Day 1699

So much for sleeping in late on the weekend. We're still getting up in the middle of the night to take Dot outside, but we were pleased when we looked at the clock and realized that Dot had made it two hours longer without needing to pee than she did the previous night. There's a learning curve to dealing with incontinence and I think we're all learning. Dot is finally learning to sleep on the waterproof pads. I'm learning how to prepare the bed and do laundry more efficiently. And Janet is learning how to sew larger, custom sized waterproof pads. The best news is that Dot's condition actually seems to be improving. She isn't urinating constantly now, and there are fewer and fewer accidents during the day. The messy nature of incontinence makes it easy to forget that Dot is recovering remarkably well from the surgery itself. She continues to get stronger with each passing day.

My success with the aging locks yesterday emboldened me to try fixing the fence in the back yard today. Ground settling over the years has caused the rear gate to become difficult to open. I though it would be relatively easy to level things up again. As a bonus, if I could get the gate to fit properly, the neighbor's cat wouldn't be able to get in the yard so easily. Well, I made a good effort, but nature won this one. It wasn't just the gate that had shifted. The entire fence had shifted. After adjusting things to no avail for an hour or so, I was happy to just get the gate back to the way it was before.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon, but it is becoming clear that once a week isn't enough. Just like last week, my regular workout left me winded and tired. Part of the problem is that I'm not walking the dogs as long as I used to. Dot takes tiny, short little walks and Dash is smart enough to realize that it's much better to stay inside in August. It's just too hot to take long walks these days.

I went to Whole Foods instead of Central Market on the way home from the gym today. You'd think these two upscale grocery stores would be identical, but they're not. They're both good, but if you're a vegan, I'd go to Whole Foods and if you're looking for a nice cut of meat or interesting sausages, I'd go to Central Market. I'm not very picky. I think I like Central Market better because it's easier to find a parking place and the checkout lines are quicker.

The Buttonbush plants near the shoreline are starting to flower. Bees seem to love these things. I snapped a close up of one of the small flowers with my phone this morning and the hungry bee sucking nectar out of the thing didn't even move. Usually I like to use a telephoto lens when I'm around bees, but this bee had other things on its mind.

I wonder if Dot will be able to make it all the way through the night tonight? That would definitely be a cause for celebration.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1698

Today was busy. My big task was replacing some door locks. I've been postponing this for over a year, because the door hardware is old and non-standard. I was afraid if I broke the old locks while removing the rusty screws and the new locks didn't fit, I'd be stuck with buying an entirely new door. I worked slowly and methodically, managing to remove all the rusty parts without breaking anything. Luckily, I measured everything correctly and the new locks fit like a glove.

Dot did pretty well today. There were relatively few accidents around the house and she had a great walk in the park this morning. We're still not going very far, but Dot enjoys walking along the shoreline. We took things slow and easy, giving Dot a chance to smell everything along the way. She may not be strong, but she definitely is happy. Janet found some waterproof material at a fabric store and we're going to try to make our own custom sized pee pads for Dot to sleep on. It seems like an easy enough task. We should be able to sew some absorbent cotton material to the waterproof backing and have something at least as good as the crib liners we've been using. The crib liners just aren't big enough and when Dot does her circling dance to lie down, she always seems to end up making a mess of the checkerboard of small pads I've laid out for her. No matter where I place the pads, she always winds up with her butt in a crack between two of the pads. One giant waterproof pad would be much better.

I needed to get some ink for a very old printer, so I thought I'd try to find it at Fry's, instead of ordering it online. Fry's isn't very popular anymore and a lot of their merchandise seems to sit on the shelves for years. I've found discontinued computer supplies there before, and sure enough, I found the ink I was looking for today. The large store was virtually empty. Half the fluorescent lighting in the ceiling was turned off to cut costs, and it felt like the air conditioning was turned off as well. It was kind of sad. Five years ago, this store would have been packed on a Saturday afternoon. Now, I guess everyone prefers to buy their electronic toys online. Slowly but surely, Amazon.com is destroying brick and mortar retail. I do most of my shopping online as well, but I'd hate to see the brick and mortar stores disappear. I guess I need to be more loyal about supporting the ones that are still around.

I'll probably go to the gym tomorrow. I need to go more than once a week, but I've had my hands full lately. I bet I burn up as much energy waterproofing the bed every night as I would on the treadmill anyway. Maybe I'll try to get a head start on next week's website work as well. It's too hot to spend much time outside. We had another triple digit day today. We were lucky to have a mild June and July. That's all over now, unfortunately. It looks like August is going to be a furnace.

Nautica is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1697

I got to go out for breakfast this morning. It was nice to get away for a while and breakfast was delicious, but by the time I got home, Dot had already peed on the floor. I think her incontinence is actually getting worse instead of better. Maybe it was just the heat. It was over 103 today and the hotter it gets, the more water Dot drinks. I wish there was an easy solution to this, but there doesn't appear to be. Diapers immobilize Dot's weak rear legs. Waterproof pads are all made in China now and are so flimsy they are virtually worthless.

