a dog’s life

What is “Real Food?” Is there another kind? Well yes, in my view of canine nutrition, there is. To put it simply, if you can visually identify the food or it’s individual components, it is real. If it’s in a packet or a can and the contents bear no physical resemblance to the ingredients pictured on the label, then it’s probably not real, or in other words, what I call “artificial.”

“Real” food saved me from having my dog, Sky, put down. It’s true. In late 2006, she was visibly old, stiff, lame in one shoulder and reluctant to move, showed no interest in life and spent 23 hours a day sleeping. She had even started wetting her bed in preference to making the effort to go outdoors. Counting on my fingers, I realised she was 14 years old! The time every dog owner fears was upon me. It was time to say good-bye. I couldn’t bear it! She had been a part of the family for so long. She had been my comfort in so many difficult times.

That night, as if she read my thoughts, Sky refused her premium brand dog biscuits, specially formulated for senior dogs. I served her a portion of the family meal, which was beef casserole and vegetables and she ate it all up. I decided that if her days were numbered, it didn’t matter what she ate, so I continued sharing family meals with her, while I procrastinated about her final visit to the Vet.

Six weeks later, it was Christmas time and family members who had been overseas came home to visit. My daughter remarked straight away that Sky was looking good.

“What have you been doing with her?” she asked. “Have you found a miracle drug?”

Without thinking, I responded “No, I’ve been feeding her with real food.”

And so, the phrase “real food” in our household was born. We still have Sky after eighteen months. She is 16 years old, but she is as lively and energetic as she was ten years ago, although she’s not quite fast enough any more to catch rabbits. I am still feeding her real food; indeed, I would never again subject a dog or cat to food from a packet or can – what I call artificial or junk food for pets. I make all Sky’s food myself, using human grade ingredients suitable for dogs. I find it no more expensive than feeding her the so-called premium dog food I used to give her, and no more trouble than preparing food for the rest of the family. 

Sky’s final visit to the Vet looks to be a long way into the future.

My dog Sky had surgery recently.

Sky is a regular visitor to my local Vet. clinic. She is contiually developing small, pre-cancerous skin lesions on her abdomen due to the fact that she has pink skin with very sparse, fine hair there, and she loves to sunbathe. I have several measures in place to thwart her sun-seeking bent, but it is amazing how clever she is at finding ways to defeat me.

So, every few months, Sky has to have new little spots frozen off. My Vet. does this with the help of a gentle sedation for Sky. Occasionally, we miss one and it grows rapidly into an ugly, purplish cancer, which then requires surgery under general anaesthetic. This had happened again and Sky was booked in for her operation a couple of weeks ago. Sky is 16 years old now, which means that my Vet. wanted to be particularly careful with her anaesthetic and with the choice of drugs Sky was given.

Everything went well, and I collected a rather groggy Sky from the Vet’s  according to plan. Only, this time, it was soon apparent to me that something was wrong with Sky. Instead of settling down to sleep off the aftermath of her anaesthetic in the warm quiet place I had prepared for her, Sky was restless, prowling around and seeming disorientated. I thought she might be in pain, but I remembered the nurse had told me they had  given her an injection for pain relief just before I collected her.

I thought she might settle down later in the evening, but far from it. In fact, she kept me up most of the night, prowling around, howling (very uncharactistic behaviour for her),  generally behaving as if she could see ghosts, and as if she was unaware of my presence.

Towards morning, she finally relaxed and we both got a couple of hours’ sleep.

A phone call to my Vet. later in the day confirmed my suspicions: in their efforts to be super safe with the drugs they used on such an old dog, they had given her a different pain killer from the one they routinely used. As a human health care professional, I knew that the particular drug they had given her can cause some patients to have hallucinations. Poor Sky had been having a “bad trip”. I asked the Vet. to make a note of her reaction so that they would not use this drug for Sky again.

If this happens to your dog, don’t panic. There is not much that can be done; you will just have to ride it out until the medication wears off. All you can do is make sure the dog is in a safe environment where it can come to no harm. Do not let the dog go outside except on a lead. The medication will wear off in a few hours.

As a precaution for the future, make sure you let your Vet know what happened. If your Vet. confirms an adverse drug reaction, make sure you record the name of the drug for future reference.  

My dog, Sky, has been a frequent surgical patient over the last few years. She loves to sunbathe; she has pink skin and very little hair on her belly. Because of this, and despite my best efforts to keep her out of the sun, she is prone to develop a form of skin cancer which can be very aggressive. I have to inspect her belly regularly. The tumours start as tiny red spots like blood blisters and if I find them early enough, the vet can freeze them off with liquid nitrogen. Occasionally, there is one we miss, which then grows rapidly into a purplish lump requiring surgical excision.

