Last week Riley's 11th week, post TPLO x-rays didn't come out as I hoped. First of all, they couldn't get both views sans sedation. So he had to take a tranquilizer. Well, I tried, and gosh that Kind Vet tried too. I can only thank them for trying. So the new surgeon at Kind Vet's showed me the gap in Riley's x-ray. The bone that they cut has not fused yet. I am discouraged. I will have to bring the x-rays to Dr. Trout at Angell to look at. Only he knows what Riley's x-ray looked pre surgery and immediately following surgery. Maybe he will have different thoughts.
Clinically, Riley looks great. He only has very slight favoring of that leg, but uses it very well to run, jump, and pee! As long as my Bernerboy is able to run off leash and enjoy being a dog, that's all I'd ever want for him.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Alternative Medicine going mainstream
I picked up a recent issue of "pets!" magazine while at the vet's office the other day. Here's the online version:
Jan/feb issue of pets!
I have started to really like this publication. The past few issues I've picked up, they have included great articles about a variety of pet issues. I love that there is a FREE pet magazine that presents a variety of viewpoints, not just the scare tactics that we typically get shoved down our throats. They publish some really nice articles. In particular, in this recent issue, they featured part one of a three-part series on holistic medicine. Hip Hip Hooray!!!
I read the article with a big smile on my face. In the article, Dr. Anne Crawshaw is mentioned. She is a chiropractor who treats humans and animals at her practice "The Road to Health" in Framingham. She was also the first non-conventional practitioner I ever brought Riley to when he was a puppy. At that time in Riley's life, he was a mess with allergies and we had been up every single night with diarrhea issues for OVER A MONTH. We were at our wits end. Someone referred us to Anne Crawshaw, whom at that time hadn't set up this practice in Framingham yet. We went to see her at her home office and after the first treatment, Riley began to turn around. And within three visits, the whole ordeal seemed to be completely behind us. Besides this first visit, we have been back when Riley sprained his shoulder and again, he was back to normal within a couple of weeks of adjustments. I was very pleased to see that she was featured in this article.
In addition, Dr. Jeff Feinman was also mentioned in the article. Dr. Feinman is the president of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy in Weston, CT. He has been highly recommended to me by several others on my Yahoo list. I have considered going to him before deciding on the holistic veterinarian: distance being the deciding factor. Rhode Island was more doable than CT, although I hear that Dr. Feinman will do phone consults. Conneticut would still be too far of a drive for the initial visit. Plus, I really like to be able to meet face to face for consultations.
Here is the link to the article itself. Please take a moment to read it. Food for thought!
Part 1 of 3
Jan/feb issue of pets!
I have started to really like this publication. The past few issues I've picked up, they have included great articles about a variety of pet issues. I love that there is a FREE pet magazine that presents a variety of viewpoints, not just the scare tactics that we typically get shoved down our throats. They publish some really nice articles. In particular, in this recent issue, they featured part one of a three-part series on holistic medicine. Hip Hip Hooray!!!
I read the article with a big smile on my face. In the article, Dr. Anne Crawshaw is mentioned. She is a chiropractor who treats humans and animals at her practice "The Road to Health" in Framingham. She was also the first non-conventional practitioner I ever brought Riley to when he was a puppy. At that time in Riley's life, he was a mess with allergies and we had been up every single night with diarrhea issues for OVER A MONTH. We were at our wits end. Someone referred us to Anne Crawshaw, whom at that time hadn't set up this practice in Framingham yet. We went to see her at her home office and after the first treatment, Riley began to turn around. And within three visits, the whole ordeal seemed to be completely behind us. Besides this first visit, we have been back when Riley sprained his shoulder and again, he was back to normal within a couple of weeks of adjustments. I was very pleased to see that she was featured in this article.
In addition, Dr. Jeff Feinman was also mentioned in the article. Dr. Feinman is the president of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy in Weston, CT. He has been highly recommended to me by several others on my Yahoo list. I have considered going to him before deciding on the holistic veterinarian: distance being the deciding factor. Rhode Island was more doable than CT, although I hear that Dr. Feinman will do phone consults. Conneticut would still be too far of a drive for the initial visit. Plus, I really like to be able to meet face to face for consultations.
