Breakfast on the Porch

Enjoyed a quiet morning and breakfast on the porch. The pancakes are actually wheat free - made with almond flour. We are experimenting with a wheat or almost wheat free diet. It's not that difficult. I haven't missed beer or pizza....yet. It has forced us to look at other options we may not have thought of before.

The pancakes were a delicious reward after a two mile walk-run this morning. Have been out of it for a couple of weeks and now trying to get back into some regular jogs.

Encountered a beautiful gladiolus in our driveway this morning. In just a few short days it's bloomed into this masterpiece. What a lovely site!

It's time for Boxer's evening fluids. Till next time....ciao.

 

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Boxer on Our Minds

Boxer continues a slow improvement. He's eating more food, though, not as regularly as we would like. He also eats only small amounts at a time. We have noticed an interesting pattern - while receiving his fluids he will often eat his kibbles very hungrily. Hopefully, this behavior will continue as its another way to get some food into him.

Unfortunately, Boxer requires several different meds. We're hoping to get him off some of these - like people, too many meds creates some negative affects for the body.

This is a sight we love to see - Boxer eating food! It needs to happen more often! Yes, he does continue to wear a "male wrap" much of the time to prevent leakage on the bed, couch, rug, etc.

There's a new book out there named "The Genius of Dogs". The author was recently a guest on the Diane Rehm Show for those of you who listen to it. Fantastic show! The author indicates that dogs are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Hence, the above picture - how did Boxer wind up with Miriam's pillow. Think...genius.

Sorry, guilt is making me put a picture of Peanut in this blog. Here she is running with her precious ball. Her needs are very simple - play ball with her. She's crazy and sweet.

Caring for a sick dog takes its toll on us humans. Loss of sleep is the big one - along with stress of trying to do the right things for your pet. Miriam was trying to catch a few zzzzzzz here.

Good news is Boxer's kidney values have improved dramatically from over a week ago. He still has kidney disease but we were able to get some values back down from their critical highs. We think he still has some good times ahead and want to give him good quality of life for those days he has left.

We'll report back again soon. Ciao.

 

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Finally Eating

Boxer has finally started to eat! Here's hoping he keeps it all down....and continues to eat.


Here he is eating some supplement gel with no coaxing. He also ate some real food earlier this evening.

Another Boxer Update

Boxer is hanging in there. He's still not eating much and we think he might have gastritis. Will be calling for Rx first thing Monday morning.

Boxer receiving fluids.

 We thought Boxer might eat some vanilla ice cream. And he did lick up some, but not nearly enough.

Boxer licking up a little ice cream.

We made some liver soup that he also refused. It warmed our hearts that Sydney thought it was delish!

Wanted to get that tongue in action!

It's Sunday - we'll report back again later. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Ciao.

Home, Sweet, Home

Our Prince arrived home yesterday late afternoon.

Boxer resting on the porch couch.

He was still not feeling well...could not get him to eat much of anything. We have baked chicken, cooked ground beef, chicken hot dogs, scrambled eggs, yogurt, cheese, beef liver and various Gerber's baby food. By the way, the Gerber's beef dinner really got Boxer's attention. It's a keeper.

Woe is me.

Yes, we think he was feeling as bad as he looks.

For the next two weeks he gets 500ml of fluids in the morning and evening. Thank goodness we have a  former vet tech in the house. Needles don't bother her none.

Some good news is Boxer finally started eating this evening - fantastic start for the weekend! He's definitely feeling better this evening. Hopefully, this is the start of a nice recovery.

How did Sydney get in this blog post?

Since we moved a second crate into the bedroom, our comfy chair had to be moved to the living room. Sydney wasted no time climbing in - it's always been her favorite.

It's late and we're tired. 

Goodnight!

Boxer Update

Boxer's kidney values were improved today. He's doing better - except for eating. Lisa baked him some chicken and he ate some of that earlier in the day, but would eat nothing during visiting time this afternoon.


We hope to have him discharged tomorrow - we'll need to administer sub-q fluids twice a day, thereafter.

In anticipation of his return, we purchased a used crate from Earth Pets to join the other two we have. This one is an extra-large version which will allow Boxer some space in which to move around. Mir and Sydney tried it out together and it works quite well.




Time for nite, nite. Tomorrow's a big day - can't wait to have our boy home.

Ciao.

The Vet School....Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Here is Boxer today - yes, he's been admitted to the hospital. Current diagnosis is nephritis - he's on continuous fluids and antibiotics to fight infection and rehydrate. He'll spend his second night there as he tries to recover. We visited him yesterday and today and he looked so much better. He was also more alert and active. We took him outside for a short walk and pee/poop session. Eating is an issue - we're thinking about hiring a personal canine chef to cook for him. I'm only half-kidding.

We had to order Boxer a "male wrap" as he was leaking urine. Place a human male depends pad in there and you have peace of mind that you won't be washing the bed sheets the next morning. Boxer is also suffering from kidney disease in general, not just nephritis.

In an effort to get Boxer to eat we had also resorted to bringing the food to him if necessary. Spoiling him? No, not really. He's has dementia and we must assist him in any way we can.

We're hopeful Boxer will be well enough to come home tomorrow. Another blood test will let us know if his kidney function is improving. We just take it one day at a time. 

We're at peace knowing he is in good hands at the UF Vet School. The staff there is terrific. Boxer even had bedside acupuncture today from his rehab doc. The Vet school has become the place where everyone knows Boxer's name. He has so many visitors to love on him!

We'll report back again soon with an update. Until then....ciao.

Dependable Me

Well, it's come down to managing urinary leakage for the boy. We tried a pair of boxer shorts but they came off in short order.

