The Dos and Don'ts of Recovery

Linguini's health is steadily and slowly improving.

 The DOs

TLC plays a vital role in a speedy recovery

 Oh, yeah, give it to me.

 Hey, push Him back.

 That's more like it.

 I like it like that.

That's it. That's exactly where you should place your hand.

The DON'Ts

Do not allow The Spaz baby bro near the spotted patient

 Oh, no! Looky who's here. Pedrito.Yikes.

 OMD

 Heeeelp!

Oh, yeah! FYI Pedrito hasn't "matured" yet. BOL

TGIF

Twink!

The Spotted Patient

Update on Linguini's health

The senior dog's health is slowly improving. The pain is manageable through the use of Tramadol and Deramaxx. The mornings and evenings seem to be the toughest times of the day for her. M is waiting for the inflammation to go down before taking her for acupuncture. By now, we're convinced that it's Linguini's neck that is causing her all the pain. She's never going to wear a dog collar again. She's been fitted into a beautiful, reflective, and comfortable body harness.

She is resting comfortably receiving around the clock TLC and yummy, soft, small dog treats that she can enjoy.

Twinkie

Linguini's Progress

I'm happy to tell you that my sick sissy, Linguini, the spotted dog, is doing better, but not much. She had a rough first night and, even though she seemed to be feeling better this morning, she had a minor relapse as the day went by. M gave her the maximum pain meds that the vet allows. She's also saving a really large juicy ham bone for Linguini, as soon as she can open her mouth without hurting.

My family and I are grateful for all your caring wishes and suggestions. The comments about a chiropractor or an acupuncturist stand out and are definitely worth trying.

Lots of health to all,

Twinkie

And Then There Were Two . . .

We're a family, um, pack, of four: three tinies, me, Twinkie, a 4 pound teacup chihuahua, Frankie, a brindle chiweenie that weighs about 9lbs, Pedro, a nutty devilish chihuahua pup that abuses the rest of us, and Linguini, M's only "real dog" as she calls her girl. Linguini is a dalmatian mix; a mid-sized dog. Well, we've been jinxed, ladies and tramps! Last weekend, I got too close to the rainbow bridge and now my sissy, almost 12 year old Linguini, the spotted girl, is at the vet's on morphine and Deramaxx. We've got two dogs "down" at our home. Sucks!
I'm doing better and better, and M, our loving mommy,  is obviously relieved, but she's too worried and sad about our senior dog.

The worst part is, we do not know what is wrong with her yet. She's in tons of pain. In the near past, the dog vet insisted that all the pain was rear end related, due to advanced arthritis and possible cruciate issues. M insisted there were neck issues as well. Her reasoning? Every time she passed by Linguini, the girl would cry out in pain. Huh? M tried to figure this one out for a long time. What was it that made the dog cry like that? Then she got it. Linguini would turn her head to follow M with her eyes. Aha! Now, M's convinced Linguini's pain is due to cervical and possibly neurological damage, but first she has to convince the vet.


We do love our vet, and, for the record and in all fairness, he's looking into M's theory. Only problem is, the tests so far do not back it up...


We may go MIA for a few days. If anything drastic happens, we WILL let you know. For now, we'll let the morphine do it's job.


Lots of love to all our furiends and friends!

Our girl

Twinkie, the humbled dog

Fishing Trip Pressies

When M returned from her 3/4 Day Deep Sea Fishing Trip, she not only brought us back lots of fresh fish to eat, she also brought back some photos and a couple of videos of a relative of mine.
This "lucky dawg" gets to work on the dock that supplies the bait to the fishing boats. Check him out!

 Lucky Dawg approaches fishing boat

Lucky Dawg looks at live bait

Lucky Dawg prances about with live fish dangling from his mouth

(slurp!)

BIG MISTAKE

Our boat crew did NOT give Lucky Dawg any fish. They ignored him. That was WRONG. Lucky Dawg took care of them appropriately. 

He left them a pressie. It was a bunch of golden nuggets on their net. M was so proud of this smart dawg, she decided to film the disposal of his pressie. BOL!

I'd do exactly the same

;)

Twink!

Happy Easter

My humans, all the dogs and cats of our household, and I would like to wish all of you our furiends, friends, and readers a wonderful Easter, filled with love, laughter, joy, and tons of leftovers. Amen.

As for those of you who were wondering where I was yesterday, suffice it to say M went fishing WITHOUT ME. She said I needed to recover completely before running wild again. 'Sup with that? I personally think she's more worried about getting another vet bill. BOL

HAPPY EASTER

Twink!

Thank You All For Your . . . Condolences . . .

. . . about my enormous vet bill!

You were so funny and inspiring that, instead of a post, I decided to share your hilarious comments.

Chester said...

Oh my Twink! I gotta go find out just what the heck happened that your PUs will now need to get second jobs. They shouldn't be too upset once they realize they've been added to the vet's Christmas card list.

