#I've had a couple prior vets

[pixiesbored]

I've had finicky brain worms [parasites] for like WEEKS on top of WEEKS over 141 and housing.

I'm talking housing like apartments. no missions, no work, coming home right. but NO.

the beginning of that, the preface.

finding a decent place, the pain of applying, the stress of them securing a apartment that will take them.

my head thoughts are absolutely rotting over the idea.

[doberbutts]

Hi jaz! I know u dont post docking/cropping disc horse on ur blog so if ur ok with it i was hoping u'd be ok answering this privately. Im really really not looking for discourse i was just very curious on what your particular stance on docking/cropping was. There are like obviously advantages and disadvantages for both that I've seen on your blog (from various opinions) but I've only irl met dob owners who are VERY against docking and cropping. Sometimes i see like u reblogged a post of a puppy with docked bandaged ears and i was like "huh! Interesting!" So way less of like a trying to start a discourse thing and more of like. Do you prefer docked or not docked? Do u support docking for any specific reason or not, like i know it used to be so they wouldn't get grabbed or something like that. Sorry if this sounds weird or super blunt im autistic and really terrible at wording things gently,, i've just seen both sides talked about and was wondering like what u thought as a professional dog trainer who's opinion I trust. Its more about personal curiosity than any discourse attempt but also also if u aren't comfortable discussing it at all then no pressure!! Like i dont wanna make u discuss something ur like "damn this is gonna be triggering to talk about" i never want to do that to u.

Thank u for taking the time to read :)

I'm actually fine posting this one publicly, only because I've stated it several times before on this very blog:

I do not give a fuck what other people do with their dogs as long as it is legal within their country and the owner is doing their best to be compassionate and fair to their animals. That can be interpreted whatever way anyone wants it to be.

In other words, someone who makes the decision to have their dog's ears cropped under the care of a vet or who purchases a dog with already cropped ears? Who gives a shit. Not me. Someone who takes a pair of scissors to their dog's ears at home? That person is an asshole and I hate them.

Very few doberman breeders in this country will allow a puppy to go home without cropping the ears or docking the tail. I am not sure if that puppy's breeder counts among them, as I have very little interest in purchasing a dog from her and thus don't know much about that part of her program. The pedigrees are simply not what I feel holds the future of the breed in terms of efforts for longevity combined with working ability, so I simply look elsewhere.

It is worth mentioning that the two fully natural dogs I have had, with one still living, come from countries in which the practice is either banned or so heavily restricted it may as well be banned. If someone is serious about wanting a fully natural doberman, most people will need to import.

I know of less than 10 breeders within this country who would allow the same thing, and of them I think I would only purchase from maybe 2 of them, and *both* of those people would only sell a fully natural dog to me because they know who I am. Someone unknown to them is still getting a cropped and docked dog.

For my own dogs, I avoid all potentially painful procedures that are not medically necessary. This does include cropping and docking, both of which are surgeries and all surgeries do have at least some pain associated with them. However I also don't spay or neuter my dogs for the same reason. When it becomes medically necessary, I will consider surgery. Until then, I will not. Thankfully, I was able to find someone who was willing to play ball with that, and that is why I have had a couple natural dogs. My dobermans prior to that were not, because I was not able to find someone, because they simply didn't exist in this country and I was a poor college kid unable to import.

[l--master-x--l]

Just a little update as far as content goes- Next year is reserved for designing and modeling two versions of Master X. World Eater X, which sounds exactly like what it is. Just a big beast in space that gobbles up planets and such. And Dark Master X, which is basically the "bad end" version of the one you know now. He's a lot more sinister looking and has a weird alien twist to him so I'm excited for that. Since he's too damn big I'd make World Eater X a world in vrc and Dark Master X will definitely be a new avatar! Since designing characters is a process for me(especially sonas), you won't see much on these two for a while but I know they're going to be very cool. My skills have improved greatly since my master x and god x models.

I'd also like to scribble up a couple of Master X's shapeshifted forms but not so much for modeling. I'll try to warm up to sharing more of my sketches and concept art but also more of my stories. There's a lot to this character that I just keep to myself. Prior to sharing Master X, I've just had a lot of troubles sharing my work publicly but I am feeling more comfortable now and think I can ramble about MMZ Imperium a bit. So less vrc screenshots, more fun stuff. As for other characters? Unsure yet. I have to put my full attention on art that will earn me money next year so I can't be playing around with personal art too much. But If I had to choose I'd make an Imperium version of Ciel. I need her to be a badass battle scarred war vet and not a child. That's all for now. Oh and feel free to leave me asks. I know I never get to them but I'll give it another try this time. tldr; More concept art. More stories. More Master X. Ask me about my fursona.

[inseparabiles]

So, TMI, but my dog died six days ago. A perfectly natural thing, he was 13 and had been on the downward swing for a year - we actually got a year more with him than initially expected, he was so poorly last year for no obvious reason that I was 100% expecting him to pass before fall. But he perked up again, had another good almost-a-year left in him. Even now, it wasn't a surprise in the slightest when he went; he'd started having accidents in the house to the point where I'd feed him on the porch so he had easy access to the lawn instead of having to feel embarrassed about pooping indoors, and just a couple days before his passing, he hit the "one last good day" and I just knew. The night he got sick, I actually woke up to him shaking away an itch and coughing and something in me just knew that was it for him, as if these two perfectly normal things weren't perfectly normal that night.

Alas, it was rough a rough one for me anyway. After spending his last 20 hours on a mattress on the floor with him, we had a vet visit at home to put him to sleep, and he was never in any significant pain or afraid, just tired. It was a good end for the goodest of boys.

After, I had a short cry, felt better and had a magnificent time going to the store and getting some fresh air, then had a HORRIBLE night sobbing ugly on the floor, after which I slept for nine hours like a baby. The next morning, I was fine, then wasn't, then was again, then wasn't, went to the store and felt like a bag of bricks. The next morning, didn't get out of bed for six hours, because everything was so fucking pointless and there's nothing to get up for anyway. I drank about one fifth of the amount I should have during this time and the idea of having fluids made me feel ill.

Now, for the past two days, I've been feeling perfectly fine. I keep jolting to some awareness of, god, where's the dog, did I forget him outside? Oh... right. But aside from that, I haven't felt any significant urge to fall off my feet and cry on the floor until I'm gagging. However, I'm now apparently unable to sleep entirely. Back to my old insomniac ways of not having more than 4 hours of sleep a night. As a bonus, my body has no idea whether it's supposed to be sleeping at night or in the morning. Prior to last Friday, my sleep cycle was around "sleep at 10 in the night", and now it's "sleep at 6 in the morning but still wake up as if I went to bed at 10 in the night". I have no idea how to fix this and frankly, I don't care enough to, I'm too tired, I'm too struggling to adjust to my new normal to bother with something as destined to fail as trying to negotiate with my sleep issues.

