The Rewards of Adopting an Older Dog

Depending upon the training, an older dog can be a wonderful companion to those who are not able to keep up with or train a young puppy.  Aspen was wonderful and gentle in her elder years, a little more work keeping up with some of her health needs, but I wouldn't have traded a single minute of my time with her.  

As I look ahead to the possibility of another dog, which is hard as Aspen had such a perfect disposition, I am not sure I have the energy or patience for a puppy...because while not old, I am older myself. 

A long time ago, I saved this article as it was a good one, the owner only wished to have a link back to her site, which at this update [2/27/17] is no longer available.  I hope you enjoy it....and even when considering an older dog, be careful...how they have been raised and their current health are important considerations.


The Companionship of an Older Dog

By: Janie Knetzer

My husband and I have rescued dogs of all ages over the years. Since we love dogs and want to help when we can, we always get our dogs from shelters and dog rescue groups. We have consistently found older dogs to be our favorites. Their gentleness and straightforwardness have always fit well into our hectic lives.

A dog at or above the age of eight is considered to be a senior dog. The great thing about adopting an older dog is that while they are far calmer than a younger dog, they are still healthy and enjoy playing.

In contrast to younger dogs, an older dog does not demand all of your attention all of the time. However, they do till like a regular routine just like a young dog. Dogs are always happiest when they can rely on a regular schedule, regardless of whether they are an older dog or still a puppy.

A regularly scheduled walk, regular feeding times and the opportunity to snuggle up to you while you read or watch television are ideal for your dog. Come up with a daily schedule which works for you and your dog and you will both be happy.

An older dog has a bit less energy than a puppy, so they will spend a little more of their time sleeping. You may need to give your senior dog a little push to ensure that they receive enough exercise to stay in good shape.

Kids And Senior Dogs

If you are thinking of adopting an older dog but have small children, remember that older dogs (just like us when we get older) do have aches and pains, meaning that they may not exactly love having children tackling them all of the time.

Parents should always teach their children to respect animals and treat them as they would want to be treated if their roles were reversed. If an older dog is a pet you’d like to take in, make sure that they are good with kids and can be relaxed in their presence. If the dog tries to escape from children, they likely will be uncomfortable around yours.

This does not by any means indicate that this older dog is a bad dog, merely that they are alarmed by their sudden movements or perhaps have been mistreated by children in the past. Families with small children should look for older dogs who walk up to children happily seeking to greet them.

Senior Dogs Have Little Chance For Rescue

It is very unfortunate, but most people overlook the older dogs when looking to adopt. Never realizing just how much these wonderful dogs have to offer. Their calm, gentle and grateful disposition makes them the perfect candidates for many families, single people and older people as well.

The only downside to adopting a senior dog is that you might not have the opportunity to spend as many years with them as you would like to. Yet, once you witness for yourself their undeniable gratitude and companionship, age no longer matters.

It is our hope that if you are thinking about adopting a dog, that you will please consider an older dog. Those gray muzzles are well worth a look.

Author Resource:-> Janie has been working with dogs for over twenty five years. She resides in Southwestern Pennsylvania with her husband and two dogs. She dedicates herself to educating others about the importance of responsible dog care.

Related Articles:

Elderly Dog Owners, A Good Idea? 
Caring for Aging Dogs and Pets

Updated 2/27/17

Are You Fighting Fall Fleas?

Until we have enough frost, or even a good freeze, pets need to be protected against fleas and ticks.  You can't let your guard down just because the air is cooler.

It is fall where we are, the leaves are changing, the air is crisp, but not crisp enough to kill fleas and ticks.  In fact, during this season these nasty bugs are looking for warm bodies to hitch a ride on, and then to do their dirty work of biting as they live on the blood of warm blooded animals.  

They may even hitch a ride on your pets into the home, and sometimes even infest the home. 

This time of year it is especially important to use some kind of flea repellent so your pet doesn't suffer and your home is kept tick and flea free. 

I have written a page that includes an article about protecting your dog from fleas and ticks.  You can click here to find the article, and look in the right margin for other full page articles.


Image Credit: "Flea Drinking Tea" by debspoons at freedigitalphotos.net
Updated 2/27/17

Grieving When You Lose a Dog

From the time that I started this blog, I knew the day would come when Aspen would cross the Rainbow Bridge and leave me behind.  It has been 5 weeks yesterday since her passing, and as you can see, it has been difficult to write about her.

I can tell you that the first couple weeks were the most difficult, I would think I heard her, or saw her when something was laying on the floor in the spot she used to lay on the floor, and would expect her to greet me at the door. 

