Monday, April 18, 2011

If my dog Dags could talk...

Last weekend, I captured spontaneous moments of my dogs through my old motorola razor. There are two things that I learned...first, my old phone can still get good pictures, and second, my dog Dags can have her own soap opera...if she could talk.

Where is Lola? I saw her earlier in the backyard.

Let's wait for her here. I am sure she's just around.
I will wait for her here...
..though I'am alone. 

What keeps her long?
I feel sleepy now.
Yawwwwnnnnn.
I'd better sleep here...

Until Lola is back.

I told you, she'll be back!

Lola is here! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Meet PopStar Hamster, my dogs' friend

Popstar is asking, "Want to sip?"  


Adult hamsters like Popstar drink about 20ml-30ml water per day.

Popstar posing, living up to his name.

There are many different kinds of hamsters, but the five most common are Syrians, Dwarf Campbell Russians, Dwarf Winter White Russians, Roborovski Dwarfs, and Chinese. Needless to say, I don't know what breed Popstar is.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Dog Blogger Wannabe: can my dog eat bread and cheese?

Everytime I am infront of my laptop during the wee hours I am never alone. Kabang, my nine year old dog is just beside me, making sure I am safe while everyone is asleep. He is wide awake maybe because he wants to learn the art of blogging, too; but on second thought, I think the real reason is --he wants to share my midnight snack!

Kabang, the dog blogger wannabe.
My dog begging for milk.
Aside from milk, he gets the last bite of my sandwich,
whole wheat bread with cheese .
Many of us think that milk (cow's milk) is best for dogs, but we are wrong. As an occasional treat milk is okay, but in larger amounts --according to experts-- milk can cause digestive upset and sometimes diarrhea for some dogs. Though of course some dogs can clear out a bowl of milk with no digestive issues, and fortunately, Kabang and most of my dogs can tolerate occasional dairy in small amounts.

Why milk may not be recommended for dogs? According to ASPCA expert (www.aspca.org), "pets lack significant amounts of lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose in dairy products. As a result, some may have difficulty with digestion and end up with stomach upset. Cheese, however, has less lactose than milk and some other dairy products, so it’s less likely to cause problems."

Great, cheese is safe! Though it doesn't mean that if cheese is okay we feed our dogs with lots of it. Remember that too much cheese can constipate them.

How about bread, is it recommended for dogs?According to dog nutrition experts bread is a healthy snack if it is whole wheat bread. Yes, just like vegan's choice of bread. :)

We all want our four-pawed friends live full, healthy lives that's why I want to make sure my pets get the right treats that they also want, besides commercial dogtreats aren't always appealing to them.

This commercial dog treat isn't appealing to Kabang if
he sees me eating more flavorsome snacks.
He sleeps after sharing my snacks.

Friday, February 4, 2011

What makes my pets happy?

A bag of dry dog food. Price: $28.00

Gourmet Dogfood. Price: $2 to $2.5 each.

Grooming. Dog hair cut. Price: $25


Mommy's quality time: Priceless!

Friday, December 31, 2010

Blouse Massacre and the Four Pawed Suspects

I bought myself a Christmas gift -- a black knitted blouse. But my four pawed friends torn it and ate two of its buttons! Maybe they thought it doesn't fit me? :(

My new blouse with two buttons missing and lots of dog hair/fur :(

I tried to find out who the suspects are, not to punish them but to monitor if it would result in any health problem. Besides, dog trainers/educators say you never punish your dog if you don't catch him in the act.Good for them, I didn't catch them but "scene of the crime evidences" solved the "mystery" of my blouse "massacre".
Principal suspects IceBaby (far left) and Garci (center), with accessory to the crime Doogal (right).

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dogs deserve Christmas gifts, too! (Santa, they were good boys and girls this year.)

Doogal loves the treats and dogfood they received this Christmas.


He inspected it first...before he posed for a pic.
Honey (above) and Pepsi (below) wanted to pose for picture, too!
This is not a product promotion, FYI.



Saturday, November 27, 2010

Why my dog died? Dr. Marie tells it all.

Before I post here the answer of Dr. Marie, you might ask who she is? She's a well-known veterinarian in  Ottawa, and she answers questions online through her site http://www.askavetquestion.com/.

Thank you very much, Dr. Marie for choosing my dog's case to feature on your site, and I am also posting your answer here to help other dog lovers who may be reading my blog.

Dr. Marie explained why my Sugar died.

Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your ordeal with Sugar and that he did not survive.

I did take some time to read your blog. It sounds like Sugar had excellent vet care.

You mentioned on your blog that Sugar was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis. This is likely that cause of all of his symptoms.

Ehrlichiosis is spread by ticks. Sometimes a tick can be present on a dog and not be found.

Here is a link to some good information on ehrlichiosis.

One of the most significant things about ehrlichiosis is that it causes really low platelet numbers. When platelets are low it will cause the body to bleed very easily. In your blog you mentioned several signs of bleeding:

  • Blood in stool
  • bruising on the foot and leg
  • the black stool (indicates bleeding in the stomach)
  • pale gums
  • the tiny bruise marks on the abdomen

I can think of two possible reasons for the serious problem with the foot. The most likely is that Sugar had an infection in that foot possibly as a result of a small wound. But, because he was really low on platelets he could not heal the wound properly. Where a normal dog would have a small bruise, he just kept on bruising and swelling.

The second possibility is if he had something called "vasculitis". Some dogs in the end stages of ehrlichiosis can get a serious problem where the immune system causes tiny molecules to form that can block blood vessels. This causes extreme swelling and purple discoloration.

I am so sorry for all that you went through. From what I read on your blog it sounds like all of the right things were done in his treatment, but sometimes we just don't win against serious disease.

You are definitely welcome to post my reply to your blog. Please rest assured that you did all you could. It sounds like Sugar was a really important part of your family and will be sorely missed.

Dr. Marie