Friday, July 22, 2005

pupdate

got the news from the vet - sweet puppety has a bladder infection. they will complete the culturing and id an antibiotic that'll kill the beasites.

ugh. if her urine pH goes too alkaline, she's susceptible to infection. if her urine goes too acid, the stones can form. so which is worse? too many courses of antibiotics can produce resistant strains, blah, blah. this is her third infection in a little over a year. i'll be grilling dr. m when she's back from her vacation, that's for sure.

i guess i just have to keep watching her like a hawk - she has no symptoms right now, strong thing that she is. the stand-in vet was impressed that i caught it at all. so that's good news anyway - she's eating, has good energy, and keeps nibbling my armpit! oh, sweet girl, ok, i'm coming...

Monday, July 18, 2005

pup alert

sweet pup has been multi-squatting the last few days. i'll call dr. m tomorrow and get her opinion. pup goes out, takes a goodly pee, then not 3 minutes later does a semi-squat and nothing comes out, and over and over. something's irritating her bladder. i don't think it's an infection, though.

her symptoms: multi squats, no extra licking/cleaning, no inflammation, one big puddle inside today.

Infection: inflammed urethra area, lots of licking, several small pee spots inside, constant full squatting, bloody urine, inappetite, lethargic.

she is off her food a little, eating eventually, but not the appetite she usually has. she has good energy, although it's tough to tell with the heat we had for the last week or so - we've been inside mostly. if we do need to go in for a U/A and ultrasound, it's best to go fast. in and out, pay later, they know where i live. mitigate stress if at all possible and a fast visit is a low-stress visit.

ugh. the possibility of more stones means x-rays, exams, another hydropulsion procedure, stricter diet, more monitoring. she's on the urinary diet, and dr.m said treats were ok - i think that may be where the calcium could have come from, if there are more stones. and who, praytell, was the brilliant person who decided not to put ingredients on dog treats? better find me some good recipes for homemade...

let's hope it's not stones. hope is a good thing. i hope, i hope, i hope.

she had her DOCP shot yesterday. another healthy month for pup. and i got her another jewel for her necklace! ok, not really, it's just a tag for her collar, but they're a valuable as jewels. i ordered it from my usual supplier of Percorten - this one has Needs Medication as the first line, then our home info and my phone number. she also has her license, rabies and vet info, plus the microchip info on there, jingling her safely to me, if she were ever to get out and away. they're better than diamonds.

such a sweet, sweet pup. she really makes my life so much better than if i didn't have her. such a pup.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

thinking of London

my heart goes out to the people of Great Britain. i woke up to the news on NPR, and sat listening, hoping that no one had been killed, that injuries were small, and the news through the day told another story. and i ask why? and is there any place that is really safe? and can't people just let go of their hate? no answers here, no answers.

i live in a borderline neighborhood - my street and south is a pretty good, diverse, blue collar area with lots of great families and older folks. 1 block north, and it turns shady - lots of drug deals, gun shots, lots of listings on the police blotters, for several blocks up. a shooting a few years ago made me seriously consider getting out. but to where? what could i afford? and really, bad things happen everywhere, in every neighborhood. except on that private island that i dream of, where pup could run without fences, and no noisy neighbors would bother me with music i really dislike, and no backing up trucks would beep-beep their way into my dreams at 5am on tuesdays. the one drawback: it would require the mafia to guard it, and that gets into all sorts of weaponry and laundering of money, and i just have no training in that area.

neighborhoods get better and worse because of those who live there and those who care about it. i'm staying because i am so bold as to think i'm one of the good people, and i do care about having a peaceful, "howdy neighbor" kind of place to live. i hope i get to stay here a long time in my sweet little bungalo on a double lot with the garden of my dreams and lots of pup space.

and i hope for peace, and that London knows how many people over the earth care and ache and hope for them.