The Missaroo

The Missaroo
Ready to Take on the World

Friday, April 29, 2011

Surgery

The title pretty much says it all but it feels like so much happened in the last two days I don't even know where to begin, but like I often tell people who say that to me, lets give the beginning a try.

On Wednesday, Mister went in for surgery prep. I took his little red bed with and put it in the backseat of the car so he could ride to the vet's in style.

We were in and out of there fairly quickly. Mister came home with a rockin bandage on his front leg where his pain patch is. It helps to continually give him a low does of meds for a couple of days. He tried to chew it a little, but for the most part he left it alone and so did Missy. We spent the rest of the day laying low and I tried to get to sleep early ahead of the big surgery day.

Surgery day arrived bright and early Thursday morning. At 6:15 we were awake and on the move. I wore my clothes for the gym so I could go straight there after the surgery and packed a book to read while I waited. Mister said goodbye to Miss and we headed out the door. It took me three trips to get everything inside the vet's office before I handed over Mister. I then took my seat and began the wait. It was at that point they told me Mister's surgery had been rescheduled for 1pm. Um????? Seriously? I was angry, confused, and not thinking straight ((my coffee was still in my hand and not in my tummy)) "OK well we're going home then, my entire day is thrown off," I told them. But first we had to make a stop at the grocery store.

Mister wasn't allowed to eat breakfast that morning or have any water. Now I was instructed to go buy him baby food to eat. ((Buying one jar of the cheapest baby food at the store makes for an interesting conversation with the cashier by the way)) Needless to say, the whole ordeal was upsetting for Mister and Missy and neither one of them ate the baby food. It had to be a first. On the positive side, the frustration of the morning made for an awesome workout! I kicked bottom on the elliptical machine.

Then it was time for the real surgery. We hung out in the lobby for about 30 minutes before they came and took him out of my arms. I said goodbye ((again)) to my little buddy and off he went. About half way through, they came out and gave me a progress report and had a question about his medication. 90 minutes after they took him out of my arms the doctor came out to tell me how well little buddy did. They surgery went just as well as it could have. We went over post-op treatment and when he would need to come back.

Ten minutes after the talk with the doctor, I was escorted back to see him. Mister was shaking and his eyes were goopy but he was awake. They placed him in an incubator to warm him up. It was scary, but I was glad I could see him. I even walked by the cage he'd be staying in with his little red bed inside and a note on the door telling them to take his collar off as he slept. Mister was a champ.

So today is the big welcome home event! Well, it's not like I have anything planned, but I'm excited he's coming home. Missy won't be, just because she won't be able to play with him. Expect a post about today's excitement soon!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Sunshine!

It really doesn't take a whole lot for my pups to be happy. Food, treats, walks, and sun on the balcony and they are pretty much good to go. This weekend the sun finally came out and warmed things up. It might not last long but we took adventure of it while we could! Thank God for sunshine!



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Limpy McLimperson

Mister needs surgery. It all started a few weeks ago when I noticed he would pick up his leg every once in a while. I thought maybe he stepped on something that hurt his paw but I didn't see anything. Within seconds, the leg would be back down and he'd carry on as if nothing happened. Then I noticed it happening more frequently starting a week ago so when I drop him and Miss off at daycare I asked they keep an eye on his hip. That's when the gal told me she noticed it last weekend! Hmm... Monday night when he came home, the leg was starting to come out to the side. It was time to call the vet.


Here you can see him picking up his leg: 


So it turns out what is happening is his knee keeps popping in and out of place. The vet says this is pretty common in small dog breeds where their knee joint is to shallow. Basically, they have to go in and make it bigger so his knee can fit on top of it better. This should fix the problem, but he could develop arthritis there later in life. So a week from tomorrow Mister goes under the knife. The surgery should only take an hour. Of course, I'll update you right here.

In the meantime, I'm carrying him up and down the stairs, limiting his walking, feeding him anti-inflammatory meds, and keeping him from playing with the Missaroo. None of which is an easy task. Poor Limpy! 

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Grease Lightning

Mister is a little you know what sometimes. I love my little buddy to death, but you have to watch him like a hawk. Last night I got distracted on the Internet. I was updating my other blog and rocking out to music while Mister was chewing on a bone and Missy was watching him. What I had missed is what happened when the two of them switched. Mister doesn't sit and watch so well. He's always on the move. ((And remember they both have their bones but like to chew on one at a time))

This time he moved into my closet, took out my favorite sweater ((which was on the ground because I had sorted everything to do laundry)) and ate the top button clean off. Now part of this is my fault. I should have remembered to close the closet door and I should have turned around more often to see what they were doing. BUT he ate part of my sweater! AH!

The signs were all there. When I shower, I usually undress in the bathroom and throw my clothes on the floor. When I come out of the shower my socks are always missing. I usually find one in front of a dog crate and the other in front of the coffee table. My snow boots also randomly appear in the middle of the room as through they had been dragged by a tiny dog. One time he even chewed part of my modem while I was sitting at my computer! I had no idea. Turns out Mister is not a dog at all, he's a ninja who reincarnated as a Chihuahua. Seriously, he has some mad skills. He is just so quiet and if he were a person, he'd be one of those people who walked on their tip toes all of the time. In fact, I better check on my tiny ninja now.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bigger is Better?

