Yes, I feel a bit of a RANT coming on. Let's call this Dead Dog Etiquette 101. Our rural mountain community features a not-very-efficient email distribution system when neighbors have news to share or questions…
I remain a staunch supporter of having pet insurance. Yet, the news that our monthly pet insurance premiums were going up -- WAY up -- bummed me out.
The same day we had Clover spayed, I asked our veterinary hospital to run genetic tests too. My primary goal was to learn Clover's MDR1 status (multi-drug sensitivity gene). Depending upon the genetic test you…
Imagine your Canine Soul Mate died from an adverse rabies vaccine reaction a bit more than 18 months ago. You fake it really, really well when you have to, but you're still a grieving pile…
Thanks to some medicine heroics in response to Lilly's neurological setback Saturday, October 12, 2013, Lilly did seem to stabilize and improve slightly. Starting Thursday, October 17, however, she seemed exhausted and as if she…
Honestly. Every time I think Lilly's medical saga cannot get any worse, something else that's unexpected / unwelcome happens. On top of the not-good kidney news from earlier this week, on top of figuring out…
Poor Tom. As soon as I headed to town to see my mom Tuesday afternoon, things went to #*!!. When I returned a couple of hours later, I saw signs of things amiss. Here is…
Monday dawned with a full-blown anxiety attack hovering. Seeking just an hour of quiet, an hour or solace, an hour of something other than work or worry, I headed out to the greenhouse. Big mistake.…
Today is World Rabies Day, which is meant to "raise awareness about the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent it, and how to eliminate the main global sources." Nine…
It's official. I hadn't added everything up since the end of June, but I did on Friday, and we topped $15,000 in expenses to treat Lilly's severe rabies vaccine reaction. To be exact ... $15,095.01.…
Buckle up, kids. I'm ranting today, and it's a curse-soaked doozy.
There is a rant brewing about something that happened at the veterinary hospital today with a fellow dog owner, but for now … let’s only focus on Lilly’s recovery status. A tiny bit of potentially…
Lilly made great gains in her recovery through about Wednesday. She hasn't been as great since then. She seems weak, tired, wobbly, and droopy. I worry about her gums and tongue being pale. We're not…
If Lilly was 5% of herself Friday (Aug 10), we'd say she is 20% of herself today (Saturday, Aug 11). Just talked to our neurologist, though, and he said I'm a "brutal Olympic judge" because…
Again, I’m mostly too tired to be coherent, but here is the top news about Lilly’s massive adverse rabies vaccine reaction relapse.
I am exhausted at the cellular and spiritual levels, so just quick notes and one picture. The headline is this: Lilly is about the same, with 2 exceptions. Her fever is down, but so is…
Via a daily news brief of veterinary-related news, I learned of 12 dogs in Mooresville, North Carolina, who were put down after one of them — a puppy — contracted rabies. Many people were also…
Starting on Monday, August 6, 2012, Lilly began declining. Monday was bad. Tuesday was MUCH worse. Wednesday (today) was beyond terrible. I called our veterinary neurologist's cell number early, and Lilly and I made a…
Not only do Lilly's elimination issues persist (nearly 6 weeks now), but we're two days into another significant setback of some sort. It's hard to tell what's what since the symptoms of her vaccine-induced brain…
Girls like me definitely fall into the 20-side of the 80/20 Rule. In fact, I'd place myself -- and all of you -- into the top 2% of dog care consumers. Sometimes, however, this devotion…
I'd already planned and written last week's 5-part series of posts on the adverse vaccine reaction financial settlement before Lilly suffered another setback, starting Friday, June 29. I've been posting updates on our Champion of…
Lilly's neurological deficits have grown significantly in the last 24 hours. I pretend we're not headed back into life-threatening territory, but the worsening of Lilly's elimination issues cause both worry and complication. I'm not sure…
Yesterday, I shared what research I found about the rarity of serious, neurological adverse vaccine reactions like what Lilly suffered earlier this year. Today, a bit of a riff and a rant on my own…
Because Lilly developed vaccine-induced meningoencephalomyelitis / meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and lining of the brain and spinal cord) after getting a rabies vaccine, she can NEVER get another vaccine. Period. Here is why that's…
Sadie, an 8-year-old border collie / blue heeler mix, died Friday, June 8, 2012, from injuries sustained during a home burglary. The intruder / would-be thief injured Sadie so badly that she had to be…