The Real Housedogs of Beverly Hills

This article originally appeared as The Real Housedogs of Beverly Hills on Dr. Mahaney’s Pet-Lebrity News Blog on Pet360.

With baited (dog) breath, I eagerly anticipated the season three premiere of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH). Seasons one and two were so compelling, that I feel motivated to share my perspective, as a veterinarian, on the canine cast members who shall now be known as The Real Housedogs of Beverly Hills (or RHDOBH; not to be confused with the RHOBH).

In seasons past, we were introduced to a variety of Beverly Hills housedogs having youthful or geriatric appearance, small and large genetics, and thick and thin body conditions. I invite more story lines and scene transitions involving the RHDOBH, as they lend comic relief to the often cringe-worthy drama served up the the ladies (and some of their men).

Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Kenneth Todd, are loving caretakers to Giggy (AKA Gigolo), a Pomeranian having a polished sense of personal style. Giggy frequently accompanies Lisa and Ken on their many adventures, all while sporting the latest doggy fashions and tweeting to his over 55,000 Twitter followers through his @GiggyThePom handle. According to “Mistress” (Giggy’s “pet” name for Vanderpump), Giggy suffers from Alopecia (hair loss), therefore his omnipresent clothing is meant to protect his follicularly compromised body.

I’m quite fascinated by endocrine (glandular) diseases, especially when a pet’s hair coat and skin are compromised. I’m curious as to the extent with Giggy has undergone diagnostic testing to uncover a potential underlying cause for his alopecia? Is he under the care of a veterinary dermatologist? Additionally, is Giggy taking any medications, nutraceuticals, Chinese herbs, or eating a specific diet (hopefully, a whole food based one) to promote the health of his skin and coat?

I can only hope for the best health and happiness for this canine star on the rise.

Kyle Richards commonly displays an appealing, no-nonsense attitude and moderately down to earth sensibility. Her dark hair and blemish-free face makes her appear more like Demi Moore’s relative than her own RHOBH sister, Kim Richards (see their lack of sisterly resemblance in this photo).

Richards shares her home with two dogs frequently seen as integral members of her family. Khloe, the smallest of Kyle’s dogs, has a long, tan to brown hair coat and appears to be a Yorkshire (“Yorkie”) or Silky Terrier, or a terrier mix. Roxy is larger and lighter brown with physical characteristics lending the appearance of a Wheaten Terrier or a terrier mix.

Adrienne Maloof shared a multi-dog household with her plastic surgeon husband, Paul Nassif, and their three children prior to their divorce in 2012. In season two, Jackpot was the new dog on the Beverly Hills block. He’s a cute, petite, brown and black Morkie (hybrid of a Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier) with a penchant for inappropriate urination and defecation that repeatedly frustrated Nassif during some well documented house-training trials.  Seemingly the polar opposite of Jackpot, Visco is their German Shepherd Dog prone to grandly dashing into Maloof’s office to give Jackpot a brotherly smooch. This nicely cleanses the palate of  distaste of the seemingly endless Maloof-Nassif squabbling.

Yolanda H. Foster a former model turned RHOBH who shares her stunning Malibu home with her husband, music producer David Foster, and Fluffy, her friendly looking Shetland Sheepdog or Collie. Fluffy visibly appears to display front limb lameness while strolling the perfectly manicured walkways and kitchen of Foster’s mansion. As geriatric care and pain management are my specialty, I implore Foster to contact me via PatrickMahaney.com to pursue house call based holistic treatments, including acupuncture, to provide Fluffy with the best possible quality of life.

Brandi Glanville has been the proverbial bad girl of the RHOBH during seasons two and three. Finally, we are introduced to her canine brood, Chica and Sugar. Both are small dogs appearing to be a Chihuahua or Chihuahua mixed breeds. They likely weigh 15 pounds or less, but both show visible signs of being overweight by lacking a slim waist and having somewhat barrel shaped bodies. I’d give them a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 4 (out of 5), or “Stout”, according to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine BCS chart.

Glanville seems to recognize her dogs’ weight problem in saying, “You guys can’t have this many treats.” At least she requests they to dance in conjunction with getting a treat. Perhaps more frequent and longer dances can burn off some extra calories.

A few of the canine companions featured in seasons one and two have seemingly disappeared and may have passed over the rainbow bridge. For the families of those RHDOBH, I express my condolences.

I hope the RHOBH audience is treated to more appealing images of privileged pooches during the remainder of season three and beyond.

Thank you for reading this article.  Your questions and comments are completely welcome (I’ll respond).

Please feel free to communicate with me through Twitter (@PatrickMahaney) and follow my adventures in veterinary medicine by liking Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets on Facebook.

Copyright of this article (2013) is owned by Dr Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.

Tagged as: @GiggyThePom, Housedogs, RHDOBH, RHOBH, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, veterinarian

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