So it is Christmas Day, we have company coming over, and we decided to take Bodhi's 'Lamp Shade' off his head (the Boxer Duo's appointment for stitch removal is tomorrow). Well no sooner did we take the cone off his head, he started right in on his arm trying to pull the stitches out. He was literally trying to RIP them out of his skin....
So I did a little Google research and decided to take the stitches out of ONLY his arm (none of the other places). I read that you snip only ONE side near the knot, so you can pull the entire stitch out using the know. If you cut the knot off, you can actually lose the stitch in the wound!
So, with the help of my daughter, I snipped and pulled the oh-so-pretty hot pink stitches out of his arm. I saved them in a zip bag to show the vet so they knew what I did, lol...
As soon as they were out, he did not mess with his arm the rest of the day! I guess they were pretty bothersome... So I did it, yay me! Too bad I could not send a bill to the vet for my services :)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
PS I'm not condoning removing stitches yourself or suggesting you remove stitches yourself. I'm sharing a story of something I felt I needed to do on a holiday when the vet was closed...
Thursday
Friday
Astrid and Bodhi, Two-fer Surgery Day
Both Astrid and Bodhi went in for surgery and teeth cleaning today... They were quite excited to go on a car ride together! Bodhi is so much calmer when Astrid is with him in the car, he actually relaxed and laid down in the back...
Once we got there I did a quick sweep to ensure there were no dogs or cats in the front office, these two are a tough bunch to handle around other critters...
So I brought them in, Astrid was down to 56.7 and Bodhi down to 88.3, my little diet was working for them! (someone who shall remain nameless tends to give them a lot of hooman food, I've been working on making them stop!)
Astrid got a teeth cleaning, extraction of a few teeth, a couple lumps removed, some skin tags tied off and a nail trim.
Bodhi got a teeth cleaning, where they found he had never lost his puppy canines, so they pulled those, and he had some bigger lumps removed.
When I went to pick them up they were still all doped up, they appeared to have no idea I was even in the room. Eyes glossed over, looking loopy and stoned, poor sweeties...
They both looked like frank-n-boxers... they each had several squares shaved out of their fur with big stitches. So they looked kind of like patch work quilts :(
Grand total, $1604.50... however I remember that they said a 10% discount if I brought both at the same time, voila $1444.10. Still a chunk of change, but hey, what can you do?
Astird did great, even with teeth pulled she was eating that night! Bodhi did great too, however he was messing with his stitches on his front leg, so he ended up having to wear a cone! (he took to it quickly due to having to wear one so frequently in the past due to his prior foot issues)
Love your Boxers and care for them, healthy Boxers live longer, happier lives!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Once we got there I did a quick sweep to ensure there were no dogs or cats in the front office, these two are a tough bunch to handle around other critters...
So I brought them in, Astrid was down to 56.7 and Bodhi down to 88.3, my little diet was working for them! (someone who shall remain nameless tends to give them a lot of hooman food, I've been working on making them stop!)
Astrid got a teeth cleaning, extraction of a few teeth, a couple lumps removed, some skin tags tied off and a nail trim.
Bodhi got a teeth cleaning, where they found he had never lost his puppy canines, so they pulled those, and he had some bigger lumps removed.
When I went to pick them up they were still all doped up, they appeared to have no idea I was even in the room. Eyes glossed over, looking loopy and stoned, poor sweeties...
They both looked like frank-n-boxers... they each had several squares shaved out of their fur with big stitches. So they looked kind of like patch work quilts :(
Grand total, $1604.50... however I remember that they said a 10% discount if I brought both at the same time, voila $1444.10. Still a chunk of change, but hey, what can you do?
Astird did great, even with teeth pulled she was eating that night! Bodhi did great too, however he was messing with his stitches on his front leg, so he ended up having to wear a cone! (he took to it quickly due to having to wear one so frequently in the past due to his prior foot issues)
Love your Boxers and care for them, healthy Boxers live longer, happier lives!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Tuesday
Boxer Flea Treatment, Essential Oils
I am an essential oil junkie, I probably have over 40 different essential oils on hand at any give time. I love them, I use them, they have uses for so, so many things. So I thought there surely MUST be essential oils that will either deter or kill fleas, right?
