I'm not hungry

I haven't eaten in four days - except for my wiener chunk in the morning. I'm just not hungry, I guess.

Mom has been worried for a few days and sought out advice on pets.ca and with the advice, she was going to go to the store to buy "Green Tripe" and pumpkin but the car wouldn't start! The battery is working 'cause all the lights came on, but when she turned the key all we could hear was a rapid "ClickClickClick" sound.

Great. More money down the drain.

Mom called Aunt Lorraine (who knows everyone in this town, it seems) for a referral to a mechanic when Aunt Lorraine offered to come pick up Mom and take her to the store. Mom got kinda emotional that her friend would jump up and help her like that (Mom's been feeling attacked by all sides, lately).

So anyway, back to this "Green Tripe" stuff - WELL, let me tell you: Mom just about threw up when she opened the can! She wrote on the Pets.ca website, "Open the can outdoors the first time because if you have in any way, shape, or form a gag reflex, this stuff will trigger it! It is the equivalent of a maggot-infested rotting carcass found after a three day bender, covered in vomit!" would be a far more accurate, if still not as bad as it really is, description. Oh yeah, it was some Nasty stuff!

I tasted it anyway - only one or two licks around the edges, though. *I* didn't think it smelled all that bad!

For those who need to know, Green Tripe is the partially digested grasses found in a cows stomach, canned up and sold to unsuspecting DogMoms who are told it's good for dogs, and even considered a 'treat' by some! Oh yes, I bought two cans of cow vomit today!

Kira still isn't eating though. I'm going to be busy calling the Vet on Monday, as well as the bank to see about getting some money to fix the car, then a car repair place. I had a car where the starter blew and it sounded exactly the same so I'm guessing that's what it is. The car is 8 years old so I guess it's about time things started wearing down. So, doing the math, $900 in Vet bills, $500 deductible for the hit n' run, now probably $500 for the starter repair, on the heels of a $2000 vacation. Please God, no more!!!

Short post

I'm still not feeling all that great.

I stopped peeing in the house and have gotten pretty good for letting Mom know when I have to go.

What the problem is now is I never feel like eating my food. Mom bought some soft food after work and even that didn't taste all that great. When Mom had her supper, of course I begged for a few bites but then I wasn't all that interested after I had a taste.

Mom said this weekend she's going to buy some food that Vanja recommended (I hope it tastes good!!) and maybe some boiled chicken with broth??

I hate it when Mom worries so much :-(

On to other news, Mom took her broken car in for an estimate and guess what? The jerk who hit her caused $1400 damage. That's even more then Mom thought it would cost. She has to pay the first $500, but still, $1400? What a freakin' jerk, didn't even leave a note to say sorry for what happened.
I helped Mom put up the Christmas lights in the front of the house. I was really tired after so we didn't go for a walk. Instead I took a nap.

So far, so good

I've been eating a wiener chunk every day for four days now and I'm proud to say I think I have the bladder problem under control! I'm not drinking as much water and I haven't had an accident in the house for a whole four days; Mom is very happy for that. She still has all the pretty blue and white squares scattered around the house, just in case, but I keep telling her she can put them away now. Mom took up the ones in the living room but left some downstairs just in case I don't quite make it to the door in time.

I'm still sleeping a lot and don't much care for the food Mom puts in my bowl, but I'll still beg for Mom's supper and any other treats she bestows on yours truly.

Onto other news, I helped Mom last night with all the Christmas lights! Last year we didn't put up any outside 'cause we only moved in to the new house 2 months before. At that time Mom had barely unpacked her boxes (and all my stuff!) so she didn't put any up outside. After Christmas last year Mom bought a lot of light clips in preparation for this year. All summer long she had "install light clips" on her to-do list but never got around to actually doing it. Now that it's cold and rainy, she regrets putting it off all summer.

I coulda told her that!

Anyway, Mom says tomorrow we get to spend the whole day outside installing the clips and putting up the lights, whether it's raining or not. Mom has a special 30' tether for your truly 'cause the front isn't fenced in and we're right on the main road of the complex. I don't mind 'cause I get to spend some outdoor time with Mom and it keeps me safe.

Mom says if I don't wear myself out or feel too sick we can go for a walk. With me being sick an' all lately, I haven't been for a walk in almost two weeks; I'm missing out on all the neighbourhood news from all other other dogs in the area! Mom hopes that by getting back into our routine, I'll eat my supper better, instead of only 3 or 4 bits at a time.