But it's very "convenient" that this hit exactly when I stopped showing symptoms emotionally. It's very interesting that this hit exactly when I started showing symptoms of dissociation - thinking I just "forgot" the dog, or "lost" the dog, when I can't see him in the house. Very curious, very interesting indeed. And very interesting that all of the above happened right when I gained access to my usual methods of coping with distress, which is video games; the past couple weeks, I've been nearly entirely gameless due to a broken video card.

Funny how these things "coincide".

In all seriousness, though, I'm proud of the grief work done in this house while we had access to it. We're long-time users of the Calm app, and it has been amazing during this time. Not only that, but despite being generally aversed to emotions, particularly strong emotions, and especially grief, guilt, and anger - we've truly felt all of these things very profoundly and allowed it to happen.

So, maybe when the feelings come back from the war, they'll be at least half-handled already.

Btw, if you have not had tragedy dropped on you before, grief does fuck you up in unexpected and physical ways. If you can’t sleep or sleep more than expected or have more or reduced appetite, or energy goes weird— your brain just had a bunch of emotions dropped on it and sometimes it reacts by hitting every button in your brain. It will pass. Just try to not get too frustrated with yourself.

It’s also fine if you feel normal. Grief literally hits everybody differently, and some people are made to be able to to keep the farm going the day after a death, and some of us turn into sleepless gargoyles and get really into trying to help, and some of us are just unspeakably sad. Grief is weird. Be kind to yourself.

[crittercrossing]

Katy Health Update

My old girl has been having a pretty rough time lately. It's hard to watch her go through this, especially knowing that not all of it is treatable, because some of her issues are simply from old age. I didn't know exactly how bad of shape she was in for a while, during the months last year and part of this year when I was unable to visit my family (with whom my dogs currently live). Once I was able to visit her regularly, I realized how drastically she has aged in the past couple of years—and discovered some additional health issues that I had no idea she had.

Katy was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when she was about five, and she's been dealing with general pain and stiffness for a while. The only treatment I had her on was daily carprofen for her joint pain. It helped a little bit, but she was still not even remotely in good shape. She was miserable most of the time. Most days, she couldn't stand up on her own. She could no longer walk up and down stairs--even the short flight of two steps to come in and out of the house. Even on small hills, she would often fall and be unable to pick herself up. I was devastated to see her like that. I was terrified that her time was running out, because I wasn't going to let her go on in that shape for much longer.

While visiting the dogs one day, I was brushing Katy when I noticed that her skin appeared to be red and irritated. Katy's fur is SO incredibly thick, and pretty much always has been. It was so thick that I couldn't really see what was going on with her skin, but I could tell it wasn't good. I decided to shave her—something that is often recommended against for collies, but I've shaved Katy a few times before, and her fur has always grown back normally. I was horrified to see that almost her entire body was covered in some kind of irritated rash, and she had hair loss in some spots. I guess the fur around those spots was so thick that I couldn't really tell, maybe? Once shaved, I could also tell that this mass that's been at the base of her tail for several years appeared to be bigger. This mass had been checked out by her vet. They didn't aspirate it or anything, so we didn't know what it was, but they said it probably wasn't anything bad, so they left it alone.

Additionally, Katy's seizures suddenly ramped up in frequency. She had always had maybe one or two seizures a year, and about half of them followed doses of Bravecto from years ago when she used to take it (it was not yet common knowledge that dogs with epilepsy shouldn't take chewable flea/tick preventatives, and prior vets had specifically recommended it for her). But for whatever reason, several months ago, Katy began having strange episodes that were almost certainly seizures multiple times a week. This went on in total for almost a month before we found out what was going on and started treating it. In these episodes, she would sometimes kick her back legs a little bit, but for the most part, she would lie completely motionless and be unresponsive for three to seven minutes at a time. Not even her eyes would move. My dad says that during one of these episodes, he held her by the neck and shoulders and gently shook her, and she didn't even seem to know she was being touched. Though Katy's prior seizures had always been the kind where she shook violently all over, I had a suspicion that these strange new episodes were seizures as well. And I was horrified about how often they were suddenly happening.

I felt like things had escalated so quickly, so I took her to the vet several times. In the first visit, we focused on getting her new episodes under control. The doctor confirmed my suspicion and said that it sounded like these were almost certainly seizures, and it was a really bad sign that they were suddenly happening that frequently. She was prescribed an antiepileptic medication to start immediately.

We ran blood work, which thankfully came back within normal limits on her CBC and other basic tests. Interestingly, her thyroid level was extremely low. Going into this, the doctor had said that one of the possible diagnoses for Katy was hypothyroidism, which would explain some her symptoms, such as lethargy, hair loss, and seizures. We ran an additional test to confirm the diagnosis, and indeed, Katy has pretty severe hypothyroidism. I had no idea. I never would have guessed. I keep thinking, what if Katy has had hypothyroidism for years? She's battled with skin issues and seizures for half her life, and I've never thought to have her thyroid levels checked before. I know "what-ifs" won't help anything here, but I can't help but wonder if her aging process could have been less miserable if, perhaps, she had been tested for this years ago. Katy started thyroid medication as well.

In addition, her skin issue was diagnosed as dermatitis that was being worsened by fleas. I've struggled for years with controlling fleas on Katy. The other two dogs stay on Bravecto year-round, which works wonders, but Katy came off of it years ago when I found out that epileptic dogs shouldn't take chewable preventatives. That leaves topical preventatives as the only option, and the vast majority of them don't really work on fleas in our area anymore. I treated Katy with them, but she always had fleas while the other two didn't. The doctor suggested a Seresto collar, which, in all honesty, I had forgotten those existed (plus, I didn't know anything about their safety in epileptic dogs until Katy's doctor recommended it). I got one of those for Katy, and so far, no one's seen a flea on her. Katy also got some prescription shampoo, and she gets bathed once or twice per week with it.

Once all the big things were under control, we started tackling the smaller pieces of Katy's Big Health Puzzle. The mass on her tail was finally aspirated, and it's a lipoma. It doesn't seem to be bothering her. As long as it continues to not bother her, I'm not going to put her through the stress of being sedated to remove it. She was also diagnosed with carpal hyperextension, which I thought she must have had. It wasn't until the doctor pointed it out that I thought to go back and compare photos of Katy's front legs from her early years versus now, and there is a very noticeable difference in how her wrists have held up over the years. She's also been battling an ear infection as of late, but I think that's finally clearing up after lots of ear cleaning and antibiotic drops.

