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Watch a puppy grow...

Dr. Jeff

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Yes, thanks for this great post Dr. Sara!
 

Dana

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6 MONTHS!
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60 pounds.
Murphy and his liter-mates turned 6 months old yesterday. If you follow Dr. Sara on FaceBook, she posted pictures of all 10 of the pups :dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2::dog2:

We traveled a bit this month... Vermont in August where Murphy enjoyed his first boat rides and then down to Maryland earlier this month for the birth of Murphy's niece (my new grand-daughter). He had a great time with my son's dog Finn.
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Murphy continues with his training. We just started Foundations 1 (obedience) at a local training center. This was a bit of a trick because Murphy is not vaccinated. After speaking with the facilities manager, she agreed to him taking classes (not boarding or day care which is fine by me) PROGRESS! :)
We have started to do short visits to the hospital. He will not visit patients until he is a "certified" therapy dog but Murphy is already making many people very happy.
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While he is not swimming per se, Murphy does love to dive into the mud and splash in the stream on our hikes. He was not afraid to get his feet wet on the top step of a local country club pool.... They allowed dogs to have a puppy play date on the last day that the pool was open - so much fun!
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Murphy has lots of great friends. He sees his sister Siren a lot ?IMG_3676.jpgIMG_3701.jpgIMG_3992.jpg



BEAM...
Behavior:
Murphy has really come out of his shell. He is polite and loving to everyone he meets both 2 legged and 4.
Energy: Murphy's energy is up. He will chase nuts all over the driveway and is great on a 2 mile hike. When we sit down to dinner, he goes to bed.
Appetite: Loves his food and treats.... but who wouldn't... Murphy gets some really good stuff! He still loves to play with and then chew on a celery puck from the base of my celery stalk when I juice in the morning. We are giving him 13 oz per meal 3X per day = about 2.5 lbs of RAW
Mood: Happy puppy!

Symptoms: Continues to shake his head vigorously in the mornings. He has small sleepys in his eyes in the morning. Teething seems to be done.
 

Dr. Jeff

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Fantastic Dana! ? Thanks for sharing the great pics.
 

Dana

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7 Months yesterday
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69 pounds

Where does the time go? We continue with our training and socializing ... The play-pen got put away this month and Murphy now has full run of the house. I gave him Small Batch rabbit and he was very ill... I am trying a different brand of rabbit and he seems fine with it. I found a tick on his neck last Sunday. When I took it off it left a nasty scab for a few days. I give him Apis 30c - 2 pellets. Some of you may have seem Murphy's stunning performance featured in last weeks empower hour on Vitality. We were at a local dog fair and when we walked by the "Lure Agility" course I swear Murphy was saying to me "please Mom please please PLEASE!!!" The video was his very first time. No, he had never done it before... I was a VERY proud Mom!
I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
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with the neighbors kids


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at my son's art opening

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a stranger wanted a picture of her kid with my dog

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with his sister, Siren
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posing
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first cat encounter
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BEAM...
Behavior:
Very well behaved... most of the time. He can occasionally be a bit rough with smaller dogs... we are working on it
Energy: Murphy's energy is GREAT!
Appetite: As you can see from the first picture, Murphy is the poster child for a raw diet. He has not turned away from anything, although he was a little reluctant with the rabbit that disagreed with him. We have tried chicken, turkey, beef, bison, venison, rabbit, salmon, white fish, a whole large sardine. I have only been giving him commercial food that gets 5 stars from the Dog Food Advisor. He also gets organic chicken and wild caught fish with vegetables that I cook in the insta pot... it is more work but its kind of fun.
Mood: Happy Happy puppy!

Symptoms: the head shaking is only occasional now. There are small sleepies in his eyes some mornings. Murphy likes to "hug" my feet... I think he might be getting some hormones.
 
