Update on Sophie!

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie!  What can I say?

I will start with she is going to be just fine!  But, it was a scary situation- far worse than I imagined when I got up yesterday morning.  I called my friend who told me that the symptoms were suspicious and confirmed what I was worried about- Sophie should go to the vet.  Unfortunately for me, I was already at work and as a teacher it's not easy to drop everything and run back to the city to take her. But, Rebecca drove in, picked Sophie up and dropped her off for me; thank God!

By the time Sophie got to the vet she was majorly dehydrated, she was starting to shake and her heart rate was very elevated.  She couldn't keep anything down, not even water. So, they quickly checked her out and started an IV to get her fluids back up.  My vet decided an Xray was in order because  all signs pointed to a blockage somewhere in her stomach/GI tract/Intestines.  The Xray showed the possibility something was stuck in her tummy so they did an ultrasound. This showed for sure there was something but they couldn't tell what.

Next step? Surgery.  Poor Sophie as it turns out had eaten a freezer bag that was lodged between her stomach and bowels. It required 2 incisions to get the bag out and make sure that the blockage was cleared. Poor baby!  My vet decided to keep her overnight on IV fluids to make sure she was no longer dehydrated and to make sure that she was ok, post surgery.  I don't have my Sophiedog back yet but apparently she is looking much, much happier this morning. She is wagging her tail and it sounds like my girlie is on the way to recovery.

I learned SO MUCH from this experience-- if your labrador looks like she isn't feeling well, she isn't. My vet confirmed my worst fears; Sophie was in excruciating pain but wouldn't show it.And, if she won't eat, that is BAD! Sophie started down this path by throwing up multiple times but we turned the corner when she refused to eat. It's serious. Also, I knew her tummy was sore- I could feel it. Don't question it; if you think you need the vet, you need the vet.  8 hours would have meant a different outcome for Sophie because her heart rate was already so elevated. She was in danger of her organs starting to give out in the process.  I am scared to think what would have happened if I had let this go and decided to wait it out and see if she would perk up. Soph would be gone if I had done this.

Another lesson learned: the deep freeze will be moved to a place where Sophie is not able to access it as easily as she has been able to in the past. UGH!

Sophie is going to be just fine now- likely it's a 4 week recovery from the surgery until she is really back to normal but she will be fine. I will be fine eventually; this was an incredibly traumatic experience for me, one that I won't easily forget or shake off. It's not even fully real to me yet because I don't have my dog back. But, it will be and I know what to look for, heaven forbid I go down this path again.

Simple things bring simple pleasure

It has been a very emotionally moody sort of day.  I went to Oprah last night and was motivated, inspired and taught about finding one's purpose in life and living in it.  That high was quickly squashed with the bombing of the Boston Marathon.  I have no words to describe the grief I feel for the people affected.  Another tragedy in a complex, unpredictable world.

 But when I struggle, I come back to the simple things in life.

Spring. My dogs. My yard. My piano.

All these things help me slow down and refocus my attention into living gratefully in the moment.

So, when I had an opportunity to catch my dogs wandering and sun bathing in the weak spring sun, I had to try for photos.  We still have TONS of snow, but it's coming along.  And, with that realization is the joy of knowing my yard will soon be full of green growing things.
 (And, the horrifying realization that I have a winters full of clean up to do. You do the math:  4 dogs, 1 small yard, no cleanup most of the winter= NIGHTMARES! Ha, ignore any potential sightings of doggy doo doo in the pictures, I promise you all I will start the massive clean up tomorrow).

Sophie, coming in to say hello through the window. Yes, there is NO screen there. Yes, the dogs wrecked it last summer. Yes, I am crazy enough to put one back this summer. 

Sophie loving the sun beam.  (Please ignore the winter gunk to be cleaned off my deck. This is getting scrubbed down and refinished this summer.  It needs some stain for sure).

Reason, wandering around sniffing on the snowy half a yard.

