We board a LOT of dog's here. It seems when people find out you don't mind having an extra dog, word gets around. Anyway, for the first time I have a dog who seems happier and more at ease here than I've seen her look at her own house.

She's an 11yr old Akita-cattle dog cross with arthritis and bad hips. She's always seemed aloof and flat to me, bordering on depressed. I was told she isn't interested in toys, has no use for other dogs and sleeps most of the day.

Well she's been annoying my cat, chased a squirell in my yard, she's play bowing and trotting along behind my dogs and she just tossed a kong in the air and tried to pounce on it. She has a really cute smile on her face that's warming my heart.

I don't know wether it's because my house is so chaotic that she figured it's too noisy to sleep, might as well play or what. Her companion, an old GSD died suddenly a couple of years ago. Maybe she's just really enjoying the company of dogs.
Anyway, it's a nice change from dogs who are a little sad and nervous being here.
Oh, I've also never known a dog who could smell the same smell for 10 minutes at a time. She takes sniffing very seriously and apparently my block has some GOOD smells. Tonight I'm taking a magazine on our walk

That's so awesome!! I'm totally going to board in your house!!!!

Aw, that makes me so happy. I love when the older ones can play and have fun like that. She's a lucky girl to get to go to Camp Heather!

That's so good to hear ! I confess that I've got a weakness for Akita types. Ruffysdad

That is so great, and how fun it must be to watch him playing like that. It's probably the most fun he's had in ages.

Awww! Can Bella come stay with you? I think you have the magic boarding house touch.

Aw that's very cool!

I'm sending Ella first!

So great he's having a good vacation at your place.

They can all come and stay so long as they bring their owners for a visit too.

The bad new is poor Shelby is now a very stiff looking old lady. I let her come on a walk with R&S.It's about a 45 loop through some lovely trees and by a lake. She stayed on leash but I guess it was still too much as she stiffened up and could hardly move that evening. I feel awful. I think she'll go bcak to short walks to smell the smells. I gave her arnica but she kept pattooing it out.

Sometimes after a really long walk, my dogs will be pretty stiff. I just give them a baby aspirin (I guess they call them "low dose" aspirins now - the tiny blue ones) and let them sleep and they seem fine the next day.

It is great that she is enjoying herself so much - I hope you let the owners know! I have also been petsitting a lot this summer and one of the things I do is to take photos of their dogs interacting with mine, having fun, doing things the owners said their dogs didn't do (like sleeping happily in a crate) etc. and then give the owner the prints and sometimes a little story (or a link to my blog if I've written the story there and posted pictures). It reassures the ones who really were worried about leaving their dogs, and it opens doors to conversation and education for those who have a different perspective on their dog than I do.

Yeah I've taken some pictures.
It's the FOOD and supplements I wish they would change. She's on vet food- a step up from the Iams she's eaten her whole life previous to the recalls. It's yellowish and it smells disgusting . I bet the first ingredient is corn. It gives her loose poop so the vet told them to add 2Tbsp of wheat germ.
She is supposedly allergic to chicken and red meat but so far as I know she's only been on a couple of foods. I suggested trying her on Orijen 6 fish but they are sticking with the vet stuff.*sigh*

aww - she sounds sweet.

You have pellets, right? Make a medicinal solution with it! Put 1 pellet in 4 oz. of water, let it dissolve then drizzle a teaspoon worth of the water over her gums and tongue!

hmm that's a smart idea. I was an RN not that long ago, you'd think my brain would be able to come up with alternatives to getting meds into uncooperative patients!

I think I might try that with the cat, maybe I'll be able to sneak in that fragaria vesca after all. Probably won't get 4oz into her but I bet I could dissolve it in a small syringe of water and give it to her.

Actually, Hahnemann (the FATHER of homeopathy) said that's the way you SHOULD be doing it (see the 5th edition of The Organon)! Dry doses should only ever be used in an emergency and should never be repeated!

No, no, no, do not give the entire 4 oz! You just dissolve 1 pellet into 4 oz. of water then GIVE 1 tsp!

what? but the dose is 3 pills. if I dissolve it in 4oz of water but only give atsp they won't get but a fraction of it?

That's not classical homeopathy. Hahnneman (the father of homeopathy) says we should be using medicinal solutions. Put 1 pellet into 4 oz. of water (you only need 1 pellet). Let it dissolve. The "energy" is transfered to the water. Give 1 tsp. of that water to your guy. That's how classical homeopathy works! 1 tsp. is all you need - you absolutely DO NOT give all 4 oz. of water

If you're interested in learning more about how true classical homeopathy is practiced, please join the list ClassicalHomeopathyPets on Yahoo Groups... it's very enlightening! A lot (I dare say most) homeopathy that is practiced today is incorrect and not done according to Hahnemann's methods (which are laid out in The Organon of the Medical Art, specifically the 5th and 6th editions). The list owner actually teaches a few courses every year on the basics of homeopathy and how to use homeopathy to administer first aid in acute situations (which I recommend - I already taken two of them)

Oh, I should add that in most acute/first aid type situations 30c potency is best. If it's determined that a higher potency is needed (if indeed the correct remedy is being used), I can tell you how to do that (without having to purchase a higher potency) but I don't want to bombard you with too much information right now!

As for the remainder of the 4oz. water with the dissolved remedy in it, you can add 1 tsp. of grain alcohol (Everclear) to it to preserve it and put it in a bottle for later use. Be careful not to shake or stir the bottle, and store it in a cool, dry place.