Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here for your semi-weekly update from the asylum.

So where to start…

Let’s begin with pee. The Warden used our new pee collection device the other day and it worked like a charm. If pee can be considered charming. She whisked it off to the vet- who called the next day to say she wanted to do an ultrasound of the Coyote’s bladder and kidneys. So off they went to the vet – Aunt Sue and the Warden with Mr Skinny.

The vet examined him – and did an ultrasound. His bladder is ok, but like a previous X-Ray, she could only find one kidney. Now we can all function with one kidney – but if that one is under “stress”, it can make things tricky. Still, his bloodwork and urinalysis are not critical, and given that she witnessed the Coyote dragging the Warden across the parking lot when he got out of the vehicle, she says we should “stay the course.” He will be finished with his antibiotic next Tuesday- so that will hopefully make his belly feel better. They also tweaked some of his medications which should also help.

BUT – and here’s the big but, he desperately needs to put on weight. A cup of food each day just isn’t going to cut it. He cannot lose more weight.

He has to maintain and start gaining weight. It is CRITICAL.

Since some of the meds have been tweaked, we have seen him eating a bit more – including kibble. It would be good if he ate mostly kibble – instead of changing his “flavor of the day” – from chicken to beef to moose meat to pork… because while he does enjoy the variety, it does wreak havoc with his poops. It’s such a juggling act.

So- they have their work cut out. He is actually starting to take the liquid food without things looking like a scene from the Exorcist. The problem with the liquid prescription food is that he would need at least 3 bottles each day. The stuff isn’t well designed for biggish dogs.

Now despite the ongoing serious nature of his health concerns, and before you begin to picture a weak, immobile, depressed dog – you need to know that he IS himself a good portion of the day. Sure – he likes to lounge on the deck and he doesn’t do cartwheels at meal time – but then he never did. And yesterday, when the humans were returning from running some errands, and the front door was left momentarily unattended, the Coyote saw it as a perfect opportunity to make a run for it – as he always does. He had three humans in hot pursuit – who couldn’t catch him- but the Warden knew where he was headed. To the neighbors with the cats. Sure enough, Sue and the Warden caught him there – just as Keith was approaching from another direction. The Coyote was lassoed and he happily trotted home. So he continues to live his best life, despite the ups and downs.

And speaking of ups and downs…we have another story to share….

Do you remember the tale of the tree? It was back in May…

https://viktorsviews.com/2023/05/23/a-story-with-a-moral/

Well, a few weeks after we wrote that uplifting story, we went down to the lake – and the tree was down. Again. The Warden was crushed. All that excitement about the tree once again being upright, was dashed. We didn’t have the heart to share the bad news. Here it was on June 11:

You can see it leaning over.

Then we had a huge rainstorm in July. Here is the water over the shoreline – and you can see the tree is still down on July 22:

On July 29, the Coyote is missing the tree too:

Here are shots from July 30, August 4 and August 8. We’re still searching for the upright tree:

The Warden thought that was it. The tree was down and wasn’t coming back.

But once again, this story twists to show us that things don’t always go as predicted – and we can never give up hope…

We haven’t been going down to the lake the past few weeks – and I’m not really sure why. Maybe the Warden was worried that the Coyote would find it hard to balance on his rock – and she just didn’t want to see that.

But yesterday, she and Sue took all of us down – just like “normal” times.

It was calm and peaceful. The fog and mist had not yet burned off. And as we stood there looking out – the Warden immediately saw it. The tree. It was back up.

The Coyote didn’t climb on his rock, but he was definitely checking things out. He saw the tree too:

So will the tree stay up? Maybe. Maybe not. But just like the Coyote’s yo yo days, we have to enjoy every single one. And as long as he is ready to take off on adventures, we will stay ready to chase after him. We continue to follow his lead…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on what we hope will be a terrific Tuesday. After a marvelous Monday. And that’s after a super Sunday. And do you know WHY we had a super Sunday?! Because we have company!!!! And not just ANY company- like the Amazon delivery guy. We’re talking REAL company. Aunt Sue and Keith have arrived!!!