So I did some research online and found several essential oils known to deter fleas (essential oils will not KILL fleas) however they help in keeping the fleas OFF of your Boxer.
Now Boxers are super duper sensitive, i.e. orange essential oil makes Bodhi break out in hives... So you have to be extremely careful when using any pure essential oils on your Boxers... Do your research, be careful, and be safe. Some essential oils, even though they smell fantastic, and some even smell yummy, can be TOXIC to your favorite fur ball!
So I blended a few oils with some purified water to make a mist and sprayed it into the fur, it definitely kept fleas OFF the Boxers - temporarily... Since I used only water, it and the essential oils, evaporated, and the fleas came back...
I chose not to use a thicker carrier oil (this would help the essential oils adhere to the fur).... as I was working fast and had limited ingredients on hand.
Since it was a short term fix, I used the mist on my bedding (sheets, covers, etc...), on their bedding, on places they sleep, etc... as a deterrent (and a great smelling air freshener!)
I also made a larger size to spray the yard (the vet told me that any creature walking through the yard can be the cause of the fleas, opossum, squirrel, mouse, rat, deer, raccoon, etc..etc...) So I wanted to make the yard a place fleas did NOT want to be by overloading it with natural fragrance essence. (Careful around plants! I used my mist ONLY on dirt and concrete!)
You can purchase several all natural, essential oil based flea treatments at your local pet stores. They are pretty pricey, about $15 for 3-5 oz or so. But if you don't have essential oils on hand, that is much less than purchasing essential oils which can range from $10 to $40 for 5 to 10ml!
In a nutshell, do your research and don't expect any essential oils to remove the fleas from your dog or home, but they are a great way to help keep fleas off the dog :)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Now Boxers are super duper sensitive, i.e. orange essential oil makes Bodhi break out in hives... So you have to be extremely careful when using any pure essential oils on your Boxers... Do your research, be careful, and be safe. Some essential oils, even though they smell fantastic, and some even smell yummy, can be TOXIC to your favorite fur ball!
So I blended a few oils with some purified water to make a mist and sprayed it into the fur, it definitely kept fleas OFF the Boxers - temporarily... Since I used only water, it and the essential oils, evaporated, and the fleas came back...
I chose not to use a thicker carrier oil (this would help the essential oils adhere to the fur).... as I was working fast and had limited ingredients on hand.
Since it was a short term fix, I used the mist on my bedding (sheets, covers, etc...), on their bedding, on places they sleep, etc... as a deterrent (and a great smelling air freshener!)
I also made a larger size to spray the yard (the vet told me that any creature walking through the yard can be the cause of the fleas, opossum, squirrel, mouse, rat, deer, raccoon, etc..etc...) So I wanted to make the yard a place fleas did NOT want to be by overloading it with natural fragrance essence. (Careful around plants! I used my mist ONLY on dirt and concrete!)
You can purchase several all natural, essential oil based flea treatments at your local pet stores. They are pretty pricey, about $15 for 3-5 oz or so. But if you don't have essential oils on hand, that is much less than purchasing essential oils which can range from $10 to $40 for 5 to 10ml!
In a nutshell, do your research and don't expect any essential oils to remove the fleas from your dog or home, but they are a great way to help keep fleas off the dog :)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Saturday
Boxer Flea Treatment, Diatomaceous Earth
Okay so I mentioned our flea problem, well I came across several places online that mentioned Diatomaceous Earth as a great natural remedy for fleas. From my research I found that you are to get the FOOD GRADE version, this is non-toxic (evidently you can actually EAT it with no harm).
My tip to you, find this at your local pet feed store (where people buy food for livestock, chickens, etc...) I got a HUGE bag for $5, so don't get ripped off!
