Missy

Missy passed on about an hour or so ago. I am afraid I didn't get anywhere on top of it until I noticed that she wasn't eating anything. I tried to hydrate and feed her, but too little too late.

When I discovered her distress, I was pretty sure all the vet could do was put her to sleep.

So long, sweetie.

Looking at the date on the picture, I realized that she was with us almost five years.

Which means she was about 17.

(Griffin's butt in the foreground.)

Nadia

Nadia, aka Nadia the Obese, and more lovingly, Nadie-boo, passed away sometime last Sunday (June 28) afternoon/evening/night. I left the house at about three, and she was gone when I got back at eleven.

She had developed some large masses under the skin around her hip and base of her tail. She also developed a runny nose and eyes, The final insult was congested lungs, and patches of skin peeling off. The latter was not ordinary dermatitis, but peeling of skin a couple of layers thick.

I was feeding her and watering her using a syringe. She took the water and chicken broth, and her kidneys seemed to be working fine.

Nadie was a Tortoise shell cat (as if you couldn't tell from her picture). Torties are known for being moody, if not psychotic. She was also a 'hidey' cat, meaning that she would dive for the nearest safe space if something scared her.

On the other hand, she did get the Shibas under enough control to suit her.

Above is a picture of the very first time Nadia deigned to be on the bed with Suzu. (Like me, Baxter is staring in disbelief.) She eventually tolerated Dakota as well. There were a couple of discussions about territory, though. The fierst time, I was awakened by loud cat vocalizations. I was awakened the second time by a heavy paw in the middle of my back as Dakota made his departure from the bed.

There was some blood spatter on the bedspread the first time, and some bloody paw-prints after the second. Both time I checked noses and faces and paws of all involved, but found no sign of damage.

When it was my bedtime, I would have to encourage her to move over with a shove. I figured out that it was easier to use the bed covers to roll her over to the other side. Once I got in and got comfy, she would come back to my side foe some attention. Her method of notifying me was to put her paw on my arm, and flex her claws. which resulted in a whole bunch of skin punctures.

Out of curiosity, a year or so ago, I did the 'weight me, then weigh me holding her' thing to get her weight.  Guesses. anyone? (Answer below the fold.)

I got Nadia as a companion for Baxter, after Shin-wa got run over (and killed. By me. Worst Saturday ever.) She was a normal size cat when I met her. She and Baxter lived in the garage, because the Mistress of Pain was highly allergic to cats. When I went out to the garage, I would see her peeking out from behind some shelves. After a couple of months of that I decided to pull her out and see how she was.

She was obese. And she stayed that way up until the last couple of months.

During the winter here in Pa, it was not unusual for me to see her burrowed under the covers during the day, so she could keep warm. I'd get home and go upstairs to find a large lump in the bed, with her face just peeking out.

I hope she's with all of her friends who preceeded her, and that she's content.

Thumper

Well. I took a week off to go out to Montana and see my daughter and the rest of the family. I hired a gentleman to come in twice a day to check on the cats, and walk Thumper. This would be the first time that I would be away for a relatively long period of time (ten days), and Thump would have to adjust to a new alpha human.

Steve, the guy I hired, is retired, and (I believe) does pet sitting to get out of his wife's way. He was a godsend. He did a bunch of extra stuff, like some cleaning up of poo in the house that I hadn't gotten to before I left, and got Thump some new toys to play with. In his written summary, he said:

"Thunper would let me sit on the sofa with him. (He) would let me scratch his back and rub his head with the walking harness on. ... He is learning to trust."

Funny thing was, when I got home and Steve came over to collect his check, Thump pretty much ignored him. I think he was letting us know who he thought the boss was!

A couple of days ago, Thumper and I went for one of our usual walks. As we were coming back in the alley behind the three townhomes, we ran in to our neighbor who lives on the other end unit. He and I started talking about some maintenance issues, while Thumper just stood there. At one point, my neighbor idly bent over and scratched Tumper on his back.

Thumper. Did. Not. React.

We have crossed the Rubicon. I don't know if this extends to the little kids who want to pet him or not, but it signals a major breakthru!   He has become much more comfortable with people than he has ever been since I met him.

He's becoming a real dog.

Update! Thumper and Me

Update: So, off we went to the vet last week.  Thumper was knocked out, blood drawn, and X-rays taken.  X-rays came back clean.  Initial blood word showed that, yes, his thyroid numbers are low.  Vet wanted to do a more specific test, which I ok'd.  There was enough blood from the draw to do it, which was good.

Bottom line: his thyroid is low, so he is now on a thyroid med.  After a month, the vet wants do do another test to see what's happening.

