Summ, summ, summertime… is done

School is starting up this week for most Portlanders and the number of dogs that came in for daycare today reflect that. No longer can they lounge around the house eating the snacks the kids drop when not sleeping between meals. It’s time for the dogs to come in and get their play on!

As much as I look forward to summer,  the long days, water play and reruns get old after a while. I’m ready for the reds of autumn, early to beds, and the blustery winter wind that stings and makes you curse as you bend down to scoop a poop on the pre-dawn morning walk.

I think the dogs like it too. As the weather gets colder, they get peppier. They also get fuzzier and fatter so it’s important to keep up the grooming and exercise. I love being able to throw the ball for the pooches and return them to their owners all tuckered out. The hairiness – that’s someone else’s area of expertise!

Junuary

It looks like I’ll be eating California tomatoes this year because the rain just never seems to stop. Which begs the question: why did I move into a home with carpet? Dogs + incessant rain + carpet = huge carpet cleaning bills. After months of cleaning them myself I finally threw in the towel and had them steam cleaned last week. The result? They look cleaner but they still smell like wet dog. Oh well. I’m moving in August to a place that is only partially carpeted. I think I’ll keep the dogs on the hardwood as much as possible, at least when they are wet. Then maybe I won’t feel like I’m breathing in air filtered through a dog-hair sponge.

Anniversary Party this Saturday Noon to 2 p.m.

Share the love – parasites in pets and humans

We’ve had a spate of giardia recently – well, not us exactly. There have been a number or dogs that are coming in to board that, at my insistence, have gotten fecal tests done and found giardia present. From an article on the Texas A & M website September 10, 2010 on pet diseases that make humans sick: (http://tinyurl.com/2d2s8av): 

“Giardiasis is a less publicized disease, but it is important to note because 20,000 cases were reported last year alone. People can contract this disease by drinking water from infected rivers where animals have defecated, especially dogs with diarrhea. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas or bloating, headache, loss of appetite, fever, nausea, swollen abdomen, and vomiting. Sometimes medicine is used to cure the disease, but giardiasis usually goes away on its own.”

This last part is especially important if you have small children:

“Giardiasis has been a real problem in day care centers… One child will contract the disease and they will easily spread it to the other children”

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. First and formost clients MUST bring fecal samples to the vet regularly – every six months is our requirement. Something like giardia could spread like wildfire in here. But my second thought is that I don’t want to get it. I had it in the Peace Corps and although I admired my svelte new figure after a week of having everything I eat run through me, I don’t like the idea of being invaded by a parasite. For those of you with small children or immune deficiencies, the danger of a more severe reaction is real.

It’s important to note that some dogs and some people do not show signs of illness, ergo the every-six-months fecal exam requirement.

So if you are planning on boarding your dog any time soon, or if you know you are behind on the required fecal exam, please don’t put off taking a bag of fresh poop to the vet. It’s gross but the alternative is nastier.

Happy Healthy Pooch

When is it time?

I spent the entire night Sunday and day Monday up until my 4:30 euthanasia appointment for Littleman thinking that he was not long for this world. I put it out there on Facebook, I texted and called for support, and worst of all, I put my daughter through the preparation for losing our beloved little friend. Then, at the last minute, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say goodbye. It would have been a fine time to do so, seeing as we had already been crying for days and were emotionally almost prepared – I know Ella was. But I felt like I was jumping the gun somehow. I asked the vet tech to take the catheter out of his paw, paid my bill and, while apologizing profusely (the vet and staff made me feel completely accepted in my decision by the way),  I ran out of there like I was running from my own death.

Maybe that’s part of why I can’t let go of Littleman. He came into my life just when my life was getting good. Right before I found him I got sober. Right after finding him I got pregnant with Ella, and although her dad and I didn’t make it, our little family felt complete. It wouldn’t feel complete without  our Littleman.

The world seems like a treacherous place to me right now. Too much loss, both of friends and family and financially leaves me feeling insecure and out of sorts. I don’t know if my business will make it. It’s made it this far, but there isn’t much left for retirement. I guess I have to remember to let tomorrow take care of itself. We’re all ok today, even Littleman, asleep on the couch. I hope that’s where he is when he goes, rather than in a vet’s office. Then I wouldn’t have to make any decisions – he would have done it for me.

