Well, my week of hell is finally over. There was some drama, some serious stress, too much exhaustion, and a lot of chaos, but it's all over and done with :) We are all moved out of the apartment, and the inspection is done, and we're all moving forward.
The dogs are doing much better. Cory had all sorts of allergies going on, and he's on some serious meds and is doing much better! A brand new doggy. Charlie is doing better as well, but we'll see how he does once his round of medication is done...
He had a very busy couple of days in Burlington, as well. Not only did he have to put up with me moving things all over the place, but he was in and out of the car all day, but he did really well. And I tried to walk him as often as possible, and we made lots of trips to the dog park!
We had a few interesting moments together, however...
So, I have my dads car while my parents on vacation - and although it doesn't have AC, it DOES have automatic windows, which makes it easier for me to provide some fresh air for Charlie when he's either in the back seat or the passenger seat. So I've got the windows all down, and Charlie is looking around and enjoying the weather; we stop at a stop sign, but because of traffic we were sort of over the crosswalk a bit, so naturally there was a pedestrian on the sidewalk waiting to cross. He was a big dude, just hanging out, minding his own business, and in anticipation for the traffic to move, he began to move forward, and Charlie did NOT like that at all. He immediately started barking at him, to which I settled him down and we moved forward, but it was definitely interesting.
He's also getting better about meeting people - and generally, people in Burlington are extremely friendly and respectful towards dogs and their owners. Many people recognize that he's a rescue dog just by his demeanor towards strangers, so they're very sweet. Some other people, aren't so cautious. We were in the local video store visiting a very good friend of mine who works there and several people got right down on their knees and just showered him with love and kisses and hugs - it was so, so sweet; and they all asked beforehand if it was OK to pet him - which was also really awesome. But, we were in the corner looking at some videos, and someone, dressed in all dark clothing carrying a large bag (he really doesn't like anyone with big bags) came marching around the corner, clearly knowing exactly what she wanted. Charlie started barking and got quite defensive - I apologized and calmed him down and explained he was a rescue and gets nervous around strangers - but she cut me off and responded with a brief, "yeah, ok, I guess I'm cornering him, sorry," and pushed me aside to get her video. Rude!
But that's going to happen. Some people are animal people, and some people just aren't! Whatcha gonna do.
And we spent the night in the new apartment last night - I was on an air mattress and we were both totally exhausted. Charlie curled up on his bed, but immediately saw me crawl into my little air mattress bed and he came right over and zonked out right next to me. I'm noticing that he dreams quite vividly, because I'm finding that he kicks me in his sleep! Funny boy. He's like me - he likes to take up as much of the bed as possible, he kicks in his sleep, and he tends to roll over on top of his bed mate - i.e. me. But I certainly wouldn't trade any of it for the world.
So now I'm home, and my other doggies were here at home for the last two nights. My wonderful neighbor has been keeping an eye on them, and has been giving Cory his meds. But they were totally excited that I was home - I haven't seen Cory that excited in such a long time. Now we're all in the living room curling up for some movies.
I'm about ready to not think about anything that has to do with cleaning, packing, unpacking, or driving for the next 24 hours. So I will be parking myself on the couch with the dogs until I absolutely have to get up :)
Showing posts with label sick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sick. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*Bangs head against wall repeatedly*
The last week has been unbelievable. Our house was so chaotic, my mother and I were at our wits ends. Dad is just... well, dad. He tends to handle these situations rather quietly.
Anyway - picture this: a pile of boxes, bags, and camping supplies for mom and dad in one area; a pile of boxes, cleaning supplies, and odds and ends for me to move to Burlington with in another area; a pile of boxes, folders, and baskets full of photographs for mom's genealogy work in another area; too much recycle, laundry, and towels all over the place in piles. For about 36 hours, that's what our house looked like. My parents finally get on the road, and my immediate thought is: awesome, some peace and quiet, they're on vacation, and the dogs are relaxed now. So my first night was smooth, the next day was quiet and I did some work and got some laundry and cleaning done... fantastic. All is well..
