Merry LATE Christmas!

Sorry it's been a while.  Sorry we missed Christmas, but our house has had the nasty FLU!  The day I got out of school for vacation I became sick and today is my first day up and running again.  Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and I will be doing some catching up in the blog world over the next several days.  I promise.

One of the small projects I got accomplished with the flu.

BIG PS from Murray....It's snowing (I mean REALLY snowing) and instead of going out to play with me now that she's better, Mom made it a shave and bathe day for me.  She will pay for that later! UGH

Microchip

Recently, in my local area, there have been several cases of pet stealing taking place, right from someone's yard.  Sadly, some of these pets have been found harmed and killed.  I can't understand why someone would do this to a harmless, defenseless animal.  I also think of all the misplaced and lost pets due to Hurricane Sandy... and this all has made me feel I should put a reminder out there to encourage people to have their pets wear the proper tags, or better yet, have them chipped!  Here is a short informational video I hope helps you see this is an easy, extra bit of security that you can give yourself and your pet.

Black and White Sunday

This is what I prefer to do with my Santa hat!

Playing Santa is Hard Work!

Must we really do this?

In support of the suffering families in CT

Annual Tree Photo

Told ya there would be more photos...

The tree went up and we took our places.  We're getting good at this!

I'm Dreaming of a White...ANY DAY!

I'm a doodle born and bred in Ontario, Canada.  I am BUILT for snow.  Well, kinda.  I love it even though it gets balled up in my paws and I get "snow paws".  It's mid-December and I am waiting patiently, but nothing yet!  In the meantime I am reliving memories of last year's snow...

I got this

I'm helping remove the snow from the sidewalk

PS...Mom would enjoy a "snow day" too!  :)

Award! Thank You Cotton!

So you can get this award 6 times, 6 stars to collect...

This is my first. 

The rules are as follows.

 

1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award

2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.

3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)

4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them

5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience

6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…"

  I giant THANK YOU to Cotton for selecting me!

Now for my selections...

I would like to pass it back to Cotton for another star and also...

Ruby the Airedale

 

Murphy and Stanley

 

Gardening with Wyatt

 

The Legacy Chronicles

 

Sugar

 

Dachshund Nola

You, and so many others, deserve this!  I love reading your posts :)

How Does it Look?

I don't exactly NEED a sweater, but since my mom was super excited to find one that would fit me (I am kind of over-sized), I appeased her and wore it happily.  How does it look?  We all think it looks best on my brother Piper.  We'll be posting a pic of him eventually.  Please excuse the naked tree behind me.  It's getting decorated tonight!  That probably means more photos...grrr.

Black and White Sunday

You're not getting the ball!

Some Golden-Doodle Fun!

The Huddle

Guess who got one first

Murray Christmas!

In the spirit of Christmas I just had to post my all time favorite Murray Christmas pic!

Murray Christmas!

PS...Ollie Doodle is doing very well!  He is home and recovering nicely.  Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers!  I will update as he makes more and more progress.  

Ollie's Surgery Day

Today was Ollie's scary, hopeful and exciting day all wrapped into one. It was his surgery day to relieve him of the sickness that keeps making his chest fill with fluid. I won't even begin to try and cover it in my own words, so to quote Ollie's mom at 11:00am...

"The surgery took over 4 1/2 hours, but it went like text book, it could not have gone better. They were able to clamp the offending thoracic duct & remove the sac round the heart. The pericardium was very thickened, the worst Mr Specialist had ever seen!!! It is not there anymore!!!! Mr Anaesthetis

t was able to do magic things, like deflate lung lobes & inflate others at will. This gave the vets a great view of what they were working with. Ollie has chest drains in & will spend the next few days in hospital. There is nothing more that can be done for him, & now it is just a matter of waiting. He is heavily drugged on methadone tonight to keep him comfortable.....,
Thank you everyone for all the support & kind messages xx"

And the newest update from Ollie's mom at 4:15pm...

"We have just had our update on Ollie, he is doing well. He is one little tough cookie!!! He has just been out for a short walk, had a little kibble ( He refused to eat the wet food offered. I don't think he trusts them to give him something good!!). Ollie has just had some more pain relief & the vet will be in in a couple of hours to check on his progress. We can feel the strain lifting a bit........"

All the good wishes and paws crossed around the world helped!  Many of you asked me to keep you updated, and I am happy to have such positive news this evening!  It's just wonderful for Ollie and his family :)  Thank you, and please keep praying for an easy recovery. 

Ollie

Black and White Sunday

Happy Black and White Sunday to All!

I'm joining Nola  in Black and White Sunday

A Dog of Many Words

What words does your dog know?  I mean REALLY know.  Where you see an immediate and appropriate response to you saying the word to them.  Dogs are so smart but it still often shocks me the words, tone and languages they pick up.  Murray knows:

Murray

Piper

Foofie-cat

Nickers-cat

Ball

Outisde

Bed

Eat

Walk

Ride

Come

No

Down

Leave It

Sit

Treat

Go

Five

Upstairs

Hungry

There are even phrases:

Where's your ball?

