Mischief Monday - Side Effects - by Lee

 Dear pals,

First I want to thank you all for your POTP, I know it is helping. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Thanks to Ann for making this for us and Madi's Lady for helping.

When I last shared we were waiting for Lady to catch my pee in a ladle, which she did well. She can add this to her many talents. The Man took it to the vet for analysis, and I have stage 1 kidney disease, which is not completely unexpected in a girl of my age (more on that tomorrow).

The vet and Lady picked an anti-inflammatory and anti-seizure meds that should be the easiest on my organs. That day after work, Lady drove to the vet to get my anti-inflammatory. It wasn't ready so she waited 25 minutes for it. Then she drove to the human pharmacy to get my anti-seizure meds, and waited 30 minutes for them to say they had to order it. You can imagine how happy she was to only get home from work at 7:45, needing to eat dinner, when she had left the house at 5:30am.

Anyway, the meds were ready the next day and she got them and it got shoved down my throat. The next morning, my friends, I was really, really not ok. I could barely walk. Lady said I was like Bambi walking on ice. I fell down a step. It was scary for my people and me. Lady stopped all medication and called my doctor.

The vet called later that day and said these side effects should be short lived and we had to ride them out. It would have been nice if they had warned us all first. So my people put me back on the drugs and every day since I have been better. I am a little off balance at times, but nothing like I was. And, already the seizures have decreased, especially the bad outside ones. 

Too busy to stop for a picture . . . 

Because I am seeming a bit better, and being a little crazy and trying to do things like play, my Lady knows I am feeling better. Again, thank you for all your POTP. 

your pal, the slightly tipsy Hailey Bug

Mischief Monday - A Pre-Holiday Scare - by Phod

Dear pals,

You know that I try to be a very good boy and make my people's lives easier, but sometimes my old body doesn't cooperate.

On the Friday before Christmas, I was feeling very poorly. I was really struggling with my back end. I wouldn't eat. I wouldn't poop.

Me passed out in the sun

Lady suddenly was a vet and gave me some gabapentin she had.  This was the best and worst decision. It was good because it did seem to help later, but in the short term, I was so stoned I couldn't really move. I tried and got myself in a bit of a pickle and Lady had to help adjust her 80 lbs of love, completely stoned out boy, which was funny and sad, while Lee looked on (Man was at the office, Lady was working from home).  After this Lady threw the gabapentin away and switched me to medicam she had for Lee. (again, she thinks she is a vet). 

It was a stressful maybe 48 hours for the people, who really thought they were going to have to say goodbye to me. This resulted in the purchase of a chicken for me (don't worry, Lee made me share). As you may recall, I am allergic to chicken, it makes me itchy, but I love it and my Man thought if this was the end I should get a special meal. What the chicken, and the medicam and the rest did, was get me to eat, and poop and within 72 hours, I was back to my old, old self.

It wasn't the best start to Christmas, but Lady says, more time with me was the best gift she could have gotten.

Even after all of that, I still got this kind of treatment on Christmas!

Your pal, old, but still going even if he is now a little itchy, Zaphod

Librela and Us

 Phod has been taking his shot for almost a year and a half and Lee for a few months.  We have both been lucky that it seems to be helpful. Besides not being uncomfortable, Phod finds it easier to get up and down. He will even occasionally get on the furniture and he is more likely to do the stairs.

Lee is less tippy. She runs more. She also gets on the furniture more often.

Lady says the draw back of less pain is we do want to explore more. Exploring more means trying to sneak next door, because we have just decided this is part of our yard. Hailey especially loves to track the 3 cats who live next door and some of the many, many strays around. Callie's people think it is funny to watch Lady and Man chase us around their yard. Sometimes they come out to laugh at her!

Going down the road to Callie's. Lady yelling "unsanctioned visit" didn't help. 

Coming out of the bush between our houses on the road, hoping to give Lady the brush off.

Lady standing blocking the path between our houses singing - stop in the name of love

We know this treatment may not be the best for everyone. And while Lady gets a bit annoyed with us, her main goal for our lives right now is quality of life, and this is improving it. We feel lucky to have this option. 

Phod at the Vet

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Phod was being picky with his food and at times appeared to have stomach cramps. There have been some other symptoms I have not discussed here but discussed with our vet Woody. They include: His gunky ears; being far more tired after the same amount/less exercise, even when it isn’t really hot; excessive panting; seeming more sore/stiff some days. Woody also noted he has put on weight. He is up 5 lbs from last year and is as active and not eating any more.