What is Diatomaceous Earth? Evidently it is a type of dirt/dust composed of ancient teeny tiny organism skeletons. These little skeletons are super sharp and basically cut up adult fleas, causing them to dehydrate and die.
Have you ever seen pictures of video clips of animals rolling in the dust? Basically they know in nature what to do to rid themselves of pests...
So you're supposed to sprinkle this stuff all over your carpet, furniture, etc... then brush it into the fibers to do their trick. Leaving it there for as long as possible.
Please, allow me to share my experience....
So, I purchased my huge bag, I was SO excited that I found a natural cure to get rid of these fricken FLEAS! First I took the dogs outside and gave them a dry dust bath of the Diatomaceous Earth. I rubbed it into their fur from head to toe. They looked dusty and dirty, but I was thinking "HA BYE FLEAS"!
About the Diatomaceous Earth, when you touch it, it is super fine, it feels like confectioner sugar, very fine and fluffy. But don't let it fool you! Let me explain... Have you ever caught a flea and attempted to squish it between your fingers? You squish, rub and squash and you're SURE you've gotten the little sucker. Only to open your fingertips to see him grin at you and hop away?
Well when your fingers are covered in Diatomaceous Earth, if you catch a flea and squash and rub, it literally cuts the flea in half leaving a bloody little dead flea body. So though this dusty dirt feels soft, I then understood how the tiny little ancient skeletons must do their job! So DON'T GET IT IN YOUR EYES!
After intentionally covering my dogs in dirt, I then proceeded to vacuum the house and started sprinkling the Diatomaceous Earth everywhere, every square inch... I put on all the carpet, under the couch kitchens, etc... (I did not use it on the hard floors, I mopped and sterilized them but opted not to dust them).
After I sprinkled, I went back with a broom, to sweep and tap the dust down into the carpet fibers. After finishing the living room I could really smell dirt, you know the dusty, dirt smell? I literally covered my floors in dirt. Once in the dining room I looked back, the sun filtering through the blinds revealed that I had completely filled the room with dust too, I was standing in a dirt cloud...
After panicking and running to Google to see if this dirt was going to get into my reef tank and kill all the coral and tropical fish (it won't all was good) I proceeded to intentionally fill my home with dirt...
The whole time I was thinking how great this was going to be...
The websites all said to give it time to let the fleas run over the Diatomaceous Earth, and to get sliced up and dehydrate. Note: this supposedly only works on ADULT fleas, not the younger, smaller ones...
Several hours later, the dust had settled, on everything, in the home. Every surface, horizontal AND vertical, was COVERED in a layer of Diatomaceous Earth...
I told everyone in the house to not touch it, leave it there, suck it up and deal with it for a few days...
That night, I saw fleas running across the dogs, it was like it attracted MORE fleas ON to the dogs. I had read so many blogs online saying "the fleas were gone within hours". BS. BS. BS.
Three days in, I vacuumed... Holy horror, more dust clouds... it took a few weeks of daily vacuuming to finally get it all OUT of the carpet. Did it help the fleas? NO. Perhaps it worked for others, perhaps I was not patient enough living in a dust pit for all the multi-generations of fleas to hatch, grow big enough to dehydrate and die.
So, on to the next plan...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
My tip to you, find this at your local pet feed store (where people buy food for livestock, chickens, etc...) I got a HUGE bag for $5, so don't get ripped off!
What is Diatomaceous Earth? Evidently it is a type of dirt/dust composed of ancient teeny tiny organism skeletons. These little skeletons are super sharp and basically cut up adult fleas, causing them to dehydrate and die.
Have you ever seen pictures of video clips of animals rolling in the dust? Basically they know in nature what to do to rid themselves of pests...
So you're supposed to sprinkle this stuff all over your carpet, furniture, etc... then brush it into the fibers to do their trick. Leaving it there for as long as possible.
Please, allow me to share my experience....