Go get your ball.

Want to go outside?

Let's go to bed.

Want to eat?

Want to go for a walk?

Want to go for a ride?

Want a treat?

Give me five.

Are you hungry?

What unusual words or phrases does your dog know?

Back to Back Funday Rundays!

This Thanksgiving break has been great!  We not only got to run and play ON Thanksgiving, but our friend Brooklyn came out to run with us today!  It was gorgeous weather for running and we had lots of fun!

Happy Doodles!

Come on Guys!

Piper

Brooklyn taking a roll break

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

My first run since being sick...see how wide I can open my mouth again?!  Hehe

Dog Park Tips for Humans

It never fails to amaze me how some people think taking their dog to run and play at a dog park, or just an open field, means they are on a break.  It's not a lot of work, but I'd like to see a few certain behaviors from the fellow humans I am sharing dog play space with.

* Watch your dog(s).  Duh, this seems like common sense, but I have been to dog parks where owners are chatting or reading and barely glancing up at their dogs.  Not every dog plays nicely with every other dog all the time.  You have to be watching and stepping in when necessary.

* Eliminate possible fighting over toys by bringing several for sharing or none at all.  The dog parks I have been to always had many toys around, but when we go to our local field, we bring a toy that we pick up if other dogs show up.

*Control your dog(s).  Make sure your dog has good recall and overall manners.  A good "sit" and "stay" is very handy in times of need.  "Drop it" is great if your dog picks up something potentially harmful.

* Keep big dogs with big dogs and small dogs with small dogs.  Obviously big dogs can easily overpower and hurt a small dog, even unintentionally, during play.

*Play with your dog(s).  Walk around, throw a ball, run...get engaged with your dog during play.  That's what this time is for!

*Ask your dog to "come" several times during play.  I reward with a small food treat each time my dogs do this.  It makes those times when you NEED your dog to come to you that much more likely to be successful...so practice it often when it's not a need.

* HAVE FUN!

Dog Park Fun

Ollie Update

I know many of you are praying for my FB friend, Ollie... and you have asked me to keep you up to speed.  Ollie Doodle will have surgery November 30.  They are waiting for a very important human anaesthetist to be available as we know this is a risky operation.  The vet is not sure Ollie can make it until the 30th without his chest being drained again.  Paws crossed Ollie will stay well until the 30th for his life saving surgery and come through it all with flying colors.  Keep the prayers and positive wishes coming!  Thank You! 

Ollie Doodle

 

4 Worthwhile Clicks

1. Browsing around, I stumbled upon "free pet ecards" and thought I'd share.  They have all different categories with cute photos of pets on the cards. 

2. A great site for anything dog news or entertainment related is Life With Dogs ...I love this site and I recommend checking it out and/or liking them on Facebook.

3. If you want a daily dose of cuteness (besides your own pets of course) check out Whole Lotta Dogs on Facebook.  I get a kick out of all of their "featured pets" and adorable posts.

4. For obvious reasons the ASPCA

Click!

Feeling Better Each Day

Sportin my "full furry face" look for winter here

Hey Everyone! It's taken a while, but I think I am BACK!  My energy has been up to normal Doodle levels for me.  My bark has been sounding normal for about a week now, and finally I seem to be opening my mouth all the way (Mom can tell when I do my big yawns :).  I am eating my normal hard food again and I am all set for Tasty Tuesday tomorrow!  Yay!  Thanks for all the "well wishes".  Happy to be doodling around once again...at full capacity :) 

Ollie Doodle

One of Murray's fellow doodle friends on Facebook is going through a very difficult time right now.  Ollie Doodle has a condition called "chylothorax" which causes his chest cavity to fill with fluid.  He found out today that he has to undergo a risky operation, or have only a few weeks more to live.  To quote Ollie, "we decided that I am well worth taking a chance on, I am one tough little doodle"...so he will have his surgery in the next few days.  I am just asking all of my new blog friends out there who are so good at lending their prayers, support and positive wishes, to please direct some toward Ollie.  He sure could use them.  Thank you so much...paws crossed.

**For any of you on Facebook, HERE is Ollie's page link 

Adorable Ollie Doodle

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's Wordless Wednesday, but please look for my next post following this fun one.  It is a more serious "crossed paws" kind of post....but in the meantime I give you

Murray Mohawk!

 

Hurricane Sandy Pets

This clip caught my attention this morning and I thought I'd share.  Please continue to keep these people and pets in your prayers.

