What would I do

What would I do at three o'clock in the morning when I'm lying in bed, can't sleep, can't stop the spinning in my head, if I didn't have pets to cuddle, caress and keep me company. Moxie listens intently to all my secrets, so long as I'm rubbing her belly. And Sully is content to lay on top of me and purr away my worries.

If I had a husband sharing my bed, there would be grumblings of waking him up in the middle of the night or at the very least heavy snoring and heat production (sleeping with a man is like sleeping with a furnace)

How do people make it through life without an animals companionship?

Affirmations

I subscribe to a newsletter called "Your Dog." Its put out by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, one of the premier vet schools in the U.S. There was an article in the May issue about caring for senior dogs that actually recommended a higher protein food. The article said that senior dogs need extra protein to prevent muscle wasting and maintain a lean weight. They went on to say that a high protein diet will not damage the kidneys. I was elated to read this. As you know I've been battling with trying to find the perfect diet for everyone for months now. Moxie is on the grain free high protein Wellness CORE dry food, with a premium wet food mixed, or Natures Variety Frozen Raw Medalions. (I hate the idea of her eating the same thing every day, so I mix it up a little. Her gut has never minded this, but I don't recommend it for those with sensitive tummies) So according to this article, this is an ideal diet for my senior dog.

I weighed Moxie last month and she was 25 pounds which is the least she has ever weighed. When I adopted her, she weighed 26 pounds and I thought she was scrawney then. I've been worried lately that she's too thin, but the article really extolled the virtues of keeping your senior dog lean and fit to prevent muscle wasting and joint damage. I think this means my diet search is over! YAY!

Everyone else is fine. Sully is getting pudgy. I upped his meal rations about a month ago on advice from my cat forum peeps, thinking that feeding him more might curb his ravenous appetite. This cat would eat ALL DAY LONG if I let him. He spends his whole day (not spent sleeping) hunting for food. He's into everything and he will eat ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING. Well, increasing his food hasn't helped one bit, so its back to his usual portions with maybe some pumpkin mixed in for bulk. No fat cats. No fat pets! And hopefully, one day, no fat me!

Let start with the cats.

Sully is cuddled in my arms right now looking perfectly innocent and sweet like he wouldn't dream of causing any trouble. Moxie is laying in the middle of the floor on her back looking the picture of cute. Kobie and Thurston are curled up together on top of the dog crate.

I love my little fur family.

I'm back, poor Moxie

I just got back from a trip to Boston to see my Shawnbear. My kiddos seemed to do okay while I was gone. Everyone ate. Everyone did their best to annoy my mother. You know, business as usual.

The first thing I noticed when I got home was Moxie holding her tail weird and acting very strange. I felt her tail and it was very painful and matted to the skin over the center where she had clearly been chewing on it for some time. I clipped the matts off when my crappy clippers and found a massive hot spot underneath. Poor baby, its so sore! She whimpered and cried all night long. I took her in to work with me, setting aside my objections to our new policies on treating our own pets, because shew as uncomfortable. We clipped it up, cleaned it up and its looking better already, though she is still sore. She holds her tail to the side and acts like something is biting her when she walks. She is being good about leaving it alone though.

Mom says she didn't chew on herself during the day, so she must have been so upset about being alone at night that she chewed her tail. I can find no other reason for it. No fleas, her skin looks perfectly healthy otherwise. So now Moxie is wandering around with a half shaved tail, its shaved from the base to about mid way up with a pom pom left on the end, like a lion cut. In fact, the way she carries her tail over her back, she reminds me of a low chen.

Moxie is very embarrassed about the current state of her tail, her former crowning glory, and has made me swear NOT to take any pictures. So I won't be gracing this page with pictures of hot spots (to the delight of those of you already sick of looking at teeth)

Instead I will post my pics from my Boston trip as soon as I get them all uploaded and edited.