Gobbling Food issues

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about an issue we've been working with both doggies on, Gobbling or literally inhaling their food. 
It's to be expected this is an issue as one is from a place where food was inconsistent and the other where if you didn't eat it fast, you didn't get it at all!

The Problem:
When a dog or a cat gulps their food down, they are not chewing the food first.  It can lead to upset tummies, gas, or even become a choking hazard.  Not only that but becoming so paranoid at getting to the food first, the behavior can lead to aggressive manners when food is taken away or someone gets too close. gastric dilatation-volvulus
If it's a large breed dog, gulping food can cause gastric dilatation-volvulus which is a fancy terms for a twisted stomach.  Air, fluid, and food goes into the stomach and intestines, causes swelling and then can twist around as the animal moves.  This can lead to severe complications and even death.

How do we fix it?

Basically we need to figure out a way to get them to sloooooow down!

We could sit there with them and give them small handfuls of food twice a day, but that would take a lot of time with two hungry pups.  We can also wet down their food so they cant suck it up, but that leaves them drooling in front of the counters while it gets mushy.

Our solution has been very simple!

I went online to Dr. Foster and Smith and found the best invention yet! Gobble Stoppers!!





These little plastic bones suction on to your existing dog bowls and create a sort of obstacle course for your dog to eat around.  They have to work to get their food a little bit, thus actually having a break in between bites. They'll cost you under $4 and save your nose from nasty upset tummy dog
farts LOL

Not only have the dogs slowed down because of these but I've also noticed that they're taking more time in general as well.  I think they've realized that their food isn't going anywhere and it's ok.  But I don't know how long that would have taken had we not had to "force" them to slow down. 

I hope this helps someone out there who may be dealing with a gulper and doesn't know how to help fix it.  This may not be the answer for large dogs, as I don't think they come in bigger sizes, but it definitely is something to try with small/medium dogs. They are made out of plastic so you need to be sure to wash it after feeding so no bacteria gets in there.

And of course I had to leave you with a couple shots of the girls :)

Penelope Ann the Cocker Spaniel

Little Miss Penny. 

Where do I start?

After we had officially agreed on adopting Chanel (see previous post), the cocker spaniel rescue, Second Chance Cocker Rescue, we had previously been working with called us about a little girl who'd just come in and was almost ready to be listed on their site.  They were being extremely picky about who she was homed with as she had had a VERY rough start to her life.  At only one year of age she had already had the life of so many stray dogs that are picked and thrown into the shelters.

After hearing her story, we made the "mistake" of looking at her pictures... it was all over after that!
Our hearts broke and we knew we had to take her in. Did I mention she's a red head like me?? :)

Here's Penny's story.

Penny was found wandering the streets of Lancaster, CA, picked up by animal control and brought to the local shelter. Her fur was so matted up they couldn't even do a full exam to get to the dog underneath and her toe nails were so long they had begun to curl underneath to her foot pads, indicating she had been caged. The rescue heard about her and rushed over to fight against her immanent death row fate.  Poor Penny was full term with a litter of 7 puppies and the shelter did not want to adopt her out because of it.  They were insisting on aborting and spaying her.  After battling with the workers, the rescue won and the shelter agreed to release Penny to them... but not before fully vaccinating her. 
The next day Penny went into labor and gave birth to 7 beautiful puppies.  Unfortunately, the puppies had been exposed not only to Kennel cough inside the shelter but all of the vaccinations as well. Vaccinating pregnant dogs or cats causes neurological problems with the babies and lowers all their immune systems just when they need to be as strong as possible.
Despite constant 24 hour care, the puppies grew weaker and weaker as the days went on.  By the end of the week, Penny had lost all of them.
Luckily for her, she had a huge support system.  She was taken home into the care of a wonderful foster mom, treated for her kennel cough, and shown what was probably her first experience of what love and affection really was.
When Penny came to our house, it was apparent she was special.  She immediately came over and batted her long eyelashes at us and blinked her sweet puppy eyes. There was no alternative to saying yes to this girl.  Despite all her hardships, she was ready to love.

Fast forwarding about a week after she came home to be with us, we woke up one morning to one of Penny's ears being bright red and swollen.  Knowing that cocker spaniels can have severe ear infections, but not having any experience with one, I called the vet and made an appointment right away. He took one look at her ear and knew the problem. Penny has had so many past untreated ear infections that her entire ear canal is now built up scar tissue which has calcified.  It's basically turned to bone inside her canal. The treatment? Surgery. She will most likely have to have what's called an Ear Canal Ablation.

This poor dog.  She has gone through all this traumatic drama to now face a very big surgery to have her ear canal basically removed and cleaned out. It's going to be a long road ahead, but I'm glad we're here with her.

I'll be keeping this blog updated with Penny's progress and what we learn about her ear problem as we go along.