Yup – our favorite aunt (our only aunt) and her patient husband, Keith arrived from Newfoundland- en route to Europe. We don’t have the heart to tell them they are traveling in the wrong direction – but we’re sure happy to have them here for a few days.

We were all pleased to see them and the Coyote perked up when his favorite relative arrived. He jumped up on Sue to give her a proper greeting. He was extra happy.

Yesterday morning, we all went for a GOOD walk and the Coyote did great. But that wasn’t the best part of the day – he ate at least a cup of kibble yesterday, as well as some bread, blueberries and some pizza crust! His appetite was actually pretty good. That’s after the day before, when one of our awesome neighbors offered the Warden some moose meat for him. The theory was that he might enjoy some “gamey” meat. And it worked – he gobbled down half a moose steak – and loved it.

So yesterday was a very good day. We’ll keep our paws crossed that today is equally as good. The Warden needs to take another pee sample in to the vet- but no more worries about her collection technique. That’s because two friends dropped off THE perfect tool for the task. It is a device with a retractable handle, attached to a measuring cup. Really. It’s PERFECT for pee retrieval!! The Warden can’t WAIT to try it today. She said she has the best friends! Thanks Allan and Heather!

Meanwhile, according to the crazy calendar, today is Jonny Appleseed Day. John Chapman, who lived from 1774 to 1845 was well-known for his part in introducing the growth and harvesting of apples throughout many parts of the United States. He was an early conservationist and reportedly an all around nice guy who became a real life legend.

We PONs love apples – and one of our favorite treats is when the Warden cores an apple, fills it with Greek yogurt, and freezes it overnight. The frozen orbs are great for gnawing on. Mine don’t last too long – because I sure love them.

If you’re looking for other ways to serve up some apples to your canine companion, here are a few recipes:

https://dogchild.co/blogs/recipes/tasty-dog-apple-chips

https://fortheloveofcooking.net/2021/03/apple-and-peanut-butter-dog-treats.html

The Coyote has never been a huge apple fan, but we are pleased to report, he is still enjoying his daily dose of blueberries. Hopefully it continues.

So yesterday the yo yo swung way up. We sure wish the Coyote could gain even a little weight – to fight his health problems. IF today is like yesterday, we sure would feel encouraged. We’ll see how today goes. One day at a time….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

We missed it!

Linda here for a change. The boys allow me to write something every few years. And I am allowed to write today because I realized that we missed our blogiversary on September 20! We marked 9 years – yes, 9 years of sharing our crazy adventures. I look back at that very first post by Viktor and think about my life at that time…

I’m not sure WHY we started to write – we weren’t even in the throes of a pandemic – AND I was still working full-time. And for some crazy reason, I (I mean we) felt the need to share the crazy, sometimes mundane, everyday, relatable stories of living with three canine companions.,

At that time we were two PONs and a Berner. And for several years, while working full-time, I managed to write EVERY day. I must have been more creative back then! We shared so many episodes of our lives – some outrageous, some no doubt boring, some heartbreaking and some incredibly joyful. If you have just joined our blog “family” recently, I encourage you to go back to the “beginning” and follow our roots.

While we have never set any viral records for dog blog followers, I’m still holding out hope to win the Guinness record for most posts by a dog – if the category exists! But in truth, we have gained so much more than popularity. We have gained friends around the world. We have learned about your dog stories and have shared in your laughter and your tears. While our stories initially resonated with people owned by PONs, the similarities in certain “unpopular behaviors” go across breeds. It’s not just PON or Picard people who read us. And one of the exciting things I have seen is the connections made by blog readers who don’t share the same breed! I love seeing those bonds! And of course, I love having the opportunity to meet blog readers. I’ve personally met readers from several countries – and it’s always a wonderful experience!

