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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Thinking of Tink

Since Ori arrived almost 2 weeks ago I haven't had an opportunity to work on Tink's scrapbook as our spare minutes have been spent working with O.  As a result of potty training, we've been doing more laundry.  We used to call it "Tinker laundry" as we were always washing towels and blankies as she peed in her crate daily.  Now it's "dog laundry."  I went through the house and washed all the bedding and I had a wave of sadness and nostalgia as I was folding dog towels.  It amazes me where and when my heart finds a memory and it hits me.

Ori reminds us a lot of Tink.  The sighs, the snores (not as loud, but we figure we'll give her a few years to work on that!), the snuggling, the determination and courage she shows all ring of the Little One that lived and loved here for so long.   Every once in a while Ori sighs and I feel like Tink is in the room again.  We played games last night and Ori laid in my lap for a good portion of the night (stinking us out of the room, but that's another story!) content as content can be.  Her little face was so peaceful and comfy as she laid there lightly snoring away.  When we sit on the couch, she likes to lay on our lap, touching us in some way.  For some reason I didn't plan on this foster being a little snuggler...almost like I had given up hope of that happening again...

Nick and I are imagining that Tink was probably pretty similar to Ori when she was her age.  If she was in a place at that age where she could play and snuggle, I imagine she would have had a nice blend of the two.  We figure in a few years, Ori will be more like Tink as we knew her as her snuggling desire seems to be increasing the longer she is with us (I know it's only been 2 weeks but still!)  It's like through Ori, we're getting a taste of what Tinker's puppy hood might have been like.  Of course we'll never really know, but it does help me smile when I see Ori running around outside happy as happy can be.  Somehow through giving Ori a puppy hood, pieces of Tink's are here with us too.  And of course we are imagining that these similarities will carry out in Ori as she matures and enters into adulthood.

Of course we love Ori for being uniquely Ori, playing with puppy, chewing on bones, following Molly around in young curiosity, rolling on the floor and pushing off the wall with her back legs, her cute but big under bite, etc etc.  There is something pleasant about the similarities between O and Tink.  These similarities are producing more smiles than tears, although sometimes the loss of Tink still hits like a sharp blow to the stomach.

So here I sit thinking of my little heart dog and Ori is contently sleeping on my lap in all her smooshy face puppy-ish goodness.  God's timing is not a mere coincidence...

My new dishwashers...

...may be good, but they certainly don't have the Tinker "Take the Teflon off the pan" cleaning power.  That girl would lick a pan for hours until every spot was gone.  Even our chow hound Molly can't compete with that cleaning prowess.  However, these girls are a good pre-wash cycle and they make a cute little team together!


Working hard as a team for sure!

 

you get that side and I'll work over here O!


Keep working girls!



Hard at work

 
mmmmm egg and potato goodness!
I love that neither one of them shows the least bit of food aggression at all.  Even with all of Molly's food issues she isn't mean or nasty.  Molly is teaching Ori to be a bit more inquisitive and Moo is showing her the ropes around the kitchen.  We continue to settle in to our routine with the 4 of us and in all it's craziness it's been fun and we are really enjoying it....

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The last few days

The last few days have been a whirlwind in our little family.  Ori went 4 meals without eating and was really starting to worry me.  Thursday night I cooked up some chicken liver in hopes of enticing her to eat a little.  She ate a little but it was like "well if you're going to force me, I'll eat a bite or too..."  although she did spend some time in the kitchen smelling the smells.  Then finally yesterday evening I was cooking up a new batch of food for the girls and Ori paid attention!  Nick grated the carrots and the collard greens and peas are small enough that she can't pick them out.  She ate a 1/2 cup of plain turkey for dinner and then as I would packaging up the food and let Molly lick out the pot, Ori came over and was licking it out too!  So I put some in her bowl and she ate it!  So then I put more in her bowl and she ate that too!  She also ate breakfast this morning which is wonderful.  Maybe her hunger strike is over.

Molly's been eating well, looking and acting well too.  She has been getting up and getting into bed between 3 and 5:30 am though.  She usually snuggles with me.  I think she likes that Ori isn't in bed when she is in bed.  She and Ori seem to be doing pretty well together overall.  Often Ori goes over to Molly while she's eating like "hey whatcha doing?" and I never have to worry about molly being mean and  nasty.  She really is a teddy bear!

Ori's heat continues on and now the spots don't want to come out of the carpet.  So we took a respected breeder's advice and bought some onesies....you should have seen us at K-mart yesterday night.  Thank heavens for clearance.  yes, these are 18mos onsies!

 
It doesn't stay on perfectly, but it certainly helps!  We need to save our sanity and our carpet!


What a beautiful face!



Last night we had to make a choice.  Remember Belle, the dog we were supposed to pick up after we dropped Macy off at her forever home?  I do....it's a long and messed up story but she needs to come into rescue.  I wanted her so badly, but the thought of moving Ori didn't make any sense.  I sat on the couch to talk with Nick about it and Ori came up on the couch, licked my face and promptly laid in my lap.  I couldn't justify moving her into another home for Belle.  She fits here....and everyone seems to know it.  Belle has a good foster home to go to where she can live out her days in peace and love, finally.  It's just not with us.  Some day we'll have our own place and be able to take in multiple dogs....just not yet.