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Dr. Sara

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Great job, Dana, and lovely pictures! You are doing a wonderful job of raising the 'little' boy!
If you are feeding any boneless meat, do remember to add calcium carbonate or calcium citrate at a rate of 250 mg per 4 ounces of boneless meat. The only time we add calcium to the food is when feeding boneless meat.
Hugs to the pumpkin,
Sara
 

Dana

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Great job, Dana, and lovely pictures! You are doing a wonderful job of raising the 'little' boy!
If you are feeding any boneless meat, do remember to add calcium carbonate or calcium citrate at a rate of 250 mg per 4 ounces of boneless meat. The only time we add calcium to the food is when feeding boneless meat.
Hugs to the pumpkin,
Sara
Thank you! The only meat I have given him so far that is not a commercial food is chicken and fish which both include the bones.
 

Dana

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8 Months!
76 pounds
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We are having so much fun!
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The Berner Walk was Columbus Day Weekend. We met 70+ Bernese Mountain Dogs! and Murphy won his new favorite toy, a stuffed Berner :)
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We continue to attend a "manners" class and did sign up for an Agility class BUT... we got sent home the first day for not having our rabies vaccine ;( I really want to hold off as long as possible ... am I being unreasonable?
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We love our long walks in the park where we meet joggers and bikers and fishermen and dogs and we can swim in the stream
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For Halloween Dana dressed up as Murphy and we went visiting.
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Life is good!
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BEAM...
Behavior:
Learning to be gentle, even with other dogs :)
Energy: Murphy could out energize the energizer bunny.
Appetite: Bottom round plus liver and beef heart from the local farmers market WITH calcium added, organic whole chicken both combined with organic veggies cooked in an insta pot are 2 of Murphy's regular meals. I offered lamb heart and he turned his nose up at it. When I snuck a little of it in his meal, he proceeded to throw up his entire dinner AND his lunch... I wont do that again. Murphy is no longer a fan of whole fish? I was giving him sardines and mackerel. He seemed to like it. Then 1 morning he would not touch it?? He is still happy to eat Northwest Naturals white fish & salmon. Other meals are Small Batch beef patties, Oma's Pride turkey & vegetables, Primal Raw dick, venison and turkey & sardine. Murphy is eating 2.8 lbs per day divided over 3 meals.
Mood: Very Happy!

Symptoms: The head shaking continues and now there is quite a lot of green eye goo in both eyes. I have pulled 5 tick off of Murphy in the last month ;( ... our wonderful walks have a cost. Each time I have given him Ledum and put a little of the Be Gone Kids salve on the location.
 

Dana

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9 Months!
80 pounds
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We got a new car! :) and it is the same colors as Murphy :)
We even put a big white stripe down its black nose :)
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The Holidays are VERY busy around here! I was a little worried that Murphy might be overwhelmed but he was a fabulous host...
Not only did we have 31 humans at our table but many of them brought their dogs.
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While some of the family stuck around, it was sad to see the others leave
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it was all so much fun for but exhausting!!!
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FIRST SNOW!
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more training
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Siren (Murphy's sister) makes a good pillow
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BEAM...
Behavior:
Murphy was FANTASTIC with all the craziness and upset in daily routine. He has started to lift his leg. Occasionally he falls over :)
Energy: continues to be high, except when he is done.... around 7:30 pm... then he is out.
Appetite: 3 pounds of food divided over 3 meals per day. 75% meat & bone, 25% vegetables.... sometimes he gets the commercial raw food - fish, venison and duck. Richard shot pheasant last weekend which Murphy has been enjoying.
Mood: Happy! Happy!!

Symptoms: The head shaking is less but still continues mostly in the mornings. We went to Dr. Lewis in Westport for ozone therapy in the ears. Dr. Lewis usually works on people but she was willing to try. Murphy was a good patient and sat with the stethoscope device in his ears for a good 10 minutes. I think it may have helped a little but there was no dramatic difference. He still (even after the frost) has a good amount of eye goo throughout the day. I found 2 more tick this month ;( hopefully we are done for the winter.
 

Dana

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10 Months! and 1 day
84 pounds
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Graduation from Middle School! ?‍?

