Somehow a blog full of animal lovers didn’t get a National Dog Day post.
To be fair, every day is Dog Day here.
I thought you deserved a Jasper update, since he was a group decision, LOL. He’s been here a year. I picked him up on my birthday last year, scrapped every plan I’d made so he could get settled.
A year later, he is healthy, happy and ridiculously energetic for a 7-year-old. The vet and I had to convince the vet tech he really was 7Ā when I took him in for his yearly last week. He’s a healthy 136 lbs and despite his weird back leg issue – which I have come to believe must be a birth defect since there is no pain associated with his “flipper” foot and he completely ignores it – it does not slow him down and he races around the yard with Trixie like they are the same age (Trixie, believe it or not is now 21 months old – she’ll be two in October!).
Any worries I had in the beginning did not come to fruition. Big medical bills, counter surfing, not fitting in, the DUCKS! – none of that has been an issue. He is super pushy, with no boundaries and we work on that all the time. The biggest achievement has been going outside and lying in the grass by himself. He used to have to have his “girls” with him all the times. That he’s comfortable by himself means he’s truly settled in here.
I bought that bed on a whim (I have an identical cat-sized one for the cats, LOL) and despite having an entire couch to lounge on, they do love this bed.Ā If I had room, I’d have 3, but as you can imagine, it’s huge.
This is an open thread!
OzarkHillbilly
Alright! Jasper porn! My Sunday is now complete.
Josie
Your dogs are so lovely and healthy looking. I don’t know how you have the energy to take such good care of them and do all the other things you do. You and they are blessed.
Alison Rose
Wow, those are some big doggos. Roughly how tall would you say? (Meaning when on all fours, LOL)
WaterGirl
Time is weird. Ā It feels like you just got Jasper a few months ago, and it also feels like Trixie was forever ago, like she would be 5 years old.
Is that the 48″ dog bed? Ā I have one of those from when Tucker and Henry liked to lie together. Ā I also have a photo of my little Henry lying in that huge bed all by himself after we lost Tucker, and it was heartbreaking. Ā Seeing your guys hang over the edges like that in a bed that Henry was lost in, I would love to see Henry and your guys side-by-side!
Scout211
Ooh, sweet pics of your dog babies!
FYI for dog and cat owners:
This morning,Ā NBC News has an article up about the FDA investigation of pet food caused diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
TaMara
@WaterGirl: Yes, it’s the JUMBO. LOL
SteveinPHX
I remember how worried you were. TLC has worked wonders! Happy for you!
Scout211
@Scout211: Question for cat parents.
What dry food do you feed your cats? I just saw that the brand we feed our cat, Blue Buffalo, has peas as the #5 ingredient. Ā š³
rikyrah
Awe š so cute š„°š¤š¤
Dorothy A. Winsor
PSA: I just got back from getting the RSV vaccine. If you’re on Medicare, it’s free.
TaMara
@Scout211: I alternate between Nutrena Loyall Life and Costco’s premium chicken dry food.
For wet, whatever I can get them to eat – they are super picky and the vet really wants them to eat more wet. They disagree
CaseyL
I’m happy and relieved that Jasper has settled in and gotten healthy!Ā What a huge difference you’ve made in his life.
You mention that he’s happiest when he has “his girls” around.Ā Did Scout come around, then?Ā When you first adopted Jasper, she wasn’t too pleased.
Happy Jasper Anniversary, and early Happy Birthday to Trixie!
TaMara
@CaseyL: I’m going to say that Scout tolerates him…but she only tolerates Scout, too. In all honesty, none of them are Bixby and that’s her problem. :-(
CaseyL
@TaMara: That breaks my heart.Ā Poor sweet Scout, a one-dog dog.
Josie
@TaMara:Ā ā
What do you feed the dogs. I just looked and my dog’s food has chickpeas, peas, and sweet potatoes. Arghh.
laura
@Scout211: Hill’s Science Diet. And any canned food they will tolerate- what theyĀ LovedĀ yesterday, theyĀ HateĀ today.
eclare
Thanks for the update!Ā I’m so glad things worked out, I remember how worried you were.
indycat32
@Scout211:Ā the outdoor cats get Iams dry and fancy feast wet.Ā One of myĀ indoor catsĀ is prone to urinary blockage and requires a prescriptionĀ food, which means all four get the prescription food.
Scout211
@laura:Ā @indycat32:
Thanks! Both the Iams and the Hillās are free of all the bad veggies.
We are fine on the wet food, itās just the dry food that has the bad veggies. Ā Off to the pet food store we go today.