It's now been about three months since all of this started, and for the first time in a long time, I feel mildly optimistic about the rest of Katy's time with us. I know she's extremely old, and she may not have a long time left here. She's feeling tremendously better than she was, but she is still very much struggling. I'm incredibly relieved to know that she's not completely miserable all the time, though. She can stand up on her own almost all the time now. She can handle stairs about half the time. She walks better. The other day, she looked like she felt the best she's felt in years, so we went on our first walk together in several years (we couldn't go for so long due to extreme challenges with my health, and then hers). It was wonderful.

All of this is bittersweet. I know it's coming. Though we went on a nice walk and she kept up a decent pace for her age, she still fell down once. Though she eats well and seems alert and seeks attention from her people, she still looks uncomfortable when she gets up and down. I know she's in some pain all the time, and I don't know that any medication can stop that. But for now, she is being adored and cherished. Her fur is growing back, as thick and as lovely as ever, and her skin is clearing up. She hasn't had a seizure since starting the antiepileptic. When I go over to visit her, she comes straight to me as soon as I come in the door, and she looks at me with the same soulful eyes she's always had. She wags her tail and smiles at me. I crouch down to her level since she can no longer jump up to mine, and she tries her best to knock me over, stand on top of me, and she presses her head into my chest and stands there, wagging.

I hope there are no major updates for a while. Katy deserves peace, love, and happiness in this stage of her life. I hope she knows how desperately I love her and how grateful I am to get to spend time with her now.

[pigeon-behavior]

Hello~ My 6 mo boy (DNA tested) is eating noticeably less in the last week or two: he eats about one tablespoon/day rather than 2/day like before (he's meal fed to curb the pickiness). He's fed Baden Fancy Mix. Also I've noticed that whereas he'd mostly ignore his grit before (VL all in one) in the few months I've had him, he's started eating a lot more in the last couple of weeks. He also seems to be expelling fewer, bigger poops lately too. I'm wondering if eating so much grit could be the explanation why he's eating less seeds? Should I offer grit only a few hours a day to encourage feeding? Is this a thing that's common or documented, or should I be worried? He had his post purchase vet exam (including fecals) about 3 months ago and was given a pristine bill of health. Thanks for the help!

Nothing is immediately jumping to my mind, but I'd like to gather a little more information here before giving up

1. Could you send me the guaranteed analysis from the back of your feed bag? I can find your feed online, but I CAN'T find any detailed information on it. I only need to know the protein, fiber, and fat content.

2. Did your boy recently finish molting? Or perhaps he has just begun molting? Components found in grit would be very useful in building his plumage.

3. Do you know and keep track of his weight? Depending on his size he's either eating way too little regular food or just like, a smidge too little.

I will say that I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if he had passed some hormone threshold where he is not growing as fast anymore, but other parts of him are maturing more. That 6 month molt is very standard and its very thorough - it changes their feather quality noticeably. Or he could just need it for some other invisible reason. Hard to say.

Personally I wouldn't freak out right away. It doesn't sound like he's acting strange otherwise. Keep an eye on him, but see if he's eating more in a week or two. If he isn't, I would go to the vet, just to be safe. But it's entirely possible he needs to fill up his mineral reservoir a little and he'll naturally return to his prior eating habits.

He may have been eating so much before due to a growth spurt, too. So again, knowing his weight would be helpful. Babies typically eat a LOT of food - significantly more than adults - and can even briefly outweigh their parents before they fly.

So no, I wouldn't call this previously recorded necessarily, but neither would I call it highly concerning either

[kogatism]

I hate to be so negative in a time like this. Pride month just started, and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to Summer. However, I received some Earth shattering news.

As you all know, I have a cat named Mickey. He's the light of my life, my sunshine, my angel, my everything. I've considered him a son since I've had him. That said, I haven't had him for long. About 5 years ago is when I brought him home. He belonged to my bf at the time, but that bf was extremely abusive not just to me, but Mickey too. After he left, he tried to get Mickey back but I refused. Mickey had already become super attached to me and was actually terrified of him. Needless to say, I ended up keeping him.

He was in such horrible shape, because he was never taken to the vet. So he had a severe case of ear mites, wasn't neutered or micro-chipped. He also had a broken tooth. His upper left canine, it looked like it had been chipped somehow. I'm not sure what happened, but it's possible it's from being kicked in the face. I had witnessed my ex beating him on one occasion too, so it's very likely this was happening prior to me bringing him home.

Now Mickey wasn't a kitten when I received him. I actually don't know how old he is since my ex told me he was 13 but he did NOT have any indications of being that old. Plus he lied about fucking everything so I couldn't take his word for it. I assumed he was about 6 or 7 based on the condition of his teeth (besides that one chipped tooth)

Since then, I've made so many beautiful memories with him. He's seen me go through some really hard times of my life and he was always there. He was my shoulder to cry on. Whenever I'd get upset he'd pop up out of nowhere and make sure to give me lots of love and snuggles. I genuinely don't know where he came from, but he's quite literally an angel on Earth. One thing I know for sure is this cat loves me more than life itself, and he showed me what love is. I didn't know what love really was like. I have severe trust issues with people so no matter how much I'm told I'm loved there's still doubts. With him however? Animals don't lie, you know when they love you. I believe I'm just as important to him as he is to me.

That brings us to today. Or well, the last couple months. Beginning of April I noticed the upper left side of his face was really swollen. It was strange because it seemed to had happened overnight. He wasn't giving off any impression that he was in pain but I had a feeling it was dental related. I took a look at his teeth and noticed the upper left canine (the tooth that was chipped) was EXTREMELY loose. Like I could've pulled it out with my bare hands, but I didn't. We called the vet right away and they removed the tooth, and gave us some medicine. I gave him the medicine as instructed, and we brought him back a couple more times to make sure everything was okay, which it had seemed to. The swelling went down significantly, his breath wasn't bad anymore. It all seemed okay. Fast forward to last weekend, I noticed his face began to look really puffy again. His breath was also really bad like it was before the tooth had been pulled. Of course it concerned me, but we couldn't call the vet until Tuesday so I got onto a live chat with a vet to get any type of opinion on what I should do and what it may be. I was told it was probably an abcess that needed an operation to be drained and closed properly. Which is pretty extreme but for his comfort I was willing to do, that's when we took him in on Tuesday after calling. Upon further inspection they decided to put him in for surgery the next day (today) to have it cleaned out. They gave us medicine too to help fight off any infection and ease pain.

Little did I know when I sent him off to surgery, I'd receive the worst news of my life. I was of course worried about him, but I didn't think it could get any worse. I was wrong. My dad came home and when i went out to the hallway i saw he was on the phone, and my mom was standing there. The look on her face said it all. Something is wrong with Mickey. Also, I don't live with my mom so it was strange for her to be there. This is when i was told that what's in his upper lip is a tumor. Meaning he has some form of cancer. It's also an aggressive cancer, which would be extremely difficult to treat and also very expensive. They were trying to get a sample to send off to see exactly what type of cancer it is but there was no luck in retrieving that sample. He's still alive, but we don't know how much longer he has.

