a worrisome weekend.

It's been an interesting weekend at la casa de Claire. It's been somewhat sad and worrisome but also kind of hopeful at the same time. Off and on for the past week, Claire's stomach has been bothering her with the classic symptoms of GERD. It's the first significant bout since I switched her food to Pinnacle back in December, but this time it's pretty clear that her stomach is torn up from... well... something.

I went back to Dizzy's Dog Wash and Corner Store yesterday to talk to Mrs. Dizzy about the next step [and no, I still don't know her real name]. Mrs. Dizzy said that she doesn't think it's a food issue anymore, seeing that the Pinnacle obviously didn't help in the long run. She gave me the name of a new veterinarian who uses both western and eastern medicine and knows a lot about digestive issues such as this. And then Mrs. Dizzy handed me a piece of paper and said, "I think it's time that you start cooking for her."

Umm, keep in mind that I hardly cook for myself. Thankfully, the paper she handed me was a list of recipes for dogs who are Claire's size. And I mean, I can follow directions at least. So we're good there. To be honest, at first I had a minor freak-out moment where I was thinking, "WHENDOIHAVETIMETODOTHIS?!?!?!" But I quickly came to my senses. This is Claire, we're talking about here. She's my girl. So if I have to carve out some time in my day to prepare good quality food for her to feel better, I will absolutely do it.

So, I spent the afternoon yesterday cooking for Claire with what I had in my freezer and cupboards: tilapia filets, frozen peas, and oatmeal [1.5 cups of tilapia, 1.5 cups of oatmeal, and 1/4 cup of peas, if you want to make it for your dog too - it is Claire-approved]. Appetizing, right? Well... she liked it, and that's all that matters. So far, she's had four homemade meals and she hasn't thrown up yet! Her stomach still hurts, as evidenced by the fact that she ate some grass this morning on our walk, but the food stayed down. And I do realize that it will take some time for her stomach to heal. As much as I'd like it to be an overnight fix, it won't be. That's just reality.

I'm really really worried about Claire, and I'm looking forward to taking her to this new vet. As much as I love my girls at Banfield, I need a second opinion. This GERD-issue has been going on for a couple years now, and I don't want to keep treating Claire with the same medications, which are proving to be band-aids for what is a major problem. Say some prayers for us, and I'll keep you all posted...

tasty treats.

Due to Claire's January bout of pancreatitis, she now takes a daily supplement of Digestzymez, thanks to Dizzy's Corner Store. She tolerates it well, and though I can't see her pancreas healing itself, I trust that the enzymes in this supplement are doing their job. I also have to be pretty careful of what treats I give to her, since pancreatitis is brought on and gets worse when dogs eat rich and fatty foods.

Claire can finally have two-inch raw/frozen marrow bones again, but I only give her one a week instead of two or three a week like she'd been having before. You know, just to play it safe. Now, she gets more cartilage-based treats on a regular basis: cow trachea and pig's ears and duck feet. They look disgusting. I have to gingerly pull it out of the bag and give it to her, and then I can't watch her eat it. But all three are low in fat, high in protein, and full of glucosamine chondroitin which helps her joints.

Want to get in on this for your dog? Check out any local pet boutique - my favorite option - or get some here, here, and here.

Oh, the things we do for love...

she eats!!

Claire has never been a picky eater. She's like me. If it's edible, we'll eat it. (That's a bit of an exaggeration... I don't want you think I am the human equivalent of a garbage disposal. Because I am not. In case you needed me to clarify). So I became concerned when I noticed that she was having a harder time eating her food: sometimes she would sniff at it and walk away, and sometimes she wouldn't eat for hours until she got so hungry that she had to eat it. Meal time for Claire became work for both of us. I either needed to play games with her and teach her new tricks to use it as a reward, or mix veggies and meat in with her kibble to make it more appealing. Something wasn't right; it was never this difficult before. I went to my friend Erin - mom to Ollie and Darby, who are frequently mentioned in older posts - because she is brilliant and knows a lot about dog-related issues. She suggested that we go to Dizzy's Corner Store because the owner is very knowledgeable about nutrition when it comes to dogs and cats.

Mrs. Dizzy (which is how we kindly refer to her because neither of us are sure of her real name) asked some questions about Claire: how old she is, how much she weighs, what her activity level is, what her health issues are, etc. When I mentioned that Claire has chronic gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and dry skin, she immediately told me that both are related to her food. Though I was giving her what is marketed as a complex premium dog food without corn/soy/byproducts, it wasn't food that was holistic and all-natural. There is a lot to be said about how dog food is processed - it's like with human food: the less processing, the better. Mrs. Dizzy recommended a simple, holistic, and all-natural brand so that Claire's tummy will start to heal: Pinnacle Chicken&Oatmeal. She said that though I'll start to see immediate results by Claire's reaction to it, the old food I was giving her won't be completely out of her system for about six weeks.

Last night was our first night trying Pinnacle. To help with an easy transition, I mixed 1/2 cup of the old food with 3/4 cup of the new food, and I'll do this for about 7-10 days, slowly increasing the amount of the new food while decreasing the amount of the old food. Claire loved Pinnacle. She actually picked through the bowl and ate the Pinnacle, leaving the old food behind. And this morning, when she heard me call her for breakfast, she came bounding into the kitchen and ate it immediately! I think we've fixed the problem, thanks to Erin and Mrs. Dizzy.

Ah, relief - for Claire AND for me!!