Rusty-Dawg Pet Products has attended a few events to support local rescue groups this past summer. On July 23rd we attended Take the Plunge with Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services, donating a portion of our sales that day to BHRR! It was a great day, wonderful to spend it with such a caring group of people and the rescue dogs that BHRR brought with them for the day were so well behaved.
On Sept 18th we attended the Ottawa Westie Walk & Fun Day. The weather was perfect, they had more Westies in attendance this year than they did last year and the day was a huge success! Jingles, my 20 yr old Beagle, came with us that day as an honorary Westie & he was so well behaved! I was very impressed with how good my ole boy was
Coming up this weekend, Oct 1st, we’re going to be at the International Greyhound Planet day! It promises to be a fun filled day! We’ll be selling a variety of items ranging from collars and leashes, to dehydrated treats, to deer antler chews and more! My prices at these events are always discounted and they include HST as well!
The last event for this year is being hosted by Under My Wing Pug Rescue & it’s their 6th Annual Howl-O-Ween PugStock! I can’t wait! I’ll have special deals that day as well and I’ll be bringing Jingles with me. He’s going to dress up, but I’m not sure as what yet! It has to be something “bad” because the older he gets, the badder he gets
I really hope to see some of Rusty-Dawg’s supporters at Greyhound Planet Day & PugStock!
This weekend I am trying to help raise funds for Blue Moon Rescue, an all breed pet rescue located in Eastern Ontario. Specifically I’m trying to help raise funds for Trixie’s vet bills. Blue Moon is almost positive they have a foster home for her now so it’s just a matter of raising funds for her vetting.
If you’ve been wanting to buy a new collar for your dog, now is a great time! Spoil your pooches & help save a life!
Remember, there’s no shipping charges on the collars that I have in stock if you live in Ottawa area and are able to pick up your order (choose Free Pickup when you’re checking out). Unfortunately, the free pickup option does not apply to items that are shipped directly to you from the manufacturer as some of the 2 Hounds Design collars are.
Lets Be the Change for Trixie & raise the funds needed for her vetting so she can have the loving retirement that she so dearly deserves.
RDPP will be attending the Take the Plunge event alongside Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services this weekend! RDPP will be there all day on Saturday, July 23, 2011. Look for BHRR’s table & that’s where you’ll find us! We’ll be selling various items with a portion of our sales going to BHRR. Come out, join the fun, spoil your pooches & help support a wonderful rescue group!
My prices at Take the Plunge will include HST. I’ll be selling the following items at this event!
Deer Antler Chews:
Jumbo – $22
Large(2 Pack) – $22
Medium(3 Pack) – $22
Small (2 Pack) – $11 *$2 from each sale goes to BHRR
This & That Everest Chews:
XL – $17
Large – $12 *$1 from each sale goes to BHRR
Handmade Wooden Laser Etched Great Dane Key Chains:
$7 each *$2 from each sale goes to BHRR
Handmade Wooden Leash/Collar Hangers (made from reclaimed oak):
2 peg – $10
1 peg with paw prints (pine) – $10
2 peg with photo insert – $12
1 peg with photo insert – $12 *$2 from each sale goes to BHRR
Himalayan Dog Chews:
Large – $11
Medium – $10
Small – $11 *$1 from each sale goes to BHRR
Dehydrated Treats – 100 g bags:
Dehydrated Beef Lung – $9
Dehydrated Lamb Lung – $9
Dehydrated Beef Tripe – $9 *$1 from each sale goes to BHRR
Leather Dog Leashes With 10 Functions:
$30 Each *$5 from each sale goes to BHRR
Various Martingale Collars, sizes 18–23″, 1.5–2″ wide:
$23 Each *$3 from each sale goes to BHRR
Various Dublin Dog No Stink Collars:
Large – 17–21″ – $16 Each
Medium – 13–17″ – $16 Each $2 from each sale goes to BHRR
Roxxter Toys by Dublin Dog:
$12 Each $2 from each sale goes to BHRR
I look forward to seeing you at Take the Plunge!! If you are unable to attend but would like to purchase any of the above items with a portion going to BHRR, please email me: luanne@rustydawgpetproducts.com
Jingles has had a few bad episodes this month. When it happens he can barely lift his head, his right side gets very weak and he has a really hard time walking, he doesn’t wag his tail and he doesn’t eat because he’s in so much pain. His first episode was earlier this month and I took him to my regular vet but she didn’t really know what the problem was, gave the typical suspects for neck pain and sent us on our way with a very low dosage of Tramadol. That episode lasted 4-5 days and then he seemed ok. Not perfect because if I touched near his head when he wasn’t expecting it he’d yelp but other than that he was back to his ole Beagley self! That lasted for about 10 days and then he had another bad episode.
