update on Riley

Riley is doing great.  He has taught himself to go down the stairs slowly, instead of galloping down as labs normally do. He has no problem going up the stairs, just going down and he is not supposed to use the stairs for 10 days. I thought I would sleep downstairs with him for the first few days but he made it clear that he wanted to be in his own bed, (our bed) and would not be happy unless he was there.  Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?  We all want to snuggle in our own beds when we are under the weather.  I should probably mention that we have a single mattress dog bed and 2 other dog beds up in the master bedroom and 3 dog beds, very large, down in the kitchen and family room.  At the farm we have 7 dog beds spread out over 3 floors.  In fact, on Sunday at the farm, my 84 year old mother tripped over the one in the kitchen, after saying all week she was going to do this.  She fell flat on her nose, did not even put her arms out to stop herself.  She fell with her head off the dog bed, and her body on the dog bed.  So no broken bones, just a big pain on her nose.  It is all better now.  She always hated that ball on the end of her "Petro" nose, but it sure came in handy....and of course angels were watching.  I will be checking the mail in the next few weeks to see if she is going to sue me.... Ha. 
Talking to my sister in law, Cathy Bennice, and she reports that she has friends who moved their bed downstairs for the duration after their lab had surgery.  I was a little shocked but no judging from me... Jim would never go for that.  Living the life of Riley...

Our Patient

Riley had his second surgery on Monday.  It went well, although the incision is quite a bit bigger than the older one.  I requested that they not send the sample out to pathology, don't really want to know whether there are more cells in this margin.  I am optimistic that we have given him a good chance for a few more years.  The recovery from this surgery is very hard on this active dog. 
When Jennifer Davis and I brought him home on Monday night, he was very whiney.  The vet techs had been a little bit slow in getting him into the back of the jeep.  He jumped up too fast and hurt himself.  So he was shocked at how much it hurt.  At home he just walked around the downstairs whining.  We had decided that we would block off the stairs so he could not go upstairs.  It is easy to go up, but a bitch to come down....  So I was going to sleep downstairs to keep him company.  He just walked around whining.  Until about 3:30 when Jim called from upstairs saying he had made his way past the barricades and up the stairs and now was whining upstairs.  I went up and went to bed, Jim yelling at Riley to stop whining.  And then Riley jumped on the bed and settled down to sleep.  He did not whine a bit after that.  In the morning Jim carried him downstairs and he seemed to be fine.  Yesterday though, he made his way upstairs at around 2 in the afternoon, just before Dominic and Xavi came to play.  Then Riley could not come down the stairs and stood at the top barking and barking.  I could not convince him to come down the stairs.  I made a trail of peanut butter bread bits down the stairs to entice him.  When I fed the other dogs, he finally, gingerly, made his way down the stairs.  So I will try again today to keep him downstairs......So much for the next 10 days of recovery....living the life of Riley....

After Thanksgiving

We are heading up to Guards Farm this morning.  We have always gone up the day after Thanksgiving to finish up our leftovers... and to put up the Christmas tree and put up the other holiday decorations.  Usually we will find some new ways to decorate the tree, I bring some craft supplies and we sit around the kitchen table making some interesting looking ones.  Last year Rosie Figueroa was with us and we had such fun.  This year Sammy and Kate took the boys up to the Bronx for Thanksgiving and so Dominic won't be helping.  We saw a cute clip of Dominic and Xavi seeing the SpongeBob balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 
We had a small group this year, but it was alot of fun. Lily and Zoe got to play with Kent around the house and outside.  There was a little football throwing, dodging land mines in the backyard...(dog presents).  Everyone took off their shoes to come in except David who said, "I grew up here, I know how to step around them".  Lily had a close encounter and had to be washed up.  Zoe got a little angry about it and stood off to the side  to pout.  What can I say, there are 5 dogs out there. 
Charlie, Kate and Sammy's new yellow lab is here to visit, their beagle/pit mix is staying with J and Nicole.  Charlie has learned very fast the way of the invisible fence.  And Lily gave him a tutorial on the doggy doors.  Riley and Frank have been very patient but it is tiring to have a young pup around.  We'll see how he does at the farm.  Charlie has been sleeping with me in the guest bedroom, no room for an extra dog on our bed.  He settled in very well.  I do wonder if he will be confused, he has only been with Kate and Sammy's family for about 3 weeks.  He gets alot of action and attention here.  He has the attitude of our Dooley, goofy and adaptable.  Riley was a little more diva-like.  It is hard for a pup to be around old dogs.... (I am hoping I figure out how to put photos on this blog, I have just learned how to load photos onto facebook.) 
Expecting snow on Sunday night up in the mountains but we'll be home before that.  I will be getting out our Christmas decorations for Laurel Grove, Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent.  Hope I can find our little cedar log to light.....living the life of Riley.....

