Pay It Forward Update

A very big thank you to Norman and his Woman for the sweet card and gorgeous scarf! It’s so soft and I love the knit pattern you used to make it, it’s really neat (looks complicated!) I picked it up at the post office yesterday and I opened it in the car and wore it all day!

Giggs loved giving it the sniff over when I got home (it must have been Norman’s special touch -I wonder if he sent a secret message to Giggs…) and then he got his head stuck in the envelope. I wish I had a picture of that.

Doozy, your gift from me should be arriving shortly, but don’t put any pictures or anything up cuz everyone else is getting a similar gift and the Americans will be waiting a while longer for theirs. Look for a Canadian 2 for 1 pizza box. lol! Don’t worry, they’re new and never had pizza in them. I wouldn’t send a stinky, greasy gift :) At least not to anyone I like.

Speaking of Health…

So funny and yet sadly, so true:

I got the video HERE. It’s an informative blog on a lot of political and health issues for those who care about such things.

Phew! It’s Just A Cold!

Giggs saw the vet Thursday and I’m happy to announce that he’s just got a cold. Apparently it’s going around right now and he probably caught it at either the dog park, the doggy store we usually go to, or at obedience classes. Unfortunately, he’s highly contagious and he can’t go out again until his symptoms go away. That means possibly no obedience this Tuesday and it also means possibly no Halloween Pug Meet this Monday! That would be horrible! I hope his meds work fast and he gets better really quick!

The vet also told me that the Bordetella (Kennel Cough) vaccination is like a flu shot for dogs and covers only a certain number of strains of the virus. Since viruses are always mutating, he can still get sick. Why bother then! Geez!

If we had let this ‘cold’ go unchecked, it could have traveled into his upper respiratory tract (right now it’s just in his sinuses) and essentially we would be left with Kennel Cough. The first think the vet asked me was if he had been coughing. Thankfully, no. Giggs is just sneezing, snorting, and reverse sneezing a lot. He’s congested, the poor thing, with runny nose and eyes. He also asked how his appetite was and I laughed. If he wasn’t eating, I would have brought him in the very same day! I would be super worried if this pug didn’t want food!

I also asked the vet to check his trachea (which he was actually in the process of doing when I asked). I’m paranoid, but I worried that he may have been hurt by his collar -he’s fine. I also got the vet to check his eyes. Remember when I posted about his smaller, odd-shaped pupil? Well, it’s nothing to worry about. His eyes are both fine! Oh yeah, his temperature was normal too *snicker, snicker*.

I think I may have bombarded the vet with too many questions, but I feel compelled to ask. He’s the expert I know, but it’s my job as a good pug mama to ask all the questions and point out anything I see. Just to make sure everything is gone over thoroughly. We don’t want to overlook anything, after all.

So what to do you do with a sick pet?

You torment them with Halloween decorations!

In Response to Norman’s Letter to Canadaland…

Dear USA-land,

Why do your customs labels have to be so darn huge, forcing me to use a box WAY too big? Is it really necessary to divulge so much information about such a small package? I’m not mailing scary white powder… It does not tick… It is not BC organic, shall we say… It is a loving gift, made with my own two hands!

I think $46 CAD (x3) is a bit much to pay for a small package (isn’t that like $150 USD now?). I may just deliver it myself for that price and at least get a vacation out of it. And it’s not just the crazy Postes Canada! UPS is gouging too! I blame NAFTA!!!

Maybe I’ll try the Greyhound and see what they say… So far, only the Vancouver-ite on my Pay-It-Forward list is going to get anything anytime soon.

Would a picture of the gift be sufficient? Maybe I’ll send it in pieces? Curses for making a heavy gift!

I Survived (barely)

OK, rule number one for cleansing: DO NOT start your cleanse with a hangover! That’s getting off on a bad foot! Although fasting is easier because the thought of food makes you ill… tradeoff, I guess, but still not fun.

The three days of only drinking apple juice was the easy part. It kept hunger at bay fairly well and I like apple juice so it wasn’t so bad. Drinking dissolved Epsom salts on the third day was not so good. VERY bitter and also a natural laxative -good times!

The WORST was drinking a cup of olive oil mixed with a cup of grapefruit juice before bed on the third day. SOOOOOOOOOOO GROSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Almost barfed. Then I had to go to bed and lay on my right side all night. Now I have a sore neck.

At 6am on the fourth day (today) I had to drink more Epsom salts. Now I barf. I couldn’t stop burping up olive oil taste. SOOOOOOOOOOO GROSSSSSSSSSS!!!! Then more Epsom salts at 8am. More natural laxative! Yay! Plus, a detox/my neck is wonky headache!

All day long I go to the bathroom……… There has been nothing solid in me for almost 4 whole days…….. I won’t say anymore.

I did NOT like day 3 and 4 of this cleanse AT ALL! But it worked. I was dropping gallstones all day today. I know, cuz they float (TMI, I know.) I didn’t save any and no pictures (lol).

I hope I don’t have to do this again anytime soon. Tony did it with me this time. He’s such a champ! It’s nice to have a buddy to commiserate with during all the unpleasantness. I don’t think he’ll do it again though.

To top off all the lovely pooping and vomiting that’s been going on around here, Giggs has a cold. I phoned the vet and they told me to bring him in if his eyes get goopy (sinus infection) but I might just bring him in anyway. His eyes are all watery and he’s snotting and sneezing (way more than is usual) and I’ve noticed he’s had some nose mucus/boogers. He sounds totally congested, poor thing. Please don’t let it be allergies!!!!