The only good pads we have are three old ones we purchased over fifteen years ago when our first Dalmatian began to get old and feeble. They don't make these things like they used to. The FedEx man delivered a new larger waterproof pad today that was meant to be used in the back of a station wagon or SUV. It was large enough and very waterproof. It was not absorbent though. If a dog peed on this thing, the pee would just roll to the edge and soak whatever was underneath. It's frustrating. I can envision exactly what I need for Dot to sleep on, but nobody seems to make it. We'll investigate the estrogen therapy this weekend. Both Janet and I are a little wary of the Incurin drug, but it might be the only option we've got.

It was good that I got out for breakfast this morning, because the rest of the day was spent working on a new website and doing laundry. The website is coming along nicely and I can probably have it ready to launch sometime next week. I'm not to optimistic about the laundry though. I may be doing laundry forever. I sure hope the washing machine and the air conditioner don't break. They are the most essential machines in the house right now.

When I was walking Dash this morning, I spotted some Jimson Weed. What on earth is Jimson Weed doing in a popular public park full of kids and dogs? The large white flowers are pretty but the stuff is highly poisonous. I made a note not to go near this plant again. If the dogs ate it, it could kill them.

It's hot enough now that the standing water on the roof is starting to evaporate fairly quickly. When I went to clean up the remaining water this afternoon, I discovered that falling pecan shells had stained the water a deep brown. It's hard to keep a pretty white roof when the water that's standing on it is already stained a dark brown. It's looks like we're going to have a good pecan crop this Fall. There would be enough for dozens of pecan pies, if the squirrels didn't get the nuts first. These pesky squirrels apparently can't wait for the nuts to ripen and mature. They're eating immature nuts right now and making a huge mess on the roof in the process. I wish the squirrels would eat the Jimson Weed instead.

Lilly is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1696

Dot resumed her physical therapy today. She was only in the underwater treadmill tank for about eight minutes, but it was another big step toward her recovery. It's going to take a while for Dot to get her strength back since she's lost over six pounds, but she seemed eager to get started. We'll start going for short physical therapy sessions twice a week now until she gets stronger. Dot had acupuncture today as well, but we'll only do that once a week.

Today was a good day. We're still waterproofing the bed and taking Dot out in the middle of the night to pee, but once she had her breakfast this morning, there were no further accidents for the rest of the day. Our vet said that if the incontinence still hasn't diminished within several weeks, we might want to consider giving her Incurin. This drug is basically a natural estrogen hormone and has proved effective in treating incontinence in older female dogs. All drugs have side effects though, so we're going to be patient and let nature take its course first. If Dot can continue to improve without hormones or additional meds, it would be much better.

Out of necessity, I've turned into a morning person. I walk Dash before sunrise now, so Janet can stay with Dot until I get back. It is surprising nice outside this early in the morning. Considering that it was only in the mid-seventies when we took our sunrise walk, it was hard to believe that it got all the way up to 103 later in the afternoon. Needless to say, our afternoon walks are much, much shorter. Dot gets a walk too, but hers are measured in feet instead of miles. The vet says this exercise is very good for her, as long as we do everything in moderation. Each day we go a little further, but Dot still tires easily and we don't want to overdo it.

I joined another stock photography site today. This one was different than the others. Instead of uploading tons of photos to an online stock catalog, potential photo buyers post their photo requirements and budget on the site and members can look through their own image libraries to see if they have an image that comes close. If you think you have what the buyer need, you upload the image to the site. If the art director or photo buyer likes your image, you can then negotiate your own terms. The concept is more like having an online photo rep than a traditional stock house. I like this concept a lot more than uploading tons of images to a stock photography site that ultimately sells your images for pennies. Maybe I won't make a dime with this new venture, but the allure of passive income remains strong. What have I got to lose? I have thousands and thousands of images just sitting on hard drives. I've got to believe that some of them might be exactly what someone is looking for. It's worth a shot anyway.

I'm trying to decide whether to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning. Dot certainly did well when I went to the bank and post office yesterday. It doesn't take me long to eat breakfast anyway and I sure am hungry.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1695

On hot, humid days like today, Dot's progress seems much slower. She tires easily and sleeps a lot longer. Sleep is good, because she certainly needs the rest. Unfortunately, the longer she sleeps, the more frequently we have incontinence accidents. Dot slept a lot today and I did a lot of laundry. When Dot is up and active, life seems pretty normal. When she sleeps, she pees. Janet found some larger, more durable waterproof pads on her way home from work today. She also found a different kind of doggie diaper. We'll try those tonight and see if they work.

Work was slow today, so I did some bookkeeping and paid a stack of bills. The most irritating bill I paid today was the U-Verse bill. We scaled back our service a few months ago in an effort to control costs and every month since then, AT&T has been adding weird little charges to the bill in an attempt to get just as much from us as they always have. Now, our bill is just about the same as it was before, but with 100 fewer channels. We still get way more channels than I'd ever actually watch, but the principle of the thing is frustrating. The cable companies are always trying to get you upgrade to the next level, but if you have the gall to actually downgrade your service package, you are suddenly not their friend anymore.