And then this morning happens. I wake up after a restful night sleep and begin preparing for my trip over to Burlington to meet up with the landlord to pick up the keys and to begin my actual MOVE down to the new place. I have my coffee. I shower. I feed the birds and rats and cat. And then I head downstairs to grab the laundry from the dryer... only to see diarrhea... everywhere. Trails left and right. Immediately, I'm annoyed. But then I see the blood, and panic sets in. A bit mucusy, but mostly bloody, and I freak out because I'm not sure which dog it came from. So I rush upstairs to check all the dogs to see if anyone is bleeding externally, only to discover that Cory not only has some serious discharge coming from his eyes, but also from his bum. EWW. I get past the initial gross factor and go into auto pilot - I assume it's Cory with the issue and I call the vet, I give him some probiotics, and then I get ready to leave. I had to leave at least for the day because I canceled on my landlord the day before, and I couldn't cancel again. Our wonderful neighbor keeps an eye on the dogs while I head out.
Of course, then I get to Burlington and Charlie promptly jumps out of the car and drags me into the back yard of my apartment and I discover that it is he who left the treasures downstairs.
At this point, I hit a wall. You know that point. You can't take any more stress. My capacity just overflowed and I came inside, sat down on my bed, and I cried and cried and cried. I'm moving on my own with no help, my parents are miles away, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get rid of the furniture I'm not keeping, I have two sick dogs, a car with no air conditioning, I have been totally MIA from the apartment and thus not helping out my roommates and I felt totally awful about that, it was hot as all hell, and I have until Saturday to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. I just couldn't take any more. I finally heard back from mom and she helped calm me down, but man... I was done. I hit that brick wall so hard I wasn't quite sure how to regain my footing. But I finally did, and I took a couple of car loads down to the new place and threw out a pile of junk. I was running on auto pilot, though. So I packed the car back up and Charlie and I were on our way home.
So now we're all in the living room attempting to stay cool. I'm a bit more calm than I was before, but I'm mostly nervous about the doggies now. Hopefully Charlie's issue is food, and not internal. But Cory... he's getting old. And he's not looking too good, and as the vet said earlier, "these older dogs tend to fall apart all at once, you know..." So I'm taking both Charlie and Cory to the vet tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers and praying that they're both OK and this is all minor - not only for their sake, but for mine as well. This has been a helluva couple of weeks what with losing Boots, too much chaos, and Charlie's icky issues.
I'm going to have a beer, play some video games, and not think about anything for awhile. Tomorrow is a new day, and a trip to the vet is the first thing on my to-do list. Let's hope the outcome is a happy one!
Anyway - picture this: a pile of boxes, bags, and camping supplies for mom and dad in one area; a pile of boxes, cleaning supplies, and odds and ends for me to move to Burlington with in another area; a pile of boxes, folders, and baskets full of photographs for mom's genealogy work in another area; too much recycle, laundry, and towels all over the place in piles. For about 36 hours, that's what our house looked like. My parents finally get on the road, and my immediate thought is: awesome, some peace and quiet, they're on vacation, and the dogs are relaxed now. So my first night was smooth, the next day was quiet and I did some work and got some laundry and cleaning done... fantastic. All is well..
And then this morning happens. I wake up after a restful night sleep and begin preparing for my trip over to Burlington to meet up with the landlord to pick up the keys and to begin my actual MOVE down to the new place. I have my coffee. I shower. I feed the birds and rats and cat. And then I head downstairs to grab the laundry from the dryer... only to see diarrhea... everywhere. Trails left and right. Immediately, I'm annoyed. But then I see the blood, and panic sets in. A bit mucusy, but mostly bloody, and I freak out because I'm not sure which dog it came from. So I rush upstairs to check all the dogs to see if anyone is bleeding externally, only to discover that Cory not only has some serious discharge coming from his eyes, but also from his bum. EWW. I get past the initial gross factor and go into auto pilot - I assume it's Cory with the issue and I call the vet, I give him some probiotics, and then I get ready to leave. I had to leave at least for the day because I canceled on my landlord the day before, and I couldn't cancel again. Our wonderful neighbor keeps an eye on the dogs while I head out.
Of course, then I get to Burlington and Charlie promptly jumps out of the car and drags me into the back yard of my apartment and I discover that it is he who left the treasures downstairs.
