Her full name, according to her AKC registration, is “Golden Sunrise Biscuit Belle of Willow Creek.” I call her Biscuit. She calls me whenever she hears a cheese wrapper open from three rooms away, which is a superpower I remain convinced is not fully explained by canine olfactory science. Biscuit is a golden retriever. She…
Every golden retriever owner knows the statistics, even if we try not to. Hip dysplasia: roughly one in five goldens. Elbow dysplasia: another 10-15%. Cranial cruciate ligament tears: the breed’s most common orthopedic surgery. Cancer: the leading cause of death, with joint issues a close second for quality-of-life impact in senior years. I try not…
Okay. It has been four weeks. I have notes. I have observations. I have one golden retriever who is completely unaware that she is a subject in her owner’s informal, uncontrolled, n-of-1 clinical trial. Let me tell you everything. For context: I chose a postbiotic supplement specifically targeting oral health and general gut support. I’m…
I spent approximately $340 on eight different supplements over the past four months. Not all at once — I’m not insane — but cumulatively, across the joint, oral health, and general wellness categories, I have purchased, opened, and attempted to administer eight different products to one increasingly skeptical golden retriever. Five of them, she ate….
Let’s talk about dog breath. Not the cute, “aww, puppy kisses” kind. The real kind. The kind where your golden retriever yawns on the couch and you physically recoil. The kind where guests subtly shift away when she puts her head on their lap. The kind where you love your dog more than anything in…
Six months. Half a year of scooping powder, pumping oil, dispensing chews, and negotiating with a golden retriever who believes she is being personally victimized by portion control. Six months of morning routines and evening rituals and phone reminders for dental chew days. Six months of watching, noting, hoping, and occasionally worrying at 2 AM…