I'm going to try and eat more food from my bowl 'cause Mom is now getting worried that I'm not eating enough. Sheesh! First I'm drinking too much water, now I'm not eating enough - I've been sick, Mom! Let the wiener bits do their magic for a while, would you? Mrs. VetLady said it could take a week before I start feeling better and it's only been four days - even though I'm not as thirsty and the accidents have stopped, I'm still in recovery here.

Oh, and before I go, Mom says to thank everyone for all their thoughts, prayers, and good wishes for my recovery. I know I'll never be 100% again, but given I'm a senior citizen, I'm allowed to slow down - only I hope I don't scare Mom like this again (and that Mrs. VetLady takes it easy with those darn pokey sticks!)

I got a wiener chunk today!

Mom said she had to go to Mrs VetLady today and I ran away and hid in the bathroom. I really really (!!) don't want to go, Mom! Then Mom said those magic words, "you can stay home, Kira" YAY!!!

Mom came home a lot later and was really upset. Apparently she stopped at the grocery store on the way home and someone hit her car pretty badly while she was inside getting my wiener chunks. It's a 'hit and run' but she still has to pay the deductable to get the car fixed. It's still drivable but the back corner is crunched pretty badly.

Mom started crying, saying that between going on a vacation (planned), then the vet bills, now this, she's had enough and the stress hit her full force. Work isn't helping much either 'cause of all the changes and threats to produce more paperwork that are happening there.

I cuddled Mom on the couch. She needed it.

But before that and after Mom called the insurance company, she gave me a delicious wiener treat! She had to cut a small hole in the end and then fiddled with it for a moment, then made me sit to eat it. There may have been a lumpy bit inside, but I hardly noticed. Mom said if I eat a wiener chunk every day for a whole month, I'll start to feel better! YAY! Wieners make the best medicine and not vet visits...

...or silly little pills.

Lumpy bit in the wiener chunk...silly little pills...

Nah, MY Mom would never do that...would she? Nah...

I feel like crap.

I'm shaking a lot, trembling when I breathe in, can't hold it when I gotta pee so when I gotta go, I Gotta GO. I maybe make it outside every second or so potty break. Mom hasn't gotten mad even once when I oops! And I can't seem to satisfy my thirst - I'm always wanting a drink.

Now there all these white and blue squares all over the house. I don't want to pee on Mom's new floor coverings so I'm trying to find exposed floor so I don't ruin the pretty 2' squares. Mom finally held me on one of the squares and let me pee right there in the house. She folded up the square and next thing you know, there was a fresh, dry square right there. I swear she's magic! Imagine being able to dry out a large square sheet like that so fast; it was as if I hadn't peed there at all!

Mrs. VetLady called Mom today. I sure hope she didn't tell Mom to bring me back for more pokey sticks - I hate them. When she was done talking, Mom said I get to eat a wiener treat every morning now, before she goes to work. MMmmmm, I Lurve me some wiener chunks! Mom says the wieners will help me get better so I'm not shaking so much and I'll be able to make it to the back door in time to potty outside. Hey, that's an excellent idea - ANYthing to help me go back to being a Good Girl and use my potty training the right way again. I hate having accidents, it makes me feel so dirty and it also kinda scares me a little.

As much as I can't stand Mrs. VetLady's pokey sticks, that she said I could have a wiener treat every morning is great! And Mom HAS to follow Doctors orders, amIright?

Finally!

We have a confirmed diagnosis:

Cushings.

The Vet called me today with the results. Now, I can't remember what the number means, or what it refers to, but she said "650 something something indicates/is the low end of Cushings. Kira is at 1100. So it's definitely Cushings." The 1100 thingy is apparently VERY high.

The Vet is going to order in the Trilostane so treatment starts this week. 30 pills=$150.

One pill a day for a month, then another test to make sure we're on the right track, then maybe taper down to eventually one pill a week...for life. At least we have a confirmed diagnosis and treatment options!

Update, sort of.

Today was the test for Cushings. More blood for a baseline then a hormone shot, then 90 minutes later, more blood to see if there are any elevations. I should get the results on Monday or Tuesday.

I spoke with the Vet about potential treatment options and asked about Lysodren. I've been reading about Lysodren and it sounds simply awful. The Vet said she does not use Lysodren because the owners have to be so very diligent and most folks let things slide, if even for a few hours, and that's something you can't do with that drug. Her drug of choice is Trilostane, http://www.dechra-us.com/File/Vetoryl_US_Client_Leaflet_V2.pdf . It's a UK developed drug, given daily for one week then tapered to however many a week the Vet figures is right.

This will be for life @ about $50-100 a month.

Today's Vet bill: $243.70.

