OK, I know I'm a very special puppy... as are all puppies, but I get to live with my furry parents and my human parents in the Florida Keys. We live on the water and have a really big dock that we can play on. My furry Mom loves to lay by the edge of the water and watch the tropical fish swim by. My furry Dad likes to bark at the birds or an occasional boat going by. Me? I love to play ball with my human Dad... and... I admit, I bark at a boat once in a while too.
We keep our RV right down the road from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and I know that a lot of RV's go to the park. The campground is closed through April of 2011 for renovations, however when they open back up, the lines will again be long. Before renovations started, they took reservations 11 months in advance. That's how popular this area and park are. My human grandparents stayed there last year and really liked it. They travel in their RV with two small dogs. They said that the doggy areas were nice and the park is very dog friendly.
Their are several trails, 2 beach areas, canoe rentals and a 30,000 gallon aquarium... all for the humans to enjoy. The park also has boat charters for fishing, diving and snorkeling... again, all for humans. No doggy would want to do that anyway.
The campsites are for Rv's up to 45', have 30 and 50 amp and offer plenty of space for sliders. The trees between sites are pretty small, but work for some privacy. As with most campsites, you'll find a grill and picnic table. You can also picnic down by the water in the picnic area on the beach.
You can walk dogs out of the park on the shaded bike path area. Be careful though because it's right along U.S.1, which is the only highway in and out of the Florida Keys. Also, if you have a tow, you can take your furry friends to the Botanical State Park located just 3 miles north of Pennekamp on the right. It offers self guided tours, is not crowded and almost the entire path is shaded. Perfect for dogs! Be sure to get your doggy clean up bags when you enter. Their is no charge, but they do ask kindly for donations.
And while you are visiting the Florida Keys, I can tell you first hand that dogs get really hot here. Don't forget fresh water, shade and mostly air condition are our best friends in the heat. Well, besides our human parents. A fun free toy you may find laying around is a coconut, right from a tree. Leave it in it's natural state and we furry ones play with it like it's a football for hours on end.
I hope every RV puppy gets to visit our island's. We have 42 bridges that connect all of the Florida Keys together and it only takes about 2.5 hours to go from the first Key to the last. (Hint to puppies) Ride on the dashboard and you can see some pretty cool views going over bridges. And if any RVers have questions about the Florida Keys, email me and I'll ask my human parents to talk to you.
I give this park 5 doggy biscuits
Yappy trails!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
RVing in the Florida Keys - Long Key State Park
What a tail wagging trip this was. I was my first experience in the RV and has so many unforgettable moments. Well, my door dashing was here, but we already talked about that. All furry friends listen up, no doggy door dashing from an RV!!!
OK, so let me tell you all about Long Key State Park. First and foremost, it's very doggy friendly. And my human parents just loved the fact that every campsite is ocean front. I don't mean that you might get a glance of the ocean. It's way less than a short ball throw away from your doorsteps. Nothing is between you and the water... no trees, no other RV's, nothing, not ta. The landscape between us and our neighbors was OK. We could see them pretty well, but it was a pretty wide space separating us. The park has a really long (ha-Long Key, get it?) road from one end to the other. So long in fact, we never walked the entire thing. The fun part was that at the end near us, they had a big private area that was just perfect for us furry friends.
During one of our walks, we got to see a nest that a sea turtle made. It was marked off and we stayed clear of it so that we didn't accidentally hurt any eggs. We were there in July and they ask everyone to turn off lights at night. This is so that if the turtle eggs hatch, they will go towards the moon reflection on the ocean water, and not towards your lights.
Speaking of July, this is a very warm month in the Florida Keys. We knew that in advance because we live in Key Largo (the first part of the Florida Keys). But my human parents wanted to check out the new RV close to home in case they needed anything... you know, being new at RVing.
So about the heat in July. Us furry friends like our walks but this is a really good time to cut them short. Not only is the pavement very hot, but the air is too. And fresh cool water is something we can't get enough of, so please make sure we have plenty. Long Key State Park does not allow dogs on the beach area or in the water, but when you go swimming, don't forget to check on us. The park only has 30 amp, so if your RV needs 50apm, the a/c's won't all run at the same time. It may get warm inside. The sites, although right on the ocean, don't offer any shade.
