Masocist???

Am I a masocist? (NO I don't do it for sexual gratification but I know I am going to just get all upset and do it anyways...) I am referring to reading this one blog.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/

It's about animals in Baltimore and sadly, the majority of the posts are sad. This in turn makes me cry, have nightmares and lose sleep. :(

I really need to just stop reading this blog.

PS. How can anyone hurt a defenseless animal?

My personal feeling is if you hurt or kill someone or something (something being an animal) BAM, you should get the same action done to you! Not in 6 months, not in 6 years NOW!

Lucy's Patellas don't Luxate no more!

As many know, Lucy had Luxating Patellas.

Definition: A luxating patella is a knee cap which moves out of the groove in the femur.

Here is a play by play of everything that has happened.

She got her surgery on December 3rd. I dropped her off at 7:30am and was to hear from the doctor after the surgery which was scheduled for 11am. She got both legs operated on because 1. instead of two separate surgeries and 12 weeks of recovery it's only 6. 2. It was 1K cheaper.

I was a nervous wreck all day, of course fearing the worst. I heard from the doctor around 1:30pm telling me everything went as planned and she was in recovery.

Originally, I was told she would be kept until Saturday morning but when I dropped her off I was informed that 50% of dogs go home the next day and 50% do stay two nights. On Thursday, when I talked to the vet he said to call back friday mid morning to find out when I could pick her up. I barely slept Thursday night because I missed my girl and kept imagining she was alone in a cage... I know, moving on.

On Friday, December 4th I called the CVRC (surgery place) at 10am and was told she was doing great and could pick her up today! I hadn't taken off at the gym but I told them I'd be there at 3!

Anyways, my mom and I picked her up (Jerms was driving home from Virginia.) We got a huge list of things to do and not do as well as three different medicines to give her at three different times of the day. She has staples in her legs and stitches down her head. (I got a mass removed from the crown of her head) The poor pup has the worst haircut ever! She looks like she has male pattern baldness and her entire back end is bald.

Insert sad dog pic here:

Anyways, that night was horrible! Absolutely no weight on her legs which meant holding the entire night. This gets kinda gross but she couldn't really hold her bowels. Nothing explosive but she'd start whimpering and moving around because she knew she wasn't supposed to go in the house. Momma had a playpen that she slept in, right next to my side of the bed. I'm a really light sleeper, meaning I woke up every time she took a deep breath. It was a very long night.

Saturday, December 5th was rough. She was still having bowel issues but I did get her to go pee on a puppy pad. For me this was a huge accomplishment because she had been whimpering, struggling and moving around for 10 minutes, trying to get me to take her outside. I never liked the idea of puppy pads and she wasn't trained with them but I am so thankful for them now! After this she started showing really good signs of feeling better, eating, drinking and being alert; unlike the night before. I started her leg exercises with her which I absolutely hate! I have to bend her leg in until she reacts and back out. Saturday night was no fun. The medicine must have constipated her and but she did end up going outside. I used a sling to hold up her back legs. This part is really gross but it happened... anyways, her rear end got reallllly chapped and almost diaper-rashy. If this happens to anyone I suggest using vaseline on the area and not vitamin E. We used vitamin E first and it didn't help. The area kept getting redder and more tender. Overnight we switched to vaseline and woke the next morning with the area looking 75% better and she showed no sensitivity back there.

That brings us to Sunday, December 6th. Lucy woke up around 8am which means I woke up as well. I took her outside still using the towel as a sling. She went outside and peed and pooped, just like her normal routine!! She has really showed great progress and good signs of healing! This is good news but all the while, means I have to watch her and really restrict her for the next 6 weeks. No jumping, running over exerting herself or else the pins could slip and she would need the surgery all over again! I'll keep updating.

*I wrote this mostly because the blogs on Luxating Patellas and forums on it don't explain what really goes down in the first couple days after surgery, just that it is very demanding on the owner and rough on the dog. I had no idea. I really don't know how people who full time jobs, kids, no help handle this type of surgery!

Thankful for so much

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am currently watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, BK is in the kitchen chopping celery for the (amazing) oyster stuffing, DK is in his chair reading the newspaper and Jerms is downstairs watching the parade on his TV.

I have the prettiest little dog looking up at me.

I have some updates:

My car. What a pain! Let's see, a bunch of stuff was done wrong. My insurance adjuster said go get your car from the auto-body shop, I did. I found some serious things that were wrong (bare metal showing, window grinding, dirt in the paint, clear coat runs etc.) I call my adjuster, he said to take it to another body shop and get an estimate to fix the damage; I did. The new body shop found things that I didn't see and ended up giving me an estimate of $1,500 just to fix the other places mistakes. I called my adjuster, he said I had to take it up with the original shop! I was shocked! I called my insurance company, they went over my adjusters head. This part makes me mad though; I have to take my car back to the original body shop and give them a chance to fix the mistakes. I really, really, really, don't want to do that! I don't trust them with my car! They had it for 2 months (only supposed to have it for 10 days.) and caused more damage then did any good!