Anyone who has had a Yorkie knows that the Yorkie greeting when you come home is so enthusiastic and unforgettable.  Of course during her last year she was not as active as she used to be, but she always managed to muster up the energy for a happy greeting when we came home.

The grief process for a beloved pet, one that was loved as much as Aspen was, is similar to grieving anyone that we love.  It may not be quite the same as losing a child, husband or wife, but the feelings and grief process are very much the same. 

After the first few weeks, there were less tears, but then Aspen started to be part of some of my early morning dreams just before waking, the only ones I remember.  Once we were playing a game that she loved to play, a chasing game.  In another she was in bed next to me, she often slept in the bed between my husband and I until the past year when it was bad for her legs to jump up and down.  In that dream I was petting her and could even "feel" her hair then awoke to the reality that it was just a dream.  These moments bring tears and I quickly rise to get on with the day.

This week I did have a dream about her, but in it, I was convincing someone else that she was now gone, so I guess my sub-conscience is coming to terms with reality too.

It is getting a bit easier, grief can stop life, and life must go on, so I'm thankful that it is a process that doesn't control every moment...but when the grief thoughts come, I engage them for a while, and am not afraid to shed tears, as all of this is part of the healing process after losing a pet that I loved as much as Aspen.  The blog will go on, though, Aspen would want it that way.

Image taken by me.

We Said Goodbye to our Beloved Yorkie

This blog has, for the most part, been written from Aspen, a Yorkshire Terrier's point of view.  Today, I, her owner, am broken hearted as we have finally had to say goodbye to her sweet self.

Aspen, as you know if you have followed this blog, had Cruciate Ligament Tear in both her hind legs, but got around quite well for a year with pain medicine and a Glucosamine product.  She also was going blind and had dry eye syndrome, so her eyes were tended to with cleaning and drops daily.

We have watched her declining bit by bit, and told ourselves (my husband and I) that we would keep her alive as long as she was happy and not suffering.  Yesterday she had a difficult day, and today, she was unable to do anything, just lay trembling.

So we made the painful decision to take her and have her put to rest.  I have cried almost continuously since.  We brought her home and buried her with her favorite toy, the only one that she would play with for the 14 years of her life.

And now I grieve.  She was a precious and sweet dog that brought us nothing but joy during her life.  Her portrait picture is in the header of this blog, and there are other pictures of her on this blog.  In time, the blog will go on, just as she would have wanted.

Yorkie aka Yorkshire Terrier Clubs

We were browsing online looking for Yorkshire Terrier sites and found two different Yorkshire Terrier clubs that you might be interested in.

One is a beautiful site, called The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America.  I am sure you are going to want to visit this site as it has many helpful resources for the Yorkie owner, or someone who is thinking of owning a Yorkie.

The other site was The Yorkshire Terrier Club of Ethical Hobby Breeders.  These days you can't be too careful when you are choosing a place to purchase a Yorkie with all of the sad stories about Puppy Mills that you hear about on the news today.

I hope that you will enjoy these sites as much as we do, and we wish you a great day!

Greyhounds Need Our Help

There are several animals of different kinds that are looked at as a source of income by people that are so inclined.  Among those animals are the gentle Greyhounds.  For many many years they have been used for dog races, and provide a source of income much like race horses do, through viewing the races and betting.  It's sad what many of these dogs experience, but there are also people doing good things to help animals that many feel are abused this way.

We have people in our Town who adopt rescued Greyhounds.  I met a couple of very nice Greyhounds when I was at an appointment at our local veterinarians office. They very fine featured dogs with very strong hind-quarter muscles which is why they are fast, and used for racing.  They are so gentle that it's sad to think that they are used this way.  Let's get the following sad video over with, then we can move on to the good things people are doing:



Greyhounds, or dogs that look like them have been found as part of the artwork on Egyptian tombs over 2000 BC (before Christ). They were developed for hunting in more recent history. They make wonderful, gentle, loving house pets.

If you think you'd like to learn more about how to help Greyhounds, or would like to adopt one, there are many websites that help, Adopt a Greyhoud is just one that will lead to other helpful sites.  You will also find many sites if you simply insert "Adopt a Greyhound" into your Google search engine.

Updated 2/27/17

Yorkie Good Hair Day vs Bad Hair Day

Yorkshire Terriers are a breed of dog that need regular grooming, as do all dogs who have hair that grows like human hair.  I used to take Aspen to the groomer when she was younger, but later started to groom her myself to save money.

I do a pretty good job, but it's never quite as clean as the groomer.  Here's an example...morning hair needs combing in this picture:

If you look at Aspen's picture up at the top of this blog in the header, you will see what she looked like when first home from the groomer where she got her summer puppy cut.  This picture was taken quite a few years ago, when she still had more of a rusty color to her hair...with age that faded a bit, but she still looked beautiful.