@TaMara: Iām not sure which formula of the Nutrena Loyall Life you give your cats, but you might want to check the first ten ingredients. I think I saw at least one version with a bad veggie ingredient in it.
Hungry Joe
Some of you may remember when, four years ago, I posted about how my dog Alice and I were attacked by a loose dog while we were on a walk. She was torn up badly ā damn near eviscerated. I was so severely bitten that my left hand was useless, and I was unable to pull the other dog off. A young man who happened to be driving by screeched to a stop, leaped out of his car, and literally saved the day. Alice suffered horribly for a few weeks ā she was in SO much pain; the meds helped, but still. Our vet and medical bills came to more than $5,000. We eventually had to get a personal injury lawyer. He was great; we got reimbursed, and there was some left over for pain and suffering, of which we had plenty.
Upshot: Alice recovered completely, with no psychic wounds. After a few months I regained full use of my hand, and the scar has faded so much I canāt even show it off anymore.
Upshot II: We lost Alice last year. She was 15 3/4, to the day, and she was with us for 15 1/2 years, to the day. We were, of course, shattered.
Upshot III: A few weeks ago Ms. Joe and I adopted a seven-month-old Lab mix from Labs and More. Willow is a sweetheart, a handful, a hoot. We havenāt laughed and smiled this much in ā¦ well, in a long, long time.
Upshot IV: Dogs. ***SIGH
TaMara
@Josie: Scout has a chicken sensitivity, so we’ve settled on Victor beef and rice. They do really good on it.
TaMara
@Scout211: You are correct! Thanks. We’ll stick to the Costco brand, I just checked, nothing bad and high protein, which is what I look for.
TaMara
@Hungry Joe: Uh, we need photos!
And so sorry for you loss of Alice – it’s hard no matter how long they are with us, it’s never long enough.
TaMara
@CaseyL: Yeah, it breaks my heart a bit, too. Bixby was the same with Bailey. These dogs have such big hearts.
So Scout and I often have little adventures on our own, just to spoil her a bit.
eversor
@indycat32:
Our cat will one love wet food for a bit and then refuse it and let us know.Ā Which means “suck it up, finish that can, and we will rotate brands next feeding”.Ā She went on a stint where she only wanted the broths for a bit and only TikiCat or Nutrish.
NutmegAgain
ZOMG! so beautiful! Not enough ways to say sweet & gorgeous. Lucky you, lucky dogs to have such a terrific person.Ā I am currently wrangling a hyperactive Newf as my foster. Yeah, he’s small (he’s maybe cracked 100# lately), but strong. And made up of bouncy and insistent. Doing my best for him, it’s a challenge. We are meeting with a behaviorist next week to assess his attitude toward kids (at a safe distance!). That will help with placement, which, Dear Maude, can’t come soon enough. I confess to pining for my own dog, slow and stable in preference. Anyhow, I love to see pix of your crew. Thanks for posting.
Alison Rose
@Hungry Joe: Wow, that must have been so scary :( And I’m so sorry for the loss of Alice. They could live to be 50 and it wouldn’t be long enough. But I’m glad you have a new friend in your lives <3
eclare
@Hungry Joe:
So sorry about the loss of Alice after going through so much together.Ā Good to hear about Willow!
CaseyL
Regarding the food issue: It is the weirdest thing that Oscar never really liked the (expensive) healthy food I would get for him and Jeannie. At best, he’d like it for a few days and then I’d have to find something else. Raw cat food, they both flat out rejected. (Though Jeannie adored raw chicken, the stuff sold for humans.)
But good old canned Friskies and Fancy Feast Savory Centers? and Fancy Feast kibble? Those are Oscar’s forever favorites. So that’s what he gets. I don’t think either brand adds peas or whatnot to their product, but I should check to be sure….
Alison Rose
@CaseyL: That’s my current kitty. She definitely seems to prefer plain old Cat Chow and canned Friskies.
CaseyL
@Hungry Joe: I’m so glad Alice had those good years with you after that shattering attack – and lived to a decent old age.Ā You did right by her… and now, have been rewarded with a new puppy, a new adventure, and a new window into the universe.
Best of luck with the new kid on the block!
Jackie
@Scout211: Costcoās Kirkland Maintenance. They love it and it helped my cats live long into senior-hood. 3 lived 16 yrs, one 17 yrs, and one just shy of 22 yrs. Itās the generic of Science Diet.
Jackie
@Dorothy A. Winsor: For Part A and B? Or under D?