At this point, I hit a wall. You know that point. You can't take any more stress. My capacity just overflowed and I came inside, sat down on my bed, and I cried and cried and cried. I'm moving on my own with no help, my parents are miles away, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get rid of the furniture I'm not keeping, I have two sick dogs, a car with no air conditioning, I have been totally MIA from the apartment and thus not helping out my roommates and I felt totally awful about that, it was hot as all hell, and I have until Saturday to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. I just couldn't take any more. I finally heard back from mom and she helped calm me down, but man... I was done. I hit that brick wall so hard I wasn't quite sure how to regain my footing. But I finally did, and I took a couple of car loads down to the new place and threw out a pile of junk. I was running on auto pilot, though. So I packed the car back up and Charlie and I were on our way home.
So now we're all in the living room attempting to stay cool. I'm a bit more calm than I was before, but I'm mostly nervous about the doggies now. Hopefully Charlie's issue is food, and not internal. But Cory... he's getting old. And he's not looking too good, and as the vet said earlier, "these older dogs tend to fall apart all at once, you know..." So I'm taking both Charlie and Cory to the vet tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers and praying that they're both OK and this is all minor - not only for their sake, but for mine as well. This has been a helluva couple of weeks what with losing Boots, too much chaos, and Charlie's icky issues.
I'm going to have a beer, play some video games, and not think about anything for awhile. Tomorrow is a new day, and a trip to the vet is the first thing on my to-do list. Let's hope the outcome is a happy one!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Fast track to health!
This post will be short because I'm exhausted and have to get up early tomorrow - the new landlord wants to meet el puppy so I want to get up bright and early and make sure the pup is in working order to go for a little road trip!
Yesterday, the 'rents gave me an opportunity to sleep in the late afternoon (as I had barely gotten any the two previous nights..) and took care of Charlie for awhile. It's so sweet - they both are acting like grandparents, because well... they're getting older, and this is most likely going to be the closest they get to a grandson. Though we can certainly hope for otherwise! But they're taking the opportunity now to be the doting grandparents, and the helpful sidekicks for me. It's a Godsend. Anyway, they had to take him out several times during the course of my three hour nap (THREE hours! goodness). Mom made the executive decision that we were going to put piddle pads out for him near the doorway (we have to use these for our oldest dog, Minnie, because she's 14 and doesn't always make it out the door, poor thing) because he seems to use these when we don't take him out soon enough sometimes, and because we all needed a solid nights sleep. In the morning he had gone all over them, the poor thing.
So I called the vet first thing - and Charlie is now on a very impressive antibiotic/dewormer/intestinal-sedative. The vet is concerned that there might be little bugs in his system that aren't necessarily worms that might be disrupting his system; it will also aid in any final deworming that needs to take place; and it will calm down his digestive system to aid in digestion and reduce cramps!
So we're hoping that this will help fix him up - he's still on the bland diet but his appetite has improved greatly - he was barely finishing 3/4 of a cup of rice and yogurt, but today he was quite excited for his 1 cup meals! Such a good sign :)
So now I'm crossing my fingers for a good night sleep and a healthy pup. Good night, y'all :)
Yesterday, the 'rents gave me an opportunity to sleep in the late afternoon (as I had barely gotten any the two previous nights..) and took care of Charlie for awhile. It's so sweet - they both are acting like grandparents, because well... they're getting older, and this is most likely going to be the closest they get to a grandson. Though we can certainly hope for otherwise! But they're taking the opportunity now to be the doting grandparents, and the helpful sidekicks for me. It's a Godsend. Anyway, they had to take him out several times during the course of my three hour nap (THREE hours! goodness). Mom made the executive decision that we were going to put piddle pads out for him near the doorway (we have to use these for our oldest dog, Minnie, because she's 14 and doesn't always make it out the door, poor thing) because he seems to use these when we don't take him out soon enough sometimes, and because we all needed a solid nights sleep. In the morning he had gone all over them, the poor thing.
So I called the vet first thing - and Charlie is now on a very impressive antibiotic/dewormer/intestinal-sedative. The vet is concerned that there might be little bugs in his system that aren't necessarily worms that might be disrupting his system; it will also aid in any final deworming that needs to take place; and it will calm down his digestive system to aid in digestion and reduce cramps!
So we're hoping that this will help fix him up - he's still on the bland diet but his appetite has improved greatly - he was barely finishing 3/4 of a cup of rice and yogurt, but today he was quite excited for his 1 cup meals! Such a good sign :)
So now I'm crossing my fingers for a good night sleep and a healthy pup. Good night, y'all :)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Coffee Coffee Coffee
As I write this I am gulping down coffee like it's the elixir of life. Charlie and I had such a long night last night, I feel as though it was surreal.