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friend Teddy came to play

CHRISTMAS!
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the family

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Murphy, Finnley & Alivia

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Silence of the lambs..... we got a few
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I am sure most of you have seen "the tree fainted" posts... this is our version
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sister, Siren is a bit more adventurous.

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blankie love ?

BEAM...
Behavior:
The holidays were nuts but lots of fun. We had the whole family here for the better part of 3 weeks. Murphy loved having Finn around and was very sad when he left.
We had a scare on New Years Eve while visiting Grandma in her Sr. living home. Murphy was being social and I was focused on my 2 1/2 year old grandson. All of a sudden Murphy started to gag and cough. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing. We got him water and I did a little Jin Shin Jyutsu on him and the episode passed within 10 minutes. I have no idea what happend... it could have been something he sniffed or ate off the floor.... scared the bejesus out of me! ?
Found another tick under his jaw on 1/2 :banghead: I gave him Ledum 30c and treated the area with Be Gone Kids healing cream.
I thought he had an upset tummy on 1/8. I had given him leftover pork roast for breakfast. It was cooked and he has never had pork. I gave him 1 Arcenicum 30c and he seemed to respond well.
Murphy has had 2 encounters with females in heat. VERY interested!! Now he will try to wander over to the neighbors on our morning walks... need to watch him closer.
Energy: is good.
Appetite: remains great. Loves his food!
Mood: Recently Murphy has been more clingy... always at my feet, sitting under my desk... perhaps we are all coming down off the holidays?

Symptoms: head shaking and eye goo continue. I had a phone consult with Dr. Jeff on 1/7. He suggested we try Calc carb 30c 10/1 on a q-tip 1X. He also sent me Path Away spray to be followed by CAS options mushrooms for any future tick bites. I just received his remedies in the mail yesterday.... I will let you all know how it goes next month.

Happy New Year!! ?
 
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Dr. Jeff

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Thanks for sharing Dana. ?

Beautiful pics!?
 

Dana

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11 Months!
87 pounds
A Very frustrating month!!!

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Go Mike!!

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meeting Milo, the Healing Hound @ The Stamford Hospital

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de-stressing staff at the Hospital

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with look alike friend and sister

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Love Grandma!

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waiting for Mom

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a new toy

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new friends at the nursing home
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a new obsession

Why was this month so frustrating??
Dr. Jeff recommending trying a Calc carb remedy. I gave him a 30c 10/1 q-tip dose at 8:00 on 1/12. At 10:00 he started to behave as if he were terrified... hiding under the desk, tail between the legs. We waited. He was very stressed, and pooped a soft serve stool daily in the house all week. He started to get picky about his food. Chewing with his mouth wide open. 1/14 when he would not touch a piece of sockeye salmon. He will no longer eat any type of fish, not even his skin treats. On 1/17 (Fri) he threw up his chicken lunch BUT he was not shaking his head. By Sunday Murphy was back to his old self... happy but shaking his head. Wednesday, 1/22 we tried the Sanawave. I did not notice any improvement. On Friday, 1/24 Murphy yelped when I touched his head.... he seemed to be in pain. I had to hand feed him breakfast. Started to wonder if it is his teeth or jaw? I was away for the weekend but my husband reported that he seemed better. 1/29 threw up turkey dinner, 1/30 won't eat turkey. 1/31 won't eat any veggies or yogurt. 2/1 won't eat raw chicken. 2/2 poop in house. 2/3 Nux vomica 3 30c 10/q-tip. 2/4 Dr. Lazarus for a sedated mouth exam. He was an emotional mess for most of the day and it messed up his poop for 3 days. Today, 2/11 will NOT eat broccoli even if it is served with steak.
This is worse than a 2 year old child!

BEAM...
Behavior:
we have had some very stressful days where Murphy spends a lot of time under my desk and running to his bed. He has a new behavior... sucking on his blanket.
Energy: Murphy's energy is still great ... he loves to zoom, play and wrestle
Appetite: He is becoming increasingly picky. NO fish of any kind (not even fish oil), No turkey, raw chicken, rabbit, vegetables except carrots and sweet potatoes... trying green beans tomorrow.
Mood: eager to please with reservation

Symptoms: head shaking is still the same. Eye goo is better
 
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Dr. Jeff

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Hi Dana. Did you see any change after the Nux?
 

