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Vacation!

Ok I am going to forget that my dog got skunked, my boler's toilet is leaking, that it took 5 adult strength gravol to achieve Duke's silence in the truck for all of 20 minutes, or that "we" forgot the axe, trailer jacks, and water hose.  I'm going to start over. I'm on vacation!!!




On the open road

Skunk Removal Recipe

In the spirit of sharing useful information here is a very effective recipe for removing skunk spray.  I know this from personal experience!

32 oz hydrogen peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1 TBSP shampoo

Mix and use all, leave on for 10 minutes, rinse.

Viola! $25 plus tip later, we are on our way again!

Camping Trip

Day 1

Sadie got loose and chased a skunk. She's in town at the dog groomers who apparently has a "secret recipe" for this type of thing. I'm too mad to write more.

Vito is coming for a visit this weekend! These pictures were from his last visit:

Thanks for the bone Aunty Sandy! I love being here, I wish my mom let me come more often.



I need to hide my bone, should I go downstairs....

Or in the bedroom?

Oh I think I'll sit on that nice comfy dog bed.

Yep, this is perfect!

Dammit!! That stupid terrier is here now. She'll probably bite me, I'm surprised she hasn't already....I'm outta here.

Gotta hide my bone, gotta hide my bone......

Now that fat mixed breed is licking her chops, maybe if I don't look directly at her she'll go away.

I'm so smart I found the perfect hiding spot!

(Can you spot the Vito?)

One More Night

Mira gets her stitches out tomorrow!  Wooohooo!

Bizarro World

First off we have been tagged by Amanda at manymuddypaws.blogspot.com to tell our stories of how we came to have our dogs.  Fun right?  Except if you follow Sarah's blog digit-fetchit-herdit.blogspot.com then you've heard my stories.  Ok maybe not exactly, but it's safe to say bizarro world strikes again.

THE DOG: Sadie

THE YEAR: 2005

I wanted a little dog that I could train while I was in transition from school to the real world.  My husband said there was one, gasp, at the petstore.  When I saw her, I thought she was a Jack Russell.  I lived with a Jack Russell while going to school and it made me cringe to see her.  But the nice petstore employee told me that she was a fox terrier, and would be much calmer then her terrier cousin the jack.   Mmmmhmmm.  She was the only one left, so we didn't have a choice and we went home with her.

THE DOG: Duke

THE YEAR: 2005

I wanted a lab all my life.  I actually wanted a yellow one named Sailor.  Dustin also wanted a lab for swimming, and hiking.  He actually wanted a black lab named Duke, I guess we know who has more pull now.  We decided to visit the Calgary Humane Society just to kill some spare time.  There was a black lab named Duke, I didn't have a choice how could I say no?

THE DOG: Mira

THE YEAR: 2007

I absolutely did not want 3 dogs.  We were fostering for a rescue in Calgary and we picked up a very strange, and shy looking mixed breed dog that I actually couldn't wait to have adopted out.  Having 3 dogs was hard work!  Then we went away on holidays and I missed my dogs of course, but I also missed my little freak as well.  Now if you read Sarah's post on how she got Gyp you might think that I am making this up.  But I kid you not the moment I quit saying she had to go was when she laid her head on Dustin's lap and looked up at him with those eyes and he said "so we are keeping her right?" and yes she is Daddy's girl hands down.

(insert creepy bizzaro music here)  

*all photo's courtesy of paws on the run photography (photography.paws-on-the-run.ca)* awesome eh?

It's Pouring

Its been a rough few days to say the least. Last night Mira had what can only be described as a doggy panic attack and ripped off her cast. It lasted all night, and as soon as I calmed her down and fell asleep, I woke again to the sounds of plaster cracking. Then I slept in after my alarm choose not to go off because it knows I'm in a rush to get Mira back to the vet and off to work after a sleepless night. In my morning panic I left the pantry door open and came home not only to food partially devoured and strewn around the house, but garbage as well because that is where I keep it locked up. And this is not your run of the mill garbage, no it had to be after my mom and I cleaned and tossed a bunch of old camping gear encrusted with dirt and mud. Cleaning old gooey and licked starburst off tile is not a joyful task. My dryer also decided it no longer wanted to perform it's only function - to dry clothes. Of course after a messy weekend, complete with dirty soaking wet towels. And the list goes on, but I digress.

I found some twisted humor this evening. I was given a fish for my birthday last December, one that lives in a small bowl, that has to be cleaned every week or the fish is no longer visable. Yesterday I couldn't find his food. I searched for it at supper and decided to just buy some more today. Then Mira had a melt down and I forgot. So again at supper I realized he had no food and I would have to go out and buy some. This came shortly after I strategically planned each day around Mira's constant watch. Even going as far as having a babysitter so I could buy groceries at some point. Angry, frustrated and clearly not thinking coherently I decided I would flush him down the toilet and peacefully "drown" him because I didn't want him to starve and I couldn't leave Mira to buy his food. As I watched him struggle against the swirling current I debated saving him only to reminisce over the weekly cleaning rituals, and I let him go. Not 20 minutes later as I stared helplessly out the kitchen window I saw his food on the ledge. I giggled psychotically as I realized that fish can't drown and wondered how in fact my poor fish would meet his maker.

But if I didn't laugh I'd cry and I'm all out of tears.

