Crosby's got some moves and getting healthy with Harry

Crosby gets his doggie makeover today!

Crosby went to the groomer today and after they cleaned up all the matts from him and gave him a puppy cut, he looks like a whole new man! He smells wonderful and his fur is so soft and silky. Crosby has a move where he will come up to you and push his head into your chest and just stand there and wait for you to go "awwww" and pet him. Or his other move is to touch you, put his paw on you just in case you might forget to pet him. Someone asked us today if he is a Welsh Springer Spaniel mix and we looked at him and thought, maybe? We don't know what he is, but whatever it is he is one hundred percent uh-door-ab-bull!

Who wants to join Harry in getting healthy?

We LOVE getting letters like this one below from Harry's mommy whom as a result of our website, has now switched Harry's food and he is getting healthy. Who else out there wants to join Harry? It's easy really, just learn to start reading the ingredients on everything you give to your much loved doggies! (thank you Mary, for sending us such a nice letter and if you are reading this, please send us Harry's picture to put up here) If you double click on the letter below, the text gets larger and easier to read. (or you may have to double click and then click again)

and while we are on the topic . . .

One of our adopters sent us a link to this amazing website that addresses the link between what we feed our pets and the longevity and health of our pets. Dogtorj.com. That link is a must read. It breaks down how to read ingredients and explains how to understand the tricks manufacturers use to make you think the food is good quality. We even learned something new today, something called "the dilution factor". Oh how we love to have more tools to learn how to read food ingredients, this is a great website for any pet owner.

There is a section here that addresses seizures that is interesting. Because we've been home cooking for Brady and Eli, the puppies whom have been having psychomotor seizures, we've already successfully avoided the bad four ingredients suggested to prevent seizures. But it is great information!(thank you to Camp Cocker adopter Tom, for sending this to us!)

no "animal" protein, no how, no way!

Someone donated a box of dog treats to us at our last adoption event and we know they were well meaning, really, we do. It was a highly popular well known dog treat that lines the shelves of every major grocery store and pet store. We took one look at the ingredients and as soon as we saw the words "meat and bone meal" we shrieked. We don't want to gross you out here, but if you are curious to know what type of "animals" are in animal protein or anything that is labeled in a generic fashion such as "meat", you can google it. But be warned, it is going to give you an upset tummy thinking about it. Here is an excellent article written by veterinarian Dr. Belfield, DVM that addresses what "meat and bone meal" is actually derived from. Yucky, it gives us the creeps to think that pet owners everywhere are feeding this to their dogs and have no idea!

Thank you to whomever has been buying their flowers from our website!

We just received our first donation check today from Florist One for $39.58! Yaaay! Florist One gives us a 22% donation on every purchase you make through the link on our website so please help us out by spreading the word to shop at ShopForThePaws.com to help benefit Camp Cocker.

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tagged Crosby, nutrition, seizures

you ain't heavy . . . your my brother

Oh no! Another trip to the vet for Brady and Eli!

Well, these littermates are now six months old. Eli has been having psychomotor seizures since he was three months old and has seen two different vets and a holistic vet and is on a good program of medication combined with chinese herbs. But this morning, Brady had his first psychomotor seizure and it was terrifying (both for him and for us). We went to the vet today and Brady is now on the same program as Eli.

On Monday, they are scheduled to have their cherry eye surgeries done and Eli is going to get a spinal tap to check for fluid in his brain. It is rare for puppies this young to develop seizures but also the psychomotor seizures are another rarity. Similar to night terrors, it is a screaming fit where they try to flee, as if something invisible is chasing them. Brady was trying to wedge himself into the corner of the room this morning and his body stiffened and his heart rate was rapid. The interesting thing is that Eli seemed to recognize what was happening and stood back and gave Brady his space.

Each of these boys (Eli is the white one, Brady the buff one) is going to need to find an adopter who is prepared for the medical issues that a dog with seizures brings. They are really sweet lovely little puppies and they are each craving finding their very own forever homes. Anyone out there up for adopting a special needs doggie? (or a pair?)

Can you lend a helping paw?

We owe our boarding bill of $3021 for the month of May, we also owe Brentwood Pet Clinic $2796.22 and have a new vet bill running up right now at Community Vet for the six new cockers. And now Brady and Eli's surgery next week. Please help spread the word for us, no donation is too small!

Become a Friend of Camp Cocker for as little as $3 a month! Each of us can't do it all by ourselves, but all of us together, we can make a difference, one cherry eye cocker at a time.

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tagged Brady, Eli, cherry eye, seizures

three badly bred pups . . . poor babies, its not their fault!

Watch the journey of three cocker puppies, from backyard breeder to the shelter to Camp Cocker rescue. Please spread the message to tell everyone you know, to take pause before purchasing puppies from backyard breeders. You can identify a good breeder by the waiting list to buy a puppy. You can identify a good breeder by going in person, meeting the parents of the puppies, observing how the puppies are being socialized in the first weeks of their life. You can identify a good breeder by asking for medical records for both parents, that they have had their eyes checked out by an eye doctor, hips/joints checked out, and they are healthy. You can identify a good breeder by how transparent they are in showing they have bred the parents across lines (and not in line breeding). If a breeder can not pass all of these criteria, then you are supporting bad breeding. Watch the story of Brady, Eli and Kramer to see what happens when breeders do not care about breeding for health and only care about breeding to sell puppies for quick cash. Somewhere out there, is the mommy dog of Brady, Eli and Kramer, being bred again. And somewhere out there, are consumers willing to give money to the breeder who is doing this. If all consumers everywhere, took a stand and said "no more" I am not giving my money to support this industry . . . do you know what would happen? The puppy mills would all close down, pet stores would stop selling puppies, backyard breeders would have to find a legitimate way to make money. And guess what? We would see a trickle down effect of less cockers in the shelters. It all starts with you, and your one voice . . . speak up to everyone you know who is considering buying a puppy. Remember, if a puppy is for sale and you can buy it quickly, that is not a legitimate breeder. Good quality breeders have long waiting lists.