Product Review: Dancing Paws Joint Maintenance

Mallows has been taking Dancing Paws Joint Maintenance supplements for about 90 days now. Initially, however, Arthrox was prescribed to Mallows by the veterinarian who interpreted her first x-ray that diagnosed her hip condition. During the very first time Mallows took Arthrox, her body reacted by vomiting after only several hours after the ingestion of the supplements. And although this was solved by decreasing the dosage into half as well as giving the supplements after meals, the reaction of Mallows' body signaled the strength and perhaps harshness of the supplements. The thought made me uncomfortable and at the same time, I felt bad that I wasn't able to do something to prevent the anticipated pain that accompanies Mallows' hip dysplasia. Fortunately for me, I was just window shopping at Shangri-La mall when I discovered Bow&wow (separate post here). And it was there that I found, tried and learned to love Dancing Paws Joint Maintenance Supplements (90 chewable wafers priced at Php 959). Its made of the finest ingredients that are natural too. Thus, mild yet effective enough for Mallows. And so good that even our yorkies (Chloe and Peanut) beg for a taste of it! 

*photo taken from http://www.dancingpaws.com/jointmaintenance.html

Yakult is Good!

Peanut has recently experienced some troubles in terms of the consistency of her stool. During the second day of this problem, I decided to take her to the vet to determine its possible cause. And after answering several questions, the vet concluded that it must be due to a type of bacterial infection in her digestive system. The vet who I took Peanut to is actually new to us; Peanut's vet was out that day. Nevertheless, the vet has been very accommodating, helpful and insightful. I appreciate the fact that she didn't immediately rely on medicines or antibiotics. In fact, she recommended that I try Yakult (http://www.yakultusa.com/), which is a probiotic drink. This was to hopefully strengthen Peanut's digestive system. Furthermore, the vet explains to me that giving Peanut antibiotics will only kill BOTH good and bad bacteria. Peanut is already on her second day on Yakult medication and so far so good. :-) 

By the way, Peanut was advised to take 2 mL (approximately 1/2 teaspoon) of Yakult three times a day for 7 days. Her current weight is 6 lbs.

Real Simple Beefy Goodness

Ingredients:

4 parts water

2 parts minced or ground beef

1 part minced cabbage

1 part minced carrots

2 parts cooked rice

Directions:

Boil the beef in water then add the vegetables. Let it simmer for a minute or so. 

Then add the cooked rice. 

Remove the dish from the heat and cool before serving.  

Mallows' Favorite Cheesy Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups + approximately 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

1 cup chicken stock (at room temperature)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (at room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (or 350 degrees Fahrenheit). In a large bowl, mix 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup oats, 1/4 cup powdered milk, 1/4 cheddar cheese, 1 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil and 2 eggs. Add a bit of flour when necessary or until a clay-like dough is formed. 

Using the excess flour, dust a smooth and clean surface with flour. Knead out the dough until it flattens out to only around 1/3 of an inch. Then using any cookie cutter, punch out the dough. Bake the shaped dough pieces on a tray layered with a cookie sheet for 30 minutes or until the surface of the biscuits turn into a golden brown. Cool then store.    

K9 Units in the Philippines

K9 units in the Philippines have sort of already been a staple at public places. Malls that have received several bomb threats have hired at least one K9 unit to constantly do rounds at their area. And frankly, it does give me a sense of security whenever I would see these hard working dogs around me. They also somehow entertain me especially when I see cute and adorable puppies at work. Oh, it's really just the joy that I get from seeing dogs! No matter how big or small they are. :) 

But what I usually regard as a happy experience quickly changed into a more disturbing one as I saw a german shepherd limping his way around the mall. :( My chow chow suffers from hip dysplasia so I have an idea of the pain that dog must have been experiencing. :( I also noticed the lack of grooming. I would have shaved his tummy a bit just to relieve the dog from the normally warm climate of the Philippines (around 30 degrees celsius). His legs also looked so dirty. I do not know much about how these K9 units operate but I do feel that dogs that are in obvious pain such as the one that I saw earlier this morning should not be allowed to work the way that they do. I believe that it would be better for them to retire as pets. But then again, the Philippines have very few animal shelters. I also fret that if such dogs would no longer be allowed to work, what would then happen to them? :(     

Animal Registration in San Juan City, Philippines

Ordinance #72 Section 16: It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, or have control of a dog without having obtained a registration for such animal. The primary purpose of which is the control and prevention of animal diseases particularly Rabies. 

WHY REGISTER?