If you want to learn how to groom at home, there are tutorials at popular video sites like YouTube.

Related Posts and Pages:

Cleaning a Dogs Teeth
Clipping a Dogs Nails
How My Owner Groomed Me

Updated 2/27/17
 

Is Your Dog Afraid of July 4th Fireworks or Thunder?

Every year on July 4th, my owners sit outside on the deck watching all the fireworks that are set off around the lake.   It's also the time of the year when we have thunderstorms.  Though many dogs are afraid of fireworks and thunder, I'm not one of them.  I just bark to protect one of my owners who is more afraid of the noise than I am.

But I know some of my dog friends are very afraid of thunder and fireworks.  Maybe if it is hot where you are, you can close the windows and put on the air conditioning and play some classical music, it is supposed to be soothing to us dogs.  I'm not promising it will work, but it might help depending upon how sensitive your dog is.

Another thing you can do is try a natural remedy that calms nerves.  We have a Bach Flower Remedy around the house that is similar to one called Rescue Remedy. People have used Rescue Remedy for years, but now there is one specifically designed for pets. 

To give your pet the remedy, follow the instructions on the bottle, which means putting a certain number of drops in your pet's mouth or perhaps in our water.  We like putting it directly in the mouth as it starts working right away, and when you are afraid, you aren't really thinking much about eating or drinking.

We hope that this will help you a bit in dealing with a pet that is afraid of thunder and fireworks.

Have You Used Flea and Tick Protection On Your Dog?

Spring is here, summer is coming, and my owner treated me for the first time for fleas and ticks yesterday.  It should have been done as soon as the weather got warm, but we've had a cold spring this year, so we waited a bit.  I haven't had any bites.  Some of you live in climates that are warm all the time, so please, be sure to keep those itchy little pests away from your pets...it's miserable when they bite, I know!

I get terrible allergic reactions to flea bites, just one little bite is enough to cause a rash over almost all of my body, so I was really happy when she read the article listed in the "pages" section to the right.  Or, to make it easier for you, just click this link. 

Updated 2/27/17

The Health and History of the Yorkie Breed

Occasionally we do posts about dog breeds.  This is one of those posts, and about the breed of dog that Aspen is most fond of for obvious reasons, the Yorkshire Terrier.  

Following is an article about the breed, and at the end of the article, other articles that Aspen and I have written about Yorkies.  Aspen isn't like the vicious little beast that the writer describes at the beginning of the article, but this is the history of the breed. 

Enjoy this article about the Yorkshire Terrier by David Beart:

"In another land and time the Yorkshire Terrier was not a small long haired show dog and pet. Rather, he was a larger rat killing dynamo. Tracing back to the 1600's the breed was valued in textile mills, mines and farms where pest control was important. In the 1860s era the breed was quite popular in rat killing contests with the dog credited with being the foundation of the breed showing as well as winning many contests. Huddersfield Ben helped establish the Yorkshire Terrier.

It was 1872 before the breed was brought to the United States, and was recognized by the AKC just six years later. As late as the 1930's the Yorkshire terrier was said to look as they do today but were closer to 30 pounds, not the 3-7 pounds of today. They were for some time in their history a 12-14 pound wire haired dog known as the broken haired Scotch terrier.

Today the Yorkshire terrier is in the toy, not the terrier, group. Their longer show coat is not a practical point on many farms. With their jobs reduced, they were bred down as pets, a role that they have taken on with overwhelming success.

With their small size few would see them as hero potential. Yet in World War II a Yorkie named Smoky became a war dog, outwardly entertaining soldiers with tricks they taught her. Her small size meant she could do something valuable the big dogs couldn't she helped run communication lines through a culvert under a runway. This meant the runway did not need to be shut down for several critical days. After her service she returned to her home in Ohio with her handler. One report was that she was awarded eight battle stars for her service, and her story is remembered many years later.

They have a spirited temperament and are normally an intelligent small dog with a little fire. It is worth noting that some can be quite territorial and must be closely watched. Their attacking a much larger dog can prove a fatal flaw if the large dog retaliates. Like other terriers, they can be bold and bossy.

Their independence can be viewed as hard to train by some. They take patience and a willingness to think ahead of the dog. They can be successfully trained for many activities including obedience, agility, earth dog, fly-ball, canine freestyle, entertainment and pet therapy. Agility courses involve running through a series of obstacles. One of the newer competitions is called rally, evolving from road rally competitions. This also has a series of obstacles, but unlike agility where there is a course to be followed, this involves moving from one sign to another, and you don t know where you re going in advance.

