Saturday, May 28, 2011

Thinking...

For some reason, this week, I have been missing my Dixie girl. Maybe it's because we are down to just 2 dogs right now. Other than an occasional vet visit, we haven't had only 2 dogs in our house for almost 8 years now. It seems that my fosters or visitors want to snuggle with me more than my own dogs. Jax would always cuddle with me on the floor at night. Buddy would also lay in your lap on the couch. Sadie won't lay with me. Tom will lay close to you, but he really doesn't want you touching him.



Meet Felicia. Next weekend, she will be coming for a sleepover. She was adopted about 2 months ago and is currently an only dog. She is super sweet and I can't wait for her to stay with us. She is shy, like my Tom. She just turned 8 years old and this family is her first real family! She was a brood mom. Not sure how many litters she produced. Her family loves her so much and she has a wonderful home. But I'm sure glad she will be with us this weekend.


People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I miss having the 3rd dog around. Heck, at one point a couple of months ago, we had 5 dogs here.

If you have followed me for a while, you might remember Bluto. He recently became very ill. This time last week, he was knocking on death's door. Finally after almost 10 days of being seriously ill, his blood work came back positive for Lyme's disease. This guy has been through so much, I was just about heart broken thinking that he wouldn't make it. He is on the mend, finally. He could still use lots of white light and positive thoughts.


Buddy continues to improve. He is on very restricted activity and is being a very good boy. Not sure when he will be able to come back here, but I miss that goofy guy too!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Buddy Update...butt picture

Buddy got to come home today. Well, not here home, but where he will recuperate. He can't come here because of the stairs. He will recover with a wonderful gal who will take excellent care of him.


No stitches on the outside, just suture adhesive. The stitches on the inside will disolve on their own. Bruising is starting to appear today. I hear he is on some good pain meds though, so hopefully he won't be too uncomfortable. I feel so bad for him, I know he is confused. He has been with me since September. Hopefully since I didn't take him to the vet and am not poking pills down, he will be glad to see me. Here is a picture of Buddy's butt today. Hopefully with his brindle markings, the scarring won't be too noticeable once the hair comes back in.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Buddy Update

Well, the Budster is out of surgery. Finally. He wound up at Louisville Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Services. Another great facility in Louisville. They got him under sedation and did a very thorough exam. The left side was much worse than originally expected and the right side had already started to herniate as well. They were able to fix both sides. There is a 90% success rate for this surgery. Let's hope he is among that percentage. He will have to be on very restricted activity for the next two weeks. No stairs, only leash walked for potty breaks and remain quiet. So he won't be coming back to my house until he is healed up and released from the doctor. I will keep you updated if I find out any more.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Caution: This Post Is About Poop!

Last Saturday, my foster dog Buddy, went on a home visit. One of his pet names here has been "Pooper". He does poop a lot. Probably more than he pees. I know this is probably too much information, but my dog friends understand!


The lady that took him on the home visit asked me if I thought Buddy was straining when he was pooping. Well, I thought about it. He poops a lot, but I really don't watch him. I mean, give a guy some privacy! So anyway, they decided to take him into the vet for a look see.


Ummm, excuse me! You are going to do WHAT???



In the meantime, they were watching Buddy do the number 2 and found that he had these bulges back by his tail. So he goes to the vet on Monday and after a very thorough exam, they find that Buddy has a perineal hernia. Click HERE for description and photo of an extreme case.



I am just worried sick about my boy. He will be going to Metropolitan Veterinary Specialists in Louisville, Kentucky (about 90 minutes from here). There were not vets in our area that were experienced enough to do the surgery. The president of our local adoption group will be taking him there for a consult. But he will most likely be having surgery. This is a huge expense for our group. The low ball figure is $1700.00 for this surgery. Good thing we just had a pretty successful fundraiser!



So if you would say a little prayer for my Budster on Monday, I would appreciate it!

Friday, May 13, 2011

I couldn't even come up with a title for this post, my brain is fried. Tom went in for his dental yesterday. Got the call from the vet, he was out of surgery, but they had to cut out early. They got 5 abcessed incisors out, and broke off some of the plaque and tartar. Then his temp started going up. It went up to over 106. Bad news. They were able to get one of the growths off of his rear leg. They got him off the anesthesia and started cooling him down. Ice packs and cold IV fluids. Sheesh, I am getting too old for this shit. Yep, I just said that.

It appears that he has a condition called Malignant Hyperthermia. Click HERE to read more info. So, factor in his kidney issues, we know that we can't put him under inhaled anesthesia again. So, keep your paws crossed that he can make it the rest of his life not needing any type of major surgery. If he does, we are kind of screwed.

Being a picky eater too, I am now faced with being creative to get his meds in him. He figured out that the meat balls from canned food had pills in them. This morning, he took them in pill pockets. Let's hope I can keep him fooled.

Needless to say, I had a pretty scary day yesterday...I am kind of spent.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Coffee with a Canine

Holy Cow! I feel so honored. Click HERE to visit Coffee with a Canine to read our story!

Friday, May 6, 2011

You're Gonna Do What?

Tom here. Mom took me to the vet today. Some of you may not know that I was diagnosed 3 years ago with kidney disease. Since then I have to have this HUGE needle stuck in me and they take away my blood every three months. Yeah, no fun. I was about a month over due anyway. I really haven't been hungry lately, and think I have lost a few pounds. Mom keeps telling me my teeth are bad. Maybe that's why I am not eating much these days.

Anyway, she gets the leash out and I am super excited! Then, like always, I get in the van the shakes come over me. I mean, I like to go, but I just get so nervous. But I always get the sympathy at the vet 'cause my nails click on the tile. You know they feel sorry for me and toss a cookie my way. Man, the things you do for a treat!

So, I heard them say that after they get the results back from the blood they stole from me, I might be getting a dental! WHAT??? Then I heard them say something about while I was out, they would take care of a few other things. I like my bumps, why do they need them?

So we finally get out of there...man they were putting things in the out door, if you know what I mean. I come home to my yard and there's mom following me. Sheesh, they were doing that at the vet. Can't a guy take a leak in peace? I mean, they got my blood, why do they need my pee? Well, I guess we will find out next week what fun I get to have next!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Jax is Home...Finally

My friends, Jax is home with his family in Honolulu. Finally. I really honestly thought I would never be making this post. He came to stay with us in August and was supposed to be with his family by Christmas. So he made it, just almost 4 months late!

I must say, if anyone is flying a pet anywhere, I would highly recommend Continental Airlines. They have been so helpful during this whole process. The man at the Quikpak cargo desk at Chicago was so nice. He helped me get the kennel out of the van and into the terminal. He was so nice when I was standing there blubbering like a fool too. Gave me his direct number to his desk so I could call and make sure the plane got off. He told me he would keep Jax with him in the office until the last possible minute. When I did call back, he gave me all the details about how he behaved in his kennel while he was there with him. Reassured me that they do this everyday and that he was in good hands. Super, super nice guy. Also told me that the other airlines that I got quotes from (like $2,000) would turn around and fly him with them anyway. I was able to track him. See what time he was put on the plane, what time he got to the next stop, when he went on the next plane. Also, when he got to Honolulu, they told me when he went to animal quarantine. The only thing that would have been better,was streaming live video!

So after all of you who have followed this story, thanks for your support.