I really do think of my puparoos as my kids. I just sometimes wish they were a little smarter. Like for instance, using Missy's rope to play with together instead of Mister's:

Just saying.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Welcome Home Mister!

Last night I went to pick up Mister from daycare/doggie hotel. I was worried about how the little bugger would do away from home without Miss. Turns out he loves doggie daycare! Just like big sis, they told me Mister played with everyone. When he came out he had the biggest grin on his little face and he was doing his little pant. He's as cute as a button.

There was one mishap, but for this I blame the doggie daycare not Mister. He chewed his collar. I asked that they make a note to not let him sleep with it on ever again. Shortly after I adopted him he tried to get his collar off as well, but it got stuck around his mouth and throat. I found him nearly choking to death and my mom and I had to cut it to get it off of him. He's never slept with a collar on since, and I assumed the doggie daycare people would know better than this dog mom. Apparently, not. I told them that same story.

On the car ride home, you wouldn't have even know he was there. He just laid in the backseat very quietly. It was a far cry from listening to Missaroo bark for three hours on the way home from Kennewick. When we got home Missy was super excited to see him. She wanted to play, he wanted to sleep. I ended up giving her a special treat just so he could get some rest. It wasn't long before he was passed out in his bed.


It's safe to say Miss and I are both happy Mister is home. Welcome home little buddy! 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Queenie

Missy might have missed Mister, but not all the time:


Sicky needed her sleep. 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Back in the TC

Missaroo and I are back in Kennewick, Washington this weekend for a wedding. For us, this is where it all started. Miss and I use to live right down the street from where we are staying. It's safe to say we're back in our old stomping grounds. Now, I didn't plan on Missy actually coming with me. In fact, I was looking forward to a weekend away from the puparoos, but what are you gonna do? She's sick.

For Miss, the whole routine of making the three hour trek to Kennewick and staying in a hotel is old news. This is at least the third time we've stayed overnight here and we've made the drive at least a half a dozen times together. Meanwhile, Mister is living it up at doggie daycare and pet hotel. We won't see him again until Monday.

If I had to pick which one of the them I wanted to drive three hours with, Mister wins hands down. This is the best Missaroo has ever done in the car, she only barked for the first 90 minutes. Mister is great in the car. It's so big and so new to him that he just wanders around and he certainly isn't big enough to see out to find something to bark at. BUT now that Missy and I are settled in the hotel, I'm glad she's here instead of Mister. He would probably pee on something, sniff all around, and try to chew or eat something. Missy is asleep on the bed.

It's a short trip for the two of us, but it's a great reminder of when it was just Miss and me. Sometimes I miss those days, but I think both us agree life is better with Mister.

Friday, April 8, 2011

But You're Sick Miss

They say a really smart dog has the mental capacity of a two year old. Missy is def as smart as a two year old. But it still doesn't seem to register, even with the smartest two year old, when they are sick. Missy is no exception. She thinks she is just fine to run around the apartment with Mister, bark at the neighbors, and pull on walks. Of course all of those things make her cough,cough, hack, hack more. I've been trying to limit her activity as much as I can by separating her and Mister and only going for our little potty strolls as opposed to full blown walks.

I can see that it is difficult for my highly active dog to take a seat on the sidelines for a week. She wants to be her "normal" self, but she's not, she's sick. Good thing the meds help knock her out!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Cough, Cough, Hack, Hack

The Missaroo is sick again. The vet is not sure if she has kennel cough or some other respiratory infection, but she is treating it like it is kennel cough. Missy had kennel cough this time last year. It was horrible! That vet told us it was the worst case of kennel cough she had ever seen in a vaccinated dog. The kennel cough also kicked up worms she had picked up in the Tri-Cities she had been harvesting for months. She was on what felt liked a ton of pills and I had to run home from work twice a day in order to medicate her. This time it's just an antibiotic every 12 hours and hey, I'm unemployed so I have the time.

The strange thing about this latest bout of somethingness is that I have no idea where it came from. She no longer attends doggie daycare because of how susceptible she is to this sort of thing. We stay away from dog parks because of her freak out moments. Sure, she went to the groomers, but that was almost three weeks ago, and Mister he is just fine. So what the heck?

Missy took her turn at the vet like a champ though. The GREAT news is her heart is good, her body temp is normal, and her lungs sounded healthy. Although, just like any of us would be, she couldn't wait to leave:


When we were all done, I dropped Missy off at home and headed to Petco. Last time around, Missy had the pill thing figured out. No amount of treats or wet dog food could fool her into taking her pills. So this time I tried something different:


The pill pockets worked pretty well for the antibiotic, not so much for the cough suppressant. She just dropped it on the floor and Mister ate it instead! Of course, the dog that doesn't get sick will take anything! But the antibiotic is the most important, so at least she'll take those.

