DECEMBER, 2009 – JANUARY 9, 2013

       The last couple of years have been a bit difficult for me.

1. DECEMBER, 2009 – Caleb has tumor removed from his intestine
2. JANUARY 1, 2010      – went into hospital due to a cat bite on my foot
3. FEBRUARY 25, 2010 – Clark euthanized (11 years old)
4. MARCH 19, 2010 – Charlotte euthanized (9 years old)
5. JULY 30, 2010 – Cammie euthanized (15 years old)
6. AUGUST – SEPTEMBER, 2010 – me back in hospital for 5 surgeries, including a skin graft
7. DECEMBER 10, 2010 – Chase found dead (7 years old)
8. FEBRUARY 12, 2011 – Chaz euthanized (12 years old)
9. MARCH 11, 2011 – Colin euthanized (rescued from the street 1998 – adult cat)
10. APRIL 22, 2011  - Caleb euthanized (15 years old DOG)
11. MAY 21, 2011 – Cagney rescued from the street
12. JUNE 14, 2011 – Charlie euthanized (12 years old)
13. JUNE 24, 2011 – Cissy euthanized (16 years old)
14. NOVEMBER 11, 2011 – Claudia euthanized (rescued from Animal Services 2005 – older cat)
15. NOVEMBER 28, 2011 – Campbell has all teeth removed
16. DECEMBER 12, 2011 – Colt euthanized (8 years old)
17. JANUARY 12, 2012 – Courtney euthanized (13 years old)
18. FEBRUARY 16, 2012 – Cordelia euthanized (14 years old DOG)
19. FEBRUARY, 2012 – Cashew (kitten) + Contessa (about 1 year old) rescued from street
20. JUNE 29, 2012 - Chandler euthanized (13 years old)
21. AUGUST 2, 2012 – Crockett had all his teeth removed
22. JANUARY 9, 2013 – Cassandra having surgery to remove all of her teeth

Prior to having to put so many of these cats and dogs to sleep, there were extensive veterinary bills for treatment in an effort to save or, at least, prolong their lives.  It's not just about "pocketbook" issues but also the emotional distress that goes along with dealing with watching so many cherished loved ones die.  

While I know that most, if not all, of these animals would have died long before had I not brought them into my home, my life and my heart, it stills takes a toll.  My own health struggles helped erode my coping skills as well.  These were choices which I made and, therefore, are mine alone to bear.  

My apologies to friends if I've been more short tempered or less communicative in the past couple of years.  It's not always easy to exude sunshine and roses through personal trials and tribulations.  

Another Death in the Family

The last 2 years have taken a toll on me and my furry family.  I began 2010 in the hospital due to a cat bite on my foot.  The day after Christmas 2009 I stepped on Claudia in the dark.  She retaliated – naturally – by biting me.  Due to my diabetes, my doctor was concerned that it could develop into something serious, so on New Year’s Day as the redness spread, I checked myself into the hospital.  After lots of antibiotics, I went home in about a week. 

On February 25^th, the day after my 60^th birthday, I put Clark to sleep.  Less than a month later, on March 19^th, I put Charlotte to sleep.  A few months later, on July 30^th, I put Cammie to sleep.  I was concerned about Charlie as the year was winding down.  He was eating plenty but was losing weight.  The vet couldn’t find anything in his blood work to determine what ailed him.  Then on December 10^th, when I went into the cat room to clean litter boxes and feed, I found Chase’s body. 

In between Cammie’s and Chase’s deaths, I spent 23 days in the hospital for what began as an infected cyst in my right breast.  I developed necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria) and had 4 surgeries to stop the infection from spreading.  I ended up losing half my right breast and all but a small area of the skin.  Once released, I returned to the hospital daily for treatments in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber.  That lasted into early 2011.  I had a skin graft, which removed a large area of skin from my right thigh.  Most of the graft took, leaving a small area with exposed tissue.  I had 13 derma grafts to encourage skin growth.  The area finally closed up and I was released by the doctor in May or June – memory fails me now.  My health had taken a back seat to my efforts to keep many cats alive.

Chaz was the first to go on February 12^th, 2011.  About a month later, Colin unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and was euthanized on March 18^th.  About 2 weeks later, Caleb, one of my three dogs, had a stroke and he was euthanized on April 2^nd. 

