Day 2622

I'd hate to be in the restaurant business. Customers are fickle. Reviews are seldom fair. And employee turnover is unbelievable. I ate breakfast this morning at a place I haven't visited for several months and there wasn't a single familiar face. The entire staff was new. The food had actually improved, so maybe the staff changes were a good thing. Like I say, I don't understand the restaurant business at all.

Most of the day was spent taking Dot to her appointment at the cancer center. Janet was able to take some time off work today to help me transport Dot. Having two people in the car seemed to help. Janet sat in the back with Dot and was able to calm her down when she became agitated and tried to move around. Dot arrived for her exam a lot calmer than she usually does, but her blood pressure was still a little high.

We got some more bad news today. Her cancer is progressing and there are now four tumors growing in her liver. There were only three the last time we checked. The oncologist told us that Dot's liver and kidneys are still functioning normally and that even though the cancer was growing, it was growing slowly. She is starting to feel some discomfort though, so we added Gabapentin to her growing list of meds. The oncologist also wants to go back to testing Dot once a month, since the cancer could always start growing faster at any time.

While we were at the hospital we saw a family who had to make the decision to put their dog down. It was sad to watch them say their goodbyes. The dog actually looked in better shape than Dot, but I'm sure there was more to the story than we were seeing. They always tell you that your dog will let you know when it's time to go, but sometimes they don't. It's a big responsibility when you have to make that decision for them. I dread the day when we are faced with making this decision. Hopefully, Dot will make her wishes very clear. Right now it is obvious that Dot still loves life and wants to keep on going. As the cancer continues to grow, things will inevitably become more confusing.

When we got home today Janet asked me if I knew that Dot's oncologist was deaf. "What makes you think she is deaf," I asked. "Well, she was reading your lips," Janet told me. Have I ever mentioned that I'm not very observant. I could tell you exactly what shade of brown Dot's poop was today and I would notice instantly if you moved any of the books on my bookshelf, but I'm not very good at reading faces. Chances are if I met you on the street, I wouldn't even recognize you. I can never tell when people are happy or sad either. I guess it's a good thing that I'm seldom aware when people are mad at me.

We've got a long weekend coming up. I hope this means that everybody will get a little more sleep. The oncologist wants me to watch Dot closely this weekend to make sure that the Gabapentin doesn't make Dot lethargic and lose energy. "But how can I tell," I asked? "She doesn't have any energy right now." I think all Dot's doctors are amazed that she's still alive.

Lexi is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2621

I need sleep. Dot gets frustrated now when she can't get up and circle around to find a new sleep position at night. All dogs do this, and Dot keeps trying even though it is difficult for her to move. Usually, I wake up before she has twisted herself into an awkward position. I help her do the little twirling motion that Dash does effortlessly five times a night and then we all go back to sleep. Lately, I've discovered that if Dot becomes agitated at night it is wise to take her outside to pee. If it's clear outside, I try to identify constellations in the night sky as she slowly walks around the yard, looking for the right spot. By the time I've gotten her settled into her bed again, I'm usually wide awake. Probably people with small babies find their sleep disrupted like this all the time, but it's a new experience for me.

Dash is acting weird again. We discontinued his anti-nausea medication a few days ago, so maybe he's feeling dizzy again. He didn't want to walk this morning and this afternoon he refused to leave the back yard. Sometimes it's hard to tell if Dash is sick or just being stubborn. I tried a second time to give Dash an evening walk after I'd had my own dinner and this time he was eager to go. He wasn't unsteady and nothing seemed abnormal at all. Go figure. I still think that the hesitation to move or walk might have something to do with his seizures, but I'm not a vet. Now I've got one more question to ask the doctors when I take Dot to the cancer center for her ultrasound scan tomorrow.

I wasn't really busy today and I thought seriously about taking a long nap to catch up on sleep, but Dot had other ideas. She's restless now during the day and frequently wants me to take her outside. Since she's incontinent, I don't want to ignore her, since it just causes her to pee or poop in the house. In and out we go, over and over again. When Dot is outside, she just wanders around aimlessly, smelling all the leaves on the ground. It takes a lot of patience to be her rear legs.

I wonder if life will ever return to normal again. Probably not. I feel lucky that I am still healthy enough to help the dogs during their senior years. Many of my friends have already had serious medical problems and would have difficulty lifting a Dalmatian. When I was a kid, my parents were healthy, but they both started falling apart when they were about my age. I wonder how many more good years I've got? Helping Dot walk is actually great exercise. Too bad the stress I'm experiencing probably negates most of the benefits of this strenuous physical activity.

I'm thinking of going somewhere new for breakfast tomorrow. I've been eating the same thing for several months now and even though it's delicious, I'm getting bored. I'm not even sure what I'm hungry for anymore. Maybe the food doesn't even matter. The whole idea of going out was just to have something to look forward to. A pleasant ritual that I can repeat on a weekly basis is much more important than the food.

I hope that Dot's cancer re-check goes well tomorrow. There have been some significant changes since her last exam and none of them are encouraging.

Joshua is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2620

Today was the opposite of yesterday. The sky was clear and there was hardly any wind at all. Even though Dot seemed weak when she woke up, she enjoyed her walk this morning. As far as I can tell, Dash seems back to normal. The only reminder of his scary seizure episode is a huge vet bill.

Since the weather was so nice today, I went up on the roof to assess the situation. It's much easier to remove the standing water now that all the leaves are gone. It didn't take long to figure out why my pump wasn't working yesterday. It had gotten tipped over and was just pumping air. After I removed the water, I noticed a few new areas where the elastomer coating had peeled away. It looks like I'm going to have this problem forever. It's time to call the roofer again.

