71 posts tagged “marly”
Since I was a slacker last night...I will now finish the remaining words for this meme!
The first squirrel to come up into the yard appeared yesterday. Sadie was SO excited - she did her little happy dance at the back door while whining and squealing. I, of course, had to come see what the commotion was about:
Well, it is back to work today after taking almost a week off. The day has been (and will continue to be) spent wading through emails. Doesn't look like I really missed much last week. And this week is just more of the same-old, same-old. It is scheduling week, which I always abhor, but it must be done. Tomorrow I will start sending out notifications to the branches and wait for the replies of, "can we reschedule?" Heh. No. We can't.
Last night Neil took me to see Slumdog Millionaire. Great movie. Not really at all what I was expecting, though, I don't really know what I was expecting. As we were leaving for the movie, somehow both Neil and I forgot to latch Marly's crate. Probably because she was already sleeping in it as we got ready to go. So, she got to spend about four hours with free-reign of the house. Considering all she could have gotten into, the results when we got home were pretty good. She ate my birthday card from my sister...and when I say ate, I mean there is no trace of that card to be found anywhere in the house. She also chewed through the heating pad cord (which was still plugged into the wall). For that, she got seriously scolded - thank goodness we didn't come home to an electrocuted dog! And one of Neil's shoes was found in the middle of the living room (no, not where he left it). Luckily, it wasn't chewed. When I walked in from the garage, Moo was actually asleep again in her crate. Crazy.
She is driving me bonkers today - whining. "Mom! Hey Moooooommmmm! There's snow, Mom! Common...I want to go play in it!!!!" Yes, we still have snow on the ground, though yesterday it melted completely off the paved areas. And today it is slowly, but surely melting everywhere else too. It must be nice to be a dog and have no real responsibilities other than to eat and not go potty in the house. Alas, "Mom" here has to work...sorry, Moo!
And with that...I must get back to it. *sigh* I need to win the lottery so I can make my own schedule doing things that I really want to be doing.
Just random ramblings...really I am putting off having to clean the house. Major vacuuming and toilet scrubbing is needed.
Marly is in serious pill mode lately. Last night I woke up to hear her romping about in the living room at 3am. I got up to find her shredding a cardboard soda carton and racing around with it in her mouth. *shrug* I have no idea what was going on in her little puppy mind. I cleaned up the mess and stuck her in her crate for the rest of the night. I think she was acting out because I wouldn't let her up on the bed (Neil was here and there just isn't room for all three of us!).
I finally decided on my tax return "splurge" item (the thing that is just for me and for fun). The boots are just too expensive right now - I need new glasses, to see the dentist, and a multitude of other things before I go spending that much money on shoes I can only wear on the weekends and when I am at home. The coffee maker was rather silly since, although it needs to be watched, I have a nice one that still works. Soooooo...I finally got myself an iPod shuffle! It is darling, and tiny, and very green. I think I will name it Hummingbird in keeping with all my electronics being named after birds. Though, this isn't necessarily just for fun...I wanted it for walking (and possibly someday jogging?). The iPod and/or iPhone are both just too big and heavy for what I wanted and the iPod (I am unsure of the iPhone) isn't solid state memory so it will skip or freeze if it gets bounced too much. Definitely have to keep it out of reach of Moo...it is perfect chewing up size.
The poor FedEx guy when he dropped off the package apologized and told me he usually tries to just leave the packages without knocking or ringing the bell to keep the dogs from going berserk, but that today he needed a signature. How embarrassing! I told him to please not worry about it and I apologized for having such obnoxious dogs. Moving to the top of the doggy to-do list...work harder on the barking issue!
I love my new sheers. I got them hung yesterday afternoon and they are fabulous. The let in good light, but during the day block anyone from seeing into the house. I just need to remember to close the blinds at night or else the reverse will be true and the world will have a very clear view of what is happening in the house!
OK time to at least do some laundry...maybe then I will be motivated to vacuum.
Well, OK sure there are many worse things...but this is topping my list right now. And I suppose, I should be grateful that it is the top of my worry list right now, but it is really hard not to complain.
