Life on the Leash

Sum had his oral surgery yesterday:

The black areas are where they burned off the excess lumpy gums. He’s doing pretty well, considering he had a toof pulled (Sum has “toofs” not “teeth”), and 20% of his gums are open sores. Oh, and he also had an inch long, pink nipple-like growth removed from his belly. We called it his Quatto.  (I’m mad I never got a photo of it … it was unbelievable.)

After shelling out another $400+ last night, I decided to do a quick tally of what I’ve spent at the vet over the past 10 years. Granted, my dogs have been exceptionally unlucky in the health arena, what with Zeke’s hip dyslasia and Sumner’s ulcer-prone eyes … I’m sure many of you pay only for wellness visits and vaccinations. The sad fact is that I happen to like breeds that have issues (brachycephalic dogs aren’t known for robust health) … we met a boxer in the vet waiting room last night and sure enough, she was there having growths removed. (Seriously, boxers grow lumps like weeds as they age.)

So what was my tally for ten years of vet care for two dogs? (Just vet care, not food, boarding, treats, toys, etc.) A staggering $13,000. And that’s not even an exact figure … my record keeping is spotty. I could probably tack at least another $1,000 on to that total.

The number is a punch in the gut, and yes, an embarassment in this economy (I told you not to read this post, Tom), but you know what?

They’re worth every penny.

My Mom and I visited Ted and Blu over the holiday weekend … how they’ve grown!

Ted and Blu are fed a homemade semi-raw diet, and we got to see the making of a two month supply of food on the day we visited. Think about it … a two month supply of food for two very big dogs. It was epic.

Here we have a healthy mix of green beans, kale, carrots, parsnips, turnips and other veggie goodies in a giant plastic bin:

This is a paste made of navy, pinto, and white beans (again, big bowl of goodies):

The grinder in the background takes care of the chicken, venison and turkey, as well as some of the bones:

Meat mixture for the dogs, or hamburger helper?

We went outside for a bit and I tempted them with “nature’s Flat Cat” (a long vine):

I tried holding on to the vine but the thousand pounds of puppy did me in:

Between the food and fun, it was clear that both of these dogs agree …

Life is good!

I’ve been taking Christmas card photos for friends and family lately (it’s not all dogs all the time over here at LOTL), and I did the latest round with my sister’s family over the Thanksgiving weekend. Munson the pumpkin eater was a part of the shoot, of course.

He wasn’t digging it at first:

Then he hit his stride and turned on the charm:

Being cute was exhausting for him:

(Sumner saw me setting up the backdrop and immediately got on it without any prompting from me, as if to say, “Ok, I know the drill.”)

I love it when my clients teach me stuff.

Eleanor the six month old Basset Hound’s people have the coolest anti-furniture-chewing solution I’ve seen:

At first I thought they had a modern decorating aesthetic, but then I took a closer look and realized that their furniture legs were covered with drainage tubing from Home Depot! What an easy, elegant solution! Definitely stealing that one …

And now, because she’s so darn cute, it’s time for an Eleanor photo montage:

If you’re a boxer you do.

Poor Sum has lumps and growths all over his body, as well as in his mouth:

He has gingival hyperplasia (scroll down to the “in non-humans” section) and it’s big-time gross. It’s basically gums gone wild … his gums enlarge and grow over his teeth. He had a massive mouth make-over a few years ago (they put him under and cut back the overgrowth), and now it’s time for round two. We’re off to the vet in a half hour … hooray, more vet bills!