Brandy

      I cannot stop laughing everytime I visit with Brandy. I have never seen a dog wag his tail so fast! Being a cocker-spaniel he has the little stump of a tail & it is going so fast it literally is a blur! I keep waiting beacuse I;m sure one of these days he is going to lift off the ground like a helicopter!

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     I hope everyone's so called summer is going well. I've enjoyed seeing so many of you! That's the best part of this summer! Well, I'mup to 4 times in the pool- sigh. I think I've about given up that it will change & get hot.
     I have tentatively scheduled my vacation for the 1st. of November to the 6th. If anyone knows they will be needing a pet sitter during the first week of November please let me know! Laura will be here to visit with you if needed!
     I talked with Doreen last week & she was telling me that her "nephew"-BoBo, a Saint Bernard, had surgery for bloat. For those of you who don't know-that's when the stomach twists. I'm always careful especially with big dogs not to exercise them hard at feeding time as this contributes to it happening. Couple days after, I pick up my newsletter from Cornell Veterinary College & there the main article is about this very thing! I was shocked reading it how many other things contribute as well. I learned that bloat, medical name-gastric dilatation-volvulus, is the build up of gas in the stomach & if this is not realeased in some other way it causes the stomach to twist closing off the passageways. It can also happen in small dogs! I always thought it a condition of large dogs. It happens when the dog eats fast, drinks lots of water & takes in a lot of air. Usually a burb relieves this build-up or even vomiting. Sometimes if the dog doesn't release it then it forms a gas and as the stomach inflates it twists. Now there are poisons that have no way out & other organs start dying because they aren't getting the nutrition from the stomach. Death can occur in 12-24 hrs! If this happens you need to get the dog immediately to the doctor & they do emergency surgery to untwist the stomach & tack it down along the abdominal walls. If after eating you notice your dog is trying to burb,vomit or defacate & can't, is pacing and/or whimpering in distress, will have no interest in food or water, may start drooling, and the abdomen becomes visibly swollen & has a hollow sound when tapped on-get your dog immediate help! The sooner the stomach in untwisted the better chance for survival but if there is major tissue death then chances are minimal. For large breed dogs its always better to feed more than once in a day. Be careful not to exercise your dog heavily right before or after eating. If you see any of these signs it's better to be safe than sorry so take them to your veterinarian quickly!
     A couple new fluffy buddies! I had so much fun with Rella & Maddy! Gorgeous cats that Holly adopted from the shelter! Lexie & I had lots of fun walking around the block, but he really missed his family. Then I met Midnight, but don't have any definate time to visit him. I'm looking foward to next week when I get to spend time with Killian! And then there is Jake- he is a cat that started hanging out in Angela & Laura's yard. So they had him in their porch trying to get him to come out & be petted. Poor guy was so scared he just hid. Well, I had to feed him a few times when they were away & I just petted him a little on his head & left. Then came my visits last month-sigh. On my second visit all of a sudden as I was leaving up pops this head! So I went back over & pet him a little & he started crawling out! So I sat on the floor & here comes Jake into my lap & starts giving me hugs! & I mean hugs-he had both paws wrapped around my neck & was squeezing & hanging on! I was sunk- he got right into my heart & I was determined now that he had to find a home. I was afraid to tell Angela & Laura that Jake was sitting in my lap & as I figured they didn't believe me! But when they got home Jake came right out & sat in their lap!! So I had to call Holly- and as I assumed she couldn't say no (hehehehe) so Jake has a new home with kittys brothers & sisters Eadie, Eddie, Pumpkin, Abby & Viktor! His name was changed to Clark ( sigh-we don't like that name) & he is doing wonderful. When I brought him over Holly & I were holding our breath all nervous if there was going to be a major kitty uproar but I've never seen anything like it- Clark (yuck!) starts walking around the house like he doesn't see the cats, the cats sniff him a little then go back to their naps. Seems the only ones stressed by the whole thing was us 2 humans!! I can't wait to see (sigh) Clark next week along with the rest of the bunch!
     No fluffy buddy losses this month! Yippeeee!!!
     I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of summer. I'm glad that your people are starting to take vacations again because I sure miss you all & I wanna see you!

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Last Updated 5/28/04