It's time to call the tree guy too. He promised to have my trees trimmed this month and the month is already halfway over. Hey, maybe he's planning on getting started tomorrow. I just don't have a lot of faith in work crews. A big chunk of my life is spent reminding people about things they forgot. In fairness, people spend a lot of time reminding me of thing I've forgotten too. Life has just become too complicated to remember everything.

Yesterday I sent out invoices. Today I paid bills. I wish the money coming in equaled the money going out, but it never does. This month was even worse than usual because my car insurance was due and Dash ran up a big bill at the cancer center. At least the stock market is still going up. I hope investors don't become discouraged and sell everything when the tax cuts they are anticipating don't materialize as quickly as they hoped. I'd like to think that the market sees prosperity ahead, but I'm cynical enough to realize that traders are probably just taking advantage of a short term opportunity. This rally kind of feels like a bubble that's about to burst.

I spent more time than usual cleaning up poop today.  It's much easier to clean up the mess when Dot is asleep. You just quietly slide out the disposable puppy training pad she's sleeping on, roll it up, and put it in a plastic bag. Usually I can lift her hips a bit and slide in a new pad without even waking her up. When Dot's awake, it's a whole different story. She panics and tries to get up, typically smearing the poop all over the place. We had two accidents today when Dot was waking up. I spent a lot of time doing laundry.

I picked up some Thai food on the way back from the post office today, but forgot we still had a pork roast in the refrigerator. I wish I was organized enough to label all the leftovers. I hate for food to go to waste, but I often forget about stuff that gets pushed to the back. I also sometimes forget to eat the oldest food first. I need a few big Tupperware containers with the day of the week on them. If there was something in the refrigerator that said Thursday on it, I would eat it tomorrow. I wouldn't care what was in the container.

Maybe we'll get two clear days in a row. The dogs are always easier to deal with on a clear, sunny day. I'm easier to deal with too. If I can't see my shadow, it's not a good day.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2619 - Valentine's Day

We woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof. It was raining quite hard, so walking the dogs was out of the question. Apparently, Dot and Dash thought going out in the yard was out of the question too. Dot peed on the porch and Dash wouldn't go outside at all. I don't blame them. It was wet and very cold.

I was hoping that the rain would quit before I made my annual trip to Sprinkles to get Valentine's cupcakes, but it never did. Actually, the rain turned out to be a good thing this year, because there wasn't a line. There is almost always a long line at this place. I can't even remember how long Valentine's Day cupcakes have been a tradition at our house, but it's been a long time. On the way home I stopped at Central Market and got an orchid in a pot. I joined a long line of tired looking men holding flowers and chocolates. The men were from all walks of life, but they all had that slightly confused look in their eye that told me they weren't sure if they got the right thing. Of course we did the right thing. We didn't forget.

Sick dogs and an all day rain aren't a good combination. Dot seemed totally unaware of the rain and took just as long looking for the right place to pee as she does on a warm sunny day. I just about froze taking her outside today. Dash did his business quickly, but always managed to find the muddiest part of the yard before he came inside again. I was constantly cleaning dogs, floors, and rugs today. This weather certainly isn't doing me any favors. My cold seems to be getting worse.

Work continues to be slow, but I did manage to get my February invoices in the mail today. It occurred to me this weekend that I'd be a lot busier if I actually started looking for work. Like that's ever going to happen. I hate cold calling. Most of my friends and contemporaries have retired. And millennials irritate me. I don't think websites really matter anymore either. When everybody has one, they just become a contemporary version of a Yellow Pages ad. People are spending all their time on Facebook anyway. I mostly visit websites to find an address or a phone number these days. The design of the website doesn't matter nearly as much as how easy it is to navigate. Like it or not, what I do has become a commodity.

The stock market hit another all time high today. I hope this rally continues, but I suspect that it won't. It's always hard to know when to sell. You want to ride a rally as long as you can, but you don't want to be the last one to leave a sinking ship. My opinion changes from day to day. Tax cuts and deregulation will definitely be good for business, but chaos isn't good for anyone. Maybe I should sell a few things just in case.

I sure hope it warms up tomorrow. The combination of dark gray skies, wet dogs, and a bitterly cold wind do nothing to improve my mood. The cupcakes sure were delicious though, and I think Janet liked the flower.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2618

I don't know why I even bother to get Dash's blood pressure tested. He gets so agitated riding in the car that his blood pressure is almost always elevated by the time we arrive at our destination. Today, he was even worse than usual, whining and barking in my ear all the way to the cancer center. He didn't even calm down once we arrived. Needless to say, his blood pressure was high. The only times I've ever been able to get an accurate reading on Dash is when he's already in the hospital for an extended stay.

Dash eventually calmed down a little, but by then the nurses had already moved on to their next patients. While I sat in a room waiting for the doctor to arrive with his evaluation, Dash fixated on a jar full of dog treats sitting on a counter and started barking all over again. He was basically just a bad dog today, but the doctor did say that his condition had dramatically improved. Nobody seemed terribly worried that Dash's blood pressure was high, which made me wonder why I was spending my afternoon taking Dash to the vet. I did have to admit that Dash appeared healthy though. I wish there was a way to test Dash's blood pressure at home when he actually was relaxed, but human blood pressure monitors don't work on dogs, and veterinary monitors are very expensive and hard to use. For the time being, I think we're all going to assume that Dash's medications are working.

I took the images that I shot yesterday over to the client, but we had a hard time transferring them to the office server. Fewer and fewer computers seem to have an SDHC card slot anymore. Even Apple has dropped the SD card slot on their latest laptops. This makes no sense to me at all. You've got to have a way to conveniently move pictures from the camera to the computer. I doubt that computer makers care much about professional photographers these days. They've all realized that the vast majority of their customers take pictures with their phones. Eventually, we found an older computer in the back of the building that still had a card slot and transferred the images. I apologized for how big the file folder was, but the art director wanted RAW files. Hey, at least all the images got transferred before somebody accidentally erased them.

