True Cissy Fashion

Off to a early and frosty start Saturday  morning for the first vet appointment of the day which was for Shadow at 8 AM.  Shadow is a healthy dog and came to us fully vetted.  But different vets offices have different protocols and looking over his records, there were a couple of things that I wanted Shadow checked for that he hadn't been. One was for lyme disease.  The deer-ticks that carry it are really a problem in our part of Virginia, and all of our dogs, with the exception of Todd have tested positive and have been treated for it at one time or another.  Shadow is now part of the gang because he tested positive for lyme disease. He's now on an antibiotic and will be just fine.  I am also a big believer that you can never have too much identification on a dog, and so I also had him micro-chipped; so now if (and hopefully never) I lose 'my Shadow' this is another way he'll be able to find his way home.

The vet practice that I go to has two offices, so after Shadow's visit, we were off to see Cissy's vet at the other office.  Her appointment was only supposed to be for blood work and to talk about her skin problems.  Unfortunately it took a turn when I noticed her ear was looking a little 'wonky' and it was because of an aural hemotoma.  (For those of you who don't know, an aural hematoma is when blood collects under the skin of the ear flap).  Hopefully the drain that was put into her ear and the warm compresses that will need to be done twice daily will work and allow it to heal, and help us to avoid her having to have surgery. But Cissy shows her age at times like this and was really tired by the time we got home.  In the early evening, I found her shivering on the sofa, which was an odd place for her. A pain pill, and a warmed blanket from the dryer made a difference and Cissy slept for the rest of the evening.  This morning she whined when I began the compresses on her still very tender ear.  I found myself apologizing to her and I paused for a moment to explain to her why they have to be done.  When our eyes met, she stopped whining as if she fully understood.  In true Cissy fashion, I think she does.

The Local News

We end the week with everyone feeling pretty well and much cooler temperatures.  Tomorrow morning it'll be an early start with Cissy and Shadow who both have vet appointments for check ups.  

~Shadow (left) and Cissy~ 

Our week did have a bit of an unexpected twist when our dog-walker of 6 years was the subject of a story on the evening and morning news of all the local channels.  Authorities have charged "CC" and she has pled guilty  with taking prescription drugs from a home in July. According to the report, the home owners there became aware that prescription medicine was taken from their home while they were out of town and "CC" was providing pet sitting services for them.  I won't go into any detail, but I have to admit that this year there have been a few instances where 'things' didn't quite add up. But I overlooked them because "CC" was very reliable and dependable and I thought maybe I was wrong.  This was easy to do because I trusted her and like(d) her very much.  Now that everything has come out, and what I didn't want to think about our dog-walker has been confirmed, I find all of this extremely disappointing.  So I reluctantly begin the search for a new dog-walker.  However, I will have to first let "CC" go, which is something I've never done before and I'm really not looking forward to doing--But who would?  

A Close Eye

Thank-you all for the good thoughts for Annie.  By late Sunday afternoon she seemed more like herself and was more willing to take a walk, and was up and around more.  The shivering or tremors have almost stopped completely.  But because I am still seeing short bouts of them, I am keeping a close eye on her to make sure their frequency isn't increasing again.

With Annie feeling better, it was my turn to be a little under the weather. I am guessing that I must have picked up a bug on Saturday at the laundromat that probably hasn't been thoroughly cleaned since the 1980's.  But I stayed home from work today and keeping an eye on me was Todd, who, when I woke up from a nap, was staring at me. The house was totally quiet and there was something so peaceful and tranquil about that moment.

Todd must've felt it too, because he didn't move a single muscle. And after I took his picture, he and I both went back to sleep.  

I'm feeling much, much better, and will be back at work on Tuesday.  

I hope your week is off to a good start.  

The Heat is On

I was off to a running start early this morning.  That fall chill is in the air and it had me turning on the heat in the house and blasting it while in the car.  The trees are really starting to turn and the fall pumpkins, winter pansies and mums are being sold every where.

One of my stops today was the laundromat to wash and dry all of the dog beds. I've decided that laundromats have changed very little over the years, and this one is no exception and seems a little stuck in a time warp. But it was pretty much deserted, and I decided that I must be the only one with nothing else to do on a Saturday morning.

The day has come to an end with our keeping a close eye on Annie. She's not been feeling well the last couple of days, and today she has begun episodes of trembling or shivering. You may recall that Annie has lost about 75% of her kidney function, so this may be an indication that her kidney disease is in its final stages-- But of course that's only a guess, and I may very well be totally wrong about what's causing her to shiver.  Annie didn't come into the kitchen for her dinner, but she did eat her meal, and seems content and comfortable, so I'm trying really hard to not be too worried right now.  Would you believe that in January she'll be 15 years old?  I told her she has to stay well so we can celebrate.

I so hope Annie does, and I hope you are having a good weekend!