Mouse is disabled

To make it easier to update everyone on Mouses status, I will update this blog weekly on her progress. For those that dont know, last week Mouse injured her back (slipped disc), and over the next day slowly became paralyzed from the waist down. Seeing that she was getting worse, we took her to the vet. Dr Krueger (seriously) took xrays and a blood test. Blood test came back good, and the xrays showed slipped cartilage in the mid-back area. We were devastated, and thought that she may not be able to live without pain. What the doctor told us, however, gave us a lot of hope. Apparently a large percentage of dachshunds that have this injury fully recover from it and walk again!

With this knowledge, she prescribed pain meds, and showed us how to express her urine (she cannot go on her own). At first I was nervous about doing this, but after the first time, we found it is quite simple - basically squeeze her belly and you can feel the bladder, and it starts automatically. We bought diapers for her at Petsmart, but it seems that the leakage is pretty well under control now.

She also has to be kept confined for 6 weeks. Luckily, she was already kennel trained, so this is a piece of cake. For the first two days, she would not eat, which is understandable for someone who is used to being on the go constantly, and now cannot move. Now, though she has a healthy appetite, and no longer whines. I think a kind of acceptance of her circumstances has settled in with her.

Whenever I am at home, she sits on my lap and seems content. Of course, in the event that she does not recover, we are already looking into doggie wheelchairs (the back wheels you see dogs with). I think this would improve her even more if she could skate around and play again.

Work Rant

Just another work rant - after one week with no work, went and applied at another company, and found out they are paying even less than I make now (which is less than I made a year ago...and so on..). When will it stop! If things keep up like this, America's future will be one of poverty. Maybe we deserve this to pay for the rampant greed that has controlled this country for so long. Anyhow, enough of that. May as well post some more pics of our kids:

Just wanted to add some more Bella pictures. She is still growing - now she is slightly bigger that Sable the Chocolate Lab!

Also needed to add some pics of Squint. She was a little Safeway kitty that needed a home. We named her Squint because one eye was always shut. Sadly, the people that gave her to us had taken her from her mother too early. Raven hand fed her and kept her warm for three days, but she just wasnt strong enough to make it. We are still glad to have had her in our lives.

Rants

Just gotta blow off some steam today. Today congress stood in applause of the president of Mexico, as he disapproved of Arizona's immigration laws. I feel as if our leaders have let us down. What an insult to this country to applaud someone criticizing one of our states. Also this is an insult to me personally, as my livlihood is rapidly slipping away to the illegals. If something is not done soon, my ability to earn a living will be taken away from me. The solution is very simple - if they enforce everify, overnight my trade would be in high demand again. Until this happens, thing will become more and more difficult for us.

Puppy Update

So I've been neglecting this blog (which I guess is more of a diary, since noone really reads it). I thought it would be a good time to post some new Bella Pics. She has been growing like nothing else! She is now very strong, and very intelligent. Yesterday was her 11 month birthday. She fits in here like a glove! All our worries about her were put to rest, as she likes the cats and is friend to all dogs.

Howard Wellington

Today, I went to a funeral for a friend. I knew Howard from work, and at first, we bumped heads quite a bit. Later we worked together when I was on light duty, and I got to drive around with him quite a bit and hear his stories. Howard was a person with a zest and love for life. He was an avid bicyclist, skier, and hunter. At work he was a perfectionist, always striving for a better product. Unfortunately, he contracted ALS last June, and it very quickly attacked his body, making him a quadriplegic within five months. He never saw the new year. The most impactful part of the funeral was when they showed a video with an interview with his pastor. He was in his wheelchair, and the pastor was asking him questions about his faith. He said he knew he didn't have long left, but was not fearful, for he had faith in a better place. That video really touched me - just to know that the human spirit can be so strong when faced with such tragedy. I hope you found you paradise, Howard. Good-by for now, friend...

Happy New year! 2010 - who would have thought it! We didn't do much this new years - just stayed at home and watched Twilight Zone episodes on SyFi network. Work-wise, this has been the worse year in my drywall career. I spend about of 1/3rd of the year at home on unemployment. Got a lot of projects done this year around the house. Still a lot to do of course, but its a never ending project when you own a house! Probably the best thing that happened this year was the addition of our new dog, Bella. She has grown quickly and has gone from being a puppy to over 45 pounds in just over 7 months! She has helped us cope with the loss of our beagle Mollie, which was the worse thing to happen this year.

I haven't been rockhounding in quite a while, but did a lot of organizing of the massive collection, and in doing so, decided that I need to focus more on quality of my collection, not quantity.