Smiley McSmiley

November 11, 2013 By Jodi

Back in September I made an appointment for Sampson to have his teeth cleaned. It’s scheduled for December 10th. And yes, my vet is booked that far in advance. I know right?

I think a professional dental cleaning is a good thing to have done before your pet gets too old. I’ve been told it has something to do with age and anesthesia (just like people.)

Brushing your dog’s teeth

Back when Sampson was a puppy I wanted to give him the very best of everything. Sadly I did not know about brushing your pet’s teeth. By the time I learned, I was too lazy to acclimate him to the tooth brush, although I do on occasion brush his teeth.

Choosing the right brush

I bought two of those little finger brushes, but last year I won a dental kit from My Brown Newfies. Included with the kit was a really nice dog tooth brush. I’ve used both and I like the brush better. It fits better in the dog’s mouth and saves your finger, just in case you have a pup that doesn’t tolerate the brushing.

Here’s where the raw diet helps

Dog breakfasts at Stone Manor consists of raw chicken necks. It may not be the best diet for those of you on the squeamish side, but like anything else, if you do it long enough, you get used to it. (Besides sometimes you can make a blog post out of a chicken head.)

Feeding Sampson and Delilah breakfast bones has made a huge difference in the cleanliness of their teeth. I mean look at this smile.

That right there could be a Pepsodent smile!

As good as those teeth look, some of the chompers in the back have a little tartar at the base, and this needs to be removed.

Delilah’s teeth look good thus far, (she was a bit younger than Sampson when we started the raw diet) but we will address this with Dr. Soutter at Delilah’s next wellness exam which is scheduled for June of next year.

Heart Like a Dog Lesson

Sampson spends his day in the now, he does not project what’s to come, he doesn’t worry about tomorrow. When tomorrow comes he will roll with whatever comes at him.

Not me. December 10th is fine when you’re looking at it from the far side of September but it’s a lot scarier for me now.

I’m terrified. Terrified that something bad will happen while he’s under anesthesia.

What if he has a bad reaction and doesn’t come home? How will I live with that guilt?

How do I learn to live in the now and NOT project what scary things might come my way on December 10th?

How do I learn to live my life with a Heart Like a Dog?

Don’t forget to thank a Veteran today and remember, it’s not just two-leggers who serve.

A Big Ole’ Shit Eating Grin

November 10, 2013 By Jodi

One of the big reasons I started this blog was for all the crazy, funny things my dogs do that bring a smile to my face or a laugh to my lips.

Sometimes it’s not easy to write a full blog post about it and sometimes I forget to share.

Some posts will be You Make Me Laugh and others will be You Make Me Smile, but they will all be the silly, sweet, funny things Sampson and Delilah do that help make crazy days just a little bit easier.

Sampson, when you lie on the floor with all four feet in the air waiting for me to come and pet you….

You make me smile.

When you give me a big ole’ shit eating grin, because I’m petting you…

You make me belly laugh.

Siriusly, how can you not look at this and laugh?

God, I love this dog.

So tell me, do your fur babies smile like this? He’s got a nice smile, no?

It’s Not a Toomah!

November 6, 2013 By Jodi

In Monday’s post I shared about my cautious approach to vaccinating my dogs. One of the big reasons I’m super careful is I’ve heard stories of dogs having lumps at their vaccine sites and eventually those lumps becoming cancerous.

Do I have documentation? NO. No I do not, but I prefer to air on the side of caution. One of Sampson’s first set of vaccines left a lump just below the base of his tail.

For years.

It really freaked me out.

Which is why whenever I find a lump on my dog, I have it aspirated. It’s a simple procedure that requires inserting a needle into the lump, removing some cells and looking at them under the microscope. The vet does this procedure right in the office with little to no discomfort to your dog.

You on the other hand, if you are anything at all like me, will be squirming like a worm on the end of a hook.

Thankfully, the vets can tell immediately whether the lump is simply a fatty tumor or something more sinister.

Sampson currently has two fatty tumors. One on his side and one just to the left of his right paw pit. (Pawpit. It sounds like something a preaching dog would use. **giggles**)

The one on his side is innocuous and we will probably never have anything done with that, but the one near his paw pit needs to be removed. And the reason for that, is if you’ve ever seen a lumpy lab, you know that some of these fatty tumors can be quite large. Our vet is concerned if the tumor begins to grow, it will impeded his mobility.

And that would not be a good thing.

Sadly so many of the dogs I hear about today are dealing with far more than fatty tumors. In fact, Blogville has lost some of our own to the dreaded “C” word.

Cancer.

So today we’re joining Jackie from Pooch Smooches and Peggy from Peggy’s Pet Place in a blog hop that we hope will spread awareness, support and hope for all those whose lives are or have been affected by cancer.