My Dog has IBS

Deno loves to lie down with his head against the couch...we think it would be uncomfortable.

Deno is the family (well, my brother's) dog we adopted a year ago from the Humane Society.  I've written about how sick he was when we adopted him.  Well, we had no idea he was sick again!

He sometimes tosses his lunch, but we thought he just drinks too fast or doesn't chew his food enough since he tends to inhale it in his haste to eat!  We wondered if there was mold in his water fountain so we washed it but couldn't keep it mold-free.  So we threw it away and switched to using his low tech bowl.  No change.  We then thought his food was too old so we got a new bag but no change.  We fed him rice and unseasoned hamburger.  Hardly any improvement.  So we took him to the vet today.

Dr. Connie at Dyersville Veterinary Clinic recognized that he has Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS.  I didn't know dogs could have it but he does.  I've had a few friends who have IBS and I know it causes great pain.  Poor little Deno has been in pain.  He wasn't being grumpy to be grumpy, he's just had one whopper of a stomach ache!  Now Deno will have food and supplements that will help him be a perkier, happier pup!

So from one Deno to another Dino, here's Dean Martin singing "I'd Cry Like a Baby."  If only our Deno could sing...now that he is going to be feeling better!

Corgi Love: Deno

I love dogs.  End of story.  And I especially love Pembroke Welsh Corgis, those funny little dogs with the big attitudes and short legs.

Dogs love unconditionally, it seems.  Give them a good brushing, a few treats and they love you forever.  But there's more to it than that.

A Corgi has a mind of its own--if they think fetch is a dumb game, it's a good bet you'll be the one fetching.  They love food and figure out ways to get it from you--they're sneaky that way.  But they also are fiercely loyal to their people.

It took Deno a month or so to adjust to us, but he was loyal from the beginning.  He loved all of us and we loved him.  Sure, he had a few accidents on the rug (I think they were temper tantrums when he didn't feel we were paying enough attention to him) but accidents are fixable.

He's never chewed on anything--except the corners of books!  Talk about a weird thing to chew on.

In short, we just love our six-year-old puppy, Deno.  He's a handful sometimes, but what family member isn't at some point in life?

Here's a song from another of my favorite Dinos, Dean Martin.  It's "Sway," which I've highlighted before, but it's such a great song!  I have a live recording of me singing this with my jazz combo that will be on an upcoming jazz album.