I see a lot of wiener bites in my future, and I'm worth it, right Mom? But please stop taking me to Mrs. VetLady and her pokey sticks!!! That's FIVE needles in the past three days, enough already!

Test results

OK - I got an email from the Vet today. Kira's liver enzymes are elevated and one particular elevation is conducive to Cushings Disease. So it's not the worst possible news and it's not the best case scenario, more like the better end of the worst possible news.

I've been doing a lot of reading on Cushings and it is treatable, though not curable. It's not uncommon in older dogs, average age of onset is around 10. Some sources say average lifespan with Cushings is about 2 years, some say longer. As it occurs in older dogs primarily, it's not necessarily Cushings that shortens life, is that old nemesis: Age.

Now, Cushings is NOT confirmed at this point. She's going back to the Vet tomorrow morning for some baseline tests, a hormone shot, then another test to see if it's actually Cushings. So expect another update this weekend. I just hope we caught it early enough...

Even though she had an accident overnight, when I got home from work today, NO accidents in the house during the day! (at least, I haven't found one yet...)

Health update

So Kira went to the Vet tonight. She had a urine sample taken directly from the bladder ("sterile sample") with some big-assed needle right through her tummy into her bladder. The urine was practically clear, hardly any colour at all BUT: no lumps or floaty things which is apparently a good sign. Using the urine sample the vet ruled out diabetes using a dip test strip.

Then the vet took a blood sample with another big-assed needle right from the jugular. The blood will tell so much more so I asked/paid for a "full work-up/Geriatric panel". We exploring kidney function, possible infection or even renal failure (which is always terminal in dogs.) The vet did say the medication the emergency vet put her one is actually a good antibiotic and should have knocked out any bladder infection so the only other thing is kidney infection/failure.

Then she had x-rays taken. We've ruled out any abscess, tumour, or abnormal growth(s) in her tummy/bowel region. Though interesting to note, she has two vertebrae showing signs of arthritis (so when she complains of her aching back, she ain't kidding!) There is no indication that the arthritis is affecting her, though I am now spoiling her by bunching up the electric throw on her bed and she's curled right into it. I have it on low and it automatically turns off in 3 hours so I'm not worried about her getting overheated.

There are still concerns in that she drinks up to 2 litres of water a day (that's a half-gallon for my American friends) and seems to pee so much more. She's also lost 1+3/4 of a pound since October 2, a mere 7 weeks ago when I took her in for her annual shots. She seems to be eating OK, but it's the water consumption and lack of bladder control that has me so worried still.

So we're well on our way to finding out what the hell is going on with my sweet little muppethead. If it's renal failure then we'll explore quality of life management as there is no cure, only treatment.

Oh, I told the vet I budgeted $500 to the visit/tests and if it went over I would have to go on a payment plan of some kind. Todays' bill came to $498.76. Go figure.

Hey everyone;

I'm not sure what's going on but Kira is ill. She completed the course of antibiotics but is still peeing in the house and now I notice her breathing is a bit heavy (I'm not sure if the term "laboured" applies).

I'm taking her to her regular Vet this week as soon as I can get in to find out what the hell is going on. Given her age (10-ish?) it could be a natural deterioration, or God forbid, something is going horribly sideways. I'll know more after the vet visit and will update accordingly.

In the between time, I'm going to buy pee pads and hopefully she'll use them (as opposed to my area rug and stairs). I have the back sliding door open so she can come and go as she needs to but obviously when I go out I have to lock it and that seems to be when she has accidents (and overnight).

In the two years I've had her, she's never had an accident in the house (well, except for one time when she 'punished' me - I swear she smirked when she did it!) and now she's had many over the past several days. The kennel folks said she only had 2 accidents while there, but I know she had close/immediate access to the run area all day so the low number didn't surprise me.

I'll update more later...

I'm sick

Mom? Yes Kira? It hurts when I pee. Is THAT why you've had so many accidents in the past 3-4 days? Uh huh.

I had an accident in the house on Saturday and Mom didn't get mad at me at all. She just mopped it up and sprayed some stuff where I pee'd and I could hardly tell at all where I had the accident after! Then Sunday I had two accidents and I was asking to go outside every 2-3 hours. Normally I can hold it for almost 10 hours!

Monday I had another two accidents.

Mom got kinda worried but the earliest we could see Dr. VetLady was not until next week. Now, that in itself wouldn't have been too bad, but I'm supposed to be going to "Vegas" on Sunday for four days and I knew my vacation would be ruined if I didn't see a doctor soon. Tonight Mom found two more accidents and got really scared so she rushed me to a new Vet closer to where we live who is open late so we could go right in.