So, I purchased my huge bag, I was SO excited that I found a natural cure to get rid of these fricken FLEAS! First I took the dogs outside and gave them a dry dust bath of the Diatomaceous Earth. I rubbed it into their fur from head to toe. They looked dusty and dirty, but I was thinking "HA BYE FLEAS"!
About the Diatomaceous Earth, when you touch it, it is super fine, it feels like confectioner sugar, very fine and fluffy. But don't let it fool you! Let me explain... Have you ever caught a flea and attempted to squish it between your fingers? You squish, rub and squash and you're SURE you've gotten the little sucker. Only to open your fingertips to see him grin at you and hop away?
Well when your fingers are covered in Diatomaceous Earth, if you catch a flea and squash and rub, it literally cuts the flea in half leaving a bloody little dead flea body. So though this dusty dirt feels soft, I then understood how the tiny little ancient skeletons must do their job! So DON'T GET IT IN YOUR EYES!After intentionally covering my dogs in dirt, I then proceeded to vacuum the house and started sprinkling the Diatomaceous Earth everywhere, every square inch... I put on all the carpet, under the couch kitchens, etc... (I did not use it on the hard floors, I mopped and sterilized them but opted not to dust them).
After I sprinkled, I went back with a broom, to sweep and tap the dust down into the carpet fibers. After finishing the living room I could really smell dirt, you know the dusty, dirt smell? I literally covered my floors in dirt. Once in the dining room I looked back, the sun filtering through the blinds revealed that I had completely filled the room with dust too, I was standing in a dirt cloud...
After panicking and running to Google to see if this dirt was going to get into my reef tank and kill all the coral and tropical fish (it won't all was good) I proceeded to intentionally fill my home with dirt...
The whole time I was thinking how great this was going to be...
The websites all said to give it time to let the fleas run over the Diatomaceous Earth, and to get sliced up and dehydrate. Note: this supposedly only works on ADULT fleas, not the younger, smaller ones...
Several hours later, the dust had settled, on everything, in the home. Every surface, horizontal AND vertical, was COVERED in a layer of Diatomaceous Earth...
I told everyone in the house to not touch it, leave it there, suck it up and deal with it for a few days...
That night, I saw fleas running across the dogs, it was like it attracted MORE fleas ON to the dogs. I had read so many blogs online saying "the fleas were gone within hours". BS. BS. BS.
Three days in, I vacuumed... Holy horror, more dust clouds... it took a few weeks of daily vacuuming to finally get it all OUT of the carpet. Did it help the fleas? NO. Perhaps it worked for others, perhaps I was not patient enough living in a dust pit for all the multi-generations of fleas to hatch, grow big enough to dehydrate and die.
So, on to the next plan...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
What the HELL is with these FLEAS?
We have not had fleas for TWO DECADES.
Back in the day we lived in an apartment, we had three cats, who at one point had no fleas. That was until a neighboring apartment bombed their apartment, forcing the fleas to invade our 680 square foot palace. Flea collars, carpet powder, flea spray - nothing worked... Then we'd bomb, they'd go, and it was a bomb war. Back and forth fleas, horrid, eww, grosss...
Now none of us (we nor our neighbors) ever addressed this flea issue with the apartment management because we ALL snuck cats into a no pet apartment complex, so... well yea...
As I re-read that I'm like, I had THREE cats in 680 square feet? WTF? Good gawd, that was another era...
Anyways... we moved into our first house and before we moved in, we took the cats, much to their displeasure, to have them flea dipped. We never had another flea with pets coming and passing to the rainbow bridge, for over twenty years.
Well this year, 2014, I don't know WHAT is going on. Astrid and Bodhi are IN the house or IN the yard. All of a sudden we have fleas, horrible, hopping, little beasts of torture. It just makes me feel GROSS....
I did a little Google research on this region of the country and apparently the dry, warm, drought weather has been the absolute perfect breeding ground for an over abundance of fleas. They are taking over local counties by storm... There are forums of people complaining and begging for cures...