Here is the link to the article itself. Please take a moment to read it. Food for thought!
Part 1 of 3
Friday, January 12, 2007
All's Well
It is 6pm and I would say, the Furkids are doing well. Sabrina just picked up her first toy since she came home from surgery yesterday. Her appetite is back and she's back to being as affectate as ever. Our lil Sabrina's back! She's still moving quite a bit slower, which is very odd for our spunky lil girl, but I'm glad she's realizing that she needs to take it easy. She even tried to engage the Bernerbuddy in some wrestling play but quickly realized that it wasn't a good idea.
I've continued to give her alternating doses of Arnica and Bellis Perennis through this afternoon. But I may even stop that. She has recovered beautifully and seems to be feeling quite well.
I've continued to give her alternating doses of Arnica and Bellis Perennis through this afternoon. But I may even stop that. She has recovered beautifully and seems to be feeling quite well.
Poor babies
The furkids had a pretty rough day yesterday.
Sabrina and Riley both had to spend the day at the vet's. At least they were in the hands of Kind Vets. This vet bent over backwards to try and accomodate my special requests but things didn't work out as I had hoped. Riley ended up needing a tranquilizer for the second x-ray and they kept him all day. An entire day of being kenneled in a place where all you can hear is animals in distress. I am still glad I opted to bring both dogs to the Kind Vets. The kind of treatment we get is not comparable to our previous vet experiences.
When I went to go pick Riley up at 3:30, he looked shell-shocked. He was so exhausted he could barely move and collapsed into a heap on the couch when we got home. His eyes shut in 2 minutes. I thought to myself how horrible it would be if I was confined to a room where all I hear were people crying and moaning for 7 hours. At least I could rationalized that it would all be over soon. But Riley had no idea how long he would have to endure this or if it would even ever end. Plus, I'm sure he had to listen to hours of his baby sister's frantic barking and whining when she was first kenneled, and then her whimpering/crying when she came out of surgery. Poor Bernerboy.
Baby Sabrina had her spay surgery in the am and spent the rest of the day coming out of anesthesia. She was still pretty out of it when I picked her up at 5:15. I don't think she was really even out of the anesthesia by the time I put her to bed at 10:30. She couldn't walk much and even if I set her down on the bed, she would just stand there, as if confused and unable to lie down. I had to help her lay down, and I got a few whimpers too. I alternated homeopathic remedies Arnica and Bellis Perennis for the pain and bruising. This morning she seems much better. More like herself, just with a little sore boo-boo. That's as is expected. Good appetite for buffalo this morning. Another good sign. I feel safe to leave her and go to work. Hope she gets lots of rest today. No running or jumping for 2 weeks. Wow. We'll see...
Sabrina and Riley both had to spend the day at the vet's. At least they were in the hands of Kind Vets. This vet bent over backwards to try and accomodate my special requests but things didn't work out as I had hoped. Riley ended up needing a tranquilizer for the second x-ray and they kept him all day. An entire day of being kenneled in a place where all you can hear is animals in distress. I am still glad I opted to bring both dogs to the Kind Vets. The kind of treatment we get is not comparable to our previous vet experiences.
When I went to go pick Riley up at 3:30, he looked shell-shocked. He was so exhausted he could barely move and collapsed into a heap on the couch when we got home. His eyes shut in 2 minutes. I thought to myself how horrible it would be if I was confined to a room where all I hear were people crying and moaning for 7 hours. At least I could rationalized that it would all be over soon. But Riley had no idea how long he would have to endure this or if it would even ever end. Plus, I'm sure he had to listen to hours of his baby sister's frantic barking and whining when she was first kenneled, and then her whimpering/crying when she came out of surgery. Poor Bernerboy.
Baby Sabrina had her spay surgery in the am and spent the rest of the day coming out of anesthesia. She was still pretty out of it when I picked her up at 5:15. I don't think she was really even out of the anesthesia by the time I put her to bed at 10:30. She couldn't walk much and even if I set her down on the bed, she would just stand there, as if confused and unable to lie down. I had to help her lay down, and I got a few whimpers too. I alternated homeopathic remedies Arnica and Bellis Perennis for the pain and bruising. This morning she seems much better. More like herself, just with a little sore boo-boo. That's as is expected. Good appetite for buffalo this morning. Another good sign. I feel safe to leave her and go to work. Hope she gets lots of rest today. No running or jumping for 2 weeks. Wow. We'll see...
