In the Dog House

AG and I are both seriously, deeply, in the doghouse. No, not because we were bad. But because I am having a little relapse, and Auggie just had to have a little "procedure" of his own...

I already told you I had to go back to the vet. When I went, the nice doctor confirmed Curly Mommy's fears: my right leg isn't healing correctly. My patella is still "palpating" (which I think means slipping) and it is "lax" (which I think means it isn't bending right). Curly Mommy noticed that I was walking funny, and that I stick my right leg out when I sit down, rather than bending it. Curly Mommy said she could hear that when I walked I was sliding my right leg across the floor, rather than picking it up. She is a supersonic mom! Glasses Mommy admits that she thought Curly Mommy was "overreacting." In fact, she'd told the vet that it was Curly Mommy, not her, who "thinks Violet is limping." Bad Glasses Mommy! Good thing I have two - when one falls down on the job, the other one saves the day!

Curly Mommy took me to the vet for the day, so the doctor could see me when she had time. The vet techs there LOVE me. Excuse me for being immodest, but I have to say myself that it's totally true! Usually, pups who get dropped off for a "when there's time" appointment would be put back in the kennel with the other chumps. Not me! I wasn't in a cage all day! I went from tech to tech, from loving arms to loving arms. Yes! The nice people at EBAH carried me around all day! My delicate paws hardly had to touch the floor. Which, it turns out, is good...because I'm back on super-restriction. Confined to my bed. It's kind of sad, because I thought I was doing so well.

My surgeon is on vacation til next week, so in the meantime, it's bed rest and more pain and anti-inflammation medication for me. I hope I don't need any more surgery! I'm kind of scared!

I'm not the only one who had to visit the vet, though. My brother AG felt he wasn't getting enough attention - he was sad and feeling neglected and, frankly, jealous of all the lavish care the mommies have been giving me - and so he made himself a little round growth on his side. It's true, I think. I do. He made it happen just so the mommies would need to take more care of him, too. But that's just one pup's opinion, I admit.

Glasses Mommy took AG to the vet, and our doctor said she thought his growth was "benign" (which I think is good) but that it had gotten bigger since the first time she saw it. (You must know that of course the mommies took AG to the vet the first time about this almost the instant they noticed a little bump on his side). The doctor also said that it could come off, and be sent to a laboratory in Colorado for examination. The doctor said that if the mommies were really worried about it, she could do that for AG. Glasses Mommy didn't even call Curly Mommy to consult - she just said yes, take it off. The doctor said that's what she figured they'd want, so she was already having the techs set up the sterile area to remove it! My mommies are nothing if not predictably over-protective.

AG wore a bandage for a night, because his boo boo was kind of gross. But now he's showing it loud and proud. I personally think seeing the staples in his side is kinda gross, but you know what AG says back to me? "I'm a survivor, I'm here, get used to it!"

This morning we are both settling back into the home routine, with our restriction of having to just lay around here and there. I do that really, really well. In fact, earlier this morning I took a wee siesta on Glasses Mommy and was caught in the act. It is so easy to relax when in the arms and on the lap of a mommy!



AG is being good, too, for the most part. He really wants to go for a w-a-l-k (which for some reason is always spelled, rather than said, by the mommies) but he can't wear his harness with his boo boo. So, he's in for the day. Secretly, though, I think he's still hopeful...

Zoom Zoom!

Eat my dust, people! I haven't been blogging because I'm moving so fast now with my bionic legs. See this photo? It's ME, moving so fast that I am just a big ole blur. Zoom, zoom!

I've been terribly busy doing the following: playing with my Piggy (pictured below) and my Otter; chewing on my rope toys; pulling dirty underwear from the laundry basket and bringing it into the living room (don't tell the mommies!); and rolling on my back in the tall tall backyard grass. Yay!



See the shirt that Piggy is wearing? I have to thank GRACE, a super cute redheaded princess from West Seattle, for that outfit. It was too small for me, but it fits Piggy just fine! Anyway, this photo is mainly to display my fine selection of toys, which keep me busy most of the time. Here, Piggy is watching my back, while I chew on Otter, kick my rope toy, and keep my ping pong ball racetrack and my little chirping butterfly (OK, those last two are actually cat toys that my feline sisters, Harriet (featured in the "About Me" photo, to the right) and Claire (she's an Egyptian goddess - more on that later) gave me) close by. I have to go back to the vet on Friday, though - I think maybe I've been playing too much!


One complaint: while I've been convalescing, my mommies have gone out to have fun! I know...how dare they? Last weekend, they went to see their pals K and M in a far away place called Tacoma for something called a "barbeque." I hear that's something tasty! Anyway, my main problem with that visit is that I heard the mommies talking about "Blue and Max" before they left - I thought these were humans who would be at K and M's house. However, when the mommies returned home, Curly Mommy took her sweatshirt jacket off and my brother Auggie was immediately on the sniff...he was so intent that I knew something was up. He stole the sweatshirt off the chair, pulled it into the entryway, and sniffed it up and down! His nose was working triple time!

Turns out...Blue and Max are dogs! And my mommies visited them while I stayed home with my bare legs all alone! Can you believe that? I am appalled, and I haven't yet decided if I will forgive them. In the meantime, I blog because I can!

(P.S. Confidential to my favorite people at EBAH: really, I have been laying around not doing much of anything. I have NOT been running around, contrary to my dream sequence exaggerating above. I promise!)

Casts off!

