ZoomDoggy

Red Dwarf fan too, eh? Thank you for your kind words about Sissy. Last Saturday marked one year since we were robbed of her by cancer.

I'm very very sorry for your loss. I wish there were a magic cure for the pain of mourning... Missy's picture is lovely. Though I do have to say you've chosen an... interesting... username. :

Wowza! : Thanks for sharing the pics. Very scary! Hope he continues to leave the area alone!

Let's see! :

Chancy is on Previcox. I asked for an alternative to Rimadyl and Deramax that might have less impact on her liver. She's been on it on & off as needed (more on than off since her surgery two weeks ago) for a month or so with no noticeable side effects. The ultimate test will be her next blood profile though... not sure how soon that will be. Interestingly, (you may want to ask about this) my holistic vet one time prescribed Gabapentin for Chancy to ease her back pain. It's not approved for veterinary use yet, but many vets are trying it out. It an anticonvulsant that also eases nerve pain. I found that it did seem to help Chancy, and I would certainly consider trying it again.

Wow! Jennifer, they did a very tidy job! He looks great, if a bit stoned. I'm so glad it went well today, and he's back home safe with you. One item I can check off Aimee's Great List O' Worries for today. Other than the obvious E-collar, I don't know how to keep him from fussing with it.

SOOOO glad to hear he's come through surgery well! :

Thinking of Scooter today...

I truly appreciate your detailed accounts of your experiences with Bodie. I've no doubt it's been unbelievably difficult, but thank you so much for sharing them. Here's hoping you're on the upswing now!

I've often said the same thing to sad-eyed Tip and Marla while feeding Chancy her special meatballs. and smooches for Sprite. I'll look forward to reading the chemo updates!

May I ask, how can you tell when he has aspirated anything? I know to look for signs of pneumonia (fever, lethargy, labored breathing, "wet" cough, etc), but how do you know he's aspirated before the pneumonia signs start to show? And what meds do you use to stave off infection? (don't mean to hijack, but just had a laryngeal tieback done on one of my pups last week...)

Oh Jennifer. You know I know what it is to worry. Scooter will be in my thoughts, non-stop. :

I've used a plastic muzzle with duct tape over the end (only the end where his tongue can reach, not the sides) with good success before.

so zoomdoggy, how yucky could it possibly be in MN? Ha, you laugh, but my blood has become thick up here. When it's in the high 90's with a dewpoint of 70+, We're wilting. But then I'm just as intolerant of our extreme cold too. Why oh why can't autumn last longer??

Or one could use my simpler equation: If it feels yucky, we don't go out.

I haven't been through your scenario, but after following all your posts recently, I feel as though I have. I'm so sorry things are so rough right now. I had the same thought as Luckydog-- would it be possible to cushion the van more for the ride to OSU? I'm talking princess-and-the-pea style-- lots of cushy foam padding to absorb shock from road bumps...

It's been hot and muggy here, but no more so today/yesterday than the last month or so. And we have AC on all the time indoors. :

Aww Scoots, don't scare yer momma like that.

Today's update: Chancy's been continuing to do well over the past few days. Her breathing has been great, no coughing, no problems eating or drinking. Her tummy even seems possibly less swollen. My only concern (and I may be over-analyzing at this point), is that her energy level seems a tad lower than I would have expected. She happily greeted me at the door after work yesterday, but not with her customary bouncy glee. Same with her walk this morning. She wagged when I picked up her leash, but didn't paw at me or grin or stomp on my feet like she usually does... It's very humid out today, so our am walk today was very short and slow.

Exposed BONE?? Yeeowtch! : I'd be mad as hell at that "e-vet" too. : I'm glad she's feeling better this morning.

Oh that is annoying about the e-vet. I hope she gets relief quickly.

I'm always a nervous wreck about anesthesia, esp with seniors. Loca sounds very healthy, so I'm sure she'll be fine.

When they re-located Tip's toe, they put cotton in between the toes to hold their position, and then wrapped up the whole foot in gauze and vetwrap for two weeks. Stella's still sounds dislocated to me, despite what your e-vet said.

Tipper dislocated a toe about a month ago on a Sunday. I called the e-vet and described the injury. They said unless it changed (became very swollen/painful) it could wait until the next day so we could see our regular vet. Tip's foot never swelled at all, just had one toe pointing sideways inward toward the others. He even walked on it with barely a limp, but developed a sore on the side of the toe that was now facing the ground. The next day I brought him to my regular vet, who was able to fix it with light sedation. It was packed and bandaged for two weeks, and has shown no signs of re-injury since. If I'd had the nerve, perhaps I could've fixed it myself. But never having done it, I was way too squeamish. In the meantime, you can try putting cold packs on the foot to alleviate pain and swelling. Good luck with Stella's poor footie!

My Chancy has never "run" up the stairs in the two years I've had her. Fear not, her activity level remains low, despite her increased energy. And yes, it's so quiet around here, it's almost eerie. She's doing well. We just got home from a nice long car ride around town to run some errands. Hubby chauffeured us and patiently waited in the van's AC with the pups while I darted in & out of places, getting stuff done. What a nice guy.