Dog health clinics

Today I took the dogs to the CKCSC, USA Specialty for heart/eye clinics and was very relieved to hear all is well.  Walker is not yet two years old so this was his first health clinic and he just had his eyes checked.  Hayley will be four this month and this was her second heart/eye clinic.  

The number one health concern in Cavaliers is a form of degenerative valve disease called Mitral Valve Disease (MVD).  As such, it is strongly recommended that ALL Cavaliers 2 1/2 years of age or older be screened annually by a Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologist for evidence of heart murmurs.  Cavalier clubs and other breed and kennel clubs periodically offer health-testing clinics with veterinary cardiologists and/or veterinary ophthalmologist, board certified, who will examine a dog for a discounted fee.  Here is a list of health clinics.

While at the Specialty we met a very mellow, sweet, easygoing 5 year old Cavalier named Lily Belle who is currently seeking her forever home and available through Cavalier Rescue, USA.  Lily is housetrained and would be happiest in a quiet low key home, preferably as an only dog.  She needs to lose weight and enjoys slow leash walks so her new family needs to keep her on a diet and exercise regime to continue the weight loss and maintain it.

Here are the pups on the drive back from the Specialty.  Walker likes to be REALLY, REALLY close to Hayley.  They enjoyed a few In-N-Out fries as well.

The pups' Lucky Star Dog Snoods arrived from Terri (a fellow Cavalier owner) of Day Dog Designs today and are just lovely!  Terri is very generously donating 100% of the proceeds from this snood to Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue.  She also makes beautiful European ribbon dog collars, leashes, fabric snoods and more!  Check out her Etsy store and Facebook page!     

And yes I realize that snoods are completely and utterly ridiculous BUT they are a total necessity if you have a long-eared dog, especially if you feed a raw diet.  They are a gentle way to hold back ears during meals to prevent the ears from falling into the food dish.  Trust me there's nothing more disgusting than raw meat stuck in your dog's ear fur!  Snoods make life so much easier and the ridiculousness is worth the convenience!

I'm finally feeling better after my awful cold so back to meal planning, cooking and running this week...stay tuned for more recipes, skateboard training updates and photos of my adorable, kick-ass dogs!