During this recent bad episode I took him back to my regular vet and she said to put him back on the Tramadol that he was prescribed during his first episode but other than that she didn’t have anything else to offer. His pain kept up, the Tramadol was not helping & he was not eating & could barely move. My poor ole boy, I was so upset, I really thought we were nearing the end (for those who don’t know, Jingles is 19 yrs old but he’s a very active senior!). I took him to an emergency vet that weekend and again she had very little to offer. My heart was breaking thinking that I may have to euthanize my boy because he had absolutely no quality of life, he was in so much pain, and the two vets I saw did not have anything to offer me to help Jingles.
This is a video of Jingles taken during his first bad episode and he was worse off during his second one:
Determined to do something to try to help Jingles, I took him to another vet who specializes in rehabilitation and physical therapy for animals, the same vet I wrote about previously in regards to Tiki’s rehab, Dr Gumley at Cedarview Animal Hospital. OMG, I wish I had of taken Jingles there from day one! He did not twist Jingles head all around trying to make him scream as the other vets did (and likely causing more damage), he could tell where Jingles was hurting simply by gently feeling his neck and spine, checking his reflexes, etc. The vet could feel the heat radiating from Jingles’ neck and he could feel the muscles twitching (which you could also visibly see) and he was able to pinpoint the specific vertebrae that were causing Jingles so much pain.
Now, only a week after seeing Dr Gumley, I have my Beagle back! He’s able to hold his head up properly, he’s rolling in the grass again, he’s trying to steal the cats’ food, he’s able to get up on my bed and the couch, he’s eating well, he’s energetic and wants to go for walks and he’s wagging his tail! Jingles is my silly Beagle once again!
Without an MRI we will not know for sure what’s really going on with Jingles but based on his findings, Dr Gumley is fairly certain it’s a bulging disc in Jingles’ neck which is extremely painful and debilitating. He increased Jingles’ Tramadol dosage four fold, and also added in another pain reliever that works with the Tramadol to increase it’s effectiveness. Jingles has Chronic Renal Failure (which is under control) and a Grade 5 heart murmur so we’re limited with what we can give him but the pain meds he’s on are kidney and heart safe. I’ve been icing Jingles neck and we’ve also been doing the Cold Laser Therapy every other day for the past week and I think that’s really helping to reduce the inflammation but we won’t know for sure what’s actually helping until we start to decrease the pain meds.
Here’s a video of Jingles taken today, June 20th, 2011. Such an improvement!!:
Jingles goes back to see Dr Gumley on Wednesday and if he determines that we now have the pain sufficiently under control than we can start some gentle physical therapy exercises for his neck. I know we aren’t out of the woods yet and it could easily recur, but I’m so thankful for Dr Gumley! He’s given me hope, he’s given me my silly Beagle back and most importantly he’s given Jingles his quality of life back!
Always, ALWAYS, get a 2nd opinion and if you still are not satisfied, get a 3rd opinion and a 4th! We have to be the voice of the animals we care for and we know them best. Don’t be afarid to speak up for them! I often hear people say “but my vet is so nice” as a reason not to go elsewhere. Your vet may be the nicest person in the world but that doesn’t mean they have the experience to deal with the problem at hand. I really like my regular vet and she’s very nice as well but from now on if any of my animals has any mobility issues I am going directly to Dr Gumley.
In January I took my 15 year old cat, Tiki, to see Dr Gumley at Cedarview Animal Hospital because she was sore in her left legs, especially her left front leg, and my regular vet said she saw an an osteophyte in her rear right leg below her knee cap when we reviewed her xrays. Despite arthritic pain, Tiki is always happy and loving and it hasn’t slowed her down at all.
Dr Gumley specializes in rehabilitation/physical therapy for animals so I figured we’d give him a try. Oh my goodness! I have never seen a vet give such a thorough exam and I’ve experienced a *lot* of vets! Not even the Ortho Surgeons who operated on Sandy’s and Rusty’s knees were as thorough!
Dr Gumley examining Tiki
He literally checked every single muscle, tendon and joint (every moving part, even her toes) in her body! Needless to say, Tiki was not impressed, but I was definitely impressed with how thorough he was.
Dr Gumley determined that Tiki has a lot of arthritic changes in her front left elbow which is why she limps and she also has more arthritic changes in her back left knee compared to her back right knee eventhough her back right knee has the osteophyte. He reviewed the xrays taken by our regular vet and he noticed she also has the starting of spondylosis in her lower back which is the same area she tends to pull her fur out. I had assumed she was pulling her fur due to pain and he agreed it was likely from pain due to the spondylosis.