GULP! That's what's SUP.

Woofs and expensive slobbers,
Chester ;0=)

Pee. Ess. - I hope you're all better now.

HoundDogMom said...

Yikes, Twink! Did your human need a her blood pressure checked after that? We can see you gots lots of kisses and snuggs to give your human after that little trip. We just hope there is enough green papers left for kibble, good thing you are tiny and don't eat much. We thinks you were probably worth all them green papers but we didn't have to write the check or slide the plastic. BOL...SO SO glad you are feeling better. Sniffs, The HoundDogs

Sam and Pippen said...

We aren't surprised... Mom got an estimate recently to get Pippen's teeth cleaned and that was for $1000!

Sam and Pippen

pam said...
WE thinks we knows what's 'sup!!!'

We thinks youse better be milkin this convalescence for all it's worth cause you prolly gotta get a job soon...

Bobo and Meja

MurphyDog said...
Ouch! Mom knows just how you feel. I had to go to the vet last week, and it was almost $700 for a 3 hour visit!

hope you are feelin better!

wags, wiggles & slobbers
Murphydog

Coco - The Princess said...
OMD! your a million dollar pooch too! luckly my mommy just paid $1300 for me to have my knee surgery so she didnt have a stroke when she saw your bill.

Howe you feel better soon!

Tail Wiggles & Puppy Kisses,

Coco The Princess

P.S. My mommy has posted a special promotion code on my bloggy to the Small Dog Mall as a special thank you for for sending us warm wishes and Power of the Paw during my surgery and recovery.

Martine said...
SUP Twink! Hope you are feeling better. xo

Remington said...
That's a lot of dollars!

JackDaddy said...
I ran into those types of bills with my last dog, so I got insurance for Jack right when I got him. It's about $250/year, but when you're looking at $5000-$6000 vet bills, it's worth it.

Benny and Lily said...
We thought you stole Lily's dermatologist bill. You are worth every penny Twink
Benny & Lily

♥♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥♥ said...
Yikes, Twink - there had best not be a next time, but if there is, do it on the weekdays so at least there would ba a bit of a break.

We figure that's about $398.68/lb. Better than than the going rate for gold, we suspect.

Stay well, pal, M can't have you getting sick any more.

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Nadine, Chewy and Lilibell said...
Holy dog poop!!!! We thinks you better get to selling mega tons of your books, or else you may needs to get a job!

Waggles & Chi kisses, Chewy & Lilibell


Anakin Man said...
Ummmmm- yeh-
I totally like hear you on the vet bill thingy- especially after Anakin's 3 surgery's last year!!!
Hot Mess!!!!!!

I am glad Twinkie is doing better!!!

I told Anakin to put some heels on and work the corner-

hee hee
love from Pugga Momma & bunch

Lexi and Jasper the Danes said...
Eek, that's a lot of paper money! But you're worth it Twinkie :)

Licks and lots of slobber,
Lexi and Jasper the Danes

Kitty+Coco said...Goodnes gracious. We might end up at the vet after seeing that bill! It is a good thing you are worth it Twink. They better name the place after you at this point.

Oskar said...
What's sup is that your vet just made a downpayment on a new car!

You're worth any amount of money though Twinkie girl.

Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar

Mollie Jo and Bobo said...
We has been to the vet alot and had a lot of foster but never seen a bill that big!!!! Hope your feeling better.

Amber DaWeenie said...
Hey Twinkie.....Holee Gwaca Moly.....I tink I nose what SUP means. It means SUPER butt it would have been an extra $500 to get da last 2 letters. So...SUP it is!

Glad you is feelin better. You was worth every penny...SUP

Sarge said...
Hey Twinkie!
Wow, I think SUP stands for Surely U Pullin' my leg! Boy, that's a lot of cash, but you're worth every penny.
Grr and Woof,
Sarge, COP

Jan's Funny Farm said...
Sorry, gotta run. Percy and Sam are fanning Jan. She passed out cold when she saw that total. And she told us we are NEVER to have an emergency.

Seriously, glad you are home and doing better.

Cat Mandu said...
Oh, dear, Twinkie! I hope you are OK. I went to the (vet) spa today and got my toenails clipped. They gave me a great deal. Maybe it was because I have blue eyes.
Mandu

the booker man said...
miss twinkie!

well first like, i am so super duper mega relieved that you are all betters and back home!! you totally scared the booker man! and second like, that bill is for a lot of green papers, but the way i see it, you are totally worth 50 gazillion green papers!!

*woof*
the booker man

Jed and Abby in MerryLand said...
Is that your vet bill or your share of the national debt? Sacre bleu! We're most happy to see you are recovering and are receiving excellent nursing care with a private duty kitteh nurse. What the h&%* happened? We're envisioning rivers of blood flowing from a discretely unnamed orifice*. Did you rupture something rough housing and can you blame it on Pedro?