Ori is my little snuggler.  She climbs into my lap and has the most content and peaceful face on her.  She came back to bed with me after breakfast this morning...yeah, I was in heaven.  Her balance between play and snuggling is pretty fantastic.  Potty training is coming along too.  She has a pretty big under bite which is adorable.  Her little teefers stick out and we smile!

The 4 of us have spent a good deal of the morning on the couch relaxing.  I finished up a bunch of work on home visits, Nick played video games and the girls snuggled with us....1 of these days we'll get a bigger couch, until then, we snuggle up real close and tight!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Motivating Ori



We haven't taught Ori to go up stairs yet.  We've tried a little on the top few stairs but not being food motivated, she didn't see the need to try to get the hotdog especially when she knew we would pick her up.  I was thinking about that this morning as I was taking her outside and she is bounding up and down and going up the concrete stairs to another apartment building.  We're learning that Ori's commodity is puppy her stuffed animal.  We just reach for it and she gets all excited!  She plays and plays and plays with this puppy shaking her silly little head beating puppy back and forth.  The lighbulb went off this evening:  let's use puppy to motivate her to use the stairs.  She hasn't mastered the stairs in any way yet, but she has actually bounded up the top few stairs on her own with puppy teasing her.  She then grabbed puppy and chewed on him all the way into the apartment.

We're not sure if Ori will ever learn to go down our apartment stairs though.  She's too top heavy and our stairs are too narrow.  We'll start on the wider longer steps that we have around the apartments and see where we go from there.

Ori is certainly in heat and now we're coming to terms with what that means....it hasn't been too bad.  Fortunately there are a few very experienced and responsible breeders with the rescue who have been helping and giving great suggestions to help us through the process.  Always a learning experience with fostering.  Always.

She's still not eating consistently.  Some days she eats breakfast but then won't eat dinner.  Other days it's dinner she eats after she's snubbed breakfast.  As long as she eats 1 meal a day, I'm ok with that.  It does kill me that she turns her nose up to my home cookin' though!  If only she could get some calories and nutrition through puppy she'd be more than good!  She has a waist line now though and she's acting and looking just fine so...1 day at a time!  It still feels weird to have a fussy eater with Moo around though!

The detox supplements came today and we're going to start both girls on the thuja and ori on the vaccine detox this evening.  Hopefully we can rid Ori of any lingering vaccination side effects.

It always amazes me at how adding another dog to our life alters the routine of the house.  It doesn't take very long to get back into the routine, but it definitely changes it a bit.  We're finally reestablishing the routine and as a result Ori is peeing less in the house and I can actually sit down for more than 5 minutes...although sitting long enough to eat dinner is still not consistent.  Ori's a fabulous snuggler and I love it when she finally settles.  She prefers to lay on top of me, some how touching me.  She's so stinkin' cute!

I think it's puppy playing time as soon as Nick gets home and Ori wakes up!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Pictures of Ori and Moo in Action!

It's been just over a week since Ori was pulled from the mill.  She has come so far in so little time!


We affectionately call this stuffed animal "puppy" and she loves him!  She carries him around, plays with him, sleeps in her crate with him.  Puppy has been very good to Miss O!  Nick and I throw puppy around and Ori chases and runs.  Sometimes she gets him and then runs off with him.  We fetch him and then start the game all over again!  She doesn't seem to tire of it!


She's fast!  Nick's trying to keep puppy away from O, but she's quick!


 Her back end is getting stronger--she can jump : )



my puppy!



Can I keep him mom?  Her tongue gets soooo long when we play!


good thing you're cute miss Ori!

Overall, she's getting into a pretty nice routine with us.  She's not eating 2 meals a day, but she is generally eating 1.  She was eating dinner but not breakfast, but this morning she ate breakfast then not dinner.  I'm not forcing her although it does kill me to see her snub the home cooked deliciousness that everyone else has loved...here loss I guess : )  I've come to terms with the fact that Ori is in heat.  I can't ignore it any more!  She was definitely bleeding last Wednesday so we figure we had through saturday or so before she finishes.  That means she needs 6 weeks before she can get spayed.  Looks like you're hanging out with us young lady!


And while Ori is going crazy with the toy, Molly is helping us with recycling and licking out the peanut butter jar.  You'll notice the label is gone.  I removed it when she started eating it!


Moo's been more needy with Ori here.  She begs for more attention or she leaves when Ori comes around.  We've been going out of our way to give Moo more love and attention and making sure she has special privileges that Ori doesn't have, like sleeping in bed.  Last night Moo didn't want to sleep in her bed.  Instead she pawed up at ours!  We did let her up for a little bit and then we moved her back into her own bed as no one sleeps with Molly in bed from the get go.  It was funny.  I put her on the edge of the bed initially but Nick got up to pee and she jumped over me so fast to get to the middle of the bed!  Silly girl!


Molly continues to do well without the Trilostane.  Let's just say I am VERY impressed with the cushex.  In an effort to help keep a little more weight on her (and wear Ori out) we're back to walking more consistently.  This cold weather makes it hard, but we have to get them both out.  I'm hoping that we can put a little bit more muscle mass on Moo.  Now it's only been a few days of consistently getting 2-3 walks (a walk does not mean going to the dumpster and back!) and she's already starting to look a tad less bony! Go Moo go!  The increase in exercise should help her Cushing's as well. (and my waiste line!)