Spikey, lying in the sun, by the tunnel.  Sorry he is hardly visible, but he avoids the camera at the best of times.  Murphy is next to him the grass, out of sight of the camera. She was avoiding me at this point; she had just tried to jump through the window and come in but was forcefully stopped by a spray of water to her little face and she marched off, out of sight to pout indignantly. 

Another image of my long but narrow lot.  

Spring is coming, I am sure of that.  And, with anticipation, I am filling out the first of my trial entries for the outdoor agility season tonight. There is a simple joy and hope in that.

Sleeping Beauties....

My girlies, napping....

Murphy..... so sweet when she is sleeping!

Sophie in the chair- (ignore the mess!! :) )

Reason, in a rare moment when she has stopped moving, all sleepy on the back of the couch.

Love my girlies!

We're BACK!!!!

Hey all!

We are back.  My apologies from the unexpected hiatus in my blogging world; I had no intentions of taking a break but I guess I needed it.  After Mango passed, then another dog blog friend (one of the very first I made!), Sophie Brador also crossed the bridge, I kinda felt like I lost my desire to blog.  So, I stopped.

I think it's time to come back; I have to admit this is an intensely crazy, busy time in my life but I am thinking I would like to get back to this old blog and to the friends I have made along the way.  I've missed you all!  And, unfortunately, I deprived you all of cute baby Reason pics along the way, too!

Anyway, there's no sense rattling through my busy, but mundane last few months.  Instead, I'll show you what the dogs and I have been keeping busy doing the last few days.  We were hit by a HUGE blizzard on March 20, the first day of Spring and I had a quilt started that I thought deserved to be finished over the evenings when we couldn't go out and do much. Too much snow.  I'll show you pictures soon of my front yard. It isn't pretty!

Alright, back to it... the quilt.  And, the dogs, enjoying the quilting time. :)

Sophie and Murphy, curled up on top of the quilt, in progress along with my fabric bin of scraps.  It can't possibly by comfortable, but they stayed there for a long time.

Spike.

Sophie, in the midst of chaos created by Reason. My house WAS clean, really... one loose puppy in the house and all mess breaks loose, ha!

The whole clan, in their usual spots.  Murphy and Reason, balanced on the back of the couch.  Sophie and Spike, always the more sensible, lying on the pillow and blankie.  I do manage to squish in there between Spike and Soph. It's the perfect spot for Rease to nap with her head on my shoulder. 

The new Rag Quilt- it hasn't been washed yet, and I haven't notched all the seams yet so they fray, but it's all sewn up at least!

All in all, it's a good way to spend a Blizzard- hunkered down with some movies, a quilt to make and my favourite dogs in the world.  Life is good.

I love Sundays....

Life is good today. I've been knitting Christmas presents and hanging out with the dogs, catching up on my Chicago Fire addiction (great show, by the way!).

My girlies decided that they wanted, no needed to be close too.... Spike, being an old grump headed upstairs to nap on the bed but the girls stick close to me, almost all the time.

Rease, chewing on a bone. Complete with the envelope she stole off the table too, ha!

Sophie on the couch. Samples of a new knitted blanket to be,  on the chair. It's going to be a soft, cozy blankie when it's finished!

Rease- why stay on the dog bed when you can lounge on the back of the couch?!?

Yummy bone!  Great spot to chew on a bone; she can reach over and give kisses from there.

Murphy- why not steal Sophie's place on the couch?!?

Murphy and Sophie.  Sunday cuddles!

6 Months Already?!?

I can't believe Rease turned 6 months old, on September 12th. Where does time go??

She is turning out to be a lovely, sweet, gentle dog who is quite crazy-high energy when she wants to be. But, she can chill on the couch with me, as long as I'm willing to cuddle. I rarely say no to puppy cuddles! :)   Rease is all legs still- a bit gangly and lanky and she is still a bit uncoordinated. But, at 38lbs and a little shorter than Sophie, I suspect she is pretty close to full grown.

So, all in all, Rease is EXACTLY what I wanted!

Not great pictures, but you get the idea at least of how big she is... Rease, and big sis Sophie.

