Preston is going green with the eco-friendly Skooperbox®.

When Preston is going on his daily walk along Charles River, Mommy uses the Skooperbox® to clean up after him.

FYI update 08/2010: As much as we like the idea behind the Skooperbox, we are sorry to say the box is not very practical to use. The lid doesn’t seal the smell and is not secure (we learned this the hard way). It is almost impossible to pick up soft poops. We are sticking to the degradable poop bags. Mutt Mitts are our favorite!

First it was Milo, then Preston and now Milo’s sister, Mina, is also limping. Mina’s mommy found a dime-size lump on her knee. The X-ray shows calcium deposit on her joint. According to the vet, it might be caused by a previously undetected injury that did not heal properly. Both the specialist and radiologist did not recommend a surgery so Mina will have to live with it. The limping comes and goes but poor Mina will have to be refrained from one of her favorite activities, chasing squirrels, for some time. Mina’s mommy is adding glucosamine supplement to her diet. It is not going to make the calcium lump go away but might help her joints in the long run. 500mg/day is a safe dosage recommended by the vet (for 20lb Mina).

Best wishes to Mina!

No dog park for Preston this week.
Preston got back from the slumber party last weekend with a limping hind leg. He and Milo had way too much fun. According to Auntie Rebekah, the two of them “played like there was no tomorrow!”
Mommy couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Preston’s leg. He didn’t seem to be in pain when Mommy examined his paw and leg but wouldn’t put weight on his right hind leg.

According to Dr. Eric Barchas, it could be “soft tissue trauma”. The best treatment is rest. This gives the affected joint or muscle time to heal. So Preston was put on bed rest for two days. This meant no running, playing or even walking!

The doctor was right! Preston recovered quickly and was back to normal on the third day.

Preston would like to say a prayer for his best buddy, Milo and hopes he recovers from his surgery quickly.

Poor Milo was attacked by foxtails when walking in the park last weekend. A tiny seed (spikelet) from the foxtail stuck to his paw, traveled into the skin and caused an infection. The vet had to perform surgery to remove the nasty little thing. Ouch!
All the doggies out there watch out for foxtails, stay away from them!

FYI:
“When a dog comes in contact with a foxtail, the cluster attaches to the dog’s fur and begins to move inward as the dog moves. The barbs on the cluster keep the foxtail from falling off or backing out of the fur, and the enzymes in the foxtail’s bacterium begin to break down the dog’s hair and tissue. The foxtail begins to work its way into the dog’s body, just as it would work its way into the soil had it entered the ground…. Dogs that come into contact with foxtails stand a good chance of having one of these insidious plant pieces work its way into the body. The result can be a very sick dog. The degree of illness depends on the area of the body where the foxtail entered and the amount of damage it has caused. Foxtails can enter the nasal passages, eyes, ears and mouth, and can work their way into the dog’s lungs, along the backbone and into many other locations throughout the body.” (Source: Petsbest.com)