Charlie & I struggled so hard to find out what was wrong with him and to get him better.  That fight ended on June 14^th.  Less than 2 weeks later, Cissy succumbed to kidney failure and was euthanized on June 24^th.  In the midst of the treating Charlie and Cissy, Claudia was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and went blind.  She was doing well on her meds, but developed stones in her bladder and blood in her urine.  Treatment failed to help her and she was in no shape for surgery.  She was put to sleep on November 14^th.  Colt went to the vet in September due to a sore area in his mouth.  It was an eosiniphilic granuloma, and a shot of depoprovera cleared it up.  I was concerned about the fact that I could hear him breathing.  It wasn’t loud, but I knew it wasn’t normal.  The vet examined him and couldn’t hear anything.  He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism as well.  He took his pills well, but by late November he had stopped eating canned food.  I tried baked chicken and baby food, but I couldn’t get him to eat it.  I couldn’t find him Sunday night or Monday morning to give him his pills.  I was determined to find him Monday night, and I did.  I found him because I heard his loud breathing sounds.  I took him to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic, where he was x-rayed.  The x-rays showed problem areas in one of his lungs.  The following morning I took him to my regular vet and from there to Affiliated Veterinary Specialists.  I left him there and they had to take more x-rays.  Dr. Goodman was as concerned about his heart as his lungs.  However, when I returned she told me that both she and the radiologist concurred – Colt had lung cancer.  There weren’t tumors but bleeding within the lungs.  There was nothing that could be done for him, except to prolong his suffering by keeping him in an oxygen cage.  I chose to do what was best for him, although I wasn’t ready to let him go.  I took him back to The Cat Hospital and Dr. Gray put him to sleep.  That was on Tuesday, December 20^th.  Colt was only 8 years old.  Chase, who I lost just before Christmas in 2010, was his sister.  Their mom, Bob, and their sister Chaka and brother Crockett are still with me. 

In between dealing with the illnesses and deaths of Claudia and Colt, Campbell had to have all his teeth removed and Courtney (Chaz & Charlie’s sister) spent 10 days at The Cat Hospital for an eye infection and respiratory problem.  Her respiratory problems have yet to be solved, but a tumor in her nasal passage has been ruled out.  Cordelia, my 13 year old pit bull mix, was diagnosed with lymphoma at the end of November.  She has responded to the prednisone, but the vet has given her 6 months at best. 

This year has been a very expensive one:  my vet bills have amounted to around $10,000.  I not only need to win the lottery but to get a magic wand to insure good health for the rest of my cats and dogs.  Cowboy, Crystal and Cho-sun are 5 years old and Cagney is just under a year old.  Everyone else is 8 years old or older.  So, 2012 is just around the corner.  I can only hope that it will be a much, much better and healthier year for all of us.  

Grief is, in my opinion, the most personal of human emotions.  It really isn't something that can be shared with others because the weight of the loss is ours, alone, to carry and learn to cope with.  And, it's complicated.  Memories of all the losses rear their ugly heads and add to the sadness.  No doubt reading this will stir memories in each of you for all those whom you have lost.  Death is a part of life and is something each of us will have to learn to deal with in our own ways.  While I truly hate making the decision to end the life of my dear cats and dogs, I am grateful that I have the option to end their suffering and not have to watch, helplessly, as they endure a prolonged and fatal illness.  Ultimately, it makes me grieve more for the millions of wonderful and healthy animals who are killed daily in so-called shelters around the world.  I continue to hold out hope that the needless killing will stop one day soon and only those who are suffering and have no chance to recover are those who are given respite through euthanasia. 

Hyperthyroidism in Cats – My Experience So Far

Recently a sister blogger posted that one of the family cats was suffering from a saddle thrombosis, which is a blood clot.  I decided to learn more about this so I, of course, Googled it.  What I found was enlightening and frightening.  Here’s the site that I went to:  http://www.web-dvm.net/saddlethrombus.html

Several years ago I lost 3 cats to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).  First there was Cyd, a CARE cat that I had bailed out of animal services.  She succumbed within days of showing any symptoms of illness and died at the vet’s office because of a blood clot.  It was because of her that I decided to find out more about the saddle thrombosis, since I suspected that was what killed her.  Cyril, another bailed out CARE cat was next.  My regular vet was out of town for a holiday weekend and I feared Cyril would risk a painful death at home, so I chose to euthanize him.  Next was China, who again got sick suddenly.  I took her to the emergency clinic and the pain med injection ended up killing her.  She died in my arms as I was waiting for my vet to come into the office to see her.  I requested a necropsy and he determined that she, too, had HCM.  Losing so many to the same disease caused me great concern, but I wasn’t able to find any causation online. 

