an egg carton and a butter box. Oh joy!

PS: The dog biscuit recipe is from King Arthur flour. It smells great and I'm sure will taste fabulous.

Busy Week, Odds and Ends

Not much happening dog-wise, but because of the beeline to Christmas, my life has been overly busy. Luckily my husband is able to occupy Bella during the day while I work. He's taken her biking on urban trails a couple of times this past week. One of the locations was around a local lake—big learning lesson for him. Bella is completely overwhelmed in new situations. It takes a while for her to remember her manners and recompose herself into a well-trained dog. Plus, anything to do with water (right up there with balls) sends her over the top. When they got home, my husband complained how much she was pulling on her leash.

Whereas my walks with Lucy were limited because of proximity to other dogs, my walks with Bella are limited to little or no water view. She just can't control her excitement and weeps and weeps. What I've found is a little bit of time by a lake is good training for us both. For me, it requires leash work and consistency. For Bella, it's a good reminder that she's still attached! If it isn't too cold, I'll let her swim or we'll play fetch with a stick, but this isn't always possible.

I'm going to make some dog biscuits today. Instead of buying all five of the family dogs Christmas treats, I thought I'd try my hand at baking them something. Much better, I think, with knowing the ingredients in the homemade cookies than the junk in some of the things you buy. I searched the web for recipes and will try the first one today.

Keep-Aways or Another Name for Poison

A friend recently went through a scare with her dog. She was entertaining and a child fed their dog some grapes. It wasn't until later that evening that the dog became horribly ill and they needed to rush him to the emergency vet. After discussion with the vet to discern what the dog might have ingested, they realized what happened when the husband recalled seeing the little girl "sharing" grapes. (He didn't know they could be toxic.) Their dog is fine, thank heavens, but the outcome could have gone the other way.

As we approach the holidays, our homes are often filled with friends, family, different food and plants. Please pay attention to where your pup is. You never know if someone is unwittingly sharing food with your pet. To keep your pet safe and you sane, post the number to your local 24-hour emergency vet (or the National Pet Poison Control Hotline: 888-426-4435) on your fridge.

Here are some links regarding pets and poison:
Humane Society
AAHA
ASPCA

Diet Changes

When I first brought Bella home, I fed her some type (I don't remember the brand) of puppy food. Fairly early into her acquisition, I took her to my vet for a checkup and asked what she recommended for food. Two things came out of that question.

1. My vet felt for Bella's make-up (1/2 Lab, 1/2 Australian Shepherd), she needed Large Puppy-type kibbles to ensure proper growth.
2. When asked what she fed her dogs, she said she periodically changed their diet in order that they received a variety of nutrition via the different nutritional mixes.

This made great sense to me as it follows the logic of how we should eat. Also, our previous dog, Lucy, was such a finicky eater that I had to vary her diet or she wouldn't eat. As long as I carefully introduce Bella to a new kibble (to avoid stomach upset), she receives variety for interest as well as nutritional benefit. I have also chosen to give her a grain free diet. At present, she rotates through the Taste of the Wild kibbles (bison, salmon, poultry), but I may in the future change to a different brand.

Recently I came across corroboration to this way of thinking in the website Fully Vetted. If you choose to read this vet's opinion, you can start with Part 1 on the subject, although Part 3 really gets the meat of the subject!

With all the marketing for healthy pet foods, with all the variety of pet foods, I still find it amusing that when your pup is sick, it is still recommended to give them low-fat ground meat and rice. I do believe this was Lucy's favorite meal. Bella, bless her little non-finicky stomach, delights in anything!

Kongs

Kongs have been my go-to dog treat for eons. Lucy would work them for hours trying to extract a small piece of cheese. Bella is much speedier and I doubt the treat lasts as long as I'd hope. None-the-less, when I leave for work and Bella is crated, in goes the Kong with her. The new mix (rather than a bit of canned dog food, frozen) is peanut butter to plug the hole, a slice of banana, some plain, non-fat yogurt and some more banana...and maybe another dab of peanut butter.

Now that my husband is retired and home more, she is crated less. We're just beginning to try her loose in the house. At 10 months, she's just mature enough to give it a go if well regulated. Whereas Lucy was loose at the same age, she was much less chewy. I am not sure I'd trust Bella for hours on end. Because my husband might be in the garage or shop, Bella is free to roam the house (in which case, no Kong). Because he isn't far away or gone very long, he comes back in periodically to assess what might be happening. So far, so good.