So being the semi-crunchy-granola want to use only natural remedy type of person I'm on the hunt for something that works... I'll keep you posted!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Back in the day we lived in an apartment, we had three cats, who at one point had no fleas. That was until a neighboring apartment bombed their apartment, forcing the fleas to invade our 680 square foot palace. Flea collars, carpet powder, flea spray - nothing worked... Then we'd bomb, they'd go, and it was a bomb war. Back and forth fleas, horrid, eww, grosss...
Now none of us (we nor our neighbors) ever addressed this flea issue with the apartment management because we ALL snuck cats into a no pet apartment complex, so... well yea...
As I re-read that I'm like, I had THREE cats in 680 square feet? WTF? Good gawd, that was another era...
Anyways... we moved into our first house and before we moved in, we took the cats, much to their displeasure, to have them flea dipped. We never had another flea with pets coming and passing to the rainbow bridge, for over twenty years.
Well this year, 2014, I don't know WHAT is going on. Astrid and Bodhi are IN the house or IN the yard. All of a sudden we have fleas, horrible, hopping, little beasts of torture. It just makes me feel GROSS....
I did a little Google research on this region of the country and apparently the dry, warm, drought weather has been the absolute perfect breeding ground for an over abundance of fleas. They are taking over local counties by storm... There are forums of people complaining and begging for cures...
So being the semi-crunchy-granola want to use only natural remedy type of person I'm on the hunt for something that works... I'll keep you posted!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Tuesday
Licensing Your Boxers, Why it's Important
So I admit, I have been guilty of not licensing pets in the past... it seems so silly to PAY to have an extra tag on your dog's collar. Yet another fee/tax to pay the government... However, for the small amount it costs, it's actually worth it.
That tag is an ID for your dog, if your dog ever gets lost, they can look him or her up in the database and know where to find their home. Which could save their LIFE! A lost dog without ID has a very short time to live at the county, with so many dogs coming in, being abandoned, being dropped off, etc.. the rate of dogs being euthanize is saddening.
Side note, even if they get brought in and they are not wearing their collar, they can still look up the dog by BREED and have a good chance of finding you - just do it, your Boxer is your fur baby :)
In our neck of the woods the fee is only $20/year (for a spayed/neutered) dog - so $40 for the both of them...
I just went down to the County and paid in person, I simply had to have the paper from the vet proving they had been vaccinated, proof that they were spayed/neutered, and payment. Voila, new jewelry for their collars!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
That tag is an ID for your dog, if your dog ever gets lost, they can look him or her up in the database and know where to find their home. Which could save their LIFE! A lost dog without ID has a very short time to live at the county, with so many dogs coming in, being abandoned, being dropped off, etc.. the rate of dogs being euthanize is saddening.
Side note, even if they get brought in and they are not wearing their collar, they can still look up the dog by BREED and have a good chance of finding you - just do it, your Boxer is your fur baby :)
In our neck of the woods the fee is only $20/year (for a spayed/neutered) dog - so $40 for the both of them...
I just went down to the County and paid in person, I simply had to have the paper from the vet proving they had been vaccinated, proof that they were spayed/neutered, and payment. Voila, new jewelry for their collars!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Bodhi's Check Up at the Vet
So it's been a couple months and I finally got to make Bodhi's Vet appointment!
Bodhi goes bat s#*t crazy when you get out the leash, and even MORE nutso excited when you say the words "car ride". So he was quite ecstatic to hop in the car for a trip! I love driving with one (or both) of the Boxers in the car as they love to peek out the windows (while smearing drool and dog snot all over them). The smiles and giggles from passing cars makes me happy! (basically because it makes me know I'm not the only Boxer hooman who grins like a fool when I see a Boxer in someone else's car, lol....)
Even though Bodhi LOVES the idea of going on car rides, he gets major anxiety while IN the car. He won't sit down and relax, he's all tense and hyper focused... silly boy...
Anyways, Bodhi was excited to get to the vet. More people to tell him how cute he is and marvel at his huge Boxer stature. He got his check-up all is good, he weighs 94.7 # now! Looking great!
