I like to think of myself as open-minded, but I believe that as we gain knowledge and age what each of us perceive as truth may narrow a bit. Maybe it is more correct to say I actively try to maintain an open mind. 

To be honest, I had never even considered the concept of acupuncture for any animal until I read an article a few years ago talking about acupuncture for sea turtles. After I read that I spent a little more time thinking about it and came to the conclusion that acupuncture seems inappropriate for animals. Although acupuncture helps a lot of people, the overriding condition that those people have is the belief that acupuncture can work and one thing that has been repeatedly proven is that the placebo effect is very powerful and effective.  

Now that Ziesa has such horrible hip issues I can’t help but notice how many articles mention acupuncture as treatment – too the point that I am left wondering if I am too close minded? Or does it just make the humans feel better to be doing something to (theoretically) alleviate their dog’s discomfort and because they feel better and hopeful the dog feels better and hopeful?

I don’t know. 

It’s a moot point, I’m pretty sure I can’t find a canine acupuncturist on this island anyway, let alone afford one. But I thought it was an interesting ponder. 

Love, 

FoodLady

So, my pretty pretty little princess was getting a little grumpier and ouchy so off we went to the veterinarian’s office and on behalf of Grumble Princess Ziesa Dumpy-truck Von Bulldozer (her full show name, obviously) I hereby say, “Ow Ow Fuckity Ow!”.
Her hips are rather trashed (see x-ray, ya can’t miss it), both elbows and one knee also arthritic and bringing the pain.
She will be medicated and managed and quality of life will be kept up for as many years as possible. ❤❤❤

Not going to lie though, having Ziesa all zonked out on meds lying under the same computer desk mounted to the wall that Herbert spent a lot of time under when he first got sick hit me harder than I expected.

Then I received confirmation she tested positive for Tick Fever (aka Ehrlichiosis) so now she is on doxycycline to treat. She has been on flea & tick preventative since the day I picked her up, but I did pull three ticks off her that day. She had excessive bleeding following her spay and out of concern, I stopped at the vet on the way home. She was anemic, but since the bleeding had slowed the stateside vet who was covering the office determined she would be fine. Maybe he unfamiliar with tick fever in the VI, but maybe she just seemed okay. At her 6-month-old vet visit I asked about growing pains and mentioned she was achy, but it didn’t occur to the vet or me that it could have been a tick-borne viral fever causing/exacerbating arthritis.
Now her hips, yeah, those are just a genetic lottery loss. But all this painful arthritis crap is because I didn’t pay enough attention or push hard enough to find out why she was so achy. I know professionals missed it as well, but I hold myself a to higher standard; not in diagnostics, but in knowing when something is wrong with my dogs.
Anywhoodle, her prognosis is good and her anti-inflammatory is starting to kick in; she has been visibly happier and more relaxed.

She is starting to feel better:  https://youtu.be/q5fNW_bkIv8

 

Ya know, some mornings can just suck it. Today is one of those mornings. 

The middle finger of my right hand 🖕now has frostbite and I am randomly coated with spots and smears of blood and mud with blades of grass clinging to everywhere. “The hell?!” you logically ask. Everyone is fine (except for my beloved and expressive right middle finger) but this morning Señors SamSam and Humphrey decided to have themselves a fight. Why? Well see, what I think happened was Humphrey insulted Sam’s mother; kidding! I don’t know, they are DOGS and I was in the house. So, off I go grabbing the air horn in my very sexy bike shorts, t-shirt, and slippers stomping into the wet (cut yesterday) grass. One blast of the air horn scares off the, well, let’s call them the “fight-adjacent assholes.” However for descriptive purposes allow me to detail the F-AAs: Ziesa just occasionally running headlong into the fight using her snoot as a battering ram; Dobby just grabbing onto whatever collar or neck he can grab his entire demeanor screeching “just happy to be here guys!”; and Piper, blessedly weird Piper, just grabbing and humping whatever dog she can. So, one honk of the air horn scares the F-AAs away and I get to begin separating the primary assholes. Air horn scares Humphrey up close, Sam is too far gone. Able to get Sam’s collar (Martingale) but grab the collar itself and not the tightening strap so he slips out (Asshole!), so I grab his back legs and swing him away. Unfortunately had to do that twice and then keep Sam down for a couple minutes before he came back to himself and then put Sam & Humphrey into a Sit & Wait while I retrieved Sam’s collar and put it on him. Annoyingly, Sam and Humphrey walked side by side back into the house with a, “sheesh, why the lady so mad?!” when I ordered them both “IN!”. 

So, the damn air horn froze my poor middle finger which is alternating between numb and tingles, I’m running late for work and I have to hose the mud, blood, and grass off me before I can finish getting dressed.  

Sam & Humphrey are safely separated but just another unique day at FoodLady’s house. 

FoodLady Chronicles – “spidey sense” edition:

I’m not perfect at it, but every once in a while my brain tingles and I know it is time to examine whatever the frak the assholes (aka dogs) are currently up to. I peek and see Ziesa up at the far front fence…..hmmm, is this the new demolition site? Has she only done the pre-bid walk around, or has she started prepping the site for the letting loose the hounds of war? 

