CarrieAnne -- It had to be Okay!

Many, many thanks to everyone who thought of CarrieAnne yesterday when she had surgery and sent good thoughts for her.  I can honestly say that I felt assurance all day that everything would 'be okay.' But I have to admit that when 4 o'clock rolled around and I'd not heard from my vet, I started to get really nervous. Thankfully about an hour later I got the call I had been waiting on letting me know that Carrie was doing  just fine; and although it was a very long surgery (more than 3 hours) she had no problems whatsoever with the anesthetic--This was because of the detailed notes made by my previous vet, the anesthesia was given differently which made all the difference.  Two hours later, I was picking up a very woozy CarrieAnne.

She had a good nights sleep and after a slow start this morning by this afternoon CarrieAnne was enjoying time outside with all of us.  This evening she ate her entire meal.

I do have to think that she's doing well in part due to the gift given to her by the Tooth-Fairy which was pain medications--What a nice gift!

One thing I've never mentioned before is that CarrieAnne had a sister named Lucy that she was very, very bonded to and who was very protective of Carrie.  Lucy waits for CarrieAnne at the Rainbow bridge, and it's days like yesterday, that I have to think that Lucy is still there watching over her sister, making sure she's okay--With that and all of your good thoughts and prayers, there really was no way that CarrieAnne's surgery could not have turned out 'okay.'

Home Alone

I'm home from work today.  I have to be honest, work and life's stressors have become a little overwhelming--And there is still plenty of week ahead with company coming this evening, again on Thursday and Carrie's surgery on Wednesday.  So rather than toughing it out at work and because I was feeling a bit snippy with everyone and not very much apathy, or empathy, I'm not sure which for patients, I decided what I needed was a day off....at home....alone...with the dogs of course.

To start our day, since I was already feeling guilty for not being at work, I decided that I would just add to those feelings and have a guilt-filled breakfast.  So Josh, Charlie, Sheba and I got into my van...

And crossed the Potomac River into Maryland...

 And went to the only place that you can buy guilt on a dollar menu...

Guilt or not, it's good to be home today!

I'm feeling a bit more like myself already.  I hope you're enjoying your Tuesday!

~Annie~

Not the Best

A busy and hectic weekend for us to get ready for company coming at the end of the week, and Carl getting ready to go out of town.  Yesterday we cleaned every area rug in the house and put them onto the porch railing to air out and finish drying.  While we were gone to church this morning heavy storms drenched every one of them.  We've used a wet-dry vac and hope they'll dry and not be ruined.

On Wednesday CarrieAnne is having surgery to remove a cracked and broken canine. It goes without saying that I'm worried about her having this done--Worried because five years ago she had surgery to remove a growth and my vet at the time told me CarrieAnne had a very difficult time waking up from the anesthesia.  Of course remembering that makes me uneasy, but I don't know that there's a choice given the condition of the tooth.

Sandy's weekend hasn't been the best.  Friday and Saturday he was restless and panted and paced throughout the night.  When he would lay down, he'd start a high-pitched barking that was almost non-stop.  Today he seems comfortable and has slept almost the entire day and we had to wake him for his evening meal.  Sandy is storm-phobic and I'm wondering if Sandy's restlessness could have been brought on by the change in weather the last couple of days?

My own weekend hasn't been the best.  Yesterday I took a break to take pictures of butterflies that were on a thistle on the edge of our yard.  I guess my presence wasn't welcomed because something stung me making my hand swell up like a balloon.  But I did get some good pictures ...

Speaking of butterflies, today after the storm there was a beautiful swallow tail that had gotten drenched and was in the grass of our yard.  I gently picked it up and showed Todd thinking that he would be curious about the insect that was crawling on my hand...Instead of being curious, he ate it--I guess sometimes you have to eat something to get an appreciation for its beauty...I hope you had a good weekend!!

A Gain for Lucas and a Loss for Sandy

I've been plagued with time consuming and very frustrating (!!!) problems with my blog all week. But I'm hopeful that the blogger-guru-gods have solved them for me--All paws and fingers are crossed, that they have.

Along with trying to solve the issues with my blog's reading list, the week started off in high gear with Sandy and Lucas at the vet for rechecks from appointments a month ago.

