I thought, as a dog ages, their fur turns gray – Louise’s has.
But Sofie is getting darker.
Her ears, mane, lower back, and tail are all browning.
I tried to research it but could not find any information about this type of color change. When her nose turned from black to pink the loose of pigment was due to something called ‘SNOW NOSE,’ but this is the reverse. She is getting darker. Maybe that is the way the blond dogs turn gray?
Charles here. The other day, Mom took me to the Pet Doctor to get my yearly checkup and vaccinations. I was scared at first but it really didn’t hurt and there are so many good reasons why I need to have vaccines. Mom is very conservative when it comes to putting stuff in our system, so she does a thing called a TITER, if possible, to see if I still have immunity from the last shot. If so, we wait. There are a lot of things that can protect me from getting horrible diseases. I get 4 core vaccines: distemper, infectious hepatitis, parvovirus, and rabies.
Vaccinations protect me from getting diseases like rabies, which I can get from other animals.
Vaccines protect me from airborne viruses like distemper, parvovirus, coronavirus (yes we get a Corona too), infectious canine hepatitis, bordetella, parainfluenza.
There are also vaccines for things like Lyme disease (which I had when Mom first rescued me), which comes from ticks, and leptospirosis, from wild animals.
To determine what vaccines I need, Mom and the Vet, base it on 3 things:
My Age – puppies need a lot of stuff to help their bodies build up resistance to certain bugs, but adults, like me, only need an occasional booster shot.
Where we live – our luck is that the mid-Atlantic is rampant with ticks. This could mean Lyme disease and a whole host of other tick-borne diseases.
Lifestyle: I am never boarded, I don’t go to day-care or the dog park, so my exposure to things like ‘kennel cough (bordetella), is low.
Don’t forget the Cats who should get some core vaccines too. They are different than us dogs. The need at a minimum: Feline herpesvirus-1/feline viral rhinotracheitis (Which Noel has. When Mom rescued her she was seriously ill), Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia. If they go outside, they need more things like Rabies and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).
Baby Noel rescued Dec 2007
Many Vets and Clinics offer low-cost, sometimes even free, vaccinations.
Take care of me and I will live a long, healthy, life.
It is getting ridiculously hot outside. Mom tried to walk me before the sun was up, but it was still too hot. Let Louise go with her, she likes it. Not me! I am not going out there unless I absolutely have to.
Who’s with me on this? I are going to boycott walks! NO WALKS! TOO HOT!
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Remember parents, if you place your hand on the pavement and it is too hot for you, it is too hot for paws!
The only one that wants to walk these days is Louise. We go out in the early morning when it is ‘cooler’ (78 degrees by 7 AM). She is one of those dogs that must be walked so I watch the temperature and I make sure to walk before it hits 80. She is loving this alone time with me.
Sofie refuses to go outside: thinking that there are fireworks or thunder or it’s too hot. And when I say refuses, imagine a donkey sitting on its behind refusing to move.
I am not stubborn. I just want to do things my way!
Charles, well he doesn’t like to get up before noon, so the idea of walking to him in the morning is just ridiculous.
DogDaz Zoo 