Without doing a blood test (yuck!) and urine test (yuckier!), Mom and the Dr. are just guessing that I have a bladder infection (I yelped when the Dr. 'manipulated' my bladder area. It hurt!) Now, it could also be a kidney infection but we won't know until Mom gets the tests done and that won't be until after I get back from "Vegas".

One more thing, I have a slight heart murmur. But that's not that bad 'cause both Dr. VetLady and the new Vet both said the same thing, "She doesn't need to take heart medication yet, but she will have to some day, maybe soon." Mom kinda figured that might happen someday anyway 'cause I'm a "senior" dog so that wasn't too much of a surprise. The Dr. said Mom would know when 'cause I'll tire out on our walks much earlier and I may pant more going up and down stairs.

So, yours truly has an infection of some kind and is, you guess it, taking pills. I just got off a course of medication for allergies and now I'm taking antibiotics. I know Mom secretly stashes pills in my treats when I have to take medicine, but that's OK - she stuffs them in hot dog wieners and I LOVE wieners (!!) so I 'let' her think she's getting away with it.

It's official. We're on a permanent healthcare alert now. First allergies, then potential bladder/kidney infection, then likely heart medication. Kira is about 10 years old now so I was expecting something like this would eventually happen. Her timing really sucks, though :-( I'm going to the real Las Vegas this weekend and she's going to her Vegas. I'm going to call the kennels tomorrow and see if they will continue administering the medication while she's there. If not, then at least she'll have 5 days of meds and we can deal with it when I get back.

I got shots!

So on Friday Mom took us to see Dr. VetLady. My appointment went OK, except when I had to get some medicine sprayed up my nose. Now THAT I was determined to avoid! Anyway Dr. VetLady told Mom to hold me tight so they could get to my nose. I fought and fought, then I fought even harder. Then Mom put a choke hold on me and I couldn't move my head anymore, then WHAMO!! Dr. VetLady shoved some Gawd-Awful spray up my shnoozle and that was the end of that.

I hate them all.

But then afterward Dr. VetLady gave me a treat :-) (I don't have the heart to tell Kira that treat was a deworming pill 'cause we didn't have a 'fresh' stool sample to be examined for worms - I'm sure Kira doesn't have worms, but it's better to be safe than sorry).

So my appointment ended fairly quickly; however, Willy's appointment lasted a lot longer and it was freakin' hilarious to watch!

OK, so Willy has is a long-haired cat. And he has a lot of hair. A LOT of hair! Now that he's getting older he doesn't give himself as many baths, or very good ones, so Mom has to brush him all the time. Well, since he spends most of the time sleeping on his sides, his hips/butt area was horribly matted, despite the frequent brushings. Apparently Mom can't trim his nails anymore either, has to do with a horrible misjudgment a few years ago where Mom cut the quick area of the nail and now he won't let her near his feet. I guess the nails were so horribly long, that one was even curled under onto the pad of his foot.

So Willy had to be put in the oxygen box to be knocked out (I coulda done it myself with a hammer...and opposable thumbs) then hooked up to a mask, then he got shaved and had his nails done. Now, I don't much care for Willy (truth is, he scares me a little) but watching him lying there all helpless an' all, while two techs worked on him, well, I have to admit a little part of my heart went out to him. Only a very little part, though.

The rest of me laughed at his helpless ass. Try to hurt me now, weeny-boy! You don't have those sharp claws anymore - I can pass you in the hallway and there's not a whole lot you can do but hiss and yowl. But I can bark and mean it, whereas your hissing and yowling are like your nuts - an empty bag of air! (KIRA!!)

Sorry Mom...but it's funny to see him now, trying to act all tuff an' all!

Oven Mitt Game in action!

Played with Mom for a bit tonight and she wanted to show you how we play the Oven Mitt Game:

Never mind Mom's heavy breathing - she was trying to keep up with me while holding the camera; she didn't realize it was under her nose. Also dear reader please note: *I* don't bark, even when I'm all excited an' everything!

Summer's over :-(

Mom took a week off work to spend some quality time with me! I'm going to let her do some chores in between cuddles, so long as it includes getting me a treat for interrupting our play time.

Today I had rice krispy squares (well, the last bite/corner piece) and we played with the rope toy and oven mitt while Mom was waiting for the washer and dryer to do her laundry chores.

Mom says tomorrow her chores mean she has to go out but hopefully the rain will ease up and we can go for a nice, long walk when she gets back. She made a lot of 'phone calls today and one was to confirm an appointment for Willy at the Vet - his butt is all lumpy with matts so he's getting shaved. *I* made sure my name never came up so YAY, no Vet for me...Gotcha! We used code to confirm Kira's Vet appointment for her annual shots. I'm going away for a week in November (hopefully) and she'll have to be kenneled so the shots need doing now or they'll come due while she's in 'Vegas'.