I left the house for about twenty minutes today to go to the post office and the bank. I made sure that Dot was contained in a small, safe area in the front hallway before I left, and she was still sleeping in exactly the same spot when I returned. She did pee on the bricks a little, but no harm was done.  I'm going to ask Dot's physical therapy vet for a second opinion about the incontinence tomorrow when we go to resume Dot's water therapy treatments. Although everyone says the incontinence is normal, it sure doesn't seem very normal to me.

I'm still putting on the purple hazmat gloves every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to give Dash his chemo pills. Today was a chemotherapy day and I noticed that the pill bottles are finally starting to get empty. We have a meeting with Dash's oncologist toward the end of August and hopefully when he finishes his current supply of Palladia pills, his treatment will be complete.

I'm getting ready to waterproof the bed for another long night. Maybe the new doggie diapers will work. Dot hated the last pair we tried though. I sure hope I never become incontinent. It's a giant mess. Janet thought the house smelled a little musty when she came home tonight. I told her she was just smelling pee.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1694

It has become clear that instead of training our dogs, they have trained us instead. Both dogs are so stubborn that it is almost impossible to get them to adapt to different sleeping arrangements. Since we are going to have to live with Dot's incontinence for the next month or so, it is important to come up with a plan to keep our sanity. Doggie diapers didn't work. Neither has sleeping on the floor. Dot and Dash are convinced that the big king sized bed in the bedroom is theirs and they just allow us to sleep with them. It has become easier to turn the bed into a waterproof fortress each night than deal with the other alternatives.

I prepared the bed well last night and we remembered to set the alarm for 2:30 AM, so we had a relatively trouble free evening. It takes forever to get everything ready. There's the long ramp at the end of the bed so Dot won't try to hop up and hurt herself. There's the fail-safe rubber sheet on top of the people's bedding, but under all the dog blankets. There are strategically placed pee pads for Dot to sleep on and Dash's favorite blanket at the foot of the bed, so he won't try to steal Dot's place in the middle of the night. Occasionally, this Rube Goldberg arrangement actually works.

I used to think that Dot woke up and moved about when she wanted to go outside and pee. I've been watching her behavior during the day and it has become clear that she only get's up after she's peed on something. She isn't trying to give me a warning signal. She's just trying to get out of the wet spot. I need to remember that dogs live in the moment. Dot has no idea why all this is happening to her.

I had quite a bit of website work to complete today. It was good to be busy, because without the work, I'd probably go stark raving mad. I've already got a long list of errands to do on Saturday when I can finally get out of the house again.

Actually, I'll be getting out of the house on Thursday, but I'll be taking Dot with me. We got the green light from the cancer center doctors to resume Dot's physical therapy. Hopefully, some gentle workouts in the underwater treadmill will help her regain some of the muscle tone she's lost in her rear legs. Dot is certainly doing her part to get stronger. She doesn't stumble as much now, and we are able to walk a little further each morning. As hard as it seems now, we are definitely making progress.

When I got my website revisions done today, I decided to relearn how to operate one of my cameras remotely using WiFi. I've had to learn this three times already, because I never use the feature. In theory, it seems really cool to be able to control every aspect of the camera remotely using my iPhone, but in practice I still prefer looking through the viewfinder. Maybe I'll use this fancy feature some day, but it won't be tomorrow. I'm sure when I find a reason to control my camera using my phone, I'll have to look up the instructions all over again.

It's raining now and both dogs are huddled under my desk. Life has almost returned to normal.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1693

I got up even earlier than usual this morning so I could walk Dash before taking Dot to the cancer center for her first re-check since the surgery. The doctors were really pleased with Dot's progress, but offered no easy solution to our current problems with incontinence and muscle weakness. It's going to take time for Dot's kidneys to start concentrating urine normally again and we should expect the weakness in her rear legs to gradually improve when she resumes her physical therapy. The good news is that Dot is recovering remarkable well from the surgery itself. After leaving Dot at the cancer center for for the day to get some additional tests, we got a green light to resume water therapy and we don't need to return for another recheck until early October.

I'm delighted at how well Dot is doing, but sure wish we could resolve her incontinence problems a little faster. I'm beyond tired now. Last night was exhausting. We had another major accident in the bed. It wasn't Dot's fault. We didn't waterproof the bed properly and forgot to take up her water bowl after 10 PM. After changing all the sheets in the middle of the night, I just gave up and slept on the floor with the dogs for the rest of the night. I'm thinking that it might be easier to just continue sleeping on the floor until Dot's condition improves. Sleeping on two dog beds pushed together isn't great, but it sure beats pulling all the bedding off the bed in the middle of the night while I'm still half asleep. So far, the mattress hasn't gotten wet, but it's only a matter of time if we let Dot continue sleeping on the bed at night.

I'm so compulsive that I kept waking up and throwing another load of laundry in the washer every hour or so for the rest of the night. The dogs were surprisingly good through all this. Dash curled up on one of the dog beds with me, while Dot lay by my side on a pile of blankets. It was a lot easier to get her out to pee this way, since we were already halfway to the back door. By morning I had all the laundry done and there were no further bed wetting incidents. I'm still not sure where I'll sleep tonight, but the floor is looking better and better.

