sutton077

Saturday, my sweet dog Ike died of hemangiosarcoma. Tragically, we had no idea he was seriously ill. In fact, he'd had his senior exam not long before this. We were constantly alert to Ike's daily health, and probably nothing would have changed the sad outcome. I'm sharing these details in the hopes it may help someone else...although sadly, there is very little that can be done to prevent or treat it. At the end I will list a few suggestions. Ike's symptoms (*this may not be the way it is for all dogs): 1. Ike was 10 years old. Over the last several months he seemed excessively tired at night, preferring to remain on his pillow in the living room rather than climb the stairs to join us. We'd mentioned it to our vet who surmised multiple possibilities for this. Maybe it was joint pain. We even considered that he wanted to be downstairs to stay with our other dog, who had started sleeping downstairs as well. Maybe it was just part of aging. Looking back, it was the c...

It is with the deepest sadness that I have to share that we had to say goodbye to Ike on Saturday. He was 10 years old. He was a good boy. Ike's Purpose Ike had many jobs to do here on earth, and he did them all without us asking. We adopted him when he was seven years old, and he knew that in order to stay with us, his first job was to get along with Kelly, our bossy female spaniel. From the start he was a gentleman and always let her have her way. His next job was to help my husband Mike recover from a life-threatening illness. When Mike came home from the hospital after 41 days, Ike provided TLC, the most powerful medicine around, especially when administered by a warm and furry canine companion. On a daily basis, he kept me company as I worked from home, and was the best office-mate ever. Then he became a certified therapy dog, giving unconditional love to all he met. Finally, as our 16-year old Kelly became blind, deaf and in the throes of dementia, he stepped in an...

If you have to fly, the thought of transporting your pet in a crate in the cargo section of a plane may be disconcerting...but some airlines are taking more consideration for the welfare, comfort and well being of pets traveling by air. Photo from arkjfk.com  A particularly encouraging improvement is the ARK at JFK --an airport lounge for animals. The ARK offers (or will offer when completely functional): * more than 100,000 sq ft, 14.4 acre facility *Pet Oasis features 47 kennels for dogs and 12 for cats *round-the-clock 24/7 animal care *Zen-like environment *dedicated outdoor relief area for dogs *quarantine area * pre-flight and after-flight walks *baths and/or brushing *healthy meals *cleaning of travel crate *48 climate controlled stalls and 24 additional export stalls for horses *aviary with special habitats *vet on premises *transportation to connecting planes *airside location for direct access to planes * Have you ever experienced this kind of lounge or treatment when fly...

Ike here! I've been spreading the word that my mom is a Chewy Influencer. That means that she gets cool things from Chewy.com , and writes a review. And I get to sample the food! This month I've been telling you all about Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak turkey, duck and quail Northern Woodland Recipe. All month long I've been trying this new food, and Mom has been keeping tabs on how I'm doing. As lots of you know, different food can affect our digestive system, skin and coat, energy level and more. I can be a bit sensitive to new food, so Mom introduced Peak gradually. I'm happy to say that I love Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak food! Here is my evaluation form: Did it smell good?  CHECK--almost as good as dirty socks. Did it taste good? CHECK---I licked my bowl clean every time. Did it agree with my tummy?  CHECK--no bellyaches, no vomiting, and everything looks okay on the backyard patrol. Did it help make my coat nice and shiny? CHECK--you can see for yourself, right? Did it...

Today is Kelly's Birthday!! She's 16 years old today. Kelly has been struggling with her health a bit lately, so we just want to make this birthday a time to celebrate the good girl that she is. She's been with us through many happy times, the empty nest, she's welcomed (at times, tolerated lol) new dogs in the family and loves the new grandbabies.  Happy Birthday Sweet Kelly!

Ike is back again to tell you more about Rachael Ray Nutrish Peak dog food. Hi it's me, Ike. Hi! Remember when I told you that my mom is a Chewy Influencer? That means that she gets cool things from Chewy.com , and writes a review. And I get to do the sampling of food! So a few weeks ago Mom bought this awesome new dog food Peak turkey, quail and duck. It smelled really good, so I guarded the bag for a while. I wondered when Mom was ever going to give me some. Finally she opened the bag. When she left the room for a minute, I gave it a good inspection.    Yup, it's good! Mom has been giving me this food for several days now. I said "Pour it all on!" but she told me when you start a new food, you should transition over slowly. So she started by sprinkling a little bit on top, then increased the ratio little by little. All I know is that this Peak food tastes delicious. I tend to have allergies when I eat certain foods, so we have to be careful. I've been eating du...

Today's topic? FOOD! Hi! My name is Ike, and my mom is a Chewy Influencer. That means that she gets cool things from Chewy.com , and writes a review. And I get to do the sampling of food! So today I'm taking over the blog because after all, isn't my opinion what really matters?  What is number one important to us dogs? That's right...food! So we have to train our humans to give us the food we like. Okay so here are some of the flavors I like: steak, bacon, waffles, dirt, socks, pizza, trash... yeah so I don't have the world's most discerning palate. But, this brings me to point number 2...  When it comes to food, your human is (sometimes) smarter than you. There are some things us dogs can't do. Like read a label. And the whole opposable thumb thing. I know my humans love me and want the best for me. So I trust them to feed me the best food. But I also want to train my human to give me what I like to eat. So here's the thing. Today she received this bag ...