I’ve sometimes thought about tossing out the iPawd, as I feel we’ve covered every topic possible, but then someone here does SOMETHING outrageous, and we have material for yet another story.

We realize our recent posts have been anything but uplifting, but as anyone who has been owned by a dog knows, there are some very difficult times in the dog-human connection. Right now we don’t know how this chapter will end., The yo yo was bouncing pretty low the last two days – but it still does go up. Whether we can jolt it to bounce back up to the top, I’m not so sure. But we’re trying. Eating remains the biggest stumbling block. For example, in typical Elroy fashion, he would not eat some ground beef I cooked for him. He WAS, however , interested in the smoked pork chop that I was eating. When he gobbled down two bites offered to him, I ended up cooking him his own chop. He ate most of it. It may not be the best thing for him to eat – but at this point, if he eats we call it a score.

I can honestly feel the support and positive energy being sent our way. And it’s truly comforting to know just how much this special boy means to all of you.

As always – I will continue to follow his lead. Because really – that’s what happens in this household all the time.

Thanks for reading.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here with the latest updates about the Coyote. Annnnnd it’s another yo yo post.

The Coyote has times when he is clearly feeling great. Like when he goes out for a walk. Or starts a wrestling match with yours truly. The Warden even took videos of us to show to the vet – as proof that he can feel great.

But then he still is not eating much. And he has had a few bouts of vomiting. But the latest development was the soupy poops. We’re not sure if his stomach is upset from all the medication he is on – or from the varied buffet of foods the Warden is trying to get him to eat. So that situation is really poopy. Literally.

The Warden took him to the vet for his bloodwork and she also asked that they check his blood pressure. They saw a veterinary technician- because the vet was not available. She knew the vet was booked up when she made the appointment , but she wanted to get things rolling – and she knew the vet would call her the next day.

Anyway, his blood pressure had been sky high when he was in the hospital and they kept emphasizing that it wasn’t good. And they couldn’t get it under control. Of the 7 medications he was on when he was discharged- two were for blood pressure- although one was discontinued after a week. When the Coyote stepped into the office, he literally started shaking from nose to tail. He does NOT like being at ANY vet clinic and his displeasure certainly grew after his hospitalization.

The technician was amazing. She was calm and sweet with him – but the Warden was prepared for a sky high blood pressure reading. Nope. It was normal. Normal. What a welcome result that was.

The vet called yesterday about the bloodwork. Annnnd it’s no worse than it was 2 weeks ago and several measures were actually better. So although his kidneys ARE compromised, the results were not off-the-charts bad. So THAT was good news.

The vet emphasized that the prognosis still is serious, but chronic kidney issues CAN be managed. BUT we do need to get him eating – and keeping food in.

The vet recommended a probiotic for his guts – AND some liquid food that can be given with a syringe. The Warden LOVED those recommendations. She feels like action is being taken. And she has some clear direction.

Today she needs to drop off a urine sample (back to the interesting collection methods) and she’ll pick up the probiotic and food. They MAY switch up some of his meds – depending on his urine test results.

One day at a time…

Keep those positive thoughts, wishes and prayers coming. You’ll never know how much we appreciate them.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here for another Monday update. And the news is… not great.

The Coyote had a fabulous Friday – playing find the bunny with enthusiasm and energy. He ate a bit – but most importantly, seemed to be feeling pretty good. That all came crashing down at 3 AM Saturday morning, as the Tropical storm was starting, and he vomited what little he had eaten. Saturday he ate nothing. Maybe one biscuit. And his excitement about playing find the bunny was completely flat.

On Sunday morning, the Warden who was awake at 2AM, 4AM and 5AM when she finally got up, was seriously thinking about taking him back to the hospital. The storm was pretty much past us – except the winds were still blowing like crazy. The Coyote went for a short walk and would have been content to stand in the gale force winds for the rest of the day. The Warden let him take in all the amazing smells and then coaxed him back down the driveway and into the house.

