I took Hoshi to Gina’s a couple weeks ago for a haircut. She told me Hoshi could lose a couple pounds. I’m having trouble with my mom feeding him everything she eats–including chocolates. I’ve told her not to but she forgets. She has a miniature pinscher named Beanie and they’re supposed to weight 8-10 pounds. Last year, he weighed 14 pounds and looked like a butter ball ham. Now, he weighs 19.8 pounds and can barely walk due to his weight. We just brought Beanie home from the vet. He’s been having a cough. The vet thinks Beanie’s trachea has shifted possibly due to his fat or a mass. She couldn’t tell. I’ve had all sorts of talks with my mom about feeding the dogs her food. If I press the point, she gets mad and refuses to listen. Hoshi will be okay since he’s young and energetic. I’m not sure about Beanie.
Author: Manuel Villanueva
My little counter surfer
Hoshi is getting bigger! He has to be taller than Gabby now and he has such a long neck. Plus, he’s more muscular now and jumps like a gazelle. Don’t dare leave anything 6 inches from the edge of the counter or it’s his. Gabby’s never been able to reach the counter. The little thief is constantly making off with items from the kitchen counter. He has no problems standing at my desk and helping himself to anything he wants. He was also in the bedroom helping himself to my bedside stand. I think he wanted my cell phone–already has teeth marks on it. I’ll take some pictures after Gina gives him a trim. I plan on taking him and Gabby to JC Penny for their Christmas pictures next week.
Hoshi’s 1st day of class
Hoshi started his Fun-damentals of Obedience & Rally today. I made the mistake of not feeding him breakfast right before we left so he was begging and whining for treats throughout the class making him less than cooperative. I kept giving him treats just to keep him quiet. So far we didn’t cover anything new. We did sit, down, stand, stay, heel, about turn, left and right finishes, fronts and figure 8s. There were a lot more people in this class (8 I think). The instructors were completely opposite. One was a military type shouting commands the other soft spoken. I think it’s good having a variety of instructors with different teaching styles. They say we could work on a Companion Dog (CD) title if we are judged in 3 shows with passing scores. I don’t know if I’m up to showing. I’ll think about it.
Hoshi passed his Canine Good Citizen test
Hoshi took his exam this morning and did very well.
Medication
Gabby has been doing well since he started taking Vetmedin. I’m ordering Vetmedin through Foster & Smith as a significant discount. His cough has improved. His activity improved slightly. He sleeps a lot. He has lost weight–a good thing because he was overweight. I’ve decreased his Lasix dosage from 120mg (without my vet’s approval) to 80mg per day because his symptoms have improved with Vetmedin. 120mg of Lasix is a whopping dose even for a human.
He’s doesn’t like peanut butter like he used to. I use peanut butter to give his pills. Gabby takes 5 pills in the morning and evening. I’m using Jiff honey peanut butter he seems to like it the best. I’ll have to switch to something else if continues to be picky.
Gabby doesn’t have the strength he used to. It might be related to his blood pressure medication or inactivity. He’s lost a lot of muscle tone. This causes him to trip going up or down stairwells or getting down from the car.
Getting Gabby Up
I have to coax Gabby to get up for potty. I use treats. It funny, Gabby tries to steal the treats from me while he’s still in bed. He’s like a alligator lying motionless then he lunges in the blink of an eye taking the treat from my hand. I have to count my fingers to make sure they’re all there.