Brandy and Val

Christmas 2011 – Brandy and Val

Ilene — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 04:37:27 +0000

Brandy and Val hope you had a wonderful Christmas and if you are in the midst of Hanukah, enjoying that as well! They sure are. Graciously receiving rewards for being such good dogs.

Brandy's excited about what she found in her stocking

Val knows that box is for him -- out of the way Brandy!

Good Deeds – Holiday Giving 2011

Ilene — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:42:10 +0000

It’s that time of year again when we remind everyone that at Brandy and Val, LLC our mission is “to do good where good is needed.” With that in mind, we reiterate that we hope to make a difference in the lives of animals and children through our volunteer work and charitable giving from the sales of our children’s books and toys.

Our list includes the following animal sanctuaries, rescues and aid dogs:

Pets Alive: A family favorite for years. Located in Middletown, New York, this sanctuary saves and cares for many in need.

Best Friends: Instrumental in coordinating the rescue efforts of animals after many natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Val is a Hurricane Katrina survivor.

National Search Dog Foundation Deployed teams to help in the rescue efforts after 9/11. Helped provide rescue and psychological support and love to the first responders.

Fortunate Pooch and Lab Rescue Our local favorite where Brandy and Val were both adopted from. Located in Palatine, IL, a suburb outside Chicago.

Happy Holidays to All and Best Wishes for 2012.

Ilene, Brandy and Val

(photo credit: Ron Vesely Photpgraphy)

Cyber Monday Sale – FREE Brandy and Val stuff

Ilene — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:40:03 +0000

Through Cyber Monday. ORDER ONE OF ANY BRANDY AND VAL PRODUCTS and get one FREE! Profits from sales help animal rescues such as Best Friends and Pets Alive. Don’t delay. Order online at Brandy and Val

BRANDY AND VAL: the original book

BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS

BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY 100% of profits from this book help Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue in Palatine, IL, the shelter Brandy and Val were adopted from

MINI-BRANDY and MINI-VAL plush toys

Dog Flu alert: Several Regions Affected

Ilene — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:05:22 +0000

There is an outbreak of canine flu in the NY metropolitan region and San Antonio TX. It is highly contagious and an influenza shot is highly recommended if you live in those areas and your dog comes into regular contact with other pooches. Humans who work with dogs or who come into frequent contact with them can also spread the virus to their pooch so keep that in mind.

Symptoms include coughing, nasal discharge, and/or a low-grade fever and sneezing.

Please check with your vet to see if this bug has hit your area and if he thinks a preventive vaccination is needed! If the flu is not in your area, you might want to consider talking to your vet to see if he thinks the flu shot is a good idea in your case.

Pet Massage – Merit or Myth?

Ilene — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:33:43 +0000

One minute I think that Brandy and Val would benefit from it, other times, not. What to do? Brandy is getting arthritic hips and, after a long afternoon of chasing squirrels, she clearly feels it. Our pet sitter is a big advocate of massage, having used it on her horses, where it was popularized in the ’70 and ’80s. Also, if massage benefits humans, too, it makes sense that it would also help your pooch. Yet, the evidence is murky and I am starting to think it couldn’t hurt but maybe it won’t help all that much either.

If you look online at all the websites out there demonstrating the techniques for pet massage, it gets kind of scary. Who are the people behind these sites and what are their qualifications? Searching the American Medical Veterinary Association website offered no further help. Hmmm….maybe it’s not such a great idea then to start experimenting on your own. As usual, I am a big advocate of discussing matters unfamiliar to me with our vet. So I did and got a pretty mediocre response: ”it couldn’t hurt.” Rather than taking my tips from YouTube, I asked our pet sitter for a demo and proceeded to practice on Brandy. She thought it was kind of weird, actually. She didn’t mind it but I’m not sure she liked it as she kept turning around to figure out what was going on. I suspect she was feeling something odd, much the way we often get that “good hurt” feeling when a sore muscle is being massaged.

I found a pretty balanced article on the subject from the NEW YORK TIMES which bolstered my on-the-fence sentiment, along with the recommendation to as your vet. Next week, our local pet store, Bentley’s Corner Barkery, will be having a K9 Pet Massage afternoon so I’ll likely saunter over with Brandy and Val to see what tips I can pick up. If I learn something earth shattering or if I learn some techniques that, over time, my pups respond to, I’ll report back with the findings.

At Brandy and Val, LLC our mission is “to do good where good is needed.” If we can benefit someone’s achy pet by sharing a positive massage story, tell us how you do it. Did you know that Brandy and Val also star in their own children’s board book series: BRANDY AND VAL, REAL DOGS WITH REAL TALES with profits benefitting animal shelters throughout the country. With the Holiday season upon us, consider one of our books or toys — it’s a feel good gift that kids love and helps others.

Skin Update: Val and his oily skin

Ilene — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:16:40 +0000

Several weeks ago mom spoke about my smelling like a wet sneaker and my fur feeling oily. She though that maybe I had the skin disorder seborrhea, a common skin disorder in dogs, or perhaps my thyroid was acting up or maybe even something else. The vet gave us a medicated shampoo which I reluctantly let mom and dad use on me twice a week during swimming season. I sure smelled a whole lot better but I’m not sure the problem was tackled. I have not been swimming for about a month now and my fur/skin and odor appear to be back to normal without the aid of the shampoo. Good news for us but the mystery remains. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself next season. No one says, “PHEW, Val, you stink!” anymore. I like that.

