Summer Fun

Rocket has a love for water, and I would find him splashing in his water bowl, so off to Toys R Us we went for a kiddie pool.  Enjoy the video of him splashing around and making sure that I was watching him.

Dog Food - Would you eat it?

Many of us think of our dogs as family, as our children and we spend tons of $ on vet bills, toys, boarding etc., but are we paying close attention to what we feed them?

Losing two dogs to cancer, certainly had me changing their diets, and the diets of their brothers.  I learned that corns and grains can actually feed the cancer, so Mopar went on a grain free diet by Canidae, and I upped the quality of food that Samson and Buddy were eating to Canidae All Life Stages.  

I went to the dog food advisor website http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ and chose brands that had either a 4 or 5 star rating, the first 3 ingredients were either meat (i.e. chicken) or meal (chicken meal) and had not had any food recalls.  Having 3 large dogs I also had to chose food that was also affordable.  I figured I could skimp on the Starbucks coffee so that my dogs could eat better. 

When they deserve a special meal (I'm feeling guilty about being gone too long) I give them Merrick's Wet food which comes in exciting flavors such as Grammy's Pot Pie; Wilderness Blend, Venison Holiday Stew.  It has big chunks of meat and vegetables and doesn't smell half bad.  I've been tempted to lick the spoon but so far haven't.

As for Rocket, who I will admit to all of you is my favorite, I have him on 5 Star Orijen Puppy.  It has a good balance of protein and the first 5 ingredients are:  Fresh boneless chicken, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon, turkey meal, and herring meal.  It is more expensive but since I only have one on the puppy food, I have splurged.

Take a look at the ingredients that you are feeding your fur kid, and certainly check out the dogfoodadvisor website to decide if you want to change your dog food.  I will tell you that the change for all the dogs, made their coats shinier, any food allergies went away, and combined with exercise, they are all in excellent shape.

Two Dogs on a Stick

Raja and Mopar were best buddies.  You can consider Mopar either smart or lazy.  Mopar would wait for Raja to swim and fetch the stick and then meet him about half way and then would latch on and be just as proud as if he swam all the way himself.

Rocket wins Halloween Costume Contest

I typically do not dress my dogs in clothes or costumes, but I think the idea to dress up Rocket came to me after a few Apple-tinis.

I entered him in to a contest where the grand prize was $500 to the rescue/shelter of my choice and other prizes.  Due to the Apple-tinis, I missed that the Grand Prize would be Judges Choice and 2nd, 3rd and the honorable mentions would be people choice.  Soooo I went into the weekend figuring that based on the number of likes Rocket had that we would possibly get an honorable mention.  A dog dressed as a Pez dispenser had over 1500  likes. 

Imagine my surprise this morning when I clicked this link http://petsadviser.com/contest/halloween-pets-photo-contest-2011-winners/ and saw that the Rocketini had won the Grand Prize.  It completely made my day.  I chose Chako Pit Bull Advocacy and Rescue in the Northern CA area as the rescue.  They do such great things such as obedience classes, Canine Good Citizen testing, Responsible Ownership and they have taken in many abused dogs, and even a puppy with parvo who is doing much better thanks to them.  OK...and I have a soft heart for pitties since Buddy is part pit/part labrador.

Did you dress your pet up for Halloween?

Do you have Pet insurance?

Most of my co-workers laugh at me when I mention having pet insurance for my dogs.  That is, until their new puppy swallows something it can't pass, or their dog injures themselves.  Suddenly I am getting emails, phone calls or they stop by my desk.  Can I recommend a company, why did I choose one over the other etc.  Suddenly "that crazy doggie mama" has all the answers.

I have had insurance on all the dogs you met last week, and it gives me peace of mind to have it, even when I haven't had to use it yet.  Raja was the epitome of perfect health until the bone cancer and it allowed me to make choices that I might not have been able to meet if I didn't have it.  Mopar used it more than anyone...pneumonia from aspirating his lung with a piece of dog food, CCL surgery, numerous ear infections and finally the amputation.  Thankfully I have not had to use it for Samson, Buddy or Rocket and I hope I don't need too...but hope is not a strategy so it is there if I need it.

Pets Health Plan - http://www.petshealthplan.com/ is the insurance that I had for Raja and Mopar and still have for Samson and Buddy.  The pay out has been quick and they have always been professional, however because of the plan I chose, there was a $1500 limit per incident.  It certainly helped defray the cost, but when dealing with cancer, I wish the limit had been higher.  Also, they as many others pay a percentage of reasonable costs, not actual costs.  Samson and Buddy are still on it mainly because they are considered "senior" dogs and to change now, the premiums would be more expensive. 

