Monthly Archives: February 2012
2.9.12 00:32 One Lovely Blog Award
Thank you sooooo much to Misty Shores Chesapeakes for recognizing us with this very wonderful ‘One Lovely Blog Award.’ I am really happy that other bloggers are reading and enjoying my stuff. Misty even said that we posted ‘cool’ stuff. That made me so happy. I do try to find interesting internet animal stuff to brighten the day. And maybe because I live on the Chesapeake Bay we have a special connection; me and the Chessie dogs. Misty Shores has 4 lovely Chessies. Cheyenne, Maia, Riva, and Titan, and their purfect cats: KC & BW. They are a beautiful bunch.
I think the rules of the award are that I tell you 7 things about us and than I pay 5 forward.
- Louise snores
- Sofie likes to clean the cat pan (gross!!!) when she can.
- I would adopt every homeless animal I meet if I could just figure out how to feed and walk them.
- I always wanted to ‘mush.’
- I miss the dogs a lot when I am gone for more then 3 days.
- There is almost always one animal in my office with me at any time (currently there are 4).
- Sometimes I stoop to bribery to get Sofie to come inside.
I wish I could give everyone a badge for being so wonderful, but I have selected some blogs that I really have been enjoying lately and that are ‘lovely.’ (I am only going to select sites that I have not honored before, because that only seems fair.)
- Onecoolgriff: Rambo, a Petite Brussels Griffon living in Michigan and his family of five dogs (two more Griffs, Pearlie Blue and Jemmie, Atticus the Rottweiler, and Buddy ‘the incredibly-old-but-still-getting-around whatever kind of dog,’ two cats, three VERY BIG horses, and his two peeps, Mom an Dad. This blog is funny and fun and I want to thank them for making us laugh.
- Bumpy Road to Bubba: This is a very lovely blog about a single Mummy and her darling 1 year old, Poppy Grace (aka Bubba). Along with the furry family Bella & Bear. This is her ‘journey to motherhood – single by chance, mother by choice.’ Thanks for letting us watch you all grow together.
- Chancy the Gardener: With a face to-die-for and an incredible set of ears, watch Chancy, and the cats: Patches, Pooh, and Snookums, get into a lot of
troublefun. Thanks for the fun. - RumpyDog: Jenny Threet blogs about her rescues Rumpy and DeDe and their cats. I thought my zoo was funny and photogenic, but these guys are a hoot. Thanks for the stories.
- TheNoiseInsideMyHead: Jake and Sabrina share their life with this wonderful young woman, Becca,who has been winning the cancer battle for many years. I find her insightful, playful, and down right an inspiration. Thanks for blogging and letting us share your journey.
So once again, we want to thank Misty Shores Chesapeakes for this honor – much love – Lulu Belle, Sofie Bear, The Muffin Man, Noel, Constance Kitty, the kittens, Nine & Stella, and of course, me (the human).
2.8.12 5:01: Louise is an Otter
Happiness
Louise loves to have her head scratched. Actually, she loves to have under neither her neck scratched so much that she bends her head back so far she looks like a otter. I don’t have any picture of her like that because I am always busy scratching her neck and am not that good with the camera in my other hand. Lulu can be a very serious dog. I think because she is a fearful dog, she thinks a lot about things before she does them. But she has a funny and fun side too, I just need to remember sometimes to pull it out of her. You really need to understand the personality of your dog, especially when they are the quiet type, to get them to laugh and do silly things with you. Louise likes to make me laugh. She will bury her head against me and do a total body tumble – then she will start to just get overly crazy and roll on her back.