It cost $99.50 in Northern California for an Exam and his DHP-P + Rabies. They want to do surgery to remove the lumps, Bodhi's treatment plan was less than Astrid's with a quote of $747.50. Dogs are expensive folks, don't get dogs if you cannot care for them (hugs).
I still need to get the Boxer Duo licensed... I had to wait until Bodhi got his shots so I could complete the process... Next, licenses and figuring out when to get the Boxers all taken care of. They did offer 10% off if I brought both in at the same time! (gulp)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Bodhi goes bat s#*t crazy when you get out the leash, and even MORE nutso excited when you say the words "car ride". So he was quite ecstatic to hop in the car for a trip! I love driving with one (or both) of the Boxers in the car as they love to peek out the windows (while smearing drool and dog snot all over them). The smiles and giggles from passing cars makes me happy! (basically because it makes me know I'm not the only Boxer hooman who grins like a fool when I see a Boxer in someone else's car, lol....)
Even though Bodhi LOVES the idea of going on car rides, he gets major anxiety while IN the car. He won't sit down and relax, he's all tense and hyper focused... silly boy...
Anyways, Bodhi was excited to get to the vet. More people to tell him how cute he is and marvel at his huge Boxer stature. He got his check-up all is good, he weighs 94.7 # now! Looking great!
It cost $99.50 in Northern California for an Exam and his DHP-P + Rabies. They want to do surgery to remove the lumps, Bodhi's treatment plan was less than Astrid's with a quote of $747.50. Dogs are expensive folks, don't get dogs if you cannot care for them (hugs).
I still need to get the Boxer Duo licensed... I had to wait until Bodhi got his shots so I could complete the process... Next, licenses and figuring out when to get the Boxers all taken care of. They did offer 10% off if I brought both in at the same time! (gulp)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Thursday
Astrid's Check Up at the Vet
Up in Nevada it seemed like Bodhi was always at the vet with his foot issues... I admit, I had not taken either of the Boxers to the vet since we have been back in California. So I finally made an appointment . Astrid's breath could knock over a horse so I took a peek in her mouth and her teeth were bad. I was mortified, I had no idea... I've never had a dog who had teeth issues.
I felt SO guilty :(
She was very excited to go on a car ride, Bodhi was rather miffed that he was not involved in this process and did not like the idea that he was being left at home. He adores Astrid (and his humans) so much the he's rather uncomfortable when there is no one around....
Astrid LOVES people she was going bonkers with all the new humans to greet! She weighs 60.9 pounds, just about right! She got her exam, her DHP-P and her Rabies shots; in Northern California this cost $106.50... has to be done!
In addition to the visit they provided me with a 'treatment plan', basically a quote for Astrid's teeth cleaning and surgery to remove her lumps and bumps. $1053.00 for the blood panel, mass removal, biopsy, injections, boarding, teeth cleaning, teeth extraction, surgical pack and sutures. Bodhi gets his vet visit before we figure out what to with Astrid and her treatment plan!
They also gave me the paperwork to get the dogs licensed, as apparently I have forgotten to do this! (oops) Better hop on that!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Astrid The Boxer : Vacuum, who cares?
My past dog duo Bear and Bearly (Mastiff and Pibble-Mix) were deathly afraid of the vacuum... they would run away, tail between legs and jump as high as possible. On the couch, on the bed, they'd have hung upside down from the ceiling if possible.
On the flip side there are those dogs whom feel the vacuum is a predator, and do everything within their power to destroy it. Attack, bark, chase, pounce, and beyond...
Astrid the Boxer Dog, on the other paw, could not give a care less... She will lay there in the middle of the floor, lifting her head barely for only a brief moment to acknowledge the presence of the snooze-disturbing-sucking-motor with a slightly dirty look. Then, she resumes slumber, in the middle of the floor, while I vacuum around her. Literally, I vacuum around her. Seriously, I can come so close that I can bump her with the vacuum, and she will not move...