Trupanion - http://www.trupanion.com/ is the insurance I chose for Rocket.  I have big plans for Rocket and hope to have him in agility and other competitions, which opens him up to potential injuries.  After researching quite a few, I chose Trupanion because after the deductible that I chose, they will pay 90% of the actual costs incurred - less the dr. visit fee, and there is no limit per year, incident or lifetime of the pet.  For an additional nominal monthly fee, you can add hip displaysia before the dogs first birthday and within 30 days of the policy.  Many insurances consider this a hereditary disease and will not cover it.  Hip replacements can be expensive.

There are many other pet insurance companies out there:  Embrace, Petplan and VPI.  All of these have limits, premiums can increase based on your pet aging and the pay out is based on "reasonable costs" and not actual.  I know that my vet's a bit more expensive than those in the surrounding area, but we have been going to him for years, and I like that their office has both an oncologist and cardiologist in case referrals are needed.

Even if I never have to submit a claim for Buddy, Samson or Rocket, my mind is at ease, knowing if an accident occurred or cancer or any illness struck again, that I can base the decision to move forward with the treatment on what is best for my "fur" kid instead of what is best for my wallet.

Mid-Life Crisis Puppy - Rocket 4/11/11 - Present

Over the last few days you have met my canine crew both past and present and seen a little into their personalities.  Raja was my first dog to call my own, and followed me where ever I went.  My husband (Greg) had the loyalty and devotion of both Mopar and Buddy, and well Samson is indifferent to everyone.  Greg and I talked and the next dog that we chose would be mine.

So when we knew that our time with Mopar was getting shorter, you can guess what I was doing...  Yup..back looking at classified ads.  I really wanted another Border Collie/Rottweiler mix but was having no luck finding one so I searched for purebred Border Collies.  3 weeks before my 40th birthday we went to look at 3 puppies (2M and 1F).  The female was all over Greg, so I knew that we wouldn't be taking her home.    They were all tri-color but I was drawn to the male with all the "freckles".  One of the boys was rambunctious and the other was a little slow to come around. Needless to say I wasn't in love. 

After spending about an hour talking to the owner and seeing the parents and the puppies, we were about ready to leave without one.  The one with freckles must have sensed something because he came over to where I was sitting, climbed in my lap, put his paws around my neck and snuggled in.  In that instant, he won my heart. 

Now we just had to figure out a name for the little guy.  After 4 hours and about 500 names we finally decided on Rocket.  Boy is he living up to his name.  When he turns on the heat he is nothing but a blur.  I stayed at home with him for a few days, and then would work from home for about a week so that we could bond.  He is definitely a mommas boy.  He loves Greg but if I come into the room, he runs over by me.  He waits outside my bathroom door when I'm showering, and when Greg goes to give me a kiss, his face is right there.  It's OK for him to love on other people, but god forbid his momma should show any one other then him attention.

He is on constantly.  There are some moments when I miss having all geriatric dogs, or that I could find his off switch, but overall he is exactly what I wanted.  I've enjoyed the summer more and have become more active.  While most mid-life crisis include a sports car and a younger partner, mine includes a sporty puppy.   

When I took him to our vet, the vet and the techs all told Rocket what a lucky dog he was that we were his pawrents.  I know this is based on the fact that we did everything we could for Raja and Mopar and had the strength to know when it was time to let go, as well as the fact that the dogs have been in great health and not overweight.  What I hope will make me an even better pawrent to Rocket is all that I have learned from the previous 4, and that I'm taking the time to smell the roses with them instead of hurrying them home, because I need to work extra hours or there is something else I want to do.  Nothing is more important then my family.

Best Inheritence Ever - Buddy 11/14/2002 - Present

Buddy was my brother-in-law Wayne's dog since he was a puppy.  We only saw him at family get togethers, and when he came over to our house he seemed a bit of a bully when it came to our white lab Mopar.  Poor Mopar would be standing in the middle of the yard, and Buddy would ram him head down from the side.  We were always a little concerned, but we just kept a watchful eye on him.  Like any nephew though, we spoiled him.  Our dogs exchanged Christmas presents.

He was Wayne's child and went everywhere with his Papa.  Wayne lived next to a bar, and Buddy knew when the bartenders changed shifts, so at each shift he would walk over to get his biscuit.  They even have his picture up in the bar. 

