Big day

Major doings in this house today: Mac ate a whole steak...and I made plans for a date on Tuesday. Yes, an actual date. With a boy.

I'm more excited about the steak though! Mac ate pretty well all weekend. Today he even ate a dog treat, something he hasn't done for a few weeks! Not sure if it's his new homeopathic meds, or what, but I'm just glad.

We're heading to bed happy. Good night, all!



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Let it snow...

Never thought I would say that! But we're getting a nor'easter tonight and into tomorrow. Nothing major, just enough to be a messy pain. So I have an excuse to stay in tonight with my main man:




We've been parked on the couch for most of the night, and honestly, it's the best night I've had in a long time. We got Chinese food and Mac had a few chicken fingers! Earlier today we made a Target run and he ate a plate of rice and burger before we left. For some reason, he has always done this when we're about to go for a ride: he rushes over to his food bowl and wolfs down whatever's in it. Since he's been sick, I've been using the promise of rides to get him to eat. These days, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Today it did, and I am just so happy he's eating.

Last night I went to a wedding. I'm not ashamed to admit- I totally smuggled out my leftovers for Mac. It was filet mignon, and he ate all of it, well worth my senior citizen tactics. (Not to mention risking the well being and cleanliness of my beloved Gucci bag, which I stuffed the meat into. THAT is true love.)

I also ordered homeopathic meds for him a couple days ago on Amazon. I figured at this point I don't have anything to lose. I bought one for his heart (PetAlive heart and circulation tonic and one for his Cushing's disease (PetAlive cushex drops for pet adrenal health and Cushing's disease).

Last week was so bad, I knew if something didn't change, this week would probably be his last. I don't want to drag this out and make him suffer, but if there's anything that can help him, I want to at least try.

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Exciting mail day!

The first issue of my subscription finally arrived!! Very excited!!!



(In my defense, I got it as a Groupon deal.)


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Clearly I've lost my mind

I just took apart my bed frame and put my mattress and box spring on the floor.

I had gotten a set of those doggy stairs for Mac a while ago- before his health took a turn. I figured it would be better to get him used to using them.

He wanted nothing to do with them. And it didn't help that they weren't high enough to really reach the bed. (I never realized just how high the bed is until Mac started struggling!)

Tonight I came into the room and saw his little face peeking up from the edge of the bed- he was trying to use the doggy stairs, and they weren't high enough for him to reach the bed. It just about broke my heart.

At first I was going to wait until tomorrow to take apart the frame, but I knew it would bother me and I probably would h e trouble sleeping. (I have terrible insomnia as it is!) So I bit the bullet and took apart the bed.

And of course now Mac is sleeping of his dog bed on the floor! Oh well, I tried.


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Technical issues

The blog redesign is partially up- I can't wait for the whole thing to be up. I LOVE it. I didn't want to spend a ton, since I just do this for fun. It came out even better than I thought it would, and I am so excited.

That was the big excitement of my weekend, lol. Mac is still hanging in. He is not his usual self, but he's doing ok. Just ok, not great....but I'll take it.

Today I was back to my regular Sunday routine: lunch at my grandparents' (my mom goes too), then my mom treated us to manicures, then I stopped by my parents' house (my dad saves the Sunday paper coupons and sale flyers for me- lol).

There's a horse pasture near my parents' house, and Mac has always loved driving by and seeing the horses. So today I actually pulled over and let him hang out the window for a while:




We are still taking it day by day, but I'm just grateful he's still plugging along.

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My dog is more Internet savvy than my dad

Mac and I are enjoying a relaxing night in. I think he may be getting sick of Omaha burgers, and I'm desperate to get him to eat anything....so we got Chinese takeout tonight. Yes, we. Mac has been eating beef teriyaki lately. At this point, if he'll eat it, I'll try it.




(Yes, I was previously couponing at my coffee table. Don't mind the mess. Behind Mac is the vacuum he peed on a couple weeks ago.)

After Mac ate 3 pieces of teriyaki and a couple boneless ribs, I felt like celebrating. So we called my parents to share the good news.

My dad recently got an iPod touch. This is a major step up for him. I had shown him how to use FaceTime, so I suggested we FaceTime so Mac could "see" my parents.

