Results are in

Lillie was found to have had an excised Mast Cell tumor to be in Stage 2. Not the news we were looking for, but not all that bad either. As I said, it was the excised tumor that had these findings. Doctor feels confident that they removed it all. She informed us that in 85% of the cases she herself has had with patients with a Stage 2 diagnosis - those patients never have to come back after having the tumors removed. Wonderful news to hear. For now we watch, wait and continue to appreciate all that we have. Lillie is doing great, running and jumping like nothing ever happened and we cannot ask for more then that.


Enough with all the doom and gloom. Wanted to share a cute photo of our 'youngest' - Otis. He's the part Pomeranian guy who will be two in April. He is a little love bug of just about 30 pounds. He has an oral fixation, and as such is rarely seen without a stuffed animal, treat, etc. in his mouth - unless of course he has recently buried it - in which case, the evidence is all too apparant. As you can see from the photo, he is our little digger, and our yard has certainly paid the price. Can you believe the picture above was him thinking he actually got away from his latest attempt.... With a face like that though - I was disarmed instantly and could do nothing but giggle and grab the camera! Enjoy

The Ups and Downs

It's been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that. This past week has been a bit rough on us. Not only did I have a major project going live at the office that kept me there for 12 + hours a day - but our newest addition; Lillie, our black pug, needed surgery.

We had found a bump on her left thigh in Decemeber. We brought her to our vet and they performed a needle aspirate. Inconclusive results. They gave us some histamine blocking medications and told us to go back in two weeks. Two weeks later the bump was still there. It was not any bigger, nor painful, but still there ensuring we hadn't forgotten about it.

We took her back to the vet, and this time, after performing another needle aspirate they were able to find the cells we were hoping would not be found. She had what was called a Mast Cell Tumor, and they wanted to take it out.

When we got back home we poured through the internet sites to see what we were up against. Apparantly if your dog has to have cancer, this is the type to get. It is similar to skin cancer in humans. Not removing the tumor could cause internal organs to eventually become affected. So, we opted for removal.

Lille had surgery on Thursday and the tumor was removed. Now we wait about four days to hear what stage we're in. Stage one is our hopes. Stage two and/or three would require more aggressive treatments - and a bald pug with Washington state weather, is not a good mix.

She's doing great and moves like she doesn't have these stitches to worry about. She's also milking it for all it's worth and getting lots of extra attention and treats.

Bully Stick Saturday

Saturday's are great days. First, we get to sleep in. Usually the dogs wake up at their usual 5am hour, but after a quick potty break, they are ready to snooze some more. We don't usually have to get out of bed until about 8:30am. Ahhhhhhh - sleeping in. Then we feed them, and take them for a longer walk. The longer walk is about double what we usually do. It's not so bad since its actually light out so the flashlights aren't required.

When they get home it's about 10am. They get something called Bully Sticks. I won't tell you what those are, but feel free to Google as I once did. It's a bit disturbing. The dogs love them and they are long enough where it actually takes them two days to complete. The great thing about these, is that the dogs are so content they don't feel the overwhelming need to follow me around, working together in the goal to trip me as I go up and down the stairs. It's those little things in life that keep you going:)

Have a great Saturday!

Love Wednesday's!!!

Wednesday's are a Godsent. It's the day all four go to Doggie DayCare for the day. Ahhhhh.

It's wonderful because they love it, and get so excited for the entire 10 minute drive there. The DayCare is owned and operated by their vet - so if they need a booster shot, etc. - it's a one stop shop.

The best part is that they're so completely worn out that by the time they come home all they want to do is eat and sleep. It's a welcomed break for us. We are finally provided the opportunity to watch an entire movie without dogs all over us, pining for our attention. We have quickly found it's those small things in life that recharge your batteries and keep you going until the weekend. Mind you, this does not mean you can open a chip bag - as they will suddenly come back to life:)

Have a great night

Bath Time

Ahhh the dreaded ritual of the back breaking baths.

I try and bath them at home about twice a month. Since it's cold outside I have been letting them grow their hair/fur - and oh the shedding, snarls and the overall 'stuff' that gets caught on them is disturbing. They get groomed about once a month and that inlcudes their nails being dremeled.

