Vets and Doctors!

I got Rocky's meds into him - there are four of them he takes, with 3 only once a day and a tablet twice a day.  I put the tablet into a spoonful of peanut butter and he's happy as a clam!

We went from the vet yesterday to my med clinic where I had blood drawn for my oncologist.  I missed my last appointment with her and couldn't get another one until January, so I decided to at least get the blood tests done.  She wrote me and said everything looks great except for one test the results will take another week to process, as well as my B-12 levels being low.  She wants me to start taking B-12 tablets which is fine with me, and maybe it will give me more energy to deal with Rocky.

My energy has been flagging a bit lately but I just chalked it up to being too old to raise a dynamo puppy! 

I have a craving for ice cream, and have 1/2 gallon in my freezer.  A certain little friend of mine can hear the silent freezer door opening which will even wake him up from a sound sleep.  I often wonder if he hears it or reads my mind and knows I'm trying to sneak ice cream  past him.

Well, we are on the downside of another week.  My life is going by too fast to suit me.

The weather has been beautiful the past few days, and much cooler.   The forecast for the next few months is so vague and difficult to know what it's going to be over the winter.  I remember a lot of rain last year, but that may have been after New Year's.  I doubt we'll be lucky enough to get good rains two years in a row.

Visit to the vet

I'm relieved that the worst outcome I feared is not a problem.  According to the vet, Rocky has a  case of giardia plus a few other problems.  I recall hearing about giardia when I backpacked on the Appalachian Trail in 1997, and at the time it was always water related.  I filtered my water from all sources and didn't have a problem.  My dog (lab) Smoky drank from rivers, streams, etc., and didn't have a problem.  I think we were extremely lucky!

I have a number of medicines to give him several times a day, and I hope I can keep it all straight.   The prognosis is certainly 100% better than I dared hope, and I think we will eventually get it all straightened out.  I have special food I will be feeding him for a week or so, and since a Lab isn't as fussy about food as most dogs, he will love anything I set down in his food bowl!

I am so relieved and hopeful - I was really worried that I might lose him, when I didn't yet have the diagnosis from the vet.  

I'm tired and will make this a short (for me) post.  Back tomorrow.

 

Another vet visit scheduled

We go back to see the vet tomorrow, and I sure hope I get some answers and recommendations.  Rocky still is having problems with diarea (I know that is mis-spelled, but you know what I mean).  I'm supposed to keep him on the same seafood diet for a few more weeks, but I can't keep walking to PetClub to get it, and a small bag doesn't last very long.  Also, he seems to be getting worse, not better.  So I called this morning and couldn't get an appointment until tomorrow afternoon, at which time I'm going to press them to do a test or two to see what's wrong.  He's lethargic much of the time, although still eats his food with gusto, and still chases his toys around the house, obviously enjoying all the noise and chaos he is making!  He's not up to the longer walks we've been doing, and I have to admit I'm not up to it either.

After years of not going "out" much, Jeannie & Donald are taking me to a Napa Valley winery that is a favorite of theirs.  We will be joined by my brother & his wife who live closer to San Francisco and will meet us in Napa for the day.  I've also committed to spending New Year's Eve in a cabin in the Sierra, and I think I've mentioned it in a previous post.  I might have to get a new wardrobe to replace my old "hanging out" clothes. 

Today is cool and breezy, and I love it.  I wish this was our year-round weather.

I don't have anything else to write - my day has been dog-watching and cuddling!

Fingers Crossed!

The new charger arrived a few minutes ago and it is working fast!  I just hope it holds up.  The last one I had wasn't all that old, but I dropped it and it never worked right after that - also, the cords aren't very sturdy and develop rips and tears in the casing.  I'm going to find one outlet that I always use to plus into, and not move the charger anywhere else.  Maybe it will do better this time.

Using the iPad has messed up some of my usernames and passwords, and I will have to straighten that out.

I'm still having the same problems with Rocky's diet, although he eats everything with relish and acts pretty much the same - maybe a little more quiet at times.  I'm not buying another bag of salmon/trout for him and will go back to the chicken, but I'll call the vet first of all.  Rocky and I walked to PetClub to buy a small bag of food for him, crossing 6 lanes of traffic and I was more frightened than Rocky was.  I don't want to do that again.  I will probably order his food online from now on.

Our weather has been pretty nice lately - warm in the daytime, but not too warm - and very cool after the sun goes down.  I don't like the hot weather and never did.

I hope my computer will not crap out on me again, and I can continue to post on a regular basis.  I've always thought I would quit when the page views reach 1Million, and I have about 40k to go.

Have a good week ahead, and I'll be back.

All is Well!

I'm sorry I disappeared for several days.  My computer completely stopped working.  I bought an iPad thinking I could use it to communicate, but  could never figure the damn thing out!   I'm disgusted with it as I just wanted something simple, but spent 4-5 hrs after I brought it home, and still hadn't set it up properly.  To make it worse, there is an obnoxious voice called "Siri" that wanted me to talk to it, and I absolutely will not!

