Okay, okay, it's been uber long since I did my last post! Ever since I became a full-time copywriter, it's like my creative juices have been drained by the end of the day! It also doesn't help that I've spent the last couple of months ghostwriting.
But for everyone who has been so supportive over Danny's fit episode, I totally, totally owe you guys an update.
Danny is doing fantastic! Ever since we brought him back from the vet, it's been a steady climb back to his usual rambunctious self. I brought him back to the clinicfor his yearly check up in June and he was bouncing off the walls and pouncing on every doggie (and non-doggie) scent. When it was his turn, he dashed into the clinic and the moment he saw Dr Kenneth, he jumped on him and started licking him. I guess he's got a good memory.
He was so excited about seeing Dr Kenneth and his assistant that he didn't even seem to notice he was getting an injection. Normally he yelps when the needle goes in, but this time, he was wagging his tail-stump the whole time.
He was supposed to get a blood test to check on his damaged liver but Dr Kenneth decided that as he hadn't had another fit and he was so obviously healthy, we could skip the interrim test and just wait till September to do the final one - saving me about $150.
With that, I went back and did my sums:
Danny's hospital stay - $900
Danny's check up and distemper shots and deworming and heartworm pills... - $120
Having Danny's smackable Schanuzer butt destroying the living room again - Priceless
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Stay Danny Stay
A while back, one of Danny's trainers taught us this trick to calm him when he's scurrying around. It's supposed to work whether or not there's food involved, but Danny is a slave to his stomach so thus far it only works when he has some sort of incentive.
He's chained up in these pics cos the floor was getting cleaned and after his incident, the last thing we want is Danny lapping up soapy water. (Yes, Danny, it smells of roses but I don't think your liver can take another blow!) But the trick works when he's free too.
Seeing he was such a good boy with just one cracker, we decided to up the ante...
On a seperate occasion, I managed to surround him with crakers and make him stay for a good 3 minutes. Yay! Success!
The down side is you need to keep an eagle eye on him or the temptation is just too great. Ah well...it's still an improvement!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
For better or for worse
As each day goes by, Danny is getting visibly better.
On his first day back, walking a few steps would make him pant.
On the second day, he could prop himself up at the dining table to check out what we were having.
On the third day, he tried to bark with the neighbour's dog but could only emit a growl.
On the fourth day, he joined in the doggie chorus.
On the fifth day, he could scuttle around a bit without breaking a sweat.
On the sixth day, he was protesting being confined in the air-con study with me and scratched the door and yelped to be let out.
And, as his energy returns, so do the pitchfork and tail.
Yesterday, I scolded him for the first time since he came home when he barked at me to share my lunch. First time I scolded him all week. (Normally I'm yelling at him everyday.)
Today he tried to snatch dad's socks - got yelled at again.
Hubby is really happy though. He said that this meant that Danny was getting better. (I was surprised cos he's been trying to make Danny a lap dog ever since he arrived.)
It's true, and yes, we are glad. But I think I'm with dad when he said with an air of resignation, "When Danny gets better, he gets worse."
On his first day back, walking a few steps would make him pant.
On the second day, he could prop himself up at the dining table to check out what we were having.
On the third day, he tried to bark with the neighbour's dog but could only emit a growl.
On the fourth day, he joined in the doggie chorus.
On the fifth day, he could scuttle around a bit without breaking a sweat.
On the sixth day, he was protesting being confined in the air-con study with me and scratched the door and yelped to be let out.
And, as his energy returns, so do the pitchfork and tail.
Yesterday, I scolded him for the first time since he came home when he barked at me to share my lunch. First time I scolded him all week. (Normally I'm yelling at him everyday.)
Today he tried to snatch dad's socks - got yelled at again.
Hubby is really happy though. He said that this meant that Danny was getting better. (I was surprised cos he's been trying to make Danny a lap dog ever since he arrived.)
It's true, and yes, we are glad. But I think I'm with dad when he said with an air of resignation, "When Danny gets better, he gets worse."
"I'm back!"
Monday, April 4, 2011
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Danny's much better now!
It's been a week since his fit and so far no repeat. We've been watching him like a hawk. His blood test came back and showed he has some serious liver damage. The vet said that it was partly caused by the severe fit and partly by something he ingested that damaged his liver.
