Merry Cocomas!

Coco is passed out on the floor right now. Miguel and I just got back from Utah. We spent four days there over the holidays. Luckily, we found a petsitter! Gemini dogs came to our house and visited Coco three times a day to play with her and feed her and let her out. They were super awesome and emailed me a "letter" from Coco and they even took a plaster cast of her paw so that I have a little keep sake. When we got home Coco ran around and started playing with her toys and digging and rolling around in the carpet. I think that she was happy to see us!

We got Coco three toys for Christmas: A Chubby Buddies plush toy, an Everlasting Treat Ball, and a Nylabone Rhino.

Let me say that Coco pulled the chubby buddy out of the bag before I even put the bag down. It was like sonar or something, she swooped in, grabbed the fish, and ran off. The "durable plush toy" lasted maybe 5 minutes. So, no, this is not durable and not for chewers at all. However, it was 5 minutes of pure joy on her part.

The Everlasting Treat Ball is a great hit. Let me say briefly what it is. It's a hollow sphere make of a rubbery gel that has been sliced twice through leaving access to the center where you can hide some treats. The top and bottom can be either left open or covered with a hard "cap" of some sort of edible hard material. Coco got the top off in again, about 5 minutes, and it was damn scary because the whole thing fit in her mouth and I had to snatch it away. But on the advice of the pet store person I flipped the "cap" so it was concave, and then was less accessible. Coco got the treats out of the middle and then got to work gnawing away on the cap and after 30 or so minutes there was no slipping or even a hole in the treat. To get the cap on and off you can use a little water. The treats that you can buy to stuff in the ball are not very healthy (yay wheat) and are an usual array of colors, but they are tiny and I bet a small amount will be okay. This toy gets like 10 million stars. Coco loves it and can't destroy it and it gives her something to do. EXACTLY what I was looking for.

The nylabone rhino is also a big hit. Although I had a couple of kongs, I figured a little variety didn't hurt, especially when variety involves a scented kong with prongs for cleaning teeth. It was a big hit and I would buy another one if she lost it or if aliens stole it in the middle of the night.

In more news, Eliza and I started click training with Coco. So far she has made the association that clicker = treats and all I have to do it take it out and she starts behaving. More on that front when we can teach her a trick with it. Although, the command "shush" is starting to work much better already!

It was a good holiday season with Coco around to brighten everyone's day. We both wish you a healthy and safe new year! Ciao!

So far so good

Coco seems to be alot better since she has been on steroids. Her energy had returned and she has been rolling over on her back again to be pet. Whew! I still can't believe she got so sick so fast. Needless to say, I've been trying harder to keep her warm. As tough as she is, I think it's time that she started wearing a shirt or something when she sleeps and a jacket outside. It's been so cold and windy that the apartment is unusually chilly.

Here is a picture of me and Coco passed out on the couch. We've had two huge snowstorms in the past week, and Coco is enjoying all the extra time she gets to spend with her people. Watching snow fall is hard work!

Ciao!

Poor Coco!

Last night was a sad night! Coco and Miguel were playing with her tennis ball when suddenly she started panting and coughing. She tipped her head back and her ears went flat and panted and paced and looked really scared. We kept petting her and trying to sooth her but she didn't calm down. I called the on-call veterinarian and they told me to take Coco to the emergency vet. So, Miguel and I got bundled up and took Coco outside. When she got outside, her breathing immediately improved, but suddenly she was listless and we had to carry her to the car.

We spent an hour and a half at the emergency vet. Coco's breathing had returned to normal. Miguel and I sat and sat in the little room, staring at bad art on the wall about cats and playing with one of my hair elastics. The vet guessed it was 1. An elongated palate 2. inflammation in her airways due to either exertion or allergies. We took the exhausted Coco home and she didn't snore at all and didn't chase us when we woke up. It broke my heart.

I took her to the regular vet this afternoon. We were there for another couple of hours. Coco was listless at home, but in the vet's office she was alert enough to snort. They did an x-ray of her and she has viral bronchitis! I was so relieved. The vet also said she would be exhausted all day and then perscribed a combo steroid/antihistamine pill for her.

It's only been a month and a half since we picked up Coco, and her getting sick all of a sudden really triggered how precious she is to both of us. I knew that the possibility of loosing her was slim, but all the same it's been a rough 24 hours. She is sleeping in her bed right now, not snoring but at least not pacing or shivering. I can't wait to hear her snorts and sniffles and sneezes again. I hope tomorrow she feels better. What do you give a dog with bronchitis? It's not like I can make her chicken soup and feed her orange juice. I wonder if these crazy New England winters threw her immune system for a loop. YES I KNOW there is no scientific proof that being cold causes colds, but all I know is that when you get run down you get sick. And it's been wicked cold here and that makes you work harder to stay warm. I'm keeping her coat on her outside when it's under 30 degrees from now on, even if she doesn't like it!

Kong Treat Bone

Santa came early this year...

We decided against the tug-a-jug for Coco. I really think it's a cute toy, but Miguel pointed out that it is not recommended for strong chewers. Since the jug itself is so hard, I'm worried she might crack a tooth on it in her haste to get at the goodies inside. So, I went looking for an alternative.

I decided that I wanted something that I could stick a treat in. I like the idea of a puzzle toy, or at least a toy that will keep her busy for a few minutes since she has so much burst energy. Since she enjoys her nylabone so much, I figured that part of the charm of a good toy was something that was good to chew and easy to hold onto. So I went and got her the Kong Goodie Bone.

I gotta be honest though, it's not as great as I thought it would be. First off, it's too easy for her to get treats out of the holders in the side. I got some dog biscuits and really jammed them into the rubber holders, but maybe because they bone is flexible she really just had to crunch down on the edge and the treats came out. The holders are good for the Kong paste, but really, her regular Kong does that just fine. And although she seems to enjoy running around the house with the Goodie bone in her mouth, she really just goes to her nylabone for a good strong chew. So I'm going to have to give this toy 2/5 stars. Although quite durable, it's not enticing enough for her to chew on. I was hoping to have something like a combinatin of nylabone and treat dispenser. So many dreams so little time!

It's back to the drawing board for this one! I have some leads on some other toys so all is not lost. As an update, Coco LOVES her new bed. I keep finding her snoring in it in a myriad of different positions. I tried to find another bed like it online, so that I could post a picture and give a location on where to buy it, but alas, it must be last year's model and hence the reason Target had it on sale. Too bad, so sad.

Ciao!

New Bed For the Coco

I decided that Coco needed a nice new bed. Here are pictures of her being adorable!



She can't decide if she likes the bed with or without the cushion. She is so cute I was taking pictures all last night. Target was a much better place to buy a bed. I had spent hours on Amazon.com and Petco.com looking for a bed, and also I went to Petco and the specialty dog stores. This bed is huge and it only cost 20 bucks! Perfect price for a cozy nest. We were worried about her getting cold at night but she really snuggles up inside and now we both feel better!

Ciao!