When he came in, she called him for blueberry distribution- expecting that he would refuse – as he didn’t participate for the previous three days. But in typical unpredictable Coyote behavior, he wanted blueberries. AND bread. Go figure. Mid morning, he ate a little bit of chicken – which he hadn’t wanted in days. So the Warden’s hopes rose again.

Mid-afternoon, she decided to try something new – a bully stick. He took one sniff, grabbed it and ran out onto the deck to enjoy it in private.

The Warden ordered a pizza for supper – largely because she knows we ALL love pizza crust. Not so much the Coyote yesterday. He took a sniff and walked away. He ate nothing else during the day- despite her attempts to offer more bits of chicken, raw beef, dried liver, plain Greek yogurt (he DID take a single lick of that) and a variety of treats at different times throughout the day. The chicken hearts that were like candy the other day were like poison yesterday. The Warden tries different techniques to get him to eat – from patting him and cajoling him, to placing the food in front of him and not saying a word, to calling him and offering food- and nothing is working . IF she sees him looking for food (which doesn’t happen often), she nonchalantly offers the tastiest thing that is close. If she looks at ALL excited, he refuses the offer. I am not kidding about this.

Meanwhile we PONs are usually sequestered if there is any food being offered because he isn’t fond of our drooling. Not to mention we would attempt to steal anything he doesn’t want – and he doesn’t care. We are his clean up crew.

He is booked for bloodwork tomorrow at our old vet. We’ll see what happens from there.

The Warden grasps onto every little tiny bit of positivity – just as we are sure you do as well. For now, his behavior is stable – but he can’t really afford to lose much more weight. We’ll keep fighting the fight – and following his lead. He needs a double dose of positive energy and healing wishes and prayers. Right now he is ok… but we worry that at some point, ok will not be good enough. He needs to eat….

But before we close, we do have to add that although he is a bit more subdued, he IS acting like himself – he does go out and wander in the yard just as he always did, he joined in the chorus and sounded like Cujo when the Amazon delivery guy came last night, and he pulled and jumped into the car when offered the chance to “go for a car ride” to pick up the pizza. He IS still being HIM – and that’s really what we are wanting. But the “Picky Picard” (which we know is more than pickiness) really needs to change. Keep the prayers coming.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here for your reading pleasure.

Feel free to refer to me as Fatigued Frodo today. I have found that the latest heat wave we are having is causing this senior to feel completely and unequivocally hot and bothered. I walk around panting non-stop. And it does not help that the humidity is close to 100%, which not only makes me feel worse, but it also causes complete havoc with my hair. WHEN will the snow arrive so that I can relax and feel comfortable again?! As long as it is not wet snow.

No doubt you are reading this to hear an update about the FG. The lad certainly has all of us concerned, as he is quite ill. That being said, he appears stable. In physical health anyway. The boy has never been totally psychologically stable in my mind- his food aversion propensities have never been something I could understand. And his strange fixation with staring out at the lake is also odd, in my opinion . I have never been able to relate to his love of water.

But back to his current state of health. Two of his bodily functions – peeing and pooping are fine. And he drinks plenty – as he always has. Eating remains his biggest challenge- although the past three mornings he has joined in the blueberry distribution line – AND the morning treat of bread. I do note that he receives larger portions – but he could stand to gain a few pounds or twenty – so I won’t begrudge him that.

The day before yesterday, an old friend of the Warden’s-Jill- kindly dropped off some treats for the FG. It was a mixed bag of dehydrated delights – which included Capelin and chicken hearts. Well. The FG went mad for everything in that bag. The chicken hearts were like candy. And he ate the whole Capelin – we NEVER thought he would eat that – especially after the Warden tried the night before to feed him canned salmon – and he basically snubbed his nose at it! He wouldn’t TOUCH the salmon – but a small dehydrated fish and he was in heaven. Yesterday, the Warden had to go to the place where the stuff is made locally to check them out.

She came home with more fish and chicken hearts – AND dehydrated beef dog food which also contains veggies.