Danny had been running around the garden the whole morning so he could have nibbled on something toxic at some point though I really can't think what it could be!
As we all know by now, he has this tendency to nom on all objects regardless of material. Case in point, on his first day back, we turned our backs for a couple of minutes and found him with a piece of styrofoam in his mouth. Sigh.
Well, at least now we know what went wrong. The new revelation saw me hauling him back to the vet for a jab and to pick up more meds. (Add another $150 to the mounting bill. Expensive dog, no?)
Still despite the scary test results, the only sign of his sick liver is that Danny's energy level isn't at 100%. He sleeps a lot more and doesn't scurry around like the house is on fire. But he still has the old Danny spirit.
In the last week, he has:
1) Made off with used tissue with paint on it, which I had to pry from his jaws.
2) Tried to snatch mom's slippers twice. I say "tried" cos the extra weight made him tired and he dropped it after a few feet.
3) Hauled the floor cloth up from the basement (Dropped it midway past the stairs, like I said, not 100%.)
4) Poked his nose into the kitchen dustbin 4-5 times but got caught. (Not as fast as he used to be.)
5) Barked at me when I refused to share my lunch.
6) Tried to steal my lunch when I got up to get ketchup. (Couldn't reach. Too short. No energy to jump.)
7) Woke me up with his yelping this morning.
Think of what he could have accomplished if his liver was fine.
"Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern!"
(He's a little scruffy in this pic cos he was scheduled for a grooming session when he got sick.)
It's been a week since his fit and so far no repeat. We've been watching him like a hawk. His blood test came back and showed he has some serious liver damage. The vet said that it was partly caused by the severe fit and partly by something he ingested that damaged his liver.
Danny had been running around the garden the whole morning so he could have nibbled on something toxic at some point though I really can't think what it could be!
As we all know by now, he has this tendency to nom on all objects regardless of material. Case in point, on his first day back, we turned our backs for a couple of minutes and found him with a piece of styrofoam in his mouth. Sigh.
Well, at least now we know what went wrong. The new revelation saw me hauling him back to the vet for a jab and to pick up more meds. (Add another $150 to the mounting bill. Expensive dog, no?)
Still despite the scary test results, the only sign of his sick liver is that Danny's energy level isn't at 100%. He sleeps a lot more and doesn't scurry around like the house is on fire. But he still has the old Danny spirit.
In the last week, he has:
1) Made off with used tissue with paint on it, which I had to pry from his jaws.
2) Tried to snatch mom's slippers twice. I say "tried" cos the extra weight made him tired and he dropped it after a few feet.
3) Hauled the floor cloth up from the basement (Dropped it midway past the stairs, like I said, not 100%.)
4) Poked his nose into the kitchen dustbin 4-5 times but got caught. (Not as fast as he used to be.)
5) Barked at me when I refused to share my lunch.
6) Tried to steal my lunch when I got up to get ketchup. (Couldn't reach. Too short. No energy to jump.)
7) Woke me up with his yelping this morning.
Think of what he could have accomplished if his liver was fine.
"I'm up on all fours and trying my best to be naughty again!"
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Danny's Home!
Danny's back home! His vet called the night before and told me to wait for his call before collecting him. He said he wanted to give him a thorough checkup before discharging him and asked me not to appear first thing in the morning. How did he know that was exactly what I was planning?
Anyway, he opens at 10 but by 10.30 I couldn't stand it and called the clinic. They said he was in the clear so I could come by around 11.30. I left the house immediately after putting down the phone and was there by 11. Heh!
Of course I had to wait. Anyway they handed Danny over together with his cocktail of meds which have super complicated feeding instructions - or maybe I'm just not very smart.
Total damage: $680
Having Danny back from the dead: Priceless.
He's still not 100% though. He is curious about all his usual stuff and poking his nose into garbage cans and trying to sneak upstairs where he's not allowed, just that he is doing everything at half speed. Walking from one end of the room to the other makes him pant and his back legs are quite weak so stairs are a bit more of a challenge than usual.
He seems to have more energy in air-conditioned rooms and pants a lot less, especially when it gets hot, so now from 11am onwards, our friend stays with me in the study. I keep the temp low and wear a jacket.
He drinks copious amounts of water though, which the vet said it's caused by the steriod jab, which means I'm changing his newspaper every hour on the hour.
