Operation convince Lucy to stay out of the basement is going pretty well. She is content in the front room when the pups are in the house and occasionally has been going upstairs to hang out on the steps. She is vocal again and enjoys telling us about her day when the pups are in their pup pen. She even kept me company yesterday while I was taking a bath. All behaviors that she used to show us so I think we are on the right track.
The best news of all, yesterday I forgot to close the door to the basement and sure enough she went down to the basement, I was sad about this and was kicking myself that I had forgotten to close the door when low and behold up she comes from the basement. We are making headway!
In Belle news I posted on the Three Pups and a Couple of Kitties Facebook Page that Bonnie and Belle had their annual vet visit and Bonnie weighed in at 63 lbs. and was healthy as could be. Belle weighed in at 76 lbs. and has the beginnings of another ear infection. We found out that dogs that have been spade tend to put on weight as they don’t use up energy dealing with those pesky hormones that none spade dogs do. So we are to cut her food intake down to help her lose the 5-10 lbs. that will help her be healthier, especially important since she has hip dysplasia, and give her back her “tuck” in her tummy.
Luckily she already eats in the dining room while Bonnie and Bess eat in the kitchen so we simply put up a child gate in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen until all three pups are finished eating. The dr. wasn’t worried about the training treats we give the pups.
The vet also told me about a study Purina did following dogs throughout their lives and it was discovered that on a scale from 1 being all bone to 9 being the fattest a dog can be, the new optimal number is 3-4 instead of 5. If a dog is slightly on the thin side they are living up to 2 years longer than the rest. Although our vet stressed instead of numbers to look for a rib cage you can feel but not see, a backbone you can feel but not see and never should you see a dog’s hip bones. The tummy tuck is when you look down on a dog’s back and it slightly tapers in by their tummy. So we are on a new quest to help our Belle retain her girlish figure.
I appreciate our veterinary clinic and our vet for taking the time to answer our questions so we can better help our pup. Oh and yep she is back on ear drops for that pesky ear infection.
That’s all for now. Have a happy Sunday everyone!