At supper time, she broke up two patties and added a bit of water. One thing she knows about the FG – he likes DRY food. Not mushy. She put down the bowl and walked away, trying not to watch. He ate 95% of the bowl. She also learned that the chicken hearts make good pill pockets. Voila – pills gone.

The nice lady at the store decided to give the Warden some samples of frozen raw food. I think she felt sorry for the FG, after she heard the story of his illness…

The Warden defrosted a pattie and it was gone before she blinked. So yesterday was a decent eating day.

The Imp went to one of his classes yesterday- which was very much needed as he has not been doing much training since the FG became ill. The Warden said he did reasonably well, given that he is out of practice. They need to get back into their training routine.

As if our lives have not been “exciting” enough, the weather people are keeping a close eye on approaching Hurricane Lee. They have been warning us of impending doom for over a week, however, the latest forecasts indicate that Lee may not be hitting our area of the province, and may be changing her name to a Cyclone or a post-tropical storm. No matter what – I detest the idea of more rain. My hair will be beyond repair.

That is the news from here. We thank you for the world-wide healing energy and prayers sent to the FG. He is holding his own – and right now – we’re happy with that. He’s never been one to follow “rules” and common practices- so in this case, we hope he doesn’t follow the projected path for his working diagnosis. Sometimes it pays to be the odd man out…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here on what we hope will be a Marvelous Monday. It could very well turn out to be a Mundane Monday. But we’ll take that over a Miserable Monday any time.

The photos you see are of the Coyote rolling on SOMETHING which both of us found in the backyard. He started the roll-a-thon and I followed him. The Warden thinks it was bunny poo. We don’t care WHAT it was. It was just aromatic enough to roll in.

So it’s been a serious round of ups and downs the past two days. On Saturday, the Coyote was feeling extra good – he even ate DOG FOOD. We also had a good playing match and I let him win. At least that’s my story.

But yesterday- not so great. He didn’t want to eat much of anything except biscuits. And lamb lung. And dehydrated tripe. But a full meal? Nada. That being said, the roll-a-thon photo was taken yesterday. Go figure.

One minute the Warden is near tears, and the next she is walking around with a smile from ear to ear. At this point, he is drinking, peeing and pooping fine. He has moments when he seems 100% and then moments when he totally ignores the Warden and us. Mind you, that’s not ALL that different from his usual behavior.

He has a spreadsheet of what his medications are – and when he should take them. Problem is – some of the instructions include statements like “to be taken after 1/2 of breakfast is fed.” Well that’s all great – IF HE EATS breakfast. Then the whole flow chart goes sideways.

He left the hospital and the vet gave him enough medicine for one week. The Warden had to pick up more medication because he would run out today. He’s now restocked for a few weeks.

Giving him his pills is a bit of a challenge. He can detect t a teeny tiny pill from a glob of peanut butter on the roof of his mouth. And spit it out. So when he iis getting his pills, we PONs must be sequestered- because we are happy to eat ANYTHING he doesn’t want.

We’re taking things one day at a time. Overall, he is not worse and he appears stable. We become excited for any bits of improvement – like when he will eat a decent portion of his meal. Right now, the eating is the main challenge. He doesn’t refuse biscuits. And there are times he walks along and counter surfs. So his appetite is often evident. It’s all about finding his “flavor of the day.”

We thank you for you’re continued positive heeling thoughts and prayers. We truly believe they make a difference.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here to give you an update on the Coyote.

He’s definitely holding his own. He prances along on short walks. Greets visitors with a happy wagging tail, RARELY turns down a biscuit or liver treat, and still thinks chicken is better than any dog food. His appetite changes throughout the day- he may not want breakfast, but he’ll eat that meal in the afternoon. Yesterday he wasn’t big on his chicken supper, but he ate several pieces of bread instead.