What do you think was the cause of the smell and change in my coat?

At Brandy and Val, LLC we try to “do good where good is needed.” We love to share ideas and thoughts with you so if you have any suggestions or dog or community service topics you’d like to talk about, contact me or post on our Facebook page or Twitter feed (#BrandyandVal).

Pilots Fly Rescues to New Homes

Ilene — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:41:48 +0000

At Brandy and Val, LLC, we are always looking for organizations that do good deeds that benefit the lives of animals, especially those abandoned and abused. I was watching Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 the other evening and learned about Pilots and Paws rescue services and thought I’d share/spread the word about them. Essentially pilots and plane owners who wish to help rescues do so through the transporting of animals to new homes or shelters around the country. The pilots volunteer their time and aircraft to make this possible and rescues can post their requests. Pilots read the postings and, if they can accommodate, contact the rescue and make appropriate arrangements.

Read about the heartwarming story of Belle, an English Setter, to find out how these wonderful pilots make a difference to animals and families who are looking for that “perfect” canine addition to their home.

As for DOGS 101, I stumbled upon that show while channel surfing and enjoy it every time I stop to watch. It’s a kind of video primer on all things dog and each week, a few breeds are looked at in depth, especially in terms of what kind of pets they would make. The videos of the pups are adorable to watch and there’s always something interesting to learn. Trainers, veterinarians and groomers are usually interviewed and at the end of each segment, a quick summary of the pros/cons of the dog is posted. For example, the Australian Dingo is a very controversial dog and doesn’t make a good pet. Find out why! On the other hand, the Keeshond, a dog I didn’t even know, makes a great pet, are good pet therapy dogs who even provided emotional support to the rescue workers in 9/11. Definitely a show worth tuning into…..

Brandy and Val, LLC supports animal shelters throughout the country through the sales of their toys and books: BRANDY AND VAL: BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS; BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY. Brandy and Val are two real dogs who went from being down on their luck to very fortunate pooches. To learn more about them visit their website, Brandy and Val.

Does your dog have an oily coat? Seborrhea maybe?

Ilene — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:32:56 +0000

Over the last few weeks, Val has acquired an oily coat. During the summer, after doing a lot of swimming, he started smelling like a musty dog when he dried. The vet gave us some medicated soap to shampoo him with and all seemed fine. Kind of confused since he’s been swimming for years without any problem. Now, we have this oily coat thing, so we’re back to bathing him with the medicated soap. Some research online suggested that he may have canine seborrhea, a very common skin problem in dogs which falls into three categories:

Seborrhea sicca – “Dry seborrhea” which shows scaliness only.
Seborrhea oleosa – “Oily seborrhea” which not only shows scaliness but also greasy skin with a distinct odor, due to excessive oil production by the skin.
Seborrheic dermatitis – Greasy and flaky skin accompanied by inflammation.

Well, Val seems to have the oily type and seborrhea is commonly seen in certain breeds including the Spaniels (American Cocker Spaniels and English Springer Spaniels), Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, West Highland White Terriers, Basset Hounds, Irish Setters, and Shar-peis. I am not entirely convinced, though, since he has very few of the other symptoms which include excessive licking and scratching, redness, skin flaking and ear redness or secretions. Again, since this is of recent vintage, I’m guessing its’ cause is not of the heredity variety but may be the result of one of the indicators:

hypothyroidism (maybe his thyroid needs to be retested? He’s already on medication for that but maybe something has changed), a nutritional imbalance or allergy, a parasite or a flea or tic.

Luckily, his annual check-up is next week so we can pursue this further with a professional! Please, make sure that you always consult a professional as self-diagnosis can lead to a lot more problems than it’s worth and, don’t forget those regular check-ups to ensure the health of your pooch! Will keep you posted on the remedy (other than the medicated shampoo) and diagnosis, but in the meantime, if anyone has any other ideas or experiences with various treatments we’d love to hear from you.

Our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed.” It is through our pet therapy duties and the sales of our books and toys that we try to benefit the lives of children and animals. Visit our website to see what we’re all about:

Horse loves cute Dog

Ilene — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:05:18 +0000

There are tons of cute dog videos around, this is one of the the cutest of late that Brandy and Val would like to share with you.

Now through the end of September, Brandy and Val will be making a special donation to National Disaster Search Dog Foundation with every sale of BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS and mini-Brandy and mini-Vals. Visit our website. Our mission at Brandy and Val is “to do good where good is needed” and it is through the sales of our books and toys that we hope to improve the lives of children and animals.

The dogs of 9/11 – In rememberance

Ilene — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:57:10 +0000

The 10th anniversary of 9/11/01 is upon us. It is one of those days that no one will forget and everyone will remember where they were when they heard of the news that planes flew into New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon was attacked. The rescue effort was enormous, difficult, heartbreaking. Both humans and canines worked tirelessly to help and search. We remember the dogs here in this video I found that says it all:

We’d love to hear from you if you have a poignant story to share with us reflecting on the rescue efforts. At Brandy and Val, LLC, our mission is “to do good where good is needed.” It is through the sales of our books and toys that we work to improve the lives of pets and animal throughout the U.S. Through the end of September, Brandy and Val, LLC will donate all profits from the sales of mini-Brandy, mini-Val and BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.