Day 3394

I wish we could get Dash eating normally again. All the changes we've had to make to keep him eating are causing havoc with his digestive system. We had more diarrhea last night. Solid poop is easy to clean up. Diarrhea is a mess. We had to take Dash outside in the middle of the night and hose him off. There was a lot of laundry to do as well.

I'm pretty sure that if we could get Dash back on track with his chicken, rice, and vegetable stew his digestive problems would go away. He won't touch the stuff anymore. We can't use Metronidazole to clear up the diarrhea either. He seems to have a bad reaction to the stuff. In the past, these digestive problems have been temporary. I'm still hoping that we can get back to normal soon.

Maybe normal doesn't even exist anymore. Walks aren't normal anymore. Dash seems confused and gets lost more often. I can sense when he's becoming tired before he does, but it can be very difficult to get him turned around. Dash may have dementia, but he's just as stubborn as he always was. The rubber boots are wearing out faster because Dash is dragging his right rear leg more. We are walking slower too. Despite all these difficulties, Dash still insists on these daily walks. They are the one thing he still seems to enjoy.

I picked up prescriptions for Dash and myself today. My co-pay has gone up because my pharmacy isn't on my provider's preferred list anymore. This is such a nuisance. I like my pharmacy and they know my history well. I don't really want to change. You've got to wonder what is going on behind the scenes to try to force customers to go to certain pharmacies? Truthfully, I probably wouldn't want to know. The same drug should cost the same everywhere. Sadly, we're not even close to uniform drug prices. Dash's prescription are always much easier to deal with than mine.

What an amazing time we live in. First we get pictures of Pluto and today we see a black hole for the first time. I read several articles about how scientists imaged the back hole. It all sounded incredibly complex to me. Surprisingly, the black hole looked very much like the ones you see in science fiction movies. It's a big week in space. Tomorrow Israel will try to land a spacecraft on the moon and Space X will try to launch its monster Falcon Heavy rocket for the second time. Things are moving fast. Maybe I might live to see humans land on Mars after all.

The week is moving swiftly. I still need to get a haircut. I need to pick up something to eat for dinner tomorrow too. The refrigerator is looking empty. Scratch that. Actually, the refrigerator is full, but it's all things for Dash to eat. Hopefully, he'll find something he likes.

Apollo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3329

I knew this day would come. Dash couldn't walk today. I would lift him up and get him started and then he would just slump to the ground again. His rear legs weren't working at all. I finished fitting him for his Help 'Em Up Harness, but training him to use it isn't going to be easy. If I take too much weight off his rear legs they go limp. If I don't hold on to the rear handle of the harness at all, he falls. I have to provide just enough support that it gives him confidence to walk, but not lift too much or the harness will start to cut off circulation. Dot got to where she would walk almost normally using the Help 'Em Up Harness, but she was always a quick learner. It's going to take some time to get Dash used to this thing.

We'll probably never know if the Metronidazole pills contributed to Dash's current lameness. The vets don't think Dash was taking the pills long enough to cause a problem, but you never know. Weakness is a well known side effect of Metronidazole. I'm still hoping that Dash will gradually regain some of his strength. He's always going to remain weak, but it will make a huge difference if he is able to walk around the house on his own.

The guys who are fixing my Aeron Chair contacted me today and told me that they broke the pneumatic cylinder that controls the height of the chair when they were installing the new tilt mechanism they ordered for me. They said that they would replace the pneumatic cylinder at their cost, but that it would take a while to get the part. I don't think I'll get the chair back until late February. Hey, take your time guys. If we continue at this rate, I might end up with a whole new chair.

Dash got no walks at all today. We tried a short evening walk, but Dash wasn't comfortable with the new Help 'Em Up Harness yet and started dragging his rear legs. We didn't even make it out of the back yard. I'm going to enquire and see if Dash still might benefit from water therapy. This has always been a long shot since Dash hates water, is incontinent, and is a terrible passenger in the car. The underwater treadmill sure helped Dot though, so maybe it's worth a try. Being very weak is one thing. Not being able to walk at all is another. We've got to do everything we can to see if we can get him moving again.

