Memorial Day Weekend: Milly's Trip

Word on the street is Milly had a great time at Kitty Hawk. With the exception of an upset tummy on day one, she was happy as a clam, and active the whole time. I still haven't seen her yet, but here are some of the pictures from her trip! Aren't you jealous?? I wish I could go to the OBX!

A Milly and Hush Update

I wanted to give you a few quick updates on the pups. First, Hush is in season. This is her first heat cycle, and so far we’re doing well. She went into season on Monday, May 16, 2011 (putting that on the blog, as I’m sure I’ll have to refer back to it at some point!). I had a feeling this was approaching, I’ve blogged about it in the past, but last week there were more and more symptoms. First, when grooming her she transformed from sweet puppy into common street walker when the high powered dog dryer came near her tail. Second, while drying her after her bath I noticed a smell – not an infection smell, or a dirty smell, just a distinct musky odor. So, it was no surprise on Monday when I saw some blood on her fur. All of the signs are there – bleeding, swollen vulva, enlarged nipples, change in personality, interest in other dogs, etc. Now, I have the joyous task of keeping her away from males for the next 4 weeks, and making sure she doesn’t leave blood on my white carpeting. Did you know that even neutered males still try to mate females when they are in heat? I didn’t. They can even get tied like an intact male would during breeding, crazy, isn’t it? So, it’s just us girls for the next month. Mind you, since males can smell her from up to 6 miles away, we have to be insanely careful in everything we do. To be extra safe, I keep a diaper on her when outdoors. And of course, she is always on a leash.

Milly is scheduled for her semi-annual senior exam today. I always get a little nervous, since the later years in life are so critical for preventative care. Milly is 11ish, and it might be time to make her 12, and in great health and extremely fit and active. But, I won’t feel at ease until all of her blood panels come back after today’s exam. I worry. I noticed what I think might be tape worms in both dogs’ stools two weeks ago, and so we’ll also be doing stool samples on them. Neither dog has fleas, but they did get into a few dead animals, which is another way to contract tape worms. I am confident in the ophthalmologist I have been using with Hush, but because the specialist is out of town, I’m going to let my general vet take a look at Hush’s eyes to see if we can put her on something until our next ophthalmologist appointment.

Finally, this weekend I will be going to the dog shows in Manassas, VA to watch. While there, I will be meeting with a very well-known dog show handler to discuss Hush. I have decided, while I do want to do some showing with her myself, I feel I need to improve more in my handling abilities before taking her in the ring. I want her first few times to be very positive, and a professional can guarantee that. He will be doing an informal evaluation of Hush, and if he deems her show quality, which we know she is, we’ll then discuss a schedule. Because of her age, she isn’t likely to win that much at this point in the game, so we will be very selective in what shows we enter her in. This handler lives about 2.5 hours from me, so relatively close, and Hush will be boarded with him and his wife (also a well-known handler) leading up to any shows for training and conditioning.

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!!!

It was September 2006, the weather was more like July, but my senior year of college had just begun when I adopted Milly. I broke every rule about adopting a dog on impulse, but I knew the moment I laid eyes on the sweet Golden Retriever that I would love her for the rest of her days. Since the moment I first saw Milly's big, brown, doe eyes looking up at me, I've known that we were meant for each other.

When I adopted Milly she was supposed to be younger than she actually was, by about 2-3 years. I'm glad I didn't know her actual age, because I might have turned her up for fear of future heart break if I'd thought my days with her would be limited. The first week I had Milly I made my most valiant effort to make her feel loved. That was all I cared about. I wanted her to feel like she had finally come home, and that she was safe with me. I let her sleep in my bed every night (okay, that went on for a full year), she was terrified of her food and water bowls, but I hand fed her every meal, she didn't know what to do with toys, but I encouraged her to play with lots of praise and treats.

When I look at Milly now, that seems like a life time ago. She knows exactly what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, and she makes her opinions clear. She gobbles down her food as soon as I present it to her; in fact, I now add water and fresh veggies to her meals to slow down her eating; she is very opinionated about what toys she will and will not play with (she loves plush toys with squeakers, but hates latex squeaky toys); she tells me when it's time to get up, or if she's bored and wants to play; she races to the door to retrieve her leash if she thinks the possibility of a car ride could be in her future. She is the ideal dog, she'll sit under my table at a restaurant with outdoor seating, she'll calmly ride the elevators, she'll wait for permission before exiting the grooming tub, she'll silently lay under my desk at work with her head on my feet when I'm really busy, and she'll look to me for reassurance that it's okay to lick a toddler. She's just perfect!