I wish I could think of a way to help Dot grow stronger. It would be nice if there was something that kept her mentally alert too. With each passing week she seems to become a little weaker. There really isn't much I can do at this point. Dot still enjoys her meals and we take our slow daily walk to the end of the street, but she spends a lot more of her time sleeping these days. She just doesn't have the energy anymore. This year feels like a long goodbye. I just hope I can make the transition as pleasant and pain free as possible. This Friday we go back to the cancer center for another ultrasound scan. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that her cancer had advanced significantly. It feels that way.

I still can't tell whether I've got a cold or allergies. It seems like my eyes have been watering and I've been sneezing for weeks now. It's a bit early for Spring allergies, but I don't have all the usual symptoms of a cold either. At any rate, I wish the red nose and itchy eyes would go away. I'm probably just run down. A week with eight hours of sleep every night would probably cure everything.

Tessa is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2617

Today was busy. A local fashion designer was introducing his new clothing line and we photographed the designer and a model wearing various items from the line while walking or holding a dog or cat. I think the photo shoot went smoothly and everyone seemed happy, but I'd forgotten that it often takes longer to do hair and makeup than it does to take the photos. While the models were getting ready, I amused myself by feeding the photo dogs cheese. All dogs seem to love cheese.

When I left the pre-light check on Friday, I told everyone I could find not to move anything. I must have missed telling the night janitor, because he straightened the room up, unplugging everything and moving the carefully placed lights. I tried to remember where everything was on Friday and I think I came pretty close. It was actually a good thing that it took a while to do the model's hair because I ended up having to recreate the lighting setup. There was even enough time to play around with operating the camera by remote control. This was the first time I tried this on a job and it actually worked pretty well. You can wander around the set and snap pictures using an app on your iPhone. By using the app to monitor and control the camera I was able to get closer to the pets and keep an eye on their expressions. I kind of liked working this way and I'm sure I'll use the app again.

I used to do a lot of fashion photography, but it's been a while. The last time I spent much time thinking about fashion, today's model wasn't even born yet. A lot has changed over the years, but even more hasn't. Success still depends on a good make-up artist, nice soft lighting, and the ability to work fast. Most of the good photos occur near the beginning of the shoot, before everyone gets tired. When you get tired, it shows. There is often one good photo right at the end of the shoot too. Sometimes this final photo is accidental good luck, but it allows everyone to say "we got it" so they can pack up and go home.

It was a luxury not to have to bring my lights today. Instead of spending hours loading the car with heavy equipment, I just showed up with my camera. If I was younger, I would have made an effort to get some work from the fashion designer. He was a nice guy and if his line is successful, he will be using a lot of photographers in the future. I don't think I have the time for this sort of thing anymore, unfortunately. If Janet hadn't been able to spend the day watching the dogs, I wouldn't have been able to do this. When I was a fashion photographer for a large studio many years ago, we worked very long hours.

Today was kind of a trip down memory lane. It was a simple shoot as these things go, but all the elements were there. There were hair stylists and makeup artists. There was a craft service table with lots of tasty things to nibble on. There were lots of clothes on racks and many costume changes. Hard to believe I used to do this everyday.

Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal. Dash has a trip to the vet scheduled. I need to get my February invoices out. I'm already looking forward to my strawberry and banana smoothie.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2616

Dot threw up last night, which put me back on high alert again. There are so many things which can go wrong at this point that it's hard to keep them all straight. Dot has trouble chewing now and might have swallowed some food that she hadn't chewed properly. I'm always worried that the cancer might have spread and she's starting to lose her appetite. She probably threw up for no reason at all. Dog do that a lot. The worst thing about throwing up right after we've all gone to bed is that she threw up her evening meds. You never know how much the body has absorbed, so you can't give her a second dose. As a result, Dot probably didn't get any blood pressure medication last night.

Today was just a typical day of weekend errands, but it seemed busier than usual. Janet had an event to go to, so it was harder to keep track of what both dogs were doing at any given moment. Dot seemed to be having a little trouble with the heat. She doesn't do well in warm weather and the temperature reached over 80 degrees this afternoon. Maybe the slightly labored breathing and the meal she threw up last night are connected somehow. Lots of laundry today. I was talking with a client on the phone when Dot decided to poop in the house again. I think this was the third time today. She wasn't on a protected surface this time and there wasn't much I could do. Just something else to clean up after the call was completed.

Dash has to go back to the cancer center for a recheck on Monday. Nobody mentioned this to me when he was released from the hospital. We just happened to notice an obscure sentence mentioning a recheck when we were reading his discharge summary this morning. I called to confirm and sure enough, he needs to go back for a few follow up tests. I'm dreading this. Dash is a terrible passenger in the car. Whenever I'm taking him home from a vet appointment, I'm hoping that he'll miraculously stay healthy for the rest of his life and I'll never have to transport him in a car again. Traveling with Dash is nerve wracking to say the least.

I wish the dogs weren't so restless in the evenings. Dash gets nervous when Janet isn't around at night and paces around at the front door waiting. This activity gets Dot agitated and she wants to get up too. I think I've taken Dot outside ten times this evening and she still hasn't peed. I'm still cleaning up poop though. Evidently, she kept dropping little plops throughout the house after I got her up to clean up her blankets.

I hope tomorrow's photo shoot goes smoothly. After the pre-light check yesterday, I thought this thing was going to be a piece of cake. Now I'm hearing that there will be lots of costume and hairstyle changes. There have already been changes to the set as well. This could take a very long time. I need to remember to be courteous and not say anything snarky. It sounds like everybody wants to improvise and improvisation is definitely not my cup of tea. At least Janet will be home with the dogs tomorrow and I won't have to worry about that.

