Just Us Girls

Adler and I had a date on Saturday. Who cares if it was to the vet. We got to spend some quality time together (not that we don't after Austen goes to bed but Adler is usually passed out too at that point - what does she do all day?).

It was nice to take her out and give her all the attention yesterday. We entered the vet's office. Adler sat on the scale. (She weighed in at 81.2. Last year she was 81.4 so we're moving in the right direction.) She was having a great time sitting on her back legs and begging for all the free treats in the office and then being petted by all the admiring clients whose own pets weren't quite as pretty although there was an adorable little Labradoodle. Its owner said that breed doesn't shed...how great is that? Cute and they don't shed.

As soon as we were escorted to a room and the door closed, Adler began to pace and pant trying to figure out how she could get out of the room. When the vet came in, Adler hid behind me. It was almost as if she knew that doctors offices mean shots because all she wanted to do was get out of there except when the vet was appeasing her with treats. Our new vet (the old one moved)has a Berner herself so we spent a long time talking about the breed and common problems associated with it - cancer, bloat, hip dysplasia, short lifespan, etc. She mentioned that we want to do everything we can to prolong her life - well, at least what we can control - so she recommended Adler drop five pounds. Now, she didn't mention underwater treadmill walking like our previous vet, but she did ask us to reduce her kibble and start supplementing with more vegetables like carrots and frozen green beans.

Of course most of you know how much I love my dog and have been dreading the day I have to say goodbye since I got her so from now on it's only carrots and green beans for her - treats too!