In any case, one by one I go through the process.

Otis is my youngest. He's part pomeranian, part something else. He'll be two in April. He is our water lover. I run the bath and he comes running - so he's the first.

MayeMaye is second - and only because I caught her first:). She's 1/2 Cockerspaniel 1/2 Lhasa Apso. She'll be three in March. She's okay in the tub as long as I don't take too long.

Next is Milo. He you have to find. He's generally under the living room coffee table and when he hear's you coming, he'll try and bolt for the doggie door. He's 1/2 Daschund 1/2 something else. I think that 1/2 something else is potbelly pig based off how food motivated he is and his ever growing waistline. When Milo takes a bath, I take a bath. He does not enjoy the experience at all, and his only goal is to wait for when my guard is down and make an attempt to jump out.

Lillie is our newest addition. She'll be five in May. She's my black pug. She came to us when her owners, who loved her, couldn't afford her care. She has allergies, and an eye condition. She's used to getting baths. She came to us in October of 2009. She had an all over skin yeast infection when we received her and has needed weekly baths with special medicated shampoo to treat. That plus her twice daily fish oil has made all the difference in the world for her.

When all the baths are done, they run around the house like chickens with theirs heads cut off. They get soooooo excited. Needless to say, the bathroom is a disaster. There are beads of water running down the walls and doors from all their shaking. I went through seven towels - and of course a change of clothes.

Next the brushing & snarl cutting...I'll save that fun process for another night. The goal there is to try and complete the task with all ten of my fingers in tact!

Have a great night

Hiding while eating

I know the first few posts on this blog should be more introductory. I should be sharing with you bits and pieces about all of them, the furry foresome - and I will, but while the irritations are still fresh in my mind, I thought I might share.

I am hiding in my office eating my dinner as I type this. I cannot remember the last time I ate in my kitchen, or at the table; heck, I cannot even remember the last time my husband and I ate a meal together in this house. This is of course - our own fault, as we have not been able to take the 'tough love' approach with our pets. I simply cannot stand those 4 pairs of eyes staring up at me giving me all they've got just to get a morsel or two. I can't. I cave every time.

My office door is a glass french door style - and because of this fact - I now have sad, little, furry faces giving up on getting the goods from my husband and are now giving me the full court press. Ugh!!!!

A day in our life

Hello fellow dog lovers,

My husband and I have adopted four dogs under the age of 4. We have Milo, Otis, MayeMaye and Lille. To sum it up - it is a mad house. I actually miss the days I only had dust bunnies to worry about. Now we have masses of hair, leaves, rocks, ripped part toys, etc. Being a type A personality type with some strong anal organizational tendencies I wanted to share our basic routine to start things off.

I wake up at 5am. I go downstairs, grab their plates, and begin measuring their wet Wellness dog food. They also get 2 fish oils each, chondroflex joint tablets and Lillie is on antibiotics right now. I go and wake the dogs and my husband at 5:35am. We then harness up the girls and go for a walk around the neighborhood. We return about 20 minutes later and do the same with the boys.

After our walks - they eat. My husband stays downstairs with them and I head up to get ready for work. They come upstairs right after eating and remain all around me for the duration. I try to ignore them and stick to my morning routine, but I generally stop a time or two to scruff them all up.

Most days the dogs stay at home. We have a fenced in back yard and doggie doors that go outside from the inside - so they have full rein and are protected from the elements.

On Wednesday, we take them to daycare - which is within my veterinarian's office. There they stay the day and interact with others &/or get groomed. Mind you, this is extremely expensive. It's $22 a day per dog - which adds up quickly. And that is without the grooming.:) They come home exhausted - which is great for us and has quickly become our movie night, since we're less likely to get interrupted

We're home between 6 and 7pm and the morning routine starts up all over again. First we walk them; girls first and then the boys. Next we feed - again with the fish oil and chondroflex, antibiotics, etc. Then we try to make our dinner. Of course there is ALOT of begging. We head to bed about 9pm - and yes, the dogs sleep with us on our king size bed. Good thing is you never have to worry about getting cold:)

So much more to come. We have exercise favorites, toys, OCD behaviors, illnesses, etc. - so please stick around.

Have a great night.
~Allison