Another Year in the Life of Buffy.

It's been an exceptionally busy year in the family, with new ventures and schools to wrap into the routine. And Buffy? Well let me tell you about her eventful year;

Last Christmas (2019) I discovered that she had a mammary tumour that was growing very quickly. Our Vet told us the success of removing the entire tumour was small as tendrils often weave into stomach and lung tissue and it would be a difficult operation for a 13 yr old dog. The tendrils would be difficult if not impossible to remove.

The forecast was that this operation would probably give Buffy another 8 to 10 months of life (with medication and Veterinary support). After some debate, we thought that this was worth it to give her the chance for more life and time with us. So it was an easy decision in the end, albeit an expensive one.

It was a very anxious few hours while we waited to see if she would survive the surgery. The house was quiet and pensive, everyone went to their own spaces and waited. I was concerned that she may not survive the long operation, but kept my fears to myself. 

When we eventually got the call that she was not only alive but thriving there were tears of happiness and we couldn't wait to get her home. The Polish Specialist Surgeon who was called in to do the operation did an amazing job removing all the cancerous tumour and most of the tendrils. Thank you, is never enough in situations like this, nor is a big box of chocolates but everyone in that Vets Surgery knows Buffy and knows how grateful we are for the work they do.

Buffy quickly settled back into the family routine, but only a couple of months later the cancer was back. Not as vigorous, but now spread through-out her system. We were warned that this may get into her brain and spine.

We thought that at one of her monthly appointments in July of 2019 that the Vet we saw was going to insist that we let her go (our normal Vet was on Holiday). He finally understood having read her record that Buffy was no ordinary dog and still had lots of life and spirit in her. He adjusted her medication and said gravely she would probably pass away naturally by September 2019.

Fast forward to Feb 2020 Buffy is still here and sleeping by my feet as I write this. She is still eating like she always has. Any Border Terrier owner will tell you the first sign their dog is unwell is when they don't want to eat or drink. Buffy will soon let you know if you're late putting her food down! She eats heartily and her routines are normal. She has decided she will not go out for walks anymore although she is happy ranging around our garden, sniffing out and checking the hedgerows.. 

Buffy sleeps (and occasionally snores) 20 out of every 24 hours, waking only to eat, check out the garden and have her medication. She is coming up to her 14th Birthday on 3rd March 2020 and although she is frailer than she was, she still wants to be part of our family and we love her.

With the help of our Vet (who loves her as much as we do) she is enjoying her twilight time sleeping in the sunshine (she has always loved lying in the sunshine).

Her sight is failing as is her hearing, but her spirit is still strong.

Thank you for following my stories of life with our Border Terrier(s). If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Buffy waiting for "Mum" to come in from
the car, one sunny day in Sept 2019.

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

As I write Storm "Angus" is battering Britain, it's a cold and dark morning. It is raining hard and has done so all night. Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last leafy walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Best wishes.

Mike

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

It's a bright cold morning and it's still below zero outside. The lawn is crisp and white and the bushes and trees in my garden are dusted with sparkling silvery white frost that glints in the low sunshine. 

Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Best wishes.

Mike

(updated January 2017).

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements

Ageing Border Terriers & Supplements

As I write Storm "Angus" is battering Britain, it's a cold and dark morning. It is raining hard and has done so all night. Both my Border Terriers are reluctant to go out and are happily dozing and snoring in their comfy bed. I often wonder what they dream about as their legs twitch and their lips curl; maybe they are dreaming of their last leafy walk through our local woods sniffing and exploring? 

Bobby is nearly entirely deaf now and suffering from the early onset of arthritic hips and she has stiff back legs and she sees the Vet regularly. She is still a happy and cheerful Border Terrier and will still chase birds and rabbits if she see's them but she is slower and tires quicker. She is sixteen years old and I think doing great! I wanted to tell you all partly why I think that is in this update.

Sometime ago my Vet recommended the doggie version of Glucosamine Sulphate with additives, it's a YuMove product. Now I buy this one from YuMove on Amazon as it's a lot cheaper than getting the same one from the Vet (her idea because they have to add overheads and I am a monthly visitor). When I first started Bobby on them the difference was noticeable in just four days as she became more willing to move about and she was able to jump up onto her place on our Sofa. Now over a year later she is still a bit stiff in the morning but during the day she is virtually free of stiffness.