To hear this news, it feels like my whole world is falling apart. I feel like life is punishing me for something. Even then, why him? Why my baby? He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve to be in pain, and doesn't deserve to suffer. I didn't ever think that I would have to be thinking about the end of his life right now. I was thinking for many more years... but here we are. It truly feels like losing a child. To me he is no different than a child. He was my biggest reason to keep living. I struggle with su***dal thoughts, so whenever I begin to think about it I think about it I would think about Mickey to help me come back and be like okay I can't do this my baby needs me.

But what now? How am i going to be able to cope with this... and we got to bring him home so I'm able to keep snuggling him and loving him for as long as he's here and for that I am grateful. However I don't want to put him through too much pain, and I don't know what to expect or how much longer he will have. He could pull through on a miracle but we're more than likely not going to go through with chemo or any of that just because it's so expensive, also really stressful and painful for him. He doesn't deserve to suffer at my expense.

I don't know what else to say... other than... please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He's such a beautiful soul, and I just don't want him to be in pain anymore. I can only hope he heals but I can't get my hopes up, so I just want him to be comfortable. If he's gonna go I'm gonna be there. Will it be the worst day of my life? Absolutely, but this cat genuinely was an angel sent to me. I was his angel. I love you so much Mickey, you'll always be my special guy no matter what.

I'm really sorry again for this negativity, but I hope you can all understand.

[cursivebloodlines]

"She is just... she's very persuasive, that's for certain," Dougie agreed with a laugh. Honestly? Serena was right; Emma had definitely...a way about her, a way with words. But they were effective, weren't they? It was her words that brought him here, in front of his first proper crush. Words that had him here, a second chance. And as awkward as he was, he was determined to make it count. For...however long it lasted. Dougie peered over at Emma, who seemed to have found her way back to her husband by this point and he couldn't help but smile, nodding his head in agreement to her comment about how happy the couple were. "Indeed they do, which makes this whole occasion better. Would be awful if they were marrying each other and not be happy, especially on their special day, huh?" he teased lightly, giving her a gentle, little nudge.

Curiosity really had piqued his mind, though, drifting back to her friend's words. Were Emma's words true? It's not like he could lead with that question. 'Hey, your best friend told me you had a crush on me back in school. Was that true? Could it be still true?' God, no. Never. He would have been mortified if someone tried that with him. Maybe he could work up to it, Dougie wondered. If their interaction lasted long enough to...he had to make it work. Where there was a will, there was a way. And he had to try at the very least; but not yet. There was a time, and that time was not now. Not yet.

Despite his mind being in two places at once, he was actually listening intently. And his ears pricked up at Serena's words, his expression falling slightly. "Could be better?" he repeated quietly, face full of concern. "What's wrong?" Was that being a bit pushy? An awkward flush rose to his cheeks and he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't...you don't have to answer that," he added quickly, not wanting to pressure the poor girl, a nervous hint of laughter tagged on the end. Dougie watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear, partly wishing he was the one to do that for her. What was he even thinking? A bit much too soon, wasn't it? Jeez. Always too much of something, or not enough. Shortly after, the question was directed back at him and he didn't really know what to say. Dougie shrugged his shoulders, running a hand across his jaw in thought as his eyes were still on her, captivated by her beauty entirely. "Oh, me? I'm good, yeah. I've been alright." Or at least, he was working on it. Being good was probably an exaggerating; but he'd certainly been a lot worse. Considering everything that had happened, he was in a lot better place than he was only a couple of years prior. But she didn't need to know that, bit too much for a discussion at a wedding at least. "I'm working at a vet clinic now, so I guess it's true when they say dreams do come true." It was always something he knew he wanted to do even as a kid. It took longer than what others would have expected of him due to his lack of self confidence, but he got there in the end. And despite everything, it was his safe space. A place where he felt like he was making a difference, doing something that mattered.

Had Dougie heard right when Serena asked him to dance? Her reaction to her own question confirmed that question: a resounding yes. His eyebrows rose in silent question, a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he noticed the flush creeping up on her face. She was adorable. A soft laugh escaped his lips when she rushed to offer him a way out, an assurance that it was no pressure, he didn't have to. If it had been anyone else, it would have been a no. He didn't do dancing. But...maybe he was feeling a little brave that day... and what did he have to lose? An opportunity to talk with her some more? No, he couldn't have that. If he screwed up, he could just...blame it on the alcohol, say he lost his footing because of that. Even if in reality, the man was just accident prone. "Sure, we can dance." Douglas even surprised himself, the way the words came out so easily. "As long as you don't mind me having two left feet. You've been warned," he joked... Half joked. Though in reality, his heart was thudding against his chest as he extended his hand out to her. Don't screw it up.

The thought of Taylor finding out that she and Doug had been talking at the wedding chilled Serena a little. Not because she was afraid of Taylor but her sister could be something else and get very intense when she didn't agree with something. She definitely wasn't going to be happy to find out about them talking if that rumor reached her ears.

Emma had better not have told Douglas about the little crush she'd had for him in high school because Serena didn't think she'd ever look him in the eye again if her friend had said that. Emma could loosen up a lot drunk so she wouldn't be surprised if she had opened her mouth too wide. "She can be… a lot sometimes and very intimidating" The corner of her mouth quirked up "but I'm sure Eric can handle her, they look really happy together" If there were two people who could make a marriage work it was Emma and Eric. Why would he say something that could embarrass him? Serena didn't think anything could make her see him any less than the great guy really was. "I've been… good, could be better but I'm happy to be back." Serena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She had returned a few months ago to teach at the local dance studio that had seen her grow. Could be better if her boyfriend didn't cheat on her but hey, at least she hasn't thought about him at all since Doug came to say 'hi' "What about you?" She replied before crossing her arms over her chest.

Suddenly, she looked at him and was invaded by the sudden urge to kiss him, to know how his lips tasted, to taste that sacred nectar that she had always been wanting from the sidelines and that could never have. She bet his lips were soft and warm just like she had imagined all along. Douglas was cute, he always had been but sometimes he had bright those blue eyes that seized all the sadness in her heart when he looked at her. As if everything around her dissapeared when he looked at her.

