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This past Saturday morning, we lost our Maggie May. She fought a year-long battle with osteosarcoma and lived life on her own terms right till the end. That morning, she was happily awaiting her breakfast when she collapsed and died within moments. When you have a dog that is terminall... »
It’s been almost a year since Maggie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her left shoulder. She’s been through a lot of treatment and has been a model patient throughout. Read about Maggie’s treatment Part I and Part II. Maggie has just turned twelve and amazingly, she... »
We’ve had some health issues with both Jack & Maggie lately and a lot has happened since our last post about them, so I thought I’d provide an update and outlook. I’ll start with Jack and provide a post for Maggie after her Doctor’s appointment this week. J... »
I remember when Tino developed glaucoma and was going blind. It was a pretty traumatic experience – more for US than for Tino. He actually adapted quite easily and quickly. But for us, it was hard because I felt such empathy for him. I wanted to baby him and take care of him, but realized that... »
We recently received this Infographic created by Orvis in partnership with the Morris Animal Foundation. Given our Maggie’s diagnosis and our interest in this topic, I thought it appropriate to share with our readers. We were particularly heartened to read that Morris Animal Foundation has com... »
Dogs bark. It’s a fact of life. Some bark more than others, some howl, some yip, some have a deep resounding bark. It’s one of the ways that dogs communicate with us. Sally was probably what I would call an average barker. She’d let out a bark or two when someone knocked at ... »
It’s been a few months since I updated Maggie’s status relative to her osteosarcoma. It’s been almost eight months since her initial diagnosis and we’re happy to report she is going strong (knock on wood). She completed her chemotherapy treatments for the osteos... »
Folks have been asking how our Maggie is doing, so I thought I’d provide a brief update. Maggie is almost 6 months out from her osteosarcoma diagnosis. She has been through the advanced Sterotactic Radiation treatment and six rounds of chemo which included an infusion of Pamidronate, a bone st... »
For the 2014 New Year, we asked our readers to share a photo of their dogs proclaiming their resolutions for the year. Many of you participated and we hope you go back and look at your resolutions and see how you did. Last year, we didn’t make any ‘formal’ resolutions for 20... »
We are taking a break from our normal FitDog Friday post today to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year. We will be back to our regularly scheduled FitDog routines next week! »
The other day, we turned the blog over to Jack for his letter to Santa…Maggie insisted on her own time for her letter too, so here you go: Dear Santa, My brother Jack has asked for a freezer full of bacon for Christmas and listed all the ways he has been good this past year. I will admi... »
I felt compelled to write this post as I know there are many pet owners/pet parents/pet lovers out there who, like us, are living with a terminally ill pet. In an effort to provide a community for our shared experiences, I wanted to offer what little comfort or words of advice that I could about our... »
Jack and Maggie want to wish all of our family, friends, dog buddies and even the cats who follow us, a very Happy Thanksgiving. Remember not to eat too much, but if you do, make sure to get out for an afternoon walk and work off those extra calories. The last two years, we published our Than... »
On July 28th of this year, our life went sideways. That’s the day our Maggie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, bone cancer. Since that time, we’ve gone through a new form of radiation therapy called Sterotactic Radiation, four rounds of chemotherapy, countless blood tests and trips to the... »
We have had nothing but senior pets in our family since we adopted Becca in 2009. Tino was already eleven when we adopted her after our Sally passed at age 12 and Becca was 8 at the time. Jack and Maggie were both around 8 when we adopted them too, so we have lots of experience in caring for senior ... »
You may have heard that saying from your vet, or you may have been told “Let’s watch it”. Certainly it’s your choice whether you pay the money to have a lump aspirated and tested or wait for it to grow or change…we’re just suggesting it’s better to be safe r... »
Today we wanted to cover Dr. Mahaney’s recommendations for Maggie as a result of her visit with him. Note: these recommendations are specific for Maggie, her age, weight, overall health and type of cancer and her cancer protocol. Please don’t take them as definitive advice for your own d... »
A while back I wrote a post about why I love my dog and included a list of five things Jack does that make me smile and think how lucky I am to have him. It’s easy to love Jack. He’s a love bug. He loves us and shows it in everything he does, every look, every action, all day, every day.... »
October is a month focused on pet fitness. It’s Pet Obesity Awareness Month and the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention runs it’s annual survey. The first week of October is also Walk Your Dog Week which was started a few years ago by Colleen Paige, a self-ascribed “Celeb... »