Toys Part 2, Snacks and Food

Keeping Bella in toys that both stimulate her and that she can't instantly chew up is challenging. I've never owned a dog that enjoyed toys or was a hard chewer, so this is an interesting problem—and potentially expensive. Stuffed squeaky toys are a complete bust. Kongs are duro and fun, but I want to give her something that is not always food related. Her cocktail ball is good and she spends quite a bit of time with it for little calories. But what else?

Today I discovered the Teaser Ball at Immortal Dog. It feels like brittle plastic, and to me, didn't look very entertaining. (How much fun could a ball inside of a ball be?) But Nicole at Immortal Dog was correct—it works for heavy chewers and holds her attention. Be forewarned—the toy is quite noisy on wood floors. There was lots of banging around which I'm sure didn't do the floor any favors. None-the-less, Bella was extremely eager to play with it and went at it with gusto.

Now this store, Immortal Dog, is new to me and I'm uncertain how I came across it. Since I became aware of it, however, I've read several write-ups, all very favorable. One of the most encouraging things beyond the stellar inventory, is the owner, Nicole Bembry. She's a bundle of energy and knows her stuff. After mentioning Bella's propensity to destroy toys, she showed me several she thought would last including the Teaser Ball.

Any of you who have fed your dog hooves, know how stinky they are. The last one I gave Bella, she ate up in a single sitting only to throw it up again hours later. The hoof I gave her was small and thin, so perhaps I need to look for the really beefy ones (no pun intended). But Nicole suggested a really cool new chew toy called Snooks. It's made in Oregon from super-dried organic sweet potatoes strung on a hemp rope. Where a hoof smells stinky, these smell, well, like sweet potatoes—a hint of cinnamon and fall.

Bella went crazy when I brought them into the car, but to be honest, I'm not sure if it was the Snooks or her new food or both. I'm trying Legacy Puppy Food. It's not a designated large puppy brand, but is grain free, for what that's worth. Bella has pretty stinky stools and farts quite a bit. Although I feed her good food and give her a slow transition between different brands, I wonder if maybe she has an allergy to grains? I'll ease her into this new brand and see. It's got quite a bit more protein and fat than the last batch of food she's eaten (Avoderm Large Puppy).

My vet advised feeding Bella large puppy formula so as not to promote too fast of growth . This Legacy product may be both too rich and too high protein. However, the product I was looking for (Orijen Large Puppy) also is high protein and fat. My vet changes her dogs' food with each bag, easing the transition between products. Her take was that altering the foods not only gives the dog variety in taste, but also in ingredients and nutrition. I like that philosophy and am trying it with Bella.

Home-made Biscuits

I never thought I'd do it. Make dog biscuits. But I have and Bella is absolutely in love with them. I bought a mix from King Arthur Flours that I wanted to test. I planned to give the mix as a gift to friends who have dogs. The mix produced double the amount of biscuits it claimed and as testimony to their tastiness, Bella drools when we put our hand even near the container in which they reside.

Now that I know how successful it was, I've searched the Internet for other recipes and will let you know if they pass the doggie test. Will I still buy? Sure. But this might prove a fresh biscuit, like a fresh loaf of bread, can't be bought.

Fresh Bread

I baked a loaf of whole wheat bread yesterday after work. It was the perfect time to do it. It was pouring rain and a homey afternoon. I put on some classical music and got to kneading. The timing was also perfect in that the finished bread came out of the oven just before we had to take off and meet my niece and her partner for dinner. The kitchen smelled heavenly!

Flash back to earlier in the day. Bella ate part of a sock at some point during the day. My husband was around, but hadn't noticed that the sock was reconfigured. I was a bit concerned about what it would do in her system, but the only choice was to wait and see.

I took her to see her friend, Amber. They played a bit, but Bella was really being a pill. Amber was bombarded by the puppy and clearly unhappy about it, so we left. On our walk, we ran into another friend walking her Akita and walked with them. Both of us were hoping for an opportunity to work our dogs around distractions. Bella did well, but since her obedience class on Monday, has really been pushing the envelope. She's choosing to ignore commands. Gr-r-r.

Flash forward. When we returned from a fun evening out, we opened the door to discover the puppy had somehow been able to reach the back of the counter and had eaten the majority of the fresh bread. To my knowledge, this is her first successful attempt at counter-surfing. Needless to say, she was horribly uncomfortable and had a restless night. (As did I dealing with her!)

This morning she's slugging around the house and refused to go on a walk. I left her with my husband with instructions on feeding her (very little and in her crate) and watching to see if she is okay. She has a lot inside her that needs to come out...