"Do you wanna dance?" Serena blurted out almost without thinking. She could feel her face heat up almost instantly after those words left her mouth. Oh no! God, she should have just shut her mouth and let it go. If he rejected her, she would probably never get her head out of the ground again for the rest of her life. She did actually want to dance with him but Serena didn't want to push him to do that cause he felt some type of obligation towards her "We don't have to if you don't want to" She quickly added in an attempt to fix her mistake. Her and her big mouth. Serena just wished she could keep her mouth shut. Maybe she should run, get out of there and pretend all this never happened.

[supernaturalnovelsandmore]

Supernatural Novel: The Unholy Cause

Welcome to my review of the fifth Supernatural novel, The Unholy Cause

Author: Joe Schreiber

Timeline: Set after Episode 5.08 Changing Channels but before Episode 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon

Location: Mission's Ridge, Georgia

Synopsis: As the pressure mounts for the upcoming apocalypse, Sam and Dean head to the historic town of Mission's Ridge, GA, where the Civil War is less about the past and more about the present. With interference from Castiel, demons, and Judas Iscariot himself, how can Sam and Dean prevent a major catastrophe from befalling this small town?

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Warning: Spoilers abound!

After the last book, I was really hoping to see an improvement in this one, and boy did I! I've finally hit the Supernatural tie-in novel I was hoping to read from the beginning! It read like an actual episode, I could hear the actors speaking through the character's words, and I really couldn't find anything that contradicted canon.

In addition, the actual storyline was compelling and the side characters interesting. With the other novels I've reviewed, it's taken me most of the day to read them because I kept getting distracted. This one, I read straight through without stopping. I love reading a book like that!

Side note: This novel does dive in to Christian theology and the story of Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus). If you are uncomfortable delving into that portion of Christianity, you may not want to read the book or this review (though my review notes about that will be minimal).

Now, since I don't have any canon vs. non-canon comparisons to make, today's review is simply going to be a list of my favorite scenes and how certain scenes relate to what's going on during this period in Season 5.

Cameo!

Sam and Dean are informed of the case by one Rufus Turner! He's only in it for a brief bit, but he's still funny as heck asking the police to pay his dry-cleaning bill.

We get a nice character introduction of enigmatic (clueless) Castiel who's trying to heal Civil War reenactors who are understandably frightened of him. He's still searching for God at this point, but we also get this nice character beat for him:

"I walked the battlefields of the South a hundred and sixty years ago," Castiel replied, a faraway look entering his eyes. "I moved among the men and brought their souls to glory. And now..." Something moved over his face for just an instant, so rare and brief that Dean almost didn't catch it; a flicker of hope. "And now," he repeated, "I'm healing again."

Of course, Dean has to explain that none of the reenactors actually need healing and he goes back to being determined to find a 'First-order witness' - someone who broke bread with Jesus Christ.

I found this part surprising within the book, but as I thought about it, it made more sense. The TV series has to tread a very careful line with Christianity so as not to offend a bunch of viewers, but the books have a much smaller audience and can take these liberties. Personally, I was fine with it. They didn't go too deep and stuck with the witness being Judas (who doesn't exactly have a great reputation to begin with).

There's a fantastic brotherly moment where Sam shares the sheriff's name (Jack Daniels) and they then go back and forth trying to guess what this Jack person is like i.e., fat vs. skinny, bald vs. hairy...

Dean: "Nam vet. Buford Pussar type. From Walking Tall." Sam: "Deliverance refugee. Civil citations all over his desk."

One of things I love about this book is the brother's relationship. This banter and other character beats really feel authentic as opposed to the prior novels. (I won't spoil what the sheriff is actually like - needless to say, they play a major role in the book.)

Just a few pages later from this great banter, we're back to the drama as Sam and Dean argue about a nightmare Sam had that he can't remember, but which could be relevant to the case.

"What's this about Dean?" Sam demanded, "Is it about you not trusting me? Because if it is, there's not a whole lot of places we can go from there." "Yeah, you're my brother," Dean said. "But you're also Lucifer's prom dress, and if he's seeding your dreams with hints about the master plan, then maybe it might be a good idea for you to look at 'em as close as possible. That's all I'm saying."

And of course, Dean gets concerned about Sam as they split up to cover more ground. It's music to my ears! There are a number of other conversations like this that really emphasize the strained relationship Sam and Dean display in Season 5.

Another surprising character beat is the influence of Lucifer on Sam because as he's doing research at the local historical society, Sam (and the historian) are surprised to find out he can read Coptic, an ancient Egyptian language. It startles Sam and once again emphasizes how different he is.

At a particularly gruesome crime scene (a mass grave), there's a brief moment with Dean that really shines as he looks down on the skeletons in the mass grave and finds a similarity to what he did in Hell:

Because that was what he did after spending years down there, doing what he'd done... Through sheer force of will, Dean shoved those notions aside...Now more than ever he didn't want that experience contaminating the way he looked at the world... not that he had a choice. Hell had been his Vietnam. It had stamped its mark on him for all eternity, and no amount of denial or self-imposed ignorance was going to change that.

There's an additional moment of traumatized Dean that I wish they could have shown in the tv series:

Sam: "Are those bloodhounds?" Dean didn't answer... When Sam finally caught a look at his brother's face, he saw that Dean's cheeks and forehead had gone absolutely white, as if every drop of blood had been sucked away... "They're not hellhounds, Dean, they're just dogs..." Dean didn't answer. He was still listening to the barking and howling noises coming closer, crashing through the undergrowth. He seemed paralyzed by the sounds.

There are more to these Dean passages, (too much to copy), but I really like that we see actual effects of past experiences.

There's also a nice scene with Sam and a young teenager that really highlights his ability to connect with kids around that age (of which we see later in the TV series):

"My brother and I grew up without a Mom, too," Sam said... "It wasn't always easy... Not everybody gets that." "I still dream about her sometimes, you know? Even though I was young when she... when it happened," Nate blinked at Sam. "Weird, huh?" "Are they good dreams?" "Yeah." "Then it's good. That's your way of remembering her."

The last third of the book is very action-oriented and has multiple instances of hurt Sam and hurt Dean, with the requisite caring from each brother.

Once again, I've gone on too long, but I'll end with a couple of favorites: Humor:

The sheriff glanced out the window, (referring to Baby) "And haul that piece of crap car to the impound lot. I don't want it cluttering up my street." "Woah!" Dean snapped, a sudden rush of anger rising in his face. "Watch your damn mouth. You can't just---"

Drama:

"This is blood money," Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out the Shekel. "Bobby says the only way anybody gets their hand on this..." The rest of the sentence was getting stuck in his chest, and he made himself finish it, "is by betraying someone you love." Dean stared at him. "Dean..." "Look," Dean broke in. "Don't get too hung up on it, okay? It doesn't necessarily mean anything," he stood up and brushed off his jeans. "Whatever happens between us, we'll deal with it then..."

Thanks again for reading! I'll be back again next week with War of the Sons!

