1800PetMeds.com - The Blog That Goes With The Ad

There was supposed to be more blog to that affiliate advertisement that went out in email this morning -- sorry! I DO love 1800PetMeds.com - America's Largest Pet Pharmacy and I enthusiastically endorse them and purchase pet products from them, now in bulk and more regularly than I would like, but there you go: I am rehabbing a broken dog, and the people from 1800PetMeds.com (by email support, phone and even Facebook!) have been incredibly kind and helpful, their products -- and prices -- are great.

Mocha-the-Dog is doing much better, since her spectacular football-esque knee injury mid-squirrel chase in the park on June 30, 2010. She was a broken dog and it was a horrible day, ending with our veterinarian's determination that she would require surgery: $3000 - $5000 TPLO surgery, a fancy new procedure in which the veterinarian surgeon specialist would reconstruct her knee by sawing away bone and installing metal plates and screws and other such hardware to re-build her knee. Better. Stronger. Faster... And that we'd best prepare to have to do the other knee as well -- sooner, rather than later, probably.

$6,000 - $10,000 for doggie knee surgery.
Really?!

Sadly, we couldn't afford that kind of high-tech medical care for one of our children. 13yo Drama Queen has a bad knee...we took her for full evaluation with a pediatric orthopedist: xrays, exam, special brace, orthotics, even a course of Physical Therapy (PT). At $350 per session, we requested a print-out of the suggested PT regimen and told Drama she'd have to PT it at home, with our help and encouragement. We will, of course, re-visit the issue with her pediatrician and if surgery becomes necessary, well, then, thank God for health insurance, such as it is. We'll still end up paying as much, but for a human child, who, I'm sorry, has much greater priority and potential...

My husband keeps pointing out and reminding me of all the very happy 3-legged dogs in the world. Fortunately, we're not to that, yet.

Against our (former) vet's recommendation, we decided to hold off on the immediate TPLO surgery for Mocha; to take some time to research and consider other opinions and options; perhaps get a second opinion, under less trauma and stress.

Fortunately, in my obsessive research in the days following her injury, I came across a very knowledgeable and supportive group online: Conservative Management (Yahoo Groups) and learned more about this specific injury (canine CCL) and alternatives to the aggressive TPLO surgery, both surgical and non-surgical approaches (Conservative Management (CM)). I am very pleased with the CM approach and progress she has made, so we will stick with that for the foreseeable future, as long as she continues to improve with dietary changes, restricted activity and careful physical therapy/rehab, as well as much-needed weight loss and supplements -- products from 1800PetMeds.com. Which is where all this started--so there you go.

I have been using 1800PetMeds.com for years:
Our 75lb Mutt & Saving Money on Pet Medications

Highly recommended!

The Rebel Housewife is an affiliate for 1800PetMeds.com. Please use the links on this site!

Welcome, Spring!

Test-blogging from the iPhone...
Mocha-the-Dog, outside of the tennis courts at Piedmont Park, not a prison!

A Very Sad Dog

Poor Mocha-the-Dog...we thought she got bit or scratched at the dog park last week, but it turned out to be a gooey skin infection from allergies. Ick, indeed, poor thing.

Fortunately, the good people at the Banfield Animal Clinic at PetSmart fixed her up and gave us a shelf-full of doggy drugs and special ointment, cleanser, shampoo and conditioner. $350 later, we are enrolled in the Pet Wellness Program, enjoy free office visits, 5% discounts (but not on the expensive prescription dog food) and free annual vaccinations, comprehensive exams and counseling...Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately, they also gave her the biggest damn cone of shame we have ever seen. She is depressed. And confused. She gets stuck whenever she runs into anything...she just stands there, as if suction-cupped into place.

We're going to be-dazzle her cone for her -- she looks like the Sun Goddess or a Las Vegas showgirl with the elaborate headdress. Of course, all the kids want to try it on...

Dogs & Dragons - Chinese New Year

Mocha-the-Dog saw a DRAGON yesterday.
She didn't like it.

We were walking past the fancy Japanese restaurant, STEEL, on the corner of our building, on our way to the...uh..."package store" (as they like to call the liquor store here in the South) across the street -- and no, that has nothing to do with seeing dragons last night.

The doors of the restaurant were open, and we could hear and then see the drummers, pounding on the big tribal drums: bom-bom, Bom-Bom, BOM-BOM...

And there was the dragon: It was an amazing sight, a Chinese parade dragon, in the Japanese restaurant(?!). Apparently, they are celebrating Chinese New Year this weekend, with the dragon show and all. (Maybe it's Indochine cuisine, lots of Sushi!)

The dragon was fabulous: 15 feet long and all shimmery and shiny with heavy paper scales and huge red eyes. There were 3 or 4 people under/inside the dragon, undulating and dancing the dragon around the restaurant.

Mocha stopped cold, staring in at the dragon from the sidewalk, in her full-alert pose. Although she is 75lbs and a BBBD (Big Black & Brown Dog), she is very timid. I don't think there is a protective bone in her body, as evidenced by her tendency to take a liking to complete strangers, even when they show up unauthorized inside our condo. But I digress--

Mocha, as a dog, seems to hearken back to some kind of hunting dog, way back in her mixed-mutt ancestry. She is some kind of hunting dog, especially birds. She'll chase, up to a point, but then she stands still as a statue and just glares intently, fully focused on whatever it is. She can do that for 10 - 15 minutes or more at a time, at full-alert. Fortunately, she is a very quiet dog and not a barker. She growls and will "ruff" very quietly, but mostly it just puffs out her lips a little and you really can't hear her. (Someone once told me that's "pointing," which would be her job as a hunting dog: to point to the prey that has been killed and fallen, for the hunter to go get it. I don't think she is so much a "retriever" and she is certainly not a water dog.)

Obviously, she's a dragon hunting dog. It took everything I had to drag her away.

It was pretty incredible to see a Chinese Dragon on the way home from the liquor store.
And to think that we saw it on West Peachtree Street--

[Did you catch that Dr. Seuss reference?]

How Cute is This? Gift Idea For Pet Lovers

This is an Itty Bitty Mini of Mocha-the-Dog, painted by my newish friend and fellow Mom Blogger Michelle at www.abeytacreative.com.

As you can see, Michelle is a fabulously talented and wonderful artist. You can also see, Michelle's Itty Bitty Mini Pet Portraits make an excellent Holiday Gift for any pet lover. Don't miss Michelle's Itty Bitty Mini Holiday Special:

Itty Bitty Minis! Just $25!
Order your custom mini pet portrait in time for the holidays! These adorable little portraits will be the perfect gift for the pet lover in your life. They are acrylic on little 4"x4" gallery-wrapped canvases. They are also coated with a glossy coating for protection. And the cutest part is the super cute little easels that come with it for display! Just tell me the breed and the color background you would like. Don't have a common breed? No problem, just tell me that in the special instructions section when you pay and email me a jpg of your dog. Easy Peasy!

Visit www.abeytacreative.com -- she's made it very easy to order online. Tell her The Rebel Housewife sent you! (This is not a referral or paid/sponsored advertisement -- just a great Holiday Gift Idea I wanted to share and a very talented friend I wanted to introduce you to! ;-)