He takes his pills with peanut butter and so far has no problems taking them. He thankfully has had no episodes of vomiting. He’s drinking and peeing as usual/. Poo isn’t completely P3 (picture perfect poo) but it’s not a shooting waterfall. Sorry for the visual graphic – but dog people are poo experts.

He loves to lie on the deck in the sun- and explores a bit of the backyard.

He was given enough medication for one week. The Warden will call the vet today to get a month’s worth. Actually/ she is going to get the prescriptions because- surprise- she found out that the cost of the meds at the human pharmacy are less than half than at the vet. It’s kinda helpful when you’ve got 8 prescriptions.

We’ve got some very hot weather on the way, so the jet engine fans will be working in full force.

So we’re all doing OK. The photo is of the Coyote waiting for his chicken to be cooked the day before yesterday. Yesterday he wasn’t quite as excited about the leftovers from the day before. We think he likes his food freshly cooked. He IS, after all a Picky Picard!

Plus the Boss and I are going to soon weigh 20lbs more. In an effort to get some weight on the Coyote, LOTS of treats are being distributed throughout the day. And of course, we’re right there at the treat jar. I DID catch the Warden splitting biscuits between me and the Boss, while the Coyote gets a WHOLE one. I’m keeping my eye on that behavior.

Please keep those prayers and heeling wishes coming. They ARE working.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Monday began with an early morning call from the Animal Hospital. The doctor had some bad news. The Coyote did not appear to be peeing as much – so they felt his kidneys were shutting down. The Vet said he was lethargic and unhappy. She and the Warden felt it might be “time” to let him go…

The Warden’s best friend. Joanie happened to be in town, so the Warden contacted her and Joanie agreed to go with her. They arrived and wanted to ask the Vet some questions first. The Vet explained the severity and poor prognosis for Lyme nephritis. They talked about how lethargic he was and that he wasn’t peeing as much. The Warden asked to see him, before any final decision was made.

The Vet left and a technician brought him in. He walked in and instantly perked up when he saw the Warden and Joanie. In fact, he perked up so much that when the Vet came in her eyes opened wide. The Warden explained how stressed he was – and why he looked so poorly when alone. She asked the Vet if she could take him for a pee. She also asked the Vet to come along.

The Vet was mildly shocked when she saw him prance along. When the Warden asked him to pee, they got a large amount and the Vet exclaimed – “and it’s yellow!” They walked further along with the Coyote leading the pack and the Vet following with a bowl for pee collection. He went two more times.

The Warden did not feel it was time to say goodbye, and the Vet agreed. They said they would be anxious to see the results of the 4:00 PM blood test.

The Warden and Joanie sat waiting at home for the call. At 5:00PM they held their breaths for the news. The Vet reported that the bloodwork was not worse. It was not the same. It was marginally better. The Warden and Joanie nearly cried. They decided to do one more day of IV fluids and another blood test. And they would come after supper to take him for a walk, and try to feed him. He had eaten nothing the hospital gave him.

Because grocery stores were closed for the holiday, they went to a popular, long-standing food shop – The Chickenburger. Chickburgers at this place are essentially shredded chicken on a bun. They bought two and a plain burger as well.

The Coyote was happy to see them and pranced along on the walk. He had several good pees. BUT – do you think he would eat even ONE bite? Nope. No Chickenburger for him. But not for lack of trying on the part of the Warden and Joanie who pretended to eat the burgers with chewing sounds. He thought they made lousy actresses. After an hour long performance, they gave up. They drove the Coyote back to the hospital.

There they were told that although he was scheduled for one more day of treatment, they had no Vets to staff the place from 8AM to 1PM, so he needed to go to the referring clinic for his treatment. That clinic didn’t open until 10AM so Joanie and the Warden would have to entertain him between 8-10. it was too far to drive home and back so they had a plan.

This morning they picked him up and walked him on a small trail near the hospital. Hard to believe this – with his lack of eating- but he managed to have a good poo!

They took him to another lake and watched a paddler rowing quietly across the water. The Coyote rubbed his face in the grass.