Maggie has had two chemotherapy treatments and we’re happy to report she seems to be doing great, no side effects other than a little tiredness. In the course of my research into her cancer treatment, I came upon some materials regarding safety for your self and your other animals if one of yo... »
It’s been about 8 weeks since our Maggie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. We’ve been through a lot since then and you can catch up on our story in our posts Part I and Part II. Today I wanted to talk about our experience with chemotherapy. In addition to the SRS treatments, our ve... »
Since Maggie was diagnosed with OSA, we’ve been adjusting our exercise routine with her. We’ve stopped running with her and reduced the length and speed of her daily walks. Jack has benefited from our reduced routine since his age is starting to show and he doesn’t really need to r... »
Today I want to cover Maggie’s diagnosis and the first phase of her treatment. As I mentioned in Part I of our series on Osteosarcoma, Becca was diagnosed with OSA based on her xrays. They displayed what is a typical “sunburst” pattern in her shoulder. Her vet eventually per... »
Since Maggie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (OSA) last month, I’ve done as much reading as I could about the disease. Having had two female black labs who both developed it, I also wondered about breed propensity for OSA. And finally, I looked at treatments recommended – particularly th... »
If you read our blog, you know that our sweet Maggie May was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma (OSA), bone cancer, in her left front leg. OSA is an aggressive, fast-growing cancer that is typically treated through amputation and chemotherapy or palliative radiation. Our vet offered us a new treat... »
Once Maggie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (OSA), our objective was to find comfort for her and to give her as long a life as possible. The vet ruled out amputation, but suggested a newer procedure called Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS). In order for Maggie to be a candidate for this procedu... »
We’ve had a tough week in the SlimDoggy household. Our Maggie developed a pretty severe limp over the last few weeks. Increasing her medication and rest did not seem to resolve it, so off to the vet we went. The initial diagnosis was not promising – the vet was concerned it was osteosarc... »
We just returned from our annual trip to Big Bear Lake. Of the four of us, we think that Maggie probably had the best time of all of us. She really took to the water this year – as soon as she saw it she waded in a few feet, then a few feet more and then off she went swimming awa... »
Maggie enjoying the sunshine and flowers in her yard. »
Jack & Maggie enjoying the spring sunshine. »
Those of you that follow our blog know that we rescued our Lab, Maggie about three years ago. She came to us from a Lab Rescue who had removed her from a breeder, a breeding farm really. Her condition was not good, both physically and mentally. She was extremely fearful and didn’t eat for thre... »
Maggie contemplates life… »
Jack and Maggie both had a bath this past weekend. Neither of them were too happy about it, but they sure look clean & shiny now. »
This week’s theme for the #52Snapshots, #PBSG photo challenge is FOOLISH. I’m sure many folks will come up with ‘foolish’ photos of their dog and well, we aren’t one to buck the tide – especially when I have this character. I don’t know how she gets in these... »
This is one of my favorite pinterest images – this aerial view of a walk with a Lab, with the Lab going all over the place. It’s funny mostly because it is so true. Jack is a pretty methodical walker, he walks mostly by my side, and I can predict which bushes he is going to stop a... »
Mischief…that’s the theme for this week’s #52Snapshots #PBSG photo challenge. Today is also Mischief Monday, so a perfect time for a mischief post. But instead of some story about Jack getting into the trash, or Maggie running off with some avocados, I have a mischief story of a different sort. &nbs... »
Happy Valentine’s Day from SlimDoggy and all of our dogs past and present. »
Our Maggie May has been with us for almost 3 years now. It’s been a challenge because she was an extremely fearful girl when she came to our home. She came from a puppy mill breeder situation and had been kept as a breeder mom for 8 years. She got tossed out when she got too old to have pups, ... »
A few weeks ago, we wrote a post about possession being nine-tenths of the law and talked about who sleeps in whose bed or steals whose treats. I mentioned that Maggie sleeps in most any bed except she never, ever goes into Jack’s crate. Well, she must of read that story and taken it as permis... »
Last week we posted the first in our Blogiversary series. We reviewed some of our most popular posts. This week, for Wordless Wednesday, I wanted to revisit some of our favorite pictures from previous Black & White Sunday posts, our FitDog Friday posts, Jack & Maggie portraits and “J... »