In the last year I have had two cats, Claudia and Colt, diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  Again, I couldn’t find a cause – something I was doing wrong – to help me prevent this in my other cats.  When Claudia went blind, the vet who treated her insisted it was unrelated.  I found out online that blindness is a common side effect of hyperthyroidism as was the plaintive wailing she would make from time to time. 

Hyperthyroidism can only be diagnosed through a blood test.  Blood work generally costs between $70 and $120.00 per test per cat.  Testing all of my cats would run into thousands of dollars.  By comparison, medication is relatively inexpensive.  

The article referenced above says that hyperthyroidism can lead to cardiac problems, which can lead to HCM, which can lead to a saddle thrombosis.  By that time, it’s too late to help your cat.  Not a single one of my vets (and there have been 3 now) ever told me any of this.  Two of those vets are cat specialists.  Wouldn’t it be logical, especially since I now have (or had) two cats with hyperthyroidism, to provide me with pertinent information about spotting it, what to look for, what other conditions might develop?  This only reinforces my disregard for the veterinary profession in general.  From the same site, here is more information about hyperthyroidism: http://www.web-dvm.net/hyperthyroidism.html.  And here's another link: http://www.fabcats.org/owners/hyperthyroidism/info.html.  And one final link:  http://www.2ndchance.info/hyperthyroid.htm

The Web has been of great use to me in helping me diagnose and treat my cats over the years.  I hope all my cat loving friends out there will, at the least, augment their knowledge through the internet.  The more we know, the better care we can take of our cats and dogs.

Claudia's Story

On Monday, November 14th, I had to euthanize another cat this year.  Her name was Claudia.  I had bailed her out of Orange County Animal Services in 2005.  At that time I was still president of CARE Feline Rescue (now CARE Feline TNR - http://carefelinetnr.org/) . 

CARE is a Trap/Neuter/Return nonprofit that partners with Orange County Animal Services (OCAS).  OCAS has a low cost spay/neuter clinic that opened in 1989, offering affordable surgeries and rabies vaccinations for the cats and dogs of Orange County residents.  In 1995 CARE was founded to fix the feral and community cats in Orange County – providing traps to caregivers and free surgeries for the cats.  To date CARE has facilitated the spaying and neutering of well over 15,000 cats and kittens.

As with most TNR groups, the ear of a fixed cat is snipped off, which makes it easy to identify who is fixed and who isn’t.  The one difference with the CARE program is that the right ear of females is tipped/snipped and the left ear of males is tipped/snipped. 

Part of the arrangement with OCAS involves notification whenever a cat with a tipped ear is trapped and/or turned into the shelter.  That’s how Claudia entered my life.  I got the call in 2005.  She had been trapped by an attorney who lived alongside the Dubsdread Country Club.  Apparently he wasn’t pleased that a “stray” cat was coming onto his property.  I guess she couldn’t read the No Trespassing sign.  Already having more than my share of cats in my home, I first tried to locate the caretaker who had trapped and fixed her.  That ended in failure.  Next, I tried to find someone in the rescue community to take her.  Again, failure.  There were only two options left for Claudia – let OCAS kill her or to bail her out myself.  Well, I bailed her out.

She came home with me with an upper respiratory infection she had picked up in the shelter.  She also came with Baytril to treat the infection.  Unfortunately, Claudia wasn’t exactly a docile, compliant patient.  So, my friend Barbara would come to my house twice a day to hold her while I pilled her (Claudia, not Barbara).  For the purpose of full disclosure, her original name was Clawdia because she had a tendency to swat anything that moved near her.  She managed to scratch me on numerous occasions, as well as bite me a couple of times.  She really wasn’t feral, just more than a bit grumpy.  And she didn’t like the other cats nor the dogs.  In fact, she spent most of the first year here in a large kitty condo cage – for everyone’s protection.  I handled her and petted her as little as possible for fear of getting a serious scratch or bite.  She had imbedded her claws in me a couple of times, which resulted in me getting bitten when trying to detach her from my hand or arm. 

I let her out about a year after her arrival.  She was fine as long as she wasn’t approached.  And it took nearly a year for her to make the transition from only dry food to actually enjoying canned food.  Due to her reaction to being approached, I felt she might have limited peripheral vision.  As time went on all of us adjusted to each other and she did fine until earlier this year.

