Don't Tell Bob
Prednisone can cause insomnia.
Luckily for me, I have a dog. Dogs are great for insomniacs--well, some of them are. Shelly just sleeps, but Smith is an old lady and like a lot of old folks, she sleeps lightly and wakes up often. She also likes company. Last night at around 2:00 in the morning I went downstairs thinking that a beer might relax me and help me sleep. I'm not a big beer drinker. So when we buy beer, say for a party, we have it for awhile. I think last night's beer was from New Years Eve. It's a brand of beer called Blue Moon (recommended by Adam, who doesn't really drink much beer, either, but who knows a lot of people who take beer much more seriously than either he or I.)
I sat down with Smith on the wooden floor. (She has arthritis in her hips, so a lot of the night is spent trying to decide which is more important--the cool but hard wooden floor or the soft but too warm couch.) I poured a little Blue Moon in the palm of my hand and she lapped it up. The she lapped where a few drops had spilled on the comforter I was sitting on. So I got her food bowl and poured a little in her food bowl and drank some myself. I told her all sorts of nonsense things. She pushed her nose into my hand and begged to be petted and looked hopefully at the beer bottle. I poured her some more. It was dark and nice and we were happy sharing our bottle of beer. "Don't tell Bob," I said and she gave me a beery kiss. I anthropomorphize her. She caninomorphizes me. I think I probably gave her about half a cup, total.
I know she's not legal yet--she's only twelve. But she's way legal in dog years. And she really really likes beer. I had no idea. Probably, neither did she.
I went up to bed after that and did fall asleep. I hope she did, too.
posted by Maureen McHugh at 1:45 PM
13 Comments:
For Smith:
http://www.beerfordogs.com/
Okay, I went on the internet and it turns out hops are bad for dogs, so Smith has had her last beer, alas.
Such a pretty girl.
Goldens and beer. Man, that can get ugly. Keep Smith away from the prednisone, too. (And remember to take your calcium supplements!)
Glad to hear things improving. Sorry to hear that you have to cut Smith off from beer.
Wine made from grapes is supposed to be bad for dogs too. Here is a link to a web site with other food and food-like items that are bad for dogs as well:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1939&articleid=1030
I was most surprised that string made the list. What am I supposed to do with all of my old kite string, if not feed it to the dog? 8-P
Tom
What is it about dog stories that makes me stupid-happy? This makes me want to share a beer with my own arthritic dog. She deserves it.
Well, at least you're not drinking alone!
When I went to Carmel with my sister we had drinks at the Cypress Inn bar (hotel owned by Doris Day.) In California it's illegal to smoke in bars, but you're allowed to bring your dog. This was why my sister chose this hotel. She has two dogs. It was her dream to go out drinking with Elvis and Oreo. Anytime you want to pack up Smith and drive to the coast and Snowy and I will join you for happy hour.
http://www.european-jeweler.com/_carmel_dog_friendly.html
oops. Meant to post a link for info about Carmel.
So I have to say, if I'm going to lose the blog-titling contest, I want to lose it to "Guano Happens". Because then, when people ask me how I feel about losing the contest, I can say, "Hey man, whatever. I'm alright with it. It's cool. 'Cause hey...guano happens."
Caninomorphize is a great word.
"I anthropomorphize her. She caninomorphizes me."
I love that line, it is so completely true. We should make a T-shirt!
I dunno, we've given our pups beer off and on and it's been okay. Amount is probably relative to weight, so small amounts in a big dog should be okay.
But grapes are different,grapes can be fatal. Avoid grapes, raisins, and wine--we learned that one the hard way.
I love Smith by the way--that picture makes my heart mushy. She's a sweetheart.
If you can tolerate it, one Benadryl right before bedtime might help with the insomnia. And Wild Oats sells a homeopathic product at the checkout called Moon Drops. Have no idea if they work, but I do take them.
Prednisone sucks. Hope you don't have to take it too much longer.
M
I'm sure Smith enjoyed the beer. Love the picture. I can't believe she's 12 already. Shakey likes the occassional beer - I wonder if it's bad for horses, too? She's never complained. She likes the vodka in jello shots, too, but not the jello. Apparently the consistency wigs her out. She waits until the vodka separates out, then licks it out of the bowl and leaves the jello.
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