Humans can swim and snorkel right in front of their campsite. You can also fish or rent a kayak. The park also has 2 nature trails at the north end and a picnic area along the water.
Long Key State Park is located just south of Islamorada and just north of Marathon, with nothing (as far as a store) near it. The nearest store is about 15 minutes by car. If you want to stay here you may have to book almost a year in advance for one of their 60 oceanfront sites. We just lucked into a cancellation due to a storm. This is a great location, especially if you've never visited the Florida Keys. The rates are about $38 per night and include water and electric, a firepit and picnic table. Be sure to bring a door carpet or mat. Their is lots of beach sand. Oh yeah, it's the beach!!!
It's dog gone fun and a tail wagging good time.
I rate it 5 doggy biscuits!
OK, so let me tell you all about Long Key State Park. First and foremost, it's very doggy friendly. And my human parents just loved the fact that every campsite is ocean front. I don't mean that you might get a glance of the ocean. It's way less than a short ball throw away from your doorsteps. Nothing is between you and the water... no trees, no other RV's, nothing, not ta. The landscape between us and our neighbors was OK. We could see them pretty well, but it was a pretty wide space separating us. The park has a really long (ha-Long Key, get it?) road from one end to the other. So long in fact, we never walked the entire thing. The fun part was that at the end near us, they had a big private area that was just perfect for us furry friends.
During one of our walks, we got to see a nest that a sea turtle made. It was marked off and we stayed clear of it so that we didn't accidentally hurt any eggs. We were there in July and they ask everyone to turn off lights at night. This is so that if the turtle eggs hatch, they will go towards the moon reflection on the ocean water, and not towards your lights.
Speaking of July, this is a very warm month in the Florida Keys. We knew that in advance because we live in Key Largo (the first part of the Florida Keys). But my human parents wanted to check out the new RV close to home in case they needed anything... you know, being new at RVing.
So about the heat in July. Us furry friends like our walks but this is a really good time to cut them short. Not only is the pavement very hot, but the air is too. And fresh cool water is something we can't get enough of, so please make sure we have plenty. Long Key State Park does not allow dogs on the beach area or in the water, but when you go swimming, don't forget to check on us. The park only has 30 amp, so if your RV needs 50apm, the a/c's won't all run at the same time. It may get warm inside. The sites, although right on the ocean, don't offer any shade.
Humans can swim and snorkel right in front of their campsite. You can also fish or rent a kayak. The park also has 2 nature trails at the north end and a picnic area along the water.
Long Key State Park is located just south of Islamorada and just north of Marathon, with nothing (as far as a store) near it. The nearest store is about 15 minutes by car. If you want to stay here you may have to book almost a year in advance for one of their 60 oceanfront sites. We just lucked into a cancellation due to a storm. This is a great location, especially if you've never visited the Florida Keys. The rates are about $38 per night and include water and electric, a firepit and picnic table. Be sure to bring a door carpet or mat. Their is lots of beach sand. Oh yeah, it's the beach!!!
It's dog gone fun and a tail wagging good time.
I rate it 5 doggy biscuits!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Pet Rules in Most RV Parks
We are learning that most all RV parks have about the same rules. They are simple and as long as dog owners (and dogs) follow them, dogs will continue to be welcomed. My human Mom has found several RV Resorts that do not allow dogs because others could not follow the rules. Parks have the right to say no, so please (with a doggy biscuit on top) follow the rules so they will continue to say yes to 4 legged furry friends!
In Florida, as in most states, the law requires pets to be vaccinated against rabies, and owners should carry proof of rabies vaccination when registering to camp. We all know that ALL human parents take care of this one, right? So don't forget to bring the papers for proof!
Most all parks (we don't know of any exceptions) require pets to be confined, leashed or otherwise under the physical control of a person at all times. OK, no one should be letting their pet run wild at home or in a park. We could get hurt (even though it seems like fun).
Leashes may not exceed six feet long. Wow, if mine and my parents did, we could really get all tangled up.
