Monday, April 27, 2020

You're Only As Old As You Feel

DixieLee
Hey Y’all!  It’s DixieLee.  

Mama was worried about Zeva so she asked me to do some research for her.  When I showed her what I found, she said I was a Good Girl and asked me to write a blog about it.

You see, Zeva is getting old.  I know, we all are and none of us likes it.

 Mama saw stuff.  Saw changes in Zeva that bothered her.  She thought Zeva might be getting something called “Dementia”.
 
Dementia is something that can happen to older dogs, just like it can happen to older peoples.

The biggest thing was that Zeva would just stare into space and not listen when Mama called.
 
I found that staring into space and not listening are things that dogs do when they get dementia.  Staring into space is also something that dogs do when their eyes get old.

Mama has said that Zeva has needed glasses for a long time now, and it’s not like Zeva listens when Mama calls most times.

Here are some other things I found out about dementia in dogs that I am going to share with you. 
        
1.     Confusion
2.     Anxiety
3.     Aimless wandering
4.     Peeing in the house
5.     Lack of interest in playing
6.     Sleeping more

If you are having these symptoms, your human should take you to see your Vet because there are things you can do to help.

We looked at the list and decided, Zeva probably isn’t getting dementia after all.

Zeva has always been a little absent minded, not confused but if she were a human, she would be blond.

The only time Zeva is anxious is when there is a thunder storm or someone is making fireworks go boom.

Her wandering isn’t aimless, it’s usually because she finds so many things interesting.

She can hold her pee for hours!

Every morning she insists that Mama play games.  Doesn’t matter that it’s Mama breakfast time.

Sleeping is Zeva’s favorite thing to do when she is not going for walks or playing.

Mama will talk to Doctor Katrina when she sees her for our regular check up and she will keep an eye on things but all seems good so far.

One thing I learned from this, writing a blog is hard work.  No wonder Zeva takes a nap when she is done!

Be good boys and girls,

Love,

DixieLee

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, go to pawpalsboutique.com 
          

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Home, Not Alone

Watching the bird feeder with Dad

Our Mom and Dad are retired so they are home with us most of the time but for you dogs who have Moms and Dads who go to work, things have changed recently.  They are staying home all the time.

We dogs are used to being at home.  We have our schedules pretty fixed. We know when to nap, when to watch for the post people and when to wait for our humans to come home to feed us.

Now that they are home all the time, we need to find some way to keep them busy.

If you live in a place where you can walk outside, you can take them for lots of walks.  But if you live in a place where you can’t go outside, you need to find some creative ways to entertain them or they will drive you crazy.

Here are some of the indoor games we like to play with our Mom and Dad:

Tug of War.  This is my favorite game!  Although we have a knotted rope toy that is made for tug of war, we have lots of others that work just as good.  DixieLee likes to play with the stuffed snowman and I like the furry chipmunk.

I know this is not what you want to hear but you are supposed to let your human win the game.  You can tug and tug but when they say “drop it” or “leave it” or in our house, “Mama’s” you have to let go.

Hide and Seek.  This is a really fun game that both Mom and Dad play at the same time.  Mom stays in the office with us and counts to ten.  That gives Dad time to hide.  When she says “Go” we get to find Dad.

We are both really good at this game so sometimes I find him first and sometimes DixieLee does.

Fetch on the Stairs.  I am really good at Fetch, DixieLee, not so much.  I would play fetch all day long if I could so Mom makes it more tiring by tossing the toy down the basement stairs so I have to go down and back up.  Up and down the stairs is lots more tiring.

Bubbles.  This is a not fair game that Mom likes.  She has this little bottle that makes balls but when you try to catch them, they disappear.  We play because it amuses her but it’s not our funnest.

Peanut Butter Kong.  Now this is a fun game!  Mom puts peanut butter in our Kongs and we get to spend time enjoying a super snack.

There are lots of other games you can play with your humans while they need to be home.  I hope you have found one or two that you can try.
Be safe,

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, check out pawpalsboutique.com