A Sad Day for Ernie

A few days ago, we noticed that Ernie looked like he had a bluish grey circle in the center of his left eye, resembling a small marble.  He didn't seem bothered by it at all and was playful and upbeat as usual.  Cheryl decided to make an appointment with Ernie's veterinarian to be on the safe side for the next day.  The following day, Ernie's spirit and demeanor seemed to have deteriorated over night.  He looked sleepy and was constantly wincing his left eye.  At times both of his eyes would be squinting as if in pain or as though there was a bright light shining at him.  This concerned Cheryl and she rushed him to the vet as soon as they had an immediate opening.

 The Dr. ran some tests and told Cheryl that his eye was infected but that the pupil was responding to light, shrinking and enlarging, meaning he was still able to see.  However, he recommended that Ernie see an eye specialist in case he was starting to develop cataracts.

Eye drops were administered for the infection which caused Ernie's pupil to enlarge grossly to the entire size of his eyeball.  Ernie's left eye now looked glossy and at certain angles, as if it was made of glass.  We assumed the pupil would eventually shrink back to the small marble size but by nighttime, there was no change.

Last night, we tested Ernie by covering his "good" eye and held objects in front of his face to see if his left eye would follow the objects around.  He didn't respond at all which made us think he could be going blind.

Cheryl was able to get an appointment with the eye specialist referred by our vet for today.  The specialist has confirmed that Ernie is completely blind in his left eye.  In addition, his right eye is beginning to develop cataracts and could potentially be completely blind within the next 3 years.

The Dr. advised a few options:

1) Leave it as is and administer medicated eye drops for the duration of his life
2) Undergo surgery that has a 90% success rate with a 1-3 month recovery period (plus the Dr. has guaranteed that cataracts will never develop again with this procedure)

The cost associated with Option # 2 of course is NOT cheap.  The surgery alone will be about $5,000 plus medicated eye drops, follow up appointments, and other unforeseen complications could be another $1-2,000 in vet bills.

In addition, this is just for the left eye. 

We have decided as a family that the best route for Ernie (being the playful, rambunctious, young at heart pup that he is), it would only be fair to try to give him the best standard of life that we can.  If the surgery with a success rate of 90% will salvage the sight in his left eye and guarantee that his left eye will be free from cataracts forever, then it is really the best option to take.  One day, if his right eye is consumed by cataracts, then at least he will still have the vision in his left eye and we can discuss the options with his right eye if/when we need to.

Cheryl says, "I highly believe in pet insurance.  Ernie has been with Pet Care Insurance since he was 12 weeks old.  I had him with the top of the line insurance package that costed me $80-90 / month.  As pricey as that sounds, at the end of the day, your dog becomes like a child, they are a family member and I will do everything in my power to give him the best quality of life that I can.  Thank goodness for Pet Care Insurance because they will be covering up to $5,000 under the eye category."

We will continue to keep you posted of Ernie's surgery, his recovery period, and the aftermath of it all.

Please keep your fingers crossed for Ernie and we thank you for your continued support.

How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog

There have been a lot of different debates as to how often one should bathe their dog.  I've taken the time to do some research on this topic and thought I would share some information that I found.

Older research has shown that bathing your dog once a month is more than enough.  However, this notion is now a thing of the past.  The reason why older research says to limit your dogs baths is because the quality of dog shampoos back then contained harsher chemicals causing the dog's skin to dry out and stripped the dogs coat of its natural oils.  These days, dog hygiene includes shampoos with aloe, conditioners, and organic ingredients that are almost comparable to human hair products, which are much more gentle and designed for more frequent use.

Other factors to consider include: the breed of dog, the dog's hair type (long/short coat), the dog's lifestyle, shedding cycle, and allergies.

Breeds with softer and longer coats tend to pick up dirt more easily while breeds with textured and shorter coats have the ability to repel dirt. 

Dogs that spend most of their days outdoors should be bathed more often than a dog that spends most of his days on the couch.

According to the American Lung Association, humans with dog allergies should bath their dog as much as possible which will help remove the dander that accummulates on a pet's fur coat. 

Dogs that suffer from allergies (or itchy skin) should also receive baths more frequently in order to wash away allergens before they get a chance to penetrate the skin.

In conclusion, the best answer to the question, "How often should I bathe my dog?" is "When he looks dirty or begins to smell, it's time for a bath."

FouFou Dog @ Zoomark 2011 International Trade Show (Bologna, Italy)

Cheryl & Ann have just returned from their one week trip to Italy for the Bi-Annual International Pet Trade Show, known as "Zoomark".  This prestigious show welcomes visitors across Europe and takes place once every two years in the Bologna Exhibition Center.