Pets must be confined in the owners unit during quiet time. This quiet time is usually between 11pm and 7am when we are all sleeping anyway. Only if it's an emergency pee-pee would I even think of loosing sleep and waking my human parents.
Pet owners shall pick up after their pet. Well, someone has to do it and it's only right that each dog owner cleans up after their furry friend. This makes non dog owners very mad, so make sure to carry clean-up bags for us when we go for walks.
Pets which are noisy, vicious, dangerous, disturbing or intimidating to other people, and pets and are considered a nuisance will not be permitted to stay in the park. Whew, that was a mouth full! Now me and my furry parents are German Shepherds and some people automatically think we are mean. Well, I'm here to tell you, we are some of the most loving and cuddling puppies you'll ever meet. We don't just speak (bark) for the sake of speaking. It's usually because something is outside and you need to take a look. And like most dogs, we all are very nice, love to love, and be loved. Oh yeah, we do love to play ball!
Pets are not allowed in all areas of a park. Bath houses for instance, some hiking trails and visitors centers unless they are working dogs. Now I sometimes think I'm a working dog because I am always waiting for my Dad to get home from work. Hey, that's work for me to watch and listen (in between naps), but my human parents know I'm not a certified working dog. So we follow the r-u-l-e-s!
It's as easy as that! If all of us work together, parks will keep allowing us furry friends to come back. I love to RV (and play ball) and I want to always be able to travel with my human parents. So go have fun, be good and give yourself a dog biscuit for good behavior.
In Florida, as in most states, the law requires pets to be vaccinated against rabies, and owners should carry proof of rabies vaccination when registering to camp. We all know that ALL human parents take care of this one, right? So don't forget to bring the papers for proof!
Most all parks (we don't know of any exceptions) require pets to be confined, leashed or otherwise under the physical control of a person at all times. OK, no one should be letting their pet run wild at home or in a park. We could get hurt (even though it seems like fun).
Leashes may not exceed six feet long. Wow, if mine and my parents did, we could really get all tangled up.
Pets must be confined in the owners unit during quiet time. This quiet time is usually between 11pm and 7am when we are all sleeping anyway. Only if it's an emergency pee-pee would I even think of loosing sleep and waking my human parents.
Pet owners shall pick up after their pet. Well, someone has to do it and it's only right that each dog owner cleans up after their furry friend. This makes non dog owners very mad, so make sure to carry clean-up bags for us when we go for walks.
Pets which are noisy, vicious, dangerous, disturbing or intimidating to other people, and pets and are considered a nuisance will not be permitted to stay in the park. Whew, that was a mouth full! Now me and my furry parents are German Shepherds and some people automatically think we are mean. Well, I'm here to tell you, we are some of the most loving and cuddling puppies you'll ever meet. We don't just speak (bark) for the sake of speaking. It's usually because something is outside and you need to take a look. And like most dogs, we all are very nice, love to love, and be loved. Oh yeah, we do love to play ball!
Pets are not allowed in all areas of a park. Bath houses for instance, some hiking trails and visitors centers unless they are working dogs. Now I sometimes think I'm a working dog because I am always waiting for my Dad to get home from work. Hey, that's work for me to watch and listen (in between naps), but my human parents know I'm not a certified working dog. So we follow the r-u-l-e-s!
It's as easy as that! If all of us work together, parks will keep allowing us furry friends to come back. I love to RV (and play ball) and I want to always be able to travel with my human parents. So go have fun, be good and give yourself a dog biscuit for good behavior.
Doggy Door Dashing
This is not often thought about until it happens to you. And if you travel with dogs, their is a good chance it will.
My human parents are so careful with me and my furry parents however, they never saw this one coming. We had just arrived at our first RV park. My human Dad pulled over to park while my human Mom gathered her purse to go register. As she opened the door, my furry parents went (when called) to my human Dad. Well I wanted to go with my human Mom so bad that I dashed right out the door in front of her. IKES!!! As I started to take off to go exploring, I turned and looked at my human Mom. She had a very scared look on her face, so I froze. It was just long enough for her to reach out and grab me. She was very shaken and both my human parents learned a valuable lesson (and so did I). They sat for a while and talked about how I could have been hit by a car, or hurt in so many other ways. We could have also been asked to leave the park before we even registered. We would have missed out on all the fun we had... just because of me.
