Tear Stains and Shih Tzu Dogs

I'm sorry I never came back to tell  you the secret tear stain removal. I didn't mean to leave you hanging but got side tracked with some issues on my book, Soul Mates (Now available on Amazon!) 

If you love dogs, it's definitely going to put a smile on your face. Check it out and you'll put a smile on my face!

Tear stains plagued my poor little puppy mill survivor but since her health wasn't the best when she arrived I make it my work to keep her as healthy as possible and give her a nice relaxed life. She's my angel and my best friend.

So the thought of treating her with a low level antibiotic (Angel Eyes) or going near those dark, button eyes with any kind of chemical had me cringing in fear. I searched and search for an alternative.There had to be a natural cure out there somewhere!

I posted in forums and every place I could find to ask for a natural way to help my little friend.

Someone told me to only let her drink filtered water from my refrigerator door.
Really? Are you kidding me?

But I tried it. Why not? I have to fill her dish everyday anyway, so why not take the  water from there?

I did nothing, NOTHING else to resolve the tear stain problem. You see the results. Her face and paws (the tears stained her front paws too) are now snowy white. I didn't even realize we had such a dramatic change until i was going through some old photos. These two pics were taken 6 months apart. The result wasn't instant, she improved slowly, but you can see how great she looks now.

Makes me wonder what's in our tap water.....

For a feel good read, check out Soul Mates:

God Made a Dog....

Click... GOD MADE A DOG

Tear Stain Improvement

Gracie is a pure bred Shih Tzu that came to me at 7 years old from a Puppy Mill in Missouri. Tear stains covered her face and paws. Because of her past (and because I prefer more natural methods) I refused to treat them with chemicals.

So here we are after a few months of natural treatment. Aren't we looking good?
Wanna guess what this natural treatment is?

Betrayed by an Angel on Amazon

My book, Betrayed by an Angel is now Available on Amazon!

When an angel appears to tell Shay Deville she can’t marry her fiancé because she will forever alter his destiny, she thinks she is going crazy. Shay learns she was supposed to die seven months ago, but Merrick, her own guardian angel, broke angelic law and saved her. Now she is a woman without a future – or a guardian.

In spite of the angel’s warning Shay refuses to give up her dreams. She hunts down Merrick, her renegade angel, and demands he help her.

Guardian Angel Merrick knows the Heavenly Handbook better than anyone, but when the time came to help Shay Deville cross over, he just couldn't do it. Now Merrick is stripped of his wings and banished to the earthly realm until he corrects his mistakes and completes the destiny of his charge. But how can Merrick arrange to take Shay’s life when he has fallen in love with her? How can he not?

Will Merrick give up his wings and forever be cast to Earth for the woman he loves?

Can a woman without a destiny ever find happiness, or true love?

Check out Betrayed by an Angel on Amazon!

Pancake Dogs Need Forever Homes

I've been fostering for a few years now and I've probably had maybe 100 dogs through my house. (Only 1 or 2 at a time!) some are here and quickly get adopted. Others are harder to find homes for. They have issues. Things happened to them in their short lives that left scars. Invisible scars that can't be seen from the outside.

They might have been neglected. They might have been unsocialized. They might have been beaten. They might have watched other dogs being abused. We may never know. But there's something there. Its in their eyes, in a look of panic they have when approached, in the tension in their bodies. And we have to deal with these issues when they come into the foster home.

I don't want to scare a potential foster to think every dog that might come into your home has a problem. Most don't. Most of the dogs I've had were loving, sweet pups who went on to make great family dogs. If you find a good rescue who knows the ins and outs of fostering they will make sure your foster dog fits your family dynamics so that your fostering experience will be a good one.

When I get a dog into my house that has that deep fear I ignore them. I set up a bed and a crate and show them the water dish. Then I let them sit there, crate door open and ignore them. A dog with fear issues doesn't trust easy. They need time more than anything else. So I watch TV, prepare dinner, do my computer work and avoid eye contact. Eventually they venture out to explore their surroundings. Slowly. We have a fenced in back yard and after a day or so I'll just leave the door open and let them wander in and out. I offer treats and if they don't want to come near me, I just drop them on the floor.

Because these dogs came in contact with some very bad people, they need time to learn to trust again. It's not going to come quickly and sometimes it's not going to be easy. They say time heals all wounds but these dogs need kindness too. They need to know that not all people are bad. Not all people will hurt them.

Corona came from a Hoarder but she pancakes when I reach for her. Pancake is when the dog flattens itself to the floor and cowers in fear. I've had this pup since January and she still pancakes. This shows me that not only was she from a hoarding situation, she was abused, too. Corona weighs 10 lbs, a little Chihuahua.

Sometimes its hard to hold the anger at the people who did this at bay. I have to remind myself that this little soul came into my life to share love and kindness. The anger I feel at those horrible people is useless at this point. It has no place between Corona and I and I have to let it go.

After those first few days of ignoring her, Corona slowly came to trust. She now will take treats from my hand, come over to be petted and runs around the yard chasing squirrels. She is now free from the hoarder and most of the fear that kept her a prisoner in her own mind, but the scars are still there. When company comes over, she barks incessantly. I either have to hold her or crate her. But its improving. It's one of the last things we're working on.

Right now she's beside me on the couch, tapping me with her little paws so I pay attention to her and not my keyboard. She's giving me kisses and letting me know when she has to go out. She's sweet and loving but at 8 years old, adopting her out will be hard.

Gracie Home Again

Gracie took a while to wake up at the vet and I kept calling and calling. Nervous mama.

But she's home now and determine to lick her self better. During the day I'll just watch her but at night or if we go out, its cone time. After I got the cone on her she walked in circles. Between the sore paw that she's limping on and the cone, she has no navigational skills left. She just flops around in circles until she flops down. Then she glares at me, "what did you do to me Mom?"

But we're taking our meds (pain killer, inflamation killer and antibiotics) with yummy chicken and cheese and that's got her smiling again.

We go back next week for biopsy results and to have our stitches out. Please pray for good results on the biopsy. Gracie's had a hard life. She deserves a break and a good life from here on.

Dogs and Surgery

My sweet little Gracie is in for surgery on her paw today. Last week we found a growth on the side of her paw, under her dew claw. It feels like a soft bubble but the vet said he didn't like the look of it and wanted to remove it.

So here I sit by the phone waiting and worrying.

Gracie was my foster dog two years ago. She came from a Missouri puppy mill. When she arrived she sat where ever you put her, looked at the floor and didn't move or make a sound. She had infected spay incision and double ear infections and was shaved to the skin.

After medication she was feeling better but still shy. She'd sit in her little bed and just watch us as if she expected something bad. She was so gentle and sweet that she stole my heart as none of the twenty or so previous fosters did.

Gracie stayed. She warmed up slowly, learned to play with toys and after a couple of months she actually barked. Hearing her bark for the first time brought tears to my eyes. It was a sign she was truly home and felt comfortable enough to express herself.

Now I sit and wait for the vet to call and tell me that the surgery went well and I can come get her.
Time drags.....