I can thoroughly recommend YuMove! One tablet a day keeps her fit and active and at just 22p a day, (prices correct for November 2016). You get two months supply of 60 tablets for £12.91 with free delivery. They make Bobby more mobile and able to still do the things she likes to do (chasing birds and exploring through the woods); and I think it is absolutely worth it. I believe every dog over twelve years old should be taking one of these a day. 

If this sounds like a promotion you are absolutely right; anything that makes my best friends life better and more enjoyable is worth telling the world about. If you have an old dog that suffers with stiff legs and joints and is becoming arthritic this product will help keep them mobile. My Bobby is living proof :)

I don't take her out on wet cold days anymore and she only gets a long walk in the woods once a week with short walks in between and that seems to suit her well. 

When you have an old dog you do value the time with them a lot more than when you have a young dog pestering you all the time.  You know the clock is ticking and an era is drawing to a close. That is why I do everything I can to make her golden years happier and more comfortable. I love her and having lost Buster unexpectedly in January this year it's made me more attentive to Bobby and Buffy. 

Thank you for reading my updates about my Border Terriers. I hope you and your dog(s) have a great day. 

Best wishes.

Mike

#dogs #BorderTerriers #dogcare #ilovemydog #dogsupplements

Buster's Post Op News & Aftercare

I'm pleased to say that Buster's operation to remove a damaged tooth and also remove a couple of connected and infected teeth went very well.

He was released late Friday afternoon and all went went very well during the operation with no complications; he came home quiet and subdued but ate a small meal in the evening. By Saturday morning he was brighter but still not himself but by early Saturday evening he was pretty much himself again and perky.

On Monday he was his old self again and much happier now that the damaged and obviously painful tooth had been removed. He's on an anti-inflammatory drug along with some antibiotics and he doesn't like them at all, shaking his head and walking backwards.

Yesterday he had his post op review with our Vet and he passed with flying colours. During this examination our Vet recommended a different brand of dog food (Hills Prescription Diet Canine T/D Mini) to help give Buster and our other dogs good dental health from here on in; especially important in dogs whose teeth go much further back in the jaw than their mouth opens (making effective cleaning difficult). 

It is more expensive compared to "mainstream" dog food brands (but like anything you only get what you pay for) and our vet suggested buying a bag and just putting a handful of Hills T/D Dental in each bowl. That is enough to keep their teeth clean.

All our dogs now have a handful mixed up with their cereal and gluten free food and I am pleased to recommend it. The picture (so you know what to look for) above has a link to Hills Prescription T/D Dental small dog food on Amazon, but it will probably be cheaper at your Vet. Hills also do versions for medium and large dogs as well.

I know I said it before in my previous post, but looking after your dogs teeth is very important as bad teeth can really damage your dogs overall health. If in doubt ask your Vet what you can do to keep your dogs teeth in good order.

I use a phrase with my children that is also pertinent to this topic and that is; "you don't have to clean all your teeth, you only have to clean the ones you want to keep."

Hope you have a great day. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Cheers


Mike

History and Adventures with Border Terriers.

I've had dogs all my life. One of my earliest memories is curling up with my Mum and Dads old sheepdog (Wendy) when I was about three. Wendy was the sort of dog that any child would love and I did dearly. Even now over fifty years later, I still remember playing hide and seek with her; and I know now when she let me win it was because it was her deliberate decision, not because I was a skillful "hider."

My Grandparents bred Dachsunds and they were quite successful in County shows and although Dachsunds were smart they never really appealed to me. I was used to working dogs that my parents had I guess. Not that they ever worked for a living herding sheep or hunting, no their job was part protection, part educational for me and my brother but mostly as friends. No, they were more than that, they were part of the family and on some occasions were higher in the pecking order than the children (meaning me and my brother and cousins). My Dad was an Engineer and we moved to wherever his jobs were. Sometimes working on major Gas facilities in the South of England or helping to build Redcar Steelworks in the North (yep that was my Dad). 

Later on my Mum got a Beagle and she was my friend and confidant during my impressionable teenage years. A little more stoic than Wendy, Sheba was nevertheless fearless when it came to spotting prey and giving chase. Mostly this was the neighbourhood cats who quickly learned that although this dog was fast, it could not climb fences or jump onto cars. In all her years of chasing she never caught anything. 

Later on in life I discovered Cairn Terriers and then Border Terriers of which I now have three.

It was a completly different story when the Terriers arrived. The Cairns were fearless in hunting vermin and animals that disappeared down holes in the ground, including digging their way in so that they couldn't get out.