I like my hairstylist and the cut itself is not a bad one...it is just a bad one for me. It is too short and I think in about six weeks it will be OK. Probably more like 8-10 weeks, but in six it won't be SO short anymore. The "sweeping hair" turned more into just regular bangs - which I can't stand. Cest la vie...there isn't anything I can do about it until it grows and there was no knowing how this cut would work until it was done. I was in the mood for something new, this just happened to not be 'it'.
I suppose I can look at the upside - I won't be needing to use much shampoo or conditioner when I shower for awhile. (Not that I really did before!) *laugh*
For some reason, Marly is back to waking me up in the night. Though, now that I know she can hold it, I have been telling her to go back to bed rather than cave to taking her out. So far, so good with that.
In my quest for new dog food (yet again), I think I am going to take another look at Flint River Ranch. It is mail-order only food through either distributors or you can buy directly from the maker (though, I think what they do is just hook you up with a local-ish distributor). I fed it to Sadie years ago...it was good food, but they didn't have a very wide variety. I am wondering if they have expanded at all. I have also been reconsidering a raw diet for them, except with kenneling and such, I am not sure it would really work. Unfortunately, it is sounding like Nature's Variety might be getting out of my budget reach with the economy being what it is right now...so....we'll see what else I can dig up.
Sorry for the lengthy entry...lots of rambling after being gone! :)
Getting out west this year was a nightmare - as noted in my previous entry regarding US Air. I did finally make it a little after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. My luggage even got there too!
I got the best Christmas present ever as soon as I got into the truck with my sister and mom...my sister announced that she is going to be a mommy!!! Which means I will be an aunt (duh!) - due date is August 20. I am SO thrilled I can't even express it properly. And the funniest part was that the silly sister of mine was sorry she couldn't drink beer with me while I was there! *laugh* Aside from it being a darn good reason for not being able to, it was better all around because I didn't drink as much as I probably would have otherwise.
So, though I had already planned on going back out at the end of August for my sister's b-day (I want to make that time of year my annual trip home time...this holiday travel thing is for the birds), now I will for sure be heading that way so I can help out with the new baby. And it will be convenient, because I can celebrate with both of them each year. Who knows, maybe Nugget (my sister's name, not mine - based on the current size and shape of the fetus) will be late and will have a birthday right next to or on my sister's (Aug 27)! Hehehe! Personally, I think that would be kind of cool since my birthday is the day after my mom's.
Aside from all that excitement, Christmas was nice. My dad was still there because his flight to TX was cancelled as well. I got to see more snow in the harbor than I have ever seen on all the years I lived there. I know it was annoying to the folks having to deal with all the ice on the roads that came with it, but it was also beautiful. I got to hang out with my mom. And I got to spend lots of time with my sister and BIL (they are some of my favorite people on the face of this planet). I got to see Dad's new boat (I forget if I have mentioned that he now lives on a boat?) - it is gorgeous for a boat...but man is it small for everyday living! And as always, the trip was way too short.
UPS got way behind in deliveries because of the crazy weather nation-wide so my sister's presents didn't arrive until after the holiday, but at least they got there. And I made out like a bandit and had to ship a box back home to myself because it wouldn't all fit in my bag.
The trip home was uneventful other than I couldn't sleep - I got into Charlotte around 6:00am on Wednesday and then picked up dogs (who were both beside themselves when they saw me), dropped Sadie at the house and took Moo to the vet for another check-up on the ears (see below).
I slept through new year's eve...no Times Square for me. And yesterday I spent the day reorganizing my china cabinet, kitchen cabinets, and shelves - I am still trying to find space for everything that is useable and accessible. I think I am finally getting there! Today I am going to tackle my bathroom and maybe even my closets. And tomorrow I will work on the office here (which is on hold somewhat until I can afford additional shelving for the closet) and also the refrigerator (I need to go through all my sauces and stuff and see what is outdated, etc.)
First, though, the dogs need a bath. They stink after being at the kennel...I could have gotten them groomed there, but that gal charges an arm and a leg for her services (she does the all out doggy spa stuff...massages and such with the bath).
