Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Last weekend there was a fair going on at one of our favorite parks. The dogs had a lot of fun walking through the game area last year, so we thought we would try it again this year during an off-peak time (early Sunday morning). As we were making our way to the carnival area, one of the VIPs (Volunteers In Policing, because that is how we roll here in Florida) manning the road block, hollered over to us:
VIP: I bet I can guess which one is the oldest.
Me: Really (acting like I had never played this game before)
VIP: Yeah, it is this one. (pointing to Luna)
Me: Nope. It is this one (pointing to Benjamin)
Then the usual conversation ensued. But that one looks so much older, she's complete gray. So I shared Luna's story and told him that she got off to a rough start and she went gray prematurely.
If I had a dollar for every person that has come up to us when we are out and about asking how old Luna is or nearly betting their life that Luna is the oldest pug of the group, Solsey's memorial fund would have about 50 more dollars.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Benjamin, Henry & Sol find chewing their food highly overrated. If it fits in their mouth, chances are good that they will attempt to swallow it whole rather than waste time chewing. Luna, on the other hand, chews everything. This irritates the others to no end. They wolf their treat down and then they all stare at Luna with jealous looks wondering why she gets more treats. They are all amazed how Luna can exponential increase the number of treats she gets just by chewing!
One most days, I usually mention to Benjamin, Henry & Sol that they should be more like their sister and chew their food, but I am happy they swallow things whole when it comes to giving pills. Monday, was the first of the month and the first of the month means it is time to give the pugs their heart worm medicine. I got out the lunch meat and wrapped each of the pills in meat and then gave the pugs their treats. Benjamin swallowed his whole, Sol swallowed hers & Henry did the same. Little Luna chewed and chewed and chewed and then out pops the pill. So, I wrapped it in another piece of lunch meat and gave it to her again. She chewed, chewed and chewed some more and then plop - out comes the pill. By this point the brown coating on the pill is a sticky mess and the pill is as slippery as it can be. I finally get it picked up off the floor and then stick it in another piece of lunch meat. She chews this one, but this time I luck out and she swallows the pill. Ha ha! Score one for mom.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Yesterday was chilly & rainy, but even a dreary, rainy day beats a workday.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
I think if the cat deems the grass dry enough for her delicate paws, then the yard should be considered in adequate condition for the pugs as well. You hear that Luna. I'm talking to you. And Benny, I'm looking your way too.
Yesterday, when I took the pugs out to go potty in the backyard before dinner, I looked around and I had Henry, Sol & the cat in the yard with me. Luna & Benjamin were taking cover and it wasn't even raining. It had stopped raining about an hour before we went out. Why was the cat out in the yard with us? She wasn't there to go potty. She was there to supervise. Because the speed of the pugs' potty activities also affects whether or not her dinner makes it to the bowl in a timely fashion.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Super relaxed Luna.
Monday, February 15, 2010
On Friday we took the whole gang to the eye vet for appointments. Luna was going in for a follow-up, Sol was going in for an overdue yearly checkup & Henry was going in for his checkup. Benjamin went along for the ride because he would have been a nervous wreck if he was the only one left at home. We sure can fill an exam room can't we?
First things first, Luna was very happy that she got the dog room this time around.
Luna got a good report. Her tear production was back up in her right eye. With her right eye doing better we are able to scale back on the number of drops, which makes me very happy. I'm sure it makes Luna happy too.
Sol was up next and she got a good report too. Her cataracts are looking about the same as last year which means no growth. Good news once again.
Henry had the last appointment and his technique was to keep his eyes closed for the exam.
Henry has the beginnings of cataracts so he goes in once a year just to get them checked out and to monitor their growth. Luckily, there has been no real change since the last visit.
Another round of great news!
Monday, February 8, 2010
On Friday, we took the girls, Luna, Sol & Cupid, to the vet for their annual exams. Each one of the girls is due for the annuals within one month of each other, so rather than making three trips to the vet I combine them all into one really big appointment.
I left the vet's office pretty much on cloud 9 because each little lady got a stellar report. The vet, the vet techs & all the staff at the vet's office were amazed at how well Sol was doing. She coughed when she first arrived, but she settled nicely in the waiting room. No one could believe that she had been out in the waiting room because they didn't hear her coughing.
While Sol was getting her exam, the vet said that it looks like we have Sol in a very good place. She looked happy & pretty healthy for her. I couldn't agree more. While this may be as good as it gets for her, I think we were both surprised that we ever got back to things being this good. I think we have a good baseline from which to judge and we will know better now when Sol isn't feeling so great.
Luna's exam went super as well. Of course here eyes aren't great, but we are doing the best we can with them. The next biggest concern for her was her dirty ears. I guess I will have to have a talk to Henry about that. We could just afford to flush her ears a bit more often. But, if that is our next biggest problem I consider us very lucky!
And Cupid got an excellent report. Next week, Cupid turns 12 and the vet said that she looks fantastic for her age. Her teeth look great and overall she is in excellent shape.
Everyone was also amused at how Cupid likes to travel to the vet. She absolutely hates cat carriers. Instead she prefers to go by leash & harness. So she has a freedom harness and a leash that we use to take her to the vet. And when she arrives at the vet she prefers to have her own chair in the waiting room. From there she peers out at her lowly subjects. Lots of other dogs excitedly rush over to greet her, but she is disinterested and unfazed. On this visit, a husky & a samoyed wanted to say hello. Their owners were amazed at how well Cupid does with dogs. I explained that she lives with four pugs. But they still thought she did well, because pugs are small dogs. I was going to explain that one of those pugs was Benny, but I thought it was best to leave it as it was.
While leaving the vet, I took a moment to soak in all the good news. It had been a while since I left there with good report. Sure, things aren't perfect, but they sure have been a lot worse than this.
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