A little R&R

Well, I am feeling much better than I was last week. I think my disk may have popped back in place or something because I have been running around - even though I'm not supposed to. I even had enough energy to bark at the mailman yesterday! Woof!

I'm still on my meds and I'm to stay off my feet for the next 3 weeks, but my vigor is a good sign. I am hopeful that this means my injury will not require surgery.

All this good news, however, comes at a price. I haven't been on a walk in a week and I might gain weight due to my lack of activity. This means that, after having lost 15 lbs last year, I may have to lose some more. Weight gain sucks.

Mom still isn't sure how I got this injury in the first place. Most likely, I had a seizure and fell, she says. My last seizure (in June) was the most severe that I've had. It was a literal grande mal that had me convulsing. So, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that a similar seizure last week could have caused my ruptured disk.

Well, I better get going. Mom doesn't want me exerting myself. Hope all is well with you, my friends!

--Buck

I must be getting old...

I didn't want to admit it, but I fear I have no choice now. I'm old.

Today, Mom rushed me to the Emergency Vet because I was unable to walk well, whining and hunched over. She was terrified that I might have bloat.

Well, we went to this ER vet clinic - it's brand new and run by UC Davis - and they discovered that, thankfully, I didn't have bloat. However, my neurological exam suggests that I have a ruptured disk in my back (most likely a Hansen Type 2, which is common in large breeds).

The good news is that I will most likely not need any surgery - anti-inflammatory and pain meds, along with bed rest, should do the trick. The bad news, though, is that I can't play with my friends, go on walks, or get into the car for rides! It's terrible! I can only go outside to pee and poop!

Basically, I'm on bed rest for 4 weeks. If I don't heal up well by then, surgery will be required. So, I'm asking for your prayers and well-wishes during my slow (and boring!) recovery.

--Buck

WOOHOO!!!!

This weekend has been awesome!

Dad asked Mom to marry him on Thursday during our evening walk! She said yes, of course! But, I get to be in the wedding and have a real furdaddy!

Also, I got to go to the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA Walk-for-Animals! I think there must have been 20,000 people there! HURRAY!

Well, I'm gonna go to bed now... I've been too busy!

--Buck (aka official canine attendant/usher)

New Exercise program

Hello, loyal fans... (my ego is getting huge)

Mom decided that she needed to sign us up for the pet and human fitness challenge run by Hill's Science Diet. The good news is: more walkies. The bad news: grandma-dog is not allowed to give me table scraps (not that she was before, but now Mom is cracking down on it). But, I guess you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

So, I got to thinking about my own health. When Mom left for college, she left me behind and there was nobody around to take me for walks or monitor my diet. I got kinda chunky, for lack of a better word.

Once Mom came back, though, things were different. She rationed my food to 2 cups (I was getting almost 3 for some reason) and took me on walks every day. I lost my extra 15 pounds pretty fast, needless to say.

Now, I know that people have a hard time staying thin themselves. They try miracle diet after miracle diet, but nothing ever works. What it really comes down to, for both canine- and man-kind, is exercise and healthy eating. No miracle FDA drug for canine obesity is going to solve the problem. We have to take responsibility for our own health.

This lesson didn't come easy, so I can understand why people may still be confused about what to do. My Mom was a little chunky herself when she got back from school, but she has lost 10 lbs (which was all she needed to lose) by exercising with me.

I suppose my point is this: My fellow dogs, make your human your accountabilty partner. Get out for more walks and start eating right! It's not that hard, really. I promise. Mom promises, too.

So, if you're sick of your paunch, go walk it off. Tell me how things turn out for you!

--Buck, self-declared life counselor

Shampoo, etc.

So, Mom submitted an inquiry to Dogster answers asking about shampoo for sensitive skin. I've got a Rx shampoo that costs $16/bottle- expensive for someone on a college student budget! So, she was hoping that maybe someone could help her locate a generic brand. She got a few answers, but one reply left her quite pissed off. Basically, this person decided to chide her for not realizing that having a dog meant a financial commitment and that she should sacrifice eating out and going to the movies so that she could buy my Rx shampoo instead.