PS Cats were all fine and happy, happy, happy that I was home. :)
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Moo's Ears:
Her ears are still boarderline OK. Way too much ear wax/goo building up in there which is requiring daily and sometimes twice daily cleanings on top of drops and other medicine. The good news is that the eardrum looks to be healing itself well and there is very little redness. So, the vet changed up the ear drops and put her on the food elimination trial. I knew the prescription food would be expensive, but seriously...$85 for a 27.5 lb bag of food?!? Even worse, she needs 6 cups a day (vs the 3 cups of Wellness). And we have to do this for 12 weeks. *sigh* I am also doing this with Sadie for two reasons: 1) Marly likes to steal food from Sadie sometimes and I really want to do this right to see if her problems are indeed food related and 2) Sadie has such itchy skin and it has been seven or eight years since I've seriously taken a look at the problem, I feel this is a good place to start.
This means, including Sadie, I am feeding 10 cups of food a day. I will probably end up buying four bags of this food before it is all said and done...and then, I will also end up buying some canned to make treats with since they cannot eat ANYTHING other than this food during the 12 weeks. I also need to ask the vet when we go back next week what I do for heartworm medicine during the trial - right now they get liver flavored pills which they aren't supposed to have because of the liver in them. I went ahead with this month's dose since it was given on the same day the trial started.
I will be very interested to see what happens with both of their coats during this trial - they currently get salmon oil which I am suspending during the trial. I think it is one of the primary factors in their pretty, shiny fur. We shall see! And once we are done, I am going to go on a hunt for another distributor of the Nature's Variety food. I really liked their salmon kibble and would like to get the dogs back on it. I wish Wellness made one for dogs...they do for cats.
Today was the last check-up for the Moo before I leave town. I took her in instead of just calling in because she has started shaking her head and rubbing her face on the floor again. And when I clean her ears I am getting more gunk than I would like...this time mostly out of the right ear.
The vet cleaned her ears again while we were there and said he is seeing more inflamation and such than he likes, but there is no sign of infection or yeast which is good. So, for the time being the vet extended the prednisone (at a lower dose - once every other day), put her on an antihistamine two to three times a day as needed, and told me to continue the drops twice a day until I get back. The poor folks at the kennel are going to hate me! (And poor Neil who has to do this all for several days before she goes to the kennel!)
But mostly poor Moo. She is being SO good about it all, but you can tell she is tired of people messing with her ears.
When I get back...and I am talking right back - I get off the red-eye flight at around 6:10am...wait for bags, the shuttle to the car, etc., drive directly to the kennel to pick up the dogs, and then, after dropping Sadie by the house, go straight to the vet's office for another check-up at 8:30am on New Year's Eve...he is going to look at her ears and probably change up the meds. Hopefully at that point we will be off the prednisone and the drops will change to something else that has a steriod in it. He can't do that now because her eardrum is not healed enough yet.
Then the exciting part...depending on how things are looking, we go on a food trial. Three months of prescription, non-allergenic formula crap. I am not excited about this. The problem is, we need to rule out a food allergy and because she has already been on food that has an alternaitve proteins or carbs in it, we have to go with Hills Z/D diet. I am really, really, really hoping that it is an airborne allergy...though I think even if it doesn't seem to be food, I might try out the Wellness limited ingredient food once we are done with the trial to see how she and Sadie fare on that. We'll just see. The worst and hardest part is that she can't have any treats unless they are prescription, non-allergenic things. And her heartworm meds and other supplements have to stop too.
I guess I am dreading this, because in my heart of hearts I truly don't think this is food related...and part of me feels like if we could wean her off all the crap I am putting in her body and her ears right now that she would be OK. But, I don't want to do that and end up right back where we were before (or worse). So, for now, I have to trust that the vet knows what he is doing (which I really do think he does - he isn't the kind of vet to do things for doing's sake).
The doc said her ears are looking really great...and that now the fun part starts. We have to wait and watch to see if it is going to be a continuous problem.
The good news is that typically a food allergy still shows symptoms even with prednisone, so he doesn't think that is it. (Whew!) However, it could be an airborne allergy that triggers it...so we are now keeping an eye out for feet chewing/licking, shaking the head, hot spots, etc. while she gets weened off the prednisone. Unfortunately, my trip home falls right in the middle of all this, so she may end up on a low dose of prednisone while I am away to stave off any issues until I am back and can tackle them as soon as they show signs.
Ultimately, though, I don't think this is a chronic problem. I truly think it was the infection from this summer that never got cleared up properly. And now that I know I need to clean her ears regularly, I don't think it will be an issue.