Thankfully for my human parents, this was an easy fix. With our Newmar Canyon Star 3920, it has 2 entrance doors. So ever since my door dashing day the rule is to only enter and exit through the rear door. This is because to get to the rear door you have to go through the bedroom door, creating a second barrier to the outside. Get it? Now when my human parents want to go outside without us dogs, they can first close the bedroom door and we have no chance of dashing out the back door.
The other thing this taught my human Mom is that by just using the back door, the RV coach stays so clean and free of dirt in the living area. She likes that. Their shoes and our leashes now stay in the garage, too!
If you don't have the Newmar Canyon Star 3920, their are other ways to prevent doggy door dashing from happening to you. Baby gates! Some friends that travel with their furry friends use them all the time. Depending on where your counter is located, you can most times support them with small bungee cords for easy removal. All you really need is an L shape, so doggies know to STOP! If anyone has any other idea's, please share. Your idea may save someones furry friend.
Another rule we have is that from the time we leave our home to go RVing until the time we return back home, me and my furry parents wear our harnesses... always, no exception. This way if their is an emergency of any sort, all our parents have to do is grab our leashes. Oh, I forgot to mention... my human parents double leash us when traveling, so we wear a gold collar and a harness. The reason for this is not because we are bad (which we are not), it's because we have had 2 collars break while out walking. One was just not made well and the other was a little worn. So it's really one leash, a harness and collar. Oh, and our leashes have double snaps.
Anyway, my human parents always err on the safe side. Lucky us, because the last thing my furry parents and I want to do is end up in a vet hospital while we're on vacation. Think of all the fun we would miss.
So if you are planning to start RVing with dogs or you are experienced, don't let your guard down on doggy door dashing. As sweet and loving as us furry friends are, you just never know when something outside is going to look like "adventure" to us. And just like humans, sometimes we act before we think.
Happy Tails!
My human parents are so careful with me and my furry parents however, they never saw this one coming. We had just arrived at our first RV park. My human Dad pulled over to park while my human Mom gathered her purse to go register. As she opened the door, my furry parents went (when called) to my human Dad. Well I wanted to go with my human Mom so bad that I dashed right out the door in front of her. IKES!!! As I started to take off to go exploring, I turned and looked at my human Mom. She had a very scared look on her face, so I froze. It was just long enough for her to reach out and grab me. She was very shaken and both my human parents learned a valuable lesson (and so did I). They sat for a while and talked about how I could have been hit by a car, or hurt in so many other ways. We could have also been asked to leave the park before we even registered. We would have missed out on all the fun we had... just because of me.
Thankfully for my human parents, this was an easy fix. With our Newmar Canyon Star 3920, it has 2 entrance doors. So ever since my door dashing day the rule is to only enter and exit through the rear door. This is because to get to the rear door you have to go through the bedroom door, creating a second barrier to the outside. Get it? Now when my human parents want to go outside without us dogs, they can first close the bedroom door and we have no chance of dashing out the back door.
The other thing this taught my human Mom is that by just using the back door, the RV coach stays so clean and free of dirt in the living area. She likes that. Their shoes and our leashes now stay in the garage, too!
If you don't have the Newmar Canyon Star 3920, their are other ways to prevent doggy door dashing from happening to you. Baby gates! Some friends that travel with their furry friends use them all the time. Depending on where your counter is located, you can most times support them with small bungee cords for easy removal. All you really need is an L shape, so doggies know to STOP! If anyone has any other idea's, please share. Your idea may save someones furry friend.
Another rule we have is that from the time we leave our home to go RVing until the time we return back home, me and my furry parents wear our harnesses... always, no exception. This way if their is an emergency of any sort, all our parents have to do is grab our leashes. Oh, I forgot to mention... my human parents double leash us when traveling, so we wear a gold collar and a harness. The reason for this is not because we are bad (which we are not), it's because we have had 2 collars break while out walking. One was just not made well and the other was a little worn. So it's really one leash, a harness and collar. Oh, and our leashes have double snaps.