Sky is now 16 years old, so a general anaesthetic for her is a major worry for me, even though she is pretty healthy. Even if your dog is not old, a general anaesthetic is not to be taken lightly. So, nothing to eat or drink before the surgery means exactly that, and it also means more than just witholding food and removing the water bowl. It means making sure you know that your dog has not eaten or drunk anything. The only way to be sure about this is to keep the dog under your supervision until you hand him over to the vet nurse. 

When you get your dog home again, carefully follow any post operative instructions you have been given. Have a warm, clean, comfy place prepared for the dog, preferably in a quiet location. If your dog is allowed to eat, give him a small, light meal.

It’s amazing how quickly they recover. They are much more stoic than we are.

Diet: Your older dog will have lower energy requirements now that he is less active. If he still has a good appetite, he may be inclined to put on weight. If this happens, adjust his diet until his weight remains stable.
 

Hygiene and Grooming: As well as being a pleasurable activity for both you and your dog, grooming is another opportunity for you and your dog to have quality time together, relaxing for both of you and a chance for you to examine your dog for signs of fleas, ticks or skin irritations. In the case of older dogs, particularly those with long hair, it keeps the coat from becoming matted from all the lying around that an old dog does.

Some dogs can get a crusty deposit in the corner of their eyes. You can gently apply a warm, damp tissue or cotton ball to this, giving a soft pinch to loosen it, then wiping it away.

Many dogs do not like to be bathed, and Sky used to be no exception until I tried having the water a bit warmer (not hot). Once she found that she was not going to be cold in the bath, she began to enjoy the procedure, even jumping into the tub when asked, so that I did not have to lift her! (Caution: don’t let your old dog do this if you think he might slip). I generally bath Sky once or twice a fortnight. She has a short, fine coat, so the drying process is simply having a quick game with a ball, or a lie in the sun. A long-haired dog will probably need a blow-dry, taking care not to have the dryer too hot.

Old dogs spend less time running and walking on hard surfaces, so they tend to get long toenails because of lack of wear. Bath time is a chance to inspect the toenails and clip them if necessary. Long toenails can distort the angles of the toe joints, causing pain and stiffness.

Massage: If you have not tried this before, start off gently, running flat hands the length of your dog’s body from head to tail and, gently but firmly grasping the tail, down to its tip. Try to keep to a rhythm, fairly slow. If your dog seems to enjoy it, try being a little firmer. Try gently kneading large muscles. Don’t persist if the dog indicates he has had enough. During the massage, you have a chance to notice any bumps or lumps, and any painful spots that might need investigating.

The time you have left with your loyal friend is precious: take the time to enjoy it; let him linger over those delicious smells when you go walking; don’t rush his grooming time; take every opportunity to stroke him, talk to him, or repay his devotion in any way you can.

Finally, the day will come when his life seems to be more of a burden to him than a joy. Do not selfishly prolong it. Give him a peaceful, loving end and keep alive the memory of good times you had together.

After the age of seven, your dog is considered to be “senior”. Hopefully, no-one will tell your dog this, and he will continue to be energetic and passionate about life for a few more years. When signs of aging do start to show, what can you expect?

• Your dog will become less active, less interested in playing and will sleep a lot more.
•  Hearing and eyesight will deteriorate and you may be able to see cataracts developing on his eyes.
• His coat may start to show a few gray hairs, especially around the muzzle.
• He may develop arthritis.

How can you maximize your dog’s happiness and comfort in his senior years?
 Sleeping: he’ll be doing a lot more of this than he used to, so make sure his bed is comfortable and warm. If he is a thin build, watch for signs of pressure on prominent bony areas such as hips and shoulders. Try putting a sheepskin over his mattress.

My dog, Sky, spends about 20 hours out of 24 resting or sleeping, so I have made sure she has a few comfy places to put herself. As she likes to be near where I am, she has a deep, squishy cushion in a sunny place near my computer; in the lounge there is one old armchair that is hers and her bed, with very comfy mattress, is upstairs in my bedroom. Her bed is large enough that she can stretch out in it if she wants to.

Exercise: he’ll be doing less of this and be less enthusiastic about it, but regular exercise is essential to keep his circulation going and his joints mobile. If your dog likes water, swimming is great.

Twenty to thirty minutes walking twice a day (or as much or as little as he can tolerate) will benefit both you and the dog, give you some fun time together and give your dog something to look forward to each day. If he’s a bit stiff, you may have to encourage him to get started, but I find with Sky, she’s fine once she gets going. She loves to sniff and smell every blade of grass, clump of weeds, every tree trunk and telephone pole along the way, so I don’t think it turns out to be much exercise for me, but she loves it. It is her time, and that’s how I look at it. It’s precious, may not happen tomorrow.

