Gonzo and Emma are gone

I lost Emma in January, and I lost my dearest puppy boy in March-

My world got dark and sad without my sunshine...but then I saw Zoe, a mixed breed Jack Russell - Pug mix on the Humane Society Website, and she needed me as much as I needed her.

Here's my little feisty firecracker:

Does she look like anyone you know? ;) 

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Wow, it's been a long time...did you miss me?

There's so much that has happened since August 29th, 2010 that I can't even begin to tell you it all-but I'ma gonna try!

First and foremost: Gonzo is still with us, alive, healthy, and with a wiggly butt. He never had a relapse, (knock wood), and he's as active as he ever was. It's just Gonzo and me now, and Emma, the cat, makes regular appearances at mealtime, but we're all doing really quite well.

Working too much and playing too little has made this Jill a dull girl. But that's changing, too.

Good boy, Gonzo; let's snuggle up, cuddle pup. It's cold out there today.


More to come (really, I promise...), so come back if you're interested.

The best day ever (not hardly...)

Well, to say it's been awhile is beyond obvious, but I've been working like a crazy person lately. I've gone from no job, to a extremely part time job, to 1 full time, 1 part time, to working OT at the full and every weekend at the part. The only day I have off (other than today) between now and October is Labor Day (I can't be the only one who sees the humor in that.) In this economy, I know that I am truly blessed to have this kind of opportunity. Having been taught that one makes hay while the sun shines, I work as much as possible now that it's high noon in the Sahara.
So anyway, back to the best day ever. Anyone who has read this blog before might recall that our boy was ridiculously active until he started showing the symptoms of IMHA. I am ecstatic to report (pleased just doesn't cover it) that our boy is back to his pre-disease activity level, although looking at him now, one wouldn't see it. He's asleep under the dining room table. He does his Lipizzaner horse impersonation when my husband comes home, and runs around at top speed with Crazy Monkey, playing "keep-away," not that anyone would want to touch Crazy Monkey. He's usually soggy and crunchy at the same time, the result of over-grooming by Gonzo. He plays as hard as a puppy would, ignoring the grey that has appeared in his muzzle over the last few months. Our boy is back.
However, we can't board him anymore, due to the stresses to the immune system that all the immunizations necessary would cause, which limits the choices for getaways. The joy that is Craigslist has offered up a great option: pet friendly cabin/cottage rentals. Last weekend, we rented a wonderfully quaint one bedroom cottage on the shore of a lake in the Poconos. Deliciously tacky with the 1970's camp decor, the wagon wheel hanging from the ceiling made us giggle, but the real deer head mounted on the wall made me cringe. All in all, it was just what we needed: a break from the city and our everyday life.
Being in the Poconos in late summer, I came up with an idea. We should go blueberry picking. I didn't think of this idea until Gonzo was already in the car with us, tooling around the countryside. Not sure if the blueberry farm proprietors would go for a dog wandering around with us, we set off to the office. Not a problem! Alright, so we head into the fields with our buckets and our boy. Well, it wasn't long until we realized that Gonzo's idea of fun was not "walk 3 feet, sit for 2 minutes, walk another 3 feet, sit for 3 minutes..." Our boy wanted to run around, see everything in the field, roll in that interesting smelly thing he found, and generally, have a dog day of summer. He was so frustrated with us that we only picked about a quart and an half before leaving. Poor Gonzo! Definitely not the best day ever.
We picked enough so that I can make my world famous* blueberry cake, which is essentially white cake baked with blueberry pie filling under it, served upside down. The blueberries just drip down over the cake, covering it in purpley goodness. One could cheat and use canned filling and boxed mix, but it's best when made from scratch.
Well, I'm glad to report that all of our boy's trials and tribulations seem to be behind us, and now his biggest problem seems to be getting us to believe that he hasn't eaten already, and needs to be fed (again.) Such a funny boy.

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

*not necessarily true, or even likely to be true

Anyone still there? Other than our boy, I mean?

Well, it has been a long hard haul, and he's not completely in the clear, but our boy is being weaned off his third med since he was diagnosed. He'll just be on one and the antacids he takes to help with the nausea. Which work well, mostly. Can't imagine the amount of barf I would have to clean up if our boy didn't take them! Not that I'm complaining, but I just wish he wouldn't hide to get sick. Makes proactive paper towel placement that much harder, y'know? I also can't wait to cut back on the second job now that the cost of his care is going down. 14 days of work in a row stinks out loud.

Anyway, he's on weight management dog food as well, which as my husband noticed, has our boy leaving corncobs in the backyard. And it makes him think he's starving. So we know have to make sure that our pantry door is closed, or there's no telling what our boy will drag out. I kid you not, he tore apart a box of potato flakes last week like it was manna from heaven. But he'll slink around looking so pathetic after he's caught that I forgive him instantly, but send him to doggie jail (bed) anyway, knowing he'll do it again as soon as he has the chance.

Good Boy, Gonzo. You know whatever you do, your peeps will love you, right?

More to come, so come back if you're interested.

Wow, it's been a long time

...but can't say that I having been busy. Mostly busy just being grateful that our boy's still with us, having fun and making us laugh. He seems to be back to better than ever, with more energy than I can remember him having for awhile. The vet seems to feel that he was tolerating his illness well, and that why we never noticed until it was ...well, you know, almost too late. (Hate to even think of it, even now.)

Our boy just charmed the socks off of the staff at the pet hospital and I can't get over how they fawn over him on his checkups. It seems that he gets more attention than the other animals. Hope the other pups aren't jealous!

Right now, his levels are back to an acceptable range and his care has been transferred back to his primary vet, so we are cautiously hopeful.

As for his personality, well, it's still intact. He seems to know that he won't get scolded for being a "bad doggy" so he's acting up a little, sneaking unattended food and not listening to us when he'd rather not. I'll take it, I'll take it all. You cannot believe how devastating it is for a vet to tell you that it's "time to make the decision," unless you have been there. I mean, I know we will outlive him (statisically, it's probable; I don't have any guarantee) but I was not ready. I have come to better grips with it now, but not that day, not that week.

Good Boy, Gonzo. Where's your elephant? Let's play.

Thank God, there's more to come, so come back if you're interested