In late 2008/early 2009 Wayne was diagnosed with Leukemia.  He had to move in with his parents, because they believed that where he lived was contributing to the illness.  When he had chemo treatments with hospital stays, Buddy would stay with different friends for a few days here and there.  Wayne didn't like the idea of Buddy being passed around, but at the time there was no other choice.

Wayne had gone in to remission and Buddy was back to being with his Papa full time.  Unfortunately after Christmas 2009, Wayne became very ill and this time, he did not return home from the hospital.  He wrote my husband and I a letter asking if we would take care of Buddy during his Golden Years.  He knew that we would love him like our own and had a nice yard for him to play in.  We had plenty of love to go around.

Buddy came to live with us permanently at the end of February 2010.  Even though Raja was sick from Bone Cancer, and Mopar was in the final stretch of CCL recovery, Buddy fit in very nicely.  Raja was still the Alpha, and he left Mopar alone.  He has brought many laughs and lots of love to our household.  He amazes me all the time with how he handles changes, and how in tune with our feelings he can be.  We learned that we should not judge a book by its cover and to read a few pages before passing judgment.

Tomorrow you will meet my Mid-life Crisis puppy Rocket.



and then there were 3 - Samson 4/9/2005 - present

As previously mentioned the plan was to space the dogs 5 years apart, but just like human children, sometimes the planned ones come earlier than expected.  It was a year before the 5 year mark, and I was once again looking at ads in the newspaper (this will become my downfall) for a rottweiler/border collie mix.  I found an add for a rottweiler mix and the puppies looked a lot like Raja, down to the white on their chest with pepper spots.  I called and found that they were mixed with Australian Shepherd.  Border Collie/Australian Shepherd...same thing right?  The answer to that question as we were going to find out was NO.

Oh things started out OK when we brought the "little" guy home and he brought lots of laughs.  He earned the name "Monkey  Dog" because he would walk along the edges of the couch and jump to the next piece.  Once when I left him in the laundry room, I received a call from my husband asking to verify that that was indeed where I put him.  Apparently Samson was on the other side of the baby gate in the kitchen when he got home.  Later that evening, we watch Samson jump so that his paws were on the top of the baby gate and then using his back legs, would climb the gate and over he went.

Raja accepted Samson much quicker than when we brought Mopar home and well Mopar never met a dog he didn't like.  Samson played with his new brothers but he was always a bit indifferent and would often go off on his own.  Up until around the age of 2 he was a normal dog.  At the age of 2, I can pinpoint the exact incident that changed him.  We were having a get together with members of my office team, and there were small children, some he knew, some he didn't.  The ones that he didn't know were not used to being around dogs so they were a bit timid around them.  Two of the children he knew were playing with the hose which he didn't like so he went on the deck where a 2 year old let out a scream.  After that he was ready to just go into the master bedroom and hang out there.

We went through different stages of fear.  One minute he's afraid of small children, then tall people and since Mom is a jeans girl, mom in a dress.  We cannot take him to doggie events because he will hyperventilate and when we take him to the vet, he only trusts a couple of the technicians and his regular vet.  We tried doggie downers when we have people over, but they make him paranoid and the fear lasts for days afterwards.  In my "research after the fact",  I found that both Australian Shepherd's and Rottweilers can be skittish.

With smaller groups, say 1 or 2 strangers, once they are sitting down, he will come over and eventually trust them. When we have large groups, we just put him in the master bedroom and I check in on him occasionally and give him love.  As soon as everyone leaves, he does a cautious check in all the areas of the house to ensure that everyone has left.

A valuable lesson learned is that socializing the dog continually throughout their lives is as important as during the puppy stage. 

Tomorrow meet the best inheritance ever....Buddy Dog!

Crew Member #2 - Mopar 3/20/2001 - 6/3/2011

When I met my husband Greg, he was not much of a dog lover.  He never really had one growing up, and he didn't understand the bond between dog and owner, until he met Raja.  Raja had never met a person who didn't love him.  After a few months he had won my husband over and we discussed a second dog.

You see, I had a plan and the plan was to space the dogs 5 years apart.  The logic was that we would eventually have 3 dogs and by spacing them 5 years apart the older dog could age in peace and the middle dog could play with the new puppy.  We discussed what kind of puppy we wanted and my husband had his mind set on a White Labrador.  So I found a photo online and printed it to keep on our fridge.  In May 2001, I was looking through the paper and found an ad for exactly what we wanted.  We drove an hour and a half to see the 11 puppies, and Greg picked the puppy he wanted.

