Great News From the Vet by Abby

At least I can still get belly rubs in spite of this big bandage!

This morning I went to the vet to make sure my shoulder didn't pop out again and it was still in place!  Plus, just to make sure it stays that way, I need to have the bandage on holding my front leg up for just one more week.  Karen was very happy to hear that because she thought I'd have to have it on six weeks!  I guess it will take that long to fully heal and I still have to be very careful.  No more long walks for me, but I'll be happy when I can at least do short walks again.  The vet said we will have to go very gradually.  I also pooped and peed on both my walks which made Karen and Gerard very happy and resulted in double treats for me!  Karen finally figured out that I would rather sleep in a little longer and go out a bit later, like two hours after breakfast instead of just one and she plans on taking a later bus to work that should get her there just in time.

Oh, and I had a new adventure today too!  I got to ride in the way back part of our Ford Escape for the first time!  It was so much easier for my daddy to get me in and out of the car from the back instead of the seat part.  My mom even put down her sleeping bag for me so I could be comfortable on a nice soft cushion even in the back.   Please keep asking God to make me all better, I know he can because he's healed me from much worse five years ago.  Woof!  Woof!

See also for background about being attacked Jan. 2012: 
Our Sweet Dog is Fighting For Her Life;
On the Road to Recovery
Abby's All Better, Praise the Lord!

 

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Good News: Update on Abby and Manny Boy

See how my front leg is all bandaged up so I can't use it?

It was such a relief when Abby finally pooped and peed after getting her dislocated shoulder popped back into place.  Yes, we have such an exciting life!  It happened yesterday afternoon when we took her out.  It is such a production to wrap the bandage in Suran wrap to keep it clean and dry and then get the sling on her so we can give her support to help her stand and walk.  She really is not supposed to walk at all, only to do her business and then right back inside.  Gerard said she's not going to poop just standing around, she has to move!  Apparently, he was right. 

This is a two-person job so I am using some personal time off from work.  Fortunately my bosses approved my leaving at 2:30 every day for the next 5 weeks which is the estimated time we were given that it would take for Abby to recover from this.

It makes me so happy to watch our cat, Manny Boy eat again too!  It seems our vet nailed the problem:  dehydration and feeling nauseous.  The two hours at the vet on Monday seems to have paid off.  They gave him fluids, an injection to relieve his nausea and a little pill to stimulate his appetite.  They sent me home with some special wet critical nutrition food too and told me to try that if he wouldn't eat his regular thyroid food.  He really gobbled up the critical nutrition food--2 tablespoons.  We had a nice relaxing time together on the couch while he digested it.  Today he was back to eating his normal food!


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Poor Abby, Oh God, Help Us!

Glad to be home but . . .

Somehow Abby dislocated her shoulder but we do not know when or how this happened.  We took her to the vet yesterday (not the way we hoped to spend our afternoon).  They did x-rays and fortunately, there are no broken bones and no fractures at least.  That was good news!  Also, although Dr. Walker never popped a dislocated shoulder in before, she gave it a try and was successful.  God answered that prayer--if she wasn't able to do it, we would have had to take her to an emergency clinic much farther from our home.  It is very fragile though and if it doesn't stay in, Abby will need surgery.  She stayed over night at the vet and we picked her up after church today.  We really missed her and are glad she is home.

As of now, it will take her at least 6 weeks to heal and she's all wrapped up and only has use of three legs.  We feel so bad for her and pretty helpless. She tries standing now and then but not for very long.  So far she has drank and eaten, but has not gone potty yet.  My husband will have to carry her outside down and up the steps for her to just go in our yard and then back in.  There will not be any walks at all for a while.  She had breakfast at 9:00 a.m. today instead of at 5:00 as usual with the pain pill that should be given every 12 hours.  This is not conducive to our normal eating schedule so it will disrupt our routine.  It looks like she'll be eating breakfast much later than usual and Gerard will have to feed her because I'll already be off to work. 