It's almost time to give the dogs their evening meds. I hate to wake them up, since they've finally calmed down after a long evening of restlessness and are both sleeping peacefully. I guess it wouldn't hurt to let them sleep another hour. This is the first quiet time I've had all day.

Lady Gogh is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2615

When I was driving to breakfast this morning, I noticed that a popular restaurant I used to frequent had gone out of business. The sign was down. The furniture was gone. And there was a large For Lease sign in front of the building. There's got to be a story behind this sudden departure, but I'll probably never know the details. I was sad to see the restaurant go out of business. I hope I didn't contribute to the demise of this place. The owners were good people. I quit eating here because the food quality declined. Maybe the chef quit or the place changed ownership. Whatever happened, it was apparent that somebody was trying to cut corners by using inferior ingredients. You can never assume that customers will never know the difference. I think customers always know the difference.

I was nervous about leaving the dogs this afternoon, but everything worked out fine. It took longer than I thought to get the set ready for Sunday's photo shoot, but it was actually kind of enjoyable talking with the other photographer who was working with me. This guy was near the beginning of his career while I was near the end of mine, but we still found plenty to talk about. I enjoy talking shop. We talked about lighting techniques and the types of gear we preferred and never mentioned politics at all. I was skeptical about the client's idea at first, but I now think it will work. I still might not understand the concept, but the photo will be pretty.

I had hoped that Dot would still be asleep when I returned, but she was standing up and barking instead. A quick glance revealed that she had not peed or pooped in her bed, so I quickly unlocked the back door and immediately took her outside. I brought her inside after she peed and wandered around for a bit, and then she promptly pooped on a rug in the dining room. Oh, well. I was expecting a mess this afternoon, and I got one.

Dash continues to improve. The wobbling walk and uncertain gait was almost unnoticeable. By the time he finishes his Prednisone tablets, he should be back to normal. The dogs were actually pretty good today. I had some rugs and blankets to wash this afternoon because we didn't make it this morning on our daily mad dash to the back door. It was my fault that we didn't make it. Dot and I woke up about the same time and I had to pee too. I need to remember that her needs have to come first. In theory, I should be able to hold it for a while, but when you first wake up it doesn't seem that way.

There was a penumbral eclipse of the moon tonight. I caught the tail end of it when I was taking Dot out to pee after dinner. I should have gone outside a little earlier, since mid-eclipse was right after sunset, but I don't think I missed much. A penumbral eclipse is pretty subtle. The moon doesn't disappear or turn red; it just gets a little darker. A comet is supposed to be viable later tonight as well. I think I'll skip this one. It doesn't come into view until 3 AM and you need binoculars and a dark, clear sky to see it anyway.

This weekend should be busy. Janet has a Dalmatian Rescue event tomorrow and I've got the photo shoot on Sunday. Hopefully, the dogs will cooperate. I won't be able to go to the gym this week, but I have a feeling that I'll get plenty of exercise anyway.

Landry is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2614

I think the high point of the day was discovering a new kind of cheese in the refrigerator. It was that kind of day. I'll have to admit that there was a mild bit of drama early this morning when Dash and I encountered a coyote in our path on our morning walk. Dash is often terrified of loose dogs, but he was too busy looking for nasty things to eat in the grass to notice the coyote up ahead. I didn't want to take chances, so we made a wide detour to stay out of the coyote's way. The encounter ended peacefully, but I'm still nervous about the growing number of coyotes in the neighborhood.

Dash seemed steadier on his feet today. He seems to be getting his balance back, just like the doctor predicted. Dot seems to be having fewer episodes of urinary incontinence too. I have to remember to take her outside frequently, but if I do my part, she is trying to do hers. We still have to deal with pooping in the house, but at least a small sense of normalcy is returning.

I'm trying to stay engaged, but my mind feels a bit numb. I rarely get excited or mad anymore. There isn't much of an agenda. I just try to focus on what needs to be done at the moment. I gathered up all the trash for tomorrow morning's garbage pickup and compressed it so it would fit in the garbage can. I really miss the days when the trash truck came twice a week. Little things like this define my day. I was pleased that the strawberries still looked good when I made my morning smoothie, but was disappointed that the bananas are starting to go bad. It's hard to buy fruit a week in advance. It's even harder to watch the news. I turned off the television midway through breakfast because all the political rancor just doesn't interest me anymore.

I took Dot on her afternoon walk right after lunch today, in hopes that she would get tired and take a nice nap when we returned. This experiment didn't work at all. Dot seemed energized by the unexpected walk and spent the rest of the afternoon barking to get my attention. When it was time for Dash's walk, Dot let me know that she wasn't happy. She didn't want to be left behind. I was hoping that a new schedule might give me more time to work in the afternoon, but it wasn't meant to be. I may just have to accept the fact that I'm not going to get much done in the afternoon for a while. It's actually very good when Dot is active, so I need to do my best to be supportive.

I figured out a way to sync all my working fitness bands to the same account. Now, if I want to wear a different band for some reason, my step count will continue uninterrupted. I tried to give the extra fitness bands to Janet, but her wrist was too small and they didn't fit. I think I've become addicted to tracking things. The combination of a smart watch, an activity tracker, and a WiFi scale that measures body composition gives me the ability to track quite a few things. It all leaves me wanting more. I've got my eye on a WiFi blood pressure monitor and a little wireless device that monitors your blood sugar. You'd think I might be a hypochondriac, but I have no interest in going to the doctor. This technology just seems fascinating to me.

I hope the dress rehearsal for this weekend's photo shoot goes smoothly tomorrow. I'd really like to get this done quickly, because Dot is certain to poop in her enclosure if I'm gone too long. I'm not as worried about Dash as I was a few days ago. He doesn't seem like he's going to have another seizure. Nevertheless, if I'm gone all afternoon, I'm just asking for trouble. Clients just don't understand how difficult it is for me to leave the house. I'm getting tired of explaining too. Maybe it's just time to retire.

