Dog update

Ellie's back is back to normal :-) and she is doing well.

A's visit was much fun and we did lots of things including geocaching.

We took Sophie yesterday afternoon to have her blood sugar checked. It was in the acceptable range and that's one month down off of the six we have to wait with stable blood sugar before we can take her to a vet regarding cataract surgery. He will check to see if she has any sight behind the cataracts and maybe do surgery on only one eye. Her eyes are still reacting when they shine a light to check, so there is just the smallest, tiny little possibility that something can be done to give her just a little bit of sight. That would be the most wonderful thing and is what I am praying will happen for her. I guess there is nothing to do but give shots, feed her the proper diet and wait.

This morning when I went out with Sophie and Zippy to walk around the yard she apparently smelled a squirrel or something and went blazing out like she could see. First off she fell on the steps and ran into about 5 trees (which is unusual, except she was going so fast) in the first 30 seconds while I was trying to put on my shoes and yelling, stop, wait, careful... Sometimes it makes me look at all three of them like they can't see and I'm wanting to say to Zippy, wait, stop when he comes close to something. Oy!

We bought a new camera over the weekend and I tried it out. I looked at the pics on the tv but haven't downloaded them yet. We tried 2 on the internal memory first and downloaded them straight to my pictures just using the USB cord and not putting crazy software on the computer. Yay!

I pulled up some small bushes and little sweet gum trees with the quad yesterday and hauled that out back. I have a bundle of branches started and I need to tie it up for garbage pick up. I also need to spray the season long (ha!) weedkiller by the stepping stones, etc. It's a beautiful day and the temperature is just perfect for doing things like this. I just have to get up and get going and this isn't getting it done.

Ellie Mae's turn

Just when we think we have Sophie's blood sugar level under control with insulin, and kind of settled down with dog stuff, then yesterday morning Ellie Mae had trouble getting up and walking. We had some pain pills left from the spring when Sophie had a surgery so we gave her one and that seemed to help. Called the vet & got a 3 p.m. appointment and gave her another pill about 45 min. before it was time to load up and go.

We made it there okay and managed to get her out of the van. She stood for a while in the waiting room, laid down and then it was too painful for her to get up. The vet just sedated here right there and they took her on a stretcher for x-rays. The problem is with a couple of vertebra in her back. She got a shot and some pills for a.m. and takes a pain pill at night for a week. They carried her to the van in a stretcher and she was beginning to wake up. We left the doors open and she stayed in the van for an hr. or more after we got home while she was still getting awake. He thought she would be worse today, but actually she seemed better. Tonight though she had trouble getting up and N. had to help her some to stand up.

We had help her multiple times yesterday, sometimes getting a towel under her and both of us lifting her. She weighed 62 lbs. yesterday. I had already been crawling around on the floor cleaning, etc. and then this lifting--ack of my back and my legs!

Our niece, A came today for a week's visit. Tonight we went to an art night and walked around to some of the shops and looked at the art work and there were bands and music. The weather was perfect, around 68 degrees but my legs and back are feeling it from the lifting and walking. Usually the walking doesn't bother me. Tomorrow there is a street fair in a near by town. More walking.

I haven't done anything in my art journal today, but I'm going to try to do something before I go to bed in a little while.