Donald got my computer working and brought it back to me today, and I have tons of emails stacked up to read.  I wanted to let everyone know I'm ok and sorry if any of you were worried.  I had absolutely no way to communicate for much of that time, as I left my cell phone in Jeannie's car:  so no TV; no phone; no computer; nada!

Rocky is growing every day and is so sweet most of the time, so I can deal with a bit of devilishness once in a while.  I spend a lot of time laughing at his antics.

I gotta start reading through about 100 emails, so see ya later, and have a good weekend.

To Buy or Not to Buy

That is the question!  For someone who is opinionated (as I usually am), I sometimes let people talk me into buying what I don't want.  I shopped at Pet Club last night (a local CA business centered in San Francisco).  I like that their prices are great, their selection is overwhelming, and their employees are knowledgeable.  But I wanted a bag of puppy food for large breeds, and the woman kept talking me into one that she swore was good for ALL dogs.   I knew better.  How can the same food be the best for a doxie, yorkie, lab or golden retriever, boxer, etc.  So now I need to return the bag of puppy food and get what I was advised by the vet.  It makes sense that a puppy who is growing into a big active dog would need stronger legs, bones, etc.  I could train this dog to be a hunting dog which would require him running through the woods, retrieving, swimming, etc.  His needs are definitely different than a lap dog!  (I won't be doing any of that training by the way, because I don't have the legs for running through woods, retrieving, swimming, etc.)

Right now, as I'm trying to type this blog, he is looking for trouble to get into!

I haven't mentioned the possible move in a few days, and I'm still not certain but I'm leaning toward the duplex with the big fenced back yard.   I like the fact that I have stores near me such as Pet Club, Dollar Store, Sportsman's Club, and Smart & Final (which I rarely shop at), but since I had to turn back when Rocky got closer to the traffic noise and congestion, it doesn't matter that it's close.  I can't walk him there.  With the duplex I would be at least a mile from shopping but while there is traffic, there are also sidewalks which should make Rocky feel more secure.

The current tenants of the duplex are expecting their first child and would like to move back closer to family.  They have 6 months on their lease, but may move sooner (or later) than that.  I'm really not in a hurry especially with winter and holidays approaching.   I could also change my mind during the waiting period.

I love lazy mornings, but it's time for me to get dressed and possibly do some cleaning before Rocky needs a walk.  T.G.I.F.

I cooked today!

I don't often do it, but when I do I make enough for several meals.  I recently saw a Youtube video of a man cooking chicken ala king, and it sure looked and sounded good to me.  So I ordered a few ingredients I normally don't have on hand, such as mushrooms and heavy cream, and the order was delivered late yesterday.

I couldn't put this off because I had thawed the chicken and had to use it, so today was the day.  I haven't eaten any yet, because Rocky is getting close to his afternoon feeding time and I just wouldn't eat in front of him.  But I tasted the sauce and it is wonderful.  I don't know how it will reheat when I have the leftovers, but the flavors are great.  

I started to walk Rocky to Pet Club and the dollar store this morning.  As soon as we left the park, there is a short street, fairly busy as In 'n Out Burger is here, plus one of the entrances for Shell gas station.  This bit of street leads to a 6 lane divided blvd., Sunrise Blvd, which is heavily traveled all the time.  We didn't get half way down the short street to the blvd when Rocky started getting nervous and didn't want to go on.  I decided I wouldn't put him through that at least at this age.   The sound of trucks and cars were too much for him.

I changed his food yesterday for a brand without many ingredients, and selected a bag with no chicken - but it has salmon instead.  He has been having trouble as I mentioned, and I noticed every one of his "treats" plus his food contains chicken.  Poor little thing -  one thing I wanted to get at Pet Club is some treats he can have - some beef, bison, etc.  He also needs a new collar as well as a harness - I'm not sure whether to get both but want to talk to someone at the store about it.  Several people we meet in the park recommend a harness over the collar for all times.  He walks like a perfect gentleman when he's with only me, but the minute a person appears he goes crazy.  I'm afraid he is going to hurt his trachea with the excessive pulling.  Do any of you who use a harness take it off when they are settled inside the house?  I can't imagine it being comfortable for a dog when they are sleeping, and we all know that's their favorite thing to do next to eating! 

 I have 2 pills left for tomorrow, and one for the following morning, and then I'm finished with that prescription.  It seems to be working but I'll see.  It could be the sandals I mostly wear, that rub across my toe.  I'm wearing athletic shoes now and Rocky loves to sneak up and untie the laces and chew on them.

Time is flying by, folks.  We passed the middle of October already!  I'm looking forward to cooler weather and hope we get some here, but I'm sure not looking forward to 2019 which isn't all that far away.   (I will be another year older by the time we reach 2019!)

By the way, next-door neighbor Ed is alive and well and bought himself a car!  That's why I thought something had happened to him and he had to have someone stay with him.  I sure wish I could find an inexpensive used car!

I'm still waffling back and forth about whether to stay here or move.  At least I don't have to make up my mind immediately, although I need to start weeding out stuff I don't want to take to another house.