While Dot was at the cancer center getting tested this morning, I had a chance to get out of the house and run a few necessary errands. I'm going to try to make an appointment to resume some gentle water therapy later this week. When Dot gets a little stronger and can dependably get up and down again, I'll feel a lot better about leaving her alone with Dash for a few hours.

I took several short cat naps during the day, but I feel like I could easily sleep for 12 hours straight if I was given the opportunity. The house is a mess, but I'm still getting my work done and Dot continues to get better with each passing day. I didn't really realize that the baby steps we're taking included cleaning up pee every night, but I'm trying to take it all in stride. Here's hoping that everything is peaceful, calm and completely uneventful tomorrow.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1692

The dogs love our unseasonably cool August weather and enjoyed being out in the yard today. There was a nice breeze that blew away most of the mosquitoes, so we were able to enjoy the outdoors longer than I expected. While I kept an eye on Dot to make sure she didn't fall down or get herself in trouble, I managed to get a bit of gardening done. As the dogs sniffed the air for new scents, I pulled weeds and tidied up the yard. It's nice to see Dot enjoying herself again. She still moving around very slowly and her rear legs are a bit shaky, but there's a look in her eyes that tells me that a burden has been lifted. I think that the intestinal tumor had been bothering her for a lot longer than we knew.

I'm out of shape. It's amazing how quickly things can go downhill without exercise. A week in the hospital on IV fluids erased almost an entire year of rehab work with Dot. Several weeks away from the gym has erased a bit of my own progress was well. I was winded after today's workout, even though it was no different than any other. My goal for the rest of the year will be to help Dot get strong again while doing my best to stay strong and fit myself. Neither of us are getting any younger, so it is important to keep moving. If I can emulate Dot's determination and tenacity, we should both be fine.

Tomorrow we go back to the cancer center for Dot's first post-surgery evaluation. I hope the doctors are as impressed with Dot's progress as we are. Considering the seriousness of her situation a few weeks ago, she is doing amazingly well. Hopefully, if her doctors think she making good progress, Dot may soon be able to resume her water therapy and acupuncture. Her rear legs have been weak before and the physical therapy she's been receiving this year has really helped.

We almost made it through the night last night. Dot didn't need to go outside to pee until almost 4 AM, instead of the 2 AM wake up call we have been getting used to lately. With any luck, her incontinence will continue to diminish and we'll all be able to get back to enjoying a good night's sleep in the near future. You can't rush recovery though. Getting better has its own time schedule and you have to be patient.

With Dot's recent emergency, it's easy to forget that Dash is still being treated for cancer as well. Today I noticed for the first time that his hair is finally starting to regrow in the smooth bald area on his neck where he received the radiation treatments. If Dot continues to do as well as Dash has been doing this Summer, we'll have two healthy, cancer free dogs again before Christmas. I'm hoping for the best when Dot's oncologist examines her tomorrow.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1691

Today was pleasantly quiet and uneventful. Dot had moments when she was shaky on her feet, but then there were other moments when she seemed almost normal. She still seems to be improving a little bit with each passing day. Both dogs got excited when a neighbor's cat unexpectedly appeared in the yard. I didn't want Dot to injure herself by chasing after the cat, but when I took her out on a leash to investigate, she was surprisingly nice. The cat eventually got tired of the barking Dalmatians and left. Janet would like to have a cat, but whenever Dot and Dash get near one, they prove they aren't up to the challenge yet. Both of them have a strong prey drive and think cats are just a larger member of the squirrel family.

I hope our unseasonably cooler temperatures continue. It was in the low 70's this morning when we took the dogs for an early walk. Even later in the day when the sun came out, the temperature only rose to the mid-80's. I can remember several Summers when the temperature was above one hundred degrees for the entire month of August. This is much better. It almost feels like early Fall.

Our list of weekend errands has grown back to it's normal size. After breakfast, I went to the vet to pick up some more phenobarbital for Dash. Then I want to the pharmacy to get my own meds, filled the car with gas, and got groceries. When I returned home, Janet left to do her errands. We still don't feel comfortable leaving Dot alone. Mostly the dogs just sleep when we're gone, but there's always a chance that Dot might fall and be unable to get up again. After Dot ate the carpet earlier this year, I'm not sure I'll ever be completely comfortable leaving her alone again. Thinking back, I'm beginning to think that frantically eating a hole in the carpet might have been an early sign of distress caused by the tumor growing inside Dot's intestines. How were we to know though? Dogs eat things they aren't supposed to all the time.

I discovered today that one of my former co-workers has written a book about his career in advertising. This guy became somewhat of a superstar after we worked together in the early seventies, so I imagine it is an interesting book. I bought a copy to see if I remembered any of the stories. If I wrote a book about my own career in advertising it would just be an extended version of that old Johnny Paycheck song "Take This Job and Shove It." I was a creative fellow, but I wasn't a very good employee. I worked at seventeen different agencies before I finally realized that the only boss I was ever going to take seriously was myself.