Anyway, my human parents always err on the safe side. Lucky us, because the last thing my furry parents and I want to do is end up in a vet hospital while we're on vacation. Think of all the fun we would miss.
So if you are planning to start RVing with dogs or you are experienced, don't let your guard down on doggy door dashing. As sweet and loving as us furry friends are, you just never know when something outside is going to look like "adventure" to us. And just like humans, sometimes we act before we think.
Happy Tails!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Newmar Canyon Star 3920. Very dog friendly!
What can I say? The person who designed the Newmar Canyon Star 3920 is definitely a dog lover (or maybe was a smart German Shepherd in a prior life:))
If you are still thinking about, and doing research on which RV to buy, you've got to take a look at this one. When my human parents brought this RV home, we knew it was made for us. The front 29' is just like a super nice living room. It has a leather couch, beautiful flooring and window treatments, fancy cherry wood, etc.. Oh, and my human Dad likes the plush drivers seat and all of the electronic gadgets. Now for the special part... You open a door in the bedroom and Ta-Da... you are in a 10' garage! This garage is so nice. It has a/c, a flat screen TV and DVD player, great flooring and a huge back door that opens so you could load a motorcycle! It also has a huge pull down screen door so that me and my furry parents can hang out in the garage and watch our human parents grilling and stuff outdoors. Lastly, it has a queen size bed that lowers from the ceiling for extra sleeping space. Like I said, definitely planned out by a dog lover.
It has 2 slide outs that make the living room and bedroom really big. Everyone knows dogs shed quite a bit and tile is best for flooring. This RV has very little carpet. My human Mom says it's really easy to keep clean. It even came with it's own shop vacuum in the garage! They thought of just about everything.
What are the cons about it? Not too many. The biggest one is that it has 3 a/c units and unless you are on 50 amp shore power, the RV will rotate a/c units, meaning the garage can get quite hot in the summer months. So, my human Dad is so smart (I think he must have been a German Shepherd too), he has put together this thing that will email and tell him if/when the RV looses power, what the temp is and then switch the RV to the generator. I'm gonna get him to blog about all of this a little later.
Also, it would be nice if the screen doors were removable, hinged in some way so that they could come off. Most times they are more in the way than used.
My human Mom wishes someone would come up with a dog bed that fits on the dashboard. It would have to be big enough for me, and not slide. I love to ride and watch out the window. Lastly, it would have been nice if the RV had a secret place (like under the kitchen sink) for the garbage.
Overall, the Newmar Canyon Star 3920 gets a 4 paws up from me and 2 thumbs up from my human parents!
If you are still thinking about, and doing research on which RV to buy, you've got to take a look at this one. When my human parents brought this RV home, we knew it was made for us. The front 29' is just like a super nice living room. It has a leather couch, beautiful flooring and window treatments, fancy cherry wood, etc.. Oh, and my human Dad likes the plush drivers seat and all of the electronic gadgets. Now for the special part... You open a door in the bedroom and Ta-Da... you are in a 10' garage! This garage is so nice. It has a/c, a flat screen TV and DVD player, great flooring and a huge back door that opens so you could load a motorcycle! It also has a huge pull down screen door so that me and my furry parents can hang out in the garage and watch our human parents grilling and stuff outdoors. Lastly, it has a queen size bed that lowers from the ceiling for extra sleeping space. Like I said, definitely planned out by a dog lover.
It has 2 slide outs that make the living room and bedroom really big. Everyone knows dogs shed quite a bit and tile is best for flooring. This RV has very little carpet. My human Mom says it's really easy to keep clean. It even came with it's own shop vacuum in the garage! They thought of just about everything.
What are the cons about it? Not too many. The biggest one is that it has 3 a/c units and unless you are on 50 amp shore power, the RV will rotate a/c units, meaning the garage can get quite hot in the summer months. So, my human Dad is so smart (I think he must have been a German Shepherd too), he has put together this thing that will email and tell him if/when the RV looses power, what the temp is and then switch the RV to the generator. I'm gonna get him to blog about all of this a little later.
Also, it would be nice if the screen doors were removable, hinged in some way so that they could come off. Most times they are more in the way than used.
