GreytNut

Raven has had a small hematoma on her neck/chest area for quite a while. It's never bothered her, and two different vets have told me not to mess with it. All of a sudden, though, it has bulged up and started rupturing and leaking blood. Last night it broke again and wouldn't stop dripping, so she went in to the vet bright and early this morning. They bandaged her up and she's coming back again on Wednesday to have it removed. It's got quite a network of arteries feeding it so it will be a difficult/messy removal. They want to send it away to pathology to make sure it hasn't become cancerous, since its "behavior" has changed. While she's out she's going to have a dental. No sense in putting her under anesthesia twice. Looks like one of her canines will need to go, and one of her molars. Total estimated cost for this whole adventure: $1,600. Ouch for her, and for the bank account too! Raven's hematoma... from harmless to icky in one night: Raven sez she likes her stylin' red bandage. Tiny isn't so sure about it, though. Please wish this old gal some good luck!

JoJo sounds like a remarkable cat. I'm sorry you lost him, especially at a young age.

You never really know how long you have. The vet told us 4 months, but Argus was gone in just over 2 weeks. Wendy's Snowman lived for several months. It just seems to be a crap shoot. The most important thing is to aggressively manage her pain. When you can't keep the pain down, it's time. When that will be, nobody knows. Spoil her rotten and enjoy each day with her. I'm sorry.

Oh, wow. I'm sorry.

Wow, he was with you such a short time... but it sounds like you guys squeezed a lot of love into those months. He was a beautiful boy. You've had quite a rough patch.

Even if she's had a rabies shot, the vet may want to give her a booster. If she hasn't, it would be a good idea to bring her in right away.

It would be well worth the money to hire a cleaning crew and a yard crew to get that place in shape for you. Then tell the landlord, "You're welcome, and we're taking it off the next month's (or three's) rent. That's disgusting and no one should be expected to move into a place that has been left in that kind of condition, nor should you be expected to do the work yourselves after such a long trip. If the landlord squawks about you charging him for cleaning the place up, I would imagine you have legal recourse and that the military may help you, yes?

They are fond of Wendy's hamburgers, hold the bun, hold the condiments. They haven't learned to savor the experience, though. Those patties disappear right quick.

From the time we got up this morning, Tiny was limping and panting so hard I thought he was going to hyperventilate. He refused to put any weight on his right front leg and cried when I touched it. I had terrible flashbacks of Argus right before he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, 'cause that's exactly how Tiny was acting. So we went to the vet, sat for three hours waiting for an opportunity to be seen--they were booked--and came out $500 lighter. However, all of Tiny's x-rays came back clean! We suspect he fell on the laminate floor, which is slicker than snot, and twisted/banged his elbow. I also just happened to notice something while we were waiting. Tiny got tired and flopped out on the tile floor, showing me his underbelly. I saw some thick white discharge coming from his penis which I hadn't noticed before. Turns out he also had a UTI, poor guy. It was just dumb luck that I saw this before he licked it away and while we were already in the vet's office. Otherwise he might have been uncomfortable for a while longer. He's now on Rimadyl for the elbow and amoxicillin for the UTI. While we were there, the vet decided to take a look at Raven's hematoma. It hangs out on her chest, is benign and doesn't cause her any pain, but it does rupture and spew blood everywhere from time to time. It'll be taken out at her next dental. I warned the vet about the spewing blood thing... too late. He'd already grabbed it and was studying it when it splattered all over his nice, pristine monogrammed white coat. Oops. So we're poorer tonight, but very much relieved. I was convinced that Tiny had osteo and was a hysterical sobbing mess. It was so good to come out knowing he was okay. And because everyone was so well-behaved, on the way home we stopped for hamburgers sans bun, which was very well received.

He was a rare find, and one others would have passed right by. You did right by him.

Year round, always, even when it's -20F outside. Not only does Heartgard Plus or Interceptor protect against other worms--not just heartworms--but we can have warm Chinooks in the middle of winter when it's 60 degrees or better for a week straight. I wouldn't trust that a few skeeters might not take advantage of a warm spell to come out and take a bite. Besides, I am a creature of habit and it helps me remember to give it if I make it a monthly ritual.

All of my critters, hound and feline, are microchipped. Depending on where they were chipped, some have AVID and some have HomeAgain. I prefer HomeAgain over AVID because you can update your pet's info for free and do it yourself online. You can also upload a picture of your pet. My experience has been that HomeAgain offers a basic service with no annual fee and an upgraded service for $15 a year. AVID requires you to pay $6 per pet to update any info (this can get expensive with multiple pets) and I've never, ever had them get all of the information correct on the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd try. Their data entry operators simply do not pay attention to what they're doing. Microchips are cheap insurance, provided that you remember to mail in your registration and keep your pet's information current (and complain if it's entered wrong). Collars and tags can come off or be removed. Not everyone knows what to do with an NGA tattoo. They just add an extra layer of protection if your pet is lost and a means of positive ID if your pet is stolen. When I worked for a vet, the first thing we did when we had a stray was scan them.

It all started with one lone sign that said, "Free Ice Water."

from South Dakota. You just missed the tornadoes! Did you get to see Crazy Horse? It's a stone's throw from Mount Rushmore and even more spectacular. You'll likely have passed too far to the north to see it, but there's a town in eastern Wyoming called Lost Springs. Population: 1. I cackle every time I drive through there. Wyoming's a beautiful place, but desolate.

59. Happy trails!

Our paper shredder has an auto-shutoff feature if anything other than paper tries to go into it, but I keep it unplugged when it's not in use for just that reason. I remember hearing about a kitten who had climbed on top of one, got his long fur caught in it and ended up with a shredded belly when the skin on his tummy followed the fur into the works. Better safe than sorry. ETA: Kitten lived!

Argus had a dry, hacking cough as well. I'm sorry.

Mine get bathed when they actually smell like dogs. It's only about 3 times a year, unless they get into something really foul or Tiny pees on Raven.

Neither are super close to Ramona, but there's Dr. Clayton Johnson at AVL Animal Hospital in Hemet, and IIRC there are at least two grey-savvy vets at Mission Animal & Bird Hospital in Oceanside. I liked/trusted both places.

I should mention that the extreme dose I gave to Argus was for end-of-life comfort, and given with regard only to alleviating pain, without consideration of long-term side effects. That dose will not kill a greyhound, but would likely have serious long-term effects. If he had not already been dying, this would have been something we needed to think about. Tramadol does have a fairly wide margin of safety, but still... check with your vet before going bonkers with it.

Argus was on it for osteosarcoma. He started at 2 50mg tablets a day and by the end he got 16 tablets a day. It never did appear to make him sleepy, not even at the extremely high dose. You have enough latitude with Tramadol that you can adjust the dose up or down if you need to, but do check with your vet first.

Yes, Argus would get Charley horses and spring up out of a dead sleep screaming and dangling his leg. It scared us half to death, but he would be okay after a a few minutes of rubbing it and walking him around to loosen him up.

I have found that Advantage seems to work better for fleas and Frontline for ticks, but either will do in a pinch. Bathe Esme, then put the flea treatment on as soon as she's dry. Make sure you wash all dog bedding, blankets and plush toys. Sprinkle Borax on your carpet, let it sit for as long as you can, then vacuum it up. Wash your own bedding, too, in case you have any stowaways that may have hitched a ride with you. That should nip it in the bud.

Same here. I sure do miss her. Anyone know how her pups are doing in their new home?

I'm sure you made the most of every day you had with him. He fought the good fight and was certainly loved. to you.