Started them med last Friday (7/20). He seems to be a bit calmer.  He's hopped into my lap a few times, letting me pet and scratch him. He also comes up to me for attention. If he's focused on something not me, I can get his lead off without lighting him up.  It's very clear that he is uncomfortable if I bend down and reach for him. Potentially hazardous to me. He seems to improve a tad every day, so patience and caution are the most important things for me to bring to the game.

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About a month ago, the day after my second cataract surgery, Thumper decided that he didn't want me touching him. I've talked with two dog trainers, who have done some informed speculating, and the consensus is, get him a physical.

So tomorrow, we are of to the vet. "How", you may ask, "can he get a physical when no one can touch him?"  The answer is, anesthesia. He will be knocked out, poked, prodded, x-rayed, and assessed.

And then we'll know if he is salvageable. By which I mean, 1) can he and I somehow get along better, being a happy, fun dog; 2) do I take my loss and return him to the shelter; or 3) is he so far gone physically that the only answer is putting him to sleep.

To recap, I lost Baxter, Benny, and Griffin last year. I've been depressed since Thanksgiving.  (I'm just figuring that out, and yes I have a Dr's appointment scheduled).

This truly and deeply sucks.

Welcome, Thumper!

Meet the newest resident of Casa Chaos, Thumper:

Thumper's Petfinder bio page:

Meet Thumper

Thumper is a 6 yr old Shiba Inu mix who was tied outside most of his life. He was surrendered with his canine son who was also previously tied out. His son has been adopted and Thumper is awaiting his forever family.

Thumper has made a lot of progress since being at our shelter since early January. He learned that toys are cool, fetch is a fun game, and that belly rubs are priceless! Thumper needs a patient person who is willing to visit him a few times to earn his trust. Treats and fetch are the highway to his heart! Thumper would do best in a mature home with a dog experienced family as he is still learning to be a "inside" family member. If you are patient and knowledgeable on how to slowly acclimate a scared dog into home life, he may be just what you need!

He's been here since about noon today, and, all in all, is doing pretty well. He was nervous at first - trembling with a bit of marking. Once he got water and food, and was introduced to his new bed, he calmed down considerably. He is essentially a six year old puppy, given that his only constant contact with people started when he arrived at the shelter. He knows sit, will let my sit and old him in a hug without struggling, and will actually come when he hears his name! Plus, he follows me around constantly, barks at people walking past house outside, and is good aboout watching/avoiding me when I'm moving.

And he really wants to chase Missy! (He hasn't met Nadia yet.)

Right now. I'm in bed with the cats, and he is in one of the crates that we used to get Suzu and Dakota back here ten years ago.

My sense is this is going to work out. He seems to really want to be 'good'; he's intelligent, and willing to learn.

More as this develops. And `two more picturs:

Merry Christmas

I was negligent in doing cards this year, so I e-mailed this. Got it to a lot more folks that I would have via snail mail.

Well, mailing Christmas cards is a no-win at this point, as I realized last night, so I thought I'd take a shot at making my own.

The image above is one I found on rummaging through the Interweb. The animation of the water and the reflection resonated with me, and I think it's the best image I can share with you.

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First, I hope this finds you and all of yours warm, safe, happy and well. After all, it has been one of the strangest years I can remember, what with the Cubs winning the World Series.

Here at home, it has been a mixed year. I have a decent part time gig at the Manheim Auto Auction, which pretty much consists of find the car, drive the car, park the car, in a 500+ acre lot holding several thousand cars. Some days I wind up walking several miles, so it provides some exercise.

In general, we are all warm and safe. However, it has been a tough year for the critters. Suzu, my sweet little girl Shiba left us in April. She had been failing slowly for a while, then started to crash in March. I was trying to feed her and get her to drink from a syringe during her last week, but when a Shiba says "No", it means "No!" Turns out she'd had a stroke and her kidneys were failing, so, in consult with the vet, I let her go.

Two months ago, Griffin, my rescue Shiba, went in for a dental cleaning and exam. Whilst he was unconscious, the vet was able to give him a full exam, which was not something you could do while he was awake. Both his knees are 'blown', and he wound up losing all of his teeth. I felt awful about that, but, as the vet suggested, since the extractions, he's been a much happier dog. It seems to have taken a couple of years off his age! (The report I got of his mouth is best summed up as "horror show".)

Finally, the vet also confirmed that Baxter is blind. We did a full blood work-up to see if anything suggested itself as the cause, only to find that he is in really good shape for a cat of 17!

I didn't get as much work done around here as I would have liked to, and gardening suffered a bit, too. I did get quite a harvest of Oregano, Thai Hot and Ghost peppers. The early hail took its toll on the potatoes, which, along with strawberries, were the only other things I planted.  I did wind up with a slew of 'wild' tomatoes, from seeds left from previous plantings and contributions to the compost bin.