For the past three years, I've been told that Milly is a geriatric. I go with whatever it is the vet recommends for her care - I've started expressing her anal glands (gross, I know!) at home myself after the vet suggested it, I keep her on a loading dose of Cosequin DS and fish oil supplements, I brush her daily and stretch and massage her joints, I regulate her exercise to make sure she is getting neither too little nor too much, I continue to mentally and physically stimulate her in new and different places, and of course, I've added extra protein to her diet, as older dogs require more. But, she's never really shown any signs of old age. Sure, her muzzle has slowly become more filled with grey hairs, and she's a little stiffer about jumping into the car in the snow, but she really has been just the same dog I've always had!

That is, until recently. I woke up yesterday to Milly's normal nudges on my arm, and her normal morning wake-up calls, but I noticed something different. The medium golden coat that glistens in the sun has now become a white mask on her face. Her face is almost entirely white, now. Her body has numerous white hairs (yes, before she had the occasional grey hair) throughout it. She now is a bit slower to jump in the car, though she displays incredible athletisism, still. Milly also seems to be smarter than ever before!

I know the old adage, older is wiser, but I think it is really true. I've been working with Milly since I got her to walk on a loose leash, to not acknowledge and squirrels or birds we encounter on our saunters, and to respond when I ask her to do various commands. She's always been pretty good, but never perfect. She's always listened, but never been absolutely spot-on, and I've always needed to give her corrections.

Not anymore! It's like all of the sudden, the same day I realized her face is now entirely white, she is spot-on with every command! I used to walk her in a prong collar, but this week she's been flawless on the flat collar. She used to leap in the air and bark at squirrels, but now she simply perks her ears as if to say, "Hmmm, that's intersting, but not worth my time." Of course, Milly still eagerly runs to the leash rack if she thinks a walk is in her cards, but it seems as though she's wiser about it.

It's wonderful to watch my Milly age into such a dignified and wise dog, but at the same time I know in the back of my mind our days are somewhat limited. Perhaps, that is Milly's only flaw, that she will not live as long as me. I love her so dearly, and picturing my life with out her is virtually impossible.

I keep looking at her, and while, perhaps, I should let the fear of her mortality impact my emotions, all I can see is pride in my olden golden! I love her more than words can express, and she's teaching me a lot about life as I watch her wisen each day. It truly has been a blast to watch Milly age, and be with her through her life. She has certainly taught me about patience, love, dedication, hardwork, and playfulness. It's a blessing to have such a fun reminder telling me how to live my own life. She truly is a wise old lady!


Many of you know that I regularly bake my own dog treats. They're cheaper, they're healthier, and it's simply a fun activity to do! I love to bake, but I hate consuming those added calories, so baking for Milly is perfect for me. I own numerous doggie cookbooks, and over the years have tweaked and perfected my favorite recipes. Tonight, I made Doggie Peanut Butter Cookies and Grrrnola. Milly goes absolutely bonkers for these treats, and they're so much fun to make for her!

I highly recommend picking up the ugliest but best dog cookbook that has ever been written, "Homemade Treats for Happy, Healthy Dogs" by Cheryl Gianfrancesco.

Doggie Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of wheat germ
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of water
  

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, wheat germ, and salt in a large bowl then mix in peanut butter, egg, oil, and water. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surfact until about 1/2 inch thick. Then, cut out the biscouts using a cookie cutter (I use a dog themed cookie cutter. but any fun cookie cutter will work), or cut into squares (a pizza cutter works perfectly for this). Put the biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes for the smaller sized cookies, and up to 35 minutes for the larger shaped ones. Store in the fridge... if they last that long!
Grrrnola: Oat-nola for doggies

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of quick-cooking oats
• 1.2 cup of wheat germ
• 1.2 cup of unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1.2 cup of pure honey
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup of Carob Chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a baking sheet. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
2. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes; let cool.
3. Transfer the Grrrnola to a resealable plastic bag and crush into small pieces.
   