Hmmm, the other dogs appear a wee bit over amped…..this can only end well. 

*sigh* 

I stomp out there in my ever-so-sexy-and-often-chewed-on orange crocs and see the what Ziesa considered to be her prize. 

Juvenile iguana was stuck in the fence. 

*sigh* 

The iguana had underestimated the size of its back-legs and booty (I feel ya lizard; it happens.) and ended up stuck. To add apparent insult to injury it also ended up rather…..uh…..moist. Ziesa appeared to have guarded it effectively from the other dogs (she generally takes what she wants from them) and since it was doing the “play dead” defense she had not yet been stimulated enough to chew/kill (I hold no illusions about dog natures; very few canines see wild iguanas as friends) but apparently was interested enough to lick it a lot. I readjusted the less than thrilled iguana as it continued to play dead while giving me an impressive death-glare. I managed to free and release it on the “non-death” side of the fence. The iguana impressively maintained its death-glare as it stomped away. Ms. Ziesa watched her prize stomp away and gave me an almost matching glare before stomping the other way. 

Well, as long as no-one is happy, I did some good work there. 

​So last night my friend enrolled in a dog training class told me I should bring the Dobster to training class so we could see each other (being an adult and trying to have friends is hard). So I did. Other than randomly “woo-wooing!” inappropriately when other dogs were taking their turn he did really well. I could wax poetic about the Rock Dobster and how much I love the little dork, but there was another dog in class that was so cute she physically hurt me. Her name is Gerta (squeee!) and we should all give thanks that I am not her person because y’all, I would ruin that dog. Whatever she would want would be hers for as long as she wanted it. She snortles. She is happiness incarnate. She is Gerta and she is loved by many!

Dear dogs, I know. I know we’ve been in and out of the house too many times and out for far too long the past few days and I’m really sorry. Still, I’m a little concerned/confused at your new latched door-opening skillset and am mildly concerned you may have found and eaten a person with questionable taste in footwear.

Allow me to explain. 

We arrived home from today’s family/friends shenaniganry to find all the dogs joyfully romping in the yard. Uh….okay? When we left them they were all safely locked in the house. The main gate was (thankfully) still latched and everyone was safe and present. It appears that they used Humphrey to open the screen door (he stands up on his hind legs and opens the screen door by walking awkwardly backwards (it’s freakin’ hilarious to watch)) and then maybe they worked in tandem to throw Dobby at the closed door secured from the outside with a hook & eye latch until it opened? Not really sure, just know they were pleased in a “look what we can do!” way.  

All of that was at least explainable…where it got a bit weirder was the discovery of a chewed up and destroyed sequined high-heeled flip flop in the living room (wtf?!). Some of y’all may not know me very well but rest assured knowing I do not own anything sequined nor would I ever survive walking in a high-heeled flip flop. 

That’s all that was found. It just makes me wish I had them on a surveillance camera(s) to see what the hell they were up to while we were out because it seems like they were really busy. 

Love,
FoodLady 

It was a SUPER big day for the Rock Dobster, but we will start with what y’all missed on Day 2. As of yesterday the Dobinator had successfully met SamSam and Ziesa with no issues, so later in the evening I introduced him to Ms. Piper one on one. He was his normal wiggly waggly stinky nekkid mole rat self, however I think Ms. Piper *may* be more of a sight-hound than I thought because unlike the other dogs who were all, “‘sup? shall we butt sniff fellow canid?” she had a very clear, “Holy Crap what IS it? Aaaaaaaahhhh! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!! Stop Laughing Lady! RUN!” response to the poor wee Dobby. Don’t worry, he was still a happy little soul and went to his clean bed joyfully wagging.

So this morning (Day 3) he got his 2nd warm bath and he was a fan. Got him all cleaned up, medicated and fed and then I was off to work. 

Then tonight, oooh! it was the best night of his life! (although the bar has, thus far, been pretty low)

Guess who got to meet the whole pack? The Dobster, that’s who! His level of wiggle and tail waggle cannot be overstated! Humphrey (the largest and least well-behaved of our idiots) was very very very good. Everyone (even Piper, although she waited til the others did it first) sniffed and play-bowed and was everything that a well-adjusted group of dogs SHOULD be when meeting a newcomer. It. Was. Wonderful.  

I let everyone sniff, bow, pee and dance for about 10 minutes and then it was time to let the Dobby rest and eat more dinner. I have never in my life seen a dog as truly joyful as Dobby was being accepted by the pack, it was as if everything was right and good. 

We left our dogs out to finish the evening’s tussle and play and brought Dobby in. He is starting to explore and I am encouraging that, but when it was time to bring the dogs in it was time for Dobby to be secured in the office.  I looked in the office and Darrin went into the small enclosed yard, no Dobby? Then, I saw him and where he was hurt me right in my feels. He was all curled up in our bedroom in one of the dog beds on the floor, you know, where the pack sleeps. 

Dobby had a good day. ❤