Oh, I almost forgot! Summer ended rather abruptly this year , for example I think it was 2 weeks ago Mom had the A/C on when there was two really hot days and tonight she had to put the fireplace on AND THE ELECTRIC BLANKET ON THE BED!!!

I luv da 'lectric blanky on da bed :-D

Blogger messed me up

So Blogger decided to switch things up and I couldn't for the life of me remember my email address I used to start this blog or the correct password. Mom says she's sick and tired of all this "strong password" crap and said if she has to start writing it all down then it kinda defeats the purpose.

So Mom has been making some noise lately about moving (again???) She's tired of 'community living' and wants a for real house of her very own. Thinking about going from a townhouse to a freehold/non-strata house 'cause it's time.

I don't really care so long as there's a yard for me to poop in and that Mom is happy and that there's lots of places to walk and sniff and trails, and bushes, and...you get the picture.

OH! We did have some excitement this summer! Where we live there isn't much a frontage for each unit, no front yard at all and maybe a 6'x4' patch of dirt to plant flowers. Anyway, there a rhodo bush that had some angry soldier wasps hovering around and mom found a HUGE wasp nest underground! She went on the attack, used 4 cans of wasp spray, dug it out, then sprayed it all again. She declared victory on day 4 of the battle.

Other than that, It's been a pretty laid back summer. Hope you're all enjoying yours!

I'm tuckered

So Mom and I went to see Aunt Jo and Uncle Dale. Mom felt kind of bad 'cause they're moving away and she thought they had at least another week but it turned out the packers were starting on Friday. We scooted home Friday morning 'cause Mom really felt like we were imposing.

I had lots of fun, though! Aunt Jo takes their dog, Katie, for this ridiculously long walking route (5 km/3 mi.) but for Katie, that's OK 'cause she's a Big Dog (100 lbs.) and can handle it. Yours truly, on the other hand, has these wee little stubby legs and gets tuckered out a little earlier than dear Katie.

So off we went for this amazing walk - Mom challenged me to keep up with Katie and for the most part I did ~ oh, sure there were times when I had to stop and sniff, pee, and sniff some more, but Mom caught on and realized I was cheating and taking a mini-rest. I secretly think Mom took advantage of my little cheat to cheat a little herself. She would look at Aunt Jo and say, "Wait up a sec. Kira is peeing!" And we would pause for a (sneaky) rest.

I feel so used...exhausted and well-walked, but used nonetheless.

We stopped by the lake and Mom threw sticks for Katie - *I* am much too sophisticated and lady-like to chase after a silly stick, so I took my time to explore the nooks and crannies by the shore. I swear I wasn't chicken to go in, but it was getting dark, and Katie got everyone wet every time she shook anyway, and the rocks were slippery, and I couldn't see the bottom, and...and...BWOK-bok-bok-bok-BWOK....

A good time was had by all, and I LOVED the ferry ride(s) - Mom didn't fight with anyone this time, but we did stay out of the Pet Area and just walked around (and around and around) the car deck.

I did get a mini-snorgle from a handsome ferry worker, though :wink:

I'm a pretty girl...again

I had my Spa Day early - Mom got a call from the Spa and they had a cancellation so I was able to get in Friday instead of waiting until today.

I'm NEKKID!!!

Mom asked that I be shaved right down 'cause I was so hairy and they did, but not as bad as it sounded when Mom was telling the lady what to do. I gotta admit, when Mom said, "shave her down, military style!!" I inwardly freaked out.

Now my coat is fuzzy but very short. Today we went for a walk and I hardly panted until we got closer to home, but by then it wasn't 'cause I was hot, but gee, Mom really made me work tonight! Apparently my Good Girl skills have been slacking of late so Mom brought ham treats and made me sit at every intersection, wouldn't let me pee wherever I wanted, and kept the flex leash pretty gosh darn short!

I feel like I'm back in school and I KNOW it's almost Summer Break so I really don't think it's very fair at all. Mom says if I practice my Good Girl skills I will be a happy girl 'cause Mom won't be (as) concerned when we meet people or go visit folks.

I s'pose that really means if I practice my skills, Mom won't need to watch me as closely.....Heeeeeyyy, that could work in my favour! Hmmmm...

Going to the Spa!!

Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy! Mom made an appointment for me at the Spa! I surely need it too - as Mom keeps saying, I'm a Dirty Girl.

