The Blog Backlog Burden

OK, so I haven't been updating my blog. I have lots of excuses, but mostly now it's just the fact that I have so much to blog about with both dogs that the thought of sitting down to write it all out is feeling overwhelming. So, instead of going into lots of detail (as I'm well known to do), I'm eliminating my burden by simply making a list of all the things I woulda, coulda, shoulda blogged about over the last 3 months. And to make it go faster, the list isn't even in chronological order b.c that is stressing me out too.

 If anyone wants to know more than what I've included here, just comment and let me know! Hopefully I can get back on track having ridded myself of this backlog burden. 

1. Millie turned one on Oct. 12. I cannot believe she is getting so grown up. 

2. Millie achieved official "free roam" status, as Brent and I call it. She is no longer kennel-bound, even when we aren't home. We credit Bailey's maturity for setting the example of what you can and cannot do when "your people" are gone. We do close the bedroom and guest bath doors before leaving and have to keep things away from the counter...she is a definite counter surfer

3. Bailey has a form of cancer...mast cell tumors. Fortunately, it is contained in her skin for now. She had 2 surgeries during October, as well as 6 additional office visits. It was a lot of work and mess and pain for her, but she is doing great now. She starts chemo treatment (a mild one designed to reduce the speed of tumor growth) next week. I'm a little nervous about it, as it's an injection and not a pill like I first thought. Bailey doesn't know she is sick, that's the most we can ask of our almost teenager!

4. Last week, Brent and I thought it was time to say goodbye to Bailey. She got very sick and was acting very strange. She was digging holes and laying in them (at 4am), digging holes and vomiting in them, then covering them  up (bizarre!), shaking, fast heartbeat, etc. She wanted nothing to do with us and even scarier, nothing to do with food...treats, bread, peanut butter, nothing. We thought she was asking us to leave her alone and let her die in peace. Turns out, we overreacted. She must have just eaten something that made her really sick. We still have no idea what it was, but she got better about 12 hours later, so we are not complaining. 

5. Millie has fleas. And ticks. Well, I should say had. This all happened, mysteriously, while I was out of town and Brent was left in charge. We got some meds from our BFF Dr. Brantley (we should be his BFF considering how much we've paid him in the last few months...not to mention what lies ahead with chemo). Apparently a very small percentage of dogs can experience some side effects from this flea medicine (Comfortis), but it is very rare. Bailey experiences side effects from all medication, no matter how rare they are. And, as our luck would have it, Millie is already showing signs of following suit. About 8 hours after giving her the medicine (of course that equated to the middle of the night), she woke us up puking and salivating like nobody's business. At first we thought she had eaten something, then we remembered the medicine. I looked online and of course, a very small percentage of dogs in the study experienced vomited and extreme salivation. But, it said it was minor enough to not take them off the study. So, we let it run its course, which fortunately was only about two hours. 

OK, that's all I can think of, which is funny because I thought there would be so much more. But, nonetheless, now it doesn't seem so daunting to try to update this more often. 

Next post will be a photo montage. Enjoy!