That is, until, I'm done with that room. She seems to be conscious of my route through the house, and I swear she does this intentionally... You see, when I'm finished with the living room, she gets up, and lays in the middle of the dining room, I vacuum around her. When I'm finished with the dining room, she gets up, and lays in the middle of the family room, I vacuum around her. So on, and so forth, through the entire house!
When I'm done with the last room I have to go back through the house to vacuum all the Boxer Dog shaped "dogagons" left in each room that I was unable to get due to her nomadic slumbering...
Yes I know I could tell her to get her fuzzy butt out of the way, but in all reality I'd rather her be brave and not care, then develop a fear of the vacuum by me making her move every time...
On a side note, Bodhi the Boxer Dog, pretends to be brave... He will lay on the floor, with shifty eyes, watching every move of the evil vacuum. He will tolerate the impending doom machine for as long as dog-ly possible - then he escapes to the couch or bed and stays put until the vacuum is back in the cabinet...
Boxers....
Alethea Anderson
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Boxer Dog Bed Hog Strikes Again
He's so cute, I admit, it's hard to make him move so I fit... Often I fit myself in around him so I don't disturb his peaceful slumber... He always uses my teddy bear as a pillow :)
I tell them how lucky they are, and about all the sad little doggies that have to sleep on the concrete...
Or the wild foxes and wolves that sleep in caves on dirt and rocks. They just look at me like I'm crazy... (well am trying to reason with 2 Boxers, but still....)
Then I sit there and ponder if the Boxer Duo think how nice they are to share their bed with us and that we're hogging their space...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Wednesday
Bodhi The Boxer Dog : Foot Warmer
Bodhi the Boxer Dog loves to hang out under my desk, I am so guilty of not wanting to move when he has his head resting on me! Spoiled rotten...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Monday
Astrid Update : Boxer with Hives
Yesterday I posted a picture of Astrid the Boxer with a swollen eye, she did have a couple hives on her head at the time. I've been dosing her with Children's Benadryl* and her eye is much better. However now she has head to toe hives!
 |
| Astrid the Boxer Covered in Hives (with her giraffe toy :) |
Due to this happening, I wanted to share some more pictures and a story... Back in 2007, Bodhi was sitting on the couch and we heard a strange 'yelp'. He was standing on the couch, and next to him was an awfully huge spider.
Due to the 'yelp' we thought he perhaps got bit by the spider ((shudder)).
Soon he started getting little bumps, then all of a sudden we found him covered head to toe is bumps and we had no idea what was wrong with him.
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| Astrid the Boxer Do covered in Hives (Bodhi in background) |
We brought him to the vet and they told us it was hives and that he likely had been stung by a scorpion (we still thought it was the spider).
They gave him a shot with an antihistamine and told us to dose him with Children's Benadryl* to help with the allergic reaction.
Having dealt with Bodhi and his allergies many times over the years I naturally decided to dose Astrid with some Children's Benadryl* as well.
Never dose your dog ANY medication without proper knowledge of how to do so, or how much!
Never dose your dog ANY medication without proper knowledge of how to do so, or how much!
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| Astrid the Boxer Dog - Hives on Her Back |
Astrid's spirits are fantastic! She woke me up at 4 am needing to go potty (don't you love that...?) She was wired, jumping all around and happy, usually she's quite groggy, as am I, that time of the morning... I noticed more hives at that time, so I dosed her again.
She was itching like crazy, which is a reaction to hives... she finally settled down on her dog bed, the Benadryl* must have kicked in...
When I awoke (at a normal human time) this morning she was curled up on the floor on my side of the bed, which is quite strange for her, as usually she's ON the bed and hogging it. My guess is the spoiled princess was too cold on the bed (window open/fan on).
I'll be keeping an eye on her and will take her to the vet if I feel it is warranted :)
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
*Children's Benadryl for Boxer Dogs - check with your vet for the proper dose for your dog!
Sunday
Boxer Swollen Eye
I noticed Astrid had a swollen eye, soon after she started getting hives on her head... I'm guessing she got bit or stung by something...