Lulu in the leaves (being serious)
Lulu sitting and staring
She also loves to sit on her hunches and stare at you. She doesn’t need to be leaning on anything, she just sits She is a big hugger and likes to put her arms around you and give you a hug, She is just the right height to place her head under my mousing hand and make it jump. Of course this is a queque that she thinks I have sat at the idiot box for long enough and it is now time to go play with her and Sofie (well, really just her – sometimes I think she wishes I would leave Sofie inside – or sell her to the Gypsies). I try to spend quality time with each of my animals (but with 7 it is kind of hard). Louise and I have a very close relationship and I make sure to give her personal tummy rubs and tumbles and ball tosses every day. She is a Mama’s girl and really sticks to me like glue. I never thought about owning a black dog or a short hair (I always had fluffy dogs) and we weren’t looking for one when we stumbled upon a rescue event at the pet store that day, 2 years ago. The coordinator of the event pushed this very fearful, mangy (yes, she really had dry manage all over) our way. Sometimes you just have to listen to the universe, because boy do I love this dog! Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo! ❤
2.7.12 5:45: Let us in!!!
Sofie & Louise waiting with toys
The dogs have decided that it is time that they get to go in the safe room with the new kitties. So they are camped outside the door with their toys. There is a lot of whining going on from Sofie (the whiner), but I am resistant. And since the upstairs litter box is right outside the kittens door, ‘The Muffin Man’ has decided it is a great launching pad to get in the room as soon as a human opens it. Muffin has enlisted Miss Kitty to help him try and get inside. I think that between the whole group of them they may figure out how to actually turn the door knob. (I know that my Alice cat used to be able to get up on her back hunches and turn a knob years ago – so I am a little concerned.) 2 weeks is a very long time to have the kittens locked away, but we are not going to the Vet until Friday (which will be the first week). Then we need to let them out slowly to experience the mob on the other side of the door. I am thinking that I will let them out together, because there is safety in numbers, but I it has been a long time since I introduced 2 new animals at the same time. (Sofie is helping me type (whine whine whine) and wants you all to know that she is going to do everything she can to get over the barricade and see what is on the other side. Louise just wonders if it is food.) Sofie is actually whining extra bad because C’s boyfriend, whom she absolutely loves, is here and he is a cat person, so they immediately disappeared in to the kitten room. “No fair!” she whines, “Why is D not playing with me, I know he is here!” This is going to be an interesting 2 weeks for sure.
This is my house, let me in!
What is going on in there?
Why are we locked out, Muffy?
This is just too funny.
Just another DogDaz morning at zoo! ❤
Xylitol – Understand it or it could be fatal to your dog.
I am seeing so many article on this lately that I think it must be causing a real problem in the dog world. Please make sure you keep all gum and sugar-free candy away from fido.
Reblogged from Life With Dogs: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/02/xylitol-toxicity-in-dogs/
Xylitol is a sugar substitute in many products, most notable some sugar-free gums and flavored medications. Xylitol is safe for people (and oddly, cats), but is very toxic to dogs (and probably ferrets).
If your dog has or may have ingested xylitol, call your veterinary team and have your pet examined right away. Xylitol, even in small amounts, causes an over-production of insulin, which causes a horrendous sugar crash, or, more accurately, hypoglycemia.
hyp/o – low
glyc/o – sugar
-emia – blood
Signs of Hypoglycemia in Dogs
- lethargy (abnormal tiredness)
- shaking
- ataxia (loss of balance)
- inability to stand
- seizures
Do not wait for signs to develop! Insulin release and resulting hypoglycemia begin almost immediately. Left unchecked, very low blood sugar or liver failure secondary to xylitol toxicity can be fatal. With treatment, the prognosis is usually good. The sooner a xylitol toxicity is treated, the better the prognosis.
Conclusion
You are home from the veterinary hospital with a recovering pet, considerably poorer, a bit shaken by the close call and anxious for the recheck appointment, still weeks away, in which you will hopefully learn that there was no long term liver damage. You rid your home of all xylitol-containing products and warn friends and family of the dangers of xylitol toxicity in dogs.
Alternate Ending
You finish an article on xylitol toxicity and think, “Hmm, that was interesting…I guess.” You rid your home of all xylitol-containing products and warn friends and family of the dangers of xylitol toxicity in dogs.
May your pets’ health be boring in the best possible ways, and may you never deal with xylitol toxicity in Real Life.
DogDaz Zoo 