Before Thanksgiving

So today is the Monday evening before Thanksgiving.  Not the big crowd this year as in the past.  But Jim thinks it will be nice and restful.  Yea, right.  We are babysitting a grand dog,  Charlie a 7 month old yellow lab.  He is Kate and Sammy's newest addition.  He keeps Bailey company during the day when the kids and parents are out of the house.  What a sweetheart he is with his big paws and already a bit taller than our Riley.  They have met a few times and love love love each other already.  Frank is patient, Penny is tentative and Hannah just stays out of the way.  Riley loves playing with puppies, you need to take a look of a flip video from last year on our facebook page to see how he plays with them, Bailey has him jumping around with what I call the "round butt of excitement"  (they jump around like this).  Jim is a little put off that we number 16 people in our family and 13 in our dog family.... (us 4, Morgan and John-3; David and Amanda-2; Matt and Jennae-2; and Kate and Sammy-2. )  I am so proud of my children for their rescuing some of their pets. 
Kate will drop him off tomorrow before they start off to NYC for Thanksgiving with Rosie and Jorge.  I really hope they get a chance to see the big parade and go to Macy's and FAO Schwartz.  (Is that still a really great toy store?)  Dominic and Xavi will love it.  We got the boys Walmart catalogues the last time we were up at the farm and they pored over them, circling and marking what they might want Santa to bring them. 
So after all the hullaballoo on Thursday, we will head up to Guards Farm to put up the extremely large Christmas tree that Muriel and Bill Harris gave us a few years ago.  And decorate it with our little bits and baubles.  Morgan, Betty, Zoe and Lily will be coming up also.  I hope to get into Rutherfordton or Black Mountain to participate in the "support small businesses Saturday".  Maybe get to the Monogram shop in R'ton, (right past the CVS)  where I have purchased my "F" flag and doormat in the past few years. 
Then on Monday, we take our Riley back to the Vet for further surgery.  He had a grade 2 mast cell tumour removed and we are having larger margins taken.  Wanted him to be able to play and run all over with Charlie, Frank, Hannah, Penny before the surgery.  The last one was a little traumatic for him, it took him a long time to recover.  He was so shocked to have pain running and jumping.  So please wish him well, living the life of Riley.

aftermath and riley

Well, we did survive the festival.  Sent out the donation to Rutherford Humane Society, and Helen Jones sent me back a note saying that Facebook, who was donating $250,000 to area projects, had turned down their grant.  So they were very happy to get our $150 from the fundraising.  I have to have Jim check with Tiaa-cref to see if Rutherford Humane Society is on their list of approved donations to see if they might be able to match our donation, which again will go a long way for the animals.
And, once again, no good deed goes unpunished, as on Wednesday of last week, (Oct.26) Riley started to chew at a small cyst that was under his arm.  He never noticed it before, well he succeeded in making an unholy mess of it.  So I had to take him to the vet on Friday and they scheduled surgery for Halloween morning.  Was not happy at this vet office, another boutique so I will not mention their name.  It brings up all the rantings I have made before of what I believe has happened to pet care.  So here I go again.
Years ago veterinarians were a very respected bunch of people.  They seemed to really want to help animals and knew that they would not be millionaires.  They knew that their income would never hit the stratosphere of specialty doctors or stockbrokers but were happy with the way people thought of them as "relatives of Mother Teresa" in the animal kingdom.  But in recent years there has been a trend to have more services and more equipment to help get a bigger piece of the pie.  Especially when  there is a sizable demographic proportion of people who have perhaps opted out of the previous "norm" of  "family" and into a group of people who do not have human children, but have domestic animal children.  This group, and I support them fully, have more disposable income to bestow on their animal children.  So, as I see it, the veterinarian group smelled money and start making their practices into these animal care boutiques.  As an animal rescuer of many many years, this has become increasingly offensive to me.  I see that my own grown children are priced out of animal ownership.  Many people are.  And I see this as one of the reasons the domestic animal population is at a higher risk, especially non-specific breeds.  When the economy has stagnated to the degree that is now has, many have to choose whether to feed their families or get rid of their faithful companions.  And gone is the compassion to those families from the veterinarians who would work with you, help you find other solutions and empathize with your monetary restrictions.  There is almost a condescension that is palpable when you are in these "animal boutiques" formally known as the local veterinarian office. 
So let me get off my soap box and say, I commend any person or group who step in and help domestic animals stay alive.  And I do not judge those who are unable to fork over the $$$ for their pet's teeth to be cleaned......
Riley is fine, surgery went well.  They removed large margins, and as a woman who has had large margins removed and has been (C) free since 1999, I will try and be optimistic.  And I will look for a vet who does not look at Riley's situation as a way to make a lot of money. (By the way, this vet office had two kittens up for adoption, for a price of $150 each.  Only one was chosen, I said they should have made a better deal to keep the siblings together, it went over their heads)  Living the life of Riley....