I found some mud. Mom let it dry then tried brushing the worst of it off me. I kinda like how I smell, though, so I told Mom to knock it off and let me enjoy my Eau De Pooch.

But the long hair hanging into my eyes and dragging down my tail has Got To GO!

So it seems I need a Mani-Pedi, a bath (mudbath, I hope!) and a haircut. Mom is taking me on Saturday. I kinda like going to the Spa (and really, what girl doesn't?) and I have a reputation for being a Good Girl when having a 'treatment' but I really wish I could keep my wonderful, aromatic essence ;-D

I may strike a pose for Mom when I get back.

Lazy day

Today it's only +19C (66F) so it's nice and cool. I'm having a lazy day, just lounging around, catching up on my sleep (it's HARD sleeping when it's so hot out!) then Mom gave me a Pig's Ear treat! I loves Pigs Ears!

Now I'm feeling up to going for a walk - Mom hasn't even showered yet today so I'm trying to encourage her to get her arse in gear. Every time she gets up, I trot over towards the front door, look back over my shoulder, and when Mom ignores me, I let out a heavy sigh and go back into the living room.

She rolls her eyes at me.

At least now she has the email working on the new computer :-D Only took three days of following instructions before she gave up and called the internet tech support for help.

I rolled my eyes at her.

Going on a holiday at the end of June

Mom is taking me to visit Aunt Jo and the clan at the end of June; it will be the last time we get to see Aunt Jo over on Vancouver Island.

Aunt Jo and Uncle Dale are moving to Manitoba this summer. Uncle Dale's job is making him go. Aunt Jo wants to stay, though, and doesn't know if she going to be able to live here again any time soon.

I'm going to miss going over on the ferry to visit them :-(( Guess I'll have to make the most of it for this one last trip.

Mom says maybe next summer we could visit them in Manitoba - when I asked Mom how I was going to be able to do that, she said we can drive for three days, through Mom's old town (Edmonton, AB) and I can meet some more of her friends, then maybe meet Jamie and Vance in Saskatchewan, then Jo and Dale in Manitoba!!

Sounds like FUN! Good thing I like car rides and never, ever get sick :-D

It's very hot out...

...and I'm wearing a fur coat.

Oh, please don't get me wrong, unlike those radical anti-fur folks, I actually like my fur coat and I wear it proudly.

But when it's +30 C, suddenly wearing a fur coat isn't such a great idea.  Mom is taking me to the groomer for a haircut next week.  She tried hard to get me in this week, you know, during this heat wave, but seems all the other dogparents thought the same thing and there are no open appointments.

Now, there is one teeny-tiny salvation in all this:  Our new house has CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!  Mom is a little worried about how much it will cost so she only has it set at 26C (80F) from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.  Today she got a little daring and dropped it to 24 (75F) 'cause she had a really bad headache and upset tummy due to the heat.  The previous owners installed a non-metric thermostat as they preferred the F scale to the C scale.  Mom knows metric better so she had to write out a whole bunch of temperature conversions and tape them to the box.  Which is kinda good for me 'cause now I can tell you the temperature is both scales :-D

Mom's computer is dying a slow and rather painful death.  It's a Dell laptop she bought almost 5 years ago but now can't run half her programs 'cause even though it was kick-ass computer when she bought it, seems 512 MB of RAM isn't cutting it anymore.  She bought a co-workers' MacBook (2006 version) as a filler/travel laptop and is suddenly very much becoming an Apple fan!

I don't care which computer we use, so long as she doesn't forget to upload my posts!!!!

Has it really been four months?

I coulda sworn I've written more posts since January!!

Maybe Mom should check her documents folder 'cause all I can think of she's been hording my posts in there instead of publishing them.

In a nut-shell:

Winter: I hate snow. Mom had to shovel a path for me to go potty 'cause I refused to make my own path.
Spring: I discovered mud puddles are fun! So are baths so that's OK.
Now that summer is here: I get to go swimming! But not at Aunt Jo's place. She's moving "back East" and Mom isn't too happy about it.

Now I'm going to lecture Mom on hording posts and maybe she'll actually publish them.

Still here,
Kira

Get 'em off me, GET 'EM OFF ME!!!

MOOOOOOOmmmmmm....I have FLEAS!!!! Get them off me, will ya? They're making me scratch my skin until it bleeds. And no, I'm not scratching 'cause I found some WillyTreats, I really do have a problem here!

So for about two weeks I've been scratching like mad and mom discovered I found some WillyTreats (his bag o' treats fell behind the dresser and I found a trail of foil bits that lead to the main piece of evidence) so she figured, like every other time I find WillyFood (YUM!!), I'd scratch for a few days, chew on my feet a bit, then I'd be fine. Not this time.

