Business of the Month

We at A Pet Nanny Plus have been nominated as the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month for December. So exciting! We get a banner to hang in our place of business so we can show it off to all our clients. Unfortunately, my place of business is an office in my home, so no one will see the banner and be suitably impressed by it, so I decided to take pictures of it and plaster them all over the internet, newsletters etc. :)

I decided there needed to be a pet in the picture, after all, we are a pet sitting business. Oak got chosen as the model. And since it's December, he should be suitably dressed for the occasion.

So I tied the sign to the fence and started difficult task of getting a GOOD picture I could use.:) It took about 3 hours and 101 pictures (thank goodness for digital cameras!) but I think we finally got 1 or 2 I can work with.

First we had Oak being camera shy :)



Then the timer went off before we got into place! We look like we are admiring the sign :)



Then Oak decided the Santa hat was a great toy and he should pull it off and run away while I had my back turned setting the timer on the camera.



Trying to get the hat to stay on his head was a bit of work :) He was ok with the antlers, but he thought the hat was a lot of fun to play with!



Finally our a great shot I can use of both of us.



And a good one of just Oak too. Now I have to decide what to do with them!

What was Once Old is Young Again :)

This post is an update to the last post about supplements for Zanara's hip dysplasia. I went to my nearest Global Pet Foods (Kim's Store, what a wonderful lady :) and tried to find the Hylaflex I mentioned in the last post. She didn't carry that brand, but she did have a product called HYALcare. It contains hylauronic acid, as well as Boswellis, Herring oil, Glucoation Hydrochloride, L-Glutamine, MSM and Shark cartilage. I wasn't sure about buying a product with so many things in it, but I discussed it with Kim and she called someone who had used it with fabulous results, so I thought, what the heck. Let's go for it. Boy am I ever thrilled I did!

CHASING OAK FOR A STICK :)



After only 3 weeks Zanara was running, smiling and chasing the kids. I don't remember the last time she did that. Probabely a couple of years ago! We went up to the cottage last weekend, she ran after the frisbee, caught a frog (spit it right back out) and swam all weekend.



She was definitely stiff on sunday morning, but after going for a bit of a stroll she was ready for action again. I would recommend this product to anyone (and I do) who's dog has arthritis. It is a life saver for our new "puppy" girl :)

No Hippy, Hippy, Shake, Shake yet :(

It's been awhile and I'm doing a bunch of research right now, so I thought it would be a good time for an update on Zanara's hips.

The Dog Gone Pain did work, but not enough to justify the price and the reuslts weren't perfect. We want her to be pain free (not just in less pain). So we decided to keep looking. Next we tried a supplement called Wysong's Missing Link Canine Plus. Unfortunately, there was no improvement at all.

So we thought about it some more and brilliantly came to the conclusion to try Sasha's Blend! Afterall, Oak has been on it for 2 years now and he is doing wonderful! I know, why didn't we try it earlier? Really dumb I think :) Mandy put it in her breakfast on saturday and she did something she has NEVER done before in her life. She refused to eat breakfast! Unbelievable, Zanara eats everything! So I guess this isn't going to work either. Time to try something else, she's getting really sore again and we can't wait until she, hopefully eats the Sasha's Blend.

Back to google :) The last time we were at the Chiropractor, she suggested trying Hylauronic Acid. she said it has been used on horses for years, now it is also being used by people and pets. What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic Acid (HA), also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate, is a carbohydrate, more specifically a mucopolysaccharide occurring naturally throughout the body. It can be several thousands of sugars (carbohydrates) long. When not bound to other molecules, it binds to water giving it a stiff viscous quality similar to “Jello”. In other words, it is a very important part of good joint function.

I found, what seems to be, a great supplement for pets (they also make one for people I will be trying at the same time). It is called Hyaflex. I haven't found this one in Canada yet, so I'm going to order it online. Wish me luck (Zanara actually). Hopefully this will be the one to help.

While I was searching for a good source of HA, I also came across a few more interesting sites pertaining to pet supplements that I will feature in upcoming blogs.

The Annual Humane Society Walkathon 2011

An important part of being a healthy pup is to get emough exercise. So today we went on a 5 kilometre walkathon for the Humane Society of Durham Region and I thought I'd share a few pictures of our adventures!

We went up the hills (the others were much steeper!) ....



Jewels thought we were going a bit too slow! Are you guys coming?



A stop at the river to cool down and have a drink.



Maybe a bit of landscaping too. Oak decided there were too many rocks in the river, so he started to clean them out :)



The beavers made a mess of this tree! There were a few others in the area they munched on too.



Oak loved the treats at every drink stop :)



We found Lady Slippers ...



And Morrells...



And mud! Jewels got her feet all muddy and had to be dunked in the river :)



After the walk we had a yummy barbeque with hot dogs, pop and some doggie games.



And then for dessert cupcakes. Aren't they adorable?



Time to go home, on the way back to the van, we stopped at the bridge to look for fish. It was a very entertaining morning.



If you didn't make it this year, make sure to come out in 2012. Don't miss all the fun!