You can freeze both of these treats for longer shelf life.

I promise to post the giveaway soon! I've found the camera cord, but wanted to wait until I secured one more item for it! Stay tuned!!!

I FOUND A LUMP ON MILLY

I've been hesitant to post about this until I find out what exactly is going on, but decided the entire purpose of this blog is a learning experience, and my readers are along for the ride as I learn everything I possibly can about dogs.

Most of you know I live in Arlington, VA, two stop lights from Washington, DC, and may have seen on the news we've been slammed with snow - I measured 28 inches in my front yard before the snow stopped falling, and we're supposed to get another 18-20" before 9pm tomorrow night! All of this snow has forced me to spend a lot of time in the house with Milly, and she has loved all of the attention.

A few days ago my boyfriend was petting her and noticed a lump on just above her shoulder. It's about the size of my thumb nail, and firm to the touch. It does not appear to cause her any discomfort when I press on it. Of course, I panicked! Cancer is a documented disease in dogs, and the large Golden Retriever population (consistently ranked one of the top five most popular breeds in the country) makes cancer that much more prevalent in Goldens. That being said, older dogs are known to develop harmless warts, and other benign growths, especially Goldens.

The odds are in my favor, Milly is a geriatric (don't tell her that, I think she missed the memo), and at an age when dogs develop all sorts of benign fatty tumors, growths and other cysts, but even knowing this, I still want to get it checked out. Normally, by now Milly would have been seen by the vet, but the snow is putting a major damper in that plan! It took three days just to dig my car out, and I had to go into work today, so the vet appointment will have to wait.

I thought I had a commitment with Junior League tonight, but I got the days wrong, and the commitment is tomorrow. As soon as I click "Publish Post" I'll be calling my vet to see if I can get a last minute appointment, otherwise I'll wait until after Snowmageddon Round II, and go at the end of the week.

I touch Milly all the time. I make a point to physically go over her at least every other day looking for any bumps, lumps, cuts, or burrs in her coat. I check inside her mouth weekly, paying special attention to her gums. When she's out in the yard I make a point of watching her movement at the walk and trot at least once a week. She's an older dog, and doing this will help me notice any signs of arthritis or joint problems she may develop as she continues to age.

Even with all of my touching and checking I missed this lump. If you don't already go over your dog at least weekly, I reccomend starting to do so. If this lump were to turn out to be the dreded C-word, which I really don't think it is, I will have caught it early, and the odds of successful treatment will be in our favor. If it isn't the dreaded C-word, it will be something my vet can aspirate and keep an eye on at each of Milly's semi-annual senior exams. There are some things we simply cannot prevent in our dogs, but knowing what is normal and what is abnormal in your individual dog will enable you to see signs and red flags of potential health problems. Catching things early, or even before they develop is critical.

Deciding It's Time to Switch Vets...

I like to think I've had great luck with vets. I've had some wonderful ones that were extremely thorough, kind, willing to answer my millions of questions, competent and affordable - these vets have come into my life for dogs, cats, iguanas and horses. Not only have I always had great vets, but I've also never felt any of my vets were pushing any unnecessary procedures on me.

That luck changed when I moved to the Washington, DC area. The first vet was horrible. Absolutely terrible. I then found another vet practice very near my house where I went for quite some time. At this vet they said I needed all sorts of unnecessary procedures, including putting Milly (a senior Golden) under for a teeth cleaning (and she has very mild tartar on one tooth)! Yes, tartar on only one tooth! Her teeth are pretty great for an 11 year old dog (I give credit to the weekly raw marrow bones she gets), and the vet wanted to put her under for a cleaning. I also wasn't sure about the way this vet was treating a mild urine crystal problem. I could not walk out of this vet without spending over $400 (even for just vaccines). I decided it was time for a second opinion and began asking around. I did a lot of research, and settled on a vet a little further from my home than the current one.

