It's Not Just Potty Humor..

Warning!  This post contains not just potty humor but actual potty...


As part of managing the symptoms of Sam's cauda equina he has started having acupuncture treatments with Dr. Tammy Perkins at Animalia Wellness.  He had his second treatment yesterday.  I'll post some pictures of the clinic in a later post.  It's the most gorgeous clinic I've ever seen.

Dr. Perkins suggested that Sam might benefit from some hydrotherapy as well.  I can't really afford  to take advantage of the underwater treadmill at Animalia so Dr. Perkins said that a kiddie pool would work too.  That I can afford!

Yesterday I bought Sam a kiddie pool at Lowe's.  Did you know these pools can be tough to find now?  Wally World didn't even have them.  This morning, I filled the pool with water and let it sit in the sunshine for a few hours so it would warm up a bit.  Then I got Sam outside and lifted him into the pool.  The idea was to have him walk circuits around the pool.  Turns out, the pool is a little too small for that.

Sam, lounging in his private pool.

Yeah, this might not be too bad.

And then it happened..... Sam's re-enactment of the pool scene in Caddyshack.  Only no one was eating a chocolate bar......

That's no Baby Ruth....

And so ended Sam's first dip in the pool.  I helped him exit the pool - there wasn't any panic - dried him off and then dumped the pool.  I don't think I'll need to wear a hazmat suit to clean it but it might be a while before Sam takes another dip.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Today is Sam's 14th birthday.  It's hard to believe he's been with me for nearly 10 years!  I dearly love this boy.  I took this photo while he was eating his birthday treat of soft serve ice cream with Bailey's drizzled over it.  It just might be one of my favorite pictures of him EVER!

A Good Vet

While moving can be fun and exciting there is also the hassle of finding a lot of new service providers; hair dressers, dentists, doctors and, arguably, most importantly a vet.  I got so lucky in the veterinary department with this move.  Before I left VA, I had several recommendations for Dr. Bernander at Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Franklin, TN.

It turns out that was a good thing because while I was making the drive down here, I called his office to schedule an appointment for Sam.  In the weeks leading up to our move, Sam had increasing issues with mobility - specifically, his rear movement.  So we arrived in TN on Tuesday evening, moved into our house on Wednesday and Sam went to see Dr. B on Thursday.

Dr. B took xrays and diagnosed Sam with a potential infection in one disk, a fully fused disk and a third disk - L7/S1 - that was causing the real issue - and quite a bit of pain.  Basically, Sam has cauda equina.  This is a chronic condition that is very painful and will eventually lead to rear paralysis.  It's a fairly common condition in large, athletic dogs but you don't hear much about it in Cardigans.

The initial treatment for Sam included Cephalexin, Prednisone and an increased dose of Tramadol.  It also included return trips to the vet every 2 weeks.  So we made return trips for the next 8 weeks.

In the middle of all that, Grace, the cat, also became ill.  My first clue was that she missed the litter box.  During one of Sam's regular rechecks, I brought Grace along and ended up leaving her at the clinic overnite.  She was diagnosed with a severe UTI and ended up spending 3 nights at the clinic.  She came home on a Monday but by Thursday evening she had made it very clear to me that she was finished with this life.  I took her back in on Saturday morning and Dr. B helped her cross the bridge just one week before her 15th birthday.

In my next post, I'll introduce Sam's new physical therapist.  She's going to help us manage Sam's pain so we don't have to graduate to morphine for pain control.

Hoooooowdeeee!

A little homage to Minnie Pearl there in the post title tonight :)  The house I am renting here in Nashville is about 2 miles from Opryland.

The drive down to Nashville in March was pretty uneventful.  We had great weather, the dogs and Grace were patient with the long trip and, thanks to UHM's parting gift of a GPS unit, we didn't get lost :)  Once we arrived, things got a little less uneventful.

The morning I took possession of our little rental house, I got to the house before the leasing agent.  I was walking around the outside of the house and wanted to explore the little, fully fenced back yard.  So I let myself in the yard and, like any good dog owner, shut the gate behind me.  One small problem, there was no latch on the inside of the gate - I was locked in the back yard.  Fortunately, the leasing agent pulled up a few minutes later and let me out so we could get in the house.

