My Goodest Boy

I was going to call this blog "A Tough Year" but then that wouldn't have honored my Bestest Good Boy in the Whole Wide World, Orlin.

As many of you know I lost my cherished flame point Siamese, Lance Flame the Wonder Cat, a few months ago then Orlin (my cocker spaniel, golden retriever, afghan, bull dog cross - don't ask me, ask his Mamma) was recently diagnosed with nasal cancer.

But Orlin would never want me to dwell on the bad or painful. I think he would have reported the last two weeks of his life as awesome. Simply because he didn't have a negative bone in his body.

Like I said he was the bestest.

If you asked him to sit across the room he would be like... "Um, okay that's a little weird, but whatever you want, Mom."

Even when he was 'bad' and jumped up onto a counter and knocked bread down for Molly, if you caught him and said "Orlin! What are you doing?"

"Um, getting bread down for Molly."

"But that's bad!"

"Um... but Molly asked me to."

He was such an innocent but willing pawn of Molly. Even his worst habit, humping Molly was hard to get mad at. After all, Molly had asked him to!

When Chief was pouting due to the injustice of the world (you know, the lack of steak and lobster every night), Orlin would comfort him. When Princess needed someone to snark at without them snarking back, Orlin was her go-to guy (he would just lift his head so she couldn't reach him).

He had the best bed head. Oh, how he loved his feathering.

I am going to miss all of that and so much more about him.

Right after he passed, I got worried that he wouldn't be appreciated in Heaven the way he had been here.

Then I had the feeling of my closest friend, Gary (who passed years ago) saying, "Carolyn, don't you think I know a good dog when I see one?"

Of course Gary knows a good dog (after all I learned my good dog identifying skills from him) and Orlin was the best of the goodest boys.

I know they are up in Heaven just hanging out waiting for... well... to be perfectly honest Orlin is probably waiting to hump Molly, but that's okay. Even good dogs deserve to have some fun!

Let's be Thankful for so much this week...

Our health, our pets, our pet's health.

However, Pancreatitis is not one of those things we should be aiming for this Thanksgiving.

I know, I know, during the holidays we have this nearly overwhelming urge to share with our pets. There is SO much good food around and we know how much we enjoy it, we think... just a tiny left over... or let them lick the dessert plate.

I am here to encourage you to share your LOVE not your food.

Because you see all dogs (and even cats) can get pancreatitis. It is a painful inflammation of the pancreas usually brought on by... you guessed it rich/fatty/sugary foods.

And small breed dogs especially are SUPER susceptible to this condition. Many times this disease requires days in the hospital on IV fluids, antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs. Besides the huge expense (usually right around the holidays), imagine your little angel having to be in a cage hooked up to an IV pump. #Ishudder #heavenforbid

So keep that image in your mind when that urge strikes you to share just a little stuffing or slip your own pumpkin a little pie.

Again... share you LOVE, not your food :-)

Linus, Kamikazee Dog

I may have mentioned that Linus is...well...bouncy. I may not have fully conveyed how crazy he is.

Linus is missing part of one of his paws. He doesn't really use that leg at all. And yet, somehow, that doesn't slow him down ONE BIT! You would think that, as a small dog with only three fully operational limbs, he would be cautious. Not so much.

He is the one member of the pack that I am constantly having to scold for getting up way too high and LEAPING. No gingerly stepping down off a high roost for this pooch. That takes way too long. Launching himself into orbit is much more his speed.

And watching him run? You would never guess that he had any sort of disability. He's super fast, makes hair-pin turns and stops on a dime. The faster he goes, the less you notice his leg.

Even the way he greets you when you walk in is over-the-top. He acts like he hasn't seen you in MONTHS (even if it's only been a couple of minutes) and won't stop gyrating until you stop to pet him and say, "Hi, Linus." I once tried to see how long I could hold out...I only lasted a minute and a half, and that was through sheer force of will.

Because that's the other thing about Linus. He's cute. Yes, I know, everyone thinks their dogs are cute. I'm not just talking about attractiveness. It's the whole package. Linus throws himself into life with complete and utter abandon. His life is lived in warp drive.

The one thing Linus does slowly? Learn what "no" means. #oy

Why Don't You Like Me?

Poor, poor LJ (our new flame-point kitten).

He doesn't understand why Enya (our elderly torti) doesn't love him.

Entitlement does not even begin to cover LJ's attitude.

You see his name sake Lance (the Wonder Cat, and yes, even though he has passed away, you really should still wave your hands over your head when you say his name) is like the old patriarch who built up his reputation and his fortunes with his bare hands. Lance was a self-made cat.

LJ on the other hand? Um... not so much. We call him our 'trust-fund' cat. You see he has the legacy of Lance, but hasn't really worked for it.

If anything we have given him everything on a silver platter. But why you might ask?

Because of Elvira (our black cat who LOVED Lance). You see God love Elvira but she can be a bit... well... evil... mean... swatty... witchy.

