Well….all I can say is WHAT A SUMMER!
Some of you may have wondered where I have been. And for those of you who haven’t, then no biggie…you didn’t miss anything.
My balcony view
My summer began GREAT!…a wonderful two week trip planned to Destin, Florida
for some nice beach time, relaxation, and time to leisurely blog, read, draw, etc. …well….almost.
Miss you sweetie!
One of my dogs, Missy, a sweet 13 year old female miniature dachshund passed away the weekend before I left on my trip. My other two dogs, both 9 year old male miniature Schnauzers, Buddie and Marley,were grieving when I took them for boarding for my trip. It was hard to leave them, but they were going to have the spa treatment…special attention, tooth cleaning, bath, grooming, and plenty of food! I thought it would probably help them with the loss of their little friend.
So off I went. Somehow, I managed to stay just in between two awful storm fronts which dropped about 15 inches of rain, and made it to my destination intact…whew!
The weather forecast for the next 2 weeks was….you guessed it…RAIN, and possibly some bad weather coming in…in the form of a HURRICANE. But, miraculously, the weather was absolutely GORGEOUS! I couldn’t have asked for better weather, accommodations, etc. Oh gosh…did I fail to mention that the last trip I made to Destin was during the Gulf Oil disaster?
Pictures don’t really express how sad this was.
Well, I digress, but lets just say things were going smoothly.
Then, at the end of the first week, I got a call from my vet, one of my Schnauzers, Marley, had mildly elevated pancreatic enzymes, and she wanted to hold off on teeth cleaning to make sure he wasn’t developing pancreatitis. I got a call back the very next day, and sure enough, acute pancreatitis, and my pup Marley is a pretty sick little guy. They were going to treat medically, and then see how he did over the course of the next few days.
The rest of my vacation was uneventful, perfect in every way, with the exception of the news about my Marley. When I returned back home, Marley had dropped from 17 lb. to 13 lb. and looked really ill. He stayed at the vets a few days more, then I was able to bring him home. But Marley continued to worsen, and utlimately, I am in the emergency room with him the Friday of that first week I am back. BAD NEWS…not only does he have pancreatitis, but now his liver enzymes are elevated, and his bilirubin is out the roof! The vet said there were two choices, surgery or euthanasia. OMG….at this point, I have lost it…I am bawling. How could I lose two dogs within less than a month?
I had to do it….surgery was the only answer. So Marley had a laparatomy and stent placed in his gallbladder, and a J-tube, biopsies…great news, NO CANCER, but biopsies show Crohn’s disease. Post-op, from the Friday to the next day, Marley seems like a different guy. Despite surgery etc., you could tell he was feeling a bit better. So, Marley stays in the hospital for awhile, then comes home, and is on J-tube feedings every 4 hours, and a slew of oral meds. He makes it through the next 3 weeks shaky, but steadily improving. He now has his J-tube out, and is slowing improving everyday. He has gained almost 3 lbs!
Marley after surgery…poor little fella
So as things have calmed down, and I have gotten accustomed to the various scheduled feedings and plethora of meds that Marley gets every day, I am getting back to my blogging routine.
Thanks for listening…and if you think about it, every now and then, just throw out a little prayer for Marley…he is better, but isn’t totally out of the woods yet, and any extra prayerful wishes are always appreciated.
For those of you who own Schnauzers, you may want to also read the related article below. Warning…tissues needed.
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