After a physical exam, other than maybe a little extra weight, Phod seems very healthy. His joints were fine, his coat was fine, the gunk in his ears wasn’t an infection, his heart and lungs sounded perfect. There was nothing physical to indicate a problem.

There are two things that may each explain some of his symptoms.

1.  He has some food allergies/sensitives. We are transitioning him to a whitefish diet to see if this helps. Woody said it could take 8 weeks for us to really see a difference.
2.  While he thinks it is a long shot, he asked that we test his thyroid. Phod was taken to the back room to have blood work done.

I feel a bit like a worry wart being a bit stressed about my boy's health, l but after our angel Loki and all his crazy health problems, I have learned to trust my intuition. Something is just a little off with my boy.  Food sensitive and thyroid are things I know I can handle, we got through immune mediated hepatitis that caused cirrhosis of the liver after all. To read more about that journey click HERE.

Paws crossed that we find a simple solution to help my boy be more himself.

Torture Thursday - by Phod

I, Zaphod, try really hard to be a good boy, but this doesn't save me from being tortured. The other day the Man noticed my ear was looking red, which may mean I am getting an ear infection (I get those a lot) so he decided to clean it.

He made me lay on the floor, and Lady thought instead of saving me she would capture this on film. 

No Lady I will not stay still so you get better pictures.

Ok the massage part at the end isn't so bad

Friends, so your people do things they claim are good for you but really suck?

Man and Weather Update

Thank you for all your wonderful comments yesterday Blogville, you rock! They were much appreciated as my day went like this:

Up at 5:30, walk the dogs, get ready, and the dogs and I are in the car by 6:40. Somewhere on the drive, Hailey gets out of her new harness and tries to get in the front seat with me. Finally arrive at day camp. To make my life a little less crazy, I made the decision to board the dogs for about 36 hours. It has kind of broken my heart to do it, but I know it is for the best. I arrive at work at 8:35. This is when Man calls to say his CT Scan is at 1, I need to come home. So I cancel with all my clients and drive the 62 km home. I had a little time to relax and pack our bag for the day (although I didn't pack enough food).

For this appointment : I had to drive him to hospital A (30 minutes away) to have the IV put in, to then drive another 25 minutes to hospital B to have the scan, then had to stop by Man's work and return the work pager as he shouldn't be the one on call this week, before driving back to hospital A to get the results. We waited 2.5 hours (after we were told the results were in) to be told he had colitis, unsure if viral or inflammatory bowel disease. At this point they order more blood work. 2.5 hours later, we are told the blood work is the same as Friday and Saturday, a colonoscopy has been ordered and should take place later this week, the IV is removed and we go home. We are now up to 20.5 hours of hospital time since Friday at 9:30 pm.  Because we get a days notice for this next test, I hopefully will actually get to work tomorrow and pick the pups up so my dog guilt stops.


People have asked how much snow we have left. Well as of Sunday, this was our back deck:

We haven't used the BBQ for awhile.  While it has been pretty darn cold in the mornings (close to -20C/4 F) the weather looks like it is going to start to warm up and the rain will help wash the snow away. (Temperatures are in Celsius)

Mischief Monday - I Can Almost See the Humour

We step outside our dog life, to the human life to share this story with you today.

The scene: Lady is heading out the door to go and pick the Man up from the hospital (more about that below). She locks and closes the door between the house and garage to realize her keys are sitting on the shelf inside.

Plan A: The next door neighbours have a key, go get it.

Plan A fails: Neighbours aren't home.

Plan B: Put her snowshoes on (the snow is still waste deep in places), go around to the back of the house and "break in" (or pray the sneaky way, which we won't share here, is open)

Lee ad the Man a few weeks ago

Plan B: Thank goodness it works.

Now plan A is to get a key to hid in the garage so this doesn't happen again.





Perhaps the real mischief is the Man. Not that it is his fault but . . . .Short story: Man became very, very ill (thing worse stomach bug ever) Friday and ended up in the emergency room. He was there for 5 hours, pumped full of gravol and morphine and sent home with a list of things to watch for. Saturday around 11 the Man tells the Lady one of those things has happened, so Lady gets us all organized and is back at the hospital by 12. 7.5 hours later (don't worry, Lady left for a bit and drove the 30 minutes back to take care of the dogs), it was determined the Man had a bowel infection and was sent home with a bunch of prescriptions and follow up testing.

