R.I.P. Erika (2009-March 24, 2009)

Erika, a stray cat that we took in recently had just past away earlier this morning. I feel bad that I didn't get to take any photos of her. She was a very tiny kitten; almost the size of my palm. She was very distinct because of the green paint that surrounded her body during the day that we took her in. Her white coat was was filled with big orange and black spots. Moreover, Erika had big black eyes that would just pierce through our souls. It longed for care and attention. And it was not very hard to give to a kitten like her. Erika was very sweet and was not afraid of people. She was also very brave and would stand up against Mallows whenever Mallows would try to approach her and sniff her. 

And although we did not have the chance to have a lot of memories, she will always have a special place in our hearts. We love her.  

FREE Anti-Rabies Dog Vaccination for Greenhills Residents

*map taken from http://www.greenhills.com.ph/mallmap.asp

WHAT? Free Anti-Rabies Dog Vaccination for All Greenhills Residents c/o San Juan City Health Office and Barangay Greenhills   

WHEN? March 20, 2009 (Friday)

WHERE? G-Strip, Greenhills, San Juan City

Bow&Wow

*photo courtesy of Anna Castro: http://annashinoda.multiply.com/

Located deep within the hallway leading to the 5th level parking area of Shangri-La mall lies a haven for pet owners who advocate an all-natural and healthy lifestyle. Bow&wow boasts a wide range of pet products for both dogs and cats. Moreover, it carries brands that I have been in search for since my last trip to Canada. It carries Canidae, Instinct, Tiki Dog, ZiwiPeak and Mallows' personal favorite, Merrick. All of which prides itself in providing pet foods with "human grade meals" as well as the absence of fillers, artificial flavors and preservatives. The staff of Bow&wow has always been very courteous and accommodating to me during my visits. Furthermore, not only are they pet-lovers but if I'm not mistaken, they all have vet-related backgrounds. So it proves helpful especially when I shop for Mallows' supplements. They have also been of great help whenever I encounter something new that tickles my curiosity or simply whenever I'm in a rut of what to get Mallows.

Some of the things that Bow&wow carry include all-natural supplements, both canned and dry food, chews, treats, dog and cat beds, grooming tools and toys. I really encourage every pet owner to check it out! :-) 

Bow&wow

Unit 539 Level 5 Shangri-La Mall 

EDSA corner Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City

(632)6383372

http://www.bowandwow.com.ph      

To Rimadyl or Not to Rimadyl?

As I have previously mentioned in this blog, my chow chow is a little bit overweight right now. It is that along with her genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia that has got me really worried for the past few days. It reached a climatic point when Mallows would not eat, got cranky and rarely got up to walk around. Moreover, I found her exaggeratedly limping her left leg whenever she would try to get up from her naps. It was so painful to see her like that so I ended up rushing her to the nearest veterinarian despite everything else that I had scheduled for that day. 

I took Mallows to the Wilson branch of Animal House, a local chain of animal clinics. The staff was very patient with Mallows' crankiness as well as with my barrage of queries and other concerns that I had. And by the end of the consultation with the veterinarian, I was prescribed Rimadyl (generic name: carprofen), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug marketed by Pfizer for dogs like Mallows who suffer from the consequences of hip dysplasia and canine arthritis. I actually expressed my concern to the veterinarian about giving Mallows too much painkillers or any other harsh medicines that might not be very good for her in the long run. Mallows is actually quite on the acidic side; thus, I have to be careful whenever administering to her certain types and dosages of medicine. Otherwise, she would sometimes vomit and experience acid attacks. :( The vet had informed me that Rimadyl is acidic and advised me to administer the drug after meals. So I bought the drug and went home. 

However, I was very surprised because as soon as I got home, I googled Rimadyl. The first few sites that I saw contained traumatic stories about the harmful effects of the drug to many pets; most of which, ended either with a dog dying or struggling with its life. :( The stories that confronted me scared me a lot. I could not seem to find the wisdom to decide with confidence on whether to ease the pain of my pet while risking her health at the same time or to save her from putting her health at risk but at the same time leaving her in pain. It was and still is such a hard decision for me. That day though, I ended up giving her only half a dosage once! I then carefully monitored her stool for the rest of the day or two. I am thankful that everything seems normal now. But I still have a few tablets of Rimadyl left. And up to this moment, I shift with uneasiness in trying to decide when it would be okay for me to administer the drug to Mallows again. It continues to be a scary and threatening situation for me. I really do not know what to do...

*image of Rimadyl taken from http://www.rimadylforpets.com/         

Doggie Date at Serendra

(L-R: Gia, Snowball, Mac, Anna, Burger, Bruce, Karol, Me, Mallows)

*photos c/o Karol See: http://karolsee.multiply.com

My friends and I recently went to Serendra/ Bonifacio High Street for a doggie date. Serendra and Bonifacio High Street are often referred to interchangeably since it's only a cross walk away from each other. Both places offer an ideal setting for dog lovers because of the pet-friendly shops such as Hobbes and Landes, al fresco restaurants and the wide patches of grass uncommon to most commercial establishments located at Manila. 

In attendance was Gia and her well-poised Maltese named Snowball, Mac, Anna and her friendly Lhasa Apso named Burger, Karol and her cranky Shi Tzu named Bruce, and of course, me and Mallows! Mallows seemed to enjoy more of the trip than the date. She obediently walked beside me the whole time and occasionally sniffed her way from one lamp post to another. However, when it comes to her interaction with my friends' pets, well... let's just say that she preferred to go solo. Theoretically speaking, Mallows should have gotten along well with Burger and Bruce since Mallows is female while Burger and Bruce are both male. But as it turned out, Mallows found Burger to be too aggressive and Bruce was too much of a bully to let Mallows get to know him better. And let's not forget the well-poised Snowball who also preferred to go solo by asking my friend Gia to carry her whenever we'd walk around the area. Snowball was also the only one who was well-dressed at the date. She had a beautiful pink tutu that was embellished with small rhinestones. It was so pretty and it perfectly matched her pink carrier, too. 

And since our doggie date is a dinner date, we headed to Polu Kai at Serendra for an al fresco dinner. Polu Kai is a Hawaiian restaurant that boasts several appetizing seafood platters. Their staff is also very accommodating to our as well as our pets needs. When we asked for lukewarm water for our pets, they did not hesitate to bring us two full glasses of it. They also did not mind that our pets sat beside us! :) During dinner and since most of the dishes offered by Polu Kai are seafood, I decided to pack Mallows a can of Cesar to enjoy while we ourselves enjoyed our own set of dinner. Cesar is actually one of the few foolproof brands that my chow connoisseur enjoys. The variant available in the Philippines is actually from Singapore. So if you check the international website of Cesar: http://www.cesar.com, the variants that are commonly available in the Philippines are: Beef, Gourmet Beef, Beef and Liver, Chicken, and Lamb. The price ranges from Php 60-65, depending on where you buy it. Unimart, a supermarket located at Greenhills offers the product at the best value of Php 60.75. But other supermarket chains such as Rustans and Puregold also carry it. And of course, it is also available at pet stores such as Animal House and Doggie Land.

So I think this is it for now! :D The doggie date actually exhausted ALL of us! Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable experience! And although my friend, Anna doesn't seem too ecstatic about having another doggie date because of the 6 poop scooping experiences that she has had, I think that Karol and I might still have a chance to do this again! :)