Bad Factory Parts & Old Age

I guess I have to get used to the fact that Lucy's health issues are cyclical. She's once again had several days of reverse sneezing and a runny nose. The last two days she's thrown up her food. That's a new feature, one that I'm unsure is caused by her partially paralyzed larynx or the drugs she must take for rhinitis...or both. She remains eager for a walk, but not so eager to eat. I don't blame her; I wouldn't want to eat either if it meant food wasn't going to stay down.

We were at our in-laws home for Thanksgiving and Lucy piddled inside. This was done purposefully, not like the past where she was dribbling in her sleep. None-the-less, I was a tad embarrassed. Lucy also had a sneezing attack that was severe enough to give her a bloody nose. I think her problem lay with the commotion of Thanksgiving with the puppy, all the extra people, and the fact that she couldn't find that damn cat she could still smell. (The cat is one of their many past pets that has been squished on their street. We won't go there, but the cat met its demise about a month ago.)

This morning she didn't eat her breakfast, but waited until several hours later. We'll see if she keeps it down.

What a Weekend!

It was a tough weekend for Lucy and me. She felt awful and I felt guilty for putting her through all of this. She slept all day Saturday, though I would consider it fitful. She was definitely conked out, but all of sudden would wake with an hour or more of heavy panting. Whether caused by pain or the inability to breath comfortably through compromised, tender nasal passages, breathing easily was not in the cards.

Saturday evening we had friends over for dinner and she not only got up to greet them, if slowly and quietly, but moved into the living room to sleep. Both big deals as far as I am concerned. The evening though, she woke around 1AM and had a good hour plus of heavy panting. She was obviously quite uncomfortable.

Sunday saw more of this labored breathing, heavy panting, hacking and her nose begun bleeding. Of all of those, I was least concerned about the blood as they had warned me that might happen. It wasn't excessive, so I figured it was okay. However, the laborious breathing did concern me. I took her back into the clinic and they felt she was okay, but gave me some pain killers (Tramadol) to relax her, help her sleep and maybe heal the irritation in both her nose and throat by relaxing her and therefore not stressing those areas.

What they were most concerned about was her lack of appetite as she needs food in her tummy for the Piroxicam they've sent home with her. They still lean towards chronic rhinitis, though the biopsy results will be in sometime this week. They recommended I warm her food to make it stinky and therefore more appetizing for her as her sniffer isn't sniffing very well at present.

I think her care was good. I think the tech did a good job debriefing us before we brought Lucy home. I'm also sure they told me things that I didn't hear as I was anxious about Lucy's well-being. However, I don't think they gave me enough information. I don't believe they told me that it would be days before Lucy returned to normal. I don't think they mentioned that her breathing would be labored and uncomfortable for her for days because both her nose and larynx/throat had be compromised by the procedures. They didn't say anything about how long it would take her nose to "come back." I mean, if she can't smell her food without warming it, that's pretty bad! And I know they didn't say whether the Piroxicam would eliminate, or affect at all, the symptoms that brought us to this event. This morning she had several bouts of reverse sneezing and anytime she gets up she starts a slow cough sequence that may or may not end with hacking. These are all things I wished they'd covered with me. Do I worry about this or not? The vet I saw yesterday said to give Lucy a week to return to normal, but she didn't think the Piroxicam would alleviate symptoms. It is an anti-inflammatory.

Great Day for a Walk and Moles

I walked Lucy along the Green River Trail today. I had an early morning meeting and was unable to take her on a morning ramble. Using the excuse of exemplary weather this afternoon, I played hooky and took off. It is the same place where she landed in the brambles back in February.

I didn't let her off her leash, but she didn't even look in that direction. Did she remember the bad experience or was there nothing good happening? I'll never know and she'll never tell. Being that she's going deaf in the ear facing that direction, it could also be that she isn't hearing anything either.

We did see one neat thing though. We saw a mole hill being made. Now that caught her attention! A mound of earth was burbling and erupting from the ground. She pounced on either side of it and immediately it went still. No dirt ascending. She stared, she sniffed, she backed off and returned, but the mole was no fool. I wish I'd gone a bit beyond it and kept watching to see how long before he began again.

By the end of the walk (warm enough to remove my jacket), Lucy's tongue was hanging long. And long she did...every time we came to a path down to the river, she'd start towards it. I kept her moving as it's an industrial river and the path was muddy and steep. I didn't want her getting dirty from the trail, the mucky water's edge or ingesting something disagreeable. After changing her latest dog food 10 days ago, her intestinal tract is just now getting back to normal. No need to disrupt it!