She tolerates her sister, but as I mentioned she LOVED Lance. We knew it might be tricky to introduce another cat into the household and we really wanted her to love the new kitten.

So, well, we told her that LJ was Lance. Ok, she thought it was a little weird he had gotten smaller, but he was the same color and the same smell (we rubbed Lance's favorite blankets all over him) and the same name so... he must be Lance!

Elvira was ecstatic! Not only was Lance back, but he LOVED her back (something that never happened when it was the actual Lance). We have never seen a happier cat!

But back to LJ. Now that we had conquered Elvira, we also convinced Yersinia (our not-quite-with-it black cat) that LJ was awesome.

So basically LJ has gone through his short life with everyone adoring him (really whether they wanted to or not! :-)

You can imagine his chagrin when he walked up to Enya who not only did not like him, but no one else was trying to convince her that she should.

Um... ya, Enya was Lance's sister, hun. She knows you aren't him... and well... They were siblings with lots-o-rivalry. Even if you were him, I am not sure how glad she would be that Lance was back!

But maybe this is a good thing. LJ needs to know that not EVERYONE loves him.

Sure we will have to put up with the sighs and the sad looks, but he will be the better for it #hopefully #notsosure #tugsatourheartstrings :-)

The Evil Chihuahua Empire - Part 2

Princess is disappointed in you. She just thought she should let you know! LOL

Yesterday in the exam room I saw Lolli, a Chihuahua. She was tiny and sweet and gave me kisses.

I went home and informed Princess of this and she became enraged!

What Chihuahua is nice? To strangers no less???????

I am not sure if Lolli knows this or not, but she has been kicked out of the Empire (I am not even sure if Lolli ever applied, but that is a whole other story).

Now today I saw Champ, a Chihuahua. he was suspicious, growled and even tried to nip at me.

Princess will be so proud!!!!!!!!!!!!

Champ's owner was all apologetic and embarrassed. I told her not to worry.

He is simply a fine, upstanding member of the Evil Chihuahua Empire!

So all you Chihuahua owners out there.... Are yours more like Lolli or Champ?

Princess wants to know! (and keep tabs on everyone) :-)

Halloween - A fun but potentially dangerous holiday

I think pretty much everyone is up to speed on the obvious dangers of Halloween.

Lots of doors opening and closing. Lots of excitement and kids hyped up on sugar. So keep all pets either confined to a room away from the action or keep the dogs on leashes.

And yes, even your dog that has never run out the front door before. I worked emergency shifts for years and can't tell you the number of animals that came in for various wounds and injuries on Halloween that had 'never run out the front door before.' So play it safe!

I am also pretty sure everyone knows about the problem with chocolate in dogs (and cats but for some reason most cats simply don't dig the taste of candy bars). So again, play it safe and keep ALL candy away from the pets.

Most cat owners are also aware of the dark side of the holiday and keep all "Halloween" kitties (black, torti, orange and white) locked up tight the week before and during Halloween. You don't want your kitty targeted by some mis-guided people.

What a lot of dog owners (esp tea cup size) don't realize is that ANY sugar or fatty food can create a condition called pancreatitis. This is a condition of the pancreas that inflames especially after high caloric foods are ingested.

The rash of pancreatitis after a holiday (any of them really since most holidays involve ingesting large amounts of rich food #duh) is staggering.

Don't be one of those people in my waiting room Nov 1st!

I know we all have an instinct to want to share with our dogs, especially the little ones with their pitiful eyes and mind powers, but remember they don't have the same pancreas as we do!

So have a GREAT Halloween. Just if we want to give treats to our dogs this year, how about we give LOVE instead :-)

Oh. There you are.

God love these foster kittens but they are the most gentle little souls in the world.

They aren't that loving though either. They are just... well... very proper. We think someone might have swapped out our kittens with some British kittens.

How gentle and proper? Well I broke my pinkie toe last week. It was swollen and bruised and sore. Little Gretchen came over and started to play with my foot. I, of course, tensed up expecting pain.

Nope. She just gently patted my foot with her paw, no claws, then 'gnawed' at my toe with her lips. That's it. That's how she plays. It wasn't like she knew it was sore or I asked her to be gentle. She just was.

For more proof we just have to talk about the kittens favorite game, "Oh. There you are."

And yes, it is about as exciting as it sounds. Basically the a kitten will 'find' either their sibling, another cat, or one of us humans.

When I say 'find' I mean 'find.' There is no pounce. There is no 'Boo!' Or even a 'OH! Holy Cow I found you!!!!' Instead it is just a slight cock to the side of their head. "Oh. I found you." Then maybe a little bat of their paw, but nothing like a tag, you are it. Just a little acknowledgment that they did in fact 'found' you and then they are off doing something else.

Then about 5-10 minutes later they come back. "Oh. I found you."

Like I said, we are surprised they don't break out the afternoon tea!

How have you been surprised by little ones (canine or feline)? Let us know!