Jed & Abby

* You are correct, my furiends

Roo said...

Okay, Mom spritzed me with water and I'm conscious again. DOG that was a face slapper bill! The only good thing about it is Twinkie was saved. That makes me smile :D

Waggin at ya,
Roo

Mango said...
Golly, Twinks, I bet that is your kibble allowance for, like, your entire life!

Slobbers,
Mango

Heather and Pumpkin said...
Twink - if you have to get a job don't sign with Menace - his is a very lazy manager being a cat and all.

xoxo
Pumpkin

silvieon4 said...
THUD! A medical waste fee????What on earth is that? Ok come on vets, really???? How is Twink? Momma says she will not complain for JD's 98 dollar vet bill for ????? we still have no idea what it was that bothered him enough to scream all the way to the vet....

Pup Fan said...
Whew... I think I passed out there for a moment. Though once I regained consciousness I did crack up at your "SUP" comment.

Tucker said...
Oh dat is a big hit in the treat/toy fund. I hopes you is all better. But, just so you know Huge Dog = Huge Bill too. My de-manifying was over $300.

We gots pet insurance now.

woof _ Tucker

Madi and Mom said...
Twinkie and Mom...oh my cats, dogs, elephants, tigers and lions...that is one whopper of a bill. I bet it was longer than Twinkie.
Big hug
Madi and Mom

As for those of you who made referrences to a second J-O-B, well you weren't that far off.

I have a new job.

Happy and healthy weekend to all!

Twinkie

Speechless Friday | Tiny Dog Huge Bill

This post is NOT appropriate for the faint of heart . . .

Twinkie's vet bill:

The rest of you . . . Have a great weekend!

Twinkie

Words Would Be Redundant Wednesday

Twink!

As Dictated By Twinkie From Her Bedside

I'm a STRONG tiny dog. The hospital staff was elated to send me home. I'm not sure if they were more happy that I was not going to be biting them any longer or that they didn't have to have the Rainbow Bridge talk with my mommy. 

On Sunday, when I was first admitted, I was in shock. It doesn't take long for a 4-pound dog to go into shock. Because of my younger friends and blog readers, I cannot go into details about my symptoms. I did lose a loot of blood though. I was dehydrated and my proteins were low. I did go into shock one more time while I was hooked up to the IV, but my good doctor got me well again. He hand-fed me baby food and when I started to feel better the two of us went for a stroll.

I really must rest now, but I had to share the good news with y'all.

THANK YOU for all your kind wishes and the crossing of all those paws ...

Love,

Twinkie aka Lazarus

Paws Crossed

 Early this morning, during the weekend, of course, Twinkie became really ill. I will spare you the details, but it's possibly colon-related. She was rushed to our closest emergency room. All the tests the vets have run so far do not show the cause for Twinkie's acute episode. The tests were run at the clinic, but if all goes well and she's okay overnight, tomorrow morning blood and stool samples will be rushed to a lab. Twinkie is on IV fluids, anibiotics, and pain medication. She is comfortable, but we all miss her and wish we could take care of her at home. 

We have selected Code 1 for our little Twink. That means that the hospital shall administer external CPR and medical resuscitation/defibrillation but NOT open chest CPR nor other extreme measures. To put it mildly, it's tough to make calls such as this one.

Paws Crossed

Saturday At The Movies

What's cuter than animals and children?

Animals and children together . . .

I hope you enjoyed my Saturday movie pick. 

Happy weekend,

Twink!

The Cat In The Sink

What is Gigi Smudge, the pointed kitten, doing in the sink?

Is she taking a bath?

Is she thirsty?

Is she teething?

She wouldn't be hiding, would she?

Uh-oh!

Spoiled kitten, did not expect Pedrito to be on the butcher block.

"Wha-at?"

Those two behave just like cats and dogs. BOL.

Twinkie

PetzOff Blanket | A Product Review

A product review of the Petz Off Blanket, which, according to ads promises to be:

". . . a pet-friendly, esthetically-pleasing solution designed to keep pets off furniture. A proven training tool on one side and a decorator-quality throw on the reverse, PetzOff effectively deters pets from getting on furniture. "

Twink's Comment: Not exactly

 * * *

"PetzOFF™ Saves Furniture
Without Harming Your Pets"

Twink's Comment: Nooot

* * *

"PetzOFF™ is the very first product designed exclusively to protect your furniture and your pets. We know there are days you can’t decide which is more important - your pet or your furniture.
Now you don’t have to choose!"

Twink's Comment: Of course you don't have to choose! What a silly statement. It's always pets first, duh! 

* * *

"When not in use, the attractive fabric side can be draped fashionably over the back of the sofa. "

Twink's Response to this:

 It can also adorn your floors and provide excellent nesting material for rodents.