What was confirmed this weekend: Although Lady is a master problem solver, when Lady said "in sickness and in health" 87 million years ago, she clearly didn't mean it. She completely lacks empathy when it impacts her life and has absolutely no patience for others being sick, and she is a horrible nurse. She wishes it wasn't that way, but alas. So please send some sympathy to the very sick Man for having to deal with her and some POTP that he gets better soon and maybe some patience for the Lady.

Bless those of you who take care of very sick people in your lives. You are true angels.

Please forgive us if we aren't around as much as usual this week. Lady is going to have to take over all the household chores, try and keep the Man alive and continue to work, so she won't have as much time free time.

Pill Time

It has been a long time since we have had to regularly give pills to our pups. When angel Loki was dying, he had as many as 15 pills a day. Now we have Phod on 2 tablets of glucosamine 2 times per day and Hailey on Prozac once a day.

Over the years, I have tried a lot of "trick your pets" into taking the pills. I have done the cheese, the pill pockets and the peanut butter just to name a few. However, I have found the best way to ensure they take their pills is the "shove it down the throat method" followed by a treat. I have saved some of the favourite treats to go with this, after all I am a behaviour analyst and understand the power of reinforcement! When they hear me get the treats, they both coming running (ok Hailey runs, Phod comes because he is called).

Pill time looks like this in our house:

The set up - 2 pieces of Hero Lamb Liver (the treat of the week), Hailey's little pill, Phod's big pills

My girl:

My reluctant boy:

What pill method do you use?

Dental Health Month - Confessions of a Neglectful Lady

February is dental health month. Today is the day I confess, I have been neglectful in my pet's dental health. When we first moved to this house, I was great. We were brushing teeth at least 3 times a week (as recommended by my vet). But then it stopped being a habit. The toothpaste expired and I didn't buy new stuff. Life happened and for far too long, brushing hasn't happened.

Now, that being said, we aren't totally neglectful. The pups get dental treats daily. We have antlers to chew on. It is just the formal brushing that is not getting done.

The neglect has been reinforced by my history with pets and dental issues. Bagheera lived to be 19.5 without ever brushing his teeth and without any problems. Loki had a heck of a lot of problems, but no dental ones (other than his crazy teeth). Nin did need some dental work, but at 15. Gemi also had dental work done at age 6. So far, Hailey and Zaphod have not really had problems.

I am hoping that today's blog hop will inspire me to go out and get new toothbrushes and start brushing away!

Round Robin: Caring Critters - Auto-Immune Disorder

We are participating in the Round Robin Caring Critters hosted by Heart Like a Dog. Tomorrow, go to Travels with Barley to learn about Lyme Disease. 

I would like to share with you the saga of our first dog, a Loki and an auto-immune disorder.

It started in 2006 while I was working overseas for 3 months. I didn't know it had started as my husband didn't want to stress me out while I was away. Loki, who was about 5 at the time, had become very ill. He stopped eating. He had to be force fed (and by this I mean they had to shove food down his throat). Blood work determined that his body had attacked it's own red blood cells. We put him on a drug cocktail (sorry, just recently I got rid of all his medical records, but it included drugs to boost red blood cells and drugs to suppress the cells that were killing them).

Loki went into remission until 2009. In spring 2009 I could tell something wasn't right with him. My vet was on sabbatical, so I took him to one of his partner's. This vet brushed my concerns off and I let it go because my vet was back in a few weeks. A few weeks later I took Loki back to the vet and he took my concerns seriously. [Note: our vet happens to be a very close family friend]. Even if our vet wasn't a friend, I would have kept taking him back until I got answers. The lesson is, if you think something is wrong with your pet, trust your instincts and find a vet who will take you seriously. 

Loki around the time he was diagnosed in 2009

Our vet did a bunch of tests (blood work, ultrasound, liver biopsy) and it was determined Loki had immune mediated hepatitis causing cirrhosis of the liver (try saying that 5 times fast). The cause of this was unknown and it is rare. To find the treatment, our vet used online vet forums and talked to vets all over the world.  He determined that at best, Loki likely had one year of life left. His body was attacking itself and at best we could slow it down and keep him comfortable. To do this, we used a drug cocktail that was adjusted at least once per month (more often toward the end). After about 3 years, I got rid of the records, but it was as many as 15 pills a day. It was very complicated and we had a chart (as some pills were to be taken every 2 days), a pill cutter and a pill container. I know there was steroids and immune suppressors. The best side effect of the cocktail was Loki's fur became puppy soft. It was great to snuggle such a soft boy, and he was very snuggly. 