Thankful

We have had a rough week!  I have not posted in a while because life got very stressful. We have not been having much fun or enjoying this beautiful fall weather.  Last Monday Murray was acting really sick.  He was eating, drinking and going to the bathroom, but he was very lethargic and heavily panting.  We got him into the vet that night, but didn't have much success in figuring out what was wrong.  His temperature was normal, his heart sounded ok, and basically everything was checking out to be normal.  He tested positive for a small amount of worms, but that was relatively new because he was tested 3 weeks prior and was worm free!  My mind kept going back to his recent gulping episodes and in my heart I felt his discomfort was centered around his throat, and it will soon turn out that I was right.  It did feel like there was swelling in his throat, but after the vet checked, we weren't sure if it was actual swelling or his normal throat size/shape.  It didn't make a lot of sense that he would be eating normally if his throat was swollen.  It was decided he would be wormed and sent home on an antibiotic.  By Tuesday he was only marginally better.  I once again called my vet to figure out what our next steps should be if this did not start to improve.  We decided if there was not improvement by Wednesday, Murray would go to the vet again on Thursday for xrays, blood tests and a possible throat scope.  Wednesday was only a little better compared to Tuesday.  By this time I was getting extremely nervous.  I was now noticing Murray flinching as if I was going to hit him if I approached the left side of his head.  I noticed his bark sounded muffled and whenever he started to yawn, he immediately cut it off.  I had become more certain this issue was related to his head or throat somehow.  So, after a teary call to my vet, we set it up for Murray to spend the day there Thursday for the proper tests.  To sum up the findings...blood work was normal and xrays only showed one minor thing (minor compared to the kind of things running through my mind).  Everything appeared normal except there was a shadow of his epiglottis showing up on the xray.  Doc said he shouldn't really see the epiglottis, and the fact that he could, suggested it was infected or inflamed.  We assume it was somehow damaged in something he chewed or ate (a stick, a sharp edge on a treat), and then over time became severely irritated or infected due to food passing over it everyday.  This was GOOD NEWS!  We were sent home (earlier than expected because my good boy didn't even have to be sedated for his tests) with directions to finish our antibiotic, feed a soft food diet for a few days, and do a course or prednisone.  By Friday Murray was starting to act much more like himself.  Just today I heard the first normal sounding bark and it was music to my ears!  I'm not even going to complain that I am up every couple hours through the night because the predisone causes a lot of peeing.  I am so so happy my bouncy boy is back to himself.

PS...I am hoping the gulping over the past month was related to this issue and that will be resolved as well.  Fingers crossed.

Black n White SUNDAY

Sunday Funday Runday in the park!

Gulping- Can Anyone Help??

So, we have been dealing on and off with a new issue.  About a month ago I posted how grateful I was (and still am) that we got through a night where Murray seemed to struggle with a piece of Milk bone in his throat.  Well, that same choking type reaction happened again a couple times this past week, and it wasn't related to having just eaten.  It's made me a bit nervous and I have spoken to my vet and done tons of research.  I believe it's an ailment (I call it an ailment because I'm not sure what else to call it) people have dubbed "gulping".  It doesn't involve gulping food or water, but instead it's a rapid swallowing and gulping of air.  As it gets underway, it turns into gulping grass outside.  It seems to be relieved through the grass ingestion, calming him down through gently petting and many times a loud burp.  In all my research, I have learned many people have this issue with their dogs, and it's gone undiagnosed.  The three main thoughts about a cause are that it could be a seizure type behavior (this one I least expect personally, but who knows!?), an allergy to something (likely a food item or ingredient), a reaction to stress and anxiety, or some form of acid reflux.  Murray is definitely an allergy prone dog.  He always has ongoing skin allergies we work around, he's allergic to sulfur in shampoos and medications and now perhaps something else unknown.  Our vet also placed him on an acid reducer and other medications for a short time last year, after a bout with sickness, and an x-ray showed inflammation in his stomach.  He recovered well, but we have always suspected there is an issue with acid since he tends to vomit bile when his stomach is completely empty....  And, Murray IS a sensitive dog who can stress easily.  So, I have a triple threat!  Oiy Vey, he sounds like a hott mess!  LOL  My vet definitely thinks this gulping is digestion related based on the grass eating.  They have asked me to record the gulping when it happens...which is sure to show me being a nervous wreck instead of anything of value!  So far, thankfully we have not had another extended episode, so no recordings yet, just quick bouts.  I am discouraged reading online how none of the dogs with this same issue have been able to be diagnosed by a vet, so I assume it may be no different with my vet :(  I will link a couple videos I found online of dogs doing this gulping action.  While the dogs in the videos looks fairly calm, Murray, and many others I read about, panic a bit during these episodes.  I am uncertain what is causing the panic, but it certainly then panics me.  We have been using Pepcid to help with acid this week, and I have taken him off of the veggies I had been feeding as a mix into his dry food the past month.  My thoughts were that the veggies cause a lot of gas, and along with the gulping, I could hear his stomach churning last night, so veggies are out and a good grain free wet food is in.  We have also started him on some plain, fat free yogurt for some "good" bacteria.  I would LOVE any words of wisdom from anyone out there that may know something about this.  Also, I have eliminated "tracheal collapse" as a possibility right now, as he really does not exhibit any other symptoms for that.