My human Mom wishes someone would come up with a dog bed that fits on the dashboard. It would have to be big enough for me, and not slide. I love to ride and watch out the window. Lastly, it would have been nice if the RV had a secret place (like under the kitchen sink) for the garbage.
Overall, the Newmar Canyon Star 3920 gets a 4 paws up from me and 2 thumbs up from my human parents!
Monday, August 23, 2010
About my Megaesophagus. What is it?
Mega-esophagus, or Mega for short, is an abnormality I was born with. My human parents knew right away that I needed medical attention. After many doctor visits, I was finally diagnosed with Mega.
This is what Wikipedia.com says about it:
Megaesophagus is a condition in humans, cats and dogs where peristalsis fails to occur properly and the esophagus is enlarged. Normally, when the dog's esophagus is functioning properly, it acts as a muscle and pushes the food down the esophagus into the stomach. However, when a dog has megaesophagus, the esophagus stays enlarged and does not push the food down to the stomach. Therefore, the food fails to enter the stomach and often stays in the esophagus, and is eventually regurgitated.
Myasthenia gravis occurs when acetylcholine receptors (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors or AChRs) fail to function properly. Due to the inability of the nerve receptors to function appropriately, the muscles fail to have a stimulus that causes them to contract.
An important distinction in recognizing megaesophagus is the difference between when a dog regurgitates or vomits. Regurgitating is a common symptom of megaesophagus while vomiting is not necessarily associated with megaesophagus. When a dog regurgitates there is usually not as much effort involved as when a dog vomits. Often when regurgitating, the dog will tip its head down and the liquid and/or food will almost appear to "spill out" of its throat.
One of the primary dangers to a dog with megaesophagus is aspiration pneumonia. Because the food stays lodged in the throat, it can often be inhaled into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. One way to avoid this is to make sure that every time the dog eats or drinks anything, that the dog sits for at least 10
minutes afterwards or is held in a sitting up or begging position. This requires that all food and liquid intake be closely monitored and specifically administered to the dog in regular intervals (sometimes as often as 2-3 hours) in smaller quantities. Obviously, if smaller quantities of food and water are administered, one needs to take the necessary precaution to ensure the dog has a sufficient caloric and water intake. The prognosis for this condition is guarded.
In doggie language, I have little urps (or throw-ups) ranging from 1 to 15 times a day. Sometimes I'll go days and not have any. Those are the nights that we sleep the best. I don't really get treats because they aren't good for me, but I do get pumpkin. I love pumpkin! It's really good for a dogs stomach and easy for me to eat. And I mentioned my Super Juice before... I get that twice daily. When I was weeks old, a Specialist suggested that I try it. No guarantees. My human parents were willing to see if it helped, offered hope. And it does, it seems.
For anyone who may have a furry friend with Mega, my juice is called Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide syrup). It's very expensive and requires a doctor to write a prescription, but my human parents swear it has helped me.
Both of my furry parents live with us, too. The first thing my human parents did when I was diagnosed, was have my furry Mom and Dad spayed and neutered. They did not want to chance that one of them may be carrying the gene that would reproduce Mega again.
So, even though the Mega thing is unfortunate, it has given me the opportunity to live with both my human parents and my furry parents for my whole, happy, tail wagging life!
This is what Wikipedia.com says about it:
Megaesophagus is a condition in humans, cats and dogs where peristalsis fails to occur properly and the esophagus is enlarged. Normally, when the dog's esophagus is functioning properly, it acts as a muscle and pushes the food down the esophagus into the stomach. However, when a dog has megaesophagus, the esophagus stays enlarged and does not push the food down to the stomach. Therefore, the food fails to enter the stomach and often stays in the esophagus, and is eventually regurgitated.
Myasthenia gravis occurs when acetylcholine receptors (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors or AChRs) fail to function properly. Due to the inability of the nerve receptors to function appropriately, the muscles fail to have a stimulus that causes them to contract.
An important distinction in recognizing megaesophagus is the difference between when a dog regurgitates or vomits. Regurgitating is a common symptom of megaesophagus while vomiting is not necessarily associated with megaesophagus. When a dog regurgitates there is usually not as much effort involved as when a dog vomits. Often when regurgitating, the dog will tip its head down and the liquid and/or food will almost appear to "spill out" of its throat.