During all this blood work, tests etc. etc. Loki remained a positive happy boy. Going to the vet was still one of his favourite things to do. He was often so excited he would pee on the floor (a habit he had all his life!). I think he only grumbled once during blood work and the tech was shocked as he was normally so happy! 

About 5 months before he died, running at a favourite park. He doesn't look like a dying dog at this point.

After several weeks on the drugs, Loki improved and he lived quite comfortably for the next 9 months. We did everything we could in that time to give him the best quality of life with the time we had left with him. At the 9 month mark, we started to see the decline. Our monthly trips for blood work became bi-weekly.  Loki underwent another ultrasound which showed the disease had progressed. I had opted to not to put him through another biopsy, because it wouldn't give us any useful information, we all knew he was dying. 

During the last 11 months of his life we had such contact with the vet, Loki's HUGE file was never filed. It was either on the vet's desk or in a special place they keep files for animals who are receiving a lot of care. Everyone in the clinic knew us. If our vet was not in and we called, other vets were hesitant to answer our questions/make suggestions, because this was rare and complicated. Either we or they would call our vet at home.

When we could see the end coming, we gave him his fav food.
 We wanted him to have it while he could still eat.

Around the 11 month mark,  we could tell the end was coming and one day Loki had the best day he had in weeks, followed by the worst night. About 5 am he gave me the look, and we knew it was time. We called our vet and set up for a time that evening to have him euthanized. We had made a promise to him that as long as he was not suffering, we would do everything in our power to keep him alive. However, when the time came, we would make the very difficult choice to say goodbye. We didn't want him to suffer one day more than he had to. It was a very emotional experience for us and the staff at the clinic. We were blessed to have such amazing, loving care for him. 

If I could go back, there is nothing I would do differently about his treatment. I know our vet went above and beyond to try and find the best treatment in the world for him. His suffering was minimized. We have learned since, that his case is still used at the clinic as a teaching case. I hope his case can help others. 

I also understand that not everyone would be able to make the same choices we did. It was very, very, very expensive to give Loki those last 11 months. A rough calculation at the time showed we spent about $10 000.  His drugs cost at least $500 a month. We are blessed that we could give him this time. 

I also learned the stress taking care of a dying pet can be. In the moment I didn't realize the emotional toll it was taking on me. It was only after his death that I realized the stress we had all been living with. I should have known the stress it was causing because our other dog at the time, Gemini, actually developed a stress disorder. She developed obsessive drinking (she drank over 8 cups of water a day, which was too much for a 15 lb Lhasa Apso mix) and peeing (she started peeing everywhere) and her fur started to fall out. She also underwent a lot of tests and in the end it was stress. While this wasn't great, it was much better than the alternatives our vet was testing for (Cushing's syndrome for one). One of the lessons we learned is that everyone in the house is very effected by the illness of another member and everyone needs some extra TLC. 

Thank you for reading our long journey. Even with the stress and the cost, I would do it all again to get those 8 years with our Loki. 

Gemini (left) and Loki - best friends

Mischief Monday - Phod's Annual Check Up

Saturday was Phod's annual check up.  The Man and I and the dogs piled into the car and drove the hour to the clinic and then the dog park.

Lots of mischief occurred on this trip.

1) The Man and I decided to try Hod in the car without his anti-nausea meds. While Phod was clearly more relaxed, he did get sick. We picked up more meds for our next trip.

2) Hailey and Zaphod both were not well behaved in the lobby at the clinic. They did sort of ok before the appointment but after when I was trying to pay and get Bagheera's remains and cat food for Nin, the Man actually had to take them outside. They were a bit embarrassing (and it being a Saturday the clinic was very, very busy). I said to them "Baggy was the best behaved on this trip."

Hailey complaining about being in the exam room (and this was when she was calm)

3) I get a huge fail as a dog owner. I didn't realize Phod had a yeast infection in his left ear. It had looked a little dirty, but I thought nothing of it. I didn't know German Shepherd's were prone to ear infections (this is Phod's first). We now know what it looks like so can watch for it. We also have drops to help clear it up.

