back to the vet.

Hope took a trip back to the vet today. She hadn't gone #2 since Tuesday and her incision started to look "weepy" in one spot. Sure enough, infection. We got some antibiotics and I traded out her giant cone of shame for a much easier to wear and deal with "Donut of Slight Embarassment"(DSE). She seems much more at ease.

While at the vet she also pooped! Yay. Chris says we can't keep taking her back to the vet to make her poop, so hopefully that doesn't become a trend(joke).

Here's hoping we're on the mend. We are still waiting to talk to Dr B as she is in Las Vegas at a conference.

worst comes to worst.

Fears realized today. The results of the meatball came back: cancer. Between that and the horrific diarrhea Hope has been having since yesterday morning it's literally been a sh**ty day.

and so I don't forget..

My friend, Patricia, posted this on my Facebook wall and it was so touching to me it made my eyes water.

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
...And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me. (Emily Dickinson)

muchly!

It has been a bit since I wrote - I apologize. We battled with Hope's eating issues, mainly eating something for a couple of days and then rejecting it, but now we are on a good path. We gave in and went raw, Panacur and all. The diarrhea instantly cleared up and she had zero gastro distress. Duhhhh, I should have just followed my....gut.

She has been pretty much the same as far as behavior is concerned. She adores me and follows me around - what's not to love when a little dog looks at you like that. She is good with Chris but has her moments. The most tasty part of Dad is his thumbs, apparently.

Her hair is growing in great. Whether it was fleas, malnutrition, or sarcoptic mange we'll never know. I do know that sarcoptic mange is very contagious and nobody in my house got any of it - myself or the other animals. Hard to say but I am joyed to see her sprouting some fur, in any regard!

Hope's big day was Friday. I couldn't sleep for 2 days leading up to it, imagining how invasive and battered she would be afterward. I was imagining what a beast she would be to the staff but I was completely wrong on that - she was easy to handle and "good" for everyone as long as Mom wasn't around. Shucks - she is only a monster when I'm around? I swear I didn't teach her that!!


We had her mass removed(good-bye Meatball!), she was spayed, and her teeth were cleaned. She was under for a pretty long time - over 2 hours. She came out of it like a trooper. They had to remove one molar so she has a stitch or two in her mouth.

The care at RBVH is and was phenomenal for my little dog. Some might think that just because it is an employee's pet they would get lesser care because we've been through the drill but I did not find that at all. Dr Badamo called to update me during the procedures changes(spay first, then mass, then dental). She called to let me know a tooth had to come out so I could be a part of it. Her tech, John, was very gentle with Hope as I watched him bathe her after her dental, blow dry her hair, and trim the fur between her toes. I was really blown away by their care for this little dog.

Now - graphic! The meatball in the raw, literally.

Yuck!! Can you imagine having that giant thing hanging off you when you are a 4-5# dog? (btw we're still hanging in at 5#, 5.09 in fact)

Hope woke up very fast after her procedures were done. It seemed I said a few things to her and she perked right up so they could un-tube her. Then she started barking her head off once I left her - whoops. There's that little white monster thing again.

She was doing so well Dr Badamo "let" me take her home. I think it was either that or the staff would have to wear ear plugs and I would get no sleep. We all won in the end, I think.

The mass is gone so now we wait to find out just what sort of mass it was. It can take up to a week. Gonna be a longgggg week.

inspiration

Hope and I are happy to see that some of our friends are starting blogs now, too. We hope we have been some of the inspiration to share thoughts and ideas with others on the internet.

One is here, written by Paula about her dog Earl(no posts yet but soon hopefully) who is very fearful.

The other on the radar is by Alison Waszmer about dog chew reviews!

In other Hope-related news, she's been having some soft stool and even diarrhea intermittently. I decided to feed her EN for a couple of days to even her out and then try again with the Orijen(which had been going down steadily with some EN mixed in). I don't want to feed her the EN but she cries and chases her hiney if there is a remnant of diarrhea and then she bites me when I try to clean her off. A no-win situation there.

We bought her this CUTE cupcake shirt today at Target. $1!! Little dogs sure have cute stuff made for them - and it is cheap! I think she looks adorable in clothes, I admit it. I think her sheep pajamas are my favorite. I keep scouring ebay for more pajamas and outfits. I ordered a custom harness for her on Etsy but we'll wait to talk about that one for when it comes!!

We'll also be receiving samples of Honest Kitchen's Zeal formulation. They posted a Facebook announcement a few days ago about giving away samples and some whole boxes of product. We didn't get the whole box deal but they are shipping us samples. We'll report on that when it arrives as well.

I am super anxious to go raw with Hope. I know she'll love it. She is due for her second round of Panacur VERY soon and her Oma's Pride buffalo is coming in this week!! Yes, I am totally excited about raw meat.