Change in Plans

5/24/2010

We had planned on doing a couple of scenic day drives in the Honda, but things have come up that caused us to delay those plans. The night we came home after walking the strip, we found our little princess had left us a couple of surprises. At least they were on the big rug we put down over our carpet. For the last couple days she has been plagued with diarrhea and vomiting.
When she get sick like this, I stop her food for awhile and then give special canned dog food that I always keep on hand or we give her rice and hamburger. Mallery's Vet in Cedar Rapids had told me to do this when she gets in this kind of situation. I babied her with these meals, but she continued to be sick. Today I found an Animal Hospital on the Internet that is only 1.6 miles away. I made an appointment to take Mallery in at 4:00 PM. The Vet checked her for two conditions. Canine Pancreatitis and Giardia. Giardia is a parasite that is very common in this area and is diagnosed by checking her stool sample. Pancreatitis is checked from blood work. After a 30 minute wait we get the results , she is suffering from pancreatitis. Because she is only 7 lbs, we are told things can get very nasty if this is not taken care of fast. She received 3 shots and is injected with fluids under her skin so she doesn't become dehydrated. We left the vet's office at 6:30pm with 2 medicines to give her, 4 cans of special dog food and a $325.00 bill. We are told to keep her very quiet and watch her for signs of getting worse and bring her back to the Vets if she doesn't get better and they will put her on IV's and keep her overnight. The Vet also told us we are not to be giving her table scraps or doggie treats that are high in fat content for the rest of her life as these fatty foods will likely trigger another attack of pancreatitis which is common in small dogs whose digestive systems are very delicate. This little girl is costing me a fortune. Good thing I didn't blow my money on gambling! We were also told not to eat in front of her as it can get her juices flowing and cause her to throw up. I thought the Vet was kidding at first. Not so. After we took our princess home, Joe and I walked up to our favorite cheap place to eat, Mickey D's so she wouldn't have to watch us eat dinner. It is located in the Plaza Hotel just 3 block up from us. So here we sit right across from the downtown casino area. This is a picture of area where the evening light show takes place, it is just too early for the show. Joe and I enjoy our $1 double hamburger and share a $1 fry. The total bill $3. Hey you didn't think we were retired early because we were big spenders did ya! It is 7:33 PM, and 72 degrees out. Time to get back and make sure our little princess is doing OK. We will spend the next day or two staying home with Mallery to be sure she doesn't get worse or stress out due to being left behind.