All was great with the day- until they got to the clinic from which the Coyote had been referred. But they didn’t see the original Vet. They saw a new one….

Let’s just say this Vet’s message was VERY disappointing and extremely confusing. Thankfully the Warden had Joanie there – so she had someone who could confirm what was said. This Vet said she was extremely concerned about the Coyote- and she didn’t think the improvements in his bloodwork were at all significant. She asked the Warden what she wanted to do. The underlying message appeared to be: “Take him home and enjoy what time he has left.” She then announced that she had other patients to see and they could either wait until she had free time – or talk to her on the phone later.

The Warden and Joanie walked to the car completely shocked. And not knowing WHAT to do. The Coyote had been on fluids and multiple meds for 48 hours – and here they were left with nothing. No plan. No medications. No idea what to do.

After about 10 minutes of shock, they decided to go back in to see when the Vet might be available. The receptionist said a few minutes. They waited. And Mr Hyde came out. Dr Jekyll had left the building and a much different version of the same person came in. The Warden asked if they should not continue to treat the Lyme? “Of course they should,” said Sybil. “It would be unethical to not treat it!” The Warden explained that the first conversation left her feeling as if treatment was being completed. The Vet apologized and said she’s sometimes not clear in her explanations. Ya think?

After all of that , and a lengthy discussion, it was quickly agreed that the Coyote would be MUCH happier at home than in the hospital. They left with a bag of medications for one week. They would see how they worked.

When he arrived home, the Coyote was happy, but tired. Very tired. The Warden’s biggest worry was whether or not he would eat anything….

When he heard the treat bag open, he ran over to where we mops were already waiting. He gobbled down every one. When he smelled his chicken cooking, he came to sniff the stove. He ate over a lb of chicken and a handful of blueberries.

The Warden was cautious to feed him small portions at a time. He willingly took his many pills – with the aid of peanut butter.

So another up and down day in the adventures of the Coyote. He still, of course, has kidney problems. And he still has Lyme. But hopefully his arsenal of pills will keep things stable. And hopefully that stability will allow him to live his very best life for however much time he has. Going for walks. Standing on his rock. Barking at the dark. And being the best Zen dog in the household.

We’re glad he’s home. Really glad.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

M

Howdy blogaroos. Squirmy here. Missing my primary playmate. I still have my primary hair styling client – but he’s not into wrestling and playing Humpty Dumpty.

Latest update: the Warden called the hospital yesterday at 4:30 AM because she suddenly woke up and was worried about him. The vet she spoke with was concerned because they were trying to collect his pee, and he wouldn’t pee. The Warden assured her he could pee but if someone was closely following him, he wouldn’t go. Sure enough – a few hours later they reported he was peeing just fine.

We’ll skip the details but they did bloodwork later in the day and a different vet called at 5 PM with good news, bad news. His kidney values on three measures had come down a bit. BUT, because he is refusing to eat for them, he was having problems with a different value. The Vet suggested the addition of a drug called Mycophenolate – which the Warden would have to pick up at a drug store. They also thought when she picked it up, she could come in and try to feed him. The Warden said “great idea.” She raced to the store – bought lean ground beef and pork, ground turkey, plain hamburger and chicken. She raced back home, cooked everything up and dashed to the pharmacy where the prescription had been called in. There she encountered a pharmacist who clearly was waiting for her shift to be over. She sat behind her computer, barely looking up and mumbled “I’ll be with you in a minute.” She finally sauntered over and asked what the name was. The Warden said the prescription should have been faxed, and it was for her dog. The Pharmacist asked for the dog’s name – but surprise – it wasn’t in the computer. Because he has never had meds before. She asked for his date of birth, which the Warden had to check because her brain was fried. The Pharmacist said they had no record of him. The Warden repeated that the prescription should have been faxed in. The Pharmacist trudged over to the fax machine, looked at the paper, which by all accounts had been sitting there for close to an hour, and said “it will be an hour.” The Warden was downtrodden, but said “I’ll just sit bright here.” The Pharmacist went back to her computer. After about 15 minutes of the Warden’s nail biting, the Pharmacist asked if the dog had been on this drug before. The Warden explained what was wrong with him and why they desperately needed it. A few minutes later, the Pharmacist sauntered over to a shelf. She looked around and shouted “we don’t have it.” The Warden almost cried. She asked if the Pharmacist could check the computer and see if another Pharmacy in the chain might have it. The woman said “no – she didn’t have that info”, but she could call a few pharmacies. The Warden said that would be great. Back the Pharmacist went to her computer. She called one. No luck. Another customer arrived and she took care of them. She called another store and no luck. Took care of another customer. Keep in mind, the Warden didn’t have the prescription, so she couldn’t call herself. The Pharmacist called a third. Nope. She told the Warden she could go check a few herself. The Warden asked for the paper and dashed to the car. Meanwhile, all her fancy food was getting cold in the car.

