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Coton Connection, Issue #085 - Help your Coton live longer
February 14, 2019
Welcome Coton Lovers:

Happy Valentines Day

If you've got a Coton, I know every day is filled with love. Happy Valentines Day from me and Luc.

Can you help your Coton live longer?

Aw, poor Luc with the dreaded cone-head. The vet thought he had a tumor, but I'm so grateful that it was only a benign cyst. Luc was such a trooper! As many of you know, Luc turned 13 last year and it's been heartbreaking at times watching the signs of aging affect my boy. Luc is mostly a happy little guy, but his sight isn't as good as it used to be and he was starting to struggle with joint pain.

When we sign up to bring a dog into our lives, we know that it won't be for as long as we'd like. BUT, what if we could add a year or two or even 10 to the lives of our beloved Cotons? Why do some dogs live longer than others? Some of it is genetics or environmental conditions that we can't change. But what if there are things we can do to help our dogs live longer or ensure a higher quality of life as they get older?

Mobility: After repeated visits to the vet for joint pain, I had to take Luc off of the prescribed medications. The side effects only made things worse. The pill for joint pain caused stomach problems. The pill for stomach problems caused lethargy. Sigh. I refused to believe that my only choice was a dog drugged out or a dog in pain. I had heard great things about a supplement called Nutra Thrive by Ultimate Pet Nutrition at the dog park so I tried it. I liked that there wasn't any risk of side effects so there was nothing to lose (except some dollars - it's not cheap!). At first, I was disappointed because I didn't see any results. But it's been almost 4 weeks now, and I can see a change. He can now run up the steps to the patio that he used to have trouble with, and he gets up from lying down without grunting in pain like an old man. Yay! It's worth every penny for me to see Luc pain-free.

I'm not affiliated with this supplement in any way, I just wanted to share my experience. There are so many supplements available and it can be overwhelming trying to find one that's beneficial without any side effects.

Food choices: Nutrition is important for ALL dogs, not just seniors. We all know that what humans eat has a significant impact on health, so why would it be any different for dogs? I've watched Luc's allergies virtually disappear when I started cooking a special anti-inflammatory diet for him. But not everyone has the time or money that this type of diet requires.

If homemade food or a raw diet isn't feasible for you, I thought I'd share something I saw on the Ellen Degeneres Show a couple of months ago. There was a segment about Burt Ward (formerly Batman's sidekick, Robin), who created a commercial dog food called Gentle Giants (https://www.gentlegiantsdogfood.com/) that has helped his large rescue dogs go from living 7-8 years to living well into their 20's. It's easy to find and it's affordable. And it's not just for big dogs.

What!?

Is it possible that a packaged commercial dog food can add years to your dog's life? Ordinarily, I'd ignore claims like this, but Ellen is known as an animal lover, and I don't think she'd endorse a quack or scammer. Again, I'm not affiliated with this product, but I know so many of you are looking for affordable, quality food. There are some ingredients that are questionable according to dogfoodadvisor.com, but they do recommend it overall.

What do you think? I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried this dog food.

Other than food and supplements, what else can we do to help our dogs live longer?

  • Exercise regularly
  • Restrict toxic chemicals (lawn, food, cleaners, flea/tick treatments, etc.)
  • Dental care
  • Working with a good vet
  • Don't over vaccinate
  • Protect them from extreme weather conditions
  • Prevent boredom (playtime, toys, walks)
  • Give lots of attention and love

What do you do to add years to your Coton's life?

Celebrations and Shoutouts

Happy Birthday Wishes:



Happy birthday to all the Cotons who celebrate birthdays in January and February.

January

Name Gender Home Town Birth date
Seminole Female Pensacola, FL 1/1/11
Bevo Male Woodlands, TX 1/3/12
Bailey Male Grayslake, IL 1/5/11
Theodore Male Canada 1/5/11
Qtip Male Union, NJ 1/5/13
Kyra Female Rocklin, CA 1/7/12
Cassi Female 1/8/10
Olivia Female Leominster, MA 1/9/09
Eleana Female Leominster, MA 1/9/09
Angelique Female San Diego, CA 1/9
Truffle Female Las Vegas, NV 1/10/10
Naya Female Santa Rosa, CA 1/10/10
Emma Female 1/11/11
Dottie Female Plainwell, MI 1/12/14
Arlo Brighton, Co 1/14/16
Athena Female 1/15/10
Wishes Female Tumwater, WA 1/16/12
Mirabella Female Columbus, OH 1/17/05
Romeo Male El Cajon, CA 1/17/17
Captain Fuzz Male Sun City, AZ 1/17/16
Barney Male Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 1/18/11
Gleason Male Centereach, NY 1/18/13
Barkley Male 1/23/10
Quinn Westland, MI 1/23/13
Candy Female Kirkwood, MO 1/26/11
Coco Female 1/27/08

