Pupppy-Girl Medical News
I didn’t want to say anything until I knew what was what, but Clover had some tests done last week, and Tori is having surgery this Friday, May 13. Details just ahead.
-
-
Dogs Living With Narcissists
The older I get, the more I realize how many people I know who have a parent who is a narcissist. All of them are still suffering because of it. I don’t just mean selfish. I mean card-carrying narcissists. Manipulative, dramatic, and (in my opinion) horrible. My friend and colleague Meredith Resnick recently published her third book for people recovering from having a narcissist in their lives. It’s called When Your Parent Is a Narcissist: Uncovering origins, patterns, and unconscious dynamics — to help you grow and let go. It got me thinking that if a narcissist does damage while raising children, then I wonder about dogs living with narcissists fair.
-
How a Hospice Veterinarian May Have Prevented My Pet Loss Regrets
Right around the time our Old Man, Ginko, died in January 2016, I was working on an article for a veterinary trade magazine about the growing field of pet hospice. Not the easiest thing to be talking to people and writing about dying dogs when your own dog is dying. Among the many things I learned about palliative and hospice care for pets, I found out about “emergency kits” many hospice veterinarians provide. Such a kit may have prevented the deep regrets I have about Lilly’s last day. Here’s how.
-
Canine Genetic Tests Thumbs Up (and Down)
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 choose, you can also find out your dog’s breed heritage and whether or not your dog tests positive for other kinds of disease-causing genetic markers. The good news is that Clover is indeed 100% border collie (cute family tree graphic ahead), and she tested NEGATIVE for all 90 genetic markers. The bad news is that the testing company won’t tell me what all 90 of those markers are, which makes me really crabby.
-
Why I Chose a Traditional Spay for My Dog
When it came time to spay Clover, after letting her go through one heat cycle and waiting for her extremely LONG false pregnancy to end, I had a LOT of questions about a traditional spay versus other surgical options. I know that seems silly considering that I’ve had dogs my whole life and write professionally about veterinary medicine, but I had NOT had to have a dog spayed since 1990 (because Lilly was spayed prior to our adoption), and I didn’t know how much had changed. I wanted to make a good decision.
-
Urns Schmurns – What I Did With My Dogs’ Ashes
It took me more than 2 years to find something just right for Lilly’s ashes. I thought about it often, but I didn’t look around much until after Ginko died in January 2016. Suddenly, I needed a container for each of them. Off we went to a local antique mall.
-
Q and A – Raising 2 Border Collie Puppies at Once
A while back, I asked on the Champion of My Heart Facebook fan page what questions people had about what it’s like to be raising 2 border collie puppies — who are just 14 months apart in age — at the same time. The top 3 questions and answers ahead.
-
Rest in Peace, Ginko Cornelius Hawn
Today, Ginko crossed over. He was 4 months shy of his 16th birthday – by far, the oldest dog in our family history. Rest in peace, Monkey Man, Snuffle Man, Stinko Monster, Golden-Eyed & Good Boy … Fan of toys, fetch, and food. Lover of Rock music. Hater of Bluegrass. Long-suffering brother to 4 sisters (2 super bossy, 2 super sweet). Sofa Captain … faithfully piloting the couch so that it never ran aground on his watch. We never knew which of his potentially fatal conditions would be the one. A survivor, Ginko ultimately succumbed to the ravages of time.
-
The State of My Heart
Thursday, December 17, 2015, marks two years since Lilly’s death. I remain devastated. It isn’t the all day, every day, kind of grief, but when it bubbles up, it feels just as fresh and raw and searing as ever. On this anniversary, I thought I would share some insights into what it’s really like to be this FAR into the grieving process. Don’t worry. Some of them are kind of funny. This post isn’t entirely sad. And, there are even photos of the puppies — Clover and Tori.
-
Clover’s Surgery Friday, Oct 9
Friday, October 9, after a LONG wait for Clover to go into heat (in hopes of solving her UTI issues) and then more waiting for her to recover from an exceptionally long false pregnancy that lasted WAY longer than a real one, Clover will be spayed. I’m very much looking forward to having this surgery behind us, but I’m also a total wreck. Once you’ve lost an amazing dog to something that should have been routine (a rabies vaccine), it’s hard to look at anything — big or small — as no big deal.