Rease, Sophie and Spike. OF COURSE, no one wanted to look at the camera. Sigh.

We MIGHT have a diagnosis....

Sophie is my expensive dog. If someone is going to get sick, have a joint issue, do something stupid and blow a knee, it's Sophie. So, no surprise I guess that yesterday's vet visit was a $300 touch just for blood/urine tests.  And, they are somewhat inconclusive.

What we do know is Sophie has a bald tip of the tail that refuses to heal. She has a couple other balding/scaly spots too. She is just not her bouncy, happy usual self.  So, Dr. O took one look at the tail and took it seriously- so seriously that if Sopher's tail doesn't heal soon we may have to amputate the last inch. :(

But, Sophie's bloodwork came back and while early tests showed an issue with her white blood counts, but the further CBC tests showed they are low normal so she isn't fighting an infection or anything worse we don't think.  Her thyroid test came back as Borderline. Thyroid issues in Labs are very common so I think this is likely what's causing the issues. So, Sophie is starting on a low dose of the thyroid meds with a repeat of the test in two weeks to a month.  If she perks up, her tail heals and her other spots start to grow back in then we know. But, it could also be Addison's. I figure, let's start with the more common problem and take it from there...

Poor puppers. I wish she felt ok. I am sure I'll be keeping you posted on where this all goes.  Cross paws that Miss Sophie perks up and starts to act herself. :)

Vet Visits...

If you can, spare a good thought for Miss Sophie today.  She has been a little under the weather lately and I am not sure whether she isn't feeling well or if it's just a case of jealousy.  Sophie loves puppies and she has accepted Rease into the home with little issue. But, there's still a little jealousy when someone new comes in as it means my attention is spread just a little thinner.  Plus, there's LOTS going on around here with the advent of packing and cleaning. And, finals start today (hope my grade 7 and 8's do ok on their finals... some are looking freaked out and some are refusing to study!) so my attention is incredibly split.

Anyway, Sophie is missing a big patch of fur on her tail, at the tip. And, she's lost some fur around her nose and eyes lately. So, it's to the vet we go because combined with her general lethargy, I am worried.  She'll get her checkup and shots but I'm also getting bloodwork done to make sure her liver is ok with the Deramaxx she takes. And, I'm getting her thyroid checked. I hope she's alright and it's an easy fix....

There goes sleep for awhile!

Rease has arrived! She is HERE and she is an adorable bundle of black fur and deep, brown eyes. She is dainty- way tinier than Sophie ever was. I realize that now that I see her. I can imagine this lovely pup growing up to be a slim, fine boned Labrador which is what I wanted. I see POTENTIAL stamped all over this pup.  She is smart, she is receptive, she is a thinker. She is playful, curious and motivated. She is truly showing her Labrador colours already, being incredibly food motivated. She's already learned the food cupboard and has been known to sit by it and bark.  HA! That reminds me so much of Sophie!!

Anyway, sorry for the repeat photos from facebook, but for those of you who aren't on there, here's my baby dog...

She was tired when she arrived. Deserved some cuddle on the lap time!

Rease is constantly looking for little "hidey spots" to avoid Murphy!

Sophie and her baby... she LOVES Rease already

My girls!

If in doubt, nap on top of the yarn/wool box!

Rease is already a concern... she can climb up stairs like crazy and the very first night, she managed to get on the couch to nap. All by herself. I turned my back and there she was...

Those eyes are TROUBLE! :)

Under the desk, hiding again. Of course, the Kleenex box will save her from the Mean Murphy, HA!  This was moments before she chewed through my phone cord, running to the modem. :/  Yes, she NEEDS supervision!

The Labrador Girls!

Baby Sophie/Baby Rease...

Thank goodness for my mother who had pictures of Sophie, the very day she came home. She was 7 weeks old and a sweet little ball of black fluff.  So, I can compare faces now...

Sophie at 49 days....

Rease at 7.5 weeks....

Sophie and my mama's dog Lucy.

Sophie, taking it all in.

