Going To The Dogs

14/11/2023

05/11/2023

PSA: We adopted our dog, Rowdy, from the shelter 5 years ago. He was already an adult dog, so we estimate he is about 11 or 12 years old at this point. I love this dog. He is the sweetest soul and my BFF. For the past week or so he hasn’t been acting like himself. He licked a raw spot on his foot. He was panting constantly. He was pacing. Sunday morning, the pacing and panting got so bad, and I was REALLY nervous that there was something seriously wrong with him. For 45 minutes, he panted like crazy and constantly paced back and forth. He was keeping his tail tucked down all the time. His ears were pinned back. He would not settle down and he wouldn’t eat. We tried everything. I ended up giving him a trazadone that he takes sometimes when he goes to the groomer. It seemed to take a little bit of the edge off, but not much. He still wouldn’t eat and still wouldn’t settle. I took off work on Monday so I could take him to the vet. We did bloodwork and x-rays. Knowing he is a senior dog, I was trying to prepare myself for the worst case scenario. I was glad to see his bloodwork was great except for some elevated liver enzymes. The x-rays showed he was a little backed up but no major issues. He got an anti-nausea injection and some Gabapentin to help with some tenderness in his back and to hopefully help keep him calm. When we got home, he was ok for a little bit, but eventually started pacing and panting again. We walked around the neighborhood for a long time and he used the bathroom a lot. He seemed pretty happy about that and was in good spirits until we got home and he refused to come back in the house. Every time I took him out that evening, he would hunker down like he didn’t want to come back in the house. When my vet called and I gave her the update, she suggested there may be some new electronic device in the house that was emitting a high frequency noise that is hurting his ears. We had just put new smart outlets in the house about a week ago. His pacing and panting were worse when the lamps were on, so I unplugged all the smart outlets. He stopped panting, stopped pacing, and ate his food. His tail was even up and wagging again. When I plugged the smart outlets all back in and asked Alexa to turn on the lamps, he immediately started panting and pacing again. My husband used an app to test the frequency of the smart outlets. It was off the charts. We've left the outlets unplugged for two days and have confirmed that it is definitely the smart outlets that are causing his stress and discomfort. He's back to being a totally normal dog now. I really thought this was the end for Rowdy based on the way he was acting. I am so thankful for Dr. Newell at BoonesCreek AnimalHospital for figuring out this simple solution. If your pets are exhibiting similar symptoms, you may want to consider checking your electronics first. I cannot express how relieved I am that he is ok now. 😭♥️🐶

14/10/2023

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15/06/2023

27/05/2023

Today is a day to be very thankful for all those that have and continue to keep us safe.

27/05/2023

27/05/2023

03/05/2023

Touching video by Chris Neal about a man and his best friend.

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/05/mans-best-friend/

28/04/2023

https://www.theyearofthedogmovie.com/

28/04/2023

17/04/2023

Ever noticed those slits at the sides of a dog's nose? Why do dogs have them?

Once again, nature proves her elegance in the design of our dogs. When we humans inhale and exhale, air comes in the same way it goes out. Any smells that come in through our mouths are forced out as we exhale, if we exhale out our mouths.

When a dog exhales through his nose, however, the exhaled air is released through those slits and off to the side so that nice, smelly air going into the dog's nostrils doesn't get diluted with the outgoing air. Put another way, the slits allow the dog to avoid smelling what he just exhaled.

The slits help the dog hold scent particles in the nostrils even as exhaled air passing out the slits creates a swirling air turbulence allowing interesting odors to be inhaled directly into the centre of each nostril. Since dogs breathe faster when trying to sniff a certain smell, they widen their nostrils to pull in more air which makes it possible for a dog searching for smells to have a steady stream of air coming in for up to 40 seconds, maybe even longer.

The slits also allow dogs to wiggle each nostril independently which gives them the ability to know which nostril a smell entered. This is how a dog can pinpoint where a smell is coming from, and why a dog searching for smells on the ground will weave back and forth as he follows a trail.

We all know the superb smelling abilities of dogs, but let's use an analogy between scent and sight to really put it into perspective: If our eyes were our nose, what we as humans can see at a third of a mile, our dog can see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well.

Just wow.

16/04/2023

15/04/2023

13/04/2023

15,000+ Five-Star Reviews ⭐️

04/04/2023

Always a favorite, from the archives.
Pencil commission.

02/04/2023

https://www.sciencealert.com/pets-reduce-allergy-risk-for-kids-just-dont-get-a-hamster Pets Reduce Allergy Risk For Kids: Just Don't Get a Hamster

Having pets in the house when kids are born could make them less likely to develop food allergies, especially if they happen to be a dog or a cat.

14/03/2023

When you're feeling under the weather, sometimes all you need is a cookie to lift your spirits and make everything better. 🍪❤️

13/03/2023

Very true. Happy Monday 🥰

12/03/2023

Introducing "A Dog Who Follows Gladly," a Stoic fable from author Phil Van Treuren for life-lovers young and old.Every dog is graced with a spirit of endurin...

12/03/2023

https://www.macon.com/news/recalls/article273044405.html Purina expands its recall of dog food that can cause kidney problems and vomiting

The original recall for elevated levels of Vitamin D was on Feb. 8

12/03/2023

09/03/2023

07/03/2023

After many weeks of work, this is finally finished and off to the publisher today. I think it's the best thing I've ever written, and I can't wait to share more when it goes on sale in May.

Many thanks to my wife and kids for being patient with me while I obsessed over getting the illustrations just right for the last few months.

04/03/2023