We started Tiki on Cartrophen Vet along with Cold Laser Therapy to help her with her arthritic pain. Do not confuse Cartrophen with Carprofen (Rimadyl) which is an NSAID and one that I would never use for any of my animals! Cartrophen is a safe alternative to NSAIDs for both dogs and cats. It is in the class of Chondroprotective Drugs. It has great anti inflammatory properties and it actually works to stop the progression of arthritis.
To start with Tiki received Cartrophen injections once per week for 4 weeks which is the loading dose and now she gets an injection once per month as maintenance.
Tiki complaining during her 5th Cold Laser treatment
Tiki received Cold Laser Therapy twice per week for 2 weeks to get the inflammation under control and then once per week for 2 weeks. At that time Tiki’s limp had pretty much went away so I knew the Cold Laser Therapy was working because it was too soon for the Cartrophen to have had much of an effect. I was very impressed with the results and it was so good to see Tiki walking around with the limp!
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances in my personal life I was not able to keep up with her rehab schedule so Tiki missed about 4 weeks of the Cold Laser Therapy and we were once again back at square one.
I got Tiki back in for her Cold Laser treatments and we started at twice a week again, then once per week for a few weeks weeks, then once every two weeks, to see if she could go longer periods in between without being sore. The Cold Laser Therapy is expensive at $69 per visit and add in the price of gas to get there and it’s very costly so currently Tiki is getting the Cold Laser Therapy every 3 weeks which really doesn’t seem to be enough because she’s now limping again. So, I have to decide if it’s beneficial at all to take her in every 3-4 weeks for the Cold Laser treatment because from what I can see it’s not helping but perhaps on the inside it is helping a bit although not as much as she really needs.
Tiki does take some supplements for her arthritis as well such as Glucosamine, Sea Mussel Extract, Fish Oil, Vitamin E which she’s been taking for quite a while and I recently started her on Curcumin with Bioperine to hopefully help with any inflammation.
Tiki will continue to get the Cartrophen injections and hopefully I can find a way to continue the Cold Laser Therapy so it’s more helpful to Tiki and not as hard on my pocket book!
Big on Beagles visited the Toronto Animal Services – South Region branch yesterday. One of the reasons they were at the TAS was to reach out to this beautiful girl named Deep.
This is the email I received from BoB about Deep:
Her owner called her “Deep” and perhaps she is, given all he put her through at the tender age of 10 months. But maybe Deep can be given a pretty new name as well as a fresh new start at a real life in a real home. Maybe we could drop the “P” and call her Dee…short for something pretty like “Delilah”!
We could do that. If we only had a foster home. Could you be what our future Delilah needs? View her video, think about it, and search DEEP within your heart for the answer.
We know not everybody can foster but here’s the beauty of the social network. With your help, we can spread the story of “Deep” far and wide. With your help, we can find the person who will change her life.
The Foster Recruiters at BIG ON BEAGLES (B.O.B)
An Assistance Agency for Beagles Experiencing Troubled Times
The devastation in Japan is simply unimaginable to those of us not there. Even after seeing the video footage, I still cannot fathom what has happened, the destruction, the loss of life, the nuclear danger. It’s unreal! My heart goes out to all of those in Japan.
The loss of human life is tragic but people are not the only ones who are affected by this event. The animals of Japan need our help too. Many beloved pets have been separated from their families and add to this the loss of human life those same families are experiencing it’s simply another aspect where we need to help in order to bring some relief to the citizens of Japan. By helping to rescue the animals and reunite them with their families, we’re not only saving the animals but we’re helping the families to get back something that they love in the face of this destruction.
Paws for Japan is a virtual fundraiser to aid the animal relief efforts by donating to a very reputable group called World Vets. World Vets is a legitimate 501(3)c organization whose Executive Director spoke at BlogPaws West during the Veterinary Track. They provide veterinary aid around the globe in collaboration with animal advocacy groups, foreign governments, US and foreign military groups and veterinary professionals abroad.
World Vets has already sent a relief team to Japan to assist those established groups that are already there. As a result, World Vets needs all the help they can get in order to assist in this devastation.
That is why myself, along with many others, are supporting Blog Paws Be the Change in declaring Thursday, March 17 Paws for Japan Day! By blogging, tweeting and posting on Facebook we will be raising awareness of the World Vets effort and encouraging people to donate to their important work. If you cannot donate, you can still help by spreading the word!