Basic obedience training is good for all dogs to learn. The above competition events are an outlet for a Yorkie s energy even if you just do it at home for fun. Keep the sessions fun and play filled.

From a health standpoint Yorkies tend to be rather long lived but they can develop cataracts as they age. An issue with tracheal collapse can result when an improperly trained Yorkie pulls excessively on the leash, although some believe this is partly genetic. Liver issues are not unheard of also, and require veterinary treatment to live a comfortable life. Failure to diagnose and treat this can result in, among other symptoms, seizures and behavioral problems.

Patellar luxation and retinal dysplasia are two other serious disorders that can affect Yorkies. The latter is an eye disorder which can be passed on by genetics. Buying from a reliable breeder is important.

A condition called hemorrhagic gastric enteritis is particularly dangerous to small dogs, with less body reserve than large dogs. Health issues should be discussed with the breeder when you purchase your puppy many offer health guarantees.

Hypoglycemia is another problem that can occur more often with toy breeds. Because of their small size, they have little reserve. Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, can result from temperature, stress or too long between meals. Feed regular meals of good quality food. Keep Karo syrup or honey on hand just in case there is a problem. If your puppy looks sluggish or wobbly rub his gums with the honey or Karo. If you catch it early placing a little on the tongue so he swallows it is good. Do not ignore this it can be fatal.

With their smaller size extra attention is needed to insure the dog does not become overweight and that they get sufficient exercise. While many people simply carry them, they need to walk, run and play like other dogs also.

For those interested in the show standard it can be found at American Kennel Club, and is worth noting by the standard there is specific markings allowed and a maximum weight of seven pounds.

This leaves an opening for pets of those that are slightly larger or don't have the perfect marking and color allowed. Being a small dog, 2-3 puppies per litter is normal.

There are people who advertise teacup or teeny Yorkies many breeders recommend against these extra small dogs due to health issues and other problems that breeding for the extra small size can bring. The breed is already small. There are some that have solid or partly color dogs, these do not meet the standard and may not be registered.

The long flowing coat of today takes maintenance and regular grooming. This is a breed that is said to not shed regular brushing takes care of dead and damaged hair. Show dogs are kept up quite intensely, like long haired dogs of all breeds. That coat that catches the eye also needs much attention. For the pet home, regular brushing to keep the coat from being tangled and matted is important. Be sure to get all the way down into the coat.

For those not wanting to keep up the long coat, get a pair of good electric clippers and clip the belly, under arm area, between the hind legs and up to the anal area. While this is basic, it keeps the hair shorter and easier to groom. There are several good grooming guides online and in print that can help guide you to a cut and routine that works best for you and your dog.

Like other long haired breeds use caution bathing so as to not tangle the coat, and rinse all traces out of the coat thoroughly. If desired, and depending on the situation, use a good quality conditioner rinse and rinse thoroughly. Use a hair dryer and comb to comb through and completely dry the coat. Extra caution should be used to not use the high heat that can burn puppies as well as bigger dogs.

A good metal comb with long teeth can be found for under $10 this gets all the way down into the coat. Comb through the coat to insure no tangles start that can become matts. This doesn't take a long time if done regularly, and brushes can miss some tangles that can easily be removed when starting, before it gets to a tangled mess.

Teeth should be cleaned regularly, which can be helped with appropriate chew toys. Ears should be trimmed so as to allow them to stand erect.

Joan Rivers and Eva Gabor (of Green Acres fame) are but two celebrities who have a Yorkie as their dog. Others reported to have Yorkies include Bruce Willis, Richard Nixon, Justin Timberlake, Audrey Hepburn and Brett Favre.

A lifespan of 12-16 years, sometimes longer, underscores the importance of taking on the puppy for life. Good food, proper care and safe management can result in a dog that is with you for quite some time. Putting time and effort into a good dog is never wasted!

About the author: David Beart is the owner of the http://www.professorshouse.com at the time of the writing of the article above. The site covers family related issues from raising children to caring for a dog, relationships to cooking.

Other Dog Posts and Articles You Might Like:



What is a Morkie? Chow Chow Puppies and Dogs Dalmations Basset Hounds
Cute Yorkie Pictures and Yorkshire Terrier Art 
Cute Plush and Stuffed Yorkshire Terriers

Updated 2/28/17

Does a Dog have Body Language?

The idea of a dog like me having "body language" can be good or bad. It can be good if it means my owners understand me better, and bad if there are some things that I do that I just want to be between my dog friends and me. 

You can find a page on our site with an article about dog body language by clicking right here.

