Thursday, January 28, 2010

Oh Hai

I think he is happy with himself because he beat Luna back to the bin after lunch.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Solsey Update

I am always a little hesitant to give a Solsey update because things change so fast with her, but, knock wood, this last week and a half Sol has been doing very well. The new meds definitely seem to be helping.

Granted, she still coughs, but it is not constant and is much more manageable. Since none of the medicines will completely eliminate Sol's cough we have come up with our own little gauge over the last few months. Here are a few of the things we look for:

• Does she cough when she is sleeping or does she wake up because she is coughing
• Does her coughing prevent her from settling
• Does she have her "help me" eyes on? Her eyes tell it all.

Needless to say with Sol feeling better we all have been feeling better. In addition to relying strictly on the medicine we have been trying to find other things that we can do that help her feel better. Walks seem to be one thing that fits the bill. Not just pouch walks, but walks where she actually has to walk.

For about a month, we stopped walking Sol because of her cough. We tried to keep her as still as possible thinking that would help her cough. A month of her leading an almost sedentary life just exacerbated her arthritis which took a toll on her mobility. Plus, it didn't seem to be helping her cough at all. So, about a week ago, we decided to try and get in one little walk with Sol each day. We walk at her pace and we don't go too far. Right now, we are just walking to the mailbox and back. We have a community mailbox, so it is about 5 houses away. The first time we did the walk it took her a little over 15 minutes. Her record was walking 6 sidewalk squares without stopping. Her rear end was wobbly and she coughed a bit in the beginning. But by the time we arrived at the mailbox her cough had subsided and she was breathing well, for her at least.

Each day for the past week, we have walked to the mailbox twice a day. We go for our first walk right after lunch and our second walk in the evenings. In just one week, Sol has shaved over six minutes off her time. Last night we did the walk in about 8 minutes. As she is feeling better she is exploring more, straying from the sidewalk to smell the grass, light poles & tree trunks, so I don't think her time is necessarily reflective of her pace anymore. She coughs for a bit in the beginning, but then she settles into a rhythm and her cough subsides. And the best part is that her cough is significantly less for the hour or two after her walk. That is just the icing on the cake.

Last night when I grabbed her harness off the hook by the door to get her ready for her walk, she ran over to the door. She couldn't wait to get suited up and get on her walk. In just one week, her mobility has drastically improved. In fact, there was a noticeable difference just after a few days of walking. Plus, I think we are both feeling better. She likes getting out for the fresh air and smells and I cherish the time out and about with her.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Caption This #141

One from the archives of little Luna shortly after we adopted her in 2006. Looking forward to your captions in the comments.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

To give you an idea of how cold it was during our recent cold snap, here is a shot of Cupid trying to keep herself warm under a blanket on the couch. Now, the odd part isn't that Cupid is snuggling under the blanket, but that she dares to share the couch with Benny. Benny, by far, is her least favorite pug and the fact that she would even consider laying so close to him shows exactly how cold it was here. I think the expression is something like "when hell freezes over". Well, hell may not have froze, but Florida sure did.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

We now resume our normal pug schedules

The normal Florida winter weather has returned and the boys have fallen right back into their usual routine. That makes for happy pugs.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Flashback

This week's flackback: Tug

Nothing makes the boys go all alpha male quite like a game of tug.

Friday, January 22, 2010

What’s Up

Benjamin prides himself on being the only pug that can jump up & lay on the back of the sofa all by himself. The only other four legged creature in the the house that can do it is the cat & Benjamin loves to do whatever the cat is doing.

Since the sofa does not back to a wall, all the other pugs, or really I should say Henry, is afraid to jump onto the back of the sofa fearing he will overshoot and fall off the edge. I can't say that I blame him. Benjamin, however, can do this with ease and he revels in the fact that he will always have the highest lookout spot to himself.

Luna, knowing her limits with her poor vision, has never even thought about sitting on the back of the couch. And Sol, well lets just say jumping on anything is the farthest thing from Sol's mind

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!