[bangchanswolfpelt]

Vetting potential sugar daddies? You need to tell me more about that 👀 And you're going glutenfree !! That's actually much more difficult than, really, it should be--i'm speaking from experience </3

Tbz and sf9 are amazing, i'm wholeheartedly supporting you getting sucked into the bottomless abyss that is their charms :)) and i don't think me praying for you will be able to change that. Any (potential) biases yet?? 👀

And i'm doing good! Although it still feels as if 2022 has just started yesterday, so i don't really have any feelings about it yet lmao. Let's see how this year will turn out, i'm in good spirits, however ✨

-🍒

hahaha, it's honestly just kinda like chatting people up on tinder, except i'm slightly more motivated to entertain actually talking to complete strangers 😂 i made a profile on one of the more ""reputable"" sites, ignored a lot of the messages i've gotten, but i've had a couple guys i'm talking to on-and-off. it's entertaining in the way that tinder or any other kind of online dating is—skimming through what people decide to put in their profiles is always entertaining, and maybe

going gluten free actually isn't as rough as i would've imagined it would be a couple years ago?? but i've also realized that i could just. live on rice and eggs, so that helps a lot 😅 plus, i've heard the lettuce wraps at In-n-Out are actually decent, so that'll be nice when the drive-thru line isn't two miles long. i do miss the hell out of bread, tho 😔

re: The Boyz, i'm still getting to know all of them, but Sunwoo caught the hell out of my attention during Kingdom and is definitely in the lead (see: car wash porn parody promo, Rich Brian cover, getting jealous on vlive, his taste in fucking anime ohmygod i wanna sit this boy down and make him mainline so much anime with me and the fact that i can't actuallly makes me a lil mad forreals) ((he might be my lockscreen rn, but shhhhhhhh, don't tell Eunkwang))

Sangyeon was the other one who caught my eye during kingdom and i'm still pretty 😵‍💫 over him; the vocal parts that make me perk up when they're on always seem to be his, and seeing him complain about his dumbfuck children during mafia was sooooooo good for me—i have a soft spot for tired leaders and it's serving him very well. i'm also growing distinctly fond of Kevin and Jacob, as well, and Q seems like a delightfully evil little genius.

as for SF9: i've been dipping into their music more than anything that shows off their personality, so we're still hovering around the main four that caught my eye during Kingdom.

Taeyang — this shouldn't be a surprise, if he's not the one that regularly drags people into this fandom the way Kim 'i just wanted to know who the one with blue hair was!!' Taehyung and Lee 'when did this kid hit puberty??' Felix do, i will put ketchup on my slipper and eat it. seeing his outfit for that one Teardrop stage was what dragged me back into this hell, actually, so 🥲

Hwiyoung — i thought he was pretty generically handsome and stiff at the start of the rap unit collab, but seeing him try to loosen up and have fun was really endearing. and then their kcon performance came and kicked me in the fucking chest—i'm sorry, shirt with more buttons undone than done, hair in a messy bun, that totally relaxed, loose-limbed vibe??? stick a fork in me, i'm fuckin done

Inseong — i noticed him from the very start of Kingdom, he had such a playful, impish vibe the whole time; it was the vocal unit collab that fucking got me, tho, you can't make a boy cry on this show and expect me to not want to take him 😔

Jaeyoon — i don't even know what it is about him, because looks-wise, he's not the type i'm usually into? and i usually have to have some prior investment before things like a firm b-cup get to me honestly. i think it was the vocal unit collab, actually, he and Inseong both were so tall and so handsomely awkward when the iKon boys showed up, it was truly delightful. plus, despite the tragic ending, i did really enjoy that particular stage.

aside from them, the only ones i can even match a name to a face with are Zuho (will i ever stop being unhornily mad about the line "I'm the male version of Venus"? probably not) and Chani (babbyyyyyyy 🥺).

i'm so glad you're doing well!! honestly, 2022 still feels like an extension of 2021, in the same way last year just felt like an extension of 2020, but we'll see how long that lasts. regardless of how it turns out, we have each other<3

[algrenion]

hey guys!

my friends' cat pulled a dummy move and ate a toy, and however ridiculous this accident is in nature, it did have some pretty serious outcomes that resulted in an emergency vet trip resulting in a LARGE bill

they didnt even ask me to write this, i just love Max and Al and they deserve the world - they give a lot of themselves to help others, me included (they donated to help me get my brain scan when i started having seizures and they've just been... theyve been there for me and protecting and caring for me since i was a child p much lmao they're my family...)

you can read about the details of what happened below (as written by Max, coparent of Hobbit)

My oh-so lovely son Hobbit, the tabby on the left there, one day decided that his regular food and treats weren't enough for him. He wanted to add something with a little more fiber into his diet! He ate part of one of his toys, the dingus. In all seriousness, having to rush him to the San Diego Pet Hospital is not something I'm going to soon forget. His bloated stomach and pained screaming in the cat carrier are not sounds I ever want to hear again. I found the shredded bits of toy a couple of days prior and had just assumed he tore it to bits because that's his usual MO. I would have never imagined he ate it instead, and that it was going to cause a blockage in his intestines that caused him so much pain. It didn't take long for the vet to find out what the problem was and now, one surgery later, his life isn't in danger anymore for which I'm endlessly thankful about. I found Hobbit and his brother Hollow curled up near the back tire of my old car one cold morning on Jan 24, 2018 in ABQ, NM. They were tiny and terrified and letting out the smallest mews I had ever heard before when I scooped them up into my jacket and took them inside. That afternoon I took them to the vet to see if they had chips and they didn't so I had a choice to make. Turn them in to a shelter and hope they got adopted or do it myself. Well 3 years later I have two of the best terrors of cats and I've never regretted my decision to keep them. These two, despite all of the 3 AM zoomies, the vomit on the floor, the scratches on my hands, and the yowling for wet food have seen me through some of the toughest moments in my life. They've been with me through two moves and were there for me when my 17 year old dog had to be put down in 2019. They've kept me sane and alive even when I didn't want to be sometimes. They mean the world to me, and then some. The grand total for the bill was $1,256.91, a good portion of which I'm covering and getting some help from others but this remaining $375 is what I need help with. I wouldn't have any words to express how grateful I would be. Asking for help is something I hate doing but at this time I'm just not in a position to be able to foot the entire thing. CareCredit isn't an option due to financial reasons, I tried but no dice. Any amount helps. Hobbit, Hollow and myself appreciate every cent that goes to this. I know Hollow will be happy to have his brother back soon, he's wandering around aimlessly mowing for him and I know I can't imagine a world where I don't get to wake up with a drooling tabby on me every nap time. From the bottom of my heart, thank all of you.