It is getting more challenging for me to use body language these days as I'm getting older, but my owners know me so well, it doesn't take much for them to understand me.

To learn more about dog body language, click here. 

Related Articles:

Does Your Dog Know What You Are Feeling? 

How Your Dog Talks To You 

Updated 2/28/17 

Being an Aunt to 2 Dachshunds

Do you see this little Dachshund puppy? [Typed for Aspen by her owner.] One of the people who used to live here, and went away and got married, came to visit a while back. I was really excited because I miss Heather, but guess what, when she and her husband walked in the door, they were holding this. The little puppy in the picture.

First, this is my "turf" so I wasn't at all excited about having another little dog come and visit, second, Heather now has another dog in her life...first a man comes along and marries her so she doesn't live here anymore, then they decide to get this little dog. Yes, I'm jealous.

I heard Heather trying to figure out how I was related to the dog...she said that I was her sister. I can't understand that one since I'm a dog and she's a human, but I guess it's because I'm like one of the owner's children. (Humans really do think strangely). So she figures that I'm her dogs Aunt.

Since then, they have adopted another dog, and they have two cats as well.  It's taken time, but I've gotten used to the whole idea.

P.S.  If you want to know where they got this puppy, I can ask, the breeders have a nice website.

Related Links about Dog Breeds and Mixes:

What do you Get when you Mix a Dachshund and Yorkie? Basset Hound Dalmation About Chow-Chow Puppies and Dogs What is a Morkie? 

Updated 2/28/17

Bloody Diarrhea in Yorkies and Small Dogs

This isn't a pleasant post, but maybe it will help you if you have a Yorkie or other small dog that gets diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea.  It might help you if you have a big dog, too, but it's more of an emergency with small dogs like Yorkshire Terriers because we lose our fluids quickly and can become dehydrated and go into shock...now don't get scared if you're reading this and your dog is sick right now, read on, most of the time things will be okay.  First I'll tell my story, and what the vet did, then I'll give some tips to help until you can get to the vet....but get to the vet you must, if you're having symptoms like I did.

This happened a few years ago.  I didn't feel good, and had bloody diarrhea...I've had it before just a little bit, but never have been real sick with it.  My owners didn't know what to do because it was time to go to bed when I got really sick, but I settled down a little bit.  Then they got up with me at about 1:30 in the morning, and I was sick again.  Then by morning, I was panting, and trembling, and passing blood, bright red blood, more than we had seen before.  Of course they called the vet right away, and took me in to get checked.

The vet took a stool specimen, and it is getting sent in to see if I have parasites or other things that might have caused this.  She took my temperature rectally, then she felt all around my abdomen, I guess to see if there were any swellings or lumps.  Then they took me and injected a water-electrolyte solution under my skin that made kind of a big soft mushy bump on me, so my body would be able to absorb some fluids.  Since my intestines were so inflamed, even when I drank water,  and it was good that I was, it is hard to know how well he body can absorb the fluids.  Then she told us to buy, the following:

• An antibiotic - Metronidazole 100 mg suspension, and said I had to take 1/2 ml. 2x a day....we bought that from the vet.


• Pepcid AC 10 mg....have to take 1/4 a tablet once a day...we got that at the store


• id canned cat food, yes, I said CAT food, esp. good for intestinal problems....bought that from the vet, and guess what, I loved it.


• Gerber Baby Rice flakes or boiled white rice (not quick rice), we got the flakes, and mix them in with the food.


• Pedialite - we kind of think that might have been a waste of money, but we are mixing a little bit in with the food and rice...I won't drink it alone....that's to help replace fluids and electrolytes lost.

It wasn't long after I got the antibiotic, and ate some of that yummy food that I started to feel much better, and by evening, I felt good enough to beg all evening for my snack...the owners wouldn't give me my favorite snack tonight, because they can only give me boiled chicken, which they did, and the food from the vet...but I begged anyway, worth a try, right?  And I felt good enough to beg for my old stuffed bunny to be thrown a few times. So unless we hear something different from the vet when they get the results of my fecal tests, I think we're all set.

(NOTE: - After you read this post, you may want to click here and read the post just before it as it gives more detailed description of the remedy above.  At that time, which was a year later, I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, and we now are quite sure that was my weakness all along, as we've had no trouble with this since we started being careful about what I eat.)

Oh, I forgot to mention that my owner is going to sprinkle just a little acidophilus in my food to help get good bacteria into my system between times that she gives me the antibiotics, and after.