Everyone at home has come to realise that he's not quite as indestructable as we thought. He now needs more looking after, but we're all glad he's home.
Will take new pics soon!
Anyway, he opens at 10 but by 10.30 I couldn't stand it and called the clinic. They said he was in the clear so I could come by around 11.30. I left the house immediately after putting down the phone and was there by 11. Heh!
Of course I had to wait. Anyway they handed Danny over together with his cocktail of meds which have super complicated feeding instructions - or maybe I'm just not very smart.
Total damage: $680
Having Danny back from the dead: Priceless.
He's still not 100% though. He is curious about all his usual stuff and poking his nose into garbage cans and trying to sneak upstairs where he's not allowed, just that he is doing everything at half speed. Walking from one end of the room to the other makes him pant and his back legs are quite weak so stairs are a bit more of a challenge than usual.
He seems to have more energy in air-conditioned rooms and pants a lot less, especially when it gets hot, so now from 11am onwards, our friend stays with me in the study. I keep the temp low and wear a jacket.
He drinks copious amounts of water though, which the vet said it's caused by the steriod jab, which means I'm changing his newspaper every hour on the hour.
Everyone at home has come to realise that he's not quite as indestructable as we thought. He now needs more looking after, but we're all glad he's home.
Will take new pics soon!
Monday, March 28, 2011
What a difference a day makes! - Danny update
Thanks for all the prayers! They worked a miracle!
Got a call from the vet this morning. Danny's doing a lot better. He was up on all fours and polished off a whole can of dog food. He was still panting a little heavily although all the twitching and jerking is gone. The vet said he still wanted to keep him another day so as to monitor that his seizure doesn't reoccur, but we were more than welcome to visit him at the clinic.
So hubby, Rhoda and I all trooped down around lunchtime to see our friend. He was like a completely different dog! When I left him yesterday, he was lying down on his side with muscle spasms coming every 2 to 3 seconds. When I called his name or patted his head, all he could do was roll his eyeballs in my direction. As it was, the vet called it an improvement on the previous hour, which had him having no recognition in his eyes whatsoever and pee and poo streaming out of his other end. (The latter was when the vet thought we would lose him)
Today, however, when we appeared, he stood up, his tail (or stump) all twitching, and banged against the cage door. He's been on a drip since yesterday so that wasn't new, but we were a little puzzled to find an e-collar on him.
It was soon cleared up when the vet's assistant explained that Danny's unstoppable mouth (save for the fit) had been nomming on the tube for the drip and the collar was to prevent him from biting through. Also, he had somehow gotten his gangly legs tangled up in the tube during the night and they had come down to find him in an "oh help!" position.
Eating for two and getting himself into all manner of trouble? Mmm...yes, he IS feeling better. Still can't believe he actually managed to be up to mischief confined in a cage. It's some kind of talent.
We opened the cage door to pat him better but then had to physically hold him in cos he kept trying to jump out despite being a good metre from the ground and still being attached to the drip! And when we left, he started yelping as in "You guys forgot something - ME!!!"
Anyway, if this keeps up, Danny will be coming home tomorrow!
Got a call from the vet this morning. Danny's doing a lot better. He was up on all fours and polished off a whole can of dog food. He was still panting a little heavily although all the twitching and jerking is gone. The vet said he still wanted to keep him another day so as to monitor that his seizure doesn't reoccur, but we were more than welcome to visit him at the clinic.
So hubby, Rhoda and I all trooped down around lunchtime to see our friend. He was like a completely different dog! When I left him yesterday, he was lying down on his side with muscle spasms coming every 2 to 3 seconds. When I called his name or patted his head, all he could do was roll his eyeballs in my direction. As it was, the vet called it an improvement on the previous hour, which had him having no recognition in his eyes whatsoever and pee and poo streaming out of his other end. (The latter was when the vet thought we would lose him)
Today, however, when we appeared, he stood up, his tail (or stump) all twitching, and banged against the cage door. He's been on a drip since yesterday so that wasn't new, but we were a little puzzled to find an e-collar on him.
It was soon cleared up when the vet's assistant explained that Danny's unstoppable mouth (save for the fit) had been nomming on the tube for the drip and the collar was to prevent him from biting through. Also, he had somehow gotten his gangly legs tangled up in the tube during the night and they had come down to find him in an "oh help!" position.