Something Fun

With Mira's surgery behind us it's time for some fun stuff again. I stumbled upon this website which caters to the very posh dog owner ie. people who have too much money to spend. They have crystal collars and bowls that run in the thousands! But they also have this very cool idea - collar of the month. For $120 you receive a new collar every month! I have to say I am very tempted.

http://www.tailsandcompany.com/store/item.aspx?DepartmentId=123&ItemId=124

Surgery Pictures

Pre-Op

The alien in all it's hideous glory

Closing up

The final product. No too shabby!

Mira thinks this will be the longest 10 days of her life.

Some Good News!

Mira is home! Besides sounding like she has a peg leg on the laminate she is as good as new! Her creatine levels were normal, so no kidney problems. The surgery went well, her heart rate dropped during surgery but they were able to get it back up. I will even have some surgery photos to post because the vet tech involved is my brother's girlfriend and she took some really gross and cool pictures.

Thanks Wendy for watching Mira tonight! And thanks for every one's good thoughts and wishes. We all really appreciate such great support!

Wendy and Mira after surgery.

More Bad News

The new vet just called, they reviewed the bloodwork from Mira's last surgery. Her urea was high then, which is an indicator of kidney disease. I was never told at the time. This could be because the vet who did the last surgery didn't think it was high enough to warrant further investigation. This is where knowledge can play with your psyche.  I know that these tumors grow back in dogs with underlying issues, I know the medication I have been giving Mira for her hip dysplasia is metabolized through the kidney's causing stress on them, and I know that I'm getting the new vet to run the test again. 

Good thoughts, good thoughts........

Viral Papilloma

I'm posting this in case anyone in cyber land has to go through the same thing I have these last few weeks. I have googled and wikipedia'd this topic quite obsessively. I have read the trials, and studies and lived through it.

Mira is having a tumor (a viral papilloma) removed for the second time. These tumors usually grow in young dogs and usually occur on the face or mouth, but rarely can occur on the feet, in between the pads, as in Mira's case. In healthy dogs the tumors are self limiting and will regress in several months. Recurrence is a sign that there is an underlying autoimmune problem. In Mira's case the vet is not convinced of this as she has been otherwise healthy, shiny coat, etc. We are crossing our fingers and paws. Remember nothing is black and white there are always shades of grey.

They are surgically removing the tumor again but this time they are modifying the procedure with hopes to prevent another recurrence. She will be on a round of zithromax (an antibiotic) and possibly some antiviral cream (Aldara). If it comes back again we will try cryotherapy (freezing) or chemotherapy. There has been some evidence that surgical removal during the growth phase actually stimulates more growth and the study advised postponing surgery until the mass reached it maximum size or started to regress. I'm not sure if this thing can get bigger, but I can't wait any longer as it is impeding her walking. I also read that you can crush the tumor in small sections which stimulates cell death, but this would be very painful and not an option for a dog like Mira. There is also information on manufacturing a vaccine from a section of the tumor but it has lead to cancer in that area later on.

In the end, the chemotherapy was described to me as not a very good option, showing less then positive results. Cryotherapy is relatively obsolete in small animals and they play a guessing game with how long to freeze the area. Too long and the bone can die leading to permanent damage and future surgeries.

The best evidence is with the antibiotic zithromax which has potential to become mainstream therapy, even over surgery. I'm not sure how this works as the tumor is viral and antibiotics work on bacteria, but it was described to me that it was working by a different mechanism to kill the tumor other then antibacterial. It's cheap and non invasive so it can't hurt to try.

I hope that this information is helpful for others who are going through this.

Say good-bye to Mira's little friend

Mira's surgery is tommorow. Please send good vibes our way!

If Dogs Were our Teachers

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps. Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

Second Opinion Results

The second opinion wasn't very promising. The tumor needs to be surgically removed, but she recommended that the borders be either infused with chemotherapy or cryotherapy (freezing) to ensure that the entire tumor is eradicated. The problem? No one that I have talked to has done either on a small animal before. The vet admitted that she wouldn't know how much or how long to perform the freezing. To much and the bone can be damaged and require future surgeries, too little and the tumor can grow back. Chemo is expensive, toxic and would require Mira to be in isolation for several days to weeks. Not ideal for a sensitive, nervous dog. So now I have to decide if I should just continue with the surgery at my primary vet, or have the whole operation done at by a vet I just met and essentially let Mira be a guinea pig with highly toxic and/or necrotizing materials.

Decisions, decisions.......

Second Opinion

Due to Mira's alien growing to the size of a small melon, and an unforeseen scheduling error, I am going to have a second opinion done this morning. She was suppose to have surgery this morning and I'm not very impressed that it has been pushed back to next week. It has grown outside her pad and she walks directly on the tender tumor causing her much pain and discomfort. She is limping by the end of the day.

I am super frustrated because I asked for this to be removed over a month ago and was told it would fall off. Mother's intuition I knew this thing was thriving and would most definitely not fall off and I should have pushed for surgery then. The vet was concerned that there wasn't enough skin to close the incision from the previous surgery, now that it has tripled in size, I wonder where the skin will come from?

It was a valiant effort, but ultimately he was lost in battle.

Mother's Day Picnic

Mother's Day in the park.

Guess who feeds the dogs? Not Grampa!


You can tell Mira was getting trouble for mooching. Sadie was too but she remains unaffected.

Sadie loves her Grama

Pooped out on the way home.