The Pepcid AC will be a good thing to have around in case this happens again and we can't get to the vet on time.  And we've read that Pepto Bismol can help, but my owner feels funny about that one because she thinks it has aspirin in it, which thins blood and increases bleeding.  We have to ask the vet about that one.  Now, if you missed the post before this one, please go read it.  It describes what happened a year after the above.

Updated 2/28/17 

This Yorkshire Terrier had Pancreatitis

As a Yorkie, I can tell you having Pancreatitis is not fun...it hurts...I had a bad case of it in 2010.  This can be a condition that seems like other health problems, and requires a visit to your Veterinarian and a careful description of the symptoms.  I recovered, and didn't have any recurrences in the 3 years since. 

Here is what happened to me, I am hoping that it will help other Yorkie friends out there.

I started getting (sorry, this is yucky) diarrhea a lot easier than I used to, and we thought it was triggered by certain foods.  My owner did all kinds of things to take things out of my diet, and carefully add new things, very gradually, that's what you have to do when you're changing foods with a Yorkie, or any dog.

One day, I got really bad symptoms, and we went to the Vet.  We've done that before, but this time, they did a blood test for Pancreatitis, and I came up as having it.  There are really no medications for this, but they did treat it in almost the same way as they did when I had bloody diarrhea in 2009...since that post was lost during a transfer of this blog, we are going to update and re-post it for you tomorrow.

Here's some things my owner did wrong (I forgive her) and what the doctor had us do:

• My owner gave me Chicken Livers the night before, you would think that wouldn't bother me as liver is a very popular treat, but it's very rich and high in cholesterol.  When I was younger, I could handle more foods than I can now or could when this happened.


• The next day I had VERY yellow diarrhea, and was throwing up, also yellow, and walked around with my back kind of hunched and head down because it hurt inside. So we made an appointment with the Veterinarian...so important if you think something serious is wrong.


• The vet gave me subcutaneous (I think that's the word) fluids, they put a lot of water just under my skin with a needle to help with dehydration since....


• I wasn't allowed to drink or eat anything for 24 hours!!!  But it wasn't that bad, I wasn't feeling well at all so not very hungry, and if I did eat was in pain.


• I was given 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid A/C tablet on an empty stomach in the afternoon a 1/2-1 hours before when I would have had my dinner, then every 24 hours for a week before my evening meal. The veterinarian had us add another week on because I still wasn't quite right after a week. After finding that to be a battle (I hate taking pills), and after I had started eating again, my owner added it to just a tiny bit of chicken breast so I wouldn't notice it, or so she thought, and that made it easier for me to swallow.  Then I got the rest of my meal a little bit later.


• I had to eat several small meals a day of white rice (or Gerber's baby flaked rice...just about a tablespoon mixed in with the cut up chicken with a little water added) and chicken breast, morning, mid morning, noon, mid afternoon, and dinner time, about 2 tablespoons of food each time until I got better.

I finally did get better, then there was the quest to find the right food for me, which we did by trial and error.  I seem to do best with chicken and rice foods, beef doesn't agree with me at all.

If you are dealing with Pancreatitis with your dog, we wish your dog a speedy recovery. 

Updated 2/28/17

Tips for Traveling with Your Dog

I am a dog that DOES NOT like to travel in the car.  I get very nervous, and my owners want to help me with that problem.  

First, we found some excellent travel tips in a post called "Let's Hit the Road" at the "Adventures of Traveling Bob" blog/website.  Bob is a dog who gives great tips on how to be prepared to travel with a dog, and great places to stay if you are traveling with a dog.  Not every hotel or motel is happy to have dogs, so you need advice like Bob has to offer.

As for my nerves, we are trying some Bach Flower Remedy drops to see if they will help.  I'm an older dog now, and my owners don't want to stress me too much, so we're going to try some short rides with the drops, stop at places that are fun, and then come home...I think they are doing this because I'm afraid I'm going to the vet or groomer every time we're in the car.  (They think I don't understand them when they're talking...but I do!) We'll let you know how it goes.

Irritated Pink or Red Eyes and Dry Eye in Dogs

For the past few years, I, Aspen the Yorkie, have been dealing with red eyes, dry eye, irritated eyes, all kinds of eye problems.  Now that I'm an older dog, I am losing my eyesight, but still get around pretty well.

We have done several posts about eye care, and some were lost during a transfer of this blog, but we have the information and are combining all of it in this single post, that we hope will be helpful to you.

First we start with a post we did when my Veterinarian decided the condition I was suffering was allergies.  My owner carefully treated my eyes as described for almost a year before we learned there was more to my problem...here is that post:

This was originally posted about 2 years ago - Lately we've had a hard time keeping my tear ducts clear and eyes clear of the mucous or whatever that "goo" is that forms in the eye. We went to the vet, and were told that it was allergies.