Maybe I'll finally get a decent night's sleep this evening. We set an alarm and remembered to get Dot up at 2 AM to pee last night. The bed was dry, but I had a hard time getting back to sleep after we all came back inside. Since Dot was having trouble getting back in the bed, I just got a blanket and went to sleep on the floor with her. I'm pretty sure she slept better than I did.

Scout is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1690

This continues to be one of the mildest Summers on record. I don't think I can remember a time when it was 69 degrees on the first of August in Dallas. I even put on a light jacket when I walked Dash early this morning. There was a light mist, but it was nice. Maybe my electric bill won't be quite as horrendous this month.

Today was more or less a repeat of yesterday. Dot slept well last night and appeared a little stronger today. Her rear legs are still shaky, but she didn't stumble and fall today, and that's a good thing. I didn't stumble either, but I'm real glad it's Friday. I was on the phone with a new set of tech support people, trying to resolve a client's website problems. I'm inching my way toward completion on my latest design project, but my primary job is still babysitting sick dogs.

Dalmatians can be incredibly stubborn. Even though Dot can barely move, she still wants to take her regular walks in the morning. She is always disappointed when I leave the house with Dash while Janet is getting ready for work. Then when I return to take her on a much shorter walk, she doesn't like the baby steps we're taking toward recovery. We walk a little bit longer each day, but we're still only going several hundred yards, instead of the several miles she is used to. She's happy to be outside though, so we walked very slowly this morning, both enjoying the cooler than normal August air.

We had a small accident in the bed again last night, but it was our fault and not Dot's. We both overslept and missed our 2 AM time slot for getting her up and outside to pee. If the doctors are correct about the possibility that it could take up to six weeks before her incontinence goes away, the month of August is going to be very long and arduous. Dot didn't pee in the house during the day, but she doesn't like the waterproof crib pads I've strategically placed around the house for her to sleep on. The lightweight polyester pads are too flimsy and when Dot starts the characteristic circling motion that dogs do before they lie down, the pads get tangled up in her feet and she gets frustrated and just lies down on the carpet instead. I have three older "made in America" waterproof pads that are sturdier and more substantial, but these are constantly in the washing machine being cleaned.

When I was getting dressed this morning, I saw something on the news about the Department of Homeland Security going to people's homes and confiscating old Land Rover Defenders like the one I used to own. WTF? We've got a border crisis. Terrorists are popping up all over the place, and the government has made it a priority to round up old Land Rover Defenders? I don't get it. I didn't catch the entire story, but maybe we're all supposed to be driving a Prius or something.

Getting old is a bitch. Dot has made an amazing recovery from some very serious surgery and now her old neurological problems are resurfacing. I think if we're patient and take things slowly, we can get back to where we were before by resuming her water therapy and acupuncture. It's an uphill battle though, because age always wins in the end. I remember my Dad seemed like John Wayne until he was in his mid-seventies and then he just fell apart. After quadruple bypass surgery in his early 80's, he never fully recovered. It is sobering to realize that everything that is happening to Dot could easily happen to me in the not too distant future. Time moves on and we all just do the best we can.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1689

It was a long day. Dot is having trouble getting up and down. We're kind of between a rock and a hard place. She's still too weak for physical therapy, but it was the physical therapy that was keeping her strong in the first place. She's lost a lot of weight along with some muscle mass, but we sill have to feed her a bland diet with small portions until her incisions have fully healed. It's a balancing act. I know Dot would like to eat large meals to pack on the pounds and then go on a long walk. She's not ready yet, unfortunately. First she needs to be able to get out the back door without stumbling on the single small step down to the patio. It's hard to tell this to a sick, but very stubborn dog. Especially when she thinks she's ready to go anywhere.

It didn't help matters that it poured rain during the morning and the stock market dropped over 300 points during the afternoon. All in all, it wasn't a very auspicious day. I probably shouldn't worry about Dot so much, since she has been making steady progress every day. I know that this is going to take time, but it's sad to see her muscles start to atrophy again, especially since we've all worked so hard this year to keep her active and strong.

There were more website problems to unravel today. First on the list were calls to technical support to find out why a client's online forms weren't working properly. I'm beginning to hate online forms and databases, since they tend to crash every time the hosting company changes servers. The rest of my day was spent trying to figure out how to modify a site that I didn't build in the first place. Working with other people's code can be baffling at times. Why did they do it that way, I wonder? Sometimes I learn something from unraveling these mysteries, but mostly it's just irritating.

There will be no trip to my favorite breakfast restaurant tomorrow morning. I had initially thought that I might be able to get away for short periods when Dot's condition stabilized, but since she's having trouble getting up and down, I need to stay nearby. Dot needs to rest. The last thing she needs right now is to get frightened while struggling to get up after she's been sleeping. Old legs sometimes need a boost, and I've had lots of experience keeping senior dogs walking. I talked to Dot's physical therapist today and hopefully we can get her back on the water treadmill soon. Water therapy is great for older dogs, because the buoyancy of the water takes weight off the tired muscles while still allowing a full range of movement.