BIG mistake. Ever seen the TMZ video of John Mayer giving his dad tech support? (Not sure if this link will work, but here it is for your viewing pleasure: http://fliiby.com/file/159406/qfhgiq0hoi.html) Well, that's what it feels like. I was on the phone with my dad- my iphone to their land line, trying to explain to him what the FaceTime icon looks like. After nearly losing my mind, I was able to explain to my dad how to enable FaceTime and Mac was able to FaceTime chat with my parents.

Aside from nearly reaching through the phone and throttling my dad, I was glad we FaceTimed. They've been worried about Mac, too, and when they saw him just a coupe days ago he was in worse shape. I was happy they were able to see that he's perked up a little.

In the meantime, we are taking it easy. I went to bed really early last night and I think it did a world of good! I'm just enjoying the time I have with my favorite guy.



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Holding pattern

Just a quick update on Mac: he is hanging in and defying the vet's expectations. He's eating- not as much as normal, but more than a few days ago.





And typical Mac, all he'll eat? Omaha Steak hamburgers mixed with rice. My stove has gotten more action this week than in the whole time I've owned this house!!

He's also eating a little bit of baby food here and there- the vet had suggested we try giving him that. I was so desperate to get him to eat I would've tried anything. He has gotten REALLY skinny. It hurts my heart to see his ribs poking out.




But...he doesn't seem to be in any pain. He's slower, but still Mac. He just barked when one of my tenants pulled in, and jumped up the chair in the sunroom to see what was going on.

I know that I'm only buying time at this point. But even if I only get a few extra days, I'll take it.

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Redesign...coming soon!

Since I've been a total Debbie Downer lately, here's something exciting: I finally splurged and am getting a professional redesign for the blog! I'm very excited. I figured since the last couple weeks have been so lousy, I needed a little pick-me-up.

In other news, we are in a holding pattern with Mr. Maxwell. He perked up a little today and ate a bit. (Granted, I bribed him with rides in the car...) He's definitely not 100%, but he's got more pep than he did a few days ago. I'm supposed to check back in with the vet tomorrow. This may be selfish of me, but I'm not ready to make any decisions. I can't even bring myself to say out loud what the "decision" I have to make is! I'm just not ready. And he doesn't seem to be in pain or uncomfortable. He's not his usual crazy self, but he's still Mac.

I've been reading a lot of articles over the past few days- on congestive heart failure, Cushing's disease, etc. What stuck with me the most was this: one woman said she made a decision that when her dog couldn't do two of its three favorite activities, then it was time. Today Mac was riding around with his head hanging out the window. I'm just not ready yet.

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Hoping for a miracle...

Brought Mac to the vet again this morning- the news wasn't good. In addition to the congestive heart failure (which he's had for a while) and probably Cushing's disease, the xrays showed a large mass in his liver. He just had a full workup of bloodwork and xrays about a month ago. The liver mass is something new, and some of his counts are off- kidneys, liver, and he's now anemic. He's got fluid in his lungs. And he still isn't eating much and is really lethargic. His heart has also enlarged significantly since his last xray, and he's lost 2 more pounds since his visit on Wednesday.

So basically, everything.

My heart is breaking. He's home now, and I'm going to check in with the vet on Monday. Unless something miraculous happens between now and then, I'm probably going to have to make some tough decisions. The vet said we are talking about days, not weeks.

It does make me feel a little bit better to know I've done everything possible without compromising his quality of life. I'm not going to subject him to all kinds of testing and surgery just to buy a few more months. We've been monitoring and treating his heart condition since the day he was diagnosed. I had hoped for a little more time with him, but I also don't want to be selfish. I don't want him to suffer just because I'm not ready to let him go.

It also makes me feel better that, even though he's weak and tired right now, he's still Mac. He still gets excited for a ride in the car, and he still hangs his head out the window while riding shotgun. His crazy little personality has always been what I love most about him, and I'm grateful he still has his spunk.






Here he is on the way home from the vet today.







Lying down next to me while I blog...looking skinny :-(





From this angle you can see how enlarged his chest is and how much weight he has lost.

My poor little monkey.

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Status update

Had to take Mac to the vet for an emergency visit today. He started throwing up (in my car) late Saturday night and hasn't been eating for the past couple days. I had caught him eating something in the yard Saturday during the day -which he NEVER does - so at first I just chalked it up to him eating something funky. Monday I was concerned, but not freaking out. We lounged around for most of the day and I thought he was on the mend. Then Tuesday he wasn't eating at all and was super lethargic- he refused to go up and down the stairs on his own. I had to carry him in and out to go to the bathroom. That really, really sent me into a panic. This morning I called the vet as soon as they opened at 8am; they were really great and squeezed him in pretty quickly.