Sadie, on the other hand, has a hot spot of sorts...it looks as though something either bit or stung her rear end while she was going potty the other day. Right under the base of her tail. Poor gal! I gave her some benedryl and rubbed the spot with some rubbing alcohol.
Only 10 days until I leave for vacation to visit my family! I can't wait!!! This week has been insane...next week I only have a 2-day review so that is good. It will be busy, though, with getting the house ready to be empty (relatively) for about a week and a half.
Tomorrow Marly goes to the vet for a follow-up to see how her ears are doing. I am a little concerned because the right one seems to be red and irritated, but I am hoping that is just left over irritation from the procedure.
Also, tomorrow I get my hair cut. YAY!
This weekend will be spent cleaning the house and packing up doggie items for both Neil's house and for their kennel stay.
Tonight I must get gifts packed up so I can take them to be mailed tomorrow. Thank goodness the UPS store is right next to the vet's office so I can do all that in one fell swoop. I can also hit up the pet store near there for some Nature's Miracle* and cat food.
Nothing else new happening here - work this week has been icky. I will be glad when today is over.
*Someone has been marking again...Mr. M. So, he is going to be relegated to the outdoors while I am away. He seems to do alright inside as long as someone is home, but if left alone inside he starts marking out his territory (which is apparently the entire house now). However, I ran out of the good enzyme cleaner stuff yesterday so I will be grabbing more tomorrow while I am out and about.
Three out of four walls in the living room are now painted! YAY! I tried to do some decent edging along the ceiling, but deep down I know I am going to paint the ceiling...someday. And so, the 'oopses' I think will help spur that day into being sooner rather than later. The last wall should be a piece of cake, I just need to empty out the cabinets and get them moved...which will not be quite so easy.
After that I am going to tackle the guest bath since once it is taped off, it will also be a piece of cake since it should only take one coat.
Dun-dun-dunnnnnn.......then the kitchen. Depending on where I can put the ladder to reach things, I may have to pay someone to finish it too. We'll see once I get going on it.
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Marly is doing better every day. Still hates the ear drops, but I think I am getting a better handle (hahaha pun not indended) on how to hold on to her to keep her still. That and she has quickly figured out that treats come immediately following the ordeal...
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Christmas shopping is about done. Just one last thing to buy or create for a friend...I am just not sure what yet. My mom's oh so exciting gift (a vacuum...my sister told me how badly she needed a new one, and things are tight for my mom so it was something nice I could do for her, even though not that fun!) is at my sister's waiting to be wrapped when I get there. My sister and her husband are getting a refurbished Xbox 360 from us...they use Netflix and watch a lot of movies and since Nick is stuck mostly indoors this winter (due to a major knee surgery last spring) I figured he could use something to keep him occupied - I may look at grabbing a game to go along with the console. However, I need to get it all wrapped up and mailed so it actually gets there by Christmas! And I am so bad, their anniversary present (that should have gone out ot them at the beginning of September) is also going to be mailed. Neil and I are going to do Christmas (sort of) the weekend before since I will be out of town the week of and he will be out of town the week after - which is the weekend after next, so I need to get his stuff wrapped too.
By the way, the Netflix/Xbox thing is pretty slick if anyone is wondering. And if you don't know what I am talking about...with most of the Netflix account options you can rent movies that are available for immediate viewing on your computer. Now you can watch those movies on your TV via your Xbox. And of course, if you can only get the movie on DVD, the Xbox doubles as a player. Heh. Of course there is also the Media Center thing you can do with the Xbox, but it is not nearly as user friendly as the AppleTV's use of iTunes.
I am going to miss the dogs a lot while I am gone...almost 10 days without them. I admit, the break will be nice, especially after all the fussing over Marly that has to be done between now and then, but I still love their company. At least they will be having fun at Neil's and then at their day care/kennel place while I am away. My neighbor will be checking in on the cats for me while I am gone which is very nice of him. I need to get them a little gift of some kind as a thank you/Christmas thing too.
I guess enough rambling...I need to get the dogs bathed. Marly's will be more of a sponge bath since I can't put cotton in her ears yet and I don't want to risk getting water and soap in them yet either. But man is she stinky...I hate how they smell when they get back from being in the vet for a day.