Now as you can see the bill was $1,256.91,

but the gofundme is only asking for $375

they've almost reached their goal, as i write this they're sitting at $243 out of that ($100 of which was donated by Hobbit's other parent, Alaster) so again, they're almost there! but i could only afford a little bit to donate myself as my studies are calling for a lot of expensive resources right now

if any of you are willing and able to help out, please consider donating because these guys are some of my favourite people in the world

and their cat Hobbit, however stupid, DOES deserve to be in good health

this is really an "every little helps" type of situation

they are $132 dollars away from their goal!

that's a lotta money for one person, but if folks see this and chip in just a little bit each, we could get Hobbit covered as fast as Bilbo Baggins on the back of an eagle (sorry lol)!!! ❤️

and if you can't afford to donate, it would be just as kind if you would share this so other people can see it and consider donating!

thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this post

[grison-in-space]

Victory! Do you have to soak it, or is just standing in it long enough to get the ooky off good enough? I've had good success just luring Benton through the boot tray and treating him while I hold him still enough to get the dirt clear. It's not the most elegant situation in the world but for cooperative care management it is not bad.

Restraint intolerance is such an alarmingly common thing in (especially poorly bred) cattle dogs and mixes, it was one of the first things I asked about when I was looking at breeders prior to Matilda -- not that cooperative care approaches aren't inherently far superior, but fuck it has been nice to go to the vet for routine vaccinations without breaking out the trazodone or just pull out a set of nail clippers and trim a couple of toes without a giant production.

so 3 weeks ago i realized hazard has a swollen toe on one hind foot. then the next day we moved so i had other priorities. then, knowing his Huge feelings about anything painful in general and feet touching in particular, i kept hoping that it would go away.

it has not gone away. this weekend it developed a head and started to burst (except then scabbed over and didn't really burst?? EXTREMELY gross.) so we went to see the vet.

vet says probably an abscess, but he wouldn't let her look at it at ALL, so we got prescribed 2 meds, 2 new situational anxiety meds, and a foot bath.

problem: i have never bathed any part of him.

so new training project ig

[doberbutts]

What would be a use for a prong collar, in your opinion? With pet dogs I’ve never seen a use for them no matter the breed but I don’t know the first thing about protection sports and that could well be why I see no use for them.

I can give you a "pet people" use for a prong collar.

I once trained a dane who got to be about 220lbs. No, that's not just a random number someone gave me, I trained this dog for over a year and I've seen the vet paperwork. He really was over 200lbs.

His owner, by comparison, was maybe 5ft tall and not anywhere close to his weight.

For the most part, he was well behaved on leash and walked nicely without pulling. But every once in a while, he would see something and want to pull towards it. And at that weight, if he actually managed to pull... his owner was definitely going along with him.

This dog was competing in rally. He had all of his CGCs. He was a delight in class and he loved to be A Good Boy (tm) for his owner. But sometimes, Dog Brain (tm) won over Good Boy Brain (tm). His owner was not a first time dog owner, in fact they'd trained multiple rottweilers in schutzhund prior to getting this dog.

Do you believe that this owner should continue to risk injury because of the maybe 5% of the time the collar would actually be needed?

I once helped a couple train their pair of rottweilers that they'd recently adopted. Both adults, both heavy pullers on leash. To make matters worse, the one who was home most of the time and needed to be walking them was the wife, who discovered not only was she pregnant but her pregnancy was severely high risk shortly after adopting these dogs. They'd made a commitment to keeping them as a forever home, so they needed a "now" solution while working on training.

Do you believe that this couple should continue to risk the loss of their baby while they use a different tool and method to teach these dogs not to pull?

I once helped trained a pit mix that was highly human and dog aggressive, in a place where BSL meant that if this dog was given up he would immediately be euthanized. This dog was already putting holes in their guests, was knocking down the elderly woman in the house, and was terrorizing the neighborhood on walks. With the use of a prong collar to give him a clear signal of "no, don't do that", his behavior improved tremendously as the owners taught him correct behavior and practiced good management of what they couldn't fix.

Do you think this dog should continue to be a danger to everyone around him for the sake of simply saying they don't use a specific training device?

What is the use of a prong collar? The same as any other aversive on the market. To teach the dog not to do something, while you are also using other quadrants to teach the dog what behavior you do actually want. It's just positive punishment.

[zinefeed]

Hi there! I was wondering if you guys had any advice or any links to advice regarding creating a good mod application form, and/or selecting good mods for a zine. I've helped mod a few small-time zines and am currently working on organizing one myself for the first time, and I want to make sure I'm able to select co-mods who can really help the project live up to its fullest potential! Thank you in advance ^^

Hey! Unfortunately we don’t have any links to give you, but I can give you some general advice for selecting mods and suggest a couple things to include on your application form.

Firstly, you definitely want people with prior zine experience on your team if it’s your first time. There are pitfalls and surprises that a first-timer just may not be aware of, so it’s best to work with people who can make up for that with their own knowledge. BUT you want to make sure the experienced people you’re hiring here are trustworthy. Ask your applicants to specifically name (or better, provide links to) zines they’ve moderated and check them over carefully, Google them to see if any problems come up. Scam moderators are out there, and it’s well worth the couple months’ investment to them if they can run off with a few thousand dollars, so make sure you know your mods have ethically run zines that were a success. If you see red flags such as zines being cancelled, multiple dissatisfied customers/contributors, lack of transparency, etc., steer well clear.

Also, be extremely careful if you’re seeking out a moderator for finances or shipping. You’re trusting a stranger with people’s money and your product. Vet them carefully, or better yet, handle that yourself or do a digital zine. I always strongly recommend digital zines for first-timers so they can get a hang of the process! But if you have a trusted friend or you’d like to handle the shipping yourself, you’re welcome to it.

Secondly, ask your applicants to submit previous work where it’s applicable – if you’re looking for a graphic design mod to make advertisement images and format the zine’s PDF for printing/sale, ask them to submit a couple sample layouts and/or graphics they’ve made previously so you can make sure they’re of good quality.

Thirdly, it’s good to have a team, but remember what they say about too many cooks. An overcrowded mod team means nobody knows what the other mods are doing, and it can be hard to communicate with your contributors and your customers. Depending on who can do what and how large your zine is, 3-4 people is probably a good number, but use your best judgment on this based on your zine’s needs.

Lastly, make sure the people you’ll be working with know how to be professional. A zine is fun, but it’s also a work environment, and your co-moderators need to behave appropriately. Be sure to set boundaries with them and keep an eye out for out-of-line behavior like trash-talking contributors or mismanagement of social media/the Discord server/etc.