I love Miss Moo so much!  It hurts me when she would rather sleep in O's crate than snuggle on the couch.  So I've started giving her a personal invitation to sleep on the couch in the evenings.  It seems to be helping.  She needs to know that we love her and want her to be a part of the family.  I do love that she is extra snuggling more often though!  And i'm sunk when she paws up at the bed like Tink used to.  Funny, she never paws up on Nick's side...she always travels around the bed to my side! 

So it's us girls tonight.  I need to get some school work done and the girls are resting, 1 on either side of me (my fav!)  Ori is peeing less in the house and more outside, although not nearly as much.  Molly can be a crotchety old lady, but she humors us.  We certainly have plenty of things to laugh about and love over here!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Ori's Vet Visit

Miss O went to the vet on Friday night.  She was a good girl especially considering the length of time we were there and what was done to her!

The long and the short of it is, all the tests done came back negative, but she has a nasty ear infection and bladder infection.  Clavamox and ear drops are supposed to do the trick.  3 days later she's still bleeding a little so I'm not sure if it's heat or UTI related.  (Dr. Reigel couldn't tell me if she was in heat or not : ( I would just like to note that this is NOT my usual vet but the vet that helps the rescue out.)

He was also unsure if the tumor needed to be removed.  I'm hoping he can decide that before the spay so if it does need to be removed he can do that while she's under... he decided that bloodwork could be done before her spay.

He didn't feel any knee issues, but possibly a little arthritis in her back right leg which is the better of the 2 options in my opinion

She weighs just over 18 lbs : )


She had a reaction to the rabies shot...she vomited a few times and was very lethargic for the day on Saturday.  Looking back I should have waited to give that to her, but she has appeared to recover without any major incidence.  I do want it put in her record and I'm hoping it can be grounds for future exemptions for her.  She's still not eating very well for me.  She snubs the TOTW kibble and pics out the turkey, but in the mornings she doesn't even do that.  She's snubbing treats, but is chewing on bones...she usually eats a little for dinner and some out of her kong during the day.  Hopefully soon she'll start eating a bit more.

She and Molly are definitely keeping me and Nick on our toes over here....potty training is having some success but not as much as we would like.  The mornings are tough and I keep hoping the clavamox will kick in a little bit more!  I made britches for her and unfortunately she can get out of them too quickly...i need to tweak my design but I haven't yet.

I'll have to share some fun Ori and Moo stories in another post.  Good thing they're cute!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Starting the day with a bang

My battery light came on yesterday...I drove on it all day without issue.  I then drove home on it and slowly watched the power drain from my lights.  It died in the parking lot of the apartment building.  Yes I was being taken care of each step of the way.  My VW guy didn't call me back yesterday so I called a guy in town that was highly referred by a friend.  He answered his phone and said to bring it in.  My car started this morning so we started the 2 mile journey to the shop with Nick following me.  My lights started fading about 3/4ths of a mile into the journey and we died literally 1/2 mile from where we were going.  Fortunately it was right at a Turkey Hill and Nick and a kind lady who was pumping her gas, helped us push it into a parking spot.  I called Kurzen and left a message and before we finished with AAA, he drove over and helped us get it to his shop!  He seemed very knowledgeable about VW's (and the stupid check engine light idiosyncrasies!)and I have confidence that he will be able to take care of my little car.

All of this took just over 30 minutes...  Nick and I came home and listened outside the apartment door.  Absolute silence. silence.  Is this possible? Sure enough.  She was laying down in her covered crate with 2 puppies inside and a partially eaten kong.   We serve an amazing God who cares about each and every little detail in our lives.

I've been pretty narrow focused this week with puppy Ori here.  She's all consuming but I'm hoping that we are still able to regain some balance and a widened perspective again.  Sooner rather than later.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

4 years ago today....



Was the beginning of a magical journey....rest in peace little one.  Know your memory and love lives on in your family

Ori, Ori, O



Miss Ori is snuggling on the couch...Moo is under the red blanket and all 4 of us fit on this love seat : )









So finally slowing down over here.  Less pressure to get everything figured out in a set time frame (or at least the perception of a set time frame.)  Not as stressed because Ori seems to be settling in a little bit more.  This really isn't a surprise considering she's been out of the stinkin' mill since Monday morning.  She's made so MUCH progress in these few short days it is rather remarkable.  Some day we're going to have our own place where we can take in dogs that have louder issues to work through.... who knows maybe Ori will continue to settle in quickly.  We laugh and smile with her and Moo here so much.  We'll take it 1 step at a time...her mannerisms are similar to another little one that we love so dearly.  Nick and I have caught ourselves laughing and reminiscing at the same time.  We watched her trying to lick out a bowl tonight and yeah, there was so Tink in her trying to keep the bowl steady, grabbing it with her teeth...her excitement and zest for life is contagious.  Molly seems to enjoy the company and while she sometimes has that "Mom, are you serious, she's a PUPPY" look on her face, she is incredibly patient and loving towards Ori in her own weird way....both these girls are adorable and wonderful.

And how they cuddle so well....