Bottom line is that all is good. I feel blessed to have a warm, safe happy place for me and the critters, and for family and friends around the country.

Here's hoping that your Christmas is merry and bright!

Lee (and Grif, Benny, Baxter, Nadia and Missy)

P.S. If you've a mind to, our adventures in Red Lion are chronicled here: Window on Red Lion, and my curmudgeonly rantings and musings are here: Leelu's Place

Baxter

Baxter and I got back from the vet a few minutes ago. Here's what I sent to Jen and friends:

Got Baxter to the vet this morning. He confirmed what I suspected, Baxter is blind. His pupils are responsive to light. which suggests that there was, possibly, a stroke.

We're doing a full blood workup to see if something suggests itself. At his age (17), the likely candidate is kidney issues, followed by a thyroid problem. The goal is to reduce blood pressure, and get his weight back up (he's down to 7 lbs).

The vet suggested an ophthamology consult. But I can't see Baxter wearing glasses.

Should have the results Monday.

Sigh.

Baxter helping me in the office, about a year ago.

Stress Relief

Much needed after this week!

I hear they're petitioning for a screened-in porch!

Many, many thanks to @amyalkon

Suzu

Another bad weekend.

Suzu had been failing for the last year or so, losing muscle mass, and at some point coordinated use of her hind legs.  Even so, she was able to get around and feed herself.  When I got home Monday, she had, for no apparent reason, lost the use of her left front leg.  She has holding it up, and when I extended it, she had 'paw drop' - no control of it.

I was able to feed her and get her to drink by use of a large syringe. Tuesday and Wednesday, she had a fairly decent appetite, and drank pretty well.  Since Wednesday, however, her appetite started to disappear, and she would not drink as much water.  (And, lemmie tell ya, when a Shiba says 'No', she means 'No, dammit!!')

I discussed her situation with a couple of friends.  Though about building a cart for her so she could get around.  No consensus from my friends, and I wasn't sure that a cart wold make any real difference.  So, this morning, I decided that a trip to the vet for a consult was in order. (OK, I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen, but 'consult' let me get us out the door and into the car.)

I took her to the same clinic I took Dakota about three years ago, and was happy to see that the same vet was there - Dr. Lisa Miller.  I had worked with her when it came time to let Koda go, so I knew that we were in the best of hands.

Her assessment was honest, unadorned, sympathetic, and not good.  A cart wouldn't be of use.  Suzu's dog breath indicated that her kidneys were starting to fail.  Her left pupil was fixed and small, which suggested a lesion or possible stroke, which would account for the loss of use of her front leg.  The prognosis wasn't any better - nothing to be done to alleviate any of the symptoms, and I could expect her to crash rapidly in the near future.

All of which confirmed my thinking, so I decided to let her go.  I held her while Dr. Miller administered the drug.  Suzu slipped peacefully and quitely.  She was almost 16 1/2 years old, which I understand is a bit exceptional for a Shiba Inu.

A bit of her life in pictures, below the fold.

So long, sweetie.  I miss you.

Friday Garden (w/ a Visitor!), and House!

It's been a busy week here - Getting the screen door rebuilt, painting the new bedroom, and getting the new coating on the roof. I've also met a new visitor to the garden, and finally managed a picture or two!

OK... screen door:

First time I've had the table saw out since I moved back here! I'm ripping a 2X4 down to 5/4" to fit the slot where the old door post lived

The 5/4" slot, with a bit of siding trimming going on.

This is where it stands as of now. It latches, so I can keep the kitchen door open and not lose and dogs or cats!

Garden:

The continuing showers have encouraged the garden to go bee-zerk:

Peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes.

More tomatoes and peppers.

Yet more tomatoes, and melons.

New Thai Hots!

First tomato!

The onions and garlic are getting sturdy.

More green tomatoes.

Cantaloupe blossoms.

Mostly oregano and basil.

Anaheim peppers.

Our visitor! He's (?) keeping an eye on me as I take his picture and move from the car to the stairs.  I doubt he's as big as a softball. First wabbit I've seen here. I call him "Bun-bun", Doc thinks of him as "Thumper". Pete Abrams vs Walt Disney, I guess.

The container is only about an inch higher than the soil in it, so it gives you a sense of how tiny he really is!

I watch for him when I bring the dogs back for a walk. Grif has only spotted him once out of four times that I have. When he did, he lit up, but didn't strain the leash. He does seem to be a bit more interested in poking around the garden, though.

I've decided that I need better pix of the painting and roof coating, so more, later!