Jazz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2613

Good grief Firefox. Quit telling me that Google is a suspicious site and refusing to let me log into my Blogger account. You're confused buddy. Sometimes I get so sick of SSL Server Certificates, encrypted websites, anti-virus software, and e-mail spam that I want to scream. Developers have made things so complicated in their ongoing efforts to thwart the hackers and spammers that my browser doesn't even work half the time. I really miss the old days when only a few geeks with dial up modems used the Internet and security was totally unnecessary. I was eventually able to access my Blogger account or you wouldn't be reading this, but why does it always have to be such a hassle?

It's hard to tell whether the world has become more complicated or if I have just become less tolerant. All I know is that even easy things seem hard these days. Traffic is horrendous. You can never reach anyone the phone anymore. Cable TV is an expensive joke. My U-verse service is always freezing or crashing. All my voicemail is from telemarketers. I don't think I can make it through a single day without rebooting something to bring it back to life. Right now my phone says "No SIM card installed" when I know perfectly well that there is a working SIM card inside. One more thing to reboot.

Maybe if the rest of the world worked smoothly, it would be easier for me to deal with the dogs. I'm continually stepping in dog poop in the back yard and cleaning it up indoors after Dot has made a mess. The washing machine seems to be running continuously now. I've gotten used to helping Dot walk, but now I've got to worry that Dash will fall as well. He's recovering from the massive cluster of seizures he experienced recently, but he's still pretty shaky. Often, when he lifts his leg to pee outdoors, it will throw him off balance and he will stumble. Dash's energy is returning a lot faster than his sense of balance. I have to be real careful when I take him on walks. The doctor says he should be back to normal in about three weeks, but it is going to be a long three weeks.

I've gotten Dash to eat dry food again. That's a good sign. Dot's urinary incontinence has stabilized a bit as well. If I take her outside every three hours, she seldom pees in the house anymore. I hate to wake her up when she's sleeping, but I hate for her to sleep in a puddle of pee either. Dash still tries to climb on the bed even though he's not ready yet. I'm trying to train him to sleep on the floor, but that's a work in progress. Basically, life is still a three ring circus.

I've been caring for sick dogs for so long now that I've almost completely forgotten what a normal life is like. I'm not complaining, but the combination of extended isolation, stress, and sleep deprivation can't be good for me. I'm actually getting pretty good at this, but I would definitely not pick nursing as a career choice. If you're a nurse, you have my admiration. It's much easier to be a writer.

I had a few small website updates to complete today, but it was just as well that I wasn't busy. Dot was restless all afternoon and it was hard to concentrate. I think I'm coming down with a cold too. I was taking Dot outside to clean her off this afternoon when I really had to sneeze. I wanted to reach for a Kleenex in my pocket, but realized that I still had poop on my hands. Such is life.

I wish it was Friday tomorrow. No, scratch that. I just remembered that I have to do a run through for this weekend's baffling photo shoot on Friday. I'd rather just have a nice breakfast and go back to bed.

Taylor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2612

Today was a three ring circus. Dash still has balance problems and was walking around like a drunken sailor. Occasionally, when he would lift his leg to pee in the yard, it would throw him off balance and he would fall over. If I hadn't been warned to expect this for the next several weeks while Dash was recovering, I would have been very alarmed. Dot continues to pee and poop without warning, so it was hard to decide which dog to focus my attention on. To make matters worse, Dash refused to eat this morning. I called the cancer center to see if this was a medical issue and they suspected that he had just gotten spoiled while he was at the hospital, since they fed him wet dog food instead of dry kibble. That sounded a lot like Dash. I mixed a little wet food with the dry and he gobbled it up.

As the day wore on, Dash seemed to regain his balance a bit and by dinner time he was eager to take a walk. He was a little too eager actually, because he was still a bit wobbly. Eventually, he settled into a rhythm where he could keep his balance and by the time we returned home, he was starting to seem like a normal dog again. Of course Dot had pooped while we were gone, so there was a mess to clean up. It's going to be a very long two or three weeks.

I made a quick trip to the bank after breakfast, but basically just stayed around the house all day because I wasn't sure what Dash was going to do. He still insists on sleeping on the bed, even though he would be much safer on the floor. I made a step at the foot of the bed to make it easier for him to get up and down, but he still doesn't know how to use it yet. At least Dot has finally given up on climbing in the bed. Life would really be a mess if she was as stubborn as Dash.

The photo shoot I'm involved with this weekend seems to grow more complicated by the day. Now, somebody else wants to light the set. That's OK I guess, although I'm much more comfortable using my own equipment. The person I thought was going to be a stylist turns out to be one of the models instead. I have a feeling that everyone knows what's going on except for me. I've probably missed a few meetings on this job, but in my defense, I didn't ask to do this. I used to be great at pulling a rabbit out of a hat. We'll see if I've still got what it takes on Sunday.

The temperature was over 80 degrees today. I had the air conditioner on for most of the day to keep Dot from getting overheated. Is this really February? It's kind of unreal how the temperature keeps bouncing around. I can remember several years where it was snowing in early February. I know that Dot likes it cooler, but I'll take the unusually warm weather any time I can get it. It's certainly easier to clean soiled rugs in this weather.

I definitely need to get out more. I'm starting to run out of things to photograph for the blog. We don't take long walks anymore and I rarely leave the house. I keep looking for something new on the well worn path that Dash and I follow each afternoon, but it's rare to even see a bug at this time of year. I'll be glad when things start to bloom again.