Mom finally took a closer look at one patch of darkened fur near my butt and realized I had FLEAS LIVING ON ME!!! Yuck. Yuck-yuck-yuckity-yuck. Little hoppity creatures living on ME!

Today mom took me to a new doggy-wash centre, called Diggity-Dog, which is right along our walking route so it's really close to home, AND it's very reasonably priced. I was shaking a bit when we first got there 'cause it was a new place but mom said it would be OK so I settled down a little bit. The lady took at look at that dark patch near my butt and said, "Yup, she's got FLEAS!!!" So I had a bath with a good scrubbing using the flea shampoo. Meanwhile mom went to a local vet store and bought Advantage. Mom used to buy Advantage but ran out in November, thinking with the colder weather and all the snow, the fleas wouldn't be out in full force and I'd be OK for a little while.

Silly mom, what was she thinking? Fleas are like cockroaches, they'll still survive long after the human race are extinct, or a nuclear bomb wipes everyone out.

So I'm back on the Advantage, had a flea bath, and now I can finally have a decent, scratch-free, painless nap.

In other news, since my last post I went on a vacation! Not a fake 'Vegas' vacation, a real vacation with travelling and everything! Mom took me to Vancouver Island to visit Aunt Jo, et al. for New Years. Oh boy, they have LOTS of snow over there! Uncle Dale was lamenting having to shovel all the snow so he ordered a snow-blower from a store. He had the catalogue open (and wouldn't you know, it was open so long to the snow blower page, the magazine wouldn't close even!) and at one point he called it 'snow-blower porn.' Mom laughed. I don't get it. We stayed a few days then came home.

Had a moment of excitement on the ferry ride home, though! Mom took me to the pet room on the car deck and a lady started screaming at mom that I wasn't allowed to potty in the pet room (actually, that's where I'm supposed to potty on the boat!) and I got a little scared but darn it, I had to protect mom from this screaming banshee! I pressed myself against mom in-between her and the lady when the lady pushed mom!!! That's right, she physically PUSHED MY MOM! Mom, being mom, pushed back (to get her away, not to hurt her) then the ferry worker came into the room to find out what the yelling was about - one ferry worker walked with me and mom back to our car and the other ferry worker explained to the screaming banshee the rules about the pet room. I was really confused with all the commotion and mom was 'rattled' about what happened, then the ferry worker said those magic words, "Ma'am, you are correct - the pet room IS for potty-ing and the car deck itself is not." I got a pat on the head by the nice man and soon mom and him were chuckling about the weird lady.

The woman started yelling that Kira wasn't allowed to pee in the pet room. I looked at her and said they have a hose, poop bags, and a sealed garbage bin exactly for that purpose. Then I got up to leave. The doorway is awkward in that you have to wedge between the end of the bench and the door then swing around the door itself as it opens inward. As we opened the door, did a half-turn to get around it to go out, the lady stood up, walked towards me (knowing I'm now trapped between the door itself and the bench, and shoved me with her hand on my shoulders. I was so stunned, I reacted by swinging my arms up the middle, fanning out to push her arms off me. she fell back onto the bench and started screaming at me that I assaulted her. By then the ferry worker arrived and asked what the hell was going on. Another guy came and said he would escort me and Kira to our car while first guy talked to the lady.

No one was hurt, no one was arrested, and no one was being charged with anything.

Mom figures the lady was a "walk-on" passenger and was confined to the pet room for the whole trip (90 min.) and didn't want to smell potty debris. What mom doesn't understand is that the lady can walk her dog around the car deck while the room airs out, so it's not like she's not allowed to leave the room, just can't take her dog off the car deck. And given mom walks me around the car deck all the time, you can do several laps and get a decent enough walk out of it (the 'super-ferries' are huge enough). Mom says she can laugh about it now...

Last week I had a treat! Mom was sick with a really bad head cold (still have it, but not nearly as bad) so she stayed home for a few days. Yay! We didn't go for a walk for a whole week, though. I wanted to go, but mom said the sun hurt her head and she was tired and icky so we didn't go at all - for a whole week. I was going stir crazy! But mom played the flosser game with me then wouldn't go downstairs to find the flosser when she threw it over the stairway. Kept saying she was too tired. What a bum!

So, there you have it. Fleas, fight on the ferry, and a head cold. Never let it be said I'm living a boring life with my mom!!!

New Post

Hi Everyone!!

I know it’s been for~ever since I’ve written, but what an adventure it’s been!!!!!