Let's face it - they were just too big. So, we made our "wrap" for him. This might just work - but the cost of materials may drive us to a commercial product. We'll know more tomorrow morning.

Boxer says, "just leave me to sleep please".

Sweet dreams my love.

Basketball Friend

Look who Miriam saw at our last game!



Alberta always makes us smile!

Boxer Post Surgery

Bobo on his bed.

Boxer has been home a few days now after his surgery. He's doing so much better than before. His breathing is fantastic. For those of you who don't know, Boxer suffers from laryngeal paralysis. Here is a description from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons:

The opening to the trachea (“wind pipe”) normally is pulled open on two sides when breathing in, and then these cartilages relax when breathing out.  With laryngeal paralysis, the muscles that normally pull these open do not function properly.  When an affected dog breathes in, the cartilages do not pull open—rather, they are sucked into the opening, or in severe cases sucked shut.  Early in the condition, this creates increased noise when they breathe (called “stridor”); later, it can completely obstruct their airway, and they can suffocate.

Interestingly, this disease is part of a progressive generalized neuropathy. There is some excellent information on this GOLPP study site at Michigan State University.

I love my couch.

 One of Boxer's favorite places to relax is on the couch. What a beautiful boy!

I also like my bed.

We recently bought Boxer a new bed and he immediately took to it. We were thankful because we never know what he's going to like or dislike. It has memory foam and we hope it will help with his arthritis.

The weather was beautiful today - shorts and sandals! This is Boxer today reposing on the deck enjoying the warmth. He's looking like an old boy - a sweet ole boy.

A special thank you to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine! Thank you, Dr. Ellison and everyone at the vet school!

Our Boy

Here is Boxer after his lar-par surgery. We love you Bobo!



Thank you, Wendy, for the photo!

Celebrating the Holidays

Happy Holidays!

The holidays are over as I write this. It's New Year's Day and I've been watching football all day long. I enjoy watching good football games and there have been some good ones on today. The holidays began Christmas Eve at the in-laws. My sister-in-law introduced me to a sweet treat called Rum Chata. Mmmmm.

Inside the Ice show. It's incredibly cold. The ungloved hands didn't stay that way for long.

We decided to do something different this year, so we headed down to Kissimmee to see the Ice show at the Gaylord Palms. Friends, let me confirm that nine degrees is FREAKING cold! That's how cold the rooms had to be to keep the ice from melting. The ice slide was fun, too. Yes, this middle-aged female slid down as well as the younguns. 

M being funny. I still laugh at this one.

M looks thrilled to stand beside Santa.

Blowing my nose after Ice was necessary as the sign implies. My sister-in-law was going to take our picture going down the ice slide, but her fingers went numb and the iPhone stopped working after too long exposure to the cold. The good news was her fingers resumed feeling and the phone started working again.

Family photo the Colombia Restaurant in Celebration, FL.

Below a family photo just before going in to the Ice show.

It's snowing in Celebration. Actually, a better description is "it's foaming in Celebration".

 Part of the fun this year was also going to see Cirque Du Soleil. It was a very enjoyable show. Definitely recommended if you haven't seen it.

Like all good tourists, we headed over to the Boardwalk and saw some palm trees beautifully decorated with a light show.

The light director must have been a Gator. Orange and blue, so pretty!

So, we had a few fun Disney inspired days. Thanks to Nancy for wonderful hospitality.

A special thank you to Wendy for stepping in at the last moment to care for our boy. You rock!

My Favorite "House Hunters" Episode

Merry Christmas

To: Miriam
From: Santa

Yard Changes....

Check out our Remodel Blog. We've begun a landscaping project.

A Dog With A View...

Peanut watching for critters to chase.

And it's one, two, three strikes you're out....

I said I never would - but I did. I attended a baseball game at Tropicana Field yesterday - the Mets against the Rays.

I live with a die hard Mets fan. So, we jumped at the opportunity to see the Mets play so close to home.

Our seats were pretty good. David Wright, Mets 3rd baseman, treated us to some fantastic defense. All I can say is, wow!

I can't stand artificial turf - no matter what sport. And I really, really hate domed stadiums for sports that were destined for outdoor play. That opinion still exists today. Tropicana Field wasn't as bad as it looked on tv, but I kept looking up at the sky wishing I could see blue. I'll even settle for a retractable roof - but let's get some real grass out there!

Highlight of the day! Look who got a foul ball. Thole, the Mets catcher, hit a screaming line drive foul right to our seats. We all ducked low - the ball hit Emma's seat back and became pinned between her and the seat. Santos, with lightning speed, scooped up the ball in his hands. A Tropicana usher was at our side quickly to make sure no one was hurt.

Miriam holding the ball. First time ever to touch a major league foul ball. If you're snickering then you're not a true baseball fan.

And, oh, yes - the Mets won! A sweep! Let's Go Mets!

 

Mary Poppins! Mary Poppins!

I met one of my childhood heroes recently. We were at EPCOT meandering through the different countries when we arrived at Great Britain. To my utter surprise, I saw that Mary Poppins was going to be stopping by. I do so love Mary Poppins. And, yes, dear friends, I stood in line with the other children to get my opportunity to meet the woman who brought us supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

She was everything I remembered - practically, perfect in every way!

I love you, Mary Poppins!

 

Moe's Question of the Day

As I was waiting in the drive thru at the bank last week, I was also listening to Larry Vettel on am850. The question of the day was "Who's your favorite George?". I thought briefly and knew I had the best answer. So, I pulled out my iPhone and emailed Larry my answer, "Jennifer George, of course." Larry read my answer on air and said he liked it. At the end of the show, Larry chose my answer as the winner. So, Friday evening we enjoyed Moe's for dinner and watching our Gator baseball team beat William & Mary.



Go Gators!