So for those who have been following us this week, I'm apologizing up front.  We're not always this crazy...  Apparently Ori was quiet in her crate today.  She found some "puppies" this morning (my BT stuffed animals) and she was licking them and loving them....So I put 1 in her crate and apparently she really liked that?  The neighbor across the way said she was quiet all day : )

My car is having issues..my little battery light came on today and apparently that's not a good sign.  I drove home tonight with my lights dying the whole way : (  It did start again, but I am having it looked at ASAP tomorrow.  As a result, there is not guarantee of reliable transportation for the transport on saturday (since I would need Nick's car for travel to class.)  Looks like Ori is staying a little longer.... : )



Yes, they snuggle often!



Love it!



They're cute...what else is there to say?





I apparently know very little about a dog's heat cycle...it is quite possible that Ori is bleeding because of the UTI (I am very very convinced she has 1).  My current plan (ha!) is to get her to her vet appointment tomorrow evening and get her started on meds as soon as possible and then get her spayed ASAP next week if she is not in heat.

We're going to take things 1 day at a time and now that we have a little more time we can make a more informed decision.  We're hoping that we can at least foster this little one....we'll see what is in store.

She is so funny!  She's been rolling around on the dog beds and sliding right off them.  She's playing with toys and chewing on things....still not eating a lot, but eating twice a day.  She seems to have more energy and is running around outside getting caught on her nose every once in a while : )

Molly is doing well...she stole some hot dog out of my hand last night just before bedtime.  It was a flying hot dog in the air and catch it before it hits the floor kind of move.  She was then totally convinced she was getting Ori's.  So convinced we think she got up in the middle of the night to check for it.  That's when I put her in bed and she snuggled for the rest of the night : )

OK, forward and onward....1 day, 1 step at a time....

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

So this is what it feels like...

....to make hard decisions. 

Apparently Ori is barking when we are not home.  I stood outside the door this morning and listened.  Within 3 minutes she was barking (she had to get the peanutbutter out of the kong first.)  Nick came back 30min later, still barking.  He put her in the back in the crate (to lessen the sound) and left early this afternoon.  3 hrs later I came home, still barking.  This time a bit more frantic (she couldn't see Molly.)  This is not the only reason, but it is kind of the deal breaker.  We want to do everything we can to be responsible doggie parents and right now we do feel it is a disservice to both dogs to keep her here...yes these decisions are being made quickly but not without a lot of thought.  Given the time parameters we have to work with, decisions need to be made...

There are lots of really great reasons to keep this little gem to ourselves.  If I start the list, I'll never finish...  The stress I felt today about making this decision and trying to work through her barking was excessive.  We live in an apartment where barking dogs are a luxury not to be afforded (if we want to stay on good terms with our neighbors and landlord!)  She only barks when we're not home...that makes reconditioning rather difficult.  She may outgrow it or eventually not need to be crated after she's potty trained, but we can't take that risk.  My mother really put everything in perspective this evening and as soon as she said it out loud, an inner peace returned.  When I shared with Nick the same thoughts he said the same thing I said "I don't want to hear this, but I have a peace about what was said."  I prayed earlier today that we would have a clear answer about this and that both of us would be on the same page.  Thank you for the clear answer.

The plan the entire time was for her to be transported this weekend up to NY with Elly.  Elly runs a kennel and is home with the dogs most of the time.  She'll be in really good hands.  We need to stick with that plan.  Ori is young and has a beautiful disposition and face.  She is going to find a good home with a great family...unfortunately it's not going to be ours.  We do have the distinct pleasure of taking care of her this week and taking her out to potty outside and cleaning up inside more times than I care to count! Have I mentioned I think she's going into heat?!?! ahhh yeah....that's 1 area I have NO experience with whatsoever!

So the transport will continue on Saturday as planned.  Nick will bring her out on the first leg of the journey while Linds and I are in class in Virginia.

I still maintain that the right old gal or guy is out there waiting to retire with us.  And in the meantime we continue to enjoy the journey and our time with beautiful Miss Moo and whatever friends come along the way.  More on Miss Moo and snuggly Ori too to follow...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Ori day 2




So many thoughts and emotions with and about this little girl!  She appears to be crating very well.  A small bark/whine at the beginning, but we've been firm with "QUIET" and she settles after that.  It's not an anxious cry/bark but more of a "hey! I'm in here!" kinda thing.  She tries the same type of thing when she wants to follow Molly back into the apartment but she hasn't peed yet.  I correct her and we move along and she is fine.  The last thing I want to do is create an opportunity for separation anxiety.   The neighbors said they didn't hear anything this morning/afternoon when she and Molly were home alone.  (YAY!)

We're working on the housebreaking.  Poor Nick.  I took her out this morning to pee before I left at 7 and between 7 and 7:20 she peed 3 more times (that's even with being taken out twice.)  I do think she has a UTI so we're trying to keep all that in mind too. (vet appt is scheduled, but of course not as soon as I want it to be!)  We figure if we use the same key words and don't let her back inside until after she pees she'll get it pretty quickly.  She appears to be a fast learner at everything else.  We're taking her out every hour and treating with hotdog and lots of praise.  Molly's a good model too : )

Already she's walking on a leash so much more nicely.   She loves to watch the cars go by when we're out back (usually waiting for her to PEE!) The 4 of us went around the apartments again this evening.  She works so hard to move.  We figure her leg was lopped off and since she lived in a cage she never figured out how to balance and move her body quite right.  She does fine on it, but we are convinced that over time it will become more "natural."  These dogs never cease to amaze me.