Lucas loved going to the vet!  This was only because the free entertainment in the waiting room was a cat that wasn't CC, and he got to bark at it.  Can someone tell me why you would ignore the signs posted throughout the office to have your cat crated while waiting, not sit in the 'cat waiting area' and then get upset when a strange dog starts barking and scaring your cat?  I'm afraid I just don't understand...But Lucas got a good report in that he's gained about 5 pounds and I'm hopeful that when the test results come back in a few days, that infection will be cleared up.

On the flip-side there was Sandy.  At his last appointment he was diagnosed with glaucoma so we rechecked his eye pressure.  Good news for him in that the medications seem to be working, making us hopeful that no other treatment will be needed for his eyes.  Sandy also started thyroid medication when he was diagnosed with being hypothyroid--At his last appointment he weighed in at a portly 120 pounds.  This appointment Sandy weighed in at a trimmer 99.9 pounds!  Of course we're concerned we may have over corrected the problem with his thyroid, but we'll see.  To me, no matter what his size, I think he's always going to remind me of a bear.  Not only does Sandy make noises like one, but when he rubs along our fence, (photos below) I think he looks a bit like one too, don't you think?

Sandy is totally confident finding his way around our house and yard and I find myself forgetting that he can't see.  Today marks his being with us for exactly two months.  When we first met Sandy, he wouldn't take any treats from my hand, no matter how good it may have smelled to him.  Now he takes everything and anything, and I find myself humbled by his trust.

I'm so, so glad that my blog issues are resolved, and I'm looking forward to enjoying my day off catching up with your news and things around the house.  Enjoy your Thursday!!

No Fleas Please!!

Yesterday was a very, very long day that started at 8 o'clock in the morning with the arrival of the workmen to replace our entire heating and air system.

Even knowing that Todd would have wanted to be here barking and barking (and barking) at the workmen, I made appointments for he and Charlie to be groomed.  Charlie and Todd went from this ...

To this ...

However, a little bit of 'panic' set in at the groomers when looking at Todd's coat, a flea was spotted!  I got a warning from the groomer about how hard they can be to get rid of, which in turn put me into high gear and cleaning mode!  I took all the dog beds, all the blankets and rugs and anything else that could be washed to the laundry mat.  While I was gone, Carl vacuumed everything and anything in the house, and emptied everything into the outside trash.  We treated the area rugs with '20 Mule Team Borax' (it kills fleas and their eggs on contact) vacuumed again, and then because I'm obsessive compulsive and because I just knew Carl may have missed a spot or two, I vacuumed every nook and cranny again.  Then we gave all the dogs a bath (with Dawn dish-washing liquid that also kills fleas on contact) and we have all crossed our fingers and paws that what was on Todd was just an anomaly; which is what the groomer said afterwards because she never saw another one on him or Charlie--And I never saw any on the other dogs, and believe me, I really looked!

Lucas

So you can see why I was just a little worn out.  I think everyone else was too.  But for the first time in a long while, our house is comfortably cool and even though last night we could have slept with the windows open, they are going to remain closed tightly and locked--I don't want a flea to get in!

Sheba & Toby

Josh and the Pear

~Josh~

With it just barely light this morning I got the dogs out for the first walk of the day.  The last few weeks Josh and Sheba have been making their first stop of the day the pear tree where they pick and eat the unripe pears. I've just decided to just let them eat them because the stink-bugs will get them if they don't.

~Josh and Sheba raiding the pear tree~

This morning Josh took off in the direction of the pear tree and I immediately heard his signature howling and barking and I knew he'd seen something.  I started after him and walked right through a spider web. As I furiously swatted at the sticky threads that were all over my face, I knocked my glasses off in the process. In the darkness and tall grass I couldn't see them and decided to leave them to retrieve Josh.  His barking had stopped and with Charlie on lead, and the entourage of the others following me, I knew going after him may mean I'd lose track of them in the chase.  So I tried calling to him.  I waited, and heard and saw nothing.  I called Josh again and waited...nothing.  I called again and waited....Still nothing.

I got the other dogs back inside and grabbed a flashlight.  Fortunately I found my glasses, (in one piece) but there was no sign of Josh.  It was getting light and I looked for Josh in the direction I thought he'd gone and didn't see him. I decided to go back to the house and wake Carl up so he could help me look for him--And there was Josh waiting for me in the garage.  When he saw me he stood up and started wagging his tail.  His eyes were all sparkly and there was something so innocent about him as he was smiling and munching on his morning pear.

Josh, Josh, Josh.....

