Toby update

The arthritis combination that I am using seems to be working for Toby. She is putting more weight on her leg and is limping less. Our vet wrote a prescription for Ultram [Tramadol] that I am using now and then when it seems that she is hurting and that is also helping until she is getting the full benefit from the liquid glucosamine and everything else we are using.

We also bought her an orthopedic bed from Drs. Foster and Smith.

Here she is trying it out with her sister Jessie.

Goofy boy

Riley's obsession with water continues. He will lay like this for extended periods of time. Sometimes, he even falls asleep with his chin resting on the edge of the water bowl like this.

Very strange.

Note the bungee cords holding the water container upright. They are connected to bolts in the hearth. If we didn't have those, he would be knocking the entire container over.

As I said, a strange little boy.

Détente

Things are looking up, if only for brief moments. Riley is showing signs of maturing, occasionally slowing down long enough to relax with his sisters and not be a royal pain in the you-know-what.I have even caught him grooming Jessie and Casey.

Hockey!

Riley is passionate about bottle-cap hockey. Throw a bottle-cap on the floor and he will come running from whatever part of the house he's in. He'll bat that cap all over the floor and he has some impressive moves. Inevitably the caps wind up under the refrigerator and other unreachable places but we keep a stash of them at the ready so he's never without.

Arthritis in dogs

Our beautiful baby Toby has been diagnosed with arthritis in her hip. It happened quickly and suddenly and we are very upset about it. After trying some mild herbal remedies, she was started on Previcox but I wasn't happy about that due to the potential side effects.
So, we've taken her off that medication. Actually, I didn't notice much pain relief while she was on it. She is no worse off now and she is not being exposed to potentially damaging side effects. But we are not going to let her suffer.
We have devised a regimen that I think is going to help her.
After doing some extensive research we have come up with the following:
super glucosamine called Syn-Flex
apple cider vinegar
unprocessed sea salt
powdered vitamin C
and an herbal pain medication called Petaprin.
We also ordered her an orthopedic bed.
Not all of the pieces of our plan are in place yet. We are waiting for some items to arrive.
I'll update soon.

Ms. Shmush-Face

This is Jessie, our Golden, being as cute as she can be.
She loves to sleep especially resting her head on the armrest of the sofa.
I don't think I have ever met a more even-tempered sweet dog in my life.

We're trying to change Riley's sleeping habits

Just like a little child, Riley seems to have gotten his days and nights mixed up. I know it's normal for cats to sleep a lot and they like to be somewhat nocturnal but it's no fun when he's scooting his bottle caps across the floor playing hockey at 3 AM or biting his sister's [Charlotte's] butt at 4 AM while she's lying next to me on the bed and we're trying to sleep.
My husband and I have started waking him in the evening and keeping him awake until we're ready to go to sleep. He's not happy about it but it seems to be starting to make a difference.
Except for one little squabble at about 5 AM this morning that lasted only a few seconds, he let us sleep in until 6:40 AM.
That was a small miracle.

Sweetness

It's early.

The sun isn't even up yet.

I am sitting at my desk with my first cup of coffee, trying to get my mind in gear so that I can write something that makes sense.

Then, I hear little kitten snores and look up.

Riley is on my desk above my head, sweetly sleeping.

Heaven!