Arthritis and Zanara

Zanara, if you don't already know, is our 12 yr old golden retriever. At 2 years of age, she was diagnosed with 3rd degree hip dysplasia. That was when we started researching dog foods, supplements and hip dysplasia. We decided at that time, that what we were feeding was not good enough for our babies and we switched everyone to B.A.R.F. (raw food) plus supplements. This has REALLY helped Zanara over the years, but now she is starting to slow down and show signs of pain. I've been taking her to the chiropractor, which has definitely helped as well, and she is a on glucosamine/chondrotin/msm supplement but I think she needs more. It is painful for her to get up and she is moving slowly, unless there is swimming involved :) She LOVES water!



So back to Google I went. What I found is a product called Dog Gone Pain or DGP for short. It contains alot of herbs that I already knew were helpful for joint pain, like: Feverfew, Boswellia Serrata, Bromelain, Papain, Cayene and Turmeric. There are also a few I never realized would be useful like: Corydalis Root, Wheatgrass and Celery Seed.



On their website they state DGP works faster and it contains ingredients that support the nervous system, gastrointestinal, skeletal and immune health.

I don't know if it works as well as they claim, but I do know I have an expensive bottle sitting in my purse and a sore doggy who needs some help, so we'll see how it goes. I'll let you know in a few weeks if there are any improvements. Cross your fingers summers coming and Zanara will want to get out there swimming again!

Changes ....

I have decided it is time to change the focus of this blog. As I mentioned in the last blog I wrote, we have been having numerous health issues not only with Jewels, but with all our dogs. We have been researching and trying different things to improve their health and we have also been doing the same with our own. I would like to start writing about the things we are learning (and trying) and the things that are helping. So stayed tuned for a BRAND NEW BLOG :)



By the way, the rabbit still isn't here :(
Jewels was scheduled for her cataract surgery on Tuesday March 22. She had developed a heart murmur, so our vet wanted her to have an xray and possibly an ultra sound to make sure she'd be ok to have the surgery. They discovered she wasn't ok to have the surgery she has a tumour on the bottom of her heart. It is a condition called Chemodectoma . More research, more changes, a healthier bunch of furry friends :) Our Journey Back to Health is about to begin. Want to come along for the ride?

It Tea Time Again

Once again we had a fabulous time, yummy food, delicious tea and a great atmosphere (it was at Vandermeer's Nursery again) My granddaughter and her friend really enjoyed the chocolate fountain and went back for seconds and thirds.


Once again this year we made our way to the Durham Region Humane Society Victorian Tea.

They also had a hat contest (my friend Corinne won last year) where everyone had to make their own hat. This is Mandy sporting her lovely hat with it's living garden. Yes, those plants are alive!



Julie went with an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party theme for her hat :)



They also had a few pyschics, tea leaf readings (by Corinne),



raffles, chocolates for sale and so much more. I came home with a few new plants ( a hyacinth that smells absolutely wonderful!) and a full tummy. Thanks for the great day! We'll see you again next year :)

When's the Rabbit Coming?

In Chinese astrology 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. I read the motto is: "Let there be peace -- and let it begin with me". Last year was the year of the Tiger. It was supposedly a year of "roller coaster ups and downs." I think, around here at least, the year of the Tiger decided to hang on for a bit so that we would appreciate the calmness to follow. Hopefully that will happen soon!

One major thing I have learned so far this year is cat's claws and dogs eyes are a bad combination.



On January 5 our little Jewels was accidently scratched in the eye by one of the cats she lives with. She was rushed off to the emergency clinic in the area. Unfortunately, our local emergency clinic is not set up to handle eye emergencies. They weren't much help at all, except to recommend that Jewels be taken to see Dr Michael Zigler in Oakville. He was able to sew her iris back on and send her home with lots of eye drops and meds to be taken in hopes of saving her eye. We went back the following week for a checkup and then again 2 weeks after that. She was able to cut back the 4x a day eye drops to 3x and some even only twice a day. He was cautiously optimistic that she would regain some of her sight and keep her eye. Yeah she was on the road to recovery!



Well, things didn't work out quite the way we had hoped :( On Sunday February 13 we went for a lovely walk, then a bit of a nap (for the dogs) and some treats. Suddenly I heard a squeal from upstairs. Jewels came running downstairs very upset with liquid running down her face! Back to the emergency clinic (who were once again no help), then back to see Dr Zigler.. After a 2 days of tests he discovered a stitch had come out and her retina had detached. There was no way to save her eye. He did an enucleation of her eye on the Tuesday and we were able to pick her up on Wednesday. She had just been able to take her cone off once in a while, but now she was back in it for the next two weeks.



After lots of rest, relaxation, hugs, kisses and treats, she is healing wonderfully and looking fabulous. She does have cataracts in the remaining eye so can only see shadows. It does seem to cause her some stress especially at night and when a certain golden retriever starts bouncing around. So she will be having cataract surgery on her remaining eye (they did lots of tests to determine it was a perfect candidate for surgery). She has her cataract surgery. scheduled for March 22 and then she'll be done. Then maybe the rabbit part of the year will finally begin and fill the rest of her year with PEACE and CALM.