Monday, November 7, 2016

Monday, November 7, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2005. Mattie was three years old and why I snapped this photo was because Mattie was pretending to be a bridge. He wanted his lego truck that he built to go underneath him. Mattie was patiently waiting for me to push the truck under him, but before I did this, I captured the moment in time. Also notice the stairs. Mattie used to line his shoes on the stairs. Some people have a mud room, a closet, or a cubbie for shoes. Mattie preferred having them lined up so he could select the shoes he wanted before leaving home. 


Quote of the day: If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life. ~  Roger A. Caras

Sunny had his second round of immiticide today. Immiticide is an arsenic-containing compound used to kill immature (4+ month old) and adult heartworms in dogs. Given intramuscularly deep in the lumbar (back) muscle. 

When we adopted Sunny we knew he was a heart worm positive dog. This alone would be a deal breaker for some adopting parents, but given I was told it was treatable, I was willing to manage it. But the treatments are extensive and painful.

I dropped Sunny off at the vet at 8am and then picked him up at 5:30. It is a full day production, because after the shot, Sunny needs to be monitored all day. He is also on anti-inflammatories and pain meds. However, Sunny is not easy to give oral meds to. He is very clever, and spits out the pill, regardless of what treat you put it in. At the vet's office, they shoved the pill down his throat.... I on the other hand am neither that skilled or comfortable to do this! 

Sunny literally took to bed and was watching TV when I brought him home!

The trip to the shelter's vet is one for the books. This morning, it was a 90 minute round trip adventure, but this afternoon, it took me 90 minutes to get to the vet and an hour to get home! If the shelter wasn't paying for this costly treatment, I would be going to our local vet. 

We received our first mailed candy donation from NEW YORK.... thank you Cara. Cara is a leader in the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Educational Specialists, and we are honored to have her as a friend and supporter. 

Cara knows how much I love cardinals, and that when I see one, I view it as a visit from Mattie. So now Cara has given me my own glass cardinal, which is attached to my living room window. Mattie loved our living room window, and in fact, I still have several of Mattie's ornaments and items that he created attached to the window. So the cardinal is in good company.