MagdaInBlack
@Dorothy A. Winsor: And I just got my Medicare approved, so good to know, thank you.
raven
I think I posted this beach shot of Artie yesterday.
Scout211
@Jackie: Part D, so check your part D coverage. Ā NYT has an article (paywalled so no excerpt or gift link):
Some patients are being charged $300 for the new RSV vaccine
Scout211
@Jackie: Thanks! That one looks good, too.
Villago Delenda Est
Jasper is a fine fellow. Good boy!
Villago Delenda Est
@Hungry Joe: A true tale of mirth and woe!Ā So happy that Alice recovered and lived a good long life, and that your hand is back to normal, and that the financial impact was lessened.Ā And a huge welcome hug to Willow!
raven
It’s 85 and 74% humidity so Artemis is conked on the couch!
Another Scott
@CaseyL: My great aunt gave her Pomeranian a can of peas with her kibble dinner for years.Ā Lived to be quite an old doggie.
Doggies are complicated.Ā Digestion is complicated.Ā With lots of variations on both.
Our previous dog decided to grab a loaf of raisin bread off the counter and eat half of it.Ā Raisins are very bad for some dogs, and don’t do much of anything at all to others.Ā We had the money so we did the 3-days of IV fluids in the doggie hospital as a precaution.Ā She never seemed to have any ill-effects.Ā (She died a few years later of hemangiosarcoma.Ā :-(Ā )
After I heard a decade or so ago from a colleague about putting his dog on “grain-free” food, I asked our vet.Ā She said that wolves eat the stomachs of grass and grain eaters and don’t have any ill-effects from it, so the thinking behind the “grain-free” idea isn’t necessarily fully-baked.Ā Made sense to me.
(Our doggie Ellie is on Nutro Ultra dry.)
tl;dr – Dunno.
Cheers,
Scott.
J.
I LOVE your dogs. Thank you so much for the update and photos.
Jackie
@Scout211: Itās a 25 lb bag, but I always immediately dump into a plastic/rubber container with a tight lid and it seems to stay fresh. Also keeps one certain cat from tearing into the bagšš¼
LAO
@raven: Sheās gorgeous!
NutmegAgain
Poking my nose in on the food discussion: I am currently feeding Eukanuba kibble (adult large breed), since the rescue sends/gives it to me. And also Purina Proplan canned–I like the beef & riceĀ (they get both at each meal). The rescue swears by Bil-Jac for some of the dogs. I keep what I call the “fish buffet” on hand–canned salmon, tuna, sardines, etc, as an added enticement when they need it. (For example I took one foster through heartworm treatment–he was a mill rescue and had really intractable ear infections plus the heartworm issues, so many, many antibiotics, also probiotics, yes, all prescribed…). That fellow got lots of fish. I keep Evanger canned on hand, and also the Proplan sensitive digestion/skin/eyes (salmon & rice). I’m sure folks will chime in with a raw diet recommendation, and lots of other thoughts. But I really trust the folks at the rescue I work with; they have seen it all, and worked with/fed dogs in all kinds of health & disability. Cost is not really a factor–they aim for what works to restore health & function.
I also splash out on treats–none of that glycerin & corn syrup stuff! They get freeze dried liver, and FD tripe (hella stinky but very popular), “cod crackers”, and for everyday crunchies Mother Hubbard. The most popular by far are the “dog cheetos (just what they look like) of freeze-dried tripe & green mussel, from New Zealand. Very expensive, but what can I say, they love it
ETA, for Jackie–I store the big bags of kibble in the extra shower–the door opens out, so it defeats the most intrepid counter surfer!
Josie
@raven:Ā ā
Artie seems to like being a beach dog.
HumboldtBlue
Talk about the big dogs, Liverpool with 10 men just beat Newcastle at their place and hot damn that was a sweet win to watch!
TaMara
@raven: Lucky pup! Cutie-pie, too
hagsrus
So this is actually a Dog Day Afternoon post?
catclub
@TaMara:
We had our 16 year old thin kitty on dry – purinaĀ forever. At some point she was losing weight and we tried wet again.Ā I think she has sworn: “As God is my witness, I will never eat kibble again.”ā
CarolPW
Bisket gets canned, 3 different manufacturers and 6 flavors. I figure if one of them is a little low on something, one of the others will probably make up for it. It’s also a hedge against the sudden food switch digestive issues that hit all of my pets during the great melamine disaster, since it’s unlikely they would all get recalled at once.
