Summer of No Fun!

So we are still in a semi restricted state, no indoor dining, no large gatherings, masks are a must etc. etc..

Sylva is enjoying the company of his humans during the day as they work from home! I am sure in his mind this will last forever but at some point going back to working in the office will resume! The weather has been hot in Jersey and right now we are experiencing the tropical storm Isaias that is making itself know by blowing over a few trees!  A fast moving storm it will do its damage and move out of here in a couple of hours! ( We hope! )

Speaking of hot I have got to bitch a bit about folks walking their dogs in the heat of the day! Why do people decide to take a stroll with their canine companion at that time when you could do it in the early morning or in the evening? The dogs are dragging along with their tongues hitting the sidewalk and they don't notice? I am not sure if it's selfishness or stupidity?! Imagine taking a walk in 90 degree heat in a fur coat without the ability to sweat! Dogs can suffer heat stroke very quickly in high temps. Especially flat faced breed dogs like bulldogs even more so. Here is an article that explains what happens and the symptoms:

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/heat-stroke-in-dogs

If you don't have access to a back yard and your dog really must go at high noon make it a short walk, just long enough to do ones business!

In the meanwhile take it slow, enjoy the time spent with your dog and being at home and pray that this virus will be behind us sooner than later!

"Time to take my afternoon nap as soon as I finish my morning nap!"

 

May Day May Day!

So we have entered a new month of Cornona lockdown. Though I realize that New Jersey has been one of the hardest hit states with over 7,900 fatalities I am starting to get restless with the situation. Not to sound indifferent, we have friends who have been hospitalized and know of folks passing. It is serious. There has been a slowdown of cases and I pray all our social distancing has paid off and we are flattening the curve. Hopefully the warmer weather will deter the virus and a vaccine is on the horizon! There is one dog I know who wishes this was an everlasting stay at home situation! Sylva has become way to comfortable with the around the clock attention pattern! Just like all dogs I guess who are enjoying the comforts of home with their pet parents available 24/7. This made me think that now is the opportune time to adopt a dog! One would be able to be home with their new pup and help him adjust and bond! I am not sure if I could convince my husband to my way of thinking! It just may be too soon after losing Nala?

At least the weather is starting to yield to the more enjoyably pleasant! This past weekend was full all out spring time! The Lowe's was packed, respecting social distancing, with lines to the cashier all the way down the aisles! People were anxious to get out there and plant some new beginnings! Sunday we power washed the deck much to Sylva's dismay! He is leery of any hand held machinery! The power washer is one of them!

Well until we meet again, hang in there, stay well, take care of each other and enjoy the fresh air when you can! Much thanks to all the healthcare workers!!!!

Lock Down Dog

I assume most of us have been banished to our homes with limited contact to the outside world. A month ago who would of dreamed of this except in some science fiction movie?! The only member of our family who is thrilled about this is Sylva.

We were headed out on a ski vacation for a week when that and all other plans came to a screeching halt. Now with both of us working from home Sylva has the luxury of around the clock company! An extra walk during the afternoon and plenty of attention has spoiled this guy big time. What a disappointment it will be for him when we return to work!

In the meanwhile we wait for this virus to pass and life to resume some normality! Take care of each other and practice good hygiene habits and do not hoard TP, there is plenty to go around!

Be well all!

"Ah... move over you're on my spot!" 

No Time is a Good Time

The post I find most difficult to write since the passing of my first bulldog Ozzie.....Nala passed away last week, unexpectedly.  Hard to believe she is gone. Our hearts are broke.

The couple of weeks leading up to this event found Nala healthy and her usual happy go lucky self! There were only two times in hindsight that she may have experienced the precursor of what would eventually be her demise. She had a moment where she seemed dazed and a bit off. Both times she retreated under the dining room table, her safe space. She stood under there for a anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Once she came out of her shelter she seemed fine! I did note it however and was going to mention it to her veterinarian when we went for her yearly check up this week.

