www.Straydog.org UPDATE posted SUNDAY 11/9/03 at ~8:47 p.m. CT

Bill Arnold's Daily Straydog Log

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9 2003

Erin reports once again for her sick but improving dad ...

Something new for the dogs with hip problems

     Today was our third day of giving a homeopathic treatment for dogs here with bad hips or arthritis. I had had a consultation with Dr. Loops, DVM, awhile back for my own dogs and had also mentioned the arthritic dogs here. He suggested homeopathic treatments and sent two different bottles for our dogs with hip problems. If this works it will be less expensive (and less toxic) than the Rimadyl we use often for the older dogs dealing with pain in winter months. The instructions from Dr. Loops say that we will see marked improvement within 10 days with some of the dogs, and to try the other drops for those doggies that the first bottle didn't work with.

     Tina mixed up the drops with spring water and filled 13 oral syringes (for 13 dogs) with two ccs of the water mixture. "How did you know how to do this?" I was marveling at her quickness. "Pat showed me," she smiled.

     I helped Tina the first evening we dosed the dogs when it was dark. I held the flashlight and the remedies, and again, was in awe at her finesse with working with the dogs. The dogs got a lot of sweet talk and more pets too. "Mom would be so proud of us," I said to Tina. "Yes," Tina agreed. "Mom probably didn't have time to do everything though, every dog..." I was just thinking of all the older dogs that we would need to dose, if this really worked. Wanting to do it, just wondering how... "Oh, yes, she would have," Tina corrected me firmly, bringing a picture of Pat and her spirit right to the forefront, enough to bring tears to my eyes. "That's why she taught me and Guy to do everything."

     Thanks Mom, for still leading the way.