Rascal

Rask's been having an intermittent hacking sort of cough recently (very intermittent - literally just a handful of times in the last week or so).
I took him to the vet yesterday & Jo said it could be a sign of heart trouble or Laryngeal Paralysis (common in older Labs.) He's going in for the day on Monday & she'll sedate him & have a look down his throat & possibly do some X-rays, etc. Obviously I'm slightly freaking out but I'm trying to stay calm - whatever it is, we're in the very early stages & I got him there quickly (I've been doing some reading & often these things aren't noticed until the symptoms are a lot worse & so I'm hoping for the best.) So hopefully Jo can sort it out.

On a brighter note, we've just got him a day bed for in the lounge. His basket (for Big Important Peepining*) is in the dining room where I can see him from upstairs, the kitchen & the conservatory (not like I stalk him or anything! *g*) But I thought it would be nice for him to have a cosy bed in the lounge too for during the day & evening, after his old bean bag gave up the ghost.
Anyway, I'd been to Pets at Home with Xanthe while I was staying with her but couldn't really bring anything that big home on the train with me. So I was overjoyed to find that there was a branch only 10 miles from here. I really like this shop - it's very much like the US pet stores like Petsmart & Pet Co. Anyway, we got him a lovely brown cord bed with a super snuggle-y fleecy blanket with bones on it.

So here's Rask enjoying his new day bed. ♥

( More cuteness )

For anyone with an older dog, I can really rec Senior Dogs for Dummies by Susan McCullough. It has some really great advice & is a good reference source too.
I'm currently waiting for a dog massage book to arrive - I wanted to try & help keep Rask's joints supple, as he's stiffening up a bit, despite the glucosamine supplements I give him. I'll let you know how we get on! :-)

Rascal

Rask's been having an intermittent hacking sort of cough recently (very intermittent - literally just a handful of times in the last week or so).
I took him to the vet yesterday & Jo said it could be a sign of heart trouble or Laryngeal Paralysis (common in older Labs.) He's going in for the day on Monday & she'll sedate him & have a look down his throat & possibly do some X-rays, etc. Obviously I'm slightly freaking out but I'm trying to stay calm - whatever it is, we're in the very early stages & I got him there quickly (I've been doing some reading & often these things aren't noticed until the symptoms are a lot worse & so I'm hoping for the best.) So hopefully Jo can sort it out.

On a brighter note, we've just got him a day bed for in the lounge. His basket (for Big Important Peepining*) is in the dining room where I can see him from upstairs, the kitchen & the conservatory (not like I stalk him or anything! *g*) But I thought it would be nice for him to have a cosy bed in the lounge too for during the day & evening, after his old bean bag gave up the ghost.
Anyway, I'd been to Pets at Home with Xanthe while I was staying with her but couldn't really bring anything that big home on the train with me. So I was overjoyed to find that there was a branch only 10 miles from here. I really like this shop - it's very much like the US pet stores like Petsmart & Pet Co. Anyway, we got him a lovely brown cord bed with a super snuggle-y fleecy blanket with bones on it.

So here's Rask enjoying his new day bed. ♥

( More cuteness )

For anyone with an older dog, I can really rec Senior Dogs for Dummies by Susan McCullough. It has some really great advice & is a good reference source too.
I'm currently waiting for a dog massage book to arrive - I wanted to try & help keep Rask's joints supple, as he's stiffening up a bit, despite the glucosamine supplements I give him. I'll let you know how we get on! :-)