On The Mend

I was on the road early this morning to get Todd to the vet for his yearly exam, blood work and rabies vaccine.  Todd weighs in at 26.4 pounds (12 kilograms) and got a clean bill of health and lots of treats!  He was really good at the vet and celebrated when he got home by harassing the cat.

Thank-you for the healing thoughts for Annie and I.  I am just fine and Annie's toe is looking better and is not nearly as sore or as swollen as it was.

There's no doubt that she's feeling much, much better and it shows.  

It's a quiet weekend for us.  The weather is just gorgeous and we've not done much other than spend some time on the front porch relaxing and watching Carl do yard work. I should probably help him, because we are really behind on mowing and trimming, but he's doing a great job!

~Sheba~

A Terrible Week Explained

It hasn't been the best week for me or the dogs.  It all took a turn on Tuesday evening when I got home and Annie, who up to this point could do no wrong and even if she did, it would be 'okay,' uncharacteristically started a fight.  I'm not sure exactly how it started.  I only know I'd just gotten home and the dogs were all around greeting me, I saw Annie turn on Sheba and it became a free-for-all.  I was able to break up the fight, but not before one of my hands was bitten several times, causing it to become sore and swollen. (Making it difficult to type)

I checked Annie very carefully to make sure she'd not been hurt in the fight because she instantly become a real grouch.  I found myself scolding her that evening when she snapped at Todd and the other dogs more than once.  Her soft and gentle eyes even looked different.  Needless to say, I was very concerned about this sudden change.

On Wednesday morning Annie wasn't putting weight on her back leg.  By the evening it was even more than apparent Annie wasn't feeling well when she refused her second meal of the day.  I gave Annie a really good once over paying particular attention to her back leg and I looked closely at her foot.  It was then that I realized that one of her toes was really red, swollen and sore--It all made sense now!  I think that this is why Todd has been so obsessed with her feet, this foot in particular, and why there was such a sudden change in her disposition--On Tuesday her foot was probably feeling tender and it must have gotten stepped on, starting the fight.  Annie's continuing to snap at the other dogs, I think explains why her behavior continued.

At the vet this morning we took an x-ray and her toe isn't broken and there is no visible tumor.  We're hoping that the infection has not spread into the bone and a medicated foot soak along with antibiotics and pain medication will do the trick and bring back the lovely Annie that we are all quite fond of!!

I Had To Do It

'Blog etiquette' says that you shouldn't post political views on your blog, and I will just say now, that this isn't what this post is about.  It's only about having the opportunity to see the President of the United States this week, and I just felt that I couldn't pass it up.

President Obama's new campaign office opened up right across from where I work, and they were giving away tickets to an event he was speaking at in the county where I live on Thursday, which is my day off.   Even though I live relatively close to Washington DC, my chances of  ever seeing the President are not that great, so I attended.  

I have to admit it took a lot time--I waited in line after work on Tuesday to get my ticket.  Then I waited in the searing heat to get into the event that had crushing crowds. Then I got home late on a night where I have to get up early the next morning--I don't know that I would do it again, but this time, I'm glad I did.      

Murphy's Canine Law

Murphy's Canine Law dictates that the dog with the most sensitive digestion will also be the dog with the least discriminating palate. I am finding that Todd is a living example of this law.  He'll eat anything that is not dog food and I have learned to just expect to see an unpleasant revisit of it somewhere later at the worst possible time and place.

~The Lovely & Fair Annie~

Along with chasing the birds that fly overhead Todd's favorite hobby is wandering around the house or yard with his nose to the ground looking for something to eat.  Note that I didn't say he's looking for something 'edible.'  Many of the things that Todd eats are not things that should be eaten. Case in point is that lately Todd has gotten a bit of a toenail-chewing-eating-obsession and it's NOT with his toenails, but Annie's.

As you may or may not know, all of the dog's love Annie.  Lucas admires her from a safe distance because Sheba defends and protects her.  Sandy can't see her, but that doesn't matter, if she's nearby he knows it and will follow her anywhere.  Even Charlie seems happier when Annie is around.  I guess given all that attraction to Annie it may just make sense that Todd would find something else to 'admire' about her.

~The Blonde Sisterhood, Sheba (left) and Annie~ 

I've no idea what to do because I can't seem to stop Todd from chewing and eating them, and so I guess all I can do is be thankful that she only has 18.

Enjoy your Thursday!  Its another busy day for me and at at the end of it, if I can take the heat and the wait, I'll be hearing President Obama speak at an event in Leesburg.