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Monday, October 31, 2011

2011's Heartworm Test + Comprehensive Bloodwork

Mom and Dad brought us three for our annual heartworm test + comprehensive bloodwork today. Chewy didn't tag along cuz she's still really young and doesn't need any tests at all. Not that we're old or anythin'! But dogs as a species tend to have more problems than kitty cats. So we've been going annually since 2008.

We didn't post up 2008's results cuz it was done via a human laboratory and it took a week just to get the results when it's usually done within 15 mins at the vet's clinic itself! The results were of cuz all way OFF the scale because dogs and humans' values are simply different. This is our 2009's results. I think we forgot to post our 2010's results. In anyways, I'll put it up again here!



















Here's some pix and vid of us taken with Mom's crappy iphone while waitin' for our results. 15 mins for each which tallies to 45 mins for all 3 of us.

























Okays so here's the results. Heartworm test - cleared. Some of the values in the bloodwork like ALP are a lil' off but nothin' to worry about accordin' to Dr. Hsu because sometimes when we're very nervous/scared durin' the drawin' of blood (which we all really were!! I was clingin' unto Mommy for dear life), the value of ALP wil be a lil' off. The other values were off by only a slight bit and are on the lower side and Dr. Hsu says being slightly on the low side is much better than being on the high side (as that would spell trouble) and so there's nothin' to worry about at all. Other than that, our sodium level is a lil' on the low side too.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/PbandLiver.htm
ALP OR ALKP - ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE - this enzyme is found in many different tissues within the body, primarily liver, bone, intestines, and kidneys. Increased ALP levels can be seen with liver disease and gallbladder disorders. In addition, drugs such as corticosteroids and Phenobarbital can cause increased ALP levels. Very high ALP levels can be seen in dogs with adrenal gland disease as well.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/understanding-blood-work-the-biochemical-profile-for-dogs-2/page1.aspx
Glucose is the end product of carbohydrate metabolism and is the primary source of energy for the body. High levels indicate stress, Cushing's disease, diabetes, pancreatitis or can be due to certain medications. Low levels can indicate liver disease, insulin overdose, severe bacterial infection, hypothyroidism and Addison's disease. Toy breed puppies are prone to low blood glucose for unknown reasons.

This is mine (Velvet)













Lauryn's













Cotton's





















































And so that's it! Our once-a-year ordeal with the vet is finally over! And Mom's glad we're all good and well (at the cost of S$473.55 for the three of us). The bill at this vet's also much cheaper than last year's. It's usually S$150 per dog for comprehensive bloodwork but it's only S$93.65 each here.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

A Groom Before A Vet!

It's time for us to be groomed again after a really loooong while. Another reason for us to be groomed now is because we're off to the vet's tomorrow for our annual bloodwork and heartworm test. All paws & fingers crossed!

Cotton's last full-groom session should be 21st March if Mom remembered correctly. Or maybe she had another one later on... *shrugs*    *thinks hard*     Ok, I remember Mom trimmin' only her face in mid July [when we went to the railway station] because she was so lazy to trim her entire body. So yea... Wow! Cotton has got only two full-groom sessions in a entire year!

Mom always has to spend the most time and effort on Cotton because she's such a furball... so she was groomed yesterday while Lauryn and I were both groomed today.


the shrink

a furball with no head... no tail


Body last groomed on 21st March, face last trimmed in mid-July






























And here's me today. Wasn't really happy to wake up early in the mornin' to be groomed...



And lastly here's Lauryn and Chewy. Oh btw it was Lauryn's 10th barkday three days back on the 27th. Happy Woofday to our biggie sister and may she have another great 10 years with us!

one lookin' no different before & after groomin'

another that doesn't need to be groomed at all & still looks groomed

Friday, October 28, 2011

Featured!

Bow Wow Wow!  We've just been notified via a comment at our blogpost that we've been featured at the Installation Review section of Diamond Water's official website! =)

If you're considerin' installing the system in your home, we highly recommend it for good health! Water is the most important source of survival for any living beings on Earth and it's vital that we drink (and use) from a clean and trustable source... both animals and humans alike!

Just for the record we're not affiliated with Diamond Water at all and this is purely our own personal review thus far.