The night prior to her passing all was good and Nala was jumping up and down when we had company that evening and then happily munched away on pizza crust, her favorite! She fell asleep on her bed, our living room couch which she had commandeered years ago. That Thursday morning at 4:45 AM my husband came downstairs on his way to his morning workout. He passed Nala on her couch and as he did so she raised her head acknowledging him and returned to her snoring. On his way back in he noticed that Nala was not on her couch. He began looking around for her, maybe she was by the back door and had to go out. He didn't find her there and checked her usual haunts when he discovered her at the end of the dining room sticking out half under half out of one of the chairs. She looked asleep...but wasn't. Frantically he woke me up at 5:45 saying "I think Nala is dead!" Our poor bullie girl was gone. It must of been quick we assume, maybe it was a stroke or her heart failed but whichever it was we hope it was painless. She looked peaceful as she laid there as we covered her up and her companion and bullie brother Sylva sniffed knowingly around the blanket.

Nala had just turned 9 years old a few days before. We had her for 7 of those years. Before that her owner was Samantha who had her as a pup. She was always loved and well taken cared of and did indeed have a wonderful life! We will miss her impish ways, her one tooth grin, her love of riding shotgun in the car and her delicate snoring. It was our privilege to have her in our lives and she gave to us more than we could give to her. Good night Nala, until we meet again on the other side of that Rainbow Bridge!

Best Wishes for the New Year 2020

Well hello out there. Yes it's been too long since I last posted a thing or two! Nala and Sylva have been doing well. No issues to complain about. It seems during the cold weather skin irritations are minimal at best. We just had a quick visit to the vets the other day to get Sylva's rabies vaccination. Dog license renewal in town is in January and their rabies vaccine has to be up to date in order to get issued a new license for 2020. Nala's is due the end of November so since she is covered for the majority of the year she is good to go!

Personally I am glade the holiday stuff is behind us. It's always stressful, and hits the wallet hard. Though this past year wasn't too bad. We traveled a bit and had some good times with family and friends that I am very grateful for. Our health has been good which is a biggie.

If you tune into the news you are bound to see a lot of tragedy and suffering. The world can seem like a crazy place at times. I have taken the opportunity at the end of this year to contribute to a local no kill animal rescue organization. It's wasn't a lot but maybe if we all can volunteer our time or contribute a few bucks, we can put a dent into someone's suffering.

In the meanwhile I look forward to 2020, another chance to be our best selves and maybe make a difference in some small way!

Health, happiness to all!

Happy New Year from Nala & Sylva!

Almost Friday and a Turn for the Best!

Another week has flown by and Halloween is literally around the corner! I haven't thought much about costumes for Nala and Sylva this year since they have proven to be not big fans of wearing them! Nala just refuses to have anything on her head and gives me the stink eye when I approach her with something slightly resembling a costume. However our first bulldog Ozzie was less fussy with the dressing up thing, I think he thought himself quite dapper when he donned his pirate costume one year! Argh good ole Ozzie boy!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    o                                                                      Sylva has recovered quite well from his recent skin infection. I am not sure if it's a change in the weather or whatever allergens that lurk about but when he get's it, it's bad!

His belly turns a scarlet red and crusty bumps appear randomly on his back and sides. A visit to the vet was necessary. She put him on a course of anti-biotics and we were sent home with some medicated shampoo and instructed to bathe him 2 to 3 times a week. We have been hauling him off to the local Pet Plus and making use of their do it yourself dirty dog special. Five washes for $25.00! All of our scrubbing and adding an essential oil that our vet gave us, Melaleuca  oil, more commonly known as tea tree oil, has paid off! I have also been giving him an allergy supplement that contains probiotics, omegas and colostrum. 

So now that he is all better I am sure it's Nala's turn for something !! Be well all!

                                                            Syl tolerating the tub!                       

A wonderful weekend is coming to a close. Tomorrow Monday rears it's ugliness upon us but at least the doggies got out for a bit and enjoyed some fall weather. Nothing spells happiness like a ride in the car with the wind flowing through your jowls!

Have a good week friends!

Happy Fall Y'All!

Yes it's here, the first day of autumn! Though by the thermometer in my car you wouldn't guess it!

A sign of global warming? Maybe! A hot day in September...…..heck yeah!

Have a good week folks, get back at you soon!

Mundane Monday

Ugh, again! Wake me up around Friday will you?!

Ear Reflections

Another summer is coming to a close, too quickly I might add. Nala and Sylva are doing fine. A couple of visits to the vet for ear infections and skin irritations. The norm I suppose!

I recently switched their kibble from Zignature to Canidae. I was concerned with the news about grain free diets and their link to heart failure in dogs. https://ourpetshealth.com/info/is-grain-free-dog-food-killing-our-pets.  I expressed my concerns to my vet and she felt that the evidence was not strong enough to support taking them off their current diet but since Zignature was number 2 on the list I thought I would play it safe. Besides its good to change it up for them every now and then. They seem to like as well so we will stick with it for a while!