Last year, we held a special New Years Blog Hop called Resolve to Move Your Mutt. It was an effort to get folks to make a special New Year’s resolution to get out and move with their dog in 2014 – hopefully for their benefit as well as their pet parents. Folks who joined shared a ... »
We are joining the Special Christmas edition Barks and Bytes Blog Hop Co-hosted by our friends at 2Brown Dogs and Heart Like a Dog. Grab the badge and join the fun! »
Maggie shares a secret… »
Maggie has her “BAH HUMBUG” face on… Notice the lip curl…that happens to her all the time – it’s pretty funny when it curls on both sides. »
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” This is a fairly well known expression meaning that ownership is easier to maintain if one has possession of something, or difficult to enforce if one does not.” ~Wikipedia Do your dogs obey this “unwritten” law? Jac... »
This is Maggie’s happy face. She’s just finished a fun but exhausting game of “find the food” in the front yard. »
We’ve written a couple of posts about our Maggie, our fearful girl and how she has really started to come out of her shell, let down her guard and be a dog. A recent post called Maggie Magellan described how she’s getting braver about exploring new things and going off on her own without... »
Fall sunbathing »
October 1st – 8th was National Walk Your Dog Week. As part of our commitment to the health and well-being of ourselves and our dogs, we challenged ourselves to not only walk everyday, but to find new and interesting places to walk Jack & Maggie. We joined the #DogWalkingWeek Blog Hop spon... »
This week as National Walk Your Dog Week. Since we already walk our dogs every day, multiple times per day, we challenged ourselves to not only continue our daily walks, but to do a different walk every day. Yesterday, on our first day of Walk Your Dog week we drove down to a neighboring farm... »
We’re excited to be participating once again in National Walk Your Dog Week. National Walk Your Dog Week was founded in 2010 by Celebrity Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate, Colleen Paige, to bring awareness to the ever increasing problem of canine behavior issues and canine obesity in A... »
Memories from our Big Bear Vacation: Hiking in the woods. »
We all know that we have favorite foods, favorite movies or TV shows, favorite books even favorite people. But do dogs? Do dogs really prefer one toy over another or one food over another or one person over another? My totally unscientific research says ABSOLUTELY! Let me offer evidenc... »
Maggie, just chilling in the front yard. »
This is Maggie after breakfast the other morning. She loves to roll in the grass while she’s waiting for breakfast and you can see her head is all wet from the dew on the grass. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola an... »
If you paid even a little attention in history class, you’ve heard of Ferdinand Magellan. If you haven’t here’s the Wikipedia link. Magellan was a 16th century Portuguese explorer who’s 1519 expedition is recognized as the first circumnavigation of the globe. He’s right... »
Maggie on the dock at Big Bear Lake, CA We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Unfortunately, the answer is yes, they can. The disorder, called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) in dogs is very similar to the human Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study at the University of Sydney showed that by age 15, over 40% of dogs display at least some of these symptoms. Sympt... »
Last week we shared a picture of Jack taking a big bite out of a piece of watermelon. Maggie demanded equal time. BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
Maggie in the Old West. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
We got Jack & Maggie some new stuffies for their Gotcha Day. I think the pictures tell the story. BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
This weekend we celebrated Jack & Maggie’s Gotcha Day with a big virtual party and some toys and of course a cake. I thought I was going to have to make a cake for them and I send a big thank-you to all of our Facebook friends for offering some great recipes. Luckily, Steve bought one for ... »
Come Join us for SlimDoggy Jack & Maggie’s Gotcha Day virtual celebration. Everyone is invited. Don your best party gear and post your photo on our Facebook page, or email it to us at info@slimdoggy.com. For every party goer who joins us, SlimDoggy will donate $1 to C.A.R.L. the Canine Ani... »
Before we get to our post for today, we wanted to wrap-up our Summer 2014 K9Kamp and say how much fun it was to learn about all the different Backyard Fitness & Games you play with your dogs. We had a great turnout for Kamp with lots of different activities. Hooray for K9Kampers! We hope you al... »
BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
FitDog Friday is all about canine fitness and we often write about fitness tips or fitness research that can help you and your dog stay fit and healthy. Today, we are taking a different approach and will be sharing some “fitness fun at the lake”. After all, fitness should be fun and as... »
We spent last week on vacation at Big Bear Lake in California. It was the first vacation we’ve had in several years and the first one where we took Jack & Maggie with us. Given their background, we’re pretty certain that neither of them had experienced anything like this, hiking in ... »