His vet thinks it's hopefully a stomach bug and gave him a prescription to help with the nausea. However....the news was not all good. I've been noticing a few other weird symptoms lately, which I had figured was just old age. Turns out the vet thinks Mac may have something called Cushing's disease. There is treatment for it, but the treatment involves frequent blood tests to make sure other organs aren't being damaged. Mac is such a spaz at the vet, so this isn't a good option. I'm starting to have to make decisions about quality vs quantity of life, and that just plain sucks.

Sorry...I promise I'll post a blog that's not a total downer at some point!! We have just had a rough couple weeks over here.


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Stage fright

I have a "shy bladder." It's a problem. I have a really hard time going in public bathrooms, other people's houses....anywhere people can hear me. And yes, I know that everyone pees...but it is just wayyy too mortifying for this girl. I have a real issue with bodily functions in general. It's the area I am most prim and proper about- I tell my boyfriends that I am a Lady (yup, with a capital L), and everything about Ladies is sunshine and roses.

(Riiiiggghhhttt. Ask me again if I'm a Lady after I've chugged a few beers at the bar.)

So I have my fix-it guys here fixing my tenants' bathroom ceiling. The intake valve of my toilet was leaking a couple weeks ago, causing a drip in the downstairs bathroom. In order to access the leaking pipe, a bunch of the ceiling had to come down.

The problem is that the first floor bathroom sits immediately below mine- the floor plan of the first and second floors is identical. So the guys are fixing the ceiling on the first floor...which is right below my toilet. Which is all fine and good, but now I have to pee. They've been here for a while, so I keep thinking they've got to be almost done....in the meantime I'm getting more and more uncomfortable!

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Facebook stalking

I always used to warn my BFF "be careful what you go snooping for, because you just may find it." Well, guess who went snooping tonight on Facebook...yup, this girl. And I discovered that my high school boyfriend, who is now a tennis pro at a country club, is apparently dating a much older divorcee. Whom it looks like he met at the club. With 3 kids, the oldest of which is 18. Wtf!!


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Wordless Wednesday

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Spoiled dog

When I lived with my parents, I used to wrap Mac in a warm towel after he would go out to potty in the cold/rain/snow. Now I'm living on the second flood, and the dryer is in the basement. Not convenient for a quick towel heat up- by the time I get it up the stairs it's cooling off. And especially now that Mac is having health issues, I'm babying him more than ever.

So I think I'm going to buy a towel warmer for him. I just looked on amazon- they sell the same kind they use at the salon- for about $60. Not too bad. And I'll get to use it for myself too.

Mac has been coughing a lot lately, so I came home to check on him at lunch. And ended up taking him back with me. He didn't actually come in to work- he stayed in the car. I'm sure anyone walking by would think I was a terrible dog owner, but I swear- he LOVES the car. He was happy as a clam, and he's hardly coughing tonight.

Here he is, hogging the bed last night. He was happily snoring away and I was squished over to the side- the white lump next to him is me. (He literally had his behind up against mine.)




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Some days you get the peanuts...

...some days you get the shells. I think today was a shell day.

The smoke detector in my front stairway has been chirping for about a week now. I've replaced the battery twice. Still chirping. Finally I gave up and bought a new smoke alarm today. I took down the old one and was reading the instructions for the new alarm. When I heard a chirp. The old alarm was on my coffee table, sans battery. I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. And then I realized....there was another smoke alarm in the front hallway. That I didn't know about.

I still can't believe someone let me be responsible for an entire house.

While I'm on the subject of responsibility....I also need to remember NOT to grocery shop around the first of the month, EVER. I never ran into this problem when I lived in cowtown, but here in the 'hood it's a whole different story.

Today I wasn't feeling well and just had to have ice cream. Since I was out purchasing a new smoke detector anyway, I hoped for a one-stop shopping trip. Wal-Mart looked like the day before a blizzard- literally, a lot of shelves were bare. So I stopped at Price-Rite. Oh man, what a mistake. You would have thought they were giving away food. Good lawd. But the good news is that I'm home, the freezer is stocked with fudge swirl ice cream, and the smoke alarms (all of them) are silent. For now anyway, all is well in Mudville. Or the 'hood.


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