Also, make sure more than one person has access to everything – the social media login info, the email account, etc. I was once part of a zine where the head mod ended up trying to scam the customers, and since she was the only person who had access to everything, we couldn’t even get the customer list to give them a PDF as compensation. Yourself and someone else should know the login info.

Hopefully this helps a bit! Good luck with your zine and good luck finding mods! Anybody with advice to share, please reply/reblog!

– Mod Star

[cantquitu]

I've had her for about 4.5 years and she was 8/9 when I got her. The hoarding situation had been broken up about two years prior to that. She's always been a tiny thing. Right now, she's pretending to be mad at me, but she's curled up next to my legs. I just can't believe that almost all of her teeth are gone. Between that and the fact that I let Not A Baby Anymore Baby Cat get so skinny before doing anything about it, I'm feeling mighty inadequate.

Excuse me, you have given Squeaker a loving home for years and she feels safe and secure and happy with you. Same with Not A Baby Cat. Don't be so hard on yourself!! ❤

We can't always tell what's up with our pets, we can only do our best. I understand your feeling, cos I beat myself up when I finally realised what a bad state poor Midge's ears were in a couple of years ago (in fact, exactly 2 years ago this week). I felt so guilty about not noticing the extent of it I almost made myself sick. But the vet gave me a stern talking to and said that I couldn't have known and the fact I was there, doing my best, was what was important. And she was right. Same for you!

[crittercrossing]

All three dogs are having some health issues at the same time, and Ivy may possibly have something diabetes-ish going on. Almost all of this has happened within the past month, and, in the dogs' case, within the past few weeks. I wanted to post an update sooner, but I genuinely haven't had the time to do it. I work a full-time job and a part-time job, on top of taking care of things at home and traveling a couple times per week to my parents' house to visit them, the dogs, and the chickens. This blog is run almost entirely on queue, but I wanted to stop in and post a text update.

A few weeks ago, I took Dorothea and Ivy for their yearly check-ups. It was technically about a month and a half early, but the day before, they had gotten into a closet they're not supposed to be in and ate into some plastic bags of treats. They had me terrified, thinking they might get blockages from eating plastic, so their check-ups got bumped up so that I could also make sure they would be okay after their adventure. Thankfully, neither one experienced any sort of issues from their plastic-eating. For the most part, all went well, and things were unremarkable. Dorothea was great! Nothing in the slightest going on with her. Ivy, however, is a challenge at the vet. She is extremely aggressive and has to be medicated prior to her visits. Even then, she doesn't fully relax, and vets are very limited with what they can get done with her. She was completely fine, other than some lab work levels that were off, most alarming of which was her glucose, which was pretty extremely high. The vet confirmed my suspicion that, most likely, it was due to the extreme stress she was under during her visit, but said this could technically be due to diabetes, as well. I am to watch Ivy for weight loss, increased urination, and increased thirst. I'm concerned for her health, and also worried about if she is diabetic. I've never had a diabetic pet before, so I would have a lot to learn, in addition to figuring out how to manage that in a cat that can't really be held and can usually not be medicated at all. With Ivy being young, female, and a perfectly healthy weight, I don't really think she's at huge risk for it. My only real worry here is that since their exam last year, Dorothea gained about half a pound, while Ivy's weight remained exactly the same. I'll be keeping a close eye on her.

The poor dogs are all having a bad time right now. I've been worried sick about them. It started with Holly. About a month ago, she began coughing out of nowhere, and it's an extremely bad, nearly constant cough. If she's awake, she's coughing. It's nearly every breath she takes. She went to the vet, where they did x-rays and determined that it wasn't anything visibly wrong with her heart or lungs. Holly does have a heart murmur, but she's had that for a couple years now, and it has not caused coughing issues in the past. She's on medication to treat the cough and an antibiotic. She has finally started coughing less within the past week, so hopefully whatever this cough is is coming to an end.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed Chevelle started showing UTI symptoms again. She had a UTI and a severe case of bladder stones in early 2021, and my immediate fear was that it might be bladder stones again. I took her to work with me (my full-time job is at a vet hospital), and sure enough, she not only had an extremely bad UTI, but... The dog is full of rocks again. The x-rays were horrifying, and I may end up posting them separately later. Monday will be two weeks since that day, and Chevelle is going back for a re-check. She's been on a prescription urinary diet for the past two weeks, with the hopes that, depending on the type of stones she has, the food may start to break them up. If her stones aren't breaking up when we check again on Monday, she'll need a cystotomy again. She had the same surgery in 2021 for her last case. Regardless, she'll be on the prescription diet for the rest of her life. She's been acting fine most of the time. She tries to pee every five minutes or so, and most times passes a little blood. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she still has the UTI come Monday (even though she's been on antibiotics), and I'm fully expecting the surgery to take place.

Katy has been declining for a couple of years now, and it's started happening pretty quickly over this past year. She has a lot of pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility in her legs, especially in her hips. She has also had a bad case of dermatitis on and off for a while. Due to her epilepsy, Katy can't have any chewable flea preventatives, leaving topicals such as Frontline as the only option I knew about for years--and I live in one of the ever-growing areas where Frontline and similar drugs don't kill fleas at all anymore. It's been a struggle to keep fleas off of her. Between fleas and baths trying to kill the fleas, it started messing with her skin. The biggest issue has been a recent, very sudden increase in the frequency of her seizures. She used to have about one a year, sometimes two. Over the past month, Katy has had four seizure-like episodes (vet is assuming they're seizures for now), and that's only four that we know of. It's extremely possible she's having more when no one is watching her. She has really unusual symptoms when these happen, so as soon as I found out this was happening, I took her to work with me too to get all this stuff sorted out.

Katy's case is still ongoing, but here's what I know and what's been done so far: She has started a daily regimen of carprofen, which is already showing promising results. A few days after starting it, she was able to stand up on her own and go up short flights of stairs--both things she couldn't do previously. She will remain on this carprofen most likely for the rest of her life. She was also put on an anticonvulsant to hopefully prevent any more of her seizure-like episodes from happening. It's been about a week, but so far, no one has seen her have any more of those strange episodes. Her skin is being managed with a medicated shampoo that she is being bathed twice weekly with, and she finally has a good flea prevention strategy! The vet suggested we try a Seresto flea collar, and it made an immediate difference. I haven't seen a flea on her since she started wearing it. During Katy's exam last week, the vet ran some bloodwork. it came back mostly normal, but her T4 level was really low. Tomorrow, she's going back in for another blood draw to run a second thyroid test--if her levels come back low on this one, she'll be diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism could explain both her sensitive skin and the seizures, and if she has that, she can go on medication to treat that, as well. I'm cautiously optimistic that we can get Katy feeling a lot better again, and I hope that she can spend the rest of her life not being as miserable as she's been lately.

I'll post more updates on everyone as things happen!