She's taken to laying on the couch.  She won't lay on the umteen dog beds on the floor, but she paws up at the couch.  Of course Moo lays on the couch so if we're using her as the model it's ok for Ori to be on the couch too.  She snuggles with Molly and every time I turn around she has her head resting on Nick's leg and they both look as pleased as punch.

You can't tell from the pictures, but I do think she's a tad on the thick side.  I can't find her ribs which is weird, but true.  She hasn't been eating all of the food we've been feeding her and we haven't been pushing the issue.  Ori has started drinking from a water bowl which is fabulous!  No food aggression from either girls (Ori shared a bite from Molly's dish tonight....)  She does have a mammary tumor which I'm hoping we can have removed when she gets spayed.  She looks like she's been bred and bred and bred though...poor girl still rolls over for a belly rub though.  Her teeth don't look bad either.

I've already learned a few things about a 3-legged dog.  1) You can't lift up the front leg to move the leash or she falls on her face.  (oops!) 2)  Chewing on a bone becomes much more complicated that it is for a 4 legged dog, but it is possible!  3) laying down appears to be more comfortable than sitting.

Nick has already started teaching her sit and while I was getting dinner ready tonight for the girls I turn around and sure enough Ori's sitting!  She's a smart little girl.  Smart, smart, smart.  She makes little noises like Tink did and she had me looking a few times for my little heart dog last night.  Her sighs and exhales sound the same if that makes any sense.

I can't believe how much has happened, how much we've all learned, and how far things have come in 1 day.  Is it possible?  Can it stay like this?  I'm currently here with Ori in my lap as I type this.  Somehow it seems like she knows that's what it's here for...and that's where she belongs....

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ori the Mill Mama is here

Meet Ori, our temporary foster.  I picked her up from Sparky's Project who literally pulled her from the mill 1/2 hr before I got her.   After a minor anxiety attack with her barking, we pulled it together and got our acts together.  (God is soooo good, let me tell you!) Elly listened to me and gave some good advice as did Jodi and Sandy and here we are everyone quiet and settled.  Ori (short for Oreals) is an almost 4 year old puppy mill girl which means she's done nothing but push out puppies her entire life.  The miller was afraid she would get fined for having a dog with 3 legs and needed her out ASAP which is where Sparky's Project and NEBTR stepped in.

 
As you can see she's missing her front right leg.  It doesn't slow her down very much.  She supposedly injured it in a dog fight and it was amputated as a result.


 

She's slightly front heave which does cause her to fall onto her front leg more often.







She has a really beautiful face, if should would hold still long enough for me to get a picture of it!


She's here for the week and then is being transported to another volunteer in NY.


I did give her a bath when we first got here just cause she was so dirty and I wanted to get any bugs out of her.  She's still kinda stinky but much better.  She has a bit of shine to her coat.  She is quiet in her crate and we will use that to our advantage at night and when we're not home.  She has a real zest for life and for exploring and likes that there is another dog around.  She's doing better on a leash already and actually walked around the block with me, Nick and Molly tonight (hot dog helped...)  She seems to relish the warm weather and grass and I think her original darting was actually a bit of excitement.  She did well following Molly and I know that she will be a good model for Ori.   She's peed a total of 3 times outside (big praise : ) and 2x's in the kitchen and twice in the living room... after our walk...  She's eaten 2 small meals of turkey and rice.  After speaking with Sandy this evening, we did let Molly and Ori officially meet and have allowed Ori to explore the house a bit.  She romps around and has even sniffed at the toy box and attempted to chew on a bone. Molly could actually care less that she is here.

She's a real sweetie and I think once she figures out the routine she'll be less confused/anxious and will do just fine for the week. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when she and Moo are left alone for a few hours.... : )

Never a dull moment around here!  But man am I tired....

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Molly's Pink Sweater & Update

So a few weeks ago we went to petsmart and found this great little sweater for $3!!!  It's a great light to medium weight shirt for those cool days but not cold days.  I never thought I'd put Moo in pink, but here she is!  (it actually matches her pink flower collar very nicely : )


I know that's a cookie in your hand...can I have it?!??!



 Not so fast...hand me the goods!


 
It fits so nicely!


 
You can see in this shot that she does not have a pot belly in any way which is 1 of the Cushing symptoms I carefully watch for!

 
Hanging out...waiting for food!

I'm just coming to the realization that Molly is always going to have poop issues.  We are doing everything we absolutely can do with and for her but it's just not going to cure her.  She cycles through every week to 2 weeks.  Molly and I were sick together last night.  She got me up at 4:30 ish this morning and we made it outside in time.  Now I made a new batch of food yesterday, but it's still turkey and the veggies are less complex than the less batch.  And this is why she's a permanent foster.  There is no way we could adopt her out with all that she has going on....how do you explain to a potential adopter that she is going to mess on your floor every week or so because she just can't hold it?  Ha!   We love her so though.

Moo's eye continues to look better and better.  Not running very much, open nice and wide, very little squinting.  So that's real good news.  I spoke with Dr. Haver on Friday and he laughs (in a good way) when we talk sometimes.  He continues to keep close tabs on our Moo and works with us so patiently.  Thank goodness for vets like him!!!

