Max RIP

My last post was celebrating Max's 12th birthday and this post is telling you of his passing.  I'm only just recovering from it as it was so tragic. My poor Max choked to death on a small piece of chicken. I tried so hard to help him but I couldn't and he died before my eyes, it was so traumatic.  I'm crying as I write this, he was a grumpy old devil, but didn't deserve to go like this. Please, be careful when feeding your dogs chicken. My vet said that because it is a fibrous meat if it gets stuck it can swell up with the saliva and cause a blockage. 

Happy birthday Max!

My handsome boy Max was 12 yesterday. He's a funny old chap, has always been a it of a grump but can also be very sweet. He accepted his boisterous "brother" Pepsi into his life right away and I do think trying to keep up with the young one gave him a new lease of life! For 12 he is doing very well health-wise, long may it continue!

Life Goes On....

Sorry for not posting for a while, life has been busy and passes by so quickly, can't believe that it's already April! The boys are fine, though Max was recently in my bad books for chewing my RADLEY BAG!!! Grrrr. He can be so naughty.

Here's a photo of Pepsi and him wearing their lovely new bandanas from BE Loved Collars and Leads for your Dog 

Snuggle Bags

I treated Pepsi and Max to a snuggle bag which arrived today. So far Max doesn't really get what he should be doing with it though lol! Poor chap, he's never been blessed with a lot of brains and doesn't have that dachshund burrowing instinct - he just thinks it makes a nice bed! Pepsi however (who is a bit of a bright spark and true dachsie burrower) got it right away, he immediately went inside and blissfully stayed there - he's the lump behind Max in the photo! Maybe Max will get the right idea eventually.....

The bags are lovely, very well made, I would recommend them.  If you are interested in them you can see more about them here.

A Dog's Got to Chew What a Dog's Got to Chew!

The dachsie chewie monsters have been at it again! Found my debit card on the floor last night well chewed at one end.  No idea which of my boys did it, but I wasn't a happy bunny when I found it. They've been good for a long time so they were due to blot their copybook!

I went into my bank to get it replaced today - thought it would be easier than speaking to someone at the other side of the world on the phone. Well, it turned out that no, I couldn't sort it out face-to-face, I had to phone from the bank I've used for decades and speak to someone in a far off country and it took ages as I couldn't remember my phone banking security code, and couldn't check it as I was in the actual bank I use! Things were once so simple. I'm all for technology, but sometimes rather than speed things up it does the opposite and makes things more frustrating and complicated.

So thank you Pepsi or Max for the additional hassle you caused me today! Dogs eh, good job I love them to bits :)

Feeling Better

Can't believe that we are already into February.  My good news is that Max is back to his old self. He gets the pain killer medication each morning with his breakfast and it has certainly helped him and improved his mood!  He's been to the vet for a follow-up appointment and she noticed the difference in him when she examined the area he showed pain at on his first visit.  Thank heavens it's just age-related arthritis and not disc problems.  We all get health problems as we get older and Max is almost 84 in human years, so he's doing pretty well really!

Difficult Times .....

I've been having problems with my Max.  He has always been a bit grumpy but around Xmas he became really aggressive, growling and baring his teeth when I went near him and he ended up biting me twice on the leg just breaking the skin!  Pepsi just ran away in total confusion and fear though Max didn't touch him. I was absolutely horrified at the change in his behaviour and thought there must have been some physically problem that was causing this. So, the other day I took him to the vet and she found that he had pain and guarding in his thoracic spine. All his reflexes etc were normal so she was confident that it was not the dreaded slipped discs dachshunds are prone to get because of their long backs. The vet felt it was arthritis, which, as he is 77 in human years is probable! She gave him a pain killing injection and I have meds to give him each day.

Now it's the second day of treatment and Max is much more himself, he must have been in so much pain he didn't want me to touch him.  I must say though, after him biting me I am wary of him, it's amazing how scary even a small dog is when they get aggressive!  So, hopefully we have his problem under control and Max and I can now learn to trust each other once more. 

Happy Christmas!