Being a car guy, he wanted a car related name and named the white bundle Mopar.  We brought him home at 6 weeks, which as I have gotten older and wiser realize was way too soon.  He'd cry at night, and I would sleep on the floor with my finger in the crate to quiet him down.  He barked once as a puppy and it was so deep, I think he scared himself and he rarely barked unless he was sleeping.  As he got older he became Greg’s dog.

I know that pawrents aren't supposed to compare their children, but sometimes you can't help it.  With Raja if he did something wrong, he hung his head in shame.  With Mopar he could be doing the wrong thing in front of you and wag his tail as if everything was fine.  He was one of the most loving dogs and always seemed to smile.  He and Raja became best friends and you could always find them hanging out together.

As Mopar got older we had to take him in a couple times when he was holding up his left rear leg and we were told his Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) was loose.  In late 2009 he was running in our backyard when he tore his right one too.  Finances were tight after radiation for Raja so in January 2010 we chose to only have one traditionally repaired where a leader line is woven in a figure-eight pattern through the joint beginning at the outer aspect of the femur to the tibial crest.

We made it through the 12 week recovery period and thought we were in the clear.  In July 2010, he had a bump starting on his back.  We hoped it was a fatty tumor but of course that would not be the case.  So back to the hospital to have the cancerous tumor removed. We didn’t want to put him through radiation so we moved on hoping for the best.  On December 31^st 2010, to end out a rather horrible year, we took Mopar in because he was limping.  We thought that since it was in the leg that had surgery, that the leader line degraded.  Once again we heard the words bone cancer.  We eventually decided to have his leg amputated.  He had his 10th Birthday in March and he walked with us in the Canine Cancer Walk helping us raise $1485 for the cause in May.  A month later, he had tumors growing again, including ones in his eyes.  On June 3rd, we decided it was time to help him to the Rainbow Bridge where his brother Raja was patiently waiting to be reunited.  His urn matches Raja, and are on opposite sides of the dining room facing each other.

Come back tomorrow to meet Doggie #3 - a quirky Rottweiler/Australian Shepherd mix named Samson

The Original Member of the Canine Crew - Raja 7/26/1996 - 3/25/2010

For most people September 11th was not a memorable day until the attacks in 2001.  For me, it became a memorable day 5 years prior when my roommate dragged me to a pet store. 


I was 25 and had decided I wanted a dog.  My best friend had happened into a pet store that rescued animals and she took me there the next day.  They had just received a litter of 5 Border Collie/Rottweiler mixes.   As I walked to the right side of the container, one of the puppies from the left launched over his litter mates and planted a kiss on my cheek.  I knew right then and there that the black and tan puppy was coming home with me.  He was named Raja after the Tiger in Aladdin.

He was smart, energetic and as I was about to find out, spiteful.  It was our third morning together and I had gone out for a couple hours two nights in a row and apparently that was not OK with Raja.  The next morning as I was getting ready for work, I watched as he jumped onto the couch, looked me in the eye and lifted his leg.  In his younger days, his favorite toy was the tennis ball.  He would fetch it for hours if you let him.  If you didn’t throw it fast enough he would jump towards you.  If you didn’t want to play he would simply throw it in the air himself or climb up the stairs and drop it and chase it.  As he got older I found the flying squirrel…it flew through the air and so would he as he snatched it out of the air.

He moved with me from Arizona to California, was with me when I met my husband and was there for me through many more important life changes.  He was my best friend and I always said, "Not only does he know where I buried the bodies, he helped me dig".

On his 13^th birthday in July 2009, we noticed him limping.  By the time we took him to the vet, it had stopped.  We figured that he simply landed wrong when catching the flying squirrel and we would keep our eye on it.  It was September when he started limping again.  A trip to the vet’s office and after an x-ray there was a spot that looked suspicious but again we thought that he had just strained it, so we got some tramadol and took him home.  His limp worsened over the next couple days and we took him to see the oncologist.  The oncologist confirmed the worst; he had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in the left shoulder.  I have to admit that I never thought one of my dogs would have cancer.  I had always said I would not put him through an amp or chemo…and when it came time to make a decision, I wasn’t ready to let him go either.  So we decided to go for 4 rounds of radiation.   He still had a limp and we figured he would always have it.  My husband built a ramp off the deck to make it easier for him to get around.  About two months after the last treatment he went in for a follow-up and x-ray.  During that x-ray, the oncologist said he was quite surprised and that Raja was a tough dog.  Apparently Raja had fractured the shoulder sometime after treatment but had figured out a way to still get around.   Six months after his diagnosis, the day came when I looked into his eyes and saw just how tired he was, so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye.  

