Follow up on Lucy

Last week at this time I was crying in the middle of Petsmart. The Vet wouldn't console me, the checkout girls kept telling me they were sorry.

Now, my Lucy is running around the house like a maniac playing with my daughter's dog. You wouldn't know how sick she was last week.

I took her to the vet on Tuesday..she was somewhat better after I dumped the Science/Hills prescription crap they made me buy. I started making boiled chicken and rice and Lucy finally started eating. Well, the vet (her normal vet) looked at the bloodwork and said it was consistent with an infection. Any time we get an infection our liver gets some damage but it regenerates quickly so it's not a big deal. And only one enzyme was elevated -if it was more serious more would be elevated.

Just to be careful I need to take her in for more another round of tests in a month but the vet was pretty sure she was fine.

Thank you all for thinking good thoughts. She is my buddy. -

The pic is Lucy taking on a dog twice her size...that's my tough dog.

Lucy

I've had many dogs in my life. There was Brownie- she was my birthday gift when I was nine. But no matter how much we played she was attached to my dad. I didn't realize dogs attach to the person who feeds them..and dad really did take care of her. My mom called me my freshman year to tell me she walked over to my dad, made a strange noise and just fell over. Probably a heart attack, dad spoiled her rotten. I was sad, but it broke my dad's heart.

Then I had Ginger. She was a cairn terrier that I got from a pet store. I was just out of college and had no idea how these dogs were treated. She was way over bred...she had an allergy to everything and was a little off. No matter how vigilant I was I could not get her completely house trained. And she was cranky. I finally had to have her put down and though it made me sad I was not heartbroken.

Maggie came next. By then I knew a pound puppy was the only way to go. She was a black lab/german shephard mix. She grew to over a 100 pounds at her heaviest. Maggie was a bull in a china shop if there ever was one. But once she got over her adolescence she was so smart. She took commands easily - she was housebroken till she was a very old lady and she was so embarrassed then. When the vet and I had exhausted our options I held her till she was gone. That broke my heart. I vowed..never to go through that again.

Then my daugher insisted I get another dog..she was at college and she didn't want me to be alone. Finally, I agreed to go look for dogs. But I knew it needed to a dog that chose me. And finally we went to the Paulding Animal shelter and this little brown dog wagged her tail when she saw me. I took her out of her cage- she gave me one kiss and put her head on my shoulder. That was Lucy. Since then she and I are as close as you can get. We go to the park, for walks, to Starbucks (they have dog bones)... she is always excited to see me.

Friday, she got sick- during the largest snow storm Atlanta has seen in years. She was sick all night and I was so worried she would get dehydrated. So yesterday, I called all the vets in the area to see if they were open. None were. I finally decided once the ice melted off the roads I would take her to the emergency clinic (terrible reputation) but luckily, I remember Petsmart had a clinic in the store- they had just opened and told me to bring her in. I thought what she had was respiratory since she was breathing heavily and her nose was running...but it was not. In fact, after many tests it turned out that her liver is not functioning properly. The Vet (who seemed better with animals than people) that it was very serious. She said she didn't think it was failing - yet- but we were heading in that direction. She sent us home with antibiotics, some serious de wormer treatment (just in case) and instructions to take her to my regular vet on Tuesday. I broke down right there..the nurse said not to worry that Lucy will be ok and then looked at the vet who said that she couldn't be so sure. (again, better with animals than people)

So I'm waiting. Lucy is no longer throwing up. And she has eaten a bit. But she is still lethargic.

She is only three. This just hurts.

My virtual vacation part deaux

Looking at my bank account I realize my dreams of going anywhere futher than Canton, Ga may not be realistic at this time. I also would not be spending the night in Canton which is five minutes away.

So please dream with me as I go to exotic locations that many of you have already been to...

First, lately I've been wanting to go to Rio as in de Janeiro ... however, the reviews from tourists don't give it glowing terms...for the money I should just go to Florida.

But isn't it pretty?


I love the ocean, the beach, fruity drinks and fun music. Nothing beats a hole in the wall bar on the beach with music and a rum drink on a full moon night.

On the other hand I love the mountains, cold air and the bigness of it all. My parents took me to the Colorado and Wyoming when I was 14 and I loved it. That's why I think I'd love Alaska..




Isn't that pretty? I used to live in Florida and I loved watching dolphins..I think it would be even cooler to see the whales. I don't think I could live there..even if you live in the city the cold is way too cold. But I would love to visit.

Ok..that is enough dreaming for me today...tomorrow maybe I'll go to Greece or Italy....

Where I have been and where I will be...

I apologize to those who read my blog. It's been a long time since I felt relaxed enough to write. I'm not sure how I got that way this morning...maybe because I'm so tired I can't get stressed.

Work. That's it. Nothing else. We have not only been busy admin wise but also sales have been through the roof. We really don't get it...the economy has not really recovered...but no one is complaining. Unfortunately, for me...this time of year usually affords me time to get all the admin stuff done..but not this year. I can't breathe. I get over a 100 emails a day, calls, voicemails and people who walk into my office and close the door because they need to vent. I try to protect myself some but so many people depend on me for answers that not much gets protected. To catch up with the emails I'm responding at night in my pajamas. I'm dreaming about our products..when I should be dreaming about anything else.

Oh...but I do have a dream...I want a vacation and I think I have found a spot. The Salish Lodge...I love the Pacific Northwest and dream of living in Portland someday. Anyway...it is quiet, beautiful and they welcome dogs ...hello, Lucy!

I really want to get all my debt paid off so I can start really saving and traveling. The only way I can truly get away from work is to get away...somewhere remote. I don't want a repeat of my NOLA trip where I was talking to a sales rep on the phone while trying to enjoy a a cafe au lait at Cafe de Monde.

Oh, and I finally I finished South of Broad..I promised JoJo I would let her know what I thought. Well, here is my impression. Conroy is a lyrical writer. He can weave a story like no one else...however, this was one was crammed with too much..too many tears, too many psychos, too much of everything. I adored Leo's father, I love Leo's relationship with the cranky antique dealer and I thought the friendship with Ike was a great story. However, the twins and the orphans were over the top and made the story seem crowded. The Hugo story with the porpoise was very nice. I love the group as kids..not so much as adults. I can't say I hated the book but I didn't love it either. Conroy is like our Anne Rivers Siddons from Atlanta...they are very talented but sometimes they try too hard.

Ok..I'm off for the day..tomorrow I need to work again..perhaps a quiet day at the office will allow me to catch up so I don't tear my hair out in frustration...I'll leave you with a pic of the falls by the lodge...