Sunday - Again: Nielsons, Dogs Park & Vet
While I'm waiting for my DNS server to be analyzed, I thought I'd check in.
It's been another stressful week, so nothing new there. An article was sent to me last week about toxic stress, and how it can have a long term effect on your health and well-being. If it happens to children long enough it can cause health problems well into adulthood. It was very thought provoking. While I am not undergoing anything as terrible as sexual or physical abuse (thank god!), I feel I have had too high of heavy stress level for too long. I need to get back more religiously to my meditation.
Thursday night we had to rush the Mater to the ER. She had become very disoriented, didn't know the date or the president, or her age. We feared a stroke. She was admitted for observationfor two days and had a boat-load of tests (CAT Scan, MRI, Carotid Ultrasound, ECG, EEG, blood work, etc.) They didn't find any indication of a stroke or past stroke, no brain tumors, no plaque build up, no infections. They finally decided that it must have been the result of a blood pressure spike. We are all thrilled that it was nothing more serious, and we're working out a schedule to monitor her BP at home. Happy, happy,happy to have her back home!!
On the plus side. We've been going to the dog park almost every day, it's so good for both Lycan and Nova. It's fun to see all of the dogs, and to meet so many people. Today Lycan played ad ran a lot with a little buff colored Chihuahua perfectly named Dobby! His face was house-elf to a T. So yay dog park.
Yesterday we took Lycan to her new vet. Wauwatosa vet practice is the exact opposite of the Brookfield clinic. It is smaller, older, no where near as updated or modern as Brookfield, and the staff is super friendly, with no attitude beyond helping. What a breath of fresh air. Lycan is now up to date on all of her inoculations. It took some doing to get her weighed, because she did NOT want to go on their scale which was jammed into a corner. I finally had to force her on to it and we found out she weighs a surprising 84lbs. We had thought much closer to 100. Dr. Mary, who has a lot of experience with anxious dogs, was very patient with all of us. Lycan was growly with Doc Mary & tech Amy, but Mary finally decided a lot of it was because Lycan was being protective of us. So they took Lycan into the back and were able to examine, inoculate and take a blood sample with now problem. They said she growled a little in the beginning, they placed a soft muzzle on her because their faces were so close to Lycan's, and then she settled right down. Mary explained to us that the muzzle makes the staff feel more at ease, knowing they can't get hurt, so they project a calmer energy to the dog. It all makes sense, and we didn't have any complaint with how Lycan was treated. And she did NOT pee on the floor! So that was a big step forward. Now we just need to decide when we wan to take her in to get spayed. THey can do it laproscopicly, and they will do the stomach tacking, so she won't get bloat. They do not tattoo the dog's belly (which the Brookfield vet insisted upon, and it was to be done by the evil tech, in blue ink that would be clearly visible on Lycan's tummy every time she lay on her side). Ooh, I guess that is a hot-button topic for me.
BabyBro and SIL are back in country, and have been staying with us for the last week. We'll have SIL and Nova for the next week too. So far it's working. But I know that everyone, except Lycan is looking forward to being in their own home with no company. This coming Friday, SIL's parents close on the sale of their home, which will be a huge relief to everyone involved. Cleaning out of the house and packing up or getting rid of the contents of the house (where parents have lived for 30_ years) have taken up all of SIL's time for the 2 months before they went on vacation, and will probably be complete the day before closing. It's been a HUGE job.
Lycan is going to be devastated when Nova is gone for good. She already gets depressed when Nova is gone for the day. M & I are discussing getting a second dog a little more seriously.
Oh yeah, we are also a Nielson Family this week. So far we have watched Castle, NCIS & NCIS New Orleans, Project Runway, football, Gracepoint, How to Get away with Murder. On deck are Amazing Race, Black List, and I don't know what.
It's been another stressful week, so nothing new there. An article was sent to me last week about toxic stress, and how it can have a long term effect on your health and well-being. If it happens to children long enough it can cause health problems well into adulthood. It was very thought provoking. While I am not undergoing anything as terrible as sexual or physical abuse (thank god!), I feel I have had too high of heavy stress level for too long. I need to get back more religiously to my meditation.
Thursday night we had to rush the Mater to the ER. She had become very disoriented, didn't know the date or the president, or her age. We feared a stroke. She was admitted for observationfor two days and had a boat-load of tests (CAT Scan, MRI, Carotid Ultrasound, ECG, EEG, blood work, etc.) They didn't find any indication of a stroke or past stroke, no brain tumors, no plaque build up, no infections. They finally decided that it must have been the result of a blood pressure spike. We are all thrilled that it was nothing more serious, and we're working out a schedule to monitor her BP at home. Happy, happy,happy to have her back home!!
On the plus side. We've been going to the dog park almost every day, it's so good for both Lycan and Nova. It's fun to see all of the dogs, and to meet so many people. Today Lycan played ad ran a lot with a little buff colored Chihuahua perfectly named Dobby! His face was house-elf to a T. So yay dog park.
Yesterday we took Lycan to her new vet. Wauwatosa vet practice is the exact opposite of the Brookfield clinic. It is smaller, older, no where near as updated or modern as Brookfield, and the staff is super friendly, with no attitude beyond helping. What a breath of fresh air. Lycan is now up to date on all of her inoculations. It took some doing to get her weighed, because she did NOT want to go on their scale which was jammed into a corner. I finally had to force her on to it and we found out she weighs a surprising 84lbs. We had thought much closer to 100. Dr. Mary, who has a lot of experience with anxious dogs, was very patient with all of us. Lycan was growly with Doc Mary & tech Amy, but Mary finally decided a lot of it was because Lycan was being protective of us. So they took Lycan into the back and were able to examine, inoculate and take a blood sample with now problem. They said she growled a little in the beginning, they placed a soft muzzle on her because their faces were so close to Lycan's, and then she settled right down. Mary explained to us that the muzzle makes the staff feel more at ease, knowing they can't get hurt, so they project a calmer energy to the dog. It all makes sense, and we didn't have any complaint with how Lycan was treated. And she did NOT pee on the floor! So that was a big step forward. Now we just need to decide when we wan to take her in to get spayed. THey can do it laproscopicly, and they will do the stomach tacking, so she won't get bloat. They do not tattoo the dog's belly (which the Brookfield vet insisted upon, and it was to be done by the evil tech, in blue ink that would be clearly visible on Lycan's tummy every time she lay on her side). Ooh, I guess that is a hot-button topic for me.
BabyBro and SIL are back in country, and have been staying with us for the last week. We'll have SIL and Nova for the next week too. So far it's working. But I know that everyone, except Lycan is looking forward to being in their own home with no company. This coming Friday, SIL's parents close on the sale of their home, which will be a huge relief to everyone involved. Cleaning out of the house and packing up or getting rid of the contents of the house (where parents have lived for 30_ years) have taken up all of SIL's time for the 2 months before they went on vacation, and will probably be complete the day before closing. It's been a HUGE job.
Lycan is going to be devastated when Nova is gone for good. She already gets depressed when Nova is gone for the day. M & I are discussing getting a second dog a little more seriously.
Oh yeah, we are also a Nielson Family this week. So far we have watched Castle, NCIS & NCIS New Orleans, Project Runway, football, Gracepoint, How to Get away with Murder. On deck are Amazing Race, Black List, and I don't know what.