One Reason Why To Never Leave Your Dog In A Hot Car

They'll die!
I know it can be incomprehensible for many out there when they read about a dog or a human left in a car during the summer when some one has to run an errand. But for many they still think it is okay to think that "I just have to run into Walgreens to pick something up and the dog will okay if I leave the windows cracked and some water." - unless you leave the car running with the air blasting, it is not okay. Life happens, you run into someone and pretty soon it's been twenties minutes since you've left your four legged family member inside the car. Let me repeat this because it should not cross your mind: it is not okay to leave an animal in a car during the summer months without running air conditioning.  The inside of a car can jump 20 degrees from the outside temperature within 10 minutes and the more the dog pants the faster it will heat up.

Here's a link I recommend watching - Dr. Ernie Ward takes us inside a car to show us what it's like for an animal to be locked inside a car when it's hot outside.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/living/2013/07/02/bts-pets-in-hot-car-demonstration.dr-ernie-ward

Keep your fur kids safe and Keep Wagging everybody!

I am my fathers daughter

I never really thought about why I love animals and why I'm passionate about them. It just seems natural that you would care about an animal that is a sentient being, right? Well, I was speaking with my father the other day and it hit me where I think I get this from. My father is a renaissance guy -he's a wonderful chef, a talented musician (12 string guitar), an awesome designer and a guy who can pretty much do whatever he sets his mind to.

He owns a 13 acre farm out on Long Island where he grows wonderful Hydrangea, Peonies, and other life forms. That should be your first hint - he gives life. But here's the one that had my laughing so hard I was crying. Deer and woodchucks routinely visit to eat his crops. He's had modest success keeping the deer away but the wood chucks are a tenacious lot. So he buys a whole slew of Have-a-hart traps and sets them out. He goes out each morning, gathers up the full traps and...does nothing. He can't release them because he would be fined if caught. So he stares at their little brown eyes and they stare back. And he does what any evolved human would do. He releases them so he can start the process again. He doesn't have the heart to harm them even though they whittle into his livelihood.

Sayings like "The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree" exist for a reason.

I love my father and my four legged kids. Happy fathers day dad.

Dogs, stem cells and Hyper Baric chambers

Big Tuna sleeping on top of her brother Bishop

Today Big Tuna had a very eventful day. As I mentioned earlier, Tuna has a degenerative condition in both elbows, more pronounced in her left elbow. It has gotten to the point where she is lame most of the time, limping - in fact we noticed she was no longer going for longer walks with us because of the discomfort.




We met with Dr. Latimer of Jupiter Pet Emergency and Specialty Center. and discussed surgical options.You can watch the video below to get an idea of what we're in for!

How to trim a dogs nails

I recently had a reader say they could not trim their dogs nails because the dog wouldn't let him touch his feet. I've heard this often - I can't clean his ears because he doesn't like it or he runs when I grab the trimmers..." Well, not unusual but it is something that can be remedied. Some dogs could care less and some do. Generally the ones that could care less have had their feet and ears handled from day one.

That's the key - getting them used to being touched early on. They should not be uncomfortable or afraid. It should be pretty natural, just like petting them. And it's never too late to start either. But it will take longer for the dog to trust you the older they are because it is a new thing they have to get used to.Trust me - if I can do it, you can to. Dogs can be stubborn but with a little patience and lots of treats (you're going to feel like a human pez dispenser) you can get them used to a nail trim or an ear cleaning. Keep wagging everyone!

My husband and I are keenly tuned into customer service skills, specifically the lack of. So when we cross paths with someone who demonstrates customer services skills that are off the charts, we take notice and genuinely share the observation with the individuals.

Case in point, we had dinner at Carabas and we had a young man, Tyler, wait on us. Tyler nailed the customer service angle and it was obvious he was tuned into every customer within reach of us and genuinely seemed to be a nice person.

We prepared to leave and made an off hand comment about the "bullies enjoying the left overs" which led to Tyler talking about his rescue work and his rescued baby pit Vino. As all proud parents do, Tyler dutifully pulled out his phone to show us his beautiful kid (pictures to the right and below). When he mentioned "rescues" (as in dogs), I thought - duh! How obvious! You would expect someone who was involved with a caring act such as rescue work to have excellent customer service skills. My husband frequently comments that people who treat their animals as family members are more evolved that those who don't get it. There are of course many caring people who don't share their lives with animals but I think my husband may be on to something.

Should you be interested in gaining another loving family member, I encourage you to visit your local Humane Society or local rescue organization and meet all the furry kids looking to rescue a human.

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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Canine Entropion eye surgery

It's been almost two weeks since Bishop, our English Bulldog, had surgery for entropion.

If you have watched previous videos, you know what Bishi looked like before. Tightly packed folds around his eyes, so much so you couldn't tell what color his eyes were.

Take a look at the "How to give a dog eye drops" video (below) and you'll see how much skin he has around his eyes. Seriously, that's enough skin for a couple of dogs.

Now that he has recovered, his eyes are big and round and I found out that his eyes are actually brown. And the beauty of this procedure is he hasn't pawed at his eyes or squinted or rubbed his eyes. He's a brand new happy dog!

I have to give a special thanks to Bishops ophthalmologist - Dr. Colitz! She is one of the best canine ophthalmologists I've had the pleasure of working with and through the years she has done wonders not only for Bishop but for countless other dogs! 

If you have a question about the surgery, please contact me - and if you have one of your babies undergoing the same procedure, send us before and after pics and we'll write about them.

Keep your pets safe and healthy and keep wagging!

Canine eye surgery - Part 2

Bishop, our English Bulldog, has just come home from having surgery for a condition known as entropion. Entropion is where the eye lashes curl in back toward the eye. When this condition occurs, it is highly recommended to have surgery since the irritation can result in ulcers, losing an eye or if left untreated, possible death. Entropion is not something to be taken lightly and dismissed. And certain breeds (ahem...English bulldogs) are more likely to develop the condition. If you notice your dog pawing at his eyes and squinting, its time for a visit to the doctor.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Bishop already had surgery for this condition. But English bulldogs being English bulldogs, there has to be a health issue present at all times. His condition began to surface again as he celebrated a few more birthdays and began to lose a little fat / mass around his eyes. Because his condition had worsened and he was noticeably irritated, it was time to take care of the problem. Dr. Colitz removed excess skin from the areas above and below the eyes - and because he is an English Bulldog, he wouldn't miss the skin because he has enough skin for two Standard poodles and an Irish Setter. 


Surgery went without a hitch and Bishop is resting comfortably and all the other animals in the house are checking him out because they know something is going on with their big brother. We'll show you what he looks like in about ten days after he's recovered and he has his stitches removed.

If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact me and of course, don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel!

Keep wagging everyone!

canine eye surgery

Bishop, our male English Bulldog, has to have cosmetic surgery. Bishop was relentless in his demands to have this surgery and we caved - but we said no to the tummy tuck. Seriously though, Bishops eyes were really bothering him - he kept scratching and pawing at them and in fact, recently developed an ulcer due to the scratching.

He's always had entropion - a condition where the eyelids curl inward and poke his yes. In fact, this will be his second surgery for this condition. He's almost nine years old and the fat has diminished in his eyes which has created the condition again. Dr. Colitz is going to remove extra skin, upper and lower, to pull the eyelids open. Pay close attention to how tightly packed the folds of skin are around his eyes. After surgery, he's going to be a different looking man!

Keep your pets healthy and keep wagging!