My owner was trying the home-made drops that she uses for my infections that she makes with a Golden Seal tea, an herb that kills infection, but the Vet didn't think they were infected. He said that it was more likely to be allergy related. Because of the allergies, my eyes make more goo, which dries in my tear ducts, so my owner has to clean them, which I hate, but it feels good when it's done.

The vet suggested saline solution, and when we went to the pharmacy to get some, they told us to buy a large bottle of "Sensitive Eyes" Saline Solution by Bausch & Lomb or similar company that makes the same thing rather than waste our money on those little bottles of eye drops. It cost under $4.00 at the time we bought the big bottle and lasts a LONG time. The bottle has a dropper type top with a little cap, so is handy to use right from the big bottle.

Getting the drops into my eyes can be interesting because I like to fight the process as much as possible, but by owner somehow gently but firmly holds the scruff of my neck...the same place a mother dog uses to carry her puppies, and then gently holds back my eyelid somehow with her fingers, and squeezes a few drops into my eyes...it's tricky, but she does it, then gently picks away the dried "stuff" from the corner of my eyes, and if necessary gently wipes the "goo" from my eyes with a cotton ball made damp with the same saline eye drops.

She also makes sure that the hair is trimmed around my eyes so that it doesn't get into my eyes, another thing that causes irritation.

Even though I fight the process, it feels good when it's all done!

Time went by, and it seemed that the problem never went away, was always there, so we wondered if it was something more than allergies, but kept on cleaning the eyes daily, until I had to go to the Vet for another reason.  It was then that we learned the problem was a condition called "dry eye"...my eyes don't make tears, so form the mucous or "goo" we were talking about earlier as a natural way of protecting the eyes in the absence of tears.  So in addition to the cleaning, I now have to have a drop of prescription called "Tacrolimus" made by a compounding pharmacy, and put in each eye each day.  Usually they have to be cleaned as described above first.  I have a very patient owner to do this for me every day, and don't like it, but am getting used to it.

Dog Treats Recipe - Bagels for Dogs

Healthy dog snacks can be purchased in the store, or you can make them yourself and know exactly what is in them. Here is a recipe for what I call "Doggie Bagels", you can adjust the size for the dog you will be feeding...again, you have complete control.

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Unbleached White Flour
1 Package Yeast or 1/4 ounce
1 cup Warmed Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.


2. Combine the whole wheat flour with the yeast in a large bowl.


3. Add 2/3 cup chicken broth and honey and beat for about 3 minutes.


4. Gradually add the remaining flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and moist, but not wet (use reserve broth as necessary).


5. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 5 minutes.


6. Divide the dough into about 15-20 pieces, or whatever quantify the size of dog you are making the snack for dictates, rolling each piece into a smooth ball.


7. Punch a hole into each ball with your finger.


8. Carefully pull the dough so the hole is about an 1/2" wide depending upon the size of your bagel, and it doesn't have to look pretty as they rise when cooking.


9. Place all the bagels on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rise 5 minutes.


10. Bake for 25 minutes.


11. Turn the heat off and allow the bagels to cool in the oven...but be careful that they do not continue to overcook.

Now test them on your dog...if you have a dog that eats anything, you'll do fine, if you have a fussy dog, like I am, you may have to do a little experimenting with recipes.

We'll be adding more recipes over time, this is the first.  When more are added at a later date, you can look at them all by clicking on "Dog Treat Recipes" for treats, and soon we will have a category for "Dog Food Recipes".

Dry Skin on Yorkies and Dogs

It seems that as the years go by, a dogs skin gets more and more sensitive to allergies, dry skin and other uncomfortable conditions. I have always been sensitive to grasses and pollens...we're not sure exactly which ones, but the rashes and dark blotchy spots seem to come out in the warmer weather. At first we thought it was because of the flea treatment, but it's not.

At first we thought that washing me was the best thing to do to get the allergens off and to clean my skin. We are learning that this is not such a good idea, depending upon what shampoo you use. We thought baby shampoo would be a good idea, but over-washing with certain shampoos removes the natural oils from the skin, making me even more itchy and my skin even more scaly in spite of the fact that I smell so good.

We have read that using aloe based shampoo will help, so we are considering this...not shampoo that contains aloe, but is actually aloe based. Another idea my owner has is a rinse with aloe vera juice. Oatmeal and Aloe Shampoo is supposed to help, and we are going to try a Hydrocortisone Spray with Aloe Vera for the extra itchy spots.

What have you done for dry skin for your dog? We are open to suggestions and will let you know how we do in treating my dry skin.