I noticed she wasn’t grooming herself and, although she had short hair, she developed mats.  She also started vocalizing, with a disturbing, plaintive wail.  She also seemed to be losing weight although she cleaned up every cat dish at dinnertime.  In fact, she would drive the other cats away from their dishes so that she could finish off the food.  I took her to the vet in February.  Because of her poor condition, she wasn’t well enough to be anesthetized for a dental, so she got a scraping instead.  Her blood work revealed that she had hyperthyroidism and she was severely under weight as well.  Within a few weeks of diagnosis she went blind.  When that happened she stopped using the litter box.  I spent the next 9 months wiping up puddles and picking up poop.  She did learn to negotiate her way from the living room to the kitchen, hallway and bathroom.  She continued to eat well and would even take her thyroid meds in her food.  I had never had any luck getting a cat to take their pills in their food before.  Of course, it helped that she practically gulped down her food instead of lapping it up like most cats.  In fact, he ate more like a dog than a cat. 

In late September or early October she started passing blood in her urine.  We tried antibiotics – no change.  The vet thought she might have stones in her bladder.  She was in no condition for surgery, so I tried special food.  It didn’t help either.  Then I tried Kidni-Flow, a homeopathic treatment, and she only occasionally passed blood in her urine.  Although she never put weight back on, she seemed to be holding her own.  I kept the paper towel industry in business, but you do what you have to do, right?  My kitchen floor certainly got mopped a lot more frequently than in the past.  On Thursday, November 10^th, she ate very little.  On Friday morning she threw up her breakfast.  She wouldn’t eat Friday night or all day Saturday.  She also started wailing again, which she had not been doing since before she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  And, apparently, the wailing, plaintive crying is a common symptom of this disease.  She also was more restless and seemingly confused.  I felt certain that she was in pain.  It was obvious to me that it was time to let her go.  I didn’t see any reason to prolong her suffering or put her through a surgery she probably wouldn’t survive.  She did eat a bit of A/D on Sunday, but wouldn’t eat for me Monday morning.  I took her into the vet and put her to sleep that afternoon.  

 I have no idea just how old she was.  She was obviously an older cat when I bailed her out, possibly 6 – 8 years old, but that’s only a guess.  I have no idea what her life was like before she came into my life.  She lived on or around Dubsdread’s golf course but, without finding her caretaker, I have no idea how long she had been there.  The fact that she wasn’t feral indicates that she had been in a home at the beginning of her life.  No doubt she had either been dumped there or left behind when her owner moved.  Although for most of the time she lived with me and the other critters she was not very accepting of affection, she did develop some affinity for head scratches the last several months.  She seemed to enjoy having her head and cheeks rubbed and even being picked up.  Maybe not an idyllic life, but she was safe, well fed and comfortable for the six years she was here. 

I asked the staff at the clinic to take a picture of Claudia for me, since I didn’t have one.  This was Claudia on her last day – I do miss her.  

I’m glad that she had an extra 6 years off the streets and I know that I did the right thing by giving her that chance.  There are so many, many cats and kittens who never get a chance and are killed every day in shelters or on the streets.  They deserve so much better than that.  I am thankful that I was able to avoid that fate for Claudia, even for a short time. 

Checking in

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  I have been extraordinarily tired lately.  By the time I get home from work, wash the critters' dishes, feed the hungry herd and then tackle the rest of the herd in the cat room, I'm 15 minutes from passing out on the couch.  Even with extra vitamin D3 pills daily, my internal battery has lost its juice.

Some good things:

• The Big Bang Theory is FINALLY in syndication.  Yay!  I get to watch all those episodes I missed when the show started.  
• Terra Nova debuted.  DINOSAURS & Jason O'Mara, oh my.  O'Mara was the creepiest villain on The Closer.  He's nice to look at - but I REALLY like the dinosaurs.
• Had a wonderful lunch with my amazing friend Candy S today.  Garden Cafe - delicious food, interesting company/conversation.  Thanks again for the lunch, Candy.
• There has been a change of seasons (temporarily, no doubt) in sunny Florida.  I opened the front door and a few windows this AM, much to the delight of the cats.  Turned off the A/C for a few hours.  It's a GOOD THING!
• A friend & fellow cat rescuer has stepped up to help me get the no longer little Cagney spayed at a much reduced rate.  (Our local animal services clinic has temporarily stopped public appointments for cats & dogs.  Their new veterinarian is fresh out of school and not able to handle the volume that previous seasoned vets were able to do - that is definitely NOT a good thing.  It means even more homeless, unwanted animals will end up at the shelter sooner or later and neither animal services nor the local SPCA are No-Kill facilities).