I'm still having trouble comprehending that it's August already. I guess it will be OK to give Dot her monthly heartworm pill in the morning. One more question I forgot to ask. We were told to go ahead and continue heartworm medication after Dash's surgery, and after Spot's as well. I'll probably still call the cancer center first thing in the morning though. I hate ambiguity.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. My Jawbone fitness band said I slept less than three hours last night. I think I need to rest just as much as Dot does.

Shelby is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1688

Janet took Dash to dog training class tonight, while I stayed home with Dot. Our instructor initially thought Dot had made an amazing recovery as he watched Dash sail over some high hurdles. "That's pretty good for an old, sick dog," he told Janet. Hey, it's an honest mistake. They both have spots. Maybe he got the dogs mixed up because Dash behaves better with Janet. She told me that he made it through the entire class without any of his typical annoying barking.

For her part, Dot had a very good day as well. We made it through the night without any accidents. She didn't even leak on the waterproof baby crib liners strewn around the house for her to sleep on during the day. We're all learning our new routines. I take her out every three hours to pee, and once again during the middle of the night. Dot is off pain medication now and her vet says that we can begin transitioning her back to her regular diet. You can tell that Dot is happy to slowly be returning to normal. She is holding her head up high for the first time in weeks, and her tail is starting to wag again. Dot doesn't understand the concept of baby steps. My big concern now is to keep her from overdoing things while her body continues to heal.

As Dot gets off the critical list and continues her recovery, my own life is returning to normal as well. I spent a busy day revising and adding pictures to one website while finalizing the design of another. I still can't leave the house, but that really isn't a serious problem, since I seldom leave the house anyway. It is usually boredom, not necessity that causes me to get in the car and go somewhere. I certainly haven't been bored this year, but I think I would prefer boredom to dealing with a constant barrage of major medical emergencies. This has been a rough year. It would be nice if life would stay in balance, but it seldom does. I'm still hoping for healthy dogs and a little variety in my workload.

Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of July? This year has literally flown by. I'm grateful that so far this has been one of the coolest Summers on record. To be approaching August with only one or two days of triple digit temperatures is almost unheard of in Texas. There have been quite a few mornings where the temperature was in the low 70's while I walked Dash around sunrise. Most of the wildflowers are gone by now, but I did happen to see a few Lanceleaf Coreopsis flowers still blooming this morning. It will be nice when I can walk both dogs again. This is usually my most relaxing time of the day.

We'll waterproof the bed again tonight, but hopefully Dot's incontinence is nearing an end as well. She certainly had a good day today. Tomorrow, I'll continue taking things one day at a time. It's been working so far.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1687

We got Dot's pathology report today. The growth that was removed one week ago today was a Low Grade Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Yes, this is cancer, but it's not quite as bad as it sounds. Most soft tissue sarcomas have a relatively low chance of spreading to other parts of the body. Since Dot's tumor was located in her intestines, it was not attached to surrounding tissue and it was possible to remove it completely with clean margins. This means that a healthy segment of the intestine was also removed on either side of the tumor to ensure that no cancer cells were left behind. The oncologist told me today that since Dot's tumor had clean margins, there will be no need for chemo or radiation treatments. With any luck, the surgery will be all that is needed.

I also found out that Dot's incontinence probably has nothing to do with the surgery itself. Her internal medicine specialist told me that incontinence is very common when a dog has been receiving IV fluids for an extended period of time. These fluids help prevent dehydration and are used to flush toxins out of the body, but they can also interrupt normal kidney function. "Sometimes it takes four to six weeks before the incontinence goes away," the doctor told me. At least we've got a plan now. Whenever she wakes up and starts looking around, we assume that she has to pee. I took her outside around 2:30 AM this morning, and she made it through the rest of the night without incident. I try to take her outside every three hours and that seems to do the trick. There were no major accidents today. I only had to wash two small baby crib liners, instead of all the bedding we own.

I'm starting to get cabin fever from watching Dot 24/7. Her condition continues to improve, but she's still not stable enough to leave on her own. She still has a bit of trouble getting up and down and needs to be kept off the bed and furniture. Usually, she follows me around anyway, so keeping her nearby is not a problem. Dot has clearly regained her appetite. I decided to fix myself a nice breakfast this morning, instead of just eating my regular oatmeal and both Dot and Dash wanted the sausages I fixed. Instead of a relaxing meal while watching old Dr. Who episodes, I had two dogs barking at me. It's good to see Dot active and engaged though. Slowly but surely, she's getting back to her old self.

Last night we made elaborate preparations to ensure that Dot wouldn't wet the bed.  In addition to the layer of waterproof baby crib liners, we placed a thin sheet of vinyl between the comforter and Dot's blankets. This might have been a mistake. The bedding didn't breathe anymore and I woke up about 3 AM in a pool of sweat. At first I thought that Dot had managed to get under the covers with me, but then I realized the problem was me. It was Niacin flushing. Live and learn. I guess taking a big dose of Niacin at night for cholesterol while laying under a sheet of vinyl isn't a good idea.