How to participate in this worthy cause:
1. Insert this badge on your website, blog or Facebook page:
2. Promote the Chip In tool where people can make a donation. Note: this is the legitimate Chip In widget where all funds donated go directly to World Vets. Click here: Chip In tool to promote it on your site.
Rusty-Dawg Pet Products is relocating in less than 2 weeks and I’d like to clear out some of my inventory before moving. The following items are marked down drastically for quick sales! The sale prices do not include shipping. As always shipping is free if you order more than $100 worth of goods and if you are able to pick up your order than there is no shipping charge regardless of the amount.
Dublin Dog No Stink Dog Collars that I have in stock – $15.00 each, marked down from $24.00 each. This sale only applies to the Dublin Dog Collars that I have in stock and does not apply to drop ship orders.
Harley is a silly Beagle who Big on Beagles Rescue (BOB) is taking under their wings. This boy was given up by his owners but we don’t yet know why. The shelter that they surrendered Harley to discovered he has heartworm disease so because of that Harley was deemed unadoptable. So sad But, that’s why BOB stepped in!
Watch the video and you’ll see how great Harley is! He looks wonderful besides being a bit chunky and he’s so silly and so full of life! He deserves another chance at a happy, healthy life! Thankfully, BOB is going to look after him and make sure he gets treated for the heartworms and then they will find him the best furrever home!
Can you find room in your heart to help BOB help Harley’s heart? Please consider donating and help Be the Change for Harley!
Below is an excerpt from an email from BOB: His name is Harley. I’m going to pretend it’s short for harlequin because he’s such a little clown. Harley is in an animal shelter four hours away from Toronto. His owners gave him up. Harley has heartworm. Given his condition, he could not be placed in the shelter’s adoption program. He needs treatment to survive. The shelter manager called us. They kinda think he’s worth the extra effort. We kinda think so too. Have a look at his little video valentine sent to us yesterday. I think you’ll agree. Harley is definitely worth the effort.
If you missed my previous post about my cat Max and the issues I had in getting a true diagnosis of HyperThyroidism, please read it here: T3 Suppresion Test For My Cat Max.
Maxxy had his follow up bloodwork and checkup 6 weeks after he was finally diagnosed with HyperThyroidism and started on the Tapazole and almost everything looked good! We were concerned that treating his thyroid might exasberate his kidney issues but one of kidney levels stayed the same and one actually decreased. So that was really good news! We also retested his thyroid using the T4 and it was within normal ranges. Although it was within normal range before when he was definitely HyperThyroid, but the reason we checked it was to make sure he wasn’t going HypoThyroid due to the meds but he seems to be on a good dosage. One of his liver values were quite high, higher than it has been in the past, so that’s a bit worrisome but I’m keeping an eye on him and so far I don’t see any signs of liver problems.
Mysterious Max
Overall Max seems to be feeling better since being put on the Tapazole but I was hoping for even more positive changes. The positive changes I have noticed are that he’s seeking attention and coming upstairs once again, which he had stopped doing when he was feeling really crappy. That in itself is a big change but I guess I was hoping for more, such as gaining some weight back etc. I did recently start Max on a Standard Process supplement called Thytrophin PMG just to help support his thyroid and to hopefully make him feel a bit better. It’s a safe supplement to use in conjuction with the Tapazole medication.
What I think Max really needs now in order to feel even better is some relief from his arthritic pain. He’s a very sore and stiff boy. He’s been taking Tramadol for pain for a while now but I know he could use more than that. Tramadol doesn’t do anything for inflammation so the condition is still active and progressing even though I’m trying to control his pain. With cats, you have to be extremely careful when it comes to non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and I try to avoid them at all costs for my cats and even for my dogs. And with Max’s elevated kidney and liver numbers, NSAIDs are contraindicated anyway.
Beautiful Tiki-Belle
I just started my 15 year old cat, Tiki, on Cartrophen Vet to help her with her arthritic pain. Do not confuse this drug with Carprofen (Rimadyl) which is an NSAID and one that I would never use for any of my animals! Cartrophen is a safe alternative to NSAIDs for both dogs and cats. It is in the class of Chondroprotective Drugs. It has great anti inflammatory properties and it actually works to stop the progression of arthritis. I am going to start Max on Cartrophen as well! I’ll write more about Cartrophen in a few days when I post about Tiki and her rehabilitation protocol thus far.
Even though Maxxy is 19 years old, he’s still very active and alert and he deserves to be as pain free as possible. I will do whatever I can to help him so his golden years can be happy years!
RDPP Updates, This and That | admin | 
September 29, 2011 7:47 pm | 
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But, that’s why BOB stepped in!
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