Penny is at home enjoying life and being fattened up with lots of treats and attention.  She LOVES her sister Chanel and they do everything together! She has been an incredible teacher for Chanel in learning how to be a dog! I'm so happy they're together and able to keep each other company while we're at work during the day. To see both of them chase each other around the backyard and finally be able to act like the puppies they both missed out on, is a wonderful, wonderful thing!

sweet Penny with her feline sister, Phoebe

Chanel the King Charles Cavalier

Hello Everyone!

I'd like to introduce one of the little stars of this blog. 

Chanel the King Charles Cavalier

Chanel was a gift from God.  For years and years and YEARS I had been reading about King Charles Cavaliers, googling information, stalking high end breeders websites, deciding which was my favorite coloring (tri color), and even picking out names for my future furry friends.  You could say I'm a little bit obsessed over this breed.  I'd read about the importance of finding the right breeder because of how many health issues can come down the road, knew exactly what questions I'd need to ask them, and most importantly, how these dogs don't come cheap. That's what has been my road block.  I can't pay $2000+ for a puppy.  Not when there are so many wonderful dogs out there being put to sleep because they can't find homes. I just can't justify it.  Not to mention, I don't have that kind of money just sitting there.

Fast forward a couple decades... yup! I decided I wanted one pretty young!

Our wonderful spaniel/eskimo mix Maddie passed away suddenly from a rare disease about a year and a half ago.  We were devastated.  The whole process of finding out her diagnosis to her passing away was a matter of 2 weeks. We'd taken a long time to grieve over this special dog and it was time to bring in another little pup to our home.  So we went about looking online and checking out shelters and rescues.  I called on a few Cavaliers that needed "adopting" but the price tag was ridiculous.  The owners were more concerned about the $$ vs finding a good home. 

After hearing of a disappointing outcome of trying to adopt a little black cocker spaniel, one of our church members came up to me after the Sunday service.  "I don't know if you'd be interested, but a lady who was going to adopt one of my mom's dogs fell through and the dog is available again.  She's a Tri color King Charles Cavalier"

I about fell to the floor.

YES I WILL TAKE HER!!! I didn't really even need to go see her.

This family breeds "Cavapoos"- a designer cross between a Cavalier and a Poodle.  Chanel was part of their breeding program and was being retired after 4 litters.  She was purebred AKC Cav.  I was overjoyed and almost in tears.  I was half afraid her personality wouldn't be desirable or they would again ask for a large amount of money for adoption.

That afternoon little Chanel showed up on my doorstep.  I fell in love.

After petting her and watching her hang out with my 1 yr old niece, the lady asked,
"So what do you guys think?"
In a 3 way chorus, my dad, mom and I all yelled "YES!" LOL
Then came the dreaded question.
"How much does your mom want for her adoption fee?"
The lady smiled at me and replied ...
"Mom said that if you want her... she's yours."


I tried so hard to hold back tears of joy but I failed at making my voice even. 
"You have no idea what this means to me"
" I think I do" she said, and hugged me.

Chanel has a long way to go, she's not a perfect dog.  In fact, she doesn't really know how to be a dog at all right now.  But she'll get there.  She's loved and she knows we ask nothing of her in return. In fact she has started to bounce around puppy-like in the back yard and has even begun "talking" to us like some Cavs do!

As a breeding dog, Chanel doesn't know what it's like to just "be".  Her job was to take care of her pups.  She knows how to be in a kennel. It's been hard to see her not know what simple things are, like the edge of a bed. Or how the refrigerator works.  Or even where and when to go to the bathroom. But she's smart and she'll learn :) I think a lot of dogs have these issues when they come from shelters or rescues, so we're treating her as such.  Please understand that Chanel was not mistreated or abused like some dogs that come from those places.  But she was a working dog.  She had a job to do.  I understand that within a breeding program you have many dogs to take care of and it's hard to give each of them all of the love and attention they want.  But, luckily, that's what I get to do now!!

Our job is to make sure she gets high quality food and supplements, help her build up muscle, and to let her little personality shine.  She hardly has any fur on her, when they have their puppies they shed a lot of hair on their bellies, so I'll be giving her some supplements to help her skin and coat.  We've also bought her a couple really cute sweaters to keep her warm at night.  She really likes them!

I leave you with some puppy kisses from Chanel and a little photo to hold you over til next time.

Thank you for reading Chanel's story! It isn't over yet so stay tuned!

Introduction

Hello Everyone!

This blog is going to evolve around two special little angels who have entered my life.  Two sweet little spaniels who have had it rough or ruff... so to speak.  I'll be giving each of their stories individually, but I did want to give a little bit of an intro before I jumped in.  This will be their ongoing story as we continue through some struggles in the next few months.  I hope you will join along!