Some possibly good things:

• Claudia seems to be responding to this herbal/holistic med KIDNI FLOW.  Two puddles without any blood in them.  It could be my imagination, but she seems to be feeling a bit better too.  I'm sure she was experiencing some pain with this bladder problem.  Please keep your fingers crossed that this stuff will work & clear up Claudia's bladder problem.
• Colt's eosiniphilic granuloma on his lip has healed.  
• The On agan, Off agan washer & dryer have mostly been On again.

On the political front:

• Our political system is so screwed up that my ranting is much like Don Quixote tilting at windmills.  I just don't have the energy to get upset - or at least not lately.  Bernie Sanders seems to be the only voice of reason in Washington.  The rest of those guys are nothing more than scam artists.  Instead of promising to make us rich with their investment schemes, they are scamming most Americans into believing their latest hair-brained idea will improve our collective futures, when the only future they are interested in IS THEIRS.  Move along fellows, I'm not buying.

It's time to finish the laundry, mop the kitchen & bathroom floors and start the buffet for that perpetually hungry horde of mine.

Keep in touch.

A year later

I've been home from the major hospital stay for nearly a year.  The follow-up, post hospital, has been a very bumpy ride.  Chase, Chaz, Colin, Charlie, Cissy & Caleb - gone, but not forgotten.  My half sized right breast finally completely healed, after a very painful skin graft & 13 derma grafts.  Of course, the aftermath is a scarred, nasty looking thing - but I'm the only one that has to look at it, so it really doesn't matter. 

The worst part is that the extended change of routine has left me unable & unwilling to get back on the treadmill of life.  I'm still in first gear, with little to no motivation to even attempt second gear.  I'm feeling my age.  I've come face to face with my own mortality.  Things just look different from this new perspective.  And, I'm flatout tired all of the time.  Fewer things carry much importance.  It's a struggle to get going in the morning.  I don't look forward to a heck of a lot.  I've restricted my life even more and prefer to stay home than go anywhere or do anything.  I'm not sad, just tired and not motivated.  Que sera, sera.  I guess Doris Day was right. 

Claudia's hyperthyroidism seems to be under control.  That's good, but she has blood in her urine and antibiotics haven't helped.  Colt has been losing weight, so he went to the vet this week.  He has hyperthyroidism as well, just not as bad as Claudia's was to begin with.  He also has an eosinophilic granuloma on the inside of his upper left lip.  Steroid shot & thyroid medicine for him. 

Oh, and I tore up my dishwasher months ago.  My washer & dryer work when they feel like it & I need 4 new tires for the CRV.  And, it would be a big help if I could just win the lottery.  If anyone reading this is psychic, please send me the winning lottery numbers.  I'm more than willing to share the jackpot with you. 

With any luck, I'll get back on track and work through this living in slow motion condition.  I wonder if this is what PTSD feels like.  After all, for nearly 2 years I've dealt with an unbelievable amount of personal tragedy.  In addition to 2 hospitalizations in a single year, the loss of 8 cats and 1 dog since February, 2010 has been devastating.  The brightest spot in all of this:  Cagney (the Hell on Wheels kitten).  Rarely does a day go by that she doesn't make me smile and/or laugh.  This kitten, who surely would have died had I not managed to get her trapped when I did, has a personality the size of the state of Alaska.  She's fearless, funny, acrobatic and delightful.  Life is new to her and she reminds me that life can be interesting and fun.  For the time being I'll remain an observer, witnessing it through her eyes. 

I lied!

As of yesterday, there is a new addition to the household.  A teeny, itsy bitsy, black & white kitten, gender undetermined.  Weight, only 1 pound and 4 ounces.  The baby's name is Cagney, although Screamer might be more appropriate.  She/he has very definite opinions and doesn't mind expressing them loudly and often.  I love vocal cats....................probably not very surprising.  I swore no more critters - I don't want them to outlive me.

She/he was most probably dumped at or next to my vet's office.  A man found the other kitten in the street a week ago Saturday.  He brought the kitten to the vet where the kitten was euthanized.  From what I was told, the kitten was suffering from heat exhaustion and appeared to have been hit by a vehicle.  I spotted Cagney on Tuesday, under a car in the driveway of a house next to the vet's office.  A few employees knew the kitten was there, but no one attempted to catch the kitten.  I was finally able to get a trap and dropped it off on Friday.  The young woman who lives in the house caught Cagney Saturday morning and I picked her/him up and brought her/him home.  Cagney is residing in my bathroom for the time being.  Prefers being held and will try to climb my legs if I don't pick her/him up.  Sharp, dagger like claws digging into bare legs - not a pleasant experience but, somehow, endearing. 

