Monday, August 31, 2015
The Ask OBP questions are getting so good that I am now using multiple days to answer questions! This is great! I hope you are enjoying it as much as we are!
First, I want to share that Becky's request to hear the story of how OBP all came together is one long saga that will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for allowing us to recap that Becky. I hope your patience in waiting an extra day does not disappoint you.
Sue, Pen & Lucy's mom also asked a question about Cupid and if her behavior changed with Henry since he's gone blind. Sue, this, too, requires more detail and we will talk about that in Thursday's post.
The first question we will answer today comes from Sue W who asked if our pugs ever got into a tiff. That was followed by Alayna who inquired about food aggression and if any of ours demonstrated that they were territorial to their peeps. Since these questions are related, we will tackle them both at the same time.
Regarding pug tiffs at the OBP house, there were never any real "arguments" or "disagreements". The worst incident would be the Sol bone issue we discussed last week. And that really wasn't a fight between the pugs, but just that Sol and her intense love of the knuckle bones sent Baby Benny cowering in the dining room. Occasionally, there would be times when they would all be chewing a bone and one of the pugs wanted to switch bones before the other was ready and there may be a growl or two, but these were really rare.
As far as food aggression went, Benny would get a little snarky and he'd give you the mad face and a quick airy growl to let you know you'd better step back if another animal got near his food. If a person took his food, though,it was quite opposite. He'd look at you sad as if to ask why we would even do that. He was very respectful of his people. Extremely respectful.
As for territorial....hmmm. That is interesting. I would not say that any of the pugs were territorial. I think you are asking in the sense that if someone came close to us would they try to "protect" us or not allow the other person near us. That never really happened. But in some ways, Luna could have been called "territorial" in the sense that she claimed one OBP peep more than another. Luna loved both her peeps, don't get me wrong, but Luna did have a favorite. And it was not me. #sadface. Luna loved her peep #2. She loved peep #2 like no other! If I had Luna on my lap and peep 2 joined me on the sofa, that kid would split so fast she'd be a blur on the security camera! For Luna it was all about peep #2. I was a good back up peep. But was never peep #1 to Luna. The boys and Solsey both loved us equally. But Luna had her #1 peep and it was not me. I learned to be ok with it and it has been somewhat of a standing joke in the OBP house since peep #2 always tries to convince me that Luna loved me the same but we both know that was not really the case. It's ok. Luna love me a LOT even if I was not her favorite. Some dogs are just more one person types of dogs. Luna was that type of dog. So, Luna was maybe a little territorial to peep #2 but not in an aggressive way. We can say in a passive aggressive way, though. She was sneaky about it.
The next question came from Sue States. She asked about how we pilled the pugs. My first instinct is to say "very carefully" but for us it is mostly easy. Most pills fit in a Bil Jac or even mini Bil Jac. We put the pill in the treat and smoosh it around until the whole pill is covered. Let's say you have 3 pills that need to be given this way. We would have 6-8 Bil Jacs and just give them to them all at once. Later when Henry stopped eating anything (when going through chemo) the vet suggested cream cheese and that works pretty well, too. It does depend though. If the pills pop when/if chewed that was a time we'd have to bring in lunch meat. Luna was worst one to give a pill to. Ben never chewed anything so he was the easiest to pill and Henry was usually pretty good with it. Sol took pills pretty well, too. HOWEVER, liquid meds were tough for us. And Solsey was the WORST. The first time we had to give her liquid (cough suppressant) she not only did not swallow it, but she shook her head all over the kitchen. I am quite sure if you study our house, you will find sticky little red splotches from that magical day! It was like we were at a Gallagher concert where he busts watermelons with a sledge hammer! And we are talking like less than half a teaspoon of syrup! But good grief did that mess get all over everything! Yikes!
Chuckie asked about the special words that have come out of OBP. We can't take credit for all the items on the list, but here is a quick overview of what we think the terms mean.
- OMP - Oh My Pug!
- Pugdorable - A combo of Pug and adorable. Just another way of saying how cute a pug is.
