Lucky Dog Blog

Curly - ?? 1993 to Nov. 30, 2007

And the Winner for Week 25 of the Lucky Dog photo contest IS...

Stella and Miller Vokey!! Check these kids out! I don't have much of a bio on these guys except that "Stella is 1 1/2 years old, Miller is 1/2 year old and they are from the same parents and they are Boxer/rottweiler/bulldog crosses."
These guys are great, I've had the chance to meet them in person at the dog park back in Manitoba. They're only maybe 35lbs each and they're super compact for their breed mix which makes them super cute. And check it out, more EYELINER! We thought they might be in need of some extra calories to brave the Winnipeg winter that is freshly upon them so CONGRATULATIONS! Please have your mum send us her snail mail address  and phone number so we can get you guys hooked up - PRONTO!

**To submit your favorite dog picture to the weekly Lucky Dog photo contest, please send your photos with a BIO to service@luckydogbiscuits.com and put "photo contest"in the subject. Winners are announced weekly. Check out the nominees so far in the "Lucky Nominees" photo album. GOOD LUCK!

Let it snow...

Wow did we get a dump of snow in the last couple of days.  Now it feels like a Winter Mixer kind of season.  In fact this kind of snow...

Inspired this little song.

You know the tune - sing along.

The song can be found on the side of the Winter Mixer package.  And for those of you in warm, southern states or temperate parts of Canada (such as Lucky Dog headquarters in BC) - HAHA we have a winter wonderland.

   

You can still get your little piece of winter in a the Winter Mixer.  Order on-line if you have to.  We'll find a way to share winter with you!!

Curly's Story

Well this is the week.  And as we prepare to take Curly in it is becoming very apparent that we made the right call.  Although he shows signs of rallying some hours, he's not fooling me.  He is doing more things that indicate he is in pain and barely moves all day.  And with the wonderful Winnipeg weather we are getting (-25C this morning), even Curly's morning pee is becoming more of a challenge.  As a tribute to our furry old senior, we threw a going away party on Friday. Thanks Drew and Kamila for the pound of roast beef for Curly's last week.  He's already in heaven.  He LOVED it.

So here is Curly's on-line going away party:

I never planned on adopting dog, let alone bringing home Curly, a senior dog, home from the Humane Society.  In fact, I had never stepped foot inside the Humane Society before that day.  For good reason.  I have gone into the Winnipeg Humane Society twice and now we just happen to have two dogs.  Coincidence? Not a chance. I don't have the power to go in and not take a dog home.  Especially the ones who have issues. My friends are convinced that I get a discount.

I met Curly on January 13, 2005. It was my first week working with Bonnie and Quinn at Lucky Dog Biscuits and I was going on a ride along to our Winnipeg accounts - including the Humane Society.  Bonnie convinced me to take a look around.  I didn't even get past the puppy cages when I saw this face...

looking out at me amidst the chaos. Under his cage read, "Curly is looking for a good retirement home."  Seriously - how could you resist?

Since we had just lost JJ in November, I wasn't sure that I was ready for a dog again.  Life was busy and I wasn't sure if it was fair to subject a new (old) dog to our frantic pace.  But it really didn't look like he had many prospects. His breath would knock you over from 5 feet away because of the rotten teeth and he barked non-stop during the visit.  Ick!  Not my idea of fun BUT he was so cute and sad with his head in his paws, and it seemed a shame that someone just gave him away because he was old.  No kidding - that's what the file said.  Here's the Humane Society ad that came out a day after I adopted him.

I've always been prepared for this time to come with Curly because I honestly didn't think he would live to 13 let alone 15.  He had a persistent cough, horrible teeth and more lumps and bumps than a Winnipeg side street. But every time I took him in for a check-up his heart was strong, appetite was good and all the bumps were just fat. (I can relate Curly - I have a few of those too). 