* * *

"Animal experts have confirmed pets don't like the sound or feel of aluminum foil. "

Twink's take:

But we, the animals, disagree. We have all enjoyed the PetzOff blanket, both cats and dogs!

PetzOff Blanket Review O-ver

(sorry)

Twinkie 

Wordless Wednesday | Mi Familia

Twink!

Thanks For The Nice Comments BUTT:

Dearest:

Asta 

Mango (and Dex)  

♥♥♥ Phantom, TD, and Ciara ♥♥♥ 

Bobo and Meja

Pup Fan

Oskaroo

Sally Ann and Andy

Benny and Lily

Jack

and

Roo

I would like to thank you all for your thoughts and rescue offers on yesterday's post!

Your intentions were noble . . .

. . . yet a bit ineffectual.

Twink!

Excuse Me | Ciclavia Part 3

Would you happen to have change for a dollar?

I would really hate it if I got towed away.

Twink!

CicLAvia Teaser

OMD, what a blast, CicLAvia was!

I highly recommend it to everyone, and DO NOT forget your furry friends either. 

Because I just got back from a full 5-hour ride, I can't really post much today. I will therefore share with you just a little trailer about my adventures in CicLAvia in Downtown L.A.--the same streets where I was found starving, with a broken leg, after having been thrown out of a moving vehicle . . . five years ago. I'm one lucky rescue dog BTW.

CicLAvia Teaser

No worries. We didn't fall down once, although M did pause a bit of a threat however, ehem.

Happy Sunday

Twink!

Practice Run for CicLAvia

We spent the day getting our bikes ready for CicLAvia.

We were going to take our Dog Stroller, but we ran into a technical difficulty. I'm not going to complain. I much prefer PLAN B!

HERE WE COME!!

I also noticed M pack a bunch of yummy dog treats. I'm so excited, I'm not sure I'll be able to catch a wink tonight. Get it? No wink for the Twink...

Twink!

Help Me Find My Identity

For a while now, my aquatic turtle bro, Donatello, named after the famous Ninja Turtles, has been asking me to help him figure out his identity. As Donie keeps wading around in his fish tank, he keeps asking himself the question: "Who's my daddy?"

I dedicate this weekend to my turtle bro. Perhaps there's a turtle expert among us who can help figure out what Donie is. When he joined our family, he was supposed to be a Red Eared Slider--WRONG.

Take it bro!

Hello! I'm Donatello!

 I'm the kittens' favorite pastime.

 I just wish I knew what type of a turtle I am!

 I love to swim, but I have to come out of the water to breathe. I also have webbed toes.

 What do you guys think?

 That finger looks pretty friendly, and enormous. I'm only 4 inches long now, 

and I'm over 3 years old. I'm also hard headed, um, hard shelled.

 I love swimming in our outdoor pond, but unfortunately I can't stay out there. The raccoons would eat me, yikes!

 I took the plunge into the refreshing pond water. Yay!

I would appreciate any feedback as to what I am. 

Sincerely, 

Donatello, Twinkie's brother

Wordless Wednesday On Thursday

Twinkie

Wordless Wednesday Postponed For An Update

On Monday, I told you about our senior dog's, Linguini's grave illness over the weekend. We were worried she would be going to the rainbow bridge soon. She was lame, in excruciating pain, drained, and weak from a challenging weekend.
Tuesday was a brand new day! M was on her way back from Petco when, two doors down from our home, she noticed the Pasadena Humane Society Truck with all its lights flashing. No, it was NOT a mountain lion sighting. It was a spotted dog retrieval mission.
Linguini, partially named after Houdini, had ESCAPED AGAIN.

M got a lovely Case Number and a WARNING.

Linguini is being renamed Lazarous and her vet has been proclaimed Dog Vet of the Century!!!

Once again, thanks to Linguini, our household is black listed with the Pasadena Humane Society. The good news is: the fugitive was apprehended on the spot, get it? SPOT! BOL

Another happy end to a Linguini adventure.

Twinkie

Attention Spaghetti's Friends

Ooops, I meant to say, Linguini's friends. This past weekend, our spotted girl, Linguini, the 11.5 year old dalmatian mix, became severely ill--notice it was the weekend again. She developed incontinence of . . . oh well, all orifices.
First thing Monday morning, we took her to the dog vet.  After a thorough check up, including a liver panel to make sure that the Rimadyl she's on long term did not cause any damage, Linguini was pronounced quite healthy (considering her advanced dog arthritis). She was prescribed  stronger pain meds to be taken sparingly ONLY as needed. She was also prescribed an anti-inflamatory drug to keep her from having dog diarrhea. She was already on DES for her incontinence, but her dosage was increased.
We're still waiting for the culture, but for now the dog vet was pretty clear:

Diagnosis

DRAMA QUEEN

The Happy End

Twink!