We fostered, then adopted Hugh from Legacy Boxer Rescue on October 2, 2004. He was 3 years old and found as a skinny stray in Weatherford TX (top picture shows his kennel picture)
For the past seven and a half years we delighted in his company. He was the quiet one with a huge personality - tomato thief, snack buddy and bed warmer. He had a fabulous smile and we loved him dearly. R.I.P. Hugh - Hang out with your fur brother Louis, fur sister Lily and human Aunt Eileen until we see you at the Bridge.
Handsome Hugh in the TX Bluebonnets
Hugh Jackman Woodworth 2011
Puppy 2 (Adolescent) class
8am Saturday morning
Call Wanda for more information 972-841-3550 and book your spot.
WARNING - This video is extremely disturbing - it shows an incapacitated dog being revived with CPR. Fortunately the dog survives.
My story: On a Saturday night in December the dogs and I were hanging out. At about 8pm our Boxer, Hugh Jackman, started pacing, then going in and out the dog door a couple of times. He was retching (but no vomit). He looked very uncomfortable. I bent to listen to his tummy (to see if it was gurgly) and saw/felt his rounded stomach, firm, like a basketball. It was "Bloat" (technically known as GDV - gastric dilatation volvulus) - a life-threatening condition! We raced to the Animal ER Vet where they took him in for a quick xray to confirm and then prepped him for emergency surgery. Thankfully, he survived. Hugh has completely recovered - (they tacked his stomach to prevent future occurrences). We did not have pet insurance for him because he is 9-ish years old, has a cardiac condition, low thyroid and has had a few cancer surgeries to remove mast cell tumors. It never occurred to me that he might get bloat...and after our $2,700 wake-up call, we signed him up for pet insurance with PetPlan. NOTE: The younger your dog is, the lower the policy costs.
WHY PETPLAN INSURANCE? Mainly because they have no benefit schedules, and they have an excellent service record. They state: "Any treatment administered by a licensed veterinarian for illness or injury, including: hospitalization, diagnostic testing, surgery, referrals, prescription medications, complementary medicines and alternative therapy -(The terms 'alternative' or 'complementary' are used to refer to non-traditional methods of diagnosing, preventing or treating illnesses or injuries including acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. Petplan realizes that sometimes conventional treatments may not be enough so we also cover alternative therapies if your veterinarian believes such treatment is in your pet's best interest, providing they are carried out by a licensed veterinarian.)
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While Hugh won't be covered for bloat reoccurrence for 24 months (and is excluded for his pre-existing conditions), he IS covered in the event of some other emergency such as heatstroke, broken leg, torn ACL, eye injury or any other accident that might befall him - knock on wood that none do! Yoji and Powder have Pet Plan insurance too.
Call 1-866-GoPetplan to speak with a Licensed Petplan Insurance Advisor and complete an application today.
Remember to mention my name and this policy number ANP3002581-00 (We'll get a gift card to use toward dog food purchases and future donations to Legacy Boxer Rescue).
Another bizarre incident where pet insurance was needed: You never know what your dog might snack on
Dog Swallowed a 24" Long Swiffer Handle - Relax, she lived to tell the tale. This video, taken during the emergency vet procedure, shows an 8 year old female Boxer at the Airport Animal Emergency Center in Indianapolis. Neither the owner nor the vet realized what they were about to find. Dog eats what? Follow the link to see an amazing video: http://www.dogwork.com/swiffer
I tried two other pet insurance plans before finally switching to PetPlan - there are no benefit schedules and they reimburse based upon the rate that you choose. Click on "Helpful Pet Products" (at left) to get more information about Pet Plan insurance.
Give your dog monthly heartworm protection!
HEARTWORMS kill thousands of Texas dogs each year.
Heartworm prevention is a prescription product that costs as little as $4 to $5 a month to administer. This small investment throughout the lifetime of your pet can mean the difference, though, between never having your pet infected or having to pay hundreds of dollars for several months of dangerous heartworm disease treatment.
Even indoor dogs need monthly heartworm protection - all it takes is one mosquito bite to infect them.
Please be aware that because heartworm prevention is a prescription product and your pet must be tested for heartworms (a simple blood test) before starting heartworm prevention. See your vet annually for the test and give your dog year round monthly prevention.
We offer gentle, effective training for your canine companion.
Positive Reinforcement is scientifically proven as the best way to train a dog. We supplement our training using clickers - proven to help dogs learn one-third faster. We also use several tools and techniques to present you as your dog's leader.
Our lessons include games to make training time fun and rewarding! Homework (with handouts) provides reinforcement of class activities. Our goal is to create a strong team bond between you and your dog, based on mutual respect and understanding.
Happy dogs respect their owners, are well-adjusted, more relaxed and attentive.
Using shock collars (aka remote training collars) on dogs is controversial. Some claim it is an effective training tool, while others say it is inhumane. Dr. Bonnie Beaver, veterinarian at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that the collars, in theory, are meant to provide an instant punishment, but that in reality, "the potential for over use and abuse of these devices far outweighs the benefit."
These devices [shock collars and fences] can provide an excessive punishment to the point that the dog is terrorized. They can be ineffective because the amount of shock is too little (poor contact, too much hair, weak battery).
They can be used out of context (remote control) because the owner is mad at the dog and “zaps” at an inappropriate time out of anger.
It can also do significant psychological damage to a dog that does not connect the shock with the reason for the shock. The shock is generally considered to be inhumane.
--Dr. Bonnie Beaver, veterinarian at Texas A&M
CLICK on the button below and help feed sheltered and abused animals. It doesn't cost you anything but helps them greatly!
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