He was not a very affectionate dog. I suspect he was treated unkindly in his previous home. He didn't seem to like human companionship and shied away from men for the first year.  He's still not affectionate but he has his moments.  And we appreciate those moments even more knowing that he is discerning on who gets his attention.

Thanks for being such an easy dog Curly.  You really turned out to be an extraordinary pet for such a questionable start.  And thanks Leeanne for fixing his teeth and keeping him comfortable in his final weeks.

I just wish we had Curly from the start.  I'm sure he would have been a fantastic puppy since he was such an entertaining senior.

And the Winner for Week 24 of the Lucky Dog photo contest IS...

GATOR DOUGHTY!! "Meet Gator, our Golden Retriever.
Well, his bio would consist mostly of chewing things, attempting to dig
holes (in which he trips or falls into) and playing bark at the cats
(oh, that's a fun game!) He sits and shakes hands (OK, paws), will lie
down and loves, loves, loves to chase a ball when thrown. However, his
dislikes include letting go of the ball when he brings it back to you.
He hasn't quite figured out that it would be ever so much easier to get
the ball thrown if he would, indeed, give it back. He has learned all he
knows by a good and liberal dose of treats as rewards and lots of love
and lap time."

Hi Gator, you're pretty cute if we do say ourselves! Congratulations on winning this weeks photo contest! Please forward us your snail mail address and we'll send over more Lucky Dog Biscuits cause we're all about making sure you have the tools you need (read BISCUITS) to be come smart, stronger and faster!

**To submit your favorite dog picture to the weekly Lucky Dog photo contest, please send your photos with a bio to service@luckydogbiscuits.com and put "photo contest"in the subject. Winners are announced weekly. Check out the nominees so far in the "Lucky Nominees" photo album. GOOD LUCK!

 

Hospice

Hospice is defined as "providing compassionate comfort care to patients at the end of their lives and also supporting their families in the bereavement process.'  That comes, not from a human hospital, but from the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians (AAHABV).

The purpose of hospice is to shift the focus from curing the illness, to making your pet as comfortable as possible during his or her final days.  During the time of hospice, it also give you time to prepare for the decision you have to make and the eventual gap left in your life once your pet is gone. Nothing fully prepares you for this and each experience will be different.  Each time you go through it you learn something new and you find new ways to deal with the loss.

During hospice, you will likely be faced with changing your home to accommodate your pet.  You may need to block access to stairs or furniture that may cause harm to the animal.  I remember having to take away JJ's favourite chair after she jumped down and splayed out on the hardwood floors - pulling muscles in the process.  Her muscles just got too old to handle the jump.  Right now Curly is supervised or blocked from going down the stairs because the codeine makes him dopey and unsteady.

Other hospice functions may include administration of medications.  It is important to talk to your vet about the types of medications, how the meds will affect your pet's behaviour, appetite, bowel and bladder function.  You may have to administer fluids with a needle, or dress an open wound. 

Right now, Curly is on codeine which dopes him up and can also constipate him.  To deal with constipation, I add a tablespoon of pumpkin puree to improve the situation.  My biggest challenge with the pill is getting it down his throat. It must have a bitter taste and he has learned to spit it out of just about everything except a really sticky batch of dog food I made up.

Other hospice items may include special bedding, elevating the dog's food and water for easy access and setting out some paper or puppy pads for middle of the night (or day) accidents.

And have an emergency number handy.  Know what clinics are open 24hrs and if your vet has a person on call.  You don't to be stuck flipping through a phone book, or in some cases trying to find a phone book, in the middle of an emergency.

You can get more information of hospice here and here.  And I really recommend reading a book such as "Caring for your Aging Dog".  There is an excellent section of the book which deals with hospice and the final stages. I believe that knowledge helps you make better decisions and as tough as it is to read, you won't be caught off guard especially if this is your first experience with losing a pet.  In fact, it is probably better to read this book long before you are faced with any decisions.

