Day 38 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 3, 2020

A relationship with a great veterinarian is so so important. Like any relationship, we need a veterinarian who “fits” and it is completely normal and acceptable to have to shop a bit for that right person.

It should be reasonably clear that I am a fan of my veterinarian, Dr. Shoni Card. She is wicked smart and that means she is a team player. The best professionals know there is always value in learning, listening, and teaming — and intelligence and experience tend to foster humility.

I show up with articles and questions and opinions — and Dr. Card is not offended or put off. Instead, we discuss. I have great respect for her expertise but the real reason she is our veterinarian is her professional openness and humility; it is those things that engender my trust in her.

When a professional insists on “my way or the highway” — get on the highway. Your dog, like any human, needs the benefit of a team approach to his/her health care, and a good veterinarian knows the owner is part of the team.

On the other hand, I can only imagine what it must feel like to be an experienced veterinarian and have someone come in with the wackadoodle ideas on the internet related to dog care. I try really hard not to be THAT kind of client.

The Wildflowers will go home with a vaccination plan that may cause veterinary consternation as it will not match Standard Operating Procedure — same with the worming situation. In anticipation of this, I am getting the ducks lined up — Dr. Card, who is a pretty traditional veterinarian, will sign off on all instructions.

In addition, I will provide a document referenced with professional veterinary literature/recognized experts to support the recommendations; this will be ready in a week or so new families can visit their prospective veterinarian in advance of the first wellness exam. Yes — a veterinary visit sans puppy is a thing and a great idea.

In anticipation of puppy arrival, new homes should explore whether their veterinarian has or is willing to order Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Merck Nobivac [Intervet Progard] Puppy DPV). Not a three-way or a five-way vaccine — just Distemper and Parvovirus. More on vaccinations this weekend.

The Wildflowers are welcoming special visitors today — I will post a video and photos later. In the meantime, please have an awesome day!

Video HERE

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM A FUN DAY

Puppy Central moved outside today in anticipation of our visitors — and to use the splash pad.

The father of the Wildflowers, Major, came to meet them — with his wonderful family, of course…

Once again, I was so pleased with how the puppies handled new people — they met five new people and visited their Auntie Suzanne as well…

Photo op! Major with the five girls…

Major with the four boys…

Major practicing for the next level of Trick Dog…

Major and Lawrence…

Yes, that is our view!

Good Night, Friends.

Day 37 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 2, 2020

We are motivated to feed our dogs well — we are tricked by advertising into thinking that must mean kibble.

It does not.

Kibble is a highly processed food. It is convenient and there are certainly better brands than others — but it is not the only or even optimal way to feed dogs.

If you are at all shocked by that assertion, the dog food industry is happy to know their advertising dollars work.

I consider myself a middle-of-the-road dog food type because compared to extremes on both sides of the raw vs. kibble continuum, I am pretty darn flexible in terms of a dog’s diet.

You want to feed raw? Okay — go for it.

You want to feed primarily kibble? Okay — just pick a good one and be willing to add normal, whole foods as toppers.

But I actually do not think either of those ways of feeding dogs has the corner on Optimal nor do I think there is evidence establishing the one true way to feed a dog. That makes things tricky.

In humans, we should aim for a variety of whole foods in moderation — since dogs evolved with humans and therefore are used to a similar diet to ours, I think this is a reasonable approach for dogs as well.

Therefore, I feed a homemade diet to the dogs plus some kibble and occasional raw food.

Variety!

I stumbled across a product/business that not only helps generate recipes for homemade diets but also has a quality product to ensure balance; it is aptly named BalanceIt.

Developed by a UC Davis veterinary nutrition guy, this product is recommended by veterinary nutritionists and in spite of no advertising or marketing, their business is a booming one.

The Wildflowers will be eating recipes supported by BalanceIt — with the approval of their veterinarian. A homemade diet for dogs is really not all that wacky — or hard.

I did an early morning video of the Wildflowers — enjoy the video AND your day!

EVENING: PHOTOS FROM THE DAY

Good Night, Friends!

Day 36 A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag July 1, 2020

As I have mentioned before, Dear Husband stays up very late (usually 2 - 3 a.m.) and I am usually up by 5 and so there is not much time when the Wildflowers are without an awake human close by.

During that 2 - 3 hour stretch when the adults are both asleep, Daisy stays in with her puppies and all seem content with that arrangement. I got up this morning to find Daisy asleep with a few puppies and the rest crammed into the crate!

Does that even look comfortable?! Obviously, it is time for the next size up in the crate department.

Mallow continues to be a happy, friendly guy.

The puppies spend their days playing in longer bursts and then sleeping — and eating, of course. This is Sage.

They are nursing as usual and we have added breakfast of cooked homemade food — yesterday it included scrambled eggs and today it will involve chicken, steel cut oats, and blueberries. I am a fan of a variety of whole foods in moderation. Since they are still deriving most of their calories/nutrients from nursing, I am not overly worried about balancing things just yet.

This is Larkspur.

Unlike human babies, puppy teeth arrive en masse and the Wildflowers are officially entering the Land Shark stage. This is Paintbrush resting up for the next BiteFest.

Lupine is definitely not keeping up in the Nose Darkening Department!

Clover leads the pack in terms of dark nose AND weight.

I gave up on the fake grass and the litter box because the piddle pads are such a success, and our ability to clean things up quickly almost around the clock means Puppy Central stays pretty darn clean.

The puppies are doing very well at using the designated Potty Zone, hitting their mark at least 80% of the time, which is a B in my gradebook. Not bad for five-weeks-new!

Eyes are darkening up nicely, puppies are sociable, and personalities are starting to shine through — basically, all is proceeding as it should. WHEW. I hope your day proceeds as well!

EVENING: PHOTOS AND A REQUEST

The puppies had another wonderful day in the living room play area while their outside area dries out from two days of rain — hopefully they will be able to spend time outside tomorrow.

The request: For those of you who are experienced puppy homes — what would you include on a list of what one should have for a new puppy? Let’s make the ultimate New Puppy Home List — send your ideas to sontag.bowman@gmail.com and THANKS!