Warmth: old dogs, like old people, feel the cold more than they used to. Treat your pet to a snuggly dog jacket for cool days. There are plenty of styles and sizes to choose from in the pet shops, or alternatively, an old jumper or cardigan can be adapted to fit. A soft woollen blanket to throw over him when he is sleeping is great, too, although it can slip off if your dog moves around. The advantage of a jacket is that it will stay put.

You always know how old your kids are. You mark their important birthdays with a party, or a special dinner and you give them gifts. With your dog it can be different. If it’s a pedigree dog, you have its papers to refer to if you’re not sure, but when it’s a bitzer, and energetic and healthy, the years roll by and you’ve no reason to remember its age.

So it was with my dog, Sky, until one day, for the first time ever, she declined to follow the farm bike on its daily trek of three kilometers to the furthest boundary of the farm. She came with us about half a kilometer, then, while I was stopped to open a gate, she gave me “sad eyes” and a “slow wag”, turned around and went back to the house.

I was worried something was wrong with her, but her temperature and appetite were normal and she did not seem to be in pain. Her bowel motions were normal, too.

When I gave the matter some thought, I realized that she did have some stiffness in one shoulder that was maybe worse recently than it had been. Other than that, I could find nothing wrong with her.

A visit to the vet confirmed that she was in good health, but did have a bit of arthritis in her stiff shoulder.
“How old is she now?” asked the vet. I worked out her age, and was astonished to find she was about twelve years old!

She actually never came to the back of the farm again. She would come part of the way, then return to the house, usually when we came to the first gate.

That’s the thing about pets – their life-spans are so short compared with ours. So there’s another life lesson our pets help us to remember: make the most of every day you have and be grateful for it – whatever age you live to, life is short.

As a youngster and up until she was about twelve or thirteen, Sky was one of the most energetic dogs I have ever known. Fortunately, for most of those years we were living on a farm and once we had learned that she could be trusted not to harm livestock, we were able to let her have free range over the property.

I always wish we knew Sky’s background. She came to us looking well-fed and cared for, and very well-mannered. She was a hunter at heart, and taking her breed into consideration, she may have belonged to someone who hunted wild pigs. She never showed any interest in domestic animals, including cats, but she was lethal to rabbits, possums and rodents.

 The house was on the top of a hill, with a great view of the whole farm and Sky’s white coat made her easy to observe. Every day she would go off on a mission to investigate every patch of brambles, bushes and trees on the farm. She would be away for hours, often returning with a rabbit or a rat. Her patience and persistence were great lessons in how to succeed in life: I once observed her daily assault on a pile of logs in which she knew a rat was hiding. It took her six days, but she got that rat!

During a period when I was away overseas, Sky stayed with farming friends who had a Jack Russell terrier named Katie. Katie and Sky teamed up to become a deadly threat to the possum population on the farm. They made frequent expeditions to the back of the farm, returning most days with Sky proudly carrying a rabbit or possum, and once a ferret, in her powerful jaws.

Sky’s two other great passions in life are food and sunbathing, both of which have to be restricted for her – she tends towards obesity now that she is old and less active and her white coat (which has always been fine and sparse) and pink skin make her susceptible to skin cancer.

Sky’s hunting takes place only in her dreams now, but I’d say, judging by sounds and body movements she often makes during sleep, that she catches a fair few critters.

One day, after an expedition with friends to a wild and isolated west coast beach, my teenage daughter brought home a cross-bred bitch of a Bull Terrier type and about one year old, which she said she had found. We already had two dogs, and I certainly did not want another. I very crossly gave my daughter the task of finding the dog’s owner or taking her to the dog pound.

Within 24 hours this dog had completely won me over, so that when all efforts failed to find her owner, she simply stayed. It was the middle of winter – short, cold, wet days and continually grey skies. My daughter said “She reminds me of the sky in summer. I’m going to call her Sky”.

That was fifteen years ago. My daughter went off overseas and left me with Sky, who remains an important member of the family to this day.

Hello and welcome to this blog.

I created this blog in honour of an old dog who has been possibly the best dog I have ever shared my life with. Her name is Sky.
She has taught me many things.

There came a time in her life when I thought her days were numbered. I changed her diet and her health improved dramatically. When I talked to my vet about this miracle, he seemed uninterested, shrugging it off as coincidence.

That was in late 2006. Since then, we have had the drama and scandal of the pet food recall, in March 2007. This was of great interest to me and prompted me to embark on weeks of research, which answered most of my questions about why my dog’s health improved and why my vet showed so little interest.

My intention with this site is to share with you our story in the hope that you, too, may find the way to a longer, healthier, improved life for your dog.