This was their first time visiting Italy where they got to dine, drink, and party like true Italians.

In addition, this dynamic duo had the chance to meet FouFou Dog's Italian distributors for the first time.  Below is an image of Roberto holding up our Piggy PJ (available Fall 2011)

However, the events leading up to this show were not as seamless as they may seem.  Taking a red-eye flight to Frankfurt, Germany, the girls had a scheduled one hour stop-over.  However, they encountered a delay in their arrival which caused them to miss their connecting flight to Italy.  This resulted in their late arrival to the Exhibition Center.  Upon landing, Cheryl and Ann had to rush to their booth to take advantage of the time they had left to set up the day before the show started.

Luckily the trade show items that were shipped one month in advance by boat were ready and waiting for their arrival, however, the administration box which contains tools and other equipment required to get the booth set up was missing! Cheryl and Ann were forced to scramble at the last minute asking fellow exhibitors if they could borrow scissors, tape, hammers, and whatever else they could find to get the booth set up.

Five hours later, jet lagged, hungry, and exhausted, the FouFou Dog booth looked flawless.

The trade show lasted 4 long days and the FouFou Dog booth was one of the busiest booths in the Exhibition.  With the help of our Italian distributors, FouFou Dog was able to gather many new contacts and sell most of the goods that they had shipped over.

All in all, the show was a huge success and FouFou Dog can't wait to visit Italy again for Zoomark 2013!!!

Cheryl and Ann returned home with huge smiles on their faces, new friends, business contacts, memories to last a lifetime and a bag full of Italian cookies for the FouFou Dog Team!!! YUMMY!!!

Protect Your Pet From Heartworm

It's that time of year again - Heartworm Season - the time of year when mosquito's come out to play. 

Unfortunately, these mosquito's can be harmful to your pet's health.  All it takes is just one mosquito bite to infect your pet through the injection of immature worms into the tissues of its host with mosquito saliva. The immature worms then develop and migrate their way to the lungs and potentially the heart of the animal where they will mature into adults and begin reproducing.

These immature worms can grow to 15-20 cm in length and in severe cases, your pet can be infested with hundreds of worms which may obstruct blood flow to and from the heart causing damage to internal organs.

Don't worry, this fatal process can easily be prevented.

FouFou Dog uses a veterinarian prescribed topical parasticide for dogs called Revolution® (selamectin). 

Each package comes with 6 syringes that look like this.

You simply pop open the top of the syringe using the cap that comes with it and squeeze the contents of the syringe onto the nape of your pet's neck.  The syrum smells a little like rubbing alcohol and will leave a small wet patch on their neck, but dries quickly.  And don't worry, you only need to do this once a month.  I usually apply it on the first of each month from June through November (when Mosquito season is at its peak).

How does Revolution® (selamectin) work?

A: Revolution enters the bloodstream through the skin. Concentrations of Revolution in the blood and tissues prevent heartworm disease. Revolution selectively redistributes from the blood to the skin, where it provides protection against fleas, flea eggs, American dog tick, and mites.

This simple application could save your pet's life; ask your veterinarian about Revolution today.

A sleepless night... written by Cheryl Ng

Up late in vancouver and thinking non stop about my little Ernie. I miss him so very much and it kills me inside to have to always travel for my foufou dog business. Ernie was my inspiration to start this company but since the company has launched, I find myself leaving his side more and more.

I raised him since he was 8 weeks old and we are both extremely attached to each other. He will be 8 years old this coming june 26. Where has the time gone?

I think about how quickly he will be growing older and I know I will regret not having been able to spend as much time with him as I should have.

I won't be home for another 2.5 weeks, I think about what he's doing and if he's waiting for me to come home. Wondering how long I will be gone this time.

He knows when I start to pack my suitcase that I will be leaving his side again. He becomes very sad and it breaks my heart. It hurts me even more knowing that all his doggy friends are at the foufou dog office with their mommys but his mommy is not there.

I know he is in good hands with my family and I know he is being well taken care of. Writing this entry brings tears to my eyes.

Ernie, I thank you so much for always being there for me and understanding that mommy needs to go away from time to time to grow the business. Thank you for being such a great doggy and for being so very patient. I am so thankful and blessed to have you in my life. Without you there would never have been foufou dog.

I just want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so very much and very soon you will be cuddling with me in my arms again

Mommy loves you so much and will be home very soon.

I love you Ernie baba- xoxo