I received some very supportive and informative emails and comments around this event. I also did some research on what Portland has to offer us when we lose our pets. I have always had my pets’ remains cremated and I have not wished to have the ashes – the pet is gone, the ashes aren’t going to satisfy my grief. But for some people, a full service with casket is what is called for – Dignified Pet Services.

Dog bites dog

About halfway through the day Wednesday while in the middle of a couple of very heavy games of catch, Roxy suddenly stopped and looked up at me, confused. Her shoulders were covered in what looked like vomit but what turned out to be bloody pus. It appears she was bit in recent days and, although I spend a lot of time cuddling her, I hadn’t noticed the growing abscess on her shoulder.
The vet was available and Tristan could come watch the shop so I rushed Roxy to Southgate Animal Clinic so that Dr. Stephanie Ricker and her staff could tell me what happened.
The dogs nip at each other all day long, mostly in play but sometimes in warning. The more often a dog is in daycare, the more likely something is going to happen to cause a vet visit. It was just our turn, I guess. And as often as Roxy is at the shop – it is Rockin’ Roxy’s after all – I’ve been lucky so far that we haven’t racked up huge vet bills.
I wonder about getting insurance for my pets, but I have so many I could practically fund an entire career at vet school. Hmmm, maybe that’s the ticket – vet school… No, after all that pus, I’m pretty sure I’d rather be on this side of the examining room.

Recycling dog poo

As I scoop the hundredth load of the day, I have to wonder if there isn’t a way to utilize the dogs’ copious output that would be both economical and environmentally friendly. It pains me to wrap each “gift” in a plastic bag and put it in another plastic bag. Talk about your footprint!

I realize I’m not the first one to consider both the impact and potential of dog poo, but it doesn’t look like there is a viable solution yet. San Francisco Parks’ defunct plan to turn poo into power is discussed in this Tails of the City blog post. Like most with most city plans this one seems to have been shit-canned. My last visit showed me that the local park trashcans continue to overflow with plastic bags of pungent putrescence.

I might find the solution by looking to our bovine friends. Dairy farms, such as Strauss Family Creamers have found a way to convert copious cow dung into fuel that not only powers the dairy, but also protects the ozone by containing the methane so it isn’t released into the atmosphere. The methane digester used by Strauss Family Creamers was funded in part by the California Energy Commission – maybe Chuck Eggerts, co-founder of New Season’s market and CEO of Pacific Natural Foods could apply to Oregon’s Department of Energy  for a loan to help out with his Mayfield and Rockridge Dairy’s woes over poo, liquid manure fertilizer application errors, containment, and the general discontent of his neighbors.

In the meantime I’m researching methane digesters for the shop, for the park, and for the future. Those plastic bags are going to remain in the landfill long after Roxy’s is gone, but maybe I can do something to limit the number of eternal gifts our dogs leave for their kin.

ewwww!

Canine Viral Papillomas, or mouth warts in dogs are highly contagious. We’ve had them run thru here before, but they’re back again and have hit four ofour regulars. If you see something wart-like on your dog, please keep him home until it’s gone. You might also take him to the vet and ask him to try azithromycin. There have been reports of this antibiotic shortening the duration, and since this can go on for over a month untreated, anything that shortens it should be welcomed.

December

I am so glad to see this year come to an end. The stress of the economy has weighed me down. I am tired of being sad – tired of watching my friends and clients struggle, tired of struggling myself.

Dear Universe, Please make 2010 a better year for us all. We are good, hard working people and we need a break!

Thanks,

Tricia

‘Tis the season!

A Boy and his Ball

It’s so dark so early, which makes it hard to go out with the pooches. During our after-dinner walks I always feel so successful when my flashlight reflects off my target and I can scoop up what I believe to be all of my dog’s mess. The handful of wet leaves and mud are just a boon as they mask the smell of Roxy’s little gift.

It’s amazing to me how many more dogs come in on a rainy day than on a sunny day, especially because it’s the early sunset that keeps me from taking my dogs to the park, as much as the muddy park. Heck, Sellwood Park is muddy until mid June. We need a week of sunshine before the grassy area is anything but a bog!

I’m hopeful that the early ski season brings a lot of pooches in to board on the weekend. Board your dog while you board… get it?? Snow board? Ok, it’s time for another cup of coffee. I’m going to attach photos of some of our newer pooches.