The spot on Moo's side that was bald, is actually growing hair back.  She's been off the trilostane for 2 weeks now and on the Cushex for over a week and a 1/2.  All symptoms seem ok.  She may be peeing just a tiny bit more, but I've been home more and I tend to take her out quite often (some habits die hard.)  I'm still hopeful that we can maintain the bulk of the Cushing symptoms without the trilostane or at the very least, less of the drug taken twice a day rather than once.... we shall see.  Although I think it's safe to say that the trilostane is not the main or only cause of the diarrhea. 

She's been a great snuggler today. (Now I did have to pick her up and put her in bed last night so she would stay!) We got up at 8:30 this morning to feed her, clean her ears, then go out and but by 9:30 we were both on the couch sleeping again...until 1.  We're still on the couch...both of us seem to be feeling better.   I'm not great yet, but some improvement.  So that's where we're at....chilling together on the couch : )

Another Perfect Memorial Rose

My favorite flower shop to pick up a single rose is Hammaker's on Market Street in Camp Hill.  They have big beautiful roses with beautiful greens and baby's breath at the best price.  I tend to go on the Friday's before a big show and I get to pick from lots and lots of flowers.  It makes my heart smile just a little to buy a rose in honor of my beautiful little girl.










We're coming up on the anniversary weekend that we brought Tink home...I've been scrap booking our journey with her and there is something very therapeutic about this whole process.  I thought for sure I would be a blubbery mess, but instead I get lost in all the amazing memories and I'm too busy recreating them through my book to be upset.  While I'm scrap booking and in "the zone" it is easy to forget that it's Molly on the couch and not Tink.

I was sitting here on the couch with Molly this afternoon after I woke up from my comma of sleep. (of course I'm sick on my 3 day weekend...)  She had snuggled in to me and I was petting her as I often did with Tink.  And it suddenly dawned on me that this is how it is now.  That may not sound like a big epiphany, but for me it was.  I pour so much into my girl(s) whoever is here and it's still slowly dawning on me that now it is Molly.  January 15th marked Molly's 5th month with us.  She's still adjusting and adapting and becoming more and more comfortable with us.  She lived with another family for almost 11 years, of course it's going to take time for her to blossom here too.  I love these little old ladies so much.  I am so glad that we get to be a part of their lives and process...

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Moo Shoo plays Simon

So last night I had my life group girls from 56 over for a pizza and game party.  We had 6 girls, plus me and Moo....boy did we have a lot of fun!  My girls are in 5th grade, so they're older, but they were still all very good with her, keeping an eye on her and not stepping on her when she was underfoot around the table (imagine that, Molly where the food is?)

I told the girls Moo couldn't have any dairy, but a few chips were ok.  You should have seen them with her.  Of course Molly acts the most piranha-like that she possibly can which makes the girls shriek with delight even more : )

Towards the end of the night the girls were dancing in the living room and doing "dance offs" and other fun things (who knew a music therapist's ipod could provide so many hours of fun exploring just what exactly is on there!).  2 of the girls didn't want to dance so they were sitting with Moo and were the "judges" and of course a 3rd judge was needed....Moo fit the part perfectly.  She had such a sour face on at that point that the role of Simon fit perfectly.  She even laid down to sleep at one point which the kids thought was great too.

I kinda figured that Moo was fine with kids, but I've never had a real opportunity to see how she would do with a heard of them.  And she was fine.  She actually was eating up some of the attention (and pizza crust) and wasn't all over the girls with the food like I thought she might be.  I mean, she was definitely present, but very little jumping up and getting into their space.  Good girl Miss Moo!  She was definitely tired after they left though.  All in a days work for the Moo Shoo : )

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Oh Miss Moo....

So apparently the eye ointment isn't supposed to make her eye more red and puffy initially.  It seems she may be allergic to the carrier ointment.  Poor Molly and poor Dr. Haver.  He said he keeps trying but can't seem to find something that will work for her!  We stopped her ointment since yesterday evening but Molly's forgetful Mom forgot to call the doc again today...first thing in the morning!  her eye certainly looks better than it did before we started using the ointment, but it's certainly not where we want it to be yet.

I came home to a poopy/vomity mess by the front door... I'm not sure what caused it, but it's possible her new bone was partly to blame.  She just laid on the couch and didn't even follow me into the kitchen when I came home initially.  She did eat 1/2 rations for dinner tonight and everything came out ok on our walk this evening.  Thank God for vinegar and the steam cleaner.  Our carpet is not the worse for the wear although it is quite the rude house warming gift.  Oh miss Moo....please feel better soon.

Aside from tonight's events she still continues to look very good weight wise, skin and coat wise.  She's been drinking and eating normal amounts and is displaying very few Cushinoid symptoms....hopefully the Cushex is helping and it will stay this way!

More good news rescue wise.  Duke and Dutchess were 2 fosters that were adopted together this afternoon!!!  Yay!!!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Molly's Big Bone

If someone had tried to tell me a few months ago just how much I was going to love this dog,  I would have to his/her face cried "liar!  It will never happen!"  Just shows what a sense of humor God has.  This Molly dog knows how to make my day.  Saturday afternoon we gave Moo this big bone and she watched with anticipation as I unwrapped it.  When I handed it to her, she took it in her mouth and proceeded to parade around the house with the happiest dancy prancy movement I've ever seen from her!  She frolicked and moved so that Nick and I couldn't help but laugh and laugh at her happiness.  It That moment absolutely made it worth giving the bone to her.





