Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Co-Hosted Follow-Up Friday

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Today is our first Co-Hosted, Follow-Up Friday blog hop. I’d like to give a special thanks to Hawk at Brown Dog CBR and his mom, for joining me on this crazy trip. Hawk’s mom shared that she sometimes struggles with technology, as do I so you can imagine, what a feat this was to pull off! (If we even did it.)

For those new to the blog, my follow-up Friday provides me with an opportunity to update or revise a post from the previous week.

You know sometimes you post about something and you need an update but it doesn’t warrant a whole blog. Or sometimes someone made a comment that really resonated with you. Yup, Follow-Up Friday baby!

Co-Hosted by Brown Dog CBR

 

Whoops Where’s Delilah – Author’s Note

It may not look it in the picture but that rock is actually quite high and my dog is quite fearless.  I’ve actually seen her run up an almost straight incline on a rock, causing me to gasp and actually wonder if she really wasn’t part mountain goat.

Her jumping off that rock should NOT have come as a surprise to me, yet somehow, here I am five and a half years later still being surprised by the crazy antics of my dog.

Sampson’s Saga Continues – Update

Sampson went to the vet last night for his re-check.  (He’s been on the Meloxicam for just over two weeks.)  We got out regular vet last night, she took one look and said he’s got a bacterial skin infection.  He is currently on antibiotic and will be re-checked in two weeks.  She also recommends continuing with the Aloe, which really seems to be helping.

The mark on the inside of his leg which I thought was a bruise?  My vet explained the pigment color in Sampson’s skin has changed due to a low-grade infection.

You can see the discolored skin here.

Had I taken him to the vet a couple of weeks ago when we first noticed it, he probably wouldn’t have broken out.  I feel like such a bad dog owner. 🙁

One on One – Author’s Note

Some of you said you walk two dogs at the same time and make a game of it, I think that’s cool.  Some of you said you vary the schedule which I think is what I am going to do.

When I can, I want to walk the dogs by themselves.

I think this will accomplish a number of things.

1)  It will be easier for me to work with them one on one.

2)  It will give them each an opportunity to spend time with me.

3)  Their personalities can shine through without being shadowed by the other.

4)  It will vary their exercise routine making it more interesting all around. 

Personally I think varied exercise program is stimulating for their minds as well as their bodies.

Do you vary your dog’s exercise program?  If so, what types of exercise do you include?

This is the Follow-Up Friday blog hop, hosted by Heart Like A Dog and Brown Dog CBR.  Why don’t you grab the link and join us?

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One On One

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Having Sampson on the D.L. has added a whole new dynamic to our exercise routine.

There are some nights when Hubby can be convinced to walk with us.  His biggest complaint is the leashes are a pain in the butt.  I agree, most days I feel like I’m playing Chinese jump rope, but hey…you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have…the facts of life.  (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, blame Pupfan for putting up tv theme songs video.) 😉

(It’s stuck in your head now too, huh?)

There have been a couple of nights where Hubby just didn’t want to go, but I won’t let that stop me.

Monday night I put both dogs on the long leash and off we went.

Okay, you got me. It’s an old photo, you really don’t expect me to juggle two dogs and a camera do you?

 

Yes, there were many, many times where I ducked, twisted and cussed dealing with two dogs on long leashes, each with their own agendas.

The more interesting walk though, happened on Tuesday night.  It was raining pretty hard when I got home.

Hubby checked the weather and it looked like we were going to get a break, but not until later.

I decided I’d take the dogs for a quick walk, but I’d take them individually.

I put Sampson on the long leash and out the door we went.  I was amused when he went directly to the car and looked at me as if to say, well go ahead, open the door.

Nope, sorry buddy, we’re hoofing it today.

We walked up the hill and into the woods, up the wide yellow path for a very short time and turned around to head home.

I was so impressed with Sampson on the long leash. Normally he pulls me, but not on the long leash and not without Delilah there, competing with him.

After a brief walk of maybe 15 minutes, I brought Sampson home, put Delilah’s harness on her and headed off.

She was marvelous too!

The beauty of walking the dogs in the rain was, there weren’t any other dogs out.  The squirrels and chipmunks however, didn’t get that memo.

Delilah and I had a very tense moment with a squirrel, where I got very close to her, (in case I had to grab her) but eventually she was convinced to leave it and the squirrel made himself scarce.  Delilah and I continued our walk.

I’ve noticed on previous walks that each dog wants to be ahead of the other one, which can cause huge challenges when walking two dogs on leash, which is also why, I like them off-leash!

Don’t mind us, we’re just checking our pee-mail.

 

It was nice to get them out and walk them individually.  Except for getting soaked to the skin, I really enjoyed our one-on-one leash time.

Do you have more than one dog?  Do you walk them together or separately?  Do you prefer one over the other?

Sampson’s Saga Continues

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Sampson has a bruise on the inside of one of his back legs. I noticed it right after the last time he was at the vet, but figured since he is scheduled for next week, I will simply keep an eye on it, to make sure it’s fading.

Having seen him bulldoze his way through trees and shrubs, I assumed he whacked himself good.

When I popped a peek at it Sunday night, I noticed he had a number of red bumps on his underbelly. Hubby said, they look like blisters.

To which I said, I’ll check the side effects of the Meloxicam tomorrow and call the vet to see if it can wait until next week.

Sure enough one of the severe side effects of the Meloxicam is, you guessed it, blisters.

(Just for the record, I worry.  So the safest bet for me is NOT to check side effects when first beginning a medication, if I do you can be sure a symptom will somehow manage to manifest itself.  I’ve had to carry this philosophy over to the dogs or I’d be a constant mess.)

First thing yesterday morning I placed the call to our vet.

When our vet called back she said, blisters are a known side effect in humans but not in dogs. She wants to make sure it’s not a skin condition so we changed his appointment from next Wednesday to this Thursday.

After I took my lunch I decided that Thursday is just too long to wait, so I called the vet’s office back, but they couldn’t fit him in any sooner, unless of course the condition gets worse.

So I asked, well is there anything I can do for him In the meantime to make sure he’s not uncomfortable? Our vet said put aloe on it.

It doesn’t seem to be bothering him, because we haven’t seem him scratching or licking at it.

But it sure looks awful.

Considering the shaming I got for posting poop pictures, I figure it was wise to hide Sampson’s attributes.

 

You can see the bruised area, it is the dark spot just above all those little blisters.

 

What do you think about him having symptoms of a side effect but being told it’s not the same for dogs?  Is it merely coincidence?

Just because it hasn’t happened in dogs, does not mean it can’t, right?  I intend to bring that point up on Thursday. 😉

How do you handle it when your vet tells you something but your gut tells you something else?

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