I hope Janet and I stay healthy. Having two dogs with cancer at the same time is just about all I can handle. We're doing pretty well though. Against some pretty long odds, Dash is making a spectacular recovery and Dot is doing her best to follow in his footsteps. For my part, I'm trying to take things one day at a time even though this doesn't come naturally to me. One way or another, we'll pull through this.

Tink is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1686

We hit a little snag today. Incontinence. Dot began having urinary incontinence when she was hooked up to IV tubes in the ICU. Now that she's recovering from surgery and beginning to eat normally again, we expected the incontinence to stop. She doesn't wake up in a puddle of pee every night, but last night she did. What a mess. Despite the fact that Dot was sleeping on top of three waterproof baby crib liners, all our bed linen got soaked. I'm glad I had the forethought to get a waterproof mattress pad years ago when we bought the bed, or the mattress would have been ruined as well.

Until we can resolve this issue, we need to be a lot more diligent about getting Dot outside in the middle of the night to pee. Three hours seems to be the maximum amount of time she can hold it. Needless to say, we didn't get up last night and I spent most of the day doing laundry. If I didn't need to keep a constant eye on Dot, I would have gone to a commercial laundry. The bulky comforter and mattress pad took forever to dry in our dryer. Everything is fine now, but I must have done ten loads of laundry today. If you think the solution is just to have Dot sleep in a crate or on the kitchen floor until her condition improves, you haven't owned a Dalmatian. They all insist on sleeping in the bed with you. Heaven help you if you try to get them to sleep somewhere else. Dalmatians are very stubborn and tenacious dogs.

When I was throwing away junk mail and trash today, I came across some financial papers I should have signed and returned three weeks ago. That's the trouble with the mail these days. So little of any importance finds it's way to our mailbox anymore that I tend to ignore all the mail. Checking the mail had become just like checking the spam folder on my computer. Mostly it's all junk, but you still have to check, because every now and then something important winds up there by mistake.

I got a call from my hepatologist this morning telling me that the lab results from last week's tests had come back and I was still virus free. This is probably as close as I'm going to get to being declared officially cured of Hepatitis-C. Since I was one of the first to receive the new Sovaldi treatment, I'll probably continue to get tested periodically indefinitely. That's OK by me. With all the advanced testing the dogs and I have been subjected to recently, I've become somewhat addicted to test results.

Sometimes technology is just too complicated. There is no sound on the TV in the bedroom. The sound works fine on the TV in the kitchen though. My deductive mind tells me that either something is wrong with the TV, or something is wrong with U-Verse. Hmm. The TV in the kitchen is receiving the U-Verse channels, so U-Verse is apparently working. The TV in the bedroom gets sound from the Hulu channels, so there's nothing wrong with the TV itself. Why am I getting cable on only one of the two TV's when they are getting the same signal from the router? It's a mystery. I guess I'll just go to bed and hope I remember to get Dot up at 2 AM to pee.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1685

Dot has turned the corner. We discontinued her Tramadol last night, because it made her so loopy, we couldn't tell if she was getting better or worse. She slept well without the powerful drug, and when she woke up this morning, she was almost back to her old self. Hoping for the best, we fed the dogs their breakfast and took them down the hill to the park for a short walk. All systems were go this time. After eleven long days, Dot finally pooped. I don't think I've been so happy to see a dog poop in a long time.

We've still got a long way to go, but the surgery now appears to be a success. Every day, Dot gets a little stronger. We're starting to mix some dry kibble in with her critical care diet and she's eating it. Today, she walked about 200 yards, instead of yesterday's 50 feet. She doesn't need my assistance when getting up from her dog bed anymore. She's rather do it herself. These are baby steps, but they are important ones.

It's still not wise to leave Dot alone, but Janet and I were able to take turns running errands and got a lot done anyway. We were each even able to go to the gym. I haven't been to the gym for several weeks during this extended dog crisis and my body let me know I was getting rusty. I'll be sore tomorrow, but still not as sore as Dot. She's still got to be uncomfortable from the surgery, but from all appearances, she seems to actually feel better now than the days just before her hospitalization. This tumor must have been bothering her for a long time.

I'm still worried about the pathology report on the tumor that was removed last Tuesday. There's nothing I can do about the results. We'll just learn what Dot's body already knew some time ago. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. We haven't come this far to give up. As Dot's life slowly returns to normal, I need to make an effort to get my own life back to normal as well. I'm behind on several projects, but I'll get caught up. I'm glad my priorities put the dogs first, but you can only ignore work for so long. There are always bills to pay.

I stocked up on food at Central Market this afternoon, so I won't have to leave the house while Janet is away at work. I can still walk Dash very early in the morning while she's getting dressed. Dash seems to prefer these early walks anyway. Long quiet days with a convalescing dog are actually pretty conducive to website work. Hopefully Dot will continue to improve day-by-day as I sit nearby, writing the code that will eventually pay her vet bills.