One of the primary dangers to a dog with megaesophagus is aspiration pneumonia. Because the food stays lodged in the throat, it can often be inhaled into the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia. One way to avoid this is to make sure that every time the dog eats or drinks anything, that the dog sits for at least 10
minutes afterwards or is held in a sitting up or begging position. This requires that all food and liquid intake be closely monitored and specifically administered to the dog in regular intervals (sometimes as often as 2-3 hours) in smaller quantities. Obviously, if smaller quantities of food and water are administered, one needs to take the necessary precaution to ensure the dog has a sufficient caloric and water intake. The prognosis for this condition is guarded.
In doggie language, I have little urps (or throw-ups) ranging from 1 to 15 times a day. Sometimes I'll go days and not have any. Those are the nights that we sleep the best. I don't really get treats because they aren't good for me, but I do get pumpkin. I love pumpkin! It's really good for a dogs stomach and easy for me to eat. And I mentioned my Super Juice before... I get that twice daily. When I was weeks old, a Specialist suggested that I try it. No guarantees. My human parents were willing to see if it helped, offered hope. And it does, it seems.
For anyone who may have a furry friend with Mega, my juice is called Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide syrup). It's very expensive and requires a doctor to write a prescription, but my human parents swear it has helped me.
Both of my furry parents live with us, too. The first thing my human parents did when I was diagnosed, was have my furry Mom and Dad spayed and neutered. They did not want to chance that one of them may be carrying the gene that would reproduce Mega again.
So, even though the Mega thing is unfortunate, it has given me the opportunity to live with both my human parents and my furry parents for my whole, happy, tail wagging life!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Hello RV & Dog Loving World
Hello World!
I'm tail wagging happy to get to share my life with you, and hope to learn some new tricks along the way. As you may have read in my profile, I'm a very special (and handsome) 5 yr. old German Shepherd. I take a special medicine two times a day that my human parents call "Super Juice", therefore they nicknamed me Super Seiger. In German, my name Seiger means champion or winner. You see, I was born with mega-esophagus and have beat the odds. It was thought that I may not live past 6 months old and my human parents were determined to prove the doctors wrong. Just look at my cute self now!
I'll tell you more about my mega-esophagus a little later. For now, lets yak about my blog.
My human parents bought us an RV and I love to ride in it. I might love it more than playing ball. I love playing ball! Anyway, My human parents have searched the Internet for weeks looking for information specific to traveling with dogs in an RV. They love us to no end and are worried about things like the a/c going off if they are not with us in the RV, going to a park that really does not like dogs (who would not like me?), water issues so we don't get sick, etc. So you get the picture? My human Mom decided to start a blog with me so we could share and learn with other dog loving RVers like us.
So, we hope that in between RVing and playing ball, you'll visit us and help add valuable information to the 2 and 4 legged RV world.
Yappy trails!
I'm tail wagging happy to get to share my life with you, and hope to learn some new tricks along the way. As you may have read in my profile, I'm a very special (and handsome) 5 yr. old German Shepherd. I take a special medicine two times a day that my human parents call "Super Juice", therefore they nicknamed me Super Seiger. In German, my name Seiger means champion or winner. You see, I was born with mega-esophagus and have beat the odds. It was thought that I may not live past 6 months old and my human parents were determined to prove the doctors wrong. Just look at my cute self now!
I'll tell you more about my mega-esophagus a little later. For now, lets yak about my blog.
My human parents bought us an RV and I love to ride in it. I might love it more than playing ball. I love playing ball! Anyway, My human parents have searched the Internet for weeks looking for information specific to traveling with dogs in an RV. They love us to no end and are worried about things like the a/c going off if they are not with us in the RV, going to a park that really does not like dogs (who would not like me?), water issues so we don't get sick, etc. So you get the picture? My human Mom decided to start a blog with me so we could share and learn with other dog loving RVers like us.
So, we hope that in between RVing and playing ball, you'll visit us and help add valuable information to the 2 and 4 legged RV world.
Yappy trails!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)