Sleepy Weekend

Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes to Samba. She's doing well considering the problems she's dealing with. We had no emergency runs to the vet over the weekend and she and I have come up with some routines that help handle her new condition.

She has a little trouble eating, the food falls out the side of her mouth. This doesn't seem to be a big problem except when she's taking her medicine. I found that putting her pills in yogurt helps them slide down and we don't have to worry about them popping out of her mouth.

She's not thrilled about me putting ointment in her eye twice a day, but she tolerates it, especially if there's a treat involved.

On Sunday, Splash, Gracie and J came to visit and brought a big plate of liver brownies. My dogs think those are the best treats they've ever heard of. Tsar had two and came back hoping for a third. Instead they're getting them with their dinner this week. Everyone has cleaned their bowl in anticipation.

I lost quite a lot of sleep last week worrying about my girl, so we've been trying to catch up.


Morgan is a very good napper. She's always happy to head off to the bedroom for a nap, or even a cat-nap on the couch.


When Sky first moved into the bedroom to sleep, he squeezed himself into Lucy's little bed. We bought him a larger bed, but he continued to grow and now his seventy pound body doesn't fit in his bed anymore. It looks like we'll be heading out this weekend to buy an even bigger bed for him.

You all know that I buy stuffed toys at thrift shops for my dogs to play with. I'm sure you've all seen the alert that's going around the lists and blogs. To read my feelings about it, check out Dogs-N-More, where I've given my opinion. Let me know how you feel about it.

Samba

A couple days ago I commented to Rob that I thought Samba's face looked lop-sided. He thought it was just her haircut.

The next day she started drooling long strands of drool. Samba has never been a drooler even when there's something very tasty in front of her.

Yesterday when she ate her breakfast I noticed that food was falling out the side of her mouth. When we lifted her cheek to examine her mouth, her lip was sagging.


We were at the vet clinic first thing this morning. Samba has left side facial paralysis. The whole left side of her face including her eye is sagging. We don't know what caused it, though it doesn't appear to be connected to the masticatory myositis.

We repeated her blood work that was done earlier in the month and she's taking antibiotics for a possible middle ear infection. I'm also putting ointment in her eye twice a day to keep it moist as she isn't blinking enough due to the paralysis.

This came as a real blow since she was showing such improvement. I'm feeling very scared and discouraged tonight. I don't know how much more my poor little dog can handle.

Samba's Party

Samba's birthday was on the 16th, but we were having rainy weather so we decided to wait till last weekend for her party. Last weekend we had a two day return to winter, so we waited again. But Monday was sunny and warmish, so we decided to go for it.


Rob, acting like the pied piper, carried the box of cupcakes to the tower.


Norma Jean was a little excited about the prospect of cupcakes and was doing some high jumps.


Sky was trying to get a good look at the goodies.


Fudge wasn't going to miss out. Notice that Rob doesn't make them sit to get the reward. Mean Mom does.


I'm not sure what's going on here, but he has their attention.


Everyone got half a cupcake.


The cupcakes were frosted with red and purple frosting and it got all over his fingers.


No problem!! The pack volunteered to clean his fingers.


I thought the frosting was the best part of the cupcakes and apparently the dogs did, too.


Norma Jean especially liked the frosting.


The tongues were going like crazy and they were getting frosting all over their faces.


No one wanted to quit.


Sky had red frosting all over his face. That night at bedtime I glanced at him and I thought he had a cut under his eye. On closer inspection, it was a smear of frosting.


Samba enjoyed her party and she too was covered with frosting.


Tsar was the last to get his cake. He doesn't like the pushing that goes on, so he waits.


There are a few pieces left so Rob divided them for the group.


They sure like to party.


Last piece.


There was some frosting stuck to the box.


They decided to help clean up.


Bailey wanted to take the whole box down the hill and lick it clean, but Rob hung on to it.


Yum!!!


Norma Jean had her head right in there and wasn't going to leave that box as long as there was a speck of frosting left.


There was no growling. That would have put a stop to the party.


Look at Morgan's chin. Tsar wanted to see what all the fuss was about. He smelled the frosting on Rob's fingers.


He carefully tasted it.


Yup, it tasted good.


Most of the frosting is gone.


One last lick.


They're off to play and only Morgan is left with the frosting box. I think it was a successful party, but there sure were a lot of messy red and purple faces.

Toast

Today is National Toast Day.

Toast is a very popular item at our house.


I like cinnamon toast, but my furry pals like theirs with peanut butter.


They wait patiently for it to be prepared.


Tsar, of course, prefers cream cheese on his toast.


Here is Rob's plate. The bagel is for him and the pieces are for the dogs.


They're actually pretty good when we're eating. They lie around the kitchen waiting for us to finish. They know they'll probably get something when we're done. Today, for demonstration purposes, the dogs will get their toast first.


Samba, as Alpha dog, gets hers first.


The others move in as soon as Samba is done.


They wait on both sides, so Rob has to make sure that everyone gets a piece and nobody get's extras.


Tsar takes his piece very gently, carries it into the other room and licks the cream cheese off before eating the toast.


They're back for seconds.


They're totally focused on that toast.


Now we can back to our breakfast.

Goodbye Callie

Another friend has crossed the bridge.


Callie started life in a puppy mill. She was kept in a tiny cage and forced to have puppies every year. She wasn't allowed to keep her puppies with her long enough and she had no human friends to care for her. Puppy millers don't think of dogs as living, feeling animals, they're just money making machines to them.


When Callie was finally saved from the mill, she found a home with E and J and they got her a puppy to love. She accepted Brody immediately. He represented all those puppies that she had wanted to play with and teach and snuggle with. He thought of her as his new Mom.

Callie was afraid of people, but through the patient hard work of E and J, she conquered her fears enough to stay in the same room with us and not hide.

Unfortunately, as is the case with mill dogs, Callie never had good veterinary care and suffered from many health problems. Her ears drooped from poor nutrition and her tail had been broken. She had skin problems and cancer, but she was a strong little girl who battled back each time, until the problems became overwhelming.


Last night Callie died after one last bout with cancer. We're so glad that her last few years were happy ones and that she had a chance to learn what it felt like to be safe and loved. We will all miss her tremendously, especially Morgan, who considered her a friend.