On Friday I took Milly and all of her records (vaccines, bloodwork, urinalysis, etc.) to Dr. Amy Poole at the Columbia Pike Animal Hospital. It was by far the best vet experience I have ever had. Dr. Poole sat with me and went over all of Milly's latest bloodwork (taken at our old vet), and explained what each results meant. Turns out some things they saw as problems (moderate urine crystals) were most likely caused by Milly not drinking much water. I had a gut feeling that was causing these crystals, and have been adding more water to her food at meals. Dr. Poole thought that was a great idea, and said we'll monitor these in the future, but this is not something that warrants complete bloodwork every 2-3 months like the last vet had said. Dr. Poole explained line by line what all of the results meant, and we noticed Milly's thyroid was a bit a low, and this is something we'll monitor in the future. We went ahead and did the vaccines Milly needed, after a long conversation about over vaccination and limited vaccines. The last vet had said Milly should be put under for a teeth cleaning, but Dr. Poole said her teeth looked great, and she would probably never need a cleaning in her life. She said if the weekly raw bones are working than I should keep feeding them. When it came to the physical exam she went over every inch of Milly's body and showed me where Milly is developing some mild arthritis (in her back), and explained the skeletal structure of the dog and why this is happening. I loved our visit! Dr. Poole drew diagrams for me, she explained everything, she answered all of my questions and was so welcoming and friendly.

Towards the end of our visit I said Milly might need her anal glands expressed, and Dr. Poole offered to show me how to do them myself! I was thrilled to learn, I know it's gross, and it smells terrible, but it will save me money, and it really isn't any worse than cleaning a horse's sheath (which I've done too many times to count).

It is a nice feeling to seek a second opinion, and find your gut was right. I am so happy with my decision to change vets. Not only are all of my questions now answered in total detail, but I also feel like I have a vet I can trust, and am no longer taking my dog to a clinic where I feel like they are doing unnecessary procedures to make money. I'm happy I followed my gut. I knew something was not right with the situation at our last vet, and I'm thrilled the second opinion verified my gut feeling.

I want to be an active dog owner and an active participant in my dog's life, and I feel with our new vet this is going to be so much easier.

On one final bonus, they happily price matched all medication (Frontline and Interceptor in Milly's case) with 1-800-PET-MEDS, though this is not an advertised service. Dr. Poole even told me I should ask for a price match!

Protect Your Senior Dog From Injury with a Dog Ramp!!

One of the challenges I am starting to have with Milly is her difficulty getting in and out of trucks or SUV’s and on and off my bed. Milly is 10ish, and as she has aged I have fed her Cosequin, a joint supplement, as a daily preventative, but accessing high objects has become more difficult for her. This worries me, because I have read that jumping on and off high objects like a truck, high bed or grooming table can lead to serious injuries and really damage joints, especially in large breeds.

Last spring Milly and I took a ride in the bed of a truck – normally I would never allow her to ride lose in a truck bed, but in this instance we were going no more than 5mph and I was riding with her – when I asked her to “kennel up” (her command to jump into a car) she jumped and then started to fall. I immediately wrapped my arms around her to catch her, but in my haste and worry forgot that two years ago I had shoulder surgery and could no longer lift her, she came crashing into my face and I fell onto the ground with 68 lbs of Golden Retriever on top of me. Milly was fine, and apart from a very swollen, bruised and bloody nose, I was too. This was the first instance where I thought, “she’s really aging.”

Since our truck incident I have been extremely cautious with Milly jumping in-and-out of vehicles or onto high furniture. I often make my boyfriend lift her into any SUV, and even then I’m still worried. I have thought a lot about dog ramps, as they seem like the logical choice in addressing Milly’s aging body and enabling her, a geriatric dog, to safely get in-and-out or off-and-on cars and furniture without Bill or I having to lift her, and with no stress to her joints. What intrigues me most about a dog ramp is it will work for Milly to safely go on-and-off the bed as well as in-and-out of the car – so it is versatile.

I stumbled upon this YouTube video that shows a senior dog trying out two different dog ramps from Pet Gear.

In this video you see a senior dog getting used to the Pet Gear Tri-Fold ramp as well as a smaller indoor ramp. The tri-fold ramp gives the dog easy access in and out of an SUV, while the indoor ramp will help him climb onto his owner’s bed.

Overall, I would recommend that anyone with a large breed dog use a ramp as a preventative to injury, but this is especially critical with senior dogs. I am going to look into how hard it would be to build my own ramp, and if that proves too difficult I will either be purchasing pet stairs or a ramp for Milly to help protect her from injury when accessing a vehicle or furniture. I have no desire to take and chances when I know there are safe alternatives available.