Updated 3/18/13 - We have been using the shampoo and the spray mentioned since we originally posted this, and it has been helping quite a bit.  We rarely have to use the spray. Diet also seems to affect my skin.  If we try something new, and I have a flare up, I don't eat that food again.

Cute Yorkie with Rose for Valentines Day

This post was formerly a stop in a Red Flower Blog Hop, and I couldn't resist this cute Yorkie with a Red Rose - adorable, isn't it?

Even though it's Valentines Day today, and it has been a beautiful day, I am a bit heart sick because of the fact that so many posts on this blog are unreachable right now because of moving the blog.  I used an app to transfer from Wordpress to Blogger, and the transfer went fine, or so I thought.  I can see the problem posts in my list of posts for editing, etc., but when I click "view", I get an error page. This isn't true of every post, but enough that I know that I'm disappointing many visitors.

I have reverted all of the problem posts to drafts and will repair and republish each one over the coming weeks.  In the meantime, the posts that you CAN see are under the "Archives" in the right margin.  You have to open the month, etc., to see the post titles.

I am sincerely sorry about this, it has happened to every blog I've moved, but this one in particular gets many visits and has more posts than the rest that are not presently visible.

They'll all be back soon, and soon the search engines will catch on to the changes in the urls.

So you see, I'm not so very savvy when it comes to transferring blogs, and do appreciate your patience. 

Now, back to happiness, happy Valentines Day from Aspen and her family!

Recovery from Cruciate Ligament Tear Going Great!

We originally posted this a few months back, and will leave the post intact, but want to update you!  This is one of the posts that didn't transfer very nicely when we used an application to transfer this blog from Wordpress to Blogger. 

Before you read the following, please know that it has been almost a year since Aspen tore the cruciate ligaments in her legs.  Though she is not allowed to jump up and down any longer, and can't do so, she has adjusted to her bed on the floor.  We hold her when we can, and she can walk around on her own.  If she were a LARGE dog, it may be a different story, but she is small and doesn't have has much weight to carry around.  Aspen will be 14 next month, and we treasure each day that she is with us. 

Now, below is the content of the original post:

We find ourselves writing on Aspen's behalf more as she gets to be an elder dog. Not that she doesn't still have lots of energy when she is in the mood, but she tends to sleep more now.

We told you about her cruciate ligament tear injury first here and then gave an update when she tore the ligament in the other leg.

Ten weeks have gone by at least since this all started, and she is walking around pretty normally. We downloaded the Recovery Guide, it's free, and signed up to get weekly emails to remind us what steps we should be taking to keep Aspen recovering well.

She definitely isn't the same dog she was, always jumping up on things and such, but she has this past week - against our better judgment sometimes, stood on her hind legs against the side of a chair, chased a squirrel a short distance, and is walking all the way around the back of the house and back, so very much better than she used to be.

We give her pain medicine prescribed by the Vet less frequently, but still about once a day, skipping an occasional day just to get a true picture of how much discomfort she is in. We also purchased a Glucosamine/Chondroitin product suggested by the same people that put together the Cruciate Guide. All of this seems to be helping.

We are never going to allow her to jump again, in fact she can't even if she wants to try. She can barely do a step still. But she is also a small, lightweight dog, so that should be taken into consideration when reading her progress.

Having a Yorkie or Dog's Teeth Cleaned

It has been quite a while - in fact years since this Yorkie has had it's teeth cleaned.  As an elder dog, my owners are concerned about me having me anesthetized so they use a spray that helps to keep the plaque away, which seems to work.  But it is important to have your dogs teeth cleaned.  It is the cause of bad breath in dogs.

We put together a page about having teeth cleaned.

I remember that my food dish and water dish will disappeared at midnight the night before I went in, since they will be putting me to sleep for the cleaning.  Please do visit the helpful page about having a dog's teeth cleaned.

Saddened by the Death of Barney Bush

My family and I were sad to hear that Barney Bush, the Scottish Terrier owned by former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, has died.  He had Lymphoma and his body could no longer fight the disease.  We loved Barney and miss seeing him as well as his devoted family living in the White House.

In fact, way back in 2008 when Barney guided one of his famous Christmas tours of the White House, we did a post about it, you can find it here.  It includes videos of the tour.  Barney still has an archival page on Whitehouse.gov.

It is hard for people to lose their pets, I know that because I overhear my owners talking about how sad and hard it will be when I have to move on.  So give your dogs a hug, a tummy-rub, and an extra treat.  Appreciate us while you have us, we appreciate you and depend on you more than you know.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Bush family as we know how much they will miss Barney, the White House Scottish Terrier.

Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Updated 2/28/17