Dana

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Hi Dana. Did you see any change after the Nux?
It was difficult to tell if the Nux had any effect as he had his mouth exam under sedation early the next day which really threw him for a loop.
 

Dana

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! ?
Murphy is 1 year old today
89 pounds
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some very nice days at the beach
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a visit with brother in Brooklyn
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wrestling with his sister Siren
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BIG dogs fur Mike! ?
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first "read-to-a-dog" session at the library
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We are working with Dr. Jeff to get Murphy balanced and ready for his rabies shot ?
2 doses of Lycopodium 30c 5/Q-Tip. 1st on 2/28, 2nd on 3/2 + Magnesium Oil sprayed on his groin area. This seemed to help his diet a little after 2 days... but reversed back. Tried AromaBoost last night and he ate breakfast this morning. Watching his diet and may try Lycopodium again.
Greenwich is experiencing a distemper outbreak so I had titers done. The results were positive - Murphy was never vaccinated. Dr. Sara gave the pups Nosodes.

BEAM...
Behavior:
Murphy is the star student in his "High School".
He is very well behaved except when he peed on a fellow student. ?
He still sucks his blanket and can be timid around new situations but he is getting braver.
Energy: Loves to romp and play. Plays well with others... is happy to be the chasee or the chased.
Appetite: Picky! Picky! Picky!! NO chicken, turkey, or fish... raw or cooked.
does not want breakfast until after 9:00. Will not touch anything with fish oil supplement.
Mood: Happy, affectionate, playful

Symptoms: head shaking in the morning is less. Eye goo is much better. Sucks his blanket. Tastes other dogs pee.
 

Dr. Sara

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You are doing wonderfully with your boy! Thank you for sharing the lovely pictures as well. Many dogs will taste urine. One of my girls would pouch out her lips whenever she was near fresh urine; it looked much like the flehmen response in horses!
 

Dana

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18 Months! and 1 day old
90 something pounds??
I really don't know as I can't lift him anymore and the vets offices are not available for weigh ins due to covid-19
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I am looking more and more like Murphy
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In May we lost my dear mother-in-law. Murphy stayed by her bedside her entire stay with us.
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Murphy can tell and keep secrets.
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Even the cats like Murphy.
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On vacation.
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Murphy is still spending lots of time with his sister.
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He is one of the neighborhood favorites and has actually been used to bring dogs together who previously did not get along.
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What a wonderful being!
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BEAM...
Behavior:
Murphy is a quick learner but is still very shy around new things and situations. We have started agility classes and so far he loves the jumps and tunnels, is learning weave but not so sure about the see-saw.
Energy: He is VERY fast! Running through the woods, he is able to keep pace with a vizsla. He is active outside and fairly quiet inside... unless you raul him up.
Appetite: Not a voracious eater but cleans his bowl unless you put one of his "no go" foods in it. Salmon treats or salmon & salmon skin from our plate is acceptable otherwise, No fish or fish pills of fish like substance (No Omega 3). No rabbit. No fruit. Murphy is now eating 14 oz 2X per day of either Answers, Primal, Steves, Small Batch or Instinct either Beef, Lamb, Venison, Turkey, Chicken or Duck + about 1/2 cup of kefir in the AM. I also include fresh meat or chicken occasionally.
Mood: A very sensitive, loving boy.

