Beach Resolution 2012

Cabana and I love going to the off-leash dog beach, and it's an absolute CRIME that we go there just once or twice a year. We only live 30 minutes away, but we don't go more often because (these reasons need to be read in a high-pitched whiny voice) it's almost always foggy and windy on the coast, Cabana gets all sandy and stinky, and it costs $7.00 to park our dern vehicle.

But our crazy northern California temperatures have been in the 70s this past week, and since the coast was clear (ha ha, by that I mean no fog), I made it a priority to go there. And this time, we got to go with our friend Susan and her English Springer Spaniel, Maggie.

Cabana has lots of doggy pals, but none are as special to her as Maggie. I don't think it's anthropomorphizing to say that they are true friends. When Cabana and Maggie see each other, it is pure joy--for them and for anyone who is watching. In fact, people at the dog park comment all the time on how these two girls play. They sneak up on each other, pounce, go for the other's hind legs, while all the time running and rolling and growling playfully. They never get upset with each other--they just are so comfortable and in sync when they play. I never get tired of watching them.

Cabana thinks the beach is great no matter what, but being there with Maggie was really the icing on the cake.

I hereby resolve to go to the beach more often this year, at least 6 times. So this was my first time in 2012--I'll post about our 5 subsequent visits, so keep me accountable! This was Maggie's first time ever at this dog beach, but I'm sure she'll be back. Hopefully, with us!

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Color Coded Dogs

The saying goes that birds of a feather flock together--but is this also true for dogs? These photos, taken over the past week at the park, might say that it is...

...or, oops, maybe it isn't! This photo makes me think of the Sesame Street song, "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the other, by the time I finish this song?" Yes, this jingle will now be stuck in your head all day--welcome to the club.

A grouping of black dogs, plus an Aussie, who is a white dog with black and grey, but is called blue (blue merle). Is there any rhyme or reason to that?

These black dogs have smidgens of white (isn't smidgen such a great word?). But the two that are facing away from the camera are Blue Picardy Spaniels--again with the blue! And some people say dogs are color blind!?!

These dogs look very similar, but the one at the top is a Brittany Spaniel. The other two are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

This is a Catahoula Leopard dog, who defies color categorization.

Then there's sweet Josie, a Golden Retriever puppy who's not really very golden. She's almost white...

...or WAS almost white, before she decided to give herself a makeover.

The pleasure is all hers.

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Now Playing - Valentine's Day

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Mr. Chewy, We Love You!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a new pet website called MrChewy.com. They offered me $50 in free products to give my honest review of their website and offerings. Of course, I was more than happy to comply! My first commercial review--woo hoo!

The first thing I noticed was their clean and bright website design. It's very easy to use, and I love that each food/treat item has both a description and a complete LIST OF INGREDIENTS--that's key information! I was impressed with both the variety and serious QUALITY of the food brands they offer. Very little, if any, of the cheapo corn-filled stuff. Instead, they offer tons of high quality brands that I trust.

With free shipping for orders over $49 and such reasonable prices, I can see myself ordering on a regular basis. The product ships from Pennsylvania, so it took about a week to get to me in California. I'm sure it would be much quicker for people on the east coast. Especially for people who live in areas that have inclement weather, whether heat, snow, or rain, or who have a difficult time schlepping big bags of dog food, having your order delivered by Fedex to your front door would be very convenient.

And best of all, if you order with my referral code (MIMI213), you will automatically receive 10% off your order. AND Mr. Chewy will donate $10 to the Best Friends Animal Society. How awesome is that!

Cabana is set for treats for quite a VERY long time. Hopefully.

I wonder if Mr. Chewy single. I think Cabana would be QUITE happy to take on the role of Mrs. Chewy!

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Update on Itchy Paws

Over the past week, Cabana's itchy paws seem to be less itchy. I've seen her biting on them a little bit, but not with the same intensity. It seems more like a boredom thing now, while before, it was more of a desperation thing.

Unfortunately, I don't think drinking apple cider vinegar helped her. I didn't try spraying it on her paws, as some folks suggested. I was worried it would leave residue on the carpets, but I suppose it would have been easy enough to wipe off any excess before letting her walk around.

I think the culprit was Cabana's food. It's kind of a long and convoluted story, but basically, a few months ago, I had switched Cabana to Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato. It's a grain-free food and seemed very high quality, which it may well be. Because it was grain-free, I just figured it wouldn't be highly allergenic. I guess I was wrong.