4) At the dog park Phod found the one puddle and played in it, right after the vet said no water until his ear heals. Silly boy!

5) Hailey ate poop and had the stinkest poop smelling burps ever!

The trip wasn't all mischief, it had it's good points:

Other than the ear infection Phod is completely healthy. He weighs in at 70lbs, which is about 8 lbs more than last weigh in. The vet said both he and Hailey look perfect and he isn't at all concerned about the weight. I have to remind myself that when we got Phod he was very, very underweight (about 45 lbs), so perhaps it has taken him these 2 years to catch up and finish growing.

The vet checked Hailey's butt again because she has been obsessively butt licking the past few days, but there is nothing wrong with it. She just likes to lick her butt.

The dogs were super stars at the park. We picked one of the hottest days of the summer to go and we went at noon. The park was quiet. We walked slower, took lots of water breaks and stayed in the shade as much as possible. The pups ran, sniffed, played with other dogs and had a lovely time and no one got too hot.

Overall, it was a rather successful trip to town and the pups were exhausted the rest of the day!







Tomorrow is our instalment in Safety Week - please drop by.

Road Trip

First a Hailey update: By Saturday morning the swelling was all gone in her face and for the most part she was walking without a limp. I could tell she was still being "light" on her leg, but was happy to see she was improving.

ROAD TRIP!

Phod and Brooke

The Man stayed up late to give Phod his anti-puke drugs. I didn't give him breakfast to help. At 6:05 I tried to get Phod into the car. At 6:11 I called the Man to help get Phod in. At 6:13 am we were on the road.

The first 250 km Phod was pretty anxious. He never threw up, but was drooling - a lot. Given the challenges I had getting him into the car, I was worried about our first rest stop, but my worries were for naught. While Phod was happy to get out of the car, he was equally happy to get back in the car. It was after the first rest stop he started to relax. At the second rest stop I gave him his bed (as I knew he wasn't going to be sick) and he was happy. By the time we were done our trip - 750 km, 8 hours and 15 minutes, my boy seemed happy in the car. YAY!

Kaydee with Phod

Given the nature of our lives and Phod's car sickness, he has never been to anyone's house before. Phod settled in with no issues. He was happy to see my parents and their dogs Tendra and Barley and my cousins Kaydee and Brooke. The only "issue" we had was a meeting of the neighbour . . . at first he was terrified, he jumped out of the way, but quickly realized the neighbour was a friend and was asking for pets.



I think Phod's favourite moment of the day was the discovery of the beach. My parents place is on Lake Huron, so they have a great beach!

The pictures I have at the beach were taken by Kaydee, a budding photographer, while Brooke, the expert stick thrower, amused Hod.

My Poor, Poor Girl

First, thank you all so much for your kind notes regarding Gheera's death. It was much appreciated. I will blog more about him in the next week or so.

Yesterday I worked my butt off to get all the work I needed to get done before my vacation. Shortly after 3 I finished with a  huge sigh! I took the dogs out for a play time while I just chilled for a bit (my plan was to do some writing and then visit all your blogs).

Getting some love

Hailey was happily playing in the yard when shortly after 4 she was stung and hurt her front left paw. As soon as I realized what had happened I raced to her and got her inside.

I spent a great deal of time checking out her leg. I wasn't sure if she had been stung on it or if when she rolled she had hurt it. I checked it and touched it and pulled it and while she didn't want to put a lot of weight on it, it didn't seem to hurt too much.

The Man arrived home about 15 minutes later and that is when he noticed her face. The left side of her face had started to swell up. This is when I got really worried and called the vet. Fortunately our friend and vet was at the clinic and available. I explained what happened and he told us what to do. For the sting, if she had been severely allergic to it, we would likely have seen the distress already, so we were likely out of the woods for that. He asked what anti-histamines we had in the house. All we had was Reactine, so he gave us the dose for this, suggested Aspirin if needed and ice for her face and leg. He of course went over the serious signs to look though (but again, he wasn't as worried about these as it had been about 30 minutes since the sting).

The swollen face (on the right in the picture)

My poor girl has been miserable every since. She is not feeling well, she can't get comfy.  We will rest her leg as best as we can. [Note the swelling went down within a couple hours].