The Cairns, although expert diggers never caught anything. The Border Terriers however have a little more intelligence and diligence built in. Not that Cairns are not fantastic dogs but they are quite different to a Border Terrier.

Once when they were very young and whilst out deep in the Somerset countryside we strolled through an old woodland and came into a clearing at the bottom of a steep hill with so many Rabbit holes in it that the hillside resembled Swiss cheese. I knew we were in for trouble and I called my Border Terriers back, but in vain. Too late, they had scent of the chase and their minds and ears were completely closed to my plaintive attempts to recall them. The girls (sorry can't call them bitches) chased anything that moved as the rabbits hurried and scurried down any hole they could fit in. My boy ran and watched and then took up position near a hole at the top and sat down just watching the hole from above. I had given up on getting them back and waited at the bottom of the hill with leashes ready for when they were tired enough to come back.

Buster sat still as a statue and then one unlucky Rabbit looked out of the hole. In a flash Buster seized it at the back of the neck and a second later the Rabbit was dead. Carefully he brought it back down the hill, stumbling sometimes but never losing his grip and instead of coming to me as I expected he took his prize to the base of a nearby bush and started digging. He was clearly intent on burying the Rabbit he had caught. I saved him the trouble and walked over and put his lead on almost without him noticing. The Rabbit was small and I did bury it in the hole he had made. 

By now the girls had got tired chasing shadows and the fast Rabbits and came panting up. Their leashes were on before they knew it and we headed home.

I have never been back to that hill side and since then have them on extendable leashes when we go anywhere near Rabbit country. Even as older dogs their ability and willingness to chase down vermin is unabated; but now I know how to avoid dealing with their "prizes" and I avoid taking them to target rich environments.

If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Spring with Border Terriers

Spring is a great time for dogs! And especially Border Terriers who seem to want to sniff out every rabbit down every hole they come across. In and out of hedgerows, bushes and even digging under trees if you let them.

Being inquisitive and fearless by nature they can often pick up ticks, fleas and even minor injuries without you knowing on their mini adventures.

I always get my dogs checked over by our Vet early in the Spring for their annual booster injections and have them innoculated against ticks and fleas at the same time. I recommend you do the same. If your dog's annual vaccination is not in early springtime at least make sure you buy a "one spot type" from your local pet store or supermarket. 

The reason I'm a strong advocate for prevention of ticks is that they often carry Lymes disease and many other debilitating diseases that can be transmitted to humans (read more here ) all of which is bad news for you and your dog. Border Terriers have a predatory instinct for vermin (rats, mice, voles, weasels and stoats) and will seek them out whenever they can (down holes, under hedgerows and across open fields), so they are more prone to pick up ticks. These ticks then remain hidden buried in their double coats. Prevention is cheap and easy to do. I make sure mine are protected all year round. 

When they come back in from a Country walk I check their front underbelly, their hind quarters and inside their ears for ticks and minor grazes. I also check in their paw pads for minor cuts and foreign objects. I have found Wheat ears and other seeds stuck in the cleft of their paws in previous years. By the way if your dog comes back home so muddy they need a bath I recommend just using clean water with no soap or shampoo. I normally only use a shampoo once a year on mine just before Christmas and that's a medicated Tea Tree version of which there are many. It's worth also mentioning that you should not wash your dog for seven days after you've applied a spot on tick / flea prevention remedy.

It is also probable that if your Border Terrier has not been stripped since last Autumn they are looking like a Teddy Bear or even Chewbacca from Star Wars, mine certainly are. I always wait until the first week in May to strip mine; for two reasons. Firstly the hedgerows are still sharp and prickly and the thick coat gives them more protection when they are off exploring, secondly in the UK often April is the wettest month of the year and a fully stripped Border Terrier is not going to enjoy walking out in very wet weather with a very thin coat that is not waterproof. Maybe I'm a softee but I wouldn't like to feel that my dogs were being made uncomfortable just because I wanted them to look a certain way. Besides in May it's starting to warm up and Summer is just around the corner and mine will be looking fine and dandy for that :)

If your Border Terriers are getting on in years like mine, you may want to consider the alternatives to hand-stripping that can be painful to older dogs, whose skin has become thinner. You might be interested in a small, low cost book I have written, in it I explain how to hand-strip and groom your Border Terrier. For older dogs I have developed a method using electric clippers and scissors that saves your elderly dog the trauma of a full hand stripping session. There is an advertisement for my Border Terrier Grooming book on the side of this blog. Or you can get to it from this link. 

Enjoy your springtime walks. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.