Stortz is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2611

Dash was released from the hospital today. He's still a little shaky, but he is much better than when we visited him on Saturday. Dash has never traveled well in the car and I definitely shouldn't have agreed to pick him up during the evening rush hour. It was a stressful drive home to say the least. Dash was causing such a commotion that I figured if he didn't have another stroke on the way home, he was cured. I still don't have a clear idea what caused the seizures. Three highly regarded specialists examined him during his stay at the cancer center and each had a slightly different opinion. Does Dash have vestibular disease? Did high blood pressure cause a capillary to burst in his cerebellum? Were these seizures new or have there been subtle signs that this was about to happen for a long, long time? We may never know the answer.

Dash came home with a big bag of meds.  Admittedly, some of these pills were the same ones he was already taking when he was admitted to the hospital, but it was still a bit sobering to see how much medication he needs to take every day. Hopefully, we'll never get these pills mixed up with the ones Dot needs to take, or with my own. Our kitchen is already starting to look like a pharmacy. Dash needs to stay calm for the next couple of weeks. That's a tall order to say the least. I couldn't even keep him calm on the way home from the hospital this evening.

I haven't been asked to do a complicated photo shoot for quite some time, but that's about to change. I was on the phone this afternoon, trying to work out the logistics for a photo session this weekend that involves teenagers, dogs in costumes, and a leftover set from Erykah Badu's latest music video. I kept trying to tell my client that I was getting too old for this sort of thing, but she kept insisting that she had faith in me and wanted me to do the job. Janet says she'll watch the dogs while I'm gone, so I guess the shoot is a go, whether I'm ready or not.

I finally got all the rugs cleaned that Dot peed on the other day. Every time I complete this task I feel a bit like Sisyphus, eternally pushing the rock up the hill. I know that within a day or two, I'll have to repeat the whole process all over again. I'm still trying to figure out how my complicated routine is going to change, now that Dash needs extra attention. If Dash would just stay calm, my job would be a lot easier, but calm is not a word you would normally associate with Dash. For most of his life, he has been high strung and nervous. Along with all his other problems, we discovered today on one of the new scans that Dash has an enlarged heart. I always knew he had a heart murmur, but there was no reason to assume that he automatically had heart disease. We rescued Dash and will never know his entire history, but I'm willing to bet he was a puppy mill dog. He has way too many health issues.

Dash was quite excited and very happy to be home this evening, but he wouldn't eat his dinner. I'll need to call the cancer center in the morning and find out what they were feeding him. Apparently, his appetite was quite good while he was away. Dash has always been a finicky eater. If he's decided he likes something new, it's going to be hell getting him to eat his old food again. Of course, I may be overthinking things. Dash could easily gobble down the same food he rejected tonight when we feed the dogs breakfast tomorrow morning.

I hope we all get a good night's sleep tonight. Dot seems happy that Dash has returned and our high strung boy has finally calmed down and is taking a nap on the bed. I'm more than ready for life to return to some semblance of normality. Picking up poop in the house is no big deal, but having two dogs that might drop dead at any minute is a bit stressful.

Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2610 - Superbowl Sunday

Well, that was a pretty amazing game. I was rooting for the Falcons at first. By halftime, the game seemed like such a mismatch that I almost quit watching. The fourth quarter made me change sides and start rooting for the Patriots. With a comeback like this, they deserved to win. By the time the game was over, I had to admit that this game was almost as exciting at the Clemson Alabama National Championship game last month where the Clemson Tigers won with one second on the clock. Superbowl 51 was one for the record books. Tom Brady now has more Superbowl wins than any quarterback in history. It was the first Superbowl that went into overtime. Even Lady Gaga put on a good show and didn't ruin things with a political rant.

The only disappointment was the commercials.  I've always loved watching Superbowl commercials. They usually represent the very best that the ad agency folks can come up with. This year the commercials were terrible.The current crop of creative folks apparently have little understanding of humor and irony. You could tell that some companies spent a lot of money, but the money was largely wasted. An hour after the game was over, I couldn't begin to tell you what anybody was selling. I do remember an unbelievable fourth quarter performance by the Patriots and a great Superbowl meal. Not a bad way to end the day.

The day started well too. When Dash's doctor called us this morning with an update on his condition, she seemed very upbeat and encouraging. She said that Dash seemed about 40% better than he did the day before. I don't know how they can quantify how Dash is feeling so exactly, but I'll take 40% any day. They are thinking now that high blood pressure might have triggered the massive cluster of seizures that Dash experienced early Thursday morning. Dash had been taking blood pressure medication and we thought his blood pressure was controlled, but apparently it was still too high and may have ruptured capillaries in his brain. Dash seems to be responding well to a change in blood pressure medication, so hopefully any damage he sustained in his cerebellum won't be permanent. The doctors still aren't entirely sure if the seizures were caused by a vestibular event or cerebellar degeneration. Either way it is pretty serious.

I failed to get Dot out of the house this morning before she peed. We are still washing rugs many hours later. Weekends are always the hardest, because we don't keep the rigorous schedule we do on workdays. Other than peeing in the house, Dot had a good day though. She seemed a bit stronger than she did yesterday.

My day wasn't bad either. I was really encouraged to hear that Dash is finally improving a bit. The weather was nice too. The temperature is up above 70 again. I can never figure out Texas weather. Yesterday I was wearing a heavy winter coat and today I'm wearing shorts. Instead of taking advantage of the nice weather, I stayed inside and went to the gym. On the way to the gym, I stopped at the Superbowl Sale I was telling you about yesterday and got a pair of pants and a shirt for 75% off. I don't need pants, but I do like a deal.

I hope Dash can come home with us tomorrow. We miss the little guy. I'm sure things will be different now because it might take months for Dash to make a full recovery. We'll manage somehow. It will be more important than ever to take things one day at a time.