-To enable the city to have a registry of all pets living within the community.

-To remove stray animals and prevent the spread of diseases. 

-Lost pets who are registered have a higher chance of being reunited with their owners.

WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR REGISTRATION?

DOGS and CATS aged three (3) months and above.

WHERE DO WE REGISTER?

The City Veterinary Office (CVO) 

Ground Floor Sanguniang Bayan Bldg. 

N. Domingo St. Brgy. Balong San Juan City

Tel No. 4828406

HOW MUCH IS THE REGISTRATION FEE?

Initial registration fee costs one hundred pesos (P100.oo) as an incentive for registering your pets. Anti-rabies vaccination is FREE!

Renewal fee is seventy five pesos (75.oo) for neutered pets. One Hundred Fifty (150.00) pesos for intact pets.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION?

-(1) 2x2 picture of the owner 

-(2) 4R picture of the pet: 1 full face side of pet; 1 full side view of pet.

-Updated vaccination card of pet

Source: CVO pamphlet

More Mallows at 3 Months Old

Hello all! :-) I just recently bumped into old photos of Mallows taken when she was still 3 months old. I was sorting out one of my old memory cards when I fortunately saw these files that were not synched to my computer. It made me feel a bit nostalgic as part of me missed how she was as a puppy. :-) I hope you enjoy just going through these cute snapshots as much as I do. Enjoy! :D 

 

Mallows

Mallows at three months old

*Note: This is a repost from one of my older blogs. Mallows has actually learned to be more behaved--which I will try to write about soon. :) 

I think that my pet chow chow, named Mallows has the misconception that she is a small dog; as small as Chloe (a yorkie), perhaps. Why? Let's see... First of all, Having Mallows with us is kind of an accident. A fortunate one, nevertheless. I never really planned on having a chow chow as a pet. In fact, I didn't even know what a chow chow was when my brother had suggested to us (me and my sister) to get one as a present for our mother's birthday. Of course, it was only my brother who really wanted a chow chow because as it turned out, our mum doesn't even like big dogs like Mallows; she just wants the smaller more scruffy ones like Chloe and Choco (a shi tzu). Poor Mallows. She was already brought into our place without any real welcoming space (because neither my mum nor my brother wanted Mallows to stay in their rooms--Mallows had tick problems then). But as I noticed how uncomfortable she looked as she was about to be left all alone downstairs, I decided to take her into my own room--and seriously, I didn't know what I had coming. First were the ticks! Aw man. We had to take it out one by one. There were so many that we lost count! Moreover, it took more than a day and even a week to COMPLETELY get rid of each and every tick enjoying the luscious coat of Mallows. After which, I had to maintain it by spraying Frontline (anti-tick spray). And of course, the regular grooming which includes brushing her coat, trimming her nails and cleaning her ears--and I get really OC with those things! Anyway, perhaps it's either because Mallows has always been around smaller dogs or because I tend baby or spoil her so much that she doesn't act the way that a chow chow is stereotyped as. Books and other literature tell me that chow chows are normally lazy (perhaps because of their heavy built); "Non hyper and will always walk well on a lead"--http://www.majestychows.com/chowfacts.htm. However, Mallows loves to play! She plays with Chloe, Choco, her rawhide, and even her treats, et cetera. She'd jump up the couch or beds with or without her treats, sometimes even dropping it on the cushion then suddenly diving into her treat or toy with her nose on lead. She would also try to dig onto beds and basically, any type of cloth lying around; so we had to be wary of clothes, towels or blankets scattered around the house. She also has this tendency of stealing all my hair scrunchies! I've had several occasions of finding hair scrunchies dripping wet from all her drool. She can really be a handful! Furthermore, she doesn't necessarily walk well on a lead. I know it's natural for dogs to stubbornly sniff around. But as we were walking this afternoon around the village, our walk was cut short as Mallows cowardly remained in place (with her tail down) and wouldn't continue walking no matter how hard i pulled her leash! The reason: the gate where the labrador lives was wide open. Mallows is so scared of big dogs--well even of several smaller dogs like pugs, grey toy poodles and et cetera. OMG. Aren't chows supposed to rank high on dominance? Harhar. Hence, I don't have a chow chow. Mallows is a toy chow who enjoys being carried up to avoid having to go all the way up the stairs. Mallows is also a baby who wants to be protected from all the seemingly mean and big dogs. She might not be what a typical chow enthusiast would want or expect but I guess it's those things that she isn't expected to be that makes me love her even more. :)