February

Name Gender Home Town Birth date
Abner Male Tuttle, OK 2/1/14
Katinka Joy Female North Bethesda, MD 2/2/12
Nugget Male WI and FL 2/2/15
Betty Female Middletown, MD 2/3/12
Mac Male 2/7/09
Calliope Female Lancaster, NY 2/7/10
Palin Female Sun Valley, CA 2/8/10
Alexia (Lexi) Female Powder Springs, GA 2/8/11
Pogo Male Vestal, NY 2/8/12
Jasmine Female Pittston Township, PA 2/9/09
Austin Male Hilo, HI 2/9/11
Toby Male Palmyra, NY 2/10/11
Manju Male Illinois 2/10/11
Pixie-Dust Male Wilts, United Kingdom 2/11/11
Prince Male Bear, DE 2/11/13
Zorro Male Laguna Hills, CA 2/13/08
Tank Male Quincy, MA 2/18/11
Jazzy Female Nashville, TN 2/18/11
Luc Male Pompano Beach, FL 2/20/15
Marmalade Female Beaufort, SC 2/20/15
Bella Female Oceanside, NY 2/21/11
Louie Male 2/21/07
Surf Male Half Moon Bay, CA 2/21/11
Halo Liverpool, UK 2/26/17
Casper Male Oceanside, NY 2/27/17
Jasper Male Oakland, CA 2/29/08



Want your Coton to get special birthday attention? It's easy; just join our Birthday Club.

Special Shout outs

-Captain Fuzz from Sun City, Arizona turned 3 on January 17th. His mom, Laura, says that "every day is his birthday!"

-Romeo from El Cajon, CA also celebrated a birthday on January 17th. He turned 2. His mom, Joan, says "Romeo is my Sweet Boy! He Loves getting his belly rubbed, sitting on my lap playing ball, and he loves his squeaky toys! When he wants attention he lays on his back and wiggles his body. He's saying pay attention to me! He Loves riding in the car and going to the park! He is such a love!"

-I want to apologize to Maggie Mae from Arrington, VA for getting her birthday wrong in the last newsletter. She celebrated on December 30th. Happy belated birthday!



Please let me know if you'd like your dog to get special love and attention in our newsletter or if you'd like your Coton event or meetup group to be shared here.

Coton Meetup Reminder

Find other Coton families near you!

Wow, over 250 of you have signed up. Has anyone made any connections? Tell us about it on our Facebook page or on the Coton de Tulear Care web site.

You can find the Meetup Page here. The password is cotondog

Don't be shy - reach and contact someone. You know we all love to talk about our dogs, so others will be glad you took the first step to reach out. You can set up play dates or just discuss your favorite "Coton-friendly" local businesses such as vets, groomers, pet sitters, and stores.

Add your dog to the list here.

NOTE: You only need to sign up once

Coton Connection

Meet the Cotons

Stop by and meet the new Cotons here. You can brag about your Coton any time.

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Do you have a video you'd like to share? You can submit videos here. Or just take a break and just enjoy videos that others have submitted.

Coton Questions

Do you have a question about your Coton? You can see all the Coton questions submitted here.

Help or Get Help!

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Say hello on our Facebook page where you can share more pictures, stories, questions, and comments with each other any time. Need a lift? A quick smile? You have to stop by and browse all the recent Facebook photos - I dare you not to smile!!

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Thanks for sharing!

Coton Store

Check out our exclusive and fun "Coton inspired products:

Visit the store here for a wide variety of fun and unique t-shirts, mugs, stationary products, aprons, children's clothes, and even dog t-shirts.



I love hearing from you! You can contact me any time here.

Disclosure: I sometimes receive commissions on products or services I recommend. I always do my best to recommend products that I've either used myself or that align with coton-de-tulear-care.com’s content, purpose and values.

Gale and Luc

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