Mom and I took him out at about 11 last night, just before we went to bed, and he had a lovely solid little poop. Who knew that my world would begin revolving around when my dog would poop?
I couldn't quite settle down, but I attempted to put the both of us to bed. And at about 12:45 he had to go out - and his diarrhea struck again! I was very concerned, but I was hoping it wasn't going to be a long night.
Not only did he have to go out just about every hour, like clockwork, but I also couldn't go to sleep because my nerves were so wired. And several things occurred the remainder of the night...
At about 3:30 when I took him out I dropped the flashlight into a hole that Cory has dug beneath our porch - and I couldn't reach it. Then I was really startled by a very large toad hopping around my mom's garden, which was quite unpleasant. It was so misty I couldn't see anything. Then we got back inside, and I had turned the light off, something in my gut told me to turn the light on and look at him. And when I did I saw a nasty tick crawling on his hind leg! I HATE TICKS. They are so disgusting - so I grabbed it with a piece of cardboard that was in the trash, and I squished it with all my might.. and of course it didn't die, because the only thing that will kill a damn tick is flushing him down a toilet. So I raced into the bathroom and threw that dirty thing in the toilet and flushed - and of course, it didn't go down and it was just swimming around taking a little bath. It finally went down, and then I woke my poor mother up to check my hair and skin to see if I had one crawling on me. I also gave the doggie a full body check. I felt like my skin was crawling!
I still couldn't get to sleep, but then at about 5 I drifted off - only to be awoken about ten minutes later by Charlie. I took the poor thing out again - and in the process I walked into a massive spiderweb under one of our trees. And then as we were walking back into the house I noticed that he got some poop on his leg! So I had to wash it all off with the hose - which he hated. Which I hated.
I finally got to sleep around 6:30AM.
What a night. If he doesn't clear up by tonight, I think we're going to have to take another trip to the vet... :-/
Mom and I took him out at about 11 last night, just before we went to bed, and he had a lovely solid little poop. Who knew that my world would begin revolving around when my dog would poop?
I couldn't quite settle down, but I attempted to put the both of us to bed. And at about 12:45 he had to go out - and his diarrhea struck again! I was very concerned, but I was hoping it wasn't going to be a long night.
Not only did he have to go out just about every hour, like clockwork, but I also couldn't go to sleep because my nerves were so wired. And several things occurred the remainder of the night...
At about 3:30 when I took him out I dropped the flashlight into a hole that Cory has dug beneath our porch - and I couldn't reach it. Then I was really startled by a very large toad hopping around my mom's garden, which was quite unpleasant. It was so misty I couldn't see anything. Then we got back inside, and I had turned the light off, something in my gut told me to turn the light on and look at him. And when I did I saw a nasty tick crawling on his hind leg! I HATE TICKS. They are so disgusting - so I grabbed it with a piece of cardboard that was in the trash, and I squished it with all my might.. and of course it didn't die, because the only thing that will kill a damn tick is flushing him down a toilet. So I raced into the bathroom and threw that dirty thing in the toilet and flushed - and of course, it didn't go down and it was just swimming around taking a little bath. It finally went down, and then I woke my poor mother up to check my hair and skin to see if I had one crawling on me. I also gave the doggie a full body check. I felt like my skin was crawling!
I still couldn't get to sleep, but then at about 5 I drifted off - only to be awoken about ten minutes later by Charlie. I took the poor thing out again - and in the process I walked into a massive spiderweb under one of our trees. And then as we were walking back into the house I noticed that he got some poop on his leg! So I had to wash it all off with the hose - which he hated. Which I hated.
I finally got to sleep around 6:30AM.
What a night. If he doesn't clear up by tonight, I think we're going to have to take another trip to the vet... :-/
Friday, July 9, 2010
The worm strikes again...
Fie! About midnight last night Charlie was whining to go out, and BAM he was hit with a terrible attack of intestinal chaos again. About every hour last night I had to take the poor pup out. He was perky, though! Verryyy excited to head outside for a few minutes. By this morning he was conked out next to me on the bed... which I was quite grateful for because he needed sleep, and, quite frankly, I was a bit cold last night and needed a heater :)
Called the vet and we're starting him with his second round of Panacur and we'll be putting him back on probiotics for a full month!