Funnies
A Berner friend forwarded several of these to me. I wanted to share a few of my favorites. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
"Dogs Welcome"
Author unknown:
A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation.
He wrote: I would very much like to bring my dog with me.
He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?"
[]
An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who wrote:
"I've been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I've
never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the
walls. I've never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being
drunk and disorderly. And I've never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes,
indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel.
And, if your dog will vouch for you, you're welcome to stay here, too."
Today's Travel section of the Globe talks about how more and more inns, hotels, and even luxury hotels are becoming more pet friendly. What great news!! Check out the link below:
New England pet-friendly inns
A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation.
He wrote: I would very much like to bring my dog with me.
He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?"
[]
An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who wrote:
"I've been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I've
never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the
walls. I've never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being
drunk and disorderly. And I've never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes,
indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel.
And, if your dog will vouch for you, you're welcome to stay here, too."
Today's Travel section of the Globe talks about how more and more inns, hotels, and even luxury hotels are becoming more pet friendly. What great news!! Check out the link below:
New England pet-friendly inns
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Fen-Fen for dogs? Aiya!
Today's Boston Globe Online features an article about a new FDA approved drug to help obese dogs. Please please please don't tell me there are vets out there who are willing to cater to lazy pet owners and shell out this drug! This drug goes out to the public in April. Here is the link to the article:
FDA approves first treatment designed to help slim down overweight canine
Very disturbing. I fear what side effects this drug will have. Certainly human weight loss pills have not been without significant negative consequences.
I sign off with just one simple thought:
CALORIES IN-CALORIES OUT
FDA approves first treatment designed to help slim down overweight canine
Very disturbing. I fear what side effects this drug will have. Certainly human weight loss pills have not been without significant negative consequences.
I sign off with just one simple thought:
CALORIES IN-CALORIES OUT
A black retriever
Someone said something odd to me the other day when they saw Sabrina at the park.
"Is she a lab?" (very common question Flatties get)
"No, she's a Flat-Coat Retriever."
"Really? A black retriever? I've never seen one."
The first thought in my head was that she misheard me and she interpreted what I said as a black (Golden) retriever. I repeated what my answer had been in my head and confirmed that I had been very clear.
My second thought was, doesn't she realize that lab's are laborador RETRIEVERS? Has the world forgotten that this breed is not called a "lab" but that lab is short for laborador retriever? I have heard people, several times now, talk about labs and retrievers as if they are different groups of dogs.
I had to walk away.
"Is she a lab?" (very common question Flatties get)
"No, she's a Flat-Coat Retriever."
"Really? A black retriever? I've never seen one."
The first thought in my head was that she misheard me and she interpreted what I said as a black (Golden) retriever. I repeated what my answer had been in my head and confirmed that I had been very clear.
My second thought was, doesn't she realize that lab's are laborador RETRIEVERS? Has the world forgotten that this breed is not called a "lab" but that lab is short for laborador retriever? I have heard people, several times now, talk about labs and retrievers as if they are different groups of dogs.
I had to walk away.
Growing up
Riley's lil sister is growing up fast. Today will be the first day of her obedience class- though she won't be attending. Owners only today. Sabrina never got to go to Puppy Kindergarten. She had to be "home schooled" by Riley, and he did a great job! She sits nicely, will "down" with a lure, come when called (with better reliability than Riley actually!), off, and leave-it. Not bad huh? Kudos to the Bernerbuddy for teaching her the basics! I think "down" and "stay" will be very challenging for her. She can barely stand still when she is excited and/or focused, let alone sit/stay or down/stay! Right now, she is able to sit/stay in a minimally distractible, outdoor environment and allow me to walk away a few steps before she breaks. Riley gets very worried whenever she breaks her sit/stay.