I'm getting so tired of having a continually runny nose. I think I'm just suffering from a bad case of seasonal allergies because I don't have any other symptoms of a cold. Generally, I don't do well with antihistamines, but I went to CVS anyway planning to get some. I'm tired of blowing my nose every five minutes. There was an entire row of antihistamines with dozens of different brands. Some pills made you sleepy and had warnings about driving while taking them. Others warned of liver damage. Almost every pill had some weird side effect and I eventually walked away getting nothing. Seasonal allergies tend to be even worse in the Spring, so I have no idea how long this will last.

There was a beautiful sunset this evening, but I missed it. All I managed to photograph today was an angry Mockingbird in the back yard.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3328 - Superbowl Sunday

I guess I expected the Patriots to win today. It was almost inevitable. What I didn't expect was that this year's Superbowl commercials would be even worse than last year. I've spent most of my adult life in advertising and I never thought I'd see the day when we collectively lost our sense of humor. Superbowl commercials used to be hilarious but today's batch were no laughing matter. Have the bright young creatives who made these commercials forgotten how to laugh? Everything was so serious this year. The commercials were all about social justice and saving the planet. Even my favorite commercial featuring a good looking Dalmatian with her ears flapping in the wind was all about using wind power to brew beer. Where are the companies who are willing to poke fun at themselves and make people laugh?  I think everyone was playing it safe this year. Humor can be controversial and nobody wanted to risk being politically incorrect. It's sad that we've come to this. I don't think shows like Seinfeld and All in the Family could even get on the air anymore.

I was really hoping that the Rams would win today's game, but it wasn't meant to be. Jared Goff got knocked around so much by the Pats that I was amazed he finished the game. At least our Superbowl meal was a winner. I picked up some pork ribs from my favorite barbecue place on my way home from the gym. They were delicious. The people waiting for the pit-master to get their order ready weren't exactly a testimonial for eating smoked meats. They were overweight, looked to be in poor health, and one guy was pushing a walker. Maybe this is why I save barbecue for special occasions. I know the difference between "good for you" and "good with a beer," but I still think that few things can top well prepared brisket and ribs.

Dash felt a little better today. The diarrhea is gone and he is pooping normally again. Keep in mind that "normal" for Dash still means pooping in the house, but at least his poop isn't a liquid mess anymore. We discontinued the Metronidazole because it seems to be making him even weaker and more confused than he usually is. Hopefully, when the medicine gets out of his system he won't be quite so shaky on his feet. He was still pretty weak today, but we think we are seeing some improvement.

It's time to fit Dash for his Help 'Em Up Harness. It's becoming too difficult to keep him upright on walks using the Ruffwear harness. The fitting was more difficult than I thought, because Dash can't stand upright on his own for very long. The Help 'Em Up Harness comes in male and female versions, but I'm not sure how well the male rear section of the harness will work with Dash. Due to the way he normally pees, I could end up washing the thing every day. I've got the front section of the harness sized correctlly now, but the rear section still needs some work.

None of my trains sold in January. This was disappointing. My friend who is helping me sell the collection says the market for collectibles isn't what it used to be. I'm not surprised. Few people younger than me probably even know what a train is.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3327- Groundhog Day

I've always associated Groundhog Day with the Bill Murray movie instead of Punxsutawney Phil, It seems somehow appropriate that Groundhog Day takes place on Superbowl weekend this year. The Patriots keep playing in the Superbowl over and over again. A lot of things in my life seem to take place over and over again as well. Recurring events aren't necessarily bad but they do make you wonder. Is Tom Brady playing in the Superbowl again because he's the best quarterback in the league? Is there some luck involved? Why do I have a fruit smoothie for breakfast every morning when it would be easy to eat just about anything? I'd never order a fruit smoothie at a restaurant, even if it were on the menu. I've come to realize that a lot of repetition is pure laziness. Sometimes it takes a lot of dedication and practice though. I'm still trying to learn the difference.

Apparently, not everything happens over and over again. For many years, I've been going to a Superbowl Sale at a clothing store that used to be a client of mine. This was a fabulous once a year sale and it was generally the only time I could afford these type of clothes. Even though I have little need for work clothes anymore, I've continued going to this sale. Today I learned that the Superbowl Sale is gone. It has been discontinued. I don't know why I thought this would never happen. Nothing else lasts very long in today's world. Why should this odd three hour 75% off sale be any different.