Because life isn't crazy enough - Zaphod and I are leaving, bright and early on our first road trip. Yes, I am taking my really, really, car sick getting dog on a 650 km (400 mile) trip to visit my parents for a few days. I decided I could only handle one on my own at the rest stops etc, and since Phod has never gone (and will be easier when I get there), he won. So life is not going to get any better for my girl tomorrow.

We will be blogging from the beach about Phod's adventures, how LeeLee is doing and of course will have time to catch up on the Fryday Hairy Tails we are so looking forward to!

#FuelTheCure

Imagine taken Oz's site without permission - we hope it is ok!

Today we are participating in Zuke's #FuelTheCure a contest and fundraiser in support of canine and feline cancer fund.  We know that every pet owner's number one concern is always the health of their pet. We can work together to help keep our pets health and playing for many years to come!

Join the Hop!

Guest Post - Boost Your Dog's Immune System

I was contacted and asked if I would host a guest post and I said yes! (Turns out for me it was the perfect week to have someone else write the blog lol!). Enjoy

---------------------------------

Your pets are surely what you consider a part of the family, right? Well, this only means you will give your best to take great care of them. Still, just like anything in life, your dog’s health can rapidly change even with your best care for him. You will notice these changes by their behavior – changing of eating habits, peculiar poops, etc. If this happens, take them to the vet. An important thing: always consult with the vet before you give your pet any vitamins, change their diet, give homeopathic remedies and similar because different breeds need different treatments.

Here are some great tips for you to add to your fluffy friend’s diet to help them regain their good appetite, vigor,  as well as lead a healthy life overall.

Diet

Instead of keeping your dog on a regimen, why not go with healthy, organic diet? You already know that dogs are carnivores, therefore their meals should contain meat as primary ingredient. To keep your dog healthy you should give him food without harmful GMOs, hence organic is the best option. Naturally, artificial colors and preservatives are something you also want to steer clear of. Another option is to go with homemade diet that consists of fresh meat and just a little rice. As for treats, we strongly recommend you go with organic also or homemade.

Exercise

In order to keep your dog’s immune system strong, you need to have him exercising regularly. Walks, playing fetch, or any other game that will make your dog’s heart pump stronger is a good option! When your dog is on proper weight, it stimulates his lymph system and keeps him healthy overall.

Hydration

Never forget to fill the bowl with water for your dog. It is crucial for the dog to stay hydrated, especially in the hotter months. Water helps out flush toxins (just like with humans). If you are worried your dog might ‘have an accident’ during the night, take the bowl away couple of hours before your doggy’s bed time.

Coconut Oil

What piece of fruit has more anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral properties but coconut? None!

Triglycerides in the coconut oil promote energy for lethargic pups. They are also good for weight loss. It speeds up metabolism and is a great preventive from illnesses. Coconut oil will give your dog shiny and healthy coat as well as help dog’s digestive tract work properly.

Staying clean

Billy

In order to maintain your dog’s immune system healthy you need to worry about him staying clean at all times. Its bed needs to be clean, as well as pillows and blankets – wash them and keep them germ free. It is always an option to add 4-5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to the wash, just to make sure you disinfect good.

Also, when you are leaving for vacation, you need to leave your fluffy friend with someone you trust will take good care of him. Everyone’s home has different types of germs, so it would be smart to have that person dog-sit at your house, just to save your dog from exposure to the new environment, stress of a new routine, potential disease and so on.

SCOBY

SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast, also called a Mother or Mushroom. If you’re an avid Kombucha drinker, you probably have cultures coming out your ears—I have 6 extras in my fridge as we speak! These are packed with probiotics that can help replenish the healthy flora in your pups’ gut. You can dehydrate them, or cut them up and give them as raw treats. Nimbus loves them! There’s not too much of a flavor, and I personally like the rubbery texture (yes, you can eat them too). A little goes a long way, so start the servings small, a few bites a day, and see how your dogs react. You can also give them very small amounts (a teaspoon to start) of kombucha tea, if they will take it (Nimbus will not).

Sam

Snuggles, cuddles, love and affection

You have heard of oxytocin, the hormone released when both people and dogs snuggle is what lowers the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. So, make sure you love your pet and show that love through snuggling, cuddling and other means so that your dog feels your affection. This will contribute to your dog’s health and happiness.

Diana Smith is a great dog lover and a proud owner of german sheppard Billy and a poodle Sam. She is interested in topics related to dog’s health and alternative medicine for animals. Useful information for this article has been kindly provided by Stefmar.