Pepsi

Happy Christmas from Pepsi, Max and me to you all! I hope that it will be a special time to share with your human and your long, furry friends. Pepsi is in the festive spirit that's for sure, as you can see from the photo. however, I couldn't persuade Max to  pose, which is typical of him.  There's be more blogging here from us in 2013!

Another Dachshund Cushion!

My friend surprised me with another dachshund cushion the other day, and it's lovely. Though the Union Jack is not the first kind of flag you expect to see a dachshund on, I think it's great. Anyone wanting one can find them at Primark.

Longue Dog Wine

A friend in Canada recently found some French wine called Longue Dog with a cartoon dachshund wrapped around the label, loved it, but thought it probably is not available over here. Then, there was me, wandering around the wine section of Sainsbury's looking for good offers, and I saw it, Longue Dog red wine! It wasn't very expensive and only says "red wine" as a description so not sure what it will be like, but I just had to try it.  It is 14% proof so that should be very nice thank you!

Here's a photo of Pepsi posing beside the bottle.

Dachshund Walks Again

Scientists at Cambridge University have reversed paralysis in dogs by injecting them with cell from their noses. Apparently these cells are the only ones in the body that renew nerve cells, and once taken from the nose are grown for a few weeks in laboratories before being injected into the spine. Of course paralysis of the rear end of dachshunds due to back problems is quite common and the example used in this article is of gorgeous Jasper, a smooth dachshund. Before his back end was completely paralysed, after months of treatment, he was walking unaided, wonderful to see!  Great news for him and dachshund owners.  Of course this is also significant for humans with paralysis, though the treatment has not yet been trialled on humans.

Full information on this ground-breaking discovery and video of Jasper here.

Make Your Bed and Lie in It

Following on from my last post about dachshunds being number one in the Top Ten of naughtiest dog breeds, my dear little Pepsi has lived up to that accolade.

The other evening I was on the phone for a while and when I finished I went back into the living room to find a disembowelled pillow with kapok scattered everywhere.  Slowly a black snout came out of the hole in the pillow and soon an unrepentant Pepsi, covered with bits of the pillow filling, was looking up at me. I must admit I had to stifle a laugh, he was looking at me as if to say, "Hey this is FUN!" 

Dachshunds Number One of Top 10 Naughtiest Breeds

Dogster has a light-hearted article about naughty dogs and in its list of the top 10 naughtiest canines the long dogs come in at number one! I'm not at all surprised, having had great experience of the clever and resourceful naughtiness of dachshunds for many years lol. Read the article on Dogster here.

My Boys!

My BoysTaken on Pepsi's 4th Birthday in October

I've been uploading loads of photos of dachshunds on various items so I thought it was about time I uploaded one of my own real dachshunds, Pepsi and Max! They are both doing fine though Max just hates this almost constant wet weather we are having, I have to literally shove him out of the door (a gentle push of his bum with my foot!) for walks and once he has done what he needs to all he wants is to get back home! Pepsi though is oblivious to the rain and blissfully splashes through puddles as Max gingerly walks round them. I know how Max feels, this year has given the wettest weather I've seen in all my life!

Dachshund Cushion Alert!

My friend surprised me with this lovely dachshund cushion the other day, I adore it. She saw it in Primark and knew she just had to get it for me, what lovely friends I have! She said they have another more colourful Union Jack dachsie cushion too. Seems dachshunds are in fashion at the moment, they are pictured on so many things at present which suits me fine lol. 

Next Has Gone Dachshund Mad!

Next seems to have gone crazy for dachshunds, firstly there were the ornaments and bag and now they have PJs, shoes, cups and a sweater with dachshund logos on them! I went a bit mad too and bought the PJs, cups and sweater - would have got the shoes too but they didn't fit right.  The clothing is very good quality and the cups are a decent size for a good cup of tea!

 Here's Max the Dax posing beside my purchases, I think he was suitably impressed!

Dachshunds at Next!

This was one of my fave birthday presents, aren't they lovely? Perfect for a Dachsie lover like me. They come from Next.  This store seems to have Dachshund fever at the moment as also have a lovely Dachshund print and a bag that is definitely going to be my next purchase from Next!