Deuce is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1684

Dot passed another milestone today. We took her back to the cancer center this morning, where they removed her surgical bandages and examined her incision to make sure it was healing properly. There was no leakage or infection at the incision site and the doctors were pleased with her progress. Now all we've got to do is get her to poop. We've already passed the initial deadline when her gut was supposed to start working again, but the doctors still tell us not to worry. They say that some dogs take five or six days after surgery before the intestines start working normally again. Hmm. Unless I'm doing the math wrong, it's already been five days. Dot did lose a lot of weight during her week on IV fluids. Probably a lot of the special low fiber food she's eating now is just being absorbed to help rebuild her body.

Dot's appetite is pretty good now, but we don't want to feed her too much until she starts eliminating what she's eating. After all we've been through so far, we definitely don't need a blockage. A week without eating can change a lot of things. Dot's rear legs have been weak for quite a while. That's why she's been using the underwater treadmill for physical therapy. Since she lost five pounds during hospitalization, her muscle tone isn't as good as it should be, and her legs are shaky again. She definitely can't take the long walks in the park that usually inspire her to poop. I know she'd like to eat more now, but until food starts passing through her system, it could be dangerous.

To complicate things further, the Tramadol she has to take for pain often causes constipation. We've got a dog that isn't pooping, but pees when she sleeps, since some of the many drugs she's taking impair bladder control. I'm convinced that all this is temporary and am still hopeful. Dot appears to be a little stronger with each passing day. We did go out and buy some waterproof crib pads at a baby store for her to sleep on though. She still likes to sleep on the bed and I'd hate to ruin the mattress. Needless to say, we're doing a lot of laundry.

Our cooler than normal Summer appears to be over. It got up to 103 today. The brutal heat is hard on Dot. She likes spending time outdoors, but not in this kind of weather. None of us like this kind of weather. When it got a bit cooler after dinner, we tried taking Dot and Dash on a very short walk in the park, thinking the familiar smells might put Dot in the mood. It didn't work. Dot was too tired and we returned home after a walk of only 50 feet.

Despite my disdain for Walmart, I got a prescription filled there today. My doctor told me that the drug, which is not typically covered by insurance, would be cheaper at Walmart. I didn't expect that it would be twice as cheap. It really makes you wonder what is going on in the world of medicine when the cost of a drug can vary by 100%, just depending on where you buy it.

Against my better judgement, I made a short social media comment supporting a good friend's position on Israel. Almost immediately, I was chastised by another friend all the way over in Norway for not supporting the Palestinians. I usually don't talk about politics on social media and this is why. The world has become so polarized that it is almost impossible to talk about anything without starting a flame war. I still prefer to talk about dogs. Everybody loves dogs.

Smokey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1683

I was Dot's nurse today. I really appreciate what the nursing staff did for Dot in the ICU last week. It is not easy keeping a sick and very tired dog on the path to recovery. I'm a worrier too, so anything abnormal about Dot's behavior freaks me out. Dot has a laundry list of meds that she needs at various times during the day. The doctors want to get her up and walking about every two or three hours. She doesn't need much activity, but staying in one place all day isn't going to help her recovery. It's dificult to get Dot up again once she's lying down on her blanket, but once she's up she seems to move about fine. There's a fine line between keeping her mobile and pushing her too hard and sometimes it's difficult to know exactly where the line is.

I walked Dash so early this morning that there was still dew on the leaves, even though it was a hot July day. When we returned, Janet left for work and I took over nursing duties for the rest of the day. I thought Dot seemed hot, but when I took her temperature, everything was completely normal. I though her heart was racing after a very short walk down the back alley, but when I compared her heart rate to Dash's, who had been sleeping, they were both exactly the same. I worry that Dot hasn't pooped yet. Up to a point, this is completely normal for a dog recovering from abdominal surgery. After that point, it can be serious though. The trouble is that I have no idea where that point is. Every dog is different.

I'm glad the weekend is here. I could really use a good night's sleep. My primary care doctor wants me back on statins again, now that my Hepatitis-C treatment is finished. I started taking Simvastatin and timed release Niacin last night and the combo seemed to have the same irritating sides effects as it did before. Niacin flushing is common and it makes me feel like I'm burning up. When I woke up to check on Dot last night, my skin felt like it was on fire. The flushing only lasts a few hours, but when I'm awake, this is two hours too many. My liver specialist wants to re-test me in 12 weeks to make sure the Simvastatin and Niacin combo aren't screwing up their good work. Both drugs can have an adverse effect on the liver. Once again I am caught between dueling doctors. Is it my heart or my liver that is going to win? I haven't got a clue. I'd much rather be having a cheeseburger and a beer.

We go up to the cancer center tomorrow morning to get Dot's surgical bandage removed. The stitches will stay in, but the doctors want to remove the big bandage covering her belly as soon as possible to help the wound heal. It is easier to check if the incision site is leaking of becoming infected if you can actually see it. I have a long list of questions for the nurses, because I hate surprises. Doctors and nurses probably hate me because I'm always asking questions and slowing them down. I know the nurses are busy, but I'm a person who needs to know. I'll be polite, but I'll still ask all my questions. I'm curious about these things. Maybe I should have gone to med school.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day