We moved into the new house and gosh darn it, I like it! I have tons and tons of room to chase Willy through er, run around in. I love my new backyard, too. Aunt Lorraine says it’s bigger than my old one but I think she needs new glasses ‘cause it’s longer but not as wide. At least, that what mom says what do I care? It has pretty plants, lots of shrubbery, and there are squirrels living in the trees. I’d love to be friends with the big ol’ grey squirrel who lives up there in the cedars, but he just chirps angrily at me when I run up to introduce myself.

I’ve noticed sometimes there are new toys in my yard that I’m sure Mom didn’t buy for me – when she buys me new toys she lets me play with them inside the house first to see if I like ‘em. She thinks that if I don’t play with a toy I must not like it. I’ve tried to tell her just ‘cause I don’t play with my toys all the time doesn’t mean they’re Not Mine anymore. Anyway, I digress…Mom couldn’t figure out where these things were coming from then she realized my yard backs onto a yard owned by kids. Kids. KIDS!! UGH. I don’t like kids much. So instead of letting me play with these newfound treasures, Mom tosses them back over the fence. I really want to play with the new toys so I keep trying to poke my nose under the fence to grab some of the wonderful treasures on The Other Side.

Anyway, when we first moved here Mom found a great route to take me walking. You see, there’s a nice, sparkly creek running behind our new complex but the few times we went there, some people were Up To No Good (teenagers doing what teenagers do when adults are not around – drinking, smoking, acting stupid, basically what *I* did as an unsupervised teen – but they were loud and the girls squealed as only teenaged girls can and scared Kira, though she won’t admit it). Mom didn’t think it was a good idea that we visit the creek much, especially when it gets dark out so early now. We have another route that takes us about 25 minutes (longer if I poop more) so naturally, I poop at least twice, and when Mom has run out of bags to clean up after me, sometimes I poop a little squirt once more for good measure. Mom says that’s just being sarcastic, but I scamper along as though I never heard a word :-D (untying a poop bag to pick up a little squirt then getting most of on your hands when tying the bag up again is Bloody Gross!)

Mom changed up our routine since we moved here. Instead of going out after supper we go out for our walk as soon as Mom comes in the door. Yay! Mom says it’s because as soon as she takes her shoes off, she doesn’t want to put ‘em back on just for a walk. So the other day we were out after her work and as we passed a daycare business a lady called out Mom’s name. Turns out her co-worker uses that day care so I got to meet her, her little boy, and the day care person. Mom is meeting a lot of people in our new neighbourhood!

We met our across-the-street neighbour and her dog Mocha (Mocha is, ready for it – a chocolate lab. Go figure.) We also met our on-the-other-side-of-the-middle-unit neighbour and her little Shi Tzu, Maggie. Maggie seemed as scared to meet me as I was unsure to meet her. I sniffed and she sniffed, then we kept a fairly respectable distance form each other. Mom and the new neighbour chatted for hours and hours (try 30 minutes, little muppethead!) and we both learned a lot about the new ‘hood. Of course, Aunt Diane lives here and I get to visit with her now and again.

Oh! In November Mom bought a new Christmas tree! For years and years she had this little 4’ dinky, pathetic tree but I guess it was OK ‘cause the old place was so small, it fit. Now with the new place she figured it was time to have a grown-up tree! So she left all alone for a whole, entire day (Aunt Lorraine came over to let me out to pee) and went shopping in the USA. She bought a HUGE 6.5’ tree that came with all the pretty lights attached. Now, because in Canada the electrical and fire codes are different, she had to set up the tree and leave it turned on for a whole day to make sure the new house wouldn’t catch on fire. It didn’t.

Mom figured so long as the tree was put together and plugged in, may as well decorate and add some more lights. Silly Mom! That darn tree has been up and fully decorated since the middle of November! Mom says it makes the winter blues go away, which really, I don’t much understand what that’s all about – I tell Mom going for walks, eating, and playing with toys is all she needs in life. Oh, and a soft bed and cuddly blankies. Can’t forget the blankies!! Cuddles always help too, and curling up on the couch with your warm and friendly person helps…a lot. Treats. Can’t forget the treats. I need the treats!

To make a long story short (I know, too late), I love my new house, found two great walking routes (one ‘summer’ and one ‘winter’ route), met a few new neighbours, and I’m still driving Mom nuts playing with my flosser (Mom gets mad ‘cause I make her play on all three floors at once, not just one level!!) It’s fun watching mom huff and puff up and down the stairs all night long! (Oh yeah, real cute, Kira!)

Now if Mom would only finish painting and unpacking those darn boxes...

New post coming soon!!!