Reason (AKA Rease for short...)

My hands are going to be full with this one... she is NOT barking here, but that's Miss Rease's troublemaker face, haha!!

Yes, I think Sophie is bigger boned that Rease is. Soph is only 52 lbs, so that bodes well for a light little labrador, quick and agile. I am so excited and can hardly wait for Monday night, when she should arrive!!

Bring on the baby labrador!!

Old Lab, New Lab...

I finally know who my puppy is and I am SO excited. Eromit's Here For a Reason, AKA Rease is moving home hopefully on May 8th. I am in the throes of last minute preparation; going to buy puppy food tonight after work and I'll be ready.  I've been showing pictures of my Rease on facebook, but someone commented that she looks nothing like Sophie did at that age.

So, I have been prompted to try and find some puppy pictures of Sophie when she was tiny. I don't have any on my computer for some reason, but I KNOW they are out there. I'll have to get my mom to email me some, so I can compare the two cuties.  I do know that Sophie was bigger boned and was a roly poly pup. She didn't look much like Rease.

But, here she is... I am getting Bernadette from the Big Bang Litter... Verona/Ace pups born March 11.

Rease was about 4 weeks old in these two photos, I believe. So cute! 

Miss Rease, on Friday. This was pretty much exactly the same age (7 weeks) that Sophie came home. Rease is smaller than Sopher was for sure.

Look at her go!  She has spunk to her for sure!! 

Happy Birthday Sophie!

I can't believe my Sophie-Bug is 5 today.... where does time go??

This was Sophie, at maybe 6 months of age?? 

It seems like yesterday I brought my little pup-pup home!!  I have no idea where time goes- or why I haven't blogged in FOREVER... sorry everyone!  I know that I am hoping to be back to blogging as soon as my newest family member comes home.  She's going to grow fast and it's great to have a record of that.

Anyway, it has bee a busy, BUSY few weeks.  Daydreaming about Eromit's Here For A Reason coming home (tentative registered name).  Getting report cards done. Entering into the final homestretch of work for the year, which is always a nightmare busy time for a regular teacher, much less a Special Ed. teacher (PAPERWORK, here I come!), cleaning the house and on and on...

But, in the meantime, we are celebrating Sophie's big birthday today with bones for everyone...

Yum Yum!  Beef bones!

Spikey gets one too...

Chomp, chomp! Sophie has hoarded at least 2 more bones over there, beside herself.  She's in heaven while I ma meanwhile spring cleaning my house...

Murphy is forced to hide under a chair to avoid loosing her bone to a big, black dog.

In other news, it's 2 weeks until Rease (I think that's her official name!) is coming home... Can't wait. They have hit that adorable, roly-poly 6 week puppy mark. I should find out in the next week or so which girl is mine too. Exciting!

And, I've been quilting again. This time, a baby quilt for a colleague. I think it turned out adorable...

The gal already knows she is having a boy, but she likes green and is using loads of green in the baby room.  So, my EA's and I went together on this quilt- they bought the materials and I finished sewing it last night.  I love it!

I have a new sewing machine that does many, MANY quilting stitches so each of the blocks ended up with it's own heirloom stitch... I love that little detail that makes the blanket seem even more special to me.

Other than that life around here is pretty normal. Except, I am thinking the rats may just have to find new homes. Murphy is starting to discover her true terrier nature and I am struggling to keep her out of the rat room, keep her sane and not torture the poor things. :(  Any suggestions of what to do with a brood of adorable, SWEET ratties??

It's all about Sophie

Miss Sophie, the quirkiest little labrador I've met. :)  Love my girlie even if she insists on remaining in the yard to chew her bone.

Didn't seem too bad, until I realized it was snowing. A little snow never stopped Sophie from a good chew in the yard.

Bad quality photo, my apologies, but silly girl, that cannot possibly be comfortable!

Anyway, I'm getting caught up on blogs this week.... I got the award from you Sophie, thank you! Next post, I'll pass it along. :)

Or sleep in the strangest positions.