A New Movie Bed!

We found a pretty cool dog bed on sale, and it just so happens we could use one for the room in our house we have decided to make into a "home movie room" (and we can't pass up a chance to treat them to something new).  It's an egg crate, thick cushion, inside a removable (and washable) fleece topped cover.  It's called The Canine Cushion....nothing too fancy, but definitely comfy!  Of course the boys need a  place to watch some flicks too, so...

here it is being tested out!

Wordless Wednesday

A few words:  we are all safe and sound after Sandy.  Our thoughts are with others who suffered loss and damages.  

Happy Halloween from Super Murray!  I am sure to be exhausted after my SUPER style Halloween!

Black and White Sunday

A good "pre-Sandy" run in the field.  Tired!  Happy Black and White Sunday to all my friends! :)

PS....SO SO happy to hear about all the mass transit and shelters taking pets along with people.  Everyone is encouraged to evacuate WITH their pets.  Please don't leave them behind.

Sandy is Comin!

Our area suffered a lot of flood damage from Hurricane Irene last summer.  News says that while we won't be getting lots of snow, Irene has an ugly sister named Sandy, and she's coming for a visit.  We're expecting high winds and rain starting Sunday night and right into Wednesday.  There is a pretty firm guarantee that there will be large amounts of power outages.   We have replenished our dog food supply, we're bottling some water, flashlights are charged and we always have a dog first aid kit ready.  Probably most importantly, we're going to get the boys out for some good exercise tomorrow morning since it's likely they will be stuck inside for a while through the storms.   Hoping all of YOU in her path stay safe and are preparing for yourselves and your furry friends as well.    

After a quick trip outside during Irene last year...soaked

Fall Fun!

Umm, I need these leaves in one big pile please.

I have always LOVED Fall!  I love running and jumping in the leaves...and even doing my business in them (shhh)!  The cooler weather is the bomb too!  Do me a favor...get out and play with your pups this weekend.  We dogs get so bored at home all week waiting for you to come home from work.  Happy Friday! 

Snow Boots!

Does anyone out there have a good dog snow boot recommendation?  The snow will be flying soon in our part of the world, and both Piper and Murray have issues with "snow paws".  We have been struggling, but trying to use, a set of boots we bought a few years back.  The idea behind them is great, but we have a lot of trouble keeping them on their paws while walking or out playing.  It's a wonder we have not lost one in a deep snow pile yet!  We are using the Muttluks brand of boot that velcros around the leg for a snug fit.  It just isn't doing the job and I am figuring there are better made boots out there today.  If anyone has a set they use and love (and remember we have two big dogs) please pass the information on if you wouldn't mind.  I would like to treat my boys to some new winter boots!  THANKS!

Black n White SUNDAY

Ended my Sunday run at the field with a pose on top of the picnic table!  Happy Black n White SUNDAY Friends! 

***PLEASE vote one last time for me today HERE.  I entered the contest late in the game and it closes at midnight tonight.  Even if you voted before, you can vote once daily.  Thanks to all who voted an/or supported us!  It's much appreciated :)***

My New Favorite Collar

I am not being paid to do this review, I just wanted to pass on how happy I have been with my purchase.  When Murray took his dog class late last spring, his teacher recommended the Lupine brand of collars and leashes.  It wasn't long (I love to buy dog stuff) before we ordered their "combo collar" with a matching leash in the the style "Dapper Dog".  What drew me to this particular collar was the "combo" aspect.  It's all fabric except for the hooks, so it's in no way a clunky chain like a choke or prong collar, but it is designed to keep the dog from slipping out of the collar and it also gives you, the human, added control.  I can absolutely see how this collar would be ideal for training, and then also transition right into being a great walking collar.  It's not meant to be worn if your dog is not leashed.  We don't keep collars on our dogs all the time, only when leaving the house.  99% of the time it is just like Murray has a regular fabric collar on, but now in those times of trying to bolt after a squirrel, or pull to visit a passing dog (he walks well, but not perfect haha), we have the added security and control to keep him safe and held back.  Lupine guarantees their products even if they have been chewed.  Our boys aren't big chewers anymore, but our trainer confirmed the company will replace a chewed through product.  How awesome is that?!  The design choices are a super added bonus too!  Murray's just adorable wearing his "dapper dog".  I highly recommend Lupine products myself now.

PS...Please don't forget you can vote daily for Murray in the Monster Cute Contest.  Thanks!   

Lupine "Dapper Dog" Combo Collar and Leash