February is Pet Dental Month

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From www.akc.org

February is Pet Dental Health Month -AKC Gazette Offers Dental Tips, Product Reviews
[Friday, February 02, 2007]
— Learn How to Tell When Good Teeth Go Bad —

The February issue of the AKC Gazette – the American Kennel Club’s flagship publication – the oldest continuously published dog magazine in America – has devoted several articles to dental health and product reviews as part of National Pet Dental Health Month, sponsored in part by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“When was the last time you had a good look in your dog’s mouth? If he’s over 3 years old, there is a 75 percent chance that he has dental disease—plaque, tartar, and inflamed gums. Besides causing bad breath and tooth loss, infection in the oral cavity can spread to vital internal organs. Oral disease can shorten your dog’s life,” writes Jeff Grognet, DVM in “When Good Teeth Go Bad” featured in the February issue of the AKC Gazette.

DENTAL HEALTH TIPS

* Don’t ignore bad breath, discolored teeth, or the red gums of your canine friend. Your dog needs diligent oral care from both you and your veterinarian to live a full and healthy life.
* Symptoms of canine oral disease include bad breath, a change in eating or chewing habits, pawing at the face or mouth and depression. Vets recommend regular dental exams for all dogs.
* Small-breed dogs are prone to tartar accumulation when very young, which results in the loss of many teeth by the time they’re 10 years old.
* Larger breeds, such as German Shepherd Dogs, don’t collect as much tartar on their teeth so they are not as prone to gum recession. Though they can have problems with gingivitis and tartar, they are much more likely to experience tooth fracture.
* Look in your dog’s mouth regularly. If his gums are cherry red, he has gingivitis. If you smell foul breath, he has a bacterial infection—it might just be from plaque, but it could also be an abscessed tooth.
* Whether a dog has an abscessed or fractured tooth or tartar and gum disease, the bacteria in his mouth can penetrate his gums and migrate via the bloodstream throughout his body—the heart, kidneys, and liver are particularly susceptible to invasion by oral bacteria.
* When you detect a problem in your dog’s mouth, have him examined by your veterinarian.

A Message From a Fort Doberdale Nemesis

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This evening, Regis spotted the flying submarine, and alerted the Fort Doberdale Squirrel Posse that we were under attack by the beast. OK, we were really just under the thing, but we let Regis have his fantasy. Moreso, we participate in it.

The FDSP responds to the invader. Adrenalin flows.

The beast flies right over the Fort Doberdale campus! It seems to be trying to convey a message to us.

Regis doesn’t trust it no matter what message it’s trying to convey. He proceeds to give it a piece of his senior mind.

But the blimp disregards the warning from Fort Doberdale’s most senior Doberdude, and reveals its trademarked message.

The floating submarine’s pleasantries don’t appease Luna. She’s out to take the beast down. Luna’s loyalty can’t be bought.

As a matter of fact, none of the Posse gives up loyalties. The pack rules and everyday’s a good-year day here at Fort Doberdale.

Luna, in all her frenzy to capture the floating goon, catapults herself over the boundary between the dog- and no-dog-zone. Ooops. Bad news. Annie’s impressed, but that’s not an acceptable Fort Doberdale manuever.

Though we want to get that varmint gone, FD Law must be obeyed. Luna flings herself back into the dog-zone, and steps back to give the blimp another appalled look. The flipped back ear is a definite indication of Luna’s disheveled feelings over the violation of her backyard privacy.

Meanwhile, in my part of this world, well, there goes another “almost papaya.” I’m beginning to adjust to the fact that I may never get a freshly grown papaya off my own fruit tree.

As the blimp fades into the sunset, Luna gives one last warning.

And Bouchard takes care of the punctuation mark.

Helen

Raider Remembered

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Raider was a Dobermann, who was adopted through rescue. He went to the Rainbow Bridge on Feb 19, and his owner asked me to share her writing about him.

~Rainbow Bridge for Raider~

My baby raider was the most special dog and human dog a human could ever have, he was my full and utmost companion and loyal friend…

No more will he suffer in pain or in sadness because of being so ill ever again. His life now and always filled with gladness and joy with all of his forever buddies….

He made me laugh and made me cry for all the right reasons… His brother Carlton who he left in our care were the best buddies in the world…. And he also misses him in great devotion .. They would play and of course play hard and one time they had gotten a little rough in fact Carltons rump end hit the corner of our wall and sure enough broke the wall and boy did we laugh till we cryed and of course Carlton was fine…

They would romp and play through the grass and in and out of their doggie door all day long until each one had gotten so tucker out…..Raider will greatly be missed by all of us and everyone and everyone that knew him.. I guess god had his reasons for all of this to happen…. Although I will never understand why??

He Raider then crossed over to that wonderful Rainbow Bridge…. Forever with all his wonderful furry friends …..And I can still feel him by my side….

Funny how they is a plan for everyone in this world …..

The sadness I feel while we are apart but it is not forever
Please please god take care of him for me and give him a big kiss on that big beautiful black nose….

I love you Raider and so does Daddie and your brother Carlton and your 2 wonderful grandmas…..!!

Monday Madness

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Today I got into the elevator on the 26th floor to go to floor 16, and when the doors shut, Mr. Elevator said, “Floor 7. Going up.” Ewkay.

One of the dead bolts to a door of mine became unyielding when I returned home after work. This was not good being tonight was obedience practice, and I had to rush to feed everyone a well-balanced dinner, so no time to fix the bolt. I fretted, though, because I had to take Baby with me to class. It’s not fun to go drill class without your canine partner, and I wondered if I should stay home and fix the darn thing instead. Then I thought to myself, “Whaddya crazy? The house is well protected. Go.” So we went.

In class, Baby, once again, proved to me how much she HATES the recall. Somehow, she couldn’t hear me when I called her. Tonight, instead of running to do something else, she decidedly sat there and looked up and around her as if to say, “Did someone somewhere say something?” Yeah. What she was hearing were two obedience trial entry fees flapping their monetary wings bye-bye. We – that would be Baby and I – are entered in two upcoming trials. See, if we JUST pass them … not spectacularly, just pass them, Baby gets that darn Companion Dog title. That is all I will ever ask of her, and she can retire DoberDiva Extraordinare. After that, I can start working with the dogs who really like doing this stuff. I swear, besidesLilian, Baby is the only snitster Diva in the bunch. I figger.

I’m talking to Luigi again. I had to. He was walking around in a daze.

He’s very personable, and gets out of sorts when his person is chilly with him. And when he is out of sorts, well, the unscrupulous members of the Posse tend to take advantage.

So, here we are, tenuously getting back to normal.

Ginger played keep away the ball from Luigi over the weekend. This is about the only ball she carries around these days. I think the others are too rough on her (and each other) when they are playing keep away with the Cuz balls. But this big one is a good one to use if you want to konk the competition on the head and run like the wind.

One of my friends sent out an e-mail recently on how mast cell cancers can cause itchiness. It was very coincidental that she sent it around the time Ginger started to itch a lot. Though I didn’t think she has mast cell cancer, perhaps she does. According to the literature, the mast cell cancer doesn’t go to the lungs. Confusion sets in, but I am giving her some Benedryl. I may have to up the dosage as she is still somewhat itchy. She is the sweetest red girl in the Posse. I love her dearly.

Then there are others who are sweet, too, with a teeny bit of attitude.

Helen