Grow Old With Me...
My puppy you'll always be...
In the last year, both of the men in my house have developed high cholesterol and kidney stones. One can complain about it, the other just pees on my carpet.
Yes, even Fred the beagle has hit middle age.
I think a majority of dog owners misread peeing indoors. Unless you're in the middle of house-training, or your dog is experiencing old-age incontinence, this is usually the symptom of a health problem, not a behavioral problem. (Though when he peed on the baby's blanket when she was a month old, I was not entirely convinced of this...)
In Fred's case, he's got crystals (broken-down particles of stones) in his bladder. He's on a special prescription dog food (translation=expensive) to dissolve the crystals, and some pain killers to help in the meantime. To be honest, he doesn't look like he's in pain, but then, he has been a little crankier than his usual surly old self.
Ouch. Poor little guy.
Apparantly, stones like this are common in beagles and are a result of their diet. We were feeding Fred Purina One for the last few years. Turns out the stones are comprised of high amounts of magnesium and two other things (I can't remember, it is 2am after all...), all three of which are in Purina One. His body just can't digest it.
I never thought of varying my beagle's diet, but it makes sense. Too much of any kind of food isn't good for anyone, humans or otherwise.
As for the high cholesterol, I can't figure that one out. I think Fred and my husband may have been having too many late night cheese and cracker snacks. They're both on a diet now.
As you can imagine, this whole experience hasn't been cheap. My word of advice to all dog owners: get pet health insurance.
I use Banfield's Wellness Plan for his shots, which is great. About five months ago, however, it occurred to us that our healthy dog will probably get sick or injured at some point. We didn't know what our limit would be financially on caring for him, and didn't want to find out.
I talked to a few people and decided on a plan with the ASPCA. (http://www.aspcapetinsurance.com) It doesn't cover shots, which is fine, but should (hopefully) cover almost all of the $700+ worth of stuff we've had done in the last two weeks. (If it doesn't, you'll be hearing me cry about it...) We still use Banfield for the routine stuff, but for anything more serious we go to a more expensive vet here in town. With the health insurance, we don't have to think twice about it.
Having a sick or injured pet is stressful enough, you don't want to have to worry about money when it comes time to make decisions for them. I know it sounds like an advertisement, but it's true.
And as much as we'd like our dogs to live forever, the reality is that they get old and sick just like the rest of us. So we'll all go on a diet and get a little more exercise. I'm sure everyone in the house could benefit.
Sigh. Welcome to middle age, my dear Fred. It stinks, but we'll make the best of it together!
