Five Things I Learned at Ruby's Annual Wellness Check

Ruby did great at her annual wellness check last week. We were able to snag the last appointment of the day and so there were no other dogs coming or going from the office. She took her first ride in her new travel crate and was fairly calm upon arrival instead of all fired up from seeing dogs, cyclists and pedestrians from the car window on the way over. She met the new office cat, Whisper, and greeted her with interest but politely. Whisper even tried to help me hold Ruby's leash while I paid the bill. Here are some results of Little Sister's most recent check-up:

Ruby weighs 18.2 pounds.

It is very important to me to keep my dogs at ideal weights. I was happy to see that Ruby received a body condition score of 5/9, which is perfect...not to brag or anything. People that haven't met Ruby in person are surprised by how small she is - I guess it's true that the camera adds ten pounds! She and Boca often end up looking the same size in pictures, even though Boca is almost twice as big. Ruby is the smallest dog I've ever had but I really love being able to pick her up easily, and she's cute and cuddly without being teeny-tiny.

Ruby does better without me in the room. 

When I lifted Ruby up onto the exam table, she began to struggle and tried to climb up my neck. It was obvious that this wasn't going to work. The vet took her to the back for her parvo shot, heartworm test and physical exam and said she did great. My friend (a mother) said Ruby is like the toddler who throws a fit at daycare until its mother is out of sight. There's that pesky dog/kid comparison again...

The vet described Ruby's temperament as "friendly and outgoing but nervous." 

Ruby is too smart for her own good. When the vet tried to lure her over with treats, Ruby wanted the treats but knew it was a trap. Once her exam was over she was happy and effervescent, even showing off some of her tricks to the vet. I'm glad that even though she is nervous, she recovers quickly, and that even when she is scared she doesn't growl or snap.

Ruby has a tooth that I need to keep an eye on. 

When I pointed out the tooth I wanted the vet to take a look at, she said "I've never seen anything like that..." Leave it to me to have another medical mystery! One of Ruby's big back teeth has a horizontal band running through the middle where the enamel has worn away. It's been this way since I adopted her, noted as something to be addressed in the future on her post-adoption exam. My vet wasn't overly concerned, and since all the rest of her teeth look great it didn't make sense to anesthetize her for x-rays. It's something to watch, and she may need to have it pulled down the road. 

Ruby's microchip scanned correctly.

I was pleasantly surprised when the vet asked if Ruby was micro-chipped and if she could scan her. With all the stories of pets lost around the 4th of July and reunions with owners after being missing for years, this is something that I think should be part of every vet visit, to make sure the chip is functioning properly and the information is up to date. 

After all of the vet visits for Boca's eye this year, it was nice to have one that was straightforward and stress-free, especially with a reactive dog. I was really proud of Ruby's behavior at the vet's office and she definitely deserved the extra treats they gave her. As much as I love my vet, I hope we won't see them again until next summer!

Summertime with the Ginger Sisters

Summertime is in full swing here in Denver, and I spent much of the weekend beautifying my patio in anticipation of spending a lot of time out there with The Ginger Sisters. Boca likes to lounge on the dog bed and Ruby loves chasing her pink tennis ball. This required the obligatory trip to Home Depot. I had already planted some tomatoes and a few flowers in pots - including marigolds with seeds I harvested from last year's marigolds, which I think is really cool - but I needed to improve the tomato situation and wanted more useful plants. I was also hoping to get a lounge chair - my mosaic bistro set is cute but not one bit comfortable to sit at for long. I had plenty of pots but I couldn't resist a darling fox one - it looked too much like The Ginger Sisters. I repotted the three tomato plants and made sure they were out of reach of the dogs since the leaves/stems are toxic. I also had to put two other things I bought (a lobelia and something unidentified that had been pre-treated with pesticide) out front instead of my patio for the same reason. Note to self: look up pet-safe plants before you shop. Then, after all my fretting over the plants, Ruby and Boca decided the potting soil was delicious - thankfully I bought organic. I am thrilled with how it turned out and that I have basil, rosemary, mint, sage and thyme fresh for the picking outside my door, and will hopefully harvest my first patio cucumbers and tomatoes before the year is through! I also planted a cat garden for Nina - catnip and cat grass. It's wonderful to sit in my lounge chair and have a view full of sky. I know that I will be spending a lot of time out there in the coming months.