Dash seemed a little better today. There was no diarrhea last night. Maybe the Metronidazole worked or maybe there was so much diarrhea yesterday that his entire digestive tract is empty. I guess we'll know when Dash poops again. That hasn't happened yet. Unfortunately, some common side effects of Metronidazole include lethargy, confusion, and loss of appetite. Dash is already dealing with these problems so it is hard to tell if Dash's difficulty in walking this morning was caused by the pills or was just something he would have experienced anyway. Later in the day he seemed fine and the diarrhea hasn't returned, so I've got to assume that the medication is working.

I think my dehumidifier has broken. It was leaking water this afternoon. The dehumidifier is meant to run continuously, but it has been running for about three years so I guess problems are inevitable. I wonder if my appliance repair guy can fix dehumidifiers? This dehumidifier has made a real difference in keeping the house livable, so I may need to buy a new one. I've discovered that the leak stops when I tilt the dehumidifier to one side. I've propped a book under one corner of the machine so it runs at an angle now. This is a temporary solution at best. It's weird that almost every single problem I've had with the house involves water. Water has become the enemy around here.

Janet has a meeting tonight so it's up to me to give Dash his evening meds. You'd think this would be easy but Dash has become very particular. Some days he will take his pills in canned dog food. Other days the pills need to be rolled up in a small strip of delicatessen turkey. Occasionally I have to use a little piece of Angle Food Cake. One way or another he always takes his pills though.

I'm sure we'll watch the Superbowl tomorrow, even though the Pats and the Rams aren't our favorite teams. The Pats are probably my least favorite team. My favorite commercial of course is the Budweiser spot featuring a Dalmatian with its ears blowing in the wind.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 3326

An incontinent dog who can barely walk with explosive diarrhea is not a good combination. Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep last night. We still don't know what caused the diarrhea, but Dash was very sick. Every hour on the hour he had to go and he usually didn't even come close to making it outside. It had to be our messiest night on record. We debated about taking Dash to the emergency vet, but we knew we would just sit in the lobby in the middle of the night for two hours and they wouldn't really do anything. This morning I got some Metronidazole from Dash's regular vet and hopefully it will help stabilize him. This all happened pretty suddenly. Dash was acting normally yesterday. He's eating the same food he always eats and I don't think he got into anything. You never know with a dog though. It only takes a few seconds for them to eat something bad.

Pooping in the bed is one thing, but diarrhea in the bed takes matters to a whole new level. I hope the Metronidazole is starting to work, because I'd really like to get some sleep tonight. There are so many things wrong with Dash that's it's hard to tell if this diarrhea is the result of an upset stomach or if it is connected to some other ongoing problem. Our instructions from both his vets were to watch him carefully and report anything alarming. Just the smell was pretty alarming last night.

Other than spewing runny poop all over the place, Dash seemed relatively normal this morning. We took a short walk, got him to take his morning meds, and then he was ready for a long nap. Janet stayed home to keep an eye on things while I went out to breakfast and then I stayed home for the rest of the day. Dash seems calmer now but he still isn't eating much.

I was planning to go back to the hotel this morning, but it took so long to clean Dash up and tidy the explosive mess in the house that the hotel kitchen was already closed by the time I was ready to leave. I went back to the trendy new restaurant I discovered and had Shrimp Grits again. This place is really popular but it seems kind of strange to me. The waiters are super friendly, but they dress like homeless people. I'm old school. I guess I like the starched white coats the hotel waiters wear. This place is only open for breakfast but it has a full bar and serves alcohol. I saw several people having drinks with their breakfast. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but coffee is fine with me. There were several couples with young children this morning. These children were crying and acting terrible until their Mom took an iPad out of her purse and stuck it in front of the kid's face. The kids calmed down immediately. I don't think this will end well. We've got an entire generation who are already addicted to sitting in front of a screen before they turn three. The food was delicious this morning, but I think I'll go back to the hotel next week. It feels more like home. The trendy restaurant seems like something you might see in Bladerunner.

It's been a long day. Luckily it was warm enough that we could take Dash outside and give him a bath. He definitely needed one. I've done a ton of laundry today, but everything is finally clean again. All bets are off for tonight. If we're lucky, Dash will sleep calmly. We could easily have a repeat of last night though. I put another case of puppy training pads on the shopping list for tomorrow. We're going to need them.

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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