I'll post a picture once I get my camera operational again.

Charlie, Claudia and Cissy are hanging in.  Cissy had 4 teeth pulled on Tuesday and finally started eating normally today.  It's been a chore running a MASH unit for 3 cats lately.  I really am way too old for this!

My World - It Sucks

Wow, I hadn’t realized that I haven’t blogged since the end of January.  Life has been getting me down even more than usual lately.  The visits to the hospital for wound care slowed down to once a week.  I had about 11 derma grafts, to stimulate skin growth on the wound.  Then, surprise!  I got another infection and was back on antibiotics and the derma grafts stopped.  Once the antibiotics were done, we’ve been in slow motion, allowing the skin to grow at its own pace.  This fun stuff has been going on since August……………nearly 8 months.  At least now, I can get into the shower instead of giving myself sponge baths at the sink.  Showers are a wonderful thing!

On the critter front, life hasn’t been any kinder.  I found Chase dead about a week before Christmas.  I haven’t blogged about it because it simply hurt too much to think about it.  Several years ago I nearly lost her due to plasma cell stomatitis.  After vet bills of nearly $2000, which put me deeply into credit card debt, she pulled through.  She remained terribly thin, but a real pistol.  She had been a feisty girl since she was a tiny kitten.  She got her name because she would make me Chase her every night when I tried to corral her and keep her in the bedroom.  I started loving on her for an extended period of time once I caught her in hopes of conditioning her to come more willingly to me.  Ever since that time she would so love to be held and petted.  I told people she was the cream cheese and I was the bagel – she would smear her entire body over my arms and chest, ecstatic with the petting/rubbing/loving.  She also liked to eat with her paws, scooping food from the bowls and plates and eating what she had “caught” off her paw.  Sloppy, messy eater but darling, none the less.

When I returned home from the hospital last September, both Chaz and Charlie (littermates) were sickly.  Charlie is still hanging in, with numerous ups and downs in his weight.  The vet can’t tell me exactly what’s wrong with him.  We go through periods where I have to give him sub-cu fluids frequently and he’ll only eat baby food.  Chaz developed an inoperable tumor in his left ear.  It had a major growth spurt in February and I finally euthanized him.  He was such a mellow, sweet and unassuming cat.  He was just a well mannered gentleman cat.  Then Colin and Claudia both got sick around the same time.  Colin succumbed to kidney disease and I euthanized him in March.  Claudia has hyperthyroidism and is on daily medication.  My friend Barb treks across the street twice a day to hold her so that I can pill her.  She managed to bite me last Monday and I ended up at my doctor’s office and on antibiotics.  Thumb is healing nicely.

 Sorry, no picture of Charlie or Claudia.  This was Colin in much better days, several years ago.

Last Friday, Barb called to say that Caleb, my eldest dog, wasn’t able to stand.  Although he’s had bouts of spinal problems for the past several years, this was something different.  She feared that he had a stroke.  I came home from work and we took him to the vet.  Even with injections of steroids, muscle relaxants and pain meds, he remained throughout the night in bad shape.  Around 4:30 Saturday morning he tried to stand unsuccessfully and was obviously in pain.  I gave him a pain shot, which didn’t help much.  Barb went with me to the vet when the office opened on Saturday.  The vet felt that he had most likely had a stroke and I chose to euthanize him since it was highly unlikely that he would recover from this.  I had written about him earlier this year and his recovery from his previous spinal problem.  I think he was about 15 or 16 years old, which is remarkable based on his early life and his size.  It’s unusual for medium sized dogs (shepherd mix) to live quite that long.  He was a sweet old boy and is sorely missed.  

With all of this going on, I haven’t been able to muster my regular outrage over the political climate.  Suffice it to say that what is going on in our nation’s capital, Wisconsin, my dear Florida, my birth state of Ohio, Japan and the Middle East qualifies as CRAZY.  The only bright spot on the political front?  JON STEWART!  He never fails to make me laugh at the lunacy.  If you don’t get Comedy Central, check out the videos on their website.  His recent imitation of Glenn Beck had me in stitches.  At least I’m still able to laugh…………………………………occasionally.