She started calling Pharmacies and when a neighbor texted her to see how the Coyote was doing, she enlisted her help to make calls. Many pharmacies were closed because it was the Sunday night of a holiday weekend. That was just the beginning of the drug issue. To describe the subsequent search, the partial find (correct drug but different strength), the chats with a different Vet who wrote and faxed a different prescription for the same drug but a different strength, pills that could not be cut in half, another chat with a Vet and computer problems- would be a novel and well, what began as a call to pick up meds and bring food evolved into a four hour long chase.

The Warden finally arrived at the hospital to feed the Coyote after 9 PM. She came into the hospital with her bag of goodies. He wagged happily when they brought him into the room. They left him with the Warden and she sat on the floor giving him cuddles. He was squeaking and clearly wanting to leave the room. He does NOT like vet clinics. The Warden slowly pulled out her buffet of goodies. He looked at them, sniffed and said “no thanks.” They sat there for 20 minutes. And it was clear he was too stressed to eat. She rang the buzzer and asked if she could take him to the car and try there. They said “sure’. She made room in the back of the vehicle- pushing the crate out of the way and he jumped in. She sat with him in the back. She chatted with him and petted him – but he couldn’t relax. At one point he ate a few bites of chicken, but a car pulled up with another pet to go into the clinic and he stopped. She figured if she moved the car away from the clinic entrance, maybe he would settle. That was after a short walk where he peed lots.

She got him out of the vehicle, pulled the crate out, put him back in the vehicle, closed the hatch, took the crate inside and told the staff what she was doing. She drove him to a parking lot across the street. Mistake. With his supersonic hearing, he could still hear the assortment of dogs being brought in for porcupine encounter problems. She was sitting with him in the back with the hatch open with the buffet and a bowl of water from the clinic which she had managed to spill all over her and the driver’s seat while making the short drive across the street. She decided to close the hatch to drown out some of the noise HE was clearly hearing. After 10 minutes of him sitting there, her petting him, but him not eating, she decided to move the car even further from the clinic. Keep in mind this was Sunday night of a long weekend in an industrial park kind of location. Only problem, she couldn’t figure out how to open the hatch from inside. She had to unpretzel herself, crawl around the Coyote and escape a rear door. She drove deeper into the dark industrial park and found a spot far from the clinic. She encouraged the Coyote to relax, petting him and talking to him. He actually settled finally and eagerly took about 5-6 pieces of chicken when the clinic called and said he needed to return. She explained that he was in the process of eating – so they said to come back as soon as he was done. He must have been listening, because he stopped eating. And try as she might to gently offer food, he refused.

She drove him back. She asked if he could come out today for 2 hours to go home and see if he would eat there. The receptionist said “no” – and the place was so busy, the Warden didn’t push the issue. She’ll talk to the Vet today. She left the chicken behind but she knows he won’t touch it. She headed home close to midnight.

So while he is showing improvement with treatment- he has to eat . We’re not sure what the next step will be.

Keep those healthy vibes coming…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.