I think I'm just going to start him on a home cooked diet for the remainder of, well, his life. For now he'll just be a bland diet with the probiotics to get his little system back in working order, and then after that I'll introduce the proper foods for a home cooked diet (i.e. organs, cooked veggies, calcium, fish, all that yummy stuff!) I think it will help him out, and at the end of the day I want him to feel a little spoiled :)
This poor little pup, I want him back in working order! Damn you worms!
Called the vet and we're starting him with his second round of Panacur and we'll be putting him back on probiotics for a full month!
I think I'm just going to start him on a home cooked diet for the remainder of, well, his life. For now he'll just be a bland diet with the probiotics to get his little system back in working order, and then after that I'll introduce the proper foods for a home cooked diet (i.e. organs, cooked veggies, calcium, fish, all that yummy stuff!) I think it will help him out, and at the end of the day I want him to feel a little spoiled :)
This poor little pup, I want him back in working order! Damn you worms!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Holy Parasites!
As with most rescue dogs, new owners typically face a multitude of health concerns that need to be addressed. Turns out little Charlie didn't just have nerves that he was dealing with, but he was facing a horrible case of hookworm and possibly whip worm!
NASTY.
No wonder he's been so sick - I had a feeling it might be something like that, but was definitely not expecting hookworm.
So now he's on a lovely array of medications - he got this amazing "Revolution" treatment. Anyone who's a dog owner needs to be using this, if you aren't already. It treats heartworm, flea, tick, and an array of skin parasites with just one application (I should be their PR rep).
And he's also going to be given a pro-biotic for the next week, along with a 2 week deworming treatment!
So my little pup should be feeling like a brand new dog in just a couple of days :)
NASTY.
No wonder he's been so sick - I had a feeling it might be something like that, but was definitely not expecting hookworm.
So now he's on a lovely array of medications - he got this amazing "Revolution" treatment. Anyone who's a dog owner needs to be using this, if you aren't already. It treats heartworm, flea, tick, and an array of skin parasites with just one application (I should be their PR rep).
And he's also going to be given a pro-biotic for the next week, along with a 2 week deworming treatment!
So my little pup should be feeling like a brand new dog in just a couple of days :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Houston, We Have a Problem
Charlie was so restless last night around midnight - he kept crawling up onto the bed and sitting in front of the window - at one point he tried to crawl out! I wasn't sure what exactly he wanted and I thought he was just getting into some trouble and wanting to go play outside. But then I noticed he was panting - and it was a very cool evening last night.
So I took him outside and the poor baby is having an awful time with his little intestines. I had to take him out again at about 2:20AM, and another at 5:30AM and again at about 9AM. Not that you really needed to know any of that, I just need to share because I'm exhausted from not having slept a full night.
I'm pretty sure it's whipworm - he was tested for that before and low and behold! He was blessed with their presence. Little bastards.
Of course, I should be rational and realize that he's going to be just fine and that I just need to make a quick stop at the vet - instead my nerves have gone to the fiery pit of motherhood hell.
That's the special place in hell for nerves of a new mom
And so now I'm getting ready for night numba 2 and praying that he's not going to need to venture out at 2AM again. Because lemme tell ya - a 2AM trip in the dark in the middle of nowhere while it's raining is terrifying. I had the pleasure of running into a small dead turtle along the way. Thanks, Cory, for bringing that one home for us. [ Just a disclaimer: he didn't kill the turtle, our neighbors massive field mower did. Sad :( ]
So I took him outside and the poor baby is having an awful time with his little intestines. I had to take him out again at about 2:20AM, and another at 5:30AM and again at about 9AM. Not that you really needed to know any of that, I just need to share because I'm exhausted from not having slept a full night.
I'm pretty sure it's whipworm - he was tested for that before and low and behold! He was blessed with their presence. Little bastards.
Of course, I should be rational and realize that he's going to be just fine and that I just need to make a quick stop at the vet - instead my nerves have gone to the fiery pit of motherhood hell.
And so now I'm getting ready for night numba 2 and praying that he's not going to need to venture out at 2AM again. Because lemme tell ya - a 2AM trip in the dark in the middle of nowhere while it's raining is terrifying. I had the pleasure of running into a small dead turtle along the way. Thanks, Cory, for bringing that one home for us. [ Just a disclaimer: he didn't kill the turtle, our neighbors massive field mower did. Sad :( ]
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