The Countdown and other news...

Alright all you doggies...the countdown has begun! 'What countdown?' you might ask. The countdown until my birthday, of course! Mom even found a countdown clock for me so I can let everyone how much more time I have until I turn 1! Oh, and I must apologize for my human if there are any misspelled words in here...M cut her finger really bad at work yesterday and it's all wrapped up in a big bandage and splint that is not conducive to typing correctly. Duh, that's what spellcheck is for, Mom!

Anyway, you guys can find the countdown clock WAAAY at the bottom of this page. It wouldn't fit in the sidebar, so we had to put it down in the footer. Only 63 days left!! Woohoo!

In other news: Cassie is getting spayed tomorrow. Shhhh...don't tell her. She doesn't know yet. M and D have to drop her off at 7:00am and then we don't get to see her again until 4:00. M is a little nervous, but she said she's done it with all of her dogs before and she's never had any major complications. She told me that when Cassie gets home, she might be really sleepy and she's going to have a big boo-boo on her tummy so I have to be very gentle with her and I can't make fun of her for not being able to run around. Pssh...where's the fun in that?

You better watch out, mister. I wouldn't make fun of anyone -- as soon as you're off your meds, you're going to get YOUR fixer operation.

Ugh, but Mooooooom! Oh well. That's at least a few months away for now, so maybe in the meantime I can convince M that I'm not broken and I don't need to be fixed.

Not likely.

Fine!

In any case, tomorrow should be interesting because I'll have most of the day with my humans WITHOUT Cassie. It's gonna be kind of weird, but I hope we get to do something fun.

Pawsitive thoughts for Cassie :)

Until next time!

We need some pawsitive thoughts...

It's the Mom here. I just wanted to let you all know that Cassie isn't feeling very well today. When we woke up this morning, she seemed normal, but when I looked more closely at her, I noticed some bloat. I thought that she must have an upset stomach, so I only fed her half of her morning meal to see if she would eat. She did, but reluctantly. We watched her all morning and though she was in her typical high spirits and she did not vomit, her abdomen was getting more and more distended. She was alone for about 3 hours while Marc and I went to work and I when I got home around 5:00, she had only gotten worse. I phoned our vet, Dr. Cottier and brought her in. Dr. Cottier was somewhat concerned that it might be an obstruction, however because Cassie wasn't feeling any discomfort, it was hard to say. She advised us to wait it out through the night, to keep her calm (yeah, right!) and not to feed her the evening meal.

EDIT: (7:09pm) I didn't mean to alarm some of you. I failed to mention that the vet does NOT feel that it's "bloat" or a flipped stomach. That was the first question I asked because it's the scariest. I'ts more likely a small obstruction that we are hoping will pass naturally. But rest assured, if she does get worse or I have ANY reason at all to think that it could possibly be bloat, then we're off! And I'll keep you all updated. Thanks for the thoughts!

Cassie seems not to notice that anything is wrong but her poor little belly keeps getting bigger. We're going to give it 6 more hours (until Midnight-ish) and see if there's any change. If it gets worse, it's off to Emergency we go. But let's say a prayer that it won't come to that. I (as well as Cassie) appreciate any pawsitive thoughts you could send our way!

EDIT: (12/4 8:00am) I think Cassie is going to be okay! She stayed pretty much the same throughout the night until the early morning when she frantically asked to be let outside. This worried me, so I followed her out there. Thankfully it was just because she really really REALLY needed to go to the bathroom. There was apparently something binding her up --possibly a blockage or maybe just constipation. Either way, after sleeping a few more hours, she woke up looking sooo much better. It looks like she's still a tiny bit distended, but that might be water retension. So we're off to the vet again to see what they think. Thank you so much everyone (dog and human) for all the prayers and good thoughts. It could have been something really scary, but I'm glad it turned out to just be....well...gas. Haha. :)

Just one more thing before the Holiday season...

Hi everyone, it's the Mom here. Just wanted to post this reminder of some human foods that could be harmful to dogs if ingested. With all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to leave some of these foods in Fido's reach.

Alcoholic Beverages: Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Avocados: The fruit, pit, and plant are all toxic. They can cause difficulty breathing and fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart.

Bones: Cooked bones can splinter and damage a dog’s internal organs. Raw bones should always be supervised.

Chocolate (all forms): Can cause staggering, labored breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, tremors, fever, heart rate increase, arrhythmia, seizures, coma, death. Bakers (semi-sweet and dark) Chocolate is the most dangerous.

Coffee, Coffee Grounds, Tea: Drinks or food containing caffeine cause many of the same symptoms as chocolate.

Fatty and Fried Foods: Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis.

Fruit Seeds and Pits: Contain cyanide. The core/pit of fruits can also become lodged in the intestines and kill a dog in 24 hours with no warning.

Grapes and Raisins: Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, lethargy, kidney failure in dogs. A single serving of raisins can kill a dog.

Hops: Causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.

Macadamia Nuts: Can cause locomotion difficulties, tremors, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated. Limit all other nuts, as their high phosphorous content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones. The exception seems to be Peanut Butter (Organic salt & sugar free is best.)

Moldy or Spoiled Foods: Can cause indigestion, diarrhea and vomiting. Molds and bacteria go hand in hand. If the dogs are small, they will not be equipped to ward off diseases caused by these bacteria.

Mushrooms: Can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting diarhea, convulsions, coma, death. The only safe mushrooms are shitake, maitake, and reishi.

Nutmeg: Can cause tremors, seizures, and death.

Onions, Onion Powder (and Garlic in large quantities): Can cause Hemolytic Anemia, labored breathing, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, discolored urine. Weakness, confusion, dizziness and accelerated heart rate are other symptoms of onion poisoning. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Raisins: (see grapes)

Salt: Excessive salt intake can cause kidney problems and may lead to electrolyte imbalances.

Sugar and Corn Syrups: Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus. Small amounts of honey or molasses are okay (but not for dogs with cancer.)

Tobacco: Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Tomato Plants: Can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias.

Yeast dough: Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

Xylitol Sweetened Products: Even a small amount can cause liver failure and death.

If your dog has ingested any of these foods, make sure they stay hydrated and get veterinary help immediately. The sooner you act, the less amount of the poison will be absorbed into his system. Call your emergency vetrinary hospital and then call the ASPCA Poison Hotline (888)426-4435. They can provide you with answers on how to help your pet based on their size, weight, and what they ingested.

Everyone have a Happy Holiday season!