Zorro is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2609

Dash is not much better than he was yesterday. The doctor sounded a little disappointed when he called us this morning. Dash is still unsteady on his feet and has some coordination problems when eating. They were worried that his blood pressure is still too high, even though he has been taking blood pressure medication for quite some time. The good news is that he has experienced no further seizures. During the weekend Dash will undergo further tests at the hospital to see if it is possible to pin down the cause of his seizures. Even though vestibular disease is still the primary suspect, the doctors are now investigating whether he might have had a stroke. Evidently the symptoms associated with idiopathic vestibular disease and a degeneration of the cerebellum in the brain can be remarkably similar. I did a little research myself and discovered the vestibular and cerebellar degeneration are often misdiagnosed in humans. Even an MRI is not conclusive.

It's kind of scary to realize that serious problems are not always easy to fix. High blood pressure can definitely cause problems in the brain. I know this from experience. Before I got my own blood pressure under control, I experienced several TIA ministrokes. Luckily, this temporary lack of blood flow to the brain doesn't cause permanent damage, but it was quite sobering to have a neurologist tell me what could have happened. It's too bad that dogs can't talk. A neurological exam mostly consists of the doctor asking you questions. Without the ability to accurately describe how you are feeling, diagnosis can be quite difficult.

One thing I learned today is that vestibular problems can often result from an earlier injury to the head or neck. Bingo. Many years ago, Dash was attacked and severely injured by an aggressive loose dog in the park. The large dog bit him in the neck and wouldn't turn loose. It took months for Dash to fully recover from this injury and he probably would have died if I hadn't been able to get him to a veterinarian for surgery very quickly. All the problems he's having now may be the long term result of this old injury.

Hopefully, Dash will show further improvement tomorrow. We can't visit him at the hospital on Sundays, but the doctor will call and give us a progress report. I wish she could tell Dot that everything is going to be OK. I am already noticing changes in Dot's behavior. You can tell that she misses having Dash around. She was extra needy today. I tried to vacuum the house, but every five minutes Dot would bark and demand some attention. I never ignore these barks, because I've learned that very often she's trying to tell me that she needs to pee. I did eventually get the house cleaned, but it took me all afternoon.

Sometimes I wonder why dogs are sick so often, but it is mostly because their lifespan is so compressed. I recently stumbled across one of those online calculators that converts dog years into human years. According to this website, Dot is now 120 years old. That can't possible be right, but Dot is a very old dog. If I'm lucky enough to live as long as she has in dog years, I"m sure I'll have a multitude of health problems. My Dad was healthy as a horse until his 75th birthday and then everything began falling apart quite rapidly. The guy who hardly ever had to go to the doctor eventually succumbed to prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration and dementia. 

Tomorrow we'll have our Superbowl dinner for the second week in a row. This time I think we've got the date right. I may go to the annual Superbowl sale at my favorite menswear store. I don't wear dress clothes anymore, but these guys used to be a client and the special one day 75% off sale is a long standing tradition. I'll probably go to the gym as well. It's been a long, tough week. Maybe a good workout will get rid of some of the stress I've been feeling.

Duke is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2608

I got a call shortly after breakfast updating me on Dash's condition. The doctor was cautiously optimistic. Dash didn't have any additional seizures last night and is now able to stand up on his own. He still shows signs of vertigo or dizziness and takes very tentative, cautious steps. There is also still some involuntarily eye movement. He isn't out of the woods yet, and he'll be staying in the hospital at least one additional day. I went to visit later in the day and I have to agree with the doctor's assessment. Dash is still very shaky. They let me take him outside to pee and he was still turning his head from side to side occasionally and seemed uncertain about walking. I was glad he was wearing his service dog harness, because I needed to hold onto the handle on top to steady him. Even though I was disappointed that he couldn't come home today, Dash was still much better than when we admitted him to the hospital yesterday. I have a feeling that he'll be staying at the hospital over the weekend. He receives excellent care at the cancer center and it isn't worth the risk of a relapse on Superbowl Weekend, when it would be hard to get him readmitted to an emergency facility.

The house is very quiet without Dash. Dot depends on Dash for stimulus and sleeps even longer when he's not around. Our routine seemed different today. Dot still needs to go outside every three hours to avoid peeing in the house, but it was harder to wake her up and get her upright and walking. It is obvious that Dash is an integral part of Dot's therapy. He's the one who reminds her that she's still a dog. They eat their meals together. They smell things in the yard together. Occasional they even sleep together on the floor, although Dash still prefers to sleep in our bed. I think Dot might have given up months ago, without Dash around to keep her stimulated.

I really hope that Dash can make a full recovery. He's too young to spend the rest of his life with a debilitating disease. It would also be incredibly difficult to have two dogs who couldn't stand up and walk on their own. The thought of having to get Dash fitted for a Help 'Em Up Harness and support his rear legs while I was doing the same thing for Dot boggles my mind. I have a hard enough time getting through the day with one disabled dog. I'm going to be optimistic though. Dash has a fantastic doctor and he is definitely making progress.

I went to breakfast much later than usual this morning and was surprised to see that the restaurant was packed. Apparently the place is a hangout for slackers. I usually arrive around 7 AM and thought the half dozen customers I saw were the only ones who shared my love for the place. At 9:30 AM it's an entirely different story. I had trouble even finding a seat today.

I guess I was kind of a slacker myself today. I didn't do anything very productive. My iPhone case had a crack in it after I dropped the phone last month, so I attempted to fix it. I was able to successfully repair the case with Superglue without gluing my fingers together. Yay. Successful Superglue repairs are a rarity in this house.  I almost always manage to spill some of the nasty stuff on my skin.

The REI store gave me a gift card the last time I bought something there. The catch was that I had to use it before February 4. I stopped by the store on the way to visit Dash and got a clever little camping lantern that doubles as a USB charger for your phone or tablet. I don't know why I am so attracted to camping gear, since I have never been fond of camping. Maybe I just want to be well prepared for the apocalypse.