raven
@Josie: She’s content to lay in the shade but wants nothing to do with the water.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@Scout211: Our primary dried cat food is Hills Science Diet Indoor Adult 7+ and Green Peas are the very last ingredient listed (after apples, broccoli, carrots, and cranberries). The first few ingredients are chicken, whole grain wheat, corn gluten meal,, and chicken fat. Hills Science Diet was recommended by our vet.
zhena gogolia
They’re all so beautiful! I love the way you write about them.
prostratedragon
Great
ScotDanes!Here’s a collection of dogs and other animals enjoying classical music. Lotta cute stuff.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@Another Scott: i noticed with our mousers when we had cats which were allowed outside, that when eating a mouse, vole etc., they would leave the stomach (and usually the head, with its hard to eat teeth). So maybe cats don’t get as much green from their natural diet as dogs.
Mai Naem mobileI
@Scout211: great. I just looked at my dog food and they all have either potatoes, peas or lentils in the first 10 ingredients. I remember looking at the list of dog brands before and being relieved ours wasn’t on the list. So much for grain free. That was all the thing a few years ago. I just glanced through some dog food ingredients. The cheaper brands seem to fit the no bad ingredient list rather than the premium stuff. I can’t do the super premium stuff because we free feed and with that stuff they gain a lot of weight.
Mai Naem mobileI
@Scout211: jeezus. Because it’s so cheap to treat RSV? Seriously WTF. I understand the high price tropical disease vaccines but RSV? Too common a disease here for the vaccine to be that expensive.
indycat32
I think vets automatically recommend/prescribe Hills.Ā None of my cats over the years liked it.Ā When Ollie went on prescription urinary food I asked the vet about the Purina version of Hills c/d.Ā She knew nothing about it.Ā He’s been on the Purina forĀ almost two years and all the cats like it.
Scout211
@Jackie: yes, our cat just cannot with Ā dried-out dry dog food. We take it out of the mega bag and fill gallon-sized ziplock containers and then place them in the freezer. The current ready-to-eat gallon bag is then stored in the refrigerator. Rocky is a Royal Prince and he knows it. Ā š
StringOnAStick
We did the very expensive no grain Orijen for our2Ā cats for several years, and then one developed runny poo issues and after tests revealed no systemic issues, the vet e put them on Royal Canin gastrointestinal diet.Ā Solved the problem and they both like it.Ā I was looking for a gastro food without corn or wheat gluten and of course what I got has a bunch of the bad things in the first 10 ingredients.Ā I guess corn and wheat gluten is what they’ll get.Ā We’ve never found a wet food they would touch but they’re 5 now so maybe they have more adult tastes.
Cats are obligate carnivores and dogs are omnivores so I wish this Cornell study had looked at this ingredient issue for cats.
cope
@HumboldtBlue: It was a good game to watch in terms of reinforcing the reason to hang on until the bitter end.
Also wonderful to see Nunez redeem himself in what has, so far, been a pretty lackluster stint with LFC.
JPL
@Hungry Joe:Ā I can’t believe that incident was four years ago.Ā I would have guessed two at the most.
Congrats to the new family member though.
sab
@Scout211: Ponyo pitmix has been trying to tell me this for quite a while. I buy her an assortment of pet food since my grocery seems to be pretty random in their stock selection. There are some things she just won’t eat. Looking at the ingredient labels today it seems to be the peas. On her boycott days she lives on milkbones and dog chow.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Scout211: That’s what our pharmacy charged last week, but they said it was because they didn’t have the medicare connection set up right. This week they finally have it. I assume it’s Part D, but I’m not sure. I believe Medicare is supposed to provide preventive care like vaccines free.
Scout211
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
You are correct:
Sallycat
An holistic vet remarked to me that there is no reason to feed a cat dry food.Ā So I have fed my cats canned food since then.Ā I have had cats live to 20-22 years; my current cat (Zelda) is 19.Ā I’ve experimented with various brands, and Fancy Feast wins paws down.
mrmoshpotato
Scout looks very, very comfortable.Ā LOL
sab
A month ago we found an adorablemlittle black panther begging at our door. Super friendly. We did the right thing and took her to the vet to check for chip. A kitty that friendly had to have misplaced her family.
Sure enough, she had a chip. Vet said we didn’t need to surrender her. We feared she had a family who loved her and missed her. So we gave her back.
5:30 am next morning she turned up at our door begging for food, with a catbell collar around her neck.
We took her collar off and opened our front door. She hasn’t asked to be outside since.
ETA: weeks later we learned that all the five skinny orange cats wandering the neighborhood belong to one house, and that is the same house this kitten came from.