"Nala holding still for a ear clean out, Good girl!"

With the weather cooling down we will be spending some more time outdoors, maybe some apple picking or cornfield mazes or maybe just some more snoozing on the backyard deck!

Fall y'all! See you soon!

Spring Fever

So here we are fast forward to spring. Over the last few months we had our share of vet visits between Nala and Sylva. 

Sylva had somehow mystically injured his right rear leg and was hopping around like a contender in a three legged race one Sunday. We took him to the vet that next day and after palpating the injured limb and a x-ray our vet determined it was most likely a cruciate ligament tear. ( only definitively diagnosed with an MRI ) but all indications that was it.  ( I can only imagine how much a MRI would cost! Yikes$ ) He was prescribed an anti-inflammatory and some pain meds and I was told to have him rest. Ha! Rest....for Sylva that is next to impossible but we tried. He then had a half dozen laser therapy treatments to aid in the healing. Yes luckily today he is much better, but will still favor that leg now and then and we do not take him on long walks much to his chagrin! Short of surgery there is not much else and we are just hoping that in time it will improve. In the meanwhile I will continue to contribute to my Christmas club which is really a savings for my veterinarians new Volvo!

Then there was Nala......ugh a story for my next posting.... Cheers all!

Christmas time is here,... what..aready!?

Yes folks it's finally the weekend and only 4 days until Christmas! I am still pondering how this happened upon us so quickly but here it is again! Of course I am in my usual spot of behind the eight ball with gifts and such but that is the norm. To make things even more stressful I lost my keys but lets not get derailed with that dilemma. 

Nala has been constantly whining and I am pretty sure it's mainly for attention. Meanwhile Sylva has also been pining away for his pop who has been out of town a couple of days. No one appreciates the mom who does all the dirty work. Though when it comes dinner time I am a celebrity around here! 

I have attached a link for 10 things you can do to keep your pet safe during the holidays. My personal recommendation is to monitor carefully relatives who feel it's okay to share their piece of chocolate cream pie with the dog. If you don't it may result in a all nighter cleaning up unidentifiable piles of poop/vomit!

https://www.petmd.com/dog/seasonal/evr_multi_christmas_safety

From our family to yours wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a happy New Year!

Finally Friday and Saving Sullivan

Whoa this week swept by like a rushing river! Before you know it, it's going to  be Thanksgiving and the holiday season! I am as usual stunned by this fact and like a deer in headlights have not a direction planned for escape! So I began with sending out an email to the usual suspects to invite them all for Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily I have already hit the $400.00 mark at Shop-Rite which entitles me to a free turkey! Though it is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dining I need to start planning the rest of the meal! I have had Thanksgiving dinner at least a dozen times but it still perplexes me how to pull it off without the usual hitches!

Sylva has taken a liken to sitting right in front of the sink so as not to miss a scrape of food that may come his way. This is going to be difficult with the holidays and there is not a place to put him except outside in the cold which I won't do. Looks like his Pop will have to be herding him and Nala out into the back 40 on days I am busy in the kitchen!

Today we came across a lost dog on our street. We were headed off to the local Lowes store when we spotted a yellow Lab casually  sniffing at a neighbors front lawn. I immediately screamed out to my husband to stop the car and carefully approached the wandering canine. He seemed friendly enough and came right over to me. Though he had no ID tag he did have a tag with an 800 number for a"Return them home" organization. Fumbling for my phone and glasses I called and the service rep who informed me that the number on the tag told him the dog's name was Sullivan. He was going to contact the owner and then call me back. In the meantime it started to rain and I didn't want to let our wayward friend  run off. I calmly enticed him into the car and he was more than happy to step out of the rain! As we drove up to the front of our house we noticed a boy briskly jogging down the street. We called out and asked him if he lost his dog and sure enough ...yup he was looking for his Lab! So we met Sean and Sullivan today who happened to live right down the block from us! Sneaky Sullivan managed to slide out the back door when no one was looking. It's good he had the tag with the 800 number but it would of been helpful if he also had one with his name and address and the owner's cell phone number.

Oh well, all is good and the weekend is here! Wishing you all a peaceful, productive weekend!

"So what's for dinner Mom?"