Stoli and Asti

Meet the Jacobsens! These two exceptional dogs could not be more different, but we love them both! This is a wonderful family, and we hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as we have over the years!

What do the adults in the family do for a living and for fun?  

Bill is a Head Golf Professional with the City of Omaha at the Knolls Golf Course, and Kristen is a REALTOR with NP Dodge Real Estate. We both enjoy spending time with each other and our “girls," Asti and Stoli. 

What do the kids in the family do for fun? 

The only children we have are our “fur children."

Asti

Asti the Cairn Terrier is fifteen years old and is still very active! She still loves to play fetch, and loves to be chased around the couch with whoever is willing to chase her.

Stoli

Stoli the Lab is eleven years old and loves to hang out on her pillow! With Stoli’s diabetes, she is not as active, but when the weather is nice she loves to play fetch in the back yard. In their younger years, Asti and Stoli had a plastic swimming pool and could play in it with the sprinkler for hours.

Tell us more about Asti and Stoli!

Kristen bought Asti shortly after she graduated college, and when she and Bill got married, they bought Stoli a couple of months later. 

Tell us about when you first met the Gentle Doctor team or a story about the team others may not know. 

We were referred to Gentle Doctor by one of Kristen’s co-workers to have Asti groomed. Asti was barely over a year old, and when I went to pick her up for the first time, the groomer told me Asti needed obedience training because she was ill behaved. Fast forward fourteen years, Asti loves to get groomed by Gentle Doctor and practically smiles when she gets into the car. 

What have you learned about pets that you did not know as a kid or before you had your own pets? 

Dogs need a lot of attention and love. Our girls are so spoiled, but they know we care enough to make sure they have happy lives. 

Do you have wisdom about any medical conditions that you could share with someone who is perhaps just starting to walk their pet through a similar situation?   

Asti and Stoli are both “special," and have had some really interesting medical issues throughout their lives.   

Asti was diagnosed with a food allergy at an early age, and has always been on an r/d diet. Her special diet has never been an issue, and she was able to maintain a very healthy coat all her life. 

With Asti being very active as a young dog, whether chasing squirrels, birds, planes or balls, she has developed arthritis in her lower back, and as she has aged, she has lost most of her sight and hearing. Asti takes a couple different medications to help with the pain and anxiety, but this does not stop her from being sassy and outspoken.   

Stoli. Oh, Stoli. Stoli has many infamous stories about her at Gentle Doctor, but one of the favorites is when she ate a glass Christmas ornament (hook and hinge included) only to discover she also ate six landscaping rocks too! Stoli had major stomach surgery right before Christmas, and recovered like a champ. Gentle Doctor still shares Stoli’s x-rays with the rocks with school children, and we still have the six rocks in a biohazard bag. Those were some very expensive landscaping rocks!! 

All joking aside, Stoli was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011 so she requires a lot of care to manage her diabetes. Diabetes is very manageable in pets, and Gentle Doctor has been very good at educating us on how to keep her healthy.

Gentle Doctor offered us a couple of tips to help manage Stoli’s diabetes:

• Keep Stoli on the same feeding schedule every day (7 AM and 7 PM).
• Measure out her food for every meal.
• Give her insulin shots twice a day after she eats.

It can be a little tough at first to get the insulin regulated, but once this is done, it is really easy to maintain the diabetes. People always ask us if it is hard to give Stoli shots, and the answer is no. We usually give her shots in the back of her neck by picking up the loose skin. If you roll the syringe between your finger tips to warm the insulin, it really does not bother her. Then she gets a treat after her shot.

Though Stoli is regulated, she usually has “tells” when her glucose is high, so then we take her into the clinic for a glucose check. We work closely with our team of vets to determine the best course of action with managing the insulin. Despite being diabetic, Stoli is a very happy, loving, and affectionate dog!     

Do you have a favorite breed or type of pet? 

Dogs all the way!  Any kind!