Next week Sabrina will be dropped off for her spay operation. It is a sad event. I am reluctant to have it happen. She still seems like such a baby to me, I wish we could wait a few more months but the idea of a heat cycle kinda freaks me out. If I can't take her to the park and let her run off leash I am sure she will be scraping the paint off the walls in the house. And wearing doggie diapers? Forget it. Not happening. Plus if we do try and wait a few more months, and if she does have one heat cycle it makes the operation more complex and more expensive. So next Thursday it is. Riley will be going to the same new "kind" vet to get his x-rays done. Yay! I'm praying they won't need to tranquilize him and it will be a nice stress-free event.
Next week Sabrina will be dropped off for her spay operation. It is a sad event. I am reluctant to have it happen. She still seems like such a baby to me, I wish we could wait a few more months but the idea of a heat cycle kinda freaks me out. If I can't take her to the park and let her run off leash I am sure she will be scraping the paint off the walls in the house. And wearing doggie diapers? Forget it. Not happening. Plus if we do try and wait a few more months, and if she does have one heat cycle it makes the operation more complex and more expensive. So next Thursday it is. Riley will be going to the same new "kind" vet to get his x-rays done. Yay! I'm praying they won't need to tranquilize him and it will be a nice stress-free event.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Holiday in a Hideaway
The week went by so fast. And I cannot believe that it is 2007 already! Wait Wait Life! I'm having too much fun now, can we slow down?!
The cabin on Moosehead Lake was wonderful. The house had a beautiful view of the lake and we had few neighbors at this time of year. We didn't do much the entire week. Isn't that great? We cooked, we ate, we read, we watched TV/movies, and we went on hikes on nice days. Sabrina did wonderfully, no doubt because there's nowhere that lil girl would rather be than right by our sides (or right on our heels I should say). I could not move around the house without her close on my heels. You know how many times I've stepped on her?! Despite a frantic search throughout the ENTIRE first night, looking for her bed, she settled in just fine.
Riley was overjoyed to see snow and it was wonderful to see the happiness exude out of him. This was Sabrina's first real snow and she took to it in the same manner she took to the beach, like she's seen it all her life. She even learned to chomp on the snow like her big brother, although the first time she thought he was actually eating some delicious morsel from the ground was hilarious. Her nose when down to the ground and she searched high and low, zig-zagging all over the yard, trying to pick up the scent of a delicous morsel. Alas, the delicious treat Riley was snacking so contentedly on was right beneath her very paws.
The first few days the weather was quite nice. I don't believe it was any colder than 40 degrees in the daytime. By Christmas Day, the clouds rolled in and a blanket of snow came in the day after. The days grew increasingly colder as the week went on, but as you can see, we came prepared and I was quite warm. We took walks to Lily Bay State Park where Jeffrey, Riley, and I camped last year, Little Moose and Big Moose Ponds, and to the Sand Bar Point.
The cabin on Moosehead Lake was wonderful. The house had a beautiful view of the lake and we had few neighbors at this time of year. We didn't do much the entire week. Isn't that great? We cooked, we ate, we read, we watched TV/movies, and we went on hikes on nice days. Sabrina did wonderfully, no doubt because there's nowhere that lil girl would rather be than right by our sides (or right on our heels I should say). I could not move around the house without her close on my heels. You know how many times I've stepped on her?! Despite a frantic search throughout the ENTIRE first night, looking for her bed, she settled in just fine.
Riley was overjoyed to see snow and it was wonderful to see the happiness exude out of him. This was Sabrina's first real snow and she took to it in the same manner she took to the beach, like she's seen it all her life. She even learned to chomp on the snow like her big brother, although the first time she thought he was actually eating some delicious morsel from the ground was hilarious. Her nose when down to the ground and she searched high and low, zig-zagging all over the yard, trying to pick up the scent of a delicous morsel. Alas, the delicious treat Riley was snacking so contentedly on was right beneath her very paws.
The first few days the weather was quite nice. I don't believe it was any colder than 40 degrees in the daytime. By Christmas Day, the clouds rolled in and a blanket of snow came in the day after. The days grew increasingly colder as the week went on, but as you can see, we came prepared and I was quite warm. We took walks to Lily Bay State Park where Jeffrey, Riley, and I camped last year, Little Moose and Big Moose Ponds, and to the Sand Bar Point.
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