The Return of the Airplane Ear

Cosmo is finally e-collar free!

She got her stitches out yesterday. Doc said the incision healed very well and that everything inside the knee feels "wonderful." I like that word. Wonderful.

Oh, and we confirmed that the shaved patch on her back was for the epidural. Mystery solved!

Triple the fun

I've been to the vet each day for the past three days.

Cosmo developed a limp just before Thanksgiving. She was getting better, but then she just...plateaued. Got her checked on Tuesday and took her back for x-rays today. Turns out the poor pup has a torn ACL, so she goes in for surgery next week.

PeeWee the snot master had an appointment sandwiched in on Wednesday. More antibiotics for him, plus his kidney values were off, so he gets to go on K/D food now.

The joys of a fur family.

Gratitude

I have so many things to be thankful for today and every day.

I am so very appreciative of Great Plains SPCA and similar organizations that provide shelter to homeless pets without the looming euthanasia deadline.

TNR is catching on, so we will eventually be able to bring feral cat populations under control.

In addition to the shelter aspect, I'm so very thankful for GPSPCA's Hero Team for providing education and resources to the families of at-risk pets so they don't become homeless in the first place.

I have unending gratitude for the opportunity to foster sweet PeeWee. He has brought so much love into our lives.

And, of course, I am lucky to have an amazing, loving human, canine, and feline family to share my life with. Today and all days, I am most grateful for them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Perks!

Our October SCotM, Litho, was adopted yesterday.

Even better, she was adopted by some friends of mine so I *still* get to see her.

Happy happy!

Frazzled

Living with five pets is often like living in a house full of exceptionally gross toddlers:

Mike is hungry. Starbuck needs to go potty. Mike is hungry. Cosmo wants to play. PeeWee has a gunky nose. Mike is hungry. Cali is hitting! Starbuck is hungry. Mike pooped all over himself. Cali is taking stuff. Cosmo wants to play. Starbuck needs to go potty. Mike is hungry.

The Mike poop is underrepresented, there. It's probably about 1/3 of the time he either gets it on himself or steps in it and tracks it all over the bathroom. Spouse says it's like he's trying to teach us really crappy dance moves (yes, the Dad Jokes are strong with that one).

just imagine that second one created with poopy pawprints...yeah

There are definitely moments where I envy fur-free households. But then I come home and the dogs are so darn happy to see me they nearly wag their butts off. Or PeeWee curls up behind me in bed and his purr rumbles through my entire back. Or I see something like this

and I'm reminded to appreciate the love and companionship of my pets. Even as I'm scrubbing the bathroom floor for the fifth time in a week.

Perfectly Normal

me circa 1989

'Normal' has never been a word I've embraced. From my middle-school days as a straight-A nerd in heavy metal t-shirts to my love of power tools over flowers and jewelry, the word 'normal' has not been one that most would apply to my life. But when it comes to my animals' blood work, normal is exactly the word I want to hear.

We were surprised and pleased that as of his most recent tests, all of Mike's values are within normal ranges. It has been *years* since that has been the case. Though he has once again dropped some weight, he is still over 7 pounds and he seems to be more consistent. His day-to-day weight is staying in the 7 lb 5 oz  to 7 lb 6 oz range without the peaks and valleys we were seeing before.

I'm still not wearing makeup or painting my nails, and it's very unlikely you'll find me at a neighborhood Bunco party, but this consummate weirdo is finally learning to embrace normal. Within reason.

It's been swell...

BUT THE SWELLING'S GONE DOWN! Mike's leg is back to normal.

HOORAY!

Gratitude

I have many, many things to be thankful for. I have a roof over my head, plenty to eat, an amazing family, and my own copy of Fallout 4. (Seriously, there would be blood if we had to share. It would not be pretty)

Even as they wake me up in the middle of the night, decide to vomit right in the center of the floor, and get under my feet a thousand times per day (especially when I'm cooking. OMG), I am also so, so grateful for my fur family.