Frustrating right?

My Lucy. I scheduled her follow-up exam for her knees on December 2nd and her surgery will be on December 3rd. I'm am very nervous and scared for my girl. I hate the fact that I have to leave her at the vet hospital for 2 days. They said I can go visit on the second day.

Anyways, I got her groomed because the surgery will put her out of commission for 6 weeks. She looks really silly, her ears are cut sooo short and choppy. She smells really good though and is super soft!

I'm looking forward to see my fam today! We are going down Mawmaw's for dinner which is always delicious!! I am VERY excited for Sunday! 1. Dinner & visiting Jerms fam. and 2. Ravens/ Steelers game, I hope everybody heals! (Ray, Suggs, Reed, Palomino, Roethlisberger) I want to win against their aces using our aces! I am pretty excited because I got a shirt like 6 months ago to wear on Sunday! I'll just say "You bet your sweet ass I hate the Steelers!"

Car drama

I'm am so upset that I want to cry. Whenever I get in an "intense" discussion or heated argument; my eyes well up. It's just a nervous, anxious cry though, not a sad cry. Most of the time I can fight the water works but I'm seriously mad now.

Back Story: In August I went to KDub (BK & DK's office in the dena) and a huge storm rolled in. A tree branch fell from a massive tree that I was of course, parked under. It hit my roof and what seems like every other panel on my car.

G35 Injuries: Large dent in my roof affected my sirius antenna, large dent in the panel next to the drivers side door, small dent in drivers side door, chips in drivers side door & handle, chip in front windshield, trunk & wing, scratches in sun roof & passenger door and a chip in the passenger side window. Like I said, chips and scratches in almost every panel of my car!

Anyways, going through the auto body place they appraised it at $3,800 and my insurance company $4,000. That was replacing and painting (almost) everything!

Dropped off my beloved G35 on October 7th, picked up rental car 1 (Avenger). Avenger was a piece of shit! The oil needed changing (red flashing light on dash,) wipers didn't work, brakes were going out, steering was going out... exchanged for a Pontiac G6. Also, a turd. whatever.

Rental was due back October 22 but my car wasn't ready. They extended the rental until the 26th because that was when my car was supposed to be ready. Call the auto body shop, cars not ready because the tints not dry and they can't put the door panels on but it will be ready tomorrow in the AM. I drop the rental off because I hate it and will get my car in the AM, SIKE! Cars still not ready. Next day, they find a scratch in the passenger window that they didn't see until after it got tinted. Next day, my glass doesn't come in until MONDAY, November 2nd but I can pick my car up and have it for the weekend and drop it off Monday morning. Go to pick my car up (of course after 5pm) only to find:

Drivers side window doesn't go up all the way and the window is completely separate from the door.

They were to replace my wind sheild, drivers door window, passenger window and 2 small windows, they did but now there is a 2.5"x 4" logo of the glass company engraved in each window! They are so obnoxious looking! WHY would they have that put in when I didn't have it there before? I didn't authorize that! The lady said "Well it's a different glass company, not infiniti glass." I PAID FOR INFINITI GLASS, GIVE ME INFINITI GLASS!

The passenger side door handle has a huge chip in it that wasn't there before!

The black strip over my back window is cut too short and sticks out like 1 inch! The rain strip is too short and water would get in my trunk. PLUS, from where they set it in the shop, there's scratches all in the glass.

The hood wasn't even "buffed" out like he said.

The car is DIRTY! There was bird poop on it. Shouldn't the car be clean if they just fixed it?

The worst is the bumper. The front bumper has fresh chips (like 30+) in it like someone ran up on a curb or sidewalk. This is new! I ran my hand over it and chips came off in my hand.

These are just the things I noticed in a 5 minute review of my car.

:(

Lucy News

I do have some bad news...

From time to time when Lucy is running around and sometimes even walking, her back legs collapse on her. She then straightens her leg almost as if she has a cramp in it. Being the over protective, obsessive mother that I am; I took her to the vet.

Well she has Luxating Patella in both her back legs, her right leg is worse off. Basically her knee caps don't stay in place and go out of alignment. This is a common aliment in small dogs that usually occurs with no pain; sadly, Lucy feels pain. Of course to fix this problem, requires an expensive, painful and demanding surgery. I was told that if we don't get the surgery, the disorder will get worse and she will have problems walking.

She's only 7 months old; I feel so bad. I have been looking into alternative, more natural ways to correct her condition.

Unfortunately, this is a genetic condition and her mother should not have been bred. I feel like a hypocrite saying that because if that would have occurred, I wouldn't have my Lucy.

Anyways, I'll keep ya'll updated on the status of my girl.