When Your Dog Needs His Anal Glands Removed . . .

I've posted several times about Alvin's infected anal glands (search this blog for "dog dragging butt" or "scooting"). The poor dog's visited the vet several times this year to get rid of his anal gland infections.

Finally, after an expensive several months, we decided Alvin's vet should perform the surgery to remove Alvin's glands.

You can find the documentary about this surgery in this article: http://www.squidoo.com/anal-gland-removal-alvins-surgery

Lessons learned from this experience so far -

Buy a soft e-collar (see the link above) and see if the hospital will use it post-surgery.

Keep the surgical site as clean as possible.

Control the dog with a leash as much as possible. If he runs around and jumps up on furniture he can break stitches.

Lots of luck if your dog has this surgery. It's not pretty at all!

Introducing a Puppy to Your Dogs - Theodora Visits With Alvin and Simon

Last weekend the Boyz bid farewell to their buddy Benjy the Bichon, otherwise known as Junior. Benjy moved with his owners to Indiana.

His replacement is cousin Theodora (Dora), a Welsh Terrier pup. She visited this weekend to see the BOYZ for the first time.

Because we've done this dance in the past, we knew to separate the BOYZ and introduce them to Dora one at a time. We brought her outside on the deck and let Alvin investigate the visitor. He circled, sniffed, barked, and posed in his playbow position (downward dog in yoga).

After they were comfortable, we brought out troublemaker Simon who usually hates other dogs at first. We kept him on leash until he decided it was time to stop growling and to start playing. Soon enough, they were all running after each other on the grass.

Introducing a small pup to other dogs in the house is a process. You can't overwhelm a young dog - they can get traumatized easily.

Looks like Dora is headed for the leader of the pack of Alvin, Simon, and Theodora.

We forgot to get a picture of Theodora, but here's what she will look like when full grown:

Before You Use Medication to Treat Anxiety in Dogs . . .

I hate to medicate a dog for anything, although I do realize some medical conditions require medication. I have an issue with owners who use medication as the first line of attack when other solutions may work just as well.

Take the example of anxiety in dogs. Yes, your pup Rocky may quiver uncontrollably when there's a thunderstorm or suffer from separation anxiety.

But a pill is not always the answer. We are conditioned to think "pills" first. Hence the expression "Take a chill pill." Consider the long-term effects of medication. What will happen 5 years from now to the dog who's been medicated for anxiety during this time frame?

What should come BEFORE medication?
Other therapy. For example, a newer treatment is named the Thundershirt, a wrap-around-the-dog garment with mild compression. It simulates a womb-type environment and calms down many dogs. A similar garment has worked on autistic children so someone developed one for dogs.

I just bought a Thundershirt for Alvin. He actually likes wearing it and it calms him immediately.

See this article for reviews and Thundershirt details: http://www.squidoo.com/top-ten-best-gifts-for-dog-lovers