- Pugkin Bread - Pumpkin Bread
- Pug Hugs - Hugs from pugs
- G'Ma & G'Pa - Grandma and Grandpa
- Da Magic Window - The drive thru window (Magic to a pug because yummy food just gets handed out the window)
The only pug specific word that is "ours" is G'Ma and G'Pa and that is the term used for the pugs grandparents on Peep #1's side and Grammy would be the grandmother on Peep #2's side. I am actually happy to clarify this as a recent conversation led to us realizing that we had not made that clear. G'Ma, G'Pa and Grammy are the pugs's real life grandparents. I think Pugkin Bread came from Ann of Central Florida Pug Rescue. I am not sure if this was before or after she began baking Benny loaves of pumpkin bread (Benny's most favorite treat). Readers, feel free chime in about the other terms. I can say that we recently coined "sniffortunities" though (opportunities to sniff).
Ok everyone! Really terrific questions!
#KeepTheQsComing #AnswersOnMultipleDaysNow #AskOBP
Sunday, August 30, 2015
We were asked in the first Ask OBP post to share recipes of what the pugs have eaten over the years. For some reason, we have been procrastinating writing that post like never before. And, for the record, only ONE of is a procrastinator!
So, without further ado, below are some links to previous posts that are related to recipes.
- The OBP home cooked meal. The food bowl the pugs basically grew up on and ate most of their lives.
- Pug Bars. A not so popular recipe with our pugs, but The Daily Puglet seemed to enjoy them!
- Chicken Ginger Biscuits. Not a staple at our house, but something we made once as a treat for the pugs
- Bob Evans Pumpkin Bread! A favorite by ALL in the OBP house, but we don't cook it, we just buy it.
A close second to Bob Evan's pumpkin bread was Ann's pumpkin cupcakes. Here is the quick and easy recipe for how to make a whole loaf!
Once we made a meatloaf for the pugs that had garlic it in. The recipe billed itself as a great, all natural way to ward off fleas. It turned out a little gross (very greasy), but that didn't stop the pugs from eating it. The only problem is they all got sick from eating the garlic! So, here is some handy info about garlic and dogs. It may ward off the vampires, but it is not that great for a pup!
I am starting to wonder why anyone would ask us for recipes! We are reviewing our history and we certainly do not look like world class pug chefs! But in my digging around to find recipes, I did come across the funniest video EVER. It sort of reminds me of the old commercial where Mr. Owl gets asked how many licks to the center of a tootsie pop. (One, A-T~wo, AThree. Crunch Three.). Well, how long does it take Baby Benny to tell the difference between pumpkin bread and broccoli? Quicker than 3 I can tell you! If you blink you will miss it!
Hopefully, the hysterical video made up for the weak recipes. I would be lying if I said I can watch that video only once. And really every time I see it, I have to watch it at least 5x! And by that time I have pee so bad that I have to stop watching.
#BennyGivesMeAWeakBladder #RecipeBlogEpicFail #OBPPeepsDontCook #ShareRecipesInComments #ReadersWillDoBetter
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Today's post may be a little to risque, so for those faint of heart, exit now.
I cannot remember the stand up comedy event we were watching many moons ago but I think it was one of Chris Rock's specials. I do remember a segment, though, talking about parents (dads specifically) had ONE JOB. And that job was "to keep their daughters off the pole." He is referring to the stripper pole.
Well, the other day, I peeked out onto the lanai and what did I see?! I saw Cupid doing a dance around the leg of a chair. To me, this screamed out that she was "on the pole" and oh, the sinking feeling that we had not done our ONE JOB of keeping her off the pole!
Now we had give Cupid an Indian name which is "Soft Bunny Fur" but we had not given Cupid a stripper name! I would ask for some in the comments section, but I think it COULD get a little raunchy (even for us!) So, let's just stick to keeping it in good humor. It was nice to see Cupid getting a big stretch using the chair leg as leverage though.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Monday we told you about Henry's stellar visit to the eye vet. Yay Henry! Well, his visit to his general vet was not quite as terrific. His xray was good. No signs of cancer (although his heart is a touch enlarged). His sonogram was ok but shows more signs of his IBD. We had blood work done and we knew that was not going to be perfect but we did not expect it to be as bad as it turned out to be.
It is funny but not funny, how a short time ago, Susan left a comment about how to clear up loose poop. We had commented back that loose poop is usually sign of some bigger problem. And while it can be a laughing matter, the cause is usually very unfunny. In Susan's case, we are happy to hear that only a tweak in medication was necessary. In Henry's case, though, his IBD is giving him a lot of grief. His protein levels have dropped dramatically. What is happening is that his body is not absorbing protein through his digestive track. Without this absorption, he is at risk for retaining fluids, lethargy, overall malaise and if not corrected it can cause his parts not to work right (and not working parts can mean a not working Henry!) So we really have to get this right.
The vet recommended that we change up his meds and move him to a an easy to digest food. We really can't stand canned and kibble food. It has never worked well over the years for any of our pugs. We have always cooked for them and have had the support of our vets until now. I feel like if we can just refine his food that we would again be able to make his diet work. Right now our vet does not hold a lot of stock in us. Mainly because we are in kind of a do or die situation and we need results fast since any more protein loss will be extremely harmful.
Again, loose poops have been the indicator to Henry's bigger issues. And now on this lovely canned and kibble diet he is not only not getting better poops, they are getting worse. I think we will "play a vet on TV" and move him back to a different home cooked diet and go from there. We will keep you posted. For now, just positive pug juju, please! Seriously, this dog beats cancer, goes blind, loses all his siblings and he cant' get his poop together?! C'mon Hank! You've got this! #HenryStrong #GetYourShitTogetherBoy! #SorryForTheExpletive #Don'tWantThisToBeWhatDoesHimIn #Don'tWantAnythingToDoHimIn
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
For all of you fellow moon gazers out there, I saw on Facebook that tonight there is to be a double moon. It is fake, though. I was so excited to have a special sky gazing night but it is not true. Here is more about it.
What I can say, is that on my calendar that shows the full and half moons, that Saturday night (the 29th) we will have a full moon.
For now, just enjoy this photo of little Luna as she shines in our heart the way the moon shines in the sky. And don't forget, you can't believe everything that is on the internet.
#DumbFBHoax #DontBeFooled #NoDoubleMoon #EnjoyLunaInstead
Monday, August 24, 2015
Thank you all for coming up with good questions! Hopefully Ask OBP will continue for a little while longer! 
The first series of questions comes from Terry. Terry asked: Do/did your pugs growl? If yes, what would make them growl? Did aging affect their tail curls both in tightness of curl and how often they kept them curled? And if they shed their whiskers.
Terry! All great questions! We are happy to answer them all. First, yes, our pugs have growled. They were not big growlers though. Mostly, as puppies, the boys (Benjamin & Henry) would growl at each other during play. They also made some other more hideous noises for the first few years when they wrestled together. Often sounding like gremlins! As they got older (4+) they no longer really growled very often. The girls, however, were later life growlers. Solsey came to us as an old gal and we only ever heard her growl on a few rare occasions. And I will say that on those couple of times Solsey was out of her mind! It was usually when each pug was given a very special chew treat (most notably a knuckle bone). Solsey not only tried but successfully bullied all of the pugs into giving up their knuckle bones. Solsey's growling during one especially memorable incident had baby Benny cowering in another room! So, yeah, she growled. And when she growled everyone knew she meant it! Luna, on the other hand, had a petite growl (and really more during her middle years), She would have a sweet little growl leading up to a bark. This was typically an indication of her impatience. And like a warning. She would give a little growl to say, "if you don't [do X] then I will be letting out a piercing bark after this." Hopefully we would do X before the bark but we never seemed to be quick enough. But other than that, Luna was not much of a growler.
Regarding their tail curls....we can safely say that indeed with age, their tails loosened in tightness a bit. This did vary by pug though. Henry's became much looser. Luna's was somewhat looser but not extremely loose. And Benny's was barely looser. (Think of the 3 bears but with levels of looseness.) I cannot really comment on Sol's tail since we had her for so short a period of time. If I am being honest, though, I am not entirely sure that it was "age" that created this phenomenon, though. I think it had more to do with their level of discomfort (which aging may have brought along). Such as the week of Henry's kidney cancer surgery, I can't say that his tail was curled for one moment that entire week. And the more exhausted he is, the less his tail is apt to curl. With that said, Henry has always had the less curly tail. I also want to make another comment not so much about the curliness but the wagginess of Luna's tail. I don't think that I am exaggerating when I say that Luna's tail wagged most of the whole first year we had her. Even in sleep early on, her tail would have some movement to it. We are confident that this was not a sign of pug happiness but of anxiety. Eventually Luna learned that she was safe, secure and could bloom into the little diva she knew had been hidden until then.
Ah, yes. Their whiskers. There would be a rare whisker shedding with the pugs. This was quite uncommon. Sadly, though, all of Henry's whiskers fell out during his chemo treatments. They did grow back eventually though. He had 2 gray whiskers that fell out but all the fresh whiskers grew back black. So, that was interesting. We see more cat whiskers shed from Cupid than pug whiskers shed. These are easy to tell apart, of course since the cat's whiskers are white whereas the pug whiskers are black (except for those 2 gray ones that Henry lost).
Outstanding questions, Terry! They really caused us to reflect. Thank you.
Another OBP reader, Jude, asked this (paraphrased): If we were not pug/cat people what would our next breed choice be? WOW! Good one, Jude! We have been discussing this among ourselves A LOT lately. We are all over the map (and a bit divided.) One of us may never stray from the pug breed and the other one of us thinks that there may be "healthier breeds" that may not give us quite as much heartache (but maybe also not as much joy). But to answer our top "other" choices we would include (and I cannot narrow down a specific order): Poodle, Golden Retriever, Chinese Crested (bald kind), Great Dane, Boston Terrier just to name the most talked about. As for cats, I think I can safely say that Cupid has ruined us for any other cat on the planet. Reflecting on that statement, it sounds like the pugs are more "replaceable" which could not be further from the truth. Hmmmm. I am not sure what exactly that means! Jude, you have given us a great conversation in house! We thank you for your question!
Christine also had a question for us. It was about nicknames for our brood. Oh boy! Do we ever have nicknames! We will begin with Sol. We regularly called her Solsey. A time or 2 we called her Solei Moon Frye (which is the name of the person who played Punky Brewster). But mostly we called her Solsey Baby! (This would be spoken in a specific tone and rhythm, too.) That was really it for her, though.
For Luna we mostly called her Looney (again in a specific pitch and song). And honestly, unless you called her that way, she did not know her real name was Luna! But some of her other names included: Looney Toons, Miss Thang and Baby Girl.
Benjamin probably has the most nicknames. He was Baby Benny. Benny Bag O'Wrinkles, Handsome, Hansey Boy, Ben Ben and Benny Boy. The most special time we remember him responding to a nickname was once post anesthesia and he was still bleary eyed and wobbly legged. They brought him into the exam room and we greeted him with a "Hi Handsey!" and he immediately gave a huge tail wag and ran right towards us, licking our faces and whining. It was super sweet.
Henry has had his fair share of nicknames too. He is Henry doodle boy. Doody boy. Hanky Doodle. Hank. The Hankster. Gangster Prankster. And yes, sadly now we sometimes even call him Blindy. But it is with much affection. Or as GMa says, she "means it in the nicest way."
While this is about the pugs, we feel like if we left out Cupid we would be doing her a disservice. She is Cupey, Cupey Cat. QP. Pretty Girl. Pretty Pretty Girl. And on days that she tries to steal Henry's food lately, she is little brat. 
Thanks again, Christine! Another good question!
<#KeepOpeningCansOfWorms #QuestionsAreAmazing!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Last week it was time for Henry's check ups. He had doctor visits to the eye vet and his general vet. We will share the good news from the eye vet in this post. Later this week we will give a recap of the general vet. (It is not terrible but not ideal. No huge worries. #StillCancerFree!)
Henry's cataract is still attached (which is good since if it detaches there are bigger problems). There are no signs of the scratch on his cornea from the Memorial Day tree event. So, that is great, too! His eye pressure is good which means no indication that Glaucoma is on the horizon.
This was all terrific news! We are to leave him on the same eye drop schedule, too. So another win!
It was a good day overall. Henry did all of his tests like a champ! Again, more later on his xray, sonogram and blood work!
<#HenryStrong #HIsTheMan
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