Since then, she carries this bone everywhere.  She chewed on it all afternoon yesterday and barely made a dent it in.  So far, no stringiness from it either which it great.  Last night she carried the bone to bed with her and when I tucked her in I placed her bone next to her head so she would know where it is.  Well in the middle of the night she must have gotten hungry and she started to chew on it.  Right activity, wrong time.  So I put it up on the shelf.  Of course it was dark and she couldn't find it anymore so she went frantic looking for it.  Nick turned the light on to show her the bone was on top of the shelf and she could have it in the morning.  My silly girl.





She must have thought the bone was still on the shelf even after I moved it this morning.  When we came home from the vet, the first thing she did was go down the hallway yodeling as she went jumping up at the shelf for the bone.  Of course, I was on my way to work, so she settled for a kong.  She did the same thing when I came home unexpectedly midday.  As soon as I walked through the door she boogied it down the hall yodeling and jumping for this bone.  (I didn't have the heart to show her that it was on the table in the dining room.)  Finally when I came home from work this evening, she did the same thing!  I pulled the bone from the table and called her back to me.  Boy was she a happy girl!  She's chewing and chewing and chewing!  Fortunately her teeth are still holding strong.  No blood is a good thing!




 Molly and I headed to the vet this morning after a phone call with Dr. Haver.  Her eye has an infection which was cause by the steriod drops.  Dr. Haver was very relieved to hear I stopped those the moment her eye got worse.  We now have an antibiotic ointment for her eye to put in 2-3 times a day.  She's holding her eye open more now, but it looks all red and droopy.  I have explicit directions to call Dr. Haver every day with an update.  He stood there and looked at her for a long time, but didn't tell me what he was thinking.  I'm learning a lot about Cushings, but I think the latest is that the body doesn't heal like a normal dog.  Things can go bad quickly with a dog with Cushings.  I'm hoping her eye heals quickly and this is all a thing of the past....




I don't think she has enough stuff to chew and play with....  And she loves to lay on both beds at the same time!  Love my Moo Shoo!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Changes

....sometimes life throws things at you that are totally unexpected.  Fortunately, with a strong support network, those unexpected moments can just about bearable.  It was quite the week over here.  It took a while, but we realized that Madison has some separation anxiety issues that we are not adequately equipped to handle working full time and living in an apartment.  God is so good though.  The powers that be in the rescue were incredibly supportive and a plan was developed literally in 1 night. We boarded her 1 day and then Madison moved to a foster home with a trainer who can adequately help Madison work through her SA and become a well adjusted little girl.  Hopefully, we'll be able to help another little old one sooner than later....

Madison appears to be settling into her new foster home very well now.  I am pleased that Sandy and her pack will be able to help Madison.

In the Molly world, her eye is bothering her again.  It was slowly doing better until thursday night.  I meant to call Dr. Haver on Friday, but with the madison craziness I forgot.  First thing tomorrow morning we will see what we can get done for her....  It bothers her but it hasn't been stopping her from chewing on bones ALL weekend.   I just don't want her to be in pain.

On a positive note, Monday we were told to stop the trilostane until we can get her diarrhea under control (which can be a side effect of the trilstane.)  The Cushex we ordered before Christmas (an herbal and homeopathic product specifically for Cushings) finally came on Wednesday so we have been using that twice a day.  I'm hoping that it might do it's intended job and keep the Cushing's symptoms under control.  We added slippery elm to her diet as well as more rice and we're using a single protein source instead of 2 as well to help the diarrhea.  Overall we're moving in the right direction....I'm hoping that maybe we don't need to start her back on the trilostane.  If we do though, I know that we will be splitting her dose in 2 as studies have shown lower more frequent dosing cuts down on side effects, which is what we want.  Molly is a bit more bony that I like to see her, but as Linda from the rescue reminded me she's 11 years old.  This just may be how her body is going to look.  She's stopped pooping 8 times a day since I've been giving her just over 1/2 cup of home cooked food twice a day...she's back down to 2 or 3 with no accidents in the house which is just fabulous.

The steam cleaner came last week and we spent the afternoon playing with it, the couch, chair, floor around the couch, corners, the wall, the BATHROOM (holy cow does it look nice), drapes, the linoleum, etc etc....  I love that it disinfects and doesn't use any chemicals... definitely a good buy!!!

I have some pics of Moo chewing on a new bone we gave her a few days ago...it's a compressed rawhide bone from onlynaturalpet.com.  I'm not usually a rawhide fan, but I watched Moo chew 1 at my parents and she did really well with it.  This compressed bone is fabulously tough for her and doesn't get stringy.  She chewed in all afternoon and barely put a dent in it.  When we gave it to her, she literally put it in her mouth and danced around the living room wiggling and frolicking.  It was the cutest thing and definitely worth the $4 in and of itself!!!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Caution: Grossness ahead

Sometimes I feel like a little doggy pill and medication dispenser....  Madison had an impacted anal gland that is beginning to abcess, of course.  I was able to get her to a local vet this morning before work (3rd one's a charm) and it's not bad enough that it can be lynched (yuck!) but we are armed with an antibiotic and a pain killer.  We're also putting a hot compress on it.  It's going to blow though, I can see it already.  The vet wants her back friday morning but I think it's going to do it's thing sooner than that (won't that be fun)! AND she has a small tumor type thing on the pink of her eye so we have drops for that too.  Sheesh.

