Monday, May 12, 2008

Don't tell me I have a dumb dog

My thirteen-year-old black lab (I call him my fruppy) has it made and he knows it. He is pretty crippled with arthritis these days and our walks that used to be miles are now limited to about a half block. I miss those long hikes we used to do, but know that life is hard on our four-legged friends and they age much faster than we undeserving humans. He takes Rimadyl daily, which is a godsend, to deal with his inflammation, and we walk short distances a few times a day. Here's where my dog is smarter than your average canine. He knows if he walks up the block and back he is rewarded with a massage. Jackpot! When we get back to the yard, I ask him if he wants a massage to which he replies by laying down in the grass, head resting on my knee and lets me work away. He's like jello when I'm done and has a great nap after. My dog knows...he does his work, he gets rewarded. What a good dog!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey girlfriend! It's been too long since I've talked to you and I was surfing your blog today to see what's been happening in your life when I read about your guy's arthritis! I thought I should share that our dog (the one with cancer) had really crippling arthritis and was on Rimadyl and then Deramaxx, which ultimately led to an ulcer. We then had her on the anti-inflammatory in addition to Prilosec for her stomach. It was horrible, and she STILL had pain.

One day, while visiting a little shop called Uppity Puppy to pick up treats for the fids (kids with fur), we started talking to the owner and ended up describing all the issues we'd had with Israel. The owner immediately recommended something called Dog Gone Pain (DGP for short) and we picked it up, thinking -what have we got to lose?

I can't TELL you what an amazing difference it's made!!! We were able to wean her off of the anti-inflammatories within a week, which meant no more Prilosec too!
She has been more like her old self than ever (despite her missing leg, which had to be amputated due to the osteosarcoma)and is hopping around, happy as can be now!

She takes two pills a day, and if she has been especially active, one or two more for good measure ensures that she's not stiff and sore! I can't imagine not having it and am so thankful she's no longer taking the medications which have so many side effects.

If you are interested in checking it out, their web site is doggonepain.com

I usually order ours through Robbins Pet Care (robbinspetcare.com) as they are super fast in their delivery and have excellent customer service!

Love ya!!
Suzy