Please note:
We hope that you enjoy the DOT posts and the different views from everyone included. We promise lots of cute pictures, laughter, maybe a tear or two, and some information. Please note that the views and opinions expressed here are each author's own and do not necessarily represent DOT as a whole.
Only one photo was submitted but I think that you will agree this picture says it all! The picture was submitted by
Kathy who says:
"This is Lucy. The photo was actually taken Nov. 2008 but I hope that's ok. We are at the dog park and she found the muddiest part of it. It must have rained the day before. Yes, she had a shower before she was allowed back in the Jeep."
Thanks for sharing your photo Kathy!
As for HoneyDew, Sampson and I, the temperature is supposed to hit 60 degrees today, the sun is shining, and we are heading out to enjoy it!
Happy DOT's!
Previously I wrote about senior wellness screening that your vet may want to perform on your pet. Today we are going to revisit senior wellness but from a "what can I dog at home?" perspective.
1. Lump and Bump check: Once a month feel all over your dog, checking for new lumps that may be under or on the skin. Many of these may be benign age related changes but only a quick needle biopsy can tell for sure. Also check for lumps under the chin, armpits, groin and behind the knees (back legs). These are places were lymph nodes are and enlarged lymph nodes are also something that needs to be checked out right away.
2. Dental care: If you are able it’s best to brush your dog’s teeth. If you can’t then at least try to take a quick look in the mouth and look for obvious signs of disease-heavy tartar, red or bleeding gums, irregular gum tissue or tumors.
3. Diet: Feed your older dog an appropriate diet. Your vet may prescribe a prescription diet if you pet has certain diseases like kidney failure, heart failure, or diabetes. But even if they don’t have a specific condition older pets have different metabolic needs and will need a quality senior diet.
4. Exercise: Just because your dog is older and less active doesn’t mean he should become a couch potato. Light exercise is still good to keep the muscles strong and joints loose. Go for shorter walks if needed or don’t throw the ball as far or as much but still let them exercise. Keeping your older dog lean will lessen the problems he or she may have with arthritis as well.
5. Weight: Monitor and write down your pet’s weight every month or so. When we see our pet every day it’s harder to notice a gradual weight loss or gain. But both of these changes, especially weight loss can indicate a serious problem that needs to be addresses.
6. Supplements: Two supplements that I think are great for any older dog are Glucosamine/Chondroitin and Fish oil (fatty acids). Glucosamine/chondroitin help slow down the process of arthritis as well as reduce some of the discomfort. My favorite brand is Cosequin or Dasuquin-both from Nutramax laboratories. Since nutracueticals are not regulated many of them don’t contain what they claim they do and may not be bioavailable to dogs. These two supplements are proven to be reputable. Fish oils are anti-inflammatory and are useful for many conditions such as arthritis, heart, kidney, and skin disease.
7. Eating and drinking habits: Keep an eye on your dog's eating and drinking habits. Decreases in eating can be caused by a variety of problems . Unexpected weight loss or gain in relation to appetite are also cause for concern. For example weight loss with good appetite or weight gain with normal to decreased appetite are not normal. Watching the food intake and the weight will help you notice these things. Increased water consumption is also a sign of several age related diseases that need to be further investigated.
We are in the home stretch now, as the first day of spring is only 16 days away! We are excited even though you know what comes with spring...MUD!
To celebrate the season I thought it might be fun to have a photo "parade" of the muddiest pictures you may have of your pup(s).
To participate, just email your pictures to me at thegardner63ataoldotcom by March 17th and the parade will be posted on March 18th.
Happy DOT's!
Love,
Tina, HoneyDew and Sampson too!
Hello everyone! Penny here again. Since I arfed at you last time about all the things I have to watch out for with my humans, I've found another. They call it "thunder". I call it a big booming noise that comes out of nowhere. Know what I did? I barked at it!! One of my very fiercest barking frenzies, if I do say so myself. Did the job and the thunder went away. My humans, however, were not as impressed. They kept muttering something about it being 4 in the morning. I don't care what time it was... I always have to be on guard!
I got to do something else new too. We had snow!!!
Now, my humans tell me that for a lot of you, snow is no big deal. But I was born and raised in Georgia... right in the Atlanta area. And for us, it's really unusual to get the three inches of snow that we got. Why, it was right up to my chest!
My mommy was a little upset that I was out in the snow without my jacket... but I couldn't wait to get out to play in it and I was crying at the door!
I ran and played... there was so much to sniff! I think I could have stayed outside all afternoon, but mommy was afraid my paws would get too cold. Hasn't she seen that I have a lot of fur on them??
(I just know a squirrel had been somewhere around this tree. Cowardly devil wouldn't come out to face me!)
So, I had to come in, and mommy wrapped me up in a warm blankie, but I kept vigil at the window just in case something came within my line of sight that I thought was a threat. Ok I did fall asleep. A couple of times. Well, more than a couple of times. But I would have sprung into action at a moment's notice.
I hope we get more snow this winter. From what I hear, I'm the only one who hopes that.
