Snoozing in the Sunshine

Winston's morning routine includes snoozing in sunshine while it comes through the front door. This morning when Zoe ( my daughter ) saw him sleeping she decided to cover him up.

Visitors

Had some visitors to my human clinic today! Couldn't have any more difference in size :)
Meet Diesel and Bob. They made my day.

Some of my favorite patients!

Bug a Boo (on the left) and his brother :)

Foxie smiling after his adjustment!

Sampson (my dog (Winston's) Daddy)

And just for fun.....my daughter Zoe and our dog Winston.

Zoe hugging Winston

Hugging a little tighter....

Hugging super tight....

I think Winston passed out due to lack of air :)

Barney and a Busy Day

This is Barney, a lab mix that I have been treating for lower back pain.  I think he is smiling in this picture :)

In other news.....yesterday I had my busiest animal day thus far!.  I saw 18 dogs and 1 cat.  I had a big variety of breeds from Chiweenies, to Boxers, a Toy Poodle, Labradoodle, Boston Terrier, Pitbull, Golden Retriever, Shepdog, Bichon, Sheltie and the list goes on.  I also had a wide variety of reasons that owners were bringing in their pets for chiropractic treatments.  Some were for limping or lameness, others for hind end weakness, some for front leg stiffness, one for breathing problems, one for aggression issues, one for diarrhea problems and a handful for routine maintenance care just to keep their pet moving to the best of their ability for as long as possible.  It was a busy day but very rewarding to be able to help so many pets!  I hope to have many more days like this in the future. 

Mercola Healthy Pets

One of my favorite websites for all things natural and healthy about pets is Mercola Healthy Pets.  You can check out their website here.  Dr. Karen Becker covers a variety of interesting topics to help keep your pets healthy and does a wonderful job of explaining all of it in very simple terms.  They recently posted a video on chiropractic and pets and I couldn't have said it better.  Check it out!

Sleepy Dog

Here is a few recent pictures of Winston.  He seems to be sleeping in the most funny spots lately.  Does your pet ever sleep in unusual places???

On the couch, pillows and Zoe's blanket

On the chair and on Nate's lap

On Zoe's stuffed horse

GO PACK GO!

This is Hachi and his mom Anita.  You can't tell in the picture but Hachi is wearing a Packers shirt and since the Pack just went to 8-0 for the season it reminded me to post his picture.  What a cutie!

Zoe Kisses

Zoe (my daughter) loves Winston (our wiener dog) :)  They have basically grown up together and today I found Zoe giving him lots of kisses!  Thank goodness he didn't mind getting his face squeezed off!

Webo

Webo

 This is Webo.  A while back I had a post about how I Love Dog Kisses.  Mr. Webo gives the BEST dog kisses I've ever had.  I've been working with Webo over the summer for weak and wobbly hind legs and a sore back.  Recently I learned some sad news that he has cancer.  We are not sure how long he has left with us but he has a heart of gold and is still super excited to come in have his back worked on and give me some super wet kisses ;)  You can check out I Love Dog Kisses post here.

Perfect Summer Day

It is the perfect summer day here is Wisconsin!  The humidity has FINALLY left and 70's and partly sunny is just perfect.  This butterfly is loving my Zinnia's today.

Look Who Is Getting Cozy

This is Farrah, my kitty.  She has claimed the kids car seat in the garage as her new bed.  Every time I open the door she is sleeping in it! 

my smallest client to date

Bumper

 I just had to get a picture of Bumper.  He is my smallest client so far weighing in at about 4 lbs!  I have to use my finger tips to adjust him.  Bumper is a show Chihuahua.  He came to see me for a sore lower back which was preventing him from showing his best.  Hopefully he will be back to his old self soon and rocking in the show ring!

Meet Pogo

Pogo

Pogo is one of my newest clients! Isn't he cute?  I think he looks like the dog from Men in Black ;) Pogo came in because he had a sore back and was walking around with a hunched up back and wouldn't jump up or down anymore.  He did great after his first visit so I think Pogo will be feeling much better soon.  I had a very busy day yesterday adjusting animals.  I spent the morning from 9-12 in Rhinelander, WI then traveled to Merrill, WI from 1-5.  Lots of dogs with lots of different reasons for visiting the chiropractor.  Some come in for stiff legs and odd gait, some for weak and wobbly back legs, others for disc disease and bulging discs and others for neck tightness and pain after chasing squirrels ;)

Winston came along for the day.  He is a good car buddy!

"Crazy" Mazie

Mazie smiling ;)

Had to keep saying "treat" to get her to hold still long enough for a picture

This is Mazie. Mazie is a German Shorthair/St. Bernard mix.  She looks like both of them but acts just like a Shorthair! I should know; I have one and he is crazy too!  Today when I saw her I thought the name "Crazy" Mazie suited her well because of how much energy she has!  I've been working with Mazie for over a year now for various things from a sore back to urine issues but I will always remember the 1st day Mazie came in.  She wasn't even 1 year old yet and it definitely took me the longest it has ever taken me to adjust an animal.  Even with her owner and I holding her we could barely get her to hold still.  She was literally bouncing off the walls!  Now when she comes in she is super energetic but then stands perfectly still while I do my adjusting and when I'm done then goes crazy again.  It is so funny to see her go from one extreme to the next. She a perfect angel when getting her adjustments. I think she knows it is going to feel good ;)

Thundershirts

My new found secret for anxiety in my dog!  This is a thundershirt.  The idea is that the constant pressure from the coat on the dogs chest and torso gives the dog a calming effect.  One of the veterinarian clinics that I work at have been selling them like crazy so I thought I had to give it a try for Winston who has extreme separation anxiety.  I've tried many things with him; kenneling, not kenneling, Composure (a supplement dog chew to help calm them), homeopathic drops in his water and on his food and nothing has helped.  I haven't and don't want to try medications with him.  Right now I kennel him but as soon as I close the house door he starts barking and begins licking his paws and legs.  Even if I am only gone for 5 minutes I come home and his legs are soaked!  I tried it yesterday for the first time.  I put it on him and put him in the kennel like usual.  As soon as I closed the house door amazingly I didn't hear any barking and when I got home after my 25 minute run his feet and legs weren't wet! So far good results! I think it is a great, easy and natural solution for anxiety and excitability.  Check out their website at www.thundershirt.com.

