Who's Bleeding?

Blood is not something you want to see wherever your dog has been. Unfortunately, we have been seeing spots of blood here and there over the freshly fallen snow and just last night, there was blood on my sleeve after playing around with Dakota & Cheyenne. Originally, we had thought that someone had broken a nail since both Labs have their dew claws already removed. Upon a closer look, we couldn't find anything.

Now we suspect that one of them is bleeding from her mouth. Since the girls are very laid back, they don't mind us poking and prodding their mouths. Our inspection has left us more confused because there is no bleeding gums nor broken teeth. We are not stumped. Does that mean we are going to stop playing how we normally do with our brats? No way! They would drive us crazy if we didn't alleviate the Lab boredom and bounds of energy! For now, we will just have to wait and see. With Labrador Retrievers, these things happen and often resolve themselves. If, however, it gets worse or there is more blood, then to the vet we shall be calling! Until then, play, play, play my little Labrador Brats for a tired Lab is a good Lab!

Labrador Retriever Feeding Guide

Just wrote a new Labrador Retriever article! Enjoy!

There are are currently over a hundred dog foods in the U.S. market alone; deciding which one to choose can make any new dog owner's head spin. You want what's best for your pup but you don't want to brake your bank account while trying to give Fido to the best. We review some of the dietary needs of Labrador Retriever in regards to dog food.

Labrador Retriever Feeding Guide: http://8pawsup.com/articles/health/dogfoodfeeding.html

If I am missing anything, please let me know. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

Dakota Graduated!!

Our "little" 83lbs girl graduated from Intermediate Training last night with flying colors. She was so good that we were running out of things to train her on!

Here is a picture of my husband and his little baby wearing her graduation cap. He did all the night time training classes with her so he deserved to be in the picture! I find it ironic that he is wearing one of the "Obey the Lab" sweatshirts from my online store given that the whole point of training is for her to listen to him! *laugh*

Congrats Dakota! (and thanks for not eating the tassel on the hat!) :)

Wise Labrador Wisdom

It has been 2 years since the first of the Lab Brats has entered our family. In that 2 years, a lot has been learned and the girls now think it is time for us to share a secret - where did we learn all we know about Labrador Retrievers? Well, some of it has been through trial and error, but when we feel like we have no where left to turn, we turn to The Labrador Retriever Chat Board. Go and check it out yourself - you won't be sorry!

Oh... don't forget to drop "DakotasMom" a note while on there! :)

Cheyenne Attacked!

It was our normal Saturday dog park outing and everything was going quite well considering the freezing cold temperatures. Not as many dogs as usual but we figured the girls would get their run on anyway.

As we were walking around the park, we happened upon this nice man who smiled and greeted us warmly. It was quite ironic cause his dog was anything but friendly. A snap here, a hump there, and lots of aggressive manners. Of course, we kept our distance during the walk until I turned to my husband and heard this distinctive hysterical puppy cry behind me. As I whipped around, all I could see was that nasty mean dog on top of a chocolate puppy - my chocolate puppy, Cheyenne! She submitted to him with a roll onto her back but that didn't seem quite enough for this doberman looking dog cause he thrashed her around and wouldn't let her get up.

My heart jumped as I ran to save my baby - my husband by my side! It saw me coming and ready to do anything I had to in order to get him off her so he ran away. We grabbed Cheyenne and immediately started to check for any signs of injury. We were very blessed cause she was more scared than anything else. Not a single injury was found as the owner came over to us to make sure she was okay.

Funny though cause after he apologized, other people in the park told us how he comes there every week and how his dog "Gilmore" has the same incident happen every week as well. Needless to say, this made me livid. The one thing I can't stand is a dog owner that knows they have an aggressive dog and continues to take them to a park that lists the first rule as "No Aggressive Dogs Allowed".

So, my dear friends - if you venture to the Runway Dog Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and see a olive green Jeep with a hippie smiley face tire cover on the back, watch your dogs! It will come with a man that seems very nice and one highly aggressive and dangerous black and tan, doberman-looking, male dog named Gilmore!

But I'm a Good Girl!

"But I'm a good girl, mommy! Why can't you see that? I promise to continue being a good girl if you will play with me." says Cheyenne's eyes as she looks up at me, in a sitting position, with her tug toy in her mouth. She doesn't understand that I am working from home once again and that the key word is "working". Usually, the Lab Brats are patient until 3:30pm roles around and I am off the clock. Unfortunately, the severely cold (-30F) wind chills in our area have us staying indoors most of the time and unable to burn off much of that Lab puppy energy.

Normally, we would resort to food games and some gentle game of fetch down our long hallway. Alas, the food games have stopped because they cannot equally balance out their outside exercise with the extra calories. The games of fetch get old and boring after the first few times and now the pups want us to help them burn off that energy. Hibernating bears we have not!

My heart melts as I look into those beautiful eyes once more and scratch her chest. She does not understand how we humans cannot just run outside, bury our faces in the snow, and let our naked bellies lay against the white fluff of snow as they can and love. We must resort to 3 layers of clothing, ear muffs, face masks, and gloves even the smallest of air particles cannot get through. Tomorrow we will venture through the rough winds and blistering cold just to have your pads touch doggie heaven at the dog park. Until then, please stop staring at me with that wagging tail and toy in tow because you are making my heart melt all over my keyboard.

Pimple Pup

OK - had the vet appointment on Saturday and it is a confirmed case of canine acne. The vet automatically asked us if we had plastic bowls and when we told him that the likely culprit was the Everlasting Treat Ball, he agreed. Needless to say, we are still washing Cheyenne's chin with some mild soap after she eats but he also put her on an oral antibiotic called Cephalexin (500mg) - two pills twice a day until gone.

Glad it was something simple and nothing our poor baby would need some major medical intervention. Thanks for everyone's feedback! I will keep you up to date on her progress.