The movers arrived shortly thereafter and delivered my rather small truck load of household goods without incident.  Usually, when I move for a new job I manage to arrive on Saturday and have to go to work on Monday so it takes forever for the house to get unpacked and set up.  This time, I gave myself  a full 5 days to get my act together!  I had time to run errands on that first day even.  The weather was gorgeous so I had the windows down as I cruised the highways in the greater Nashville area.  That's when a hornet ended up in my car.  I felt/saw it rocket into the car as I was going 55 miles an hour.  Shortly thereafter, I felt a sharp stinging between my breasts - while I was driving 55 miles an hour.  Yup, the hornet ended up going down my shirt and stinging me.  Fortunately, I'm not particularly well-endowed so I was able to fairly easily get him out of my shirt without causing a wreck.  About 10 minutes later, I felt a sharp stinging behind my knee.  I managed to fling the bastard out of my shirt, only to have him land only the floor and subsequently crawl up my leg.  Only me.

Friday -Our new vet and the many, many visits we've made to his office since our arrival.

We're Baaaaack!

I bought a new computer this weekend so we are back on line and ready to start posting about our adventures in our new home, Nashville, TN.  Look for the first installment of the Moving Chronicles Wednesday evening.  Right now, it's late and we are headed to bed.

Thanks, in advance, for hanging in there with us.  Lots of exciting things have happened since mid-March and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you all.

Red Dog Mom & The Horde (Southern Branch)

A Little Hiatus

Tomorrow morning I will load The Horde in the Dawg Yacht and we will strike out for Nashville, TN.  It's amazing how fast our relocation happened, considering how long it took for me to find a job!

I've rented what looks like a lovely little house in Nashville that is very close to my new office and lots of other things too.  I rented it based on pictures and a description on the property management website because it was the only house I could find on short notice that fit all my criteria; pet-friendly, fully fenced yard and a single level. It's like internet dating except that I am locked into this relationship for at least 2 years!

The movers loaded up all my household goods last Friday and I've spent the last few days gathering up the things that are still in the house and deciding what to take and what to leave.  Since UHM will be staying in the house for at least a little while longer, there isn't as much of a rush to get EVERYTHING out.

I've edited my possessions pretty well and one of the things I no longer have is a computer :(  So, I'll be taking a hiatus from blogging until I get a new one.  For those who are my FB friends, I will continue to post bits and pieces there since my phone will allow me to.  When I get back on line, I'll be unveiling a new website for Fairway Cardigans in addition to updating the blog.  I'm not sure how long the hiatus will last so please check back often.  I hope to be back on line within a couple of months.

Changing Priorities

Know what happens when you get a job that requires a move?  Your priorities change and things like blogging fall to the bottom of the list.

So, here are more details on what is going on with my new job and move....

I got the original offer a week ago Friday.  There are a couple of details still to be worked out but I will be working for Kirkland's, Inc. (www.kirklands.com) based out of Nashville, TN.  I'm hoping for a finalized offer today.  Once I have that, we can set a start date.

I've scoured the internet for a rental property that will accept dogs and meets my other criteria (single level, fully fenced yard and safe neighborhood).  I've found exactly ONE property that I love and have submitted an application to the property management group.  I am waiting for them to say, "We'd love to have you and your Horde move into our newly remodeled 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that is just 2.22 miles from your new office."  Ok, I didn't tell them the dogs are known as The Horde - I think there might be some negative connotations with the name.

I have gone through a lot of boxes in my storage unit.  I've consolidated, repacked and donated things so I am basically down to the bare minimums of what I need to move.  My couch and 2 upholstered chairs will also be looking for new homes via GoodWill or Habitat for Humanity.  I think 15-16 years is long enough for me to get the value out of them.  That means I will be living on cheap patio furniture until I find and can afford new furniture that I like.  By the way, it's entirely possible that my new furniture may be patio furniture as well.  The thought of being able to hose off the upholstery when it gets dirty is darned tempting and, honestly, some of the 'patio' furniture that's out there right now is as nice as any indoor furniture.  Besides, isn't bring the outdoors in terribly in fashion?

So, for the moment we are in a bit of a holding pattern but I expect that when things break loose there will be lots of movement VERY fast....