Winston

Lemon Beagle

Summer

This is Summer. My very first encounter with a Lemon Beagle! I had never heard of this coloring before but they are just beautiful! Lemon Beagles are gold/tan and white in color.  Summer was purchased from Arizona and from what I've heard they are more popular in the southern states.  I have been working with Summer for at least a year now helping to keep her loose and acting like a puppy again.  She has responded great to chiropractic care. 

I Love Dog Kisses

Yesterday morning I headed over to Oconto Falls to see a handful of dogs in the morning.  As I walked into the clinic an old, sort of mean looking, very wide chested boxer took me by surprise with a friendly growl and I thought to myself that this could be an interesting appointment.  I sat on the floor as the owner and I discussed what was going him.  He was a little nervous rooming around the room but for the most part was doing his best to ignore me.  After about 5 minutes he walked right up to me and as we were sitting there face to face I wondered for a second if my face was going to get bit off when he gave me some of the most slobbery, wet, dog kisses that I've ever had!  After he figured out I wasn't going to bother him much he continued with the kisses throughout his whole appointment.  I could still feel the dried slobber on my face at work that afternoon when I would smile ;)

Glucosamine Supplements

The majority of pets I see come to me with some kind of joint pain and or arthritis/degeneration and that's why I usually recommend some kind of glucosamine supplement for owners to add to their pets diet.  Glucosamine is an amino sugar which is the precursor to glycosaminoglycans which is the main component of joint cartilage.  Supplementation of glcosamine may help to prevent cartilage degeneration and help with cases of arthritis, disc disease and osteoarthritis.  Dogs with longer backs and shorter legs like my little Dachshund, Winston, has been taking Phycox daily since he was a baby to help prevent early disc disease which is common among dwarf gene breeds.  Senior pets, athletic pets, pets with hip and knee problems and of course back and neck issues could all benefit from a glucosamine supplement to help protect their joints. Always make sure to check with your veterinarian before starting your dog on any new supplement. 

Winston and my daughter Zoe

Carrot Stretches

This week I went out to work with "Pal", a Palomino with a stiff neck.  He was having a hard time turning to the left when his rider was asking him.  An easy way to tell if your horse may have some muscle tightness or a misalignment of the vertebra (subluxation) is with carrot stretches.  With your horse standing square and you off to its side, gently ask your horse to bend its neck back towards its stifle.  When they do so they get the carrot! Make sure to stretch both sides equally.  You can also ask your horse to stretch his head down between his front legs.  Again with you off to his side, hold a carrot between his front legs and he should bring his head all the way down close to the ground and really get a good stretch of his top line.  If your horse is unwilling to stretch a lot at first it may just be due to the fact that they are not quite sure what you are asking them to do or they may have some other concerns such as tight muscles or subluxations.

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Pal, did his carrot stretches great to his right side but very poorly to his left side.  I found subluxations at C5 and C7 on his left side and some very tight muscles in his lower neck and chest.  After some adjustments and a little muscle work he was doing his stretches like a champ on both sides!  If you've never done stretches before with your horse, take things nice and easy and don't make them stretch farther than they can.  Just imagine if you were to start Yoga without ever doing it before.  It may take some time for their muscles to get used to the stretches and to lengthen.

Bummer Day

Last week I saw a dachshund that came to me with sudden paralysis of his back legs (not an unusual case).  They drove 2 hours one way just to see me!  The dog was 7 years old and such a sweetie.  He had no injury but he had back issues a few years ago but not this bad.  He had no hind reflexes, no deep pain response, had no bowel or bladder control and was painful upon palpation of his spine in this lower back. I've seen this case many times, especially in dachshunds.  I adjusted him and recommended that he see the veterinarian for an exam and some possible pain meds/anti-inflammatories since it was 4 days since it had happened and they didn't take him in anywhere yet. The vet did an exam, urinalysis and prescribed some medications.  I sent them home with some easy exercises to do with him and had them ice his back throughout the day.
I called to check on this dog over the weekend and he seemed to be doing okay. He still wasn't walking but wasn't getting any worse and was eating better.  I was suppose to see him yesterday when they cancelled because the dog had passed away earlier that morning.  I was shocked.  Needless to say I called the family right away to see what had happened.  They said that the day before he was suppose to see me he started loosing control of his front legs so they took him in to their vet who did blood work, etc.  From what the family said, he had some sort of rare disease that there is no cure for and all tests come back negative.  It sounded like the paralysis traveled throughout his body and affected his breathing.  They thought the disease started with a "c" but couldn't remember the long name for it.  I have been searching for this rare disease but have been unable to find it thus far.  If you know....I would love to know so that I am better prepared for this in the future, although from what the family said there was nothing anyone could have done.  At first I thought it was a tick-borne disease but I think they are all treatable.  I also read up on Coon-paralysis but that too, is not fatal.  Would love to hear ideas if you have them! RIP Leo.

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