The other kicker to this story? This weekend Mister and Missy were headed to doggie hotel while I attended a wedding in the Tri-Cities. Guess who gets to be my road trip date now?

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Why Can't You Be More Like Mister?

Well for all of Missy's needy moments the day before, you would not have know it if you met her last night. She was back to being her usual fireball self, barking at the neighbors constantly, barking at me, barking at Mister, barking, barking, barking....

She was also running around the house like crazy with that intense look in her eyes. She is ready for SPRING! Like real Spring, not warm one day, freezing cold wind or rain the next. Yesterday was one of those rare sunny moments. The balcony door was open and the Missaroo was in fine form. She kept this wild and crazy dog routine going well into the night. Mister and I did our best to trade off entertaining her and ignoring her. Even out tag team duo was no match for Miss.

By the end of the night, I just kept telling her, "No Miss I don't want to pet you and I don't want to play." Mister had fallen asleep by my feet and would lift his tired little head, open his big brown eyes, look at Missy in all her craziness and then fall back to sleep. It was as if to say, "What are we barking at? Oh just you? OK back to sleep." He def provided the comedy last night. I love when he struggles awake just to watch his head fall back down again. Then I would turn to Miss and ask, "Why can't you be more like Mister, he's asleep!"

Oh my crazy, funny puparoos! What is a dog mom to do?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I Need My Mommy

Missy had one of those days last night. She needed to be by her mommy at all times. Missy has suffered from separation anxiety in the past. We did a great job kicking it in the butt, but sometimes she still just needs to be by me all of the time. The biggest clue I get when she's going to have one of those days happens first thing in the morning. She will come and put her head on my foot while I'm getting ready in the bathroom. Instead of playing with Mister or sleeping on her choice of the furniture she comes and lays on the bathmat.

The best part about her needy days is she finally turns into the lap dog I've always hoped she'd be. Don't get me wrong Missy always wants to be on my lap, but she wants to be on my lap while being petted. The moment you stop petting her she doesn't want to be on your lap anymore. It is a rarity that she will just lay down and chill with me. On those days when she needs her mommy, I'm always happy to oblige.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Happy and Buddy

The only downside of adopting two adult dogs is that I didn't have the chance to name either one of them. Missy and Mister both came with their names and knew them long before I came into the picture. I decided to give Missy a middle name, Mae, and a nickname, The Missaroo. With Mister, I simply changed the spelling of his name. His foster mom spelled it with a "y" Myster as in Mystery. I changed it to an "i" as in Miss and Mister. Too cute I thought!

If I did have the chance to name them, however, I definitely would have named Missy "Happy." Aside from her freak out moments when it comes to other dogs, she is always happy. She has this great way of smiling at you with her tongue that just makes me laugh.  Even after a freak out, she then looks at me with that same grin like "didn't I do good mom? I chased the other doggies away!" She is my happy, healthy, Missaroo. 

Mister, on the other hand, is my sad little camper. He's not actually sad, he just always looks it because he has those big brown eyes and his tear ducts are on the outside instead of the inside so it's always wet underneath his eyes. He is my little buddy and that's what I would have named him "Buddy." I think I've already confused him because when we go on walks he is the straggler and I often have to encourage him to walk with my "come on buddy, come on Mister." I've realized he's much more likely to actually move if I use his name, but he too will always be my little buddy. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Chase is On

I wish I was blogging about a new topic this morning, but sadly being chased by other dogs down the block seems to be pretty darn common. I've decided I'm going to keep writing about it in an effort to bring about awareness. Guess what!?! Your dog should be on a leash when it's outside, unless you are at a dog park. And here's another one, don't leave your pets in the car! It was a combination of those two that had us running down the road last week.

I decided we would change up our walk a little bit. Normally we walk the same square of four or five blocks through our neighborhood. Either that, or we walk along another really long road, but the high schools are on Spring Break, and you might recall that Missy and I have had those snapper things thrown at us on more than one occasion. So, we went a little bit farther from home this time. As we approached our final leg, I spotted two English Bulldogs sitting in the front seat of a parked car with the window down enough for both of them to stick their heads out. It was also open enough for them to jump out. Only one of them did, but that's all it took. I started dragging poor Mister and Missy down the road. This Bulldog would not leave us alone. I kept screaming at it and even it shoved it with my foot. Missy was going berserk! It chased us for blocks before it took the time to pee and we made it around a corner and out of its line of sight. It was horrible. I was sweating and my heart was racing by the time we finally made it back home.

Of course, I blame the owner. Why were those dogs just sitting in a car like that by themselves? They should have never been sitting up front with their heads hanging out the window in the first place. If I had a chance to talk to the owner I would recommend a harness or seat belt like the one Missy has for that exact reason, so she doesn't jump out of car windows.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Locked Out

Sometimes it's fun to mess with them. Mostly because you can't beat faces that just seem to say "not funny, mom!"