Collectively Molly and Madison currently have more meds/supplements that the local pharmacy!  You should have seen me tonight trying to organize and keep everything straight.  Dogs' names in big letters on boxes, making sure each dog gets what is needed!

On a good note, Molly continues to do well on her end of things.... at least we only have 1 exploding dog at a time...so far.  I was just thinking she is doing really well, but she is thinner than I would like her to be...ah, one of these days we'll get it right.  I'll up her food just a bit.  We've added slippery elm to her diet so hopefully we can keep a handle on this situation.

Another good note, the steam cleaner came today!!!  Is that sad that I'm so excited about it?  It's going to be another main defense in our war against fleas and keep our carpets (and drapes, and furniture, etc) in tip top shape!

Good thing these 2 little ladies are so cute!  Unfortunately it's so cold and flippin' windy that we go out long enough for them to do their business go to the dumpster and back.  We're getting a routine down over here with meals and potty breaks and certainly sleeping on the couch.  Good luck if you want to sit here.  It's pretty much dog only territory (they let me sit here cause I feed them hotdog!)

We shall see what tomorrow brings for Miss Madison and her hiney.....

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Taking a Moment to Remember....




...her beautiful smile and all the life, love, and happiness she had and gave





 ....her tenacity and courage





...her patience with me




.....her love for soft things




...and the love that we shared

here's to a beautiful almost 4 years together and the legacy she left for the fosters and adopted dogs that come after her....

We live in a Zoo...

Yeah for Apple Airport express and wireless internet that works : )

So Madison has been slowly acclimating over here.  She's a cutie but skittish.  I make a quick movement and she cowers or runs...poor girl.  Already improvement since saturday though. Oh and according to vet records she's 7.5 rather than 9.5 years.  That makes more sense looking at her and seeing how she acts.  She and Molly are pretty good with each other except in the middle room.  Madison apparently claimed that space as hers (she spent sat afternoon in there with me while I sewed her a coat and a new bed...) and now she doesn't like Molly coming near her in there...

Which now means Molly and Madison are suddenly vying for my attention...I have 2 little shadows following me around now (instead of none...which is weird, but ok).  I've been home sick the past 2 days which has been nice to transition Madison into our home.  Both girls woke up around 5:30am this morning...took them out then we had 2 girls in bed snuggling.  Madison snuggled up in my arms for the next 2 hrs...it was really nice (until I felt incredible sick which wasn't so nice)

I found 2 fleas last night and have declared all out war...complete with chemical warfare (which most of you know how much I hate chemicals!)  I spent a good portion of the day vacuuming, cleaning, spraying, doing laundry in hot water, dusting with DE, etc etc etc.  Molly got a bath and Madison was dusted with DE (she was given a bath late last night and 1 of the 2 fleas found was removed).  All seems better now.  We have a steam cleaner on the way (thank you amazon) so we can continue to clean clean clean more naturally and stop the nastiness!!!

Molly's explosiveness is getting better.  I spent a long time on the phone with NEBTR's resident nutritionist and together we developed a plan to help miss Moo out.  Fortunately her home cooked diet is pretty much right on.  Going to simplify the veggies and add rice or oatmeal to every meal.  I may be feeding her too much, so we're feeding her slightly less and shocking I know, she's pooping less too.  We'll be adding some Slippery Elm (as soon as I get out of the house again) to help her digestive track.  Because of the continuing diarrhea, Dr. Haver has taken Molly off the trilostane until everything settles (without the use of the flagyl I'm assuming...we're slowly taking her off that.)  I have a supplement coming specifically for the Cushings, cushex which I'm hoping helps at least a tiny bit.  We may end up using a lower dose of trilostane 2x/day rather than a larger dose once daily.  Best case scenario this supplement helps enough that she needs even less (or no) drug.  That would be fabulous but I'm not counting on it.

Anyways, all that to say Moo only spent 1 night in the kitchen and has been doing well since Sunday's last explosion...good thing she's cute.

We've realized that Molly is all business.  She has her routine, she knows what to do and when to do it so she does it.  Madison on the other hand is not all business.  She runs around when we try to put her coat on.  Molly stands there, nose to the door ready to go.

They're really cute together and I know that in a few weeks Madison is going to be a very different dog.  She doesn't appear to know any basic obedience (except, Madison, Come!).  Working on sit.  She really likes hotdogs, good thing.  She is a jumpy little girl and can be whiny, but turning away or waiting for her to stop and then produce what she wants (treat or ball) and she is catching on quickly.  Oh the joys of rehabing this little girls. 

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Madison is here

Here is our first foster of 2010: Madison.  She's a cute little girl, maybe 15-16lbs, 9.5 years old although she doesn't really look it.  She's currently decompressing in our kitchen, nervous and scared.  But all in all a real sweetie.  She's going to be fun to have around for a while.


 Look at the cute little face!


 
She wanted nothing to do with hard cookies or kibble, but definitely ate the ground turkey!!!

 
When do I get outta here guys?!?!


and one of miss Moo Shoo because she's so dang cute!



Molly is being very patient with Madison in her favorite room of the house, the kitchen!  It won't be long before they can interact, but just want to keep everyone safe and give time to get used to the surroundings.  Poor Maddie keeps whining, I hope she settles soon, she's got to be exhausted with all the days events so far!