We have his ashes in a beautiful wood urn, which sits atop a memory box.  Around my neck I wear a handmade green glass pendant that was made with some of his ashes so he is with me every minute of every day.  We have decided that just like the great athletes who have their jersey’s retired when they leave the game, Raja’s name will be retired in our family as there will only ever be one.

Come back tomorrow to meet Crew Member #2 - an adorable lab named Mopar

Do you have Mushrooms in your Backyard?

Today I was in the yard picking up after the dogs.  Having 3 large dogs, if this goes more than a few days, the landmines pile up.  I have to admit this ONE responsibility of having dogs has made me second guess my choice to not have a human child.  I mean child labor is cheap or so my friends tell me.

While walking through the yard, I came across a brown mushroom and it reminded me that as the weather becomes wetter that I must be more diligent on clearing the yard of mushrooms.  Last year I had seen an article online of a young healthy Bernese Mountain Dog who ingested a death cap mushroom and died from mushroom toxicity.  Here is a link to the flyer which shows what the death cap mushroom looks like.  http://bernese.biz/MushroomFlyer.pdf

In general all backyard wild mushrooms should be treated as poisonous.  Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include: Vomiting, Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain, Lethargy, Jaundice, Seizures, Coma, Excess Salivation.  So what should you do?

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms and you catch him in the act (this is where the "Drop it" and "Leave it" commands come in handy):

• Remove any pieces from the dog's mouth and...
• Induce vomiting
• Call your veterinarian

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms, but there is a short delay in realizing what has happened:

• Save the specimens for identification
• Call your veterinarian or take your dog to the emergency veterinary hospital immediately.

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms and any of the above symptoms appear

• Take your dog to the emergency veterinary hospital immediately.

Always keep your eyes open for mushrooms in your yard as well as the neighborhood when you take your dog for a walk or to the dog park.  If you find them in your yard, dig them up.  Smashing them or kicking them will only spread the pores allowing more to grow.

What you can expect from this Blog

Starting on Monday October 31st and over the next 5 days I will be introducing you to the Canine Crew, both past and present, who are responsible for making me the Doggie Momma that I am today.  That is one dog per day.  Once we get the introductions out of the way this is what you can expect:

Mondays are all about canine health.  I will be discussing any one of the following topics: Canine Cancer and my experience, preventative health, pet insurance, nutritional information to look for in dog food, people food to avoid and other health related topics.


Wednesdays will be New Photo Wednesdays & Antics of the Canine Crew (both past and present)

Fridays will include training tips, product reviews, dog approved recipes and/or traveling with your pet


I of course reserve the right to post "breaking news" on any given day such as pet food recalls and other "hot topics".

Come back Monday for the introduction of the dog who started it all - Raja (7/23/1996 - 3/25/2010).  RIP sweet angel.

I've Become one of "those" Dog Mom's

I am 40 years old and have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful fur kids.   Buddy is a 9 year old Labrador/Pit mix or as I refer to him my Pitador that we inherited from my brother-in-law when he passed.  Samson is a 6 year old Rottweiler/Australian Shepherd mix, who is very quirky.  Finally, our newest edition is Rocket, a 6 month old Border Collie. 

Prior to Buddy and Rocket joining our family, we had Raja our 13 year old Border Collie/Rottweiler mix and Mopar our 10 year old Labrador.  We lost both of them within 15 months of each other to Bone Cancer.  It was during this time that I started cooking for the dogs.  I still fed them kibble but began buying better quality food and started baking homemade dog treats.

I spent time with the boys, but looking back, I didn’t take enough time to smell the roses (or whatever it was they were smelling) with them.  I started spending more time with Samson and Buddy but I didn’t truly become “one of those” dog mommas, until Rocket joined the crew.

I’ve spent even more time outside this summer playing with them.  So much so, I think I actually had a tan.  I take Rocket with me every chance I get.  Whether it’s to the pet store, dog park, the wineries or just for a ride in the car.  I have Rocket in training working towards his Canine Good Citizen test, and he will be walking with me in the next Canine Cancer Walk in Elk Grove CA.  When parents of human children start telling antics of their children or extracurricular activities they are participating in, I listen patiently and then tell the latest story of Rocket or antics of his brothers.  Some look at me like I am absolutely nuts, and others just understand.

While I am in no way an expert in canine cancer or canine nutrition, I do feel I am an expert in receiving and understanding the unconditional love that my boys provide me.  And through that love I can share my experiences of living with and trying to treat canine cancer, research on all things dogs, recipes for dog treats that have them sitting patiently at the oven door, and the daily/weekly antics that bring a smile to my face and have me looking forward to coming home.