Um, hello? Mom's not irresponsible, you fool! She's poor and obviously trying her hardest to still make ends meet and take care of me. She'd sell all of her textbooks and her TV if she had to! It's not like she hasn't had dogs since she was a child and doesn't know that we are a responsibility. But I digress...
the point is that there has got to be a generic brand of oatmeal shampoo out on the market somewhere.

Well, it turns out that there is! And my Mom, being the great momma-dog that she is, bought the biggest bottle that Petco had! Now she's well-prepared for keeping my skin healthy.

This new shampoo is by TropiClean. It's smells great and has tea tree oil and oatmeal. Mom also got AvoDerm grooming spray to help keep my skin and coat healthy and smellin' fresh!

Also, Mom also got me a new collar. It's sage green, charcoal greay, and red and made out of nylon fibers. So, it is much lighter than my old leather clunker. It's made by EK Designs and it looks VERY durable. It will also allow the skin around my neck to breathe and not get so irritated after exercise!

Mom feels vindicated now and I'm happy with my new collar. The only thing I am not looking forward to is my next bath.... bleh!

--Buck

My week

Well, Monday thru Wednesday were blah as usual, but Thursday was interesting. Dad came to visit in the evening. Mom picked him up at the airport and then we got to hang out some. The bummer was that I got diarrhea later that night. I was gross...and I got my crate all icky. I, needless to say, got a bath. I hate baths. No matter how much I pleadingly stare at Mom, she still drags me in to the tub and I have to get all wet. Friday was still pretty typical- wake up, eat, go outside, take a nap, eat later, go to bed. Today, though, I got to go for a walk! Man, I was so excited! I haven't been on a walk for weeks because Mom is back at school and she gets so tired. Fortunately, with all of those walks I went on over the summer, I am back at a healthy weight and I've got a lot more energy! YAY!

Anyways, the bummer of the day was that Dad had to go back to the Bay Area for work. Hopefully he'll be back soon to give me more belly rubs!

--Buck

Icky Vick-y

Gosh- I can't believe some people still think dog-fighting is a sport! Baseball- sport. Bowling-sport. Even cheerleading- I can consider that a sport. Why? Healthy competition relying on the talent of the individual and there is generally no malicious intent. Dog-fighting is just cruel, sick, and wrong.
I'm having such a hard time wrapping my mind around this whole thing. I don't understand why it is that a man making millions of dollars throwing around a pigskin would need to bother with harming dogs. He certainly doesn't need the money! The more I try to understand, the more I realize that I can't begin to rationalize it. It doesn't make sense to me because it's unexcusable. Dog-fighting is just a callous disregard and lack of respect for life. In the end, what it comes down to is that the man just doesn't care.
I consider myself a good Christian dog and I know that God charged mankind with dominion over animals. They're supposed to take care of us, not abuse us. They are to care for and respect what their creator entrusted to them. I fail to see how pitting two dogs against eachother and executing the loser is caring for life.
Well, I hope that justice is served in the end. If not, maybe he will spend the rest of eternity having his legs bitten by Pomeranians. Who knows? I just hope the K-9's at the prison he's going to are more forgiving than me.
That's all for now. I'm out!
--Buck (Self-titled canine theologian and philosopher)

She's back!

Mom and Dad live some 500 miles apart, making things hard for both of them. Mom left home for a week to visit Dad, leaving me with Grandpa-dog and Grandma-dog, which means- NO WALKIES! Gah- I thought I was going to go nuts! I couldn't sleep in Mom's room, I didn't get any extra attention, and there was nobody around to throw my ball for me. However, I was so happy when my Mom came back from her trip to visit Dad. At some point, we'll live together... which means twice the attention. :)
Well, that's all for today. I'm gonna go drool all over Mom's leg so she never leaves again.
~Buck