We’re joining Ruckus the Eskie for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says: All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc »
A few weeks ago, our friend Flea from Jones Natural Chews asked us if we’d do a product review to celebrate her Blogiversary. She’s been blogging for Jones for two years which is quite an achievement, so we were happy to help celebrate! Jack was especially happy to help out and be the ta... »
Maggie enjoying her yard. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
We are so excited that K9 Kamp is back again with a great theme and an awesome prize package for our Kampers. (Scroll to the bottom for prize sign-up). SlimDoggy’s main goal is to get everyone participating, so as long as you have a dog…you can be a K9 Kamper. How? Just grab your ... »
We’ve written lots about our dogs, starting with Sally, Tino, Becca, Jack (of course) and our latest addition – with us almost two years now, Maggie May, or Maggie. We adopted Maggie through a Labrador rescue and learned that not only was she a puppy mill mom, tossed out at eight ... »
Maggie suns herself on the first day of summer. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
We’re joining Ruckus the Eskie for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says: All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc »
Jack runs through the summer shadows. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Sweet Maggie May sunning herself in the yard. We’re joining Ruckus the Eskie for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says: All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc »
Jack doesn’t like to share his bed, he usually just gets up and leaves if Maggie climbs in with him, so this is a first, and pretty sweet. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
Steve, SlimDoggy Jack & Maggie May get ready for adventure in the front yard. We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Sweet Maggie May We’re joining the Black & White Sunday Blog Hop! Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Maggie May lounging in the backyard. Waiting for the Easter rabbit? Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
We’re doing something a little different for FitDog Friday today since we’ve had so many fitness posts during the A to Z Challenge. Jack and Maggie are taking over and presenting a review of their latest hike up to Paradise Falls near our home. Take it away Jack… Our story is about... »
Today’s A to Z Challenge letter “I” post is about Incentive and how to use Incentives to train your dog. Having Labs, using food as incentives comes natural, but what if your dog doesn’t find food that attractive, how do you incorporate incentives into your training program? ... »
This is called “Watching and Waiting” Hoping the food will magically jump from dad’s plate into their mouths… Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Our sweet Maggie May. Love pictures of her in B&W because it shows off her grey whiskers. Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Maggie seems a little grumpy. BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
Our two healthy & fit 10 year old Labs, Jack & Maggie running in the yard. BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
Jack & Maggie waiting for…what do you think? We’re joining Black & White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Jack & Maggie in the yard We’re joining Black & White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
One of the few times Jack allowed Maggie in his bed, but his look to me is: “Mom, get her out”. He got up right after this shot. Do your dogs share beds? And here’s SlimDoggy cousins Taj & Tally – they look quite comfortable together, but they don’t usually share ei... »
Training a fearful dog is much different than training a dog like Jack. Jack is totally dialed in to his humans and wants nothing more than to be with us and make us happy. Maggie was the polar opposite, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed, pull the covers over her head and not have t... »
I had a story about Tino I was going to post today, but we had a mischief escapade on Saturday that just had to be reported. I’ve told you before that Jack & Maggie are both seniors, so their mischief days are pretty much over. They are both usually very good dogs. But Saturday, I don̵... »
We’re joining Ruckus the Eskie for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says: All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc »
Maggie May sunning herself in our sunroom. We’re joining Black & White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to our Blog Hop sponsors: Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. »
Jack & Maggie watching Steve bring out the fitness equipment! BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! »
When we first got Jack he was pretty out of control, overweight, overwrought, under-exercised and under-stimulated. He was reactive to strangers and other dogs. When we got Maggie just over a year later, she was close to being shutdown, fearful, underweight, under-exercised and under-stimulated. Pol... »
Maggie, sunning herself on the back deck. We’re joining Ruckus the Eskie for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says: All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc »
