Goodbye my Good Blue...

Today I say goodbye to my good friend Charlie Blue. 

He was a good dog- a better friend- and will be missed dearly.  Thanks for your tail wags, happy walks, and goofy antics- we love you Blue!

Ji Song Rong... Yun Zhi...Hui...huh?

Charlie started a new supplement... a well-advertised, well-known, and on the expensive side super supplement called 4Life Transfer Factor Plus.  In a nut shell, this one has stuff that the immune system naturally produces.  The literature on this one also mentions intelligent molecules that remove invaders, intuitive molecules that teach immune cells how to behave, and Natural Killer cells that defend the immune system...  must have been marketed to men.

I also promised to post more on the Magic Mushroom Mix... also known as Five Mushroom Formula or Wu Gu Fang for my Chinese readers.  This supplement has 5 mushrooms (duh) that contain high levels of beta glucans (known for their immune-enhancing properties).  This supplement also mentions those Natural Killers... supposedly helping the body to produce more of these guys.  Here's my favorite excerpt from the Magic Mushroom brochure:

"Dong Chong Xia Cao supports kidneys and jing, supplements yang, augments lung yin, transforms phlegm, stops bleeding, regulates glucose levels."

Huh?

Charlie has been on one more very important supplement since the very beginning.  Photo below of probably his favorite supplement:

Thanks Costco from Charlie Blue :)

squawks and squeaks

Its been a little while since I've posted... mainly because not much has changed lately.  Charlie started on a new supplement- some kind of tincture derived from 5 magic mushrooms... I'll post more once I finish reading what it supposedly does.  

The Blue had a restful weekend.  He enjoyed his trots around the block and through the park near our house- even perked his ears up when we got near the dog park (we avoided the dog park- a little worried that Charlie would get pushed around there).

Nora continues to stick by her big brother- trying to sleep near him, sit on his head, nibble his ear, etc.  Charlie tolerates this to a point- once in awhile humoring her with bark/moan/growl and sticking his mouth over her whole head.  

While we notice some improvement in Charlie, its still so hard to see him in pain.  Especially when we see Nora growing bigger and bigger and Charlie appearing to shrink thinner and thinner before our very eyes.  We continue to stay positive, rejoicing in improvements and small successes (Charlie ate his dinner without spitting raw meat all over Austin last night!) and looking for hope and humor in even the hard times.   

This morning provided a moment of humor that I can't resist sharing.  Char had an ok night- but admittedly, I showed up at my parent's home office feeling a little sad.  My mental/emotional status changed dramatically soon after I saw this:

This is Gilly- my childhood cockatiel... without tail feathers.  Cockatiels make great pets for kids- they are hardy, friendly, affectionate... and they live forever.  Gilly has valiantly survived losing her cockatiel husband, extreme weather conditions, numerous escape attempts (she just sits on the outside of her outdoor cage- refusing to fly away), predator attacks (other birds, dogs, heavy-footed humans).  Today, my parents dog happened to be standing on her glorious tail (over 15 long feathers!) when she decided to run away... leaving the tail under Louie's foot.  So enjoy this awful sight- it did bring a smile to my morning!

a new day...

Happy to report a so-far good day for Charlie Blue.  He is walking straighter, not dragging his toes as much, and seems to have more energy.  He stretched and shook- something I have not seen him do in over a week- and even played a little bit with Nora.  I'm hoping this continues- its nice to have a little bit of the old Blue back!

Charlie is also on day 2 of a new supplement- ES Clear.  This contains burdock, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, and Chinese rhubarb.... a supposedly cancer-fighting combo.  We'll let you know how it goes...

stealing the show...

Charlie's little sister, Nora Nora, really wants her own blog.  But for now she has to share.  Here are a few pics of her stealing the show:

Do you think she knows she's cute?

These boots are made for walking...

Charlie wears boots for his walks.  They help protect the tops of his feet- since he has been dragging his toes when it gets hard to lift his feet all the way up.  He walks very well in his boots- and he looks good too!

Charlie looks noticeably better today- he must have slept well last night!  He excitedly wagged his tail when he got to work this morning and even jogged a bit in the field with uncle Beuford.