Bodhi had a similar reaction several years ago, hives head to toe (no swollen eye), when he got bit by a spider (or stung by a scorpion) when we lived in Nevada.
Gave her a dose of children's Benadryl, hopefully it will help!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Thursday
Boxer Dog Seizure
I was sitting on the couch watching TV, Astrid the Boxer Dog came walking strangely into the room. She was crouched very low on all four legs, almost like how a cat looks when it is hunting something, excelp she was walking wobbly and very low to the ground....
She looked at me and had a deep worry in her eyes, she stopped immediately in front of me, as if seeking comfort. It was evident that something was 'off'.... I asked her if she was okay, and she then moved to the side of the coffee table and kind of collapsed.
It was strange as her four legs just seemed to buckle beneath her. Then all of a sudden her eyes went to a blank stare and her head was bobbing, like a little bobble head doll.
I was not sure what to do, so I spoke gently to her and told her it would be okay, her eyes shifted towards me and she looked so very scared and helpless, my heart melted for her..
Her head only bobbed for a brief few moments, then she seemed 'present' again, her spirit was back in her eyes. I gently started petting her and telling her everything was going to be okay. I just sat with her giving her love, calmly.
After a few minutes, she sprung back to her feet and was flipping around the room as Boxers usually do, it was so strange!
I googled "dog seizure symptoms" and discovered that Astrid the Boxer Dog appears to have had a very mild dog seizure.
The information below is from vcahospitals.com:
What happens during a typical seizure? Seizures consist of three components:
1) The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours. This period precedes the seizure activity, as if the dog senses that something is about to occur.
2) The ictal phase is the seizure itself and lasts from a few seconds to up to five minutes. During a seizure, the dog may lose consciousness or may just have a change in mental awareness ("absence" seizures or hallucinations such as snapping at invisible objects). If the dog experiences a grand mal, or full-blown seizure with loss of consciousness, all of the muscles of the body contract spastically and erratically. The dog usually falls over on its side and paddles its legs while seeming to be otherwise paralyzed. The head will often be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation may occur. If the seizure has not stopped within five minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure. Status epilepticus is considered an immediate emergency and medical help should be sought.
3) During the post-ictal phase or the period immediately after the end of the seizure, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, or even temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.
It is very frightening when your furry family members go through something so scary!
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
Wednesday
Boxer Dog ON The Table....
Astrid found the fastest way to the middle of the couch...
Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger
The Boxer Blogger
Boxer Dog Farts - and the Doggy Dutch Oven
I've been a dog lover for years and years... Bear, my first dog was a 180# Mastiff. Yes he farted, but you never knew until it hit you and your eyes were watering in pain. Bearly, our ARF rescue, I don't ever remember her farting - quite the little lady...
But my two Boxers, OMG... Bodhi farts like crazy, loud, human kind of loud. Full grown MAN kind of loud. He will fart so loud that he'll turn around and look at his own butt, tilting his head in bewilderment, as if he wonders where the sound came from. The only good news is at least you have warning with Bodhi. You can get away in time, if you hold your breath and are fast enough...
Astrid, is another story... I can honestly say, embarrassingly so, that I have been 'dutch oven-ed' by my own dog. You see my husband has a super soft spot for this little girl, often she is under the covers spooning with him, head on the pillow, mocking me with her grin as if to say 'ha-ha look at me'. Well yea, she farts under the covers, and well, yea, doggy dutch oven.
Why do I blog about this today? Well Bodhi is sitting here in my home office, making the whole room smell of fart. He follows me, and lays down next to me, he loves me, yet he shares his stink too...
I've found some Boxer Dog Shaming pictures on the web that I'm sharing here - (these are not my Boxers, just some adorable ones from the web) My Boxer duo resemble the shaming comments notated...
If you have a Boxer, surely you understand and can likely relate... If you are considering a Boxer, be warned, they are notorious for passing gas, and lots of it!
Alethea AndersonThe Boxer Blogger
Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?
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