Symptoms: Head shaking continues. Some days worse than others but it never stops except for 2 weeks in early April.
4/2 I noticed he was "fly catching".
LOTS of tick in April & May. 7/22 &7/23 Murphy had accidents in the house.
7/26 itching under right armpit which has continued.
7/29 started to smell "doggie" (according to my husband) - this continues. 8/1-8/3 wont eat turkey breakfast.
8/18 there is yellow goo on his penis for about 3 days.
8/30 Murphy was stung in the park - gave Apis.
After listening to the 9/7 empower hour recording, I tried skipping the dairy (kifer) but there was no change. I am cutting out chicken for a time and just sticking with turkey & duck for poultry but so far I have seen no difference.
Eye goo is gone.
Loves to suck his blanket.
My husband thinks he has a yeast infection?
Remedies tried & Meds: 3/23 based on my own study 2x Allium 30c 3 days in a row... did not seem to help the head shaking and he had diarrhea on 3/30.
4/20 Thuja occ 30c 5 Q-Tip
6/17 RABIES -> Thuja occ 30c 5 Q-Tip
7/16 Heart Gard -> Thuja occ 30c 5 Q-Tip
8/30 Apis 30c X2 for sting
9/8 Phosphorus 30c 5 Q-Tip... have not seen any change
 

Dana

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2 YEARS OLD!
86.7 pounds
I should note that the weight I reported in past posts, was from me lifting Murphy while standing on the scale and then subtracting my weight. This time we went to the vet to get weighed.
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Murphy enjoys his morning walk to get the newspaper and bring it home for Dad.
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Murphy loves any chance to hang out with kids.
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In December we passed out Therapy certification test.
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Christmas was fun for ALL!
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SNOW!!!! We did not get much last year but made up for it this year. This is Murphy romping with his sister, Siren.
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Dad works too hard.
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We love our Agility classes
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We still cant visit patients at the hospital but we can make the staff smile.

BEAM...
Behavior:
Murphy is a very well-behaved boy. He still sucks his blanket while kneading it with his paws. This behavior occurs most often when we have company. Murphy likes to steal shoes out of the shoe bin and distribute them around the house… not sure what that is all about. The head shaking continues. Some days are much worse than others.
Energy: Puppy like energy in the morning & throughout the day. Murphy loves his morning walk to get the paper which he carries home. We go on a 2-4 mile off leash hike almost every day where he runs into his friends… sometimes we do up to 7 miles. He loves his Wednesday agility class with his sister even though she terrifies him when she BANGS the see-saw. In the evenings, Murphy disappears up to a bedroom to sleep. He emerges after dinner for a snack and some grooming.
Appetite: Murphy likes his food but is discerning. NO fish, NO rabbit, no turkey, NO raw pork (bacon is good), NO blueberries, no fruit with the exception of a fig, NO freshly shot and cleaned quail. We had a hard time finding an Omega supplement that he would not spit out but finally found Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega 2X lemon flavored. Murphy will take it if it is well hidden in his food. He is now eating 15+ ounces 2X per day of either Answers, Primal, Small Batch, Northwest Naturals or Instinct commercial raw food. He is happy with either Beef, Lamb, Venison, Chicken or Duck. He also gets about 3/4 cup of Answers fermented goats’ milk with breakfast. He loves fresh raw chicken, COOKED eggs and he gets lots if fresh organ meats and some bone broth.
Mood: SENSITIVE! Murphy is a fantastic Therapy Dog, not so great at Agility. He loves people but lacks confidence when it comes to new or loud or scary things. He is a work in progress

Symptoms: Head shaking! Eye goo

Remedies tried & Meds: 9/18/20 Per Dr. Jeff, Phosphorus for 7 days and then 2X again on 10/4. The results were not good, head shaking continued and he lost his appetite & a few bouts of diarrhea.
10/27/20 I dosed him with Arnica & Rescue Remedy after 2 visiting dogs attacked him… Murphy was not physically hurt but he did get one of the other dogs in the face.
12/17/20 Dr. Jeff recommended Merc viv. Initially there was no noticeable change but we redosed on 1/22/21 and he stopped sucking his blanket AND shaking his head for 3 days.
2/18/21 & 2/20/21 redosed Merc Viv – again, it helped for a few days.
3/11/21 just got Winpro Blood Protein Supplements for Allergies recommended by Dr. Judy. I will let you know if they help.
 

Dr. Jeff

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Beautiful pics Dana.

He looks super happy!

His wonderful life is the Happiness Protocol epitomized!
 

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