We were told not to let the bandage get wet or dirty so will have to wrap it up in suran wrap before we take her out.  I haven't even tried to do that yet.  Well, I'm off to PetSmart to see if I can get a sling to help her stand long enough to go potty.

It's going to be a long six weeks but she's made it through worse than this before so hopefully she will do it again.  January is not a good month for our pets!

Meanwhile, Manny is not eating today and I am a basket case.  Prayers would be appreciated for all of us. I am so stressed out, have a hard time thinking straight.  I am seriously considering taking off work!

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Me and Tile Floors Do Not Get Along--A Solution! (by our dog Abby)

I have a very hard time walking on tile floors now that I am older and my arthritis is worse.  I often slip like people do on an ice rink and sometimes I even fall!  Because of this, I stopped making nursing home visits and even at home in our kitchen and dining room it got to be hard for me.  But, this morning when I went through, there were three rugs along my path to the living room so I didn't have to walk on the tile all that much.  My mom gathered some throw rugs from other rooms and placed them like stepping stones.  Thanks, mom!  Woof!  Woof!

Mom says:  This is yet another example of how our pets rule.  It just tore at my heart watching her struggle so on the tile floor and even falling at times.  I thought I'd give this a try before she broke a bone falling down.  How do your pets rule your house?

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Now I Know Why Manny Likes Under the Bed

When it came time to set up my Nativity set for Christmas, the box was falling apart.  I kept it under our bed and some cat must have had a ball tearing it apart!  Manny loved going under the bed and would often spend the whole day there until I came home from work.  Now I know why!

I bought a plastic storage box for the set but let the cats say good-bye to their nice box.  They both enjoyed batting around the few pieces of straw inside and I even gave Spunky Doodle a little ride--she loved playing with the straw as I pushed her around the house.  Here's a short clip of part of her ride:

Did you play with your pet today?

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Looking Forward to 2017

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.--C. S. Lewis

With the beginning of a new year, it is that time again to reflect on the past year and make some New Year's Resolutions.  I am pleased with doing pretty well at keeping mine from the last few years.  I know often times, people make them and by February or March they have gone by the way side.  The secret is to make ones that are practicable and obtainable.

It's funny how our dreams change.  When I was a little kid my dream was to grow up and marry a little league baseball coach, live in a big ranch house with a ball field in our backyard, have nine boys and a pet for each of them and be a stay-at-home mom. I think I gave up on this dream when I got to be about 11 years old, maybe even sooner--I at least have 3 pets.

My goals for this year are to (1) try something new or go somewhere new at least once a month; (2) play at least once a week--even during the winter months and (3) surprise people with kind acts.

My dream is to grow old with Gerard and both be healthy enough to be active, independent and have fun without going broke and serve the Lord all the days of my life. 

What about you?  Any dreams you would like to share?  How do you do on your New Year's Resolutions?

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Who Will Cost The Most? (by Spunky Doodle)

My mom and Doctor Walker were pleased that I gained .5 pounds in one week after eating more, BUT now they changed my special prescription food again. The good news is my thyroid is just fine, the bad news is my kidney level in my bloodwork was a bit too high so now I have Pro Plan NF food. I like it all right, but think I won't be getting any more Sheba. My mom is going to as the Doctor, but the technicians didn't think she would approve.

The good news is that at least the problem was caught early and hopefully the food will fix the problem! This is why my mom takes me to see the vet, so we can keep on top of things. Things can change pretty quickly in us cats so it is good to see the vet regularly. It is not cheap to take care of pets so be sure you are willing to spend the money on any you adopt.

This year, my mom gave us each a line in her budget so she can see which of us wins at being the most costly to care for. I think I have a good chance at winning this contest, but it could be close. Let us know who you think will win in the comments (I am even giving you a summary of our current regular expenses to help you):

Spunky:  prescription food, upcoming dental cleaning, arthritis supplement, ear cleaning fluid, Revolution, cat litter

Manny:  prescription food for thyroid, ear cleaning fluid, Revolution, cat litter, has very bad teeth

Abby:  prescription food & Ostilox for arthritis, Dental chews & Milk bones, Revolution, Bravecto

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