The Decision

As I've said, Curly's appointment has been set for November 30.   I made the appointment for later in the month to give friends and family a chance to come by and give him a last scratch behind the ears.  The down side is it gives me lots of time to flip-flop on my decision.  There are days that he doesn't look too bad BUT I don't want to wait until some traumatic event forces me to make an emergency decision. It really doesn't need to come to that.

This is the one time it really pays NOT to humanize your pet.  By that I mean, it makes the decision easier, for me at least, to look at him and think that he is oblivious to my decision.  His last day will seem like the day he hit the jackpot because he will get lots of treats and not have a clue what his day will bring.

For humans, we're in an unfortunate situation in which if we knew what day would be our last, we would sit back and reflect on what we would miss, what we didn't accomplish yet, what we wish we could still do.  For Curly, he will wake up that day, get a HUGE breakfast with all of his favourite things - steak, sardines, and maybe even a little chicken.  He'll get a walk and a rest. He'll get some fresh baked Peanut Butter and Saskatoon biscuits, followed by a light meal of more steak.  He will get to go for a car ride with a pillow on the seat so he can stick his nose out the window - one of his favourite things.  He'll get another walk once we get to the office.  And then he will get a super drug that will dope him up, make him comfortable, and make the pain and anxiety go away. He'll get lots of pets and kisses and then his jackpot day will end. And he will never be in pain again.  He won't have regrets.  He won't miss anyone.  He will just have the best day of his life.

And yes I will be sad but it is the last thing I can responsibly do for him and it is my honour to do that.  And I won't look back because I could second guess this but it won't change anything.  He's not getting better and I have the power to stop his suffering.

So the decision has been made and I am determined to stick to it.  November 30, 2007 will be Curly's last best day with us and I will enjoy every bit of that day with him.  It's the least I can do for him.

Food for the old boy

A while back I mentioned that I was changing up Curly's food to address some common old dog issues - mainly weight gain and arthritis.  Ever since my dogs have entered this house, they have become a part of the product development team as taste testers. I'm still trying to find a way to put them on the payroll.  The first part of R&D is, of course, the research.  We make sure all ingredients used are safe and healthy for dogs.  Since my background is in Food Science, I tend to read a lot of human nutrition articles, especially information about how some foods and natural health products can help with some common health issues.  So I decided to do a little testing on Curly to see if the same rang true for dogs.  I started with Bonnie's standard make at home recipes featured here.

But I made the following changes.

Instead of all hamburger, the staple in Cooper's diet, I selected fish and poultry bits (heart, liver, gizzards) along with some extra lean ground beef.  First off, fish is lower in fat than hamburger.  Not that fat is a bad thing because all dogs need fat in their diet, but I wanted to control the amount and type of fat in Curly's diet.  There is some human research that indicates that the type of fat found in red meat, in particular a fatty acid called arachidonic acid, more commonly known as omega-6 fatty acid, can contribute to increased inflammation.  BUT and this is a big BUT, animal require some omega-6 fat in their diet.  It is an essential fatty acid so to make sure he stays healthy, he is still getting some in his food.  Fish, on the other hand, is high in omega-3 fatty acids which are said to have an anti-inflammatory effect.  And there are some affordable and environmentally friendly fish choices you can make if you desire.  I start with my favourite fish resource - The Monteray Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program or the Canadian version called the SeaChoice.  Both sites are great resources if you are concerned about your health and the health of the oceans.  And they have these great wallet sized cards that you can take shopping or to restaurants to ensure you remember which choices get the green light.  Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids come from flax and hemp oil and seeds. 

So I pick out a couple fish choices like pollock or tilapia. Both are white fish so fairly low in omega-3, but then I top it off with some sardines, flax oil and every once in a while - canned salmon.  I know, he is spoiled.  Truthfully, if you buy canned food anyway, a large can of salmon isn't that much more.  From here on in I roughly follow the recipe Bonnie provided here.  I add a few more veggies for bulk and fewer calories.  I also add in a glucosomine/chondritin/MSM combo for good measure.  Dosage for glucosamine for dogs is 500 mg/25 lbs of dog/day.  You can grind that up and put it directly into the food once you are done cooking, or add it just before the dog eats.  I also add in extra ground flax and blueberries or saskatoon berries.  Lignans in flax and anthocyanins in blue-coloured berries also have an anti-inflammatory effect.  And I top it off with turmeric.  Turmeric has some very strong anti-inflammatory properties and provides very little flavour (so no worries if your dogs are picky about spices). 