Around the same time that I was slowly switching Cabana to the new food, some good friends of ours moved to Hawaii. They gave us a HUGE container of Kirkland dog food, which Cabana has eaten in the past. Because I didn't want to waste the Kirkland food, I had been mixing it with the new food, 50/50, since mid-December. But in the last couple weeks, since we had finally made a dent in the amount of Kirkland, I started giving Cabana 75% of the new food, 25% of the old.

The transition was so gradual that I couldn't tell that the new food was the problem. I think when the ratio changed to mostly new food, the allergy signals became apparent enough that I finally paid attention.

Of course, it's all guesswork, but the pieces seem to be fitting together, in my mind anyway. Interestingly, over the past few months, I had been noticing that Cabana didn't seem as playful anymore. She would play with other dogs at the park, but only for a few minutes and not with much gusto. I just thought she was growing older and losing interest in that kind of play. But this past week, after removing the new food from her diet, she seems much more her old rambunctious self. Hooray, I'm glad she got her youthful energy back. And I'm sure she's relieved that I finally figured out the problem...or at least I hope I did.

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Tuesday Topics #43 - Itchy Paws

Over the past few months, I have noticed Cabana spending a lot more time licking her feet. We've been to the vet for other reasons, and he mentioned that her paw pads are really pink. I asked him if I should change her food, and he said he didn't think it was bad enough to warrant that. He said it could be caused by so many factors, like allergies to grass or pesticides, and that I should give her a bath with oatmeal soap, but that was about it for suggestions.

Still, it seems to be getting worse, so I've been looking online for answers. A lot of sites talk about mixing a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into your dog's food. Not only is it supposed to be helpful for allergies, but it also aids in digestion, watery eye discharge, and helps keep fleas and ticks away.

So before I switch Cabana's food, I decided to give the apple cider vinegar a try. Cabana definitely notices it when I put it in her food. She eats much slower, seeming to be puzzled by the taste. I don't think she likes it, although she still licks up every single drop, so it can't be too distasteful. But I feel a little bad for her--I hate to put a damper on the two brightest spots in her day (mealtimes).

I've been giving Cabana the vinegar for about 3 days now, but she's still licking her paws a lot. Has anyone else tried this remedy with any success?

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Goodbye, Angie

Over the past several days, our 17-year old cat's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Angie stopped eating, stopped drinking, and couldn't hold herself up anymore. Because my older daughter was planning to come home from college tomorrow to see Angie one more time, I tried to keep Angie alive for just a few more days, coaxing her to eat and drink, trying many different kinds of cat food, tuna, scrambled eggs, cheese, cream, kitty Ensure. But Angie wanted none of it.

I'd been putting Angie on one of Cabana's dog beds because she hasn't been able to get on or off the couch without help. Being low to the ground, I felt Angie had more freedom to move about if she wanted to. Because she enjoys laying in the sun, I'd put the dog bed in a sunny spot, then scoot it over every so often as the sun moved across the room.

On previous days, Angie spent most of the time sleeping, but yesterday, she seemed restless and unable to sleep. Every time I looked at her, she was in a different position on the cushion, and her eyes were open and glazed. I knew that she was uncomfortable, perhaps even in pain, although she never made a sound. I knew the day had come to put her down and that my daughter would understand we had to do what was best for Angie. I was grateful for a warm, sunny day so Angie could spend a little time outside on her last day.

Cabana seemed to sense something and spent some time keeping Angie company and watching over her. Or who knows, maybe she just wanted to lay in the sunshine, too. My hope has always been that Angie and Cabana would be snuggle buddies, and we got pretty close to that toward the end.

As we drove to the vet's office yesterday evening, I was grateful that we had the privilege and blessing of being able to make such a decision for our pet, and I hoped that we will be given the same opportunity with Cabana someday. To get to decide how your pet dies, painlessly and quickly, after a long and carefree life--what an honor that is. Of course, I am sad that we don't have Angie anymore and that my older daughter won't be able to see her when she comes home this weekend. The loss also seems to mark the end of both daughters' childhoods, since they'd had Angie almost their entire lives. That added significance makes the loss even stronger. But Angie's life ended with our final act of love toward her, and I find great comfort in that.

Rest in peace, lil' Ang. We will always remember you with love.

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