On Saturday, Boca had her annual wellness exam. We are still seeing the ophthalmologist regularly and she is completing a three-month course of doxycycline in case her eye issue is bacterial in origin. So far, the left eye is holding steady and her grafted right eye is healed completely and doing great. Aside from her eyes, she is a very healthy girl and she met her prescribed weight loss goal, coming in at 32.9 lbs. We saw a new vet who is helping temporarily while another partner is on maternity leave, and she was very nice. She remarked on how easy and sweet Boca is. After our appointment we stopped at a pet store to get some more goat's milk for the girls. I've been using The Honest Kitchen powder but decided to get them a carton of fresh, raw goat's milk and also a small bag of Wild Calling kibble since we were down to one bag in the pantry. I like to stay stocked up! Everyone wanted to say hello to Boca and know what kind of dog she is. She is such a wonderful potcake ambassador!

After a really lovely rainy spell, our temperatures have been climbing, with Sunday being our hottest day yet hovering around 95 degrees. This is my first summer without A/C (long story) and so far it's not too bad. The dogs are definitely lower energy but seem to handle it well. Boca has taken to crawling under my bed at night - I think this is a holdover from her street dog days when she would find a dark burrow to keep cool. I moved some things around so she has space under there but she really barely fits and it is quite a production, silly girl. The downside to leaving the windows open to cool my room off overnight is that the dogs can hear all the neighborhood sounds: other dogs barking, people talking in the alley, and the odd pre-holiday firecracker. Both Ruby and Boca are noise-phobic, and we are not looking forward to the Fourth of July. A nearby municipality also has a separate fireworks celebration on July 25th, so we will be hunkering down with music, fans and thundershirts several times next month.

Walks with a reactive dog are more challenging this time of year, when everyone else is out enjoying the sunshine, too. We have scooters, skateboards, bikes and strollers to contend with, as well as the occasional off-leash or escaped dog. Last week a Westie on a Flexi-lead got away from its elderly owner and came charging over to us. The loose dog and Ruby had a snarky terrier-off but I was able to keep myself positioned in between them until its owner got hold of its leash again. Boca paid them no mind at all. The owner was very apologetic but can I just say again how much I hate Flexi-leads? I saw so many when I was at the park this weekend and they are useless at best, dangerous at worst. Ruby has been getting better about cars and people, as long as the people aren't moving quickly directly toward her. Sometimes we can even see a dog all the way across the clubhouse lawn and not have a total meltdown. I will call that improvement!

How is your summer going so far? 

Getting My Dogs In A Row

There was a lot of this going on at my house over the weekend. Boca had dental work on Friday morning - a cleaning and double-rooted tooth extraction - and both dogs received their 3-year rabies vaccinations. Ruby was very glum while her sister was at the vet clinic, though I tried to cheer her up with getting her assistance on some upcoming product reviews and a little trick training. Once we were all together again, everyone relaxed and soaked up the sun.

Ruby's last two experiences at the vet were quite stressful and we have a lot of work to do. Even the jingle of another dog's tags or their shadow visible under the door sent her into a frenzy, which did not bode well for a very thorough exam. I tried the Calming Cap for the car ride and waiting room, but it is clear from Ruby's behavior that this aid is getting into aversive territory for her: I want a calm dog, not a shut-down dog. I don't think it's something that is going to work for us. 

Boca was pleased to see me when I picked her up that afternoon, but was not herself the rest of the weekend. She was extra-cautious about my dad and seemed listless and depressed. I'm happy to report that as of yesterday she was back to herself, and I hope we are finished with vet visits until next year. I think that general anesthesia is so hard on them, and although the tooth extraction was necessary, I may look into the cleanings without anesthesia in the future, especially for Boca who is so cooperative. Has anyone tried it for their pets?

Due to her stitches and the big gap in her smile, Boca's chewing/playing activity must be limited for the week. This has proven to be quite a challenge since even if I separate them and let Ruby play with toys, Boca is not happy to be kept away from the action!  I did let her have her plush purple dragon for a few minutes last night while I played tug with Ruby and she was so cute about it, bringing the dragon to the gate and waiting for me to put Ruby in a down-stay and throw it again. 

The girls were lucky to have my dad's company all last week, and now we are back to our normal schedule with the dog walker. It's a holiday weekend and I'm considering getting a kiddie pool for the ginger sisters to splash around in on the patio. I've also been gathering up some tropical props for a fun summery shoot with Boca, so stay tuned for those pictures! 

I've updated my Facebook cover page for July and hope you'll like us there, too, if you haven't already:

Additionally, I've created a Facebook group for Potcake fans, and have been astounded by the fast-growing membership!