So my recipe looks a bit like this:

Dog Food Recipe #2

• 2 lbs ground fish
• 1/2 lb of lean ground meat
• 1/2 lb of chopped chicken livers, hearts, gizzards
• 1 1/2 lb green beans, peas, spinach
• 1 sweet potato
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• Calcium supplement - 4500 mg
• Glucosomine supplement - this depends on your dog's size so may be best to crush it and add it directly to the food when serving.

Curly's coat looks fabulous (if I do say so myself) and it may have helped his joints.  It's hard to tell with all of the medication.  It is actually better to start using these ingredients long before you get to an advanced arthritic stage. Prevention is always good practice.

And the Winner for Week 23 of the Lucky Dog photo contest IS...

RUBN TOLLEFSON! "Here is one of my favourite pictures of our dog, Rübn! People are always amazed at how gentle this 90+ lb. dog can be - I always say he never meant to get that big because he loves to lay on your lap & sleep right beside you. He is often referred to as "the pony". I like this particular picture because it shows off his eyes that look like he has eyeliner on. He loves having his picture taken - he looks right into the camera & is VERY photogenic (I'm biased, but he is!)

Rübn is 3 years old, but still acts like a puppy - I think that's just his personality & it's just fine with me!

Rübn really likes his 'mom & dad' - my husband Geoff & I - & hates to be in any place where he can't be right next to us. Another endearing quality.

We also have a cat, Neko, who weighs about 11 lbs. Most visitors are initially scared of Rübn, but once they're here for 5 minutes they realize it's actually Neko they need to be afraid of.

COOL contest."

Thanks Rubn and Congratulations for being the winner for week 23!(Okay,it's technically week 24 BUT we're the bosses around here so we can can call it whatever we like :) ) Not only are you the first dog I've ever seen wear look like you're wearing makeup but you've also got one of the coolest dog names out there. Good to hear you still have the puppy in you! Please forward us your snail mail address so we can send you some Lucky Dog Biscuits to beg for with those be-u-tiful eyes!

**To submit your favorite dog picture to the weekly Lucky Dog photo contest, please send your photos with a bio to service@luckydogbiscuits.com and put "photo contest"in the subject. Winners are announced weekly. Check out the nominees so far in the "Lucky Nominees" photo album. GOOD LUCK!

My apologies...

Curly is still alive.  sorry Mom and other readers if you thought otherwise. See -  here he is:

OK, he doesn't look great because he is on codeine which makes him really dopey, but he is resting comfortably. 

The reason I went on the rant was because so many people in the variety of parks that we visit would either see him, or ask about him, and then launch into these comments.  And I was anticipating the other comments after he was gone - which I believe caused the confusion.  I guess I didn't word it very well.  I appreciate that people care enough to ask but I could really do without some of their responses.  I have found that there are no end to the people who believe that helping means offering advice.  Sometimes it is just best to say, I'm sorry to hear about Curly and move on. 

Anyway, Curly is still here but we have spoken with the vet to make his appointment.  Curly has been spending most of his day lying in his bed and the wag is gone when I suggest that we go for a walk so that says to me it is time.  November 30 is his appointment day.

I guess the rant was a plea to anyone reading who knows Curly to please not offer advice on how I can keep him around or comment that he looks good. I am having a hard enough time convincing myself that this is the right thing to do.  And I'm hoping that by talking about this and recording the process will help anyone else who is struggling, or knows someone who is struggling with the same decision.

So sorry for the confusion but we have a plan in motion.  And I am OK with it, for now...