Casey is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2607

Poor Dash. He had a massive cluster of seizures last night that quickly became a medical emergency. By the time I was able to get him to the vet, he was unable to walk. We debated whether to drive him to an emergency vet while he was having a seizure last night, or try and keep him as calm as possible and take him to his regular vet when they opened the next morning. Since each seizure seemed a little less severe than the previous one, we decided to wait. Eventually, the seizures subsided. Dash went to sleep and started breathing calmly again. We didn't discover that he was unable to walk until the next morning.

I carried Dash into the veterinary clinic at 7 AM this morning, hoping that the doctors could quickly stabilize his condition. It wasn't meant to be. It quickly became obvious that he needed to see a specialist. It wasn't clear at all that he was having an epileptic seizure. He could have had a stroke, be suffering from a brain tumor, have vestibular disease, or even have encephalitis. It is not easy to diagnose any of these conditions. You have to go through a process of elimination, evaluating for the most likely condition first, and then go on to the next condition if the tests aren't conclusive. To figure out what was going on, Dash needed a brain scan. There was a chance that he would need a spinal tap as well. I could take him to the regional neurology center 35 miles north of us and get an MRI tomorrow morning, or take him to the cancer center and get a CAT scan today. The second option seemed better, even though an MRI provides a superior image of the brain. Dash is well known at the cancer center and he would be seeing doctors who are very familiar with his condition.

I think I made the right decision. The oncologists and internal medicine specialists at the cancer center are among the best in the country. Whenever I take one of my dogs to this place I see people in the lobby who have traveled with their dogs from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and even further to see one of these doctors. We are very lucky to have some of the best specialty care for dogs in the entire country right here in Dallas.

So far, so good. The initial CAT scan showed that there were no lesions or tumors in his brain. It doesn't look like there is an inner ear infection either. Since Dash is not showing symptoms usually associated with Encephalitis, his doctors think it is likely that he has idiopathic vestibular disease. This condition is often called old dog vestibular syndrome, for obvious reasons. Young dogs rarely have these problems. Dash is spending the night at the cancer center's ICU, receiving steroids and anti-nausea medication in an IV drip to reduce the inflammation in his brain and help control the severe nausea that makes it difficult for him to stand. Hopefully, we will see some improvement in his condition when we check with his medical team in the morning.

Keep in mind that while all this is going on, Dot is still sitting at home, unable to do much of anything. I spent the day going back and forth, trying my best to monitor the condition of both dogs. It has been a very long day. Janet and I got virtually no sleep last night. Trying to arrange for emergency care and sophisticated imaging in a city full of sick dogs wasn't easy either. As bad as Dash's condition was, there were other dogs with even worse problems. While I was at Dash's regular vet this morning, a family came in carrying a dog that had just been run over by a car. They were all crying. The injured dog was their family pet. Even though the vets tried their best to save it, the dog died on the operating table. Later at the cancer center, I visited with people who had driven their dogs over 500 miles just to see the oncologist. One lady told me she made this long trip every single week.

We made it through the day. Dot is resting now. I hope Dash is resting too. Life is definitely full of surprises. I never dreamed that I would wake up one morning and find that Dot was the healthy dog. With all her incontinence problems and severe mobility issues, Dot is still in better shape than Dash right now. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I will go to bed tonight knowing that I did the best that I could today.

Jasper is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2606

Things are getting difficult. It's getting harder and harder to get Dot up in the morning. She used to wake up when the alarm went off and we all started getting ready to start the day. Now, nothing seems to wake her. I have to find a strong smelling dog treat and put it near her nose to wake her up and then gently try to coax her into a sitting position. I always make sure the back door is already open before I lift her to a standing position to guide her outdoors to pee. She still enjoys her breakfast, once she is fully awake, but she is definitely slowing down.

One sick dog is bad enough, but now Dash is a worry as well. He had two more mild seizures today. He was fine when I took him to the vet early in the morning to repeat the blood work for his phenobarbital test. Later in the day I heard a thud in the bedroom and discovered him sitting on the floor, looking completely disoriented. Like his earlier seizures, he was moving his head back and forth. I tried to get a quick video that showed his eye movement while he was undergoing the seizure, but his head was moving too much to keep the camera in focus. I stayed with him until the episode passed and then he was fine until late in the day. A second minor episode occurred while he was walking toward the kitchen while I was fixing his dinner. He didn't fall this time, but just appeared dizzy.

I feel kind of helpless at this point. We can't really do anything until the test results come in. Until we know whether this is epilepsy, vestibular disease, or something much worse like the beginning of encephalitis, it is pointless to begin any sort of treatment. I hope we can find out what is going on soon. I hate to see Dash this way. I have a feeling the the odd behavior I've being seeing on our walks for the past several months is related to these new seizures, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

Our next door neighbors were having a large tree cut down in their yard today. The sound of chain saws and falling tree limbs was so loud that it was difficult to think. The tree trimming crew has been taking this tree down for three days now and hopefully they are finally finished. I didn't think anything could be louder than the chain saws until I heard the noise of the machine they used to grind up the roots. Maybe all the noise and commotion next door triggered one of Dash's seizures. I have no way of knowing,  but the noise certainly irritated me.

I changed anti-virus software today. I was growing frustrated with the auto-renewal policy of the software I've been using for the past three years. They lock you into a subscription and then keep raising their rates year after year. Enough of that. Trying something new turned out to be not as easy as I thought. The first application I downloaded crashed on launch and I never could get it running at all. The second application works fine, but it spends so much time checking things that it slows the entire computer down. I may have to try something else after I figure out how to remove the first two applications completely from my system. Life was much simpler when you didn't need virus checkers at all.

I hope both dogs have a good day tomorrow. Today was stressful. I always thought that Dash would stay healthy while I was dealing with Dot. but like the song says, you can't always get what you want...

Myles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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