Eating for two and getting himself into all manner of trouble? Mmm...yes, he IS feeling better. Still can't believe he actually managed to be up to mischief confined in a cage. It's some kind of talent.
We opened the cage door to pat him better but then had to physically hold him in cos he kept trying to jump out despite being a good metre from the ground and still being attached to the drip! And when we left, he started yelping as in "You guys forgot something - ME!!!"
Anyway, if this keeps up, Danny will be coming home tomorrow!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Danny Had Fits
I haven't blogged in a while mainly because Danny's been improving and while he is still naughty, nothing he has done recently beats that last two years.
Doing a short blog today because Danny had a fit this morning and we had to rush him to the vet. At first they thought it was a heatstroke, but even after they brought his temp down, he went into another fit, which the vet thought was it. But they managed to bring him back on track. When I left the clinic, he was still twitching to a good extent. The vet said they would put him into an induced coma and see how he is in a few hours. If he is better, he can come home and we can monitor. If he isn't, they propose sending him to the hospital for them to run thorough tests on him. And of course, there is also a possibility of him not making it till morning.
At this point, I really don't know how I'm going to handle losing another dog so soon after Chassard. I really do hope for the best because, even though he is the naughtiest dog I ever had and the most disobedient, I do miss him. It's been a short 2 years, but already he's wormed his way into everyone's hearts in only a way a dog can. Please pray for him.
Doing a short blog today because Danny had a fit this morning and we had to rush him to the vet. At first they thought it was a heatstroke, but even after they brought his temp down, he went into another fit, which the vet thought was it. But they managed to bring him back on track. When I left the clinic, he was still twitching to a good extent. The vet said they would put him into an induced coma and see how he is in a few hours. If he is better, he can come home and we can monitor. If he isn't, they propose sending him to the hospital for them to run thorough tests on him. And of course, there is also a possibility of him not making it till morning.
At this point, I really don't know how I'm going to handle losing another dog so soon after Chassard. I really do hope for the best because, even though he is the naughtiest dog I ever had and the most disobedient, I do miss him. It's been a short 2 years, but already he's wormed his way into everyone's hearts in only a way a dog can. Please pray for him.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Danny and the Pull-Up Bar
Chinese New Year is going to be here in three weeks and I am desperately trying to get my flabby arms in shape so I don't do a double wave at the relatives. I've been doing chair dips which takes care of the underarms but couldn't think of anything at home for my jelly-soft biceps.
So, for the first time ever (which shows my fitness priority), I headed down to the exercise station at the park. And for fun I brought Danny with me.
I chained him to the base of the pull-up bar. He peeked at me rather curiously but let me get on with life. The moment my feet left the ground, however, he started barking like there was no tomorrow. When I came back to earth, he stopped.
I thought maybe being tied 3 feet away was to freaky for him, so I re-tied him right next to me and reminded myself to be careful not to land on him.
It didn't work.
Danny kept barking his head off and even after I stopped, he continued barking right in my face. It was the first time he had ever seen me do pull-ups (as in pull up and hang there) and all the humans he has seen always had two feet firmly planted on the ground. I think he thought I was going to fly off without him or something.
Anyway, it turned out for the best. We were being observed by a team of construction workers, an elderly couple plus the neighbour's dog. And since two (half) sets was all I could manage, I used Danny as an excuse to...hem...cut my "routine" short and left.
I'm bringing him with me the next time.
So, for the first time ever (which shows my fitness priority), I headed down to the exercise station at the park. And for fun I brought Danny with me.
I chained him to the base of the pull-up bar. He peeked at me rather curiously but let me get on with life. The moment my feet left the ground, however, he started barking like there was no tomorrow. When I came back to earth, he stopped.
I thought maybe being tied 3 feet away was to freaky for him, so I re-tied him right next to me and reminded myself to be careful not to land on him.
It didn't work.
Danny kept barking his head off and even after I stopped, he continued barking right in my face. It was the first time he had ever seen me do pull-ups (as in pull up and hang there) and all the humans he has seen always had two feet firmly planted on the ground. I think he thought I was going to fly off without him or something.
Anyway, it turned out for the best. We were being observed by a team of construction workers, an elderly couple plus the neighbour's dog. And since two (half) sets was all I could manage, I used Danny as an excuse to...hem...cut my "routine" short and left.
I'm bringing him with me the next time.
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