Well my casts came off last Saturday, and I’m very happy, albeit feeling a bit naked. My back end is a bit cold so I’ve worn this sweater given the Seattle summer weather (it’s in the 60’s today). I have to wear this crazy collar around the house because I don’t know my limitations yet- the mommies keep telling me I can’t jump on the furniture or step down stairs outside so the collar ensures I don’t forget and go for it. I still have to be extra careful, like yesterday morning I was digging in a blanket and screamed out in pain and mommies couldn’t figure out why, so off I went again in the car to the vet who checked me out and gave me a clean bill of health.

But I have had some great fun lately. The fabulous folks at Curly Mommy’s work sent me a really cool basket with toys and natural cookies in them! And the daughter of someone who works with Glasses Mommy drew me a beautiful get-well picture and gave me toys like this ball that I couldn’t keep my hands off of:

Thank you everyone, for being so concerned and supportive. It helps my whole family feel better. Even my sister, who was keeping my back end warm until pictures started being taken…

Violey Emerges!

This is me yesterday. I had to wear this funny collar for a couple of days, because my legs are itchy and I can't help but scratch them. Even though I was wearing the collar, I heard Glasses Mommy tell the vet on the phone that I'd "turned a corner" and was doing much better. I don't know what that means, exactly...but I think it's a good thing.

I know I haven't written since the weekend - basically, things were really, really hard all last week and over the weekend. Curly Mommy stayed home with me alone Monday and Tuesday, and she had it the hardest. I was only sleeping for about 4 hours at a time, and so that's when she would sleep. She took great care of me, though, hand-feeding me and giving me my medicine.

I went back to the vet on Monday because I was crying and flinching so much. The vet upped my medications, and kept me for the rest of the day "under observation" which sounds really scary but really just meant they could watch me. I acted like I felt better so they would let me go home. I was so happy when Glasses Mommy showed up to pick me up at the end of the day.

I could show my real self - the one who cried and didn't feel so good - back at home to my mommies. I know the doctors think they're a little nuts because I pretended to feel better while at the vet. I didn't want to stay there! Thankfully, my mommies' workplaces have been very understanding and flexible and have let them, at various times, "work from home." I have found that working from home means that they balance me on their laps while they look at their computers and type furiously fast, or while they talk on the phone all loud and insistent. But then they stop every 45 minutes or so to take me outside, or give me medicine, or feed me.

Eating has been a challenge. After being a good eater right after my surgery, suddenly over the weekend and even as late as Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I refused to eat unless hand-fed by one of my mommies. I also wouldn't eat my dog food. I found that if I refused to eat dog food, I would get better and better treats! First, scrambled eggs. Yum! Then, when I refused to eat eggs (after all, how many meals in a row can I be expected to eat the same thin?) I got baby food that comes in a jar. Sweet potato and chicken! Chicken and rice! I never knew anything like this existed, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Yesterday I got baby food mixed with my dog food. Today I figured I should start eating regular food, so I obliged and actually ate a mixture that was more dog food and less baby food. I thought I'd give my mommies a thrill.

Then, I gave them another thrill by, you guessed it, not only using the facilities somewhat regularly, but also...by standing up and walking! They were, I think, horrified the first couple times they saw me crab walk across the room. They kept picking me up and trying to keep me still. But, eventually, they had to set me down on the floor and when they'd look away I'd crab walk a little bit for practice. Eventually, I progressed to this...

They are so proud! Now, I am trying to walk everywhere and they have to try to keep me confined. I whine and cry; I just want to be free! A couple of times I faked them out by pretending to be sleeping in my dog bed so they would leave the room. Then, I got up and tried to run out of the living room and across the kitchen! Once I did get all the way to the back door before they saw me. I know, I know. They are trying to keep me still for my own good. But it's boring being kept in my dog bed.

So, they play with me while I am lying down. I love playing with this red ball.

I hear I have to go back to the vet tomorrow...I am a little bit scared, but I have to wonder:
Do you think I'll get my bandages off soon?

Another Stressful Day

My mommies got more sleep last night, but Curly Mommy was up with me at 5. They are both pretty stressed out, not knowing if I am feeling better or not. They were a little bit grumpy today - and usually my mommies are in a pretty good mood. I am sad that taking care of me is so stressful. I am also tired, and grumpy, and every once in a while I growl when my legs give me a twinge.

These big green legs of mine are floppy and sore. When will my regular legs come back?

A complicated day, indeed

So I was very glad my mommies took me back to the vet today. I cried the whole way there, that plus sleep deprivation for all of us made us all pretty misty-eyed at the vet. I felt so much better after peeing though, I perked up quite a bit. That, and mommies told the vet I kept nipping at my naked butt for no reason so the vet figured out I was trying to get at some pain in my legs and she increased my Buprenorpine- now I can have .15ml to .2ml three times a day, instead of .1ml two times a day. When we all got home we had smiles on our faces, and I caught a much needed nap with my brother.


At dinner time I was being very finicky and wouldn't eat until my glasses-wearing mommy put me on her lap and hand-fed me. I liked it a lot, I may insist on this more often.

Today my curly-haired mom got a call from New York that her beloved grandma “Mema” passed away suddenly. She was 90 years old and she was a woman who really followed the beat of her own drum. She always asked about us fuzzy kids (her "great-grandchildren”) when mom talked to her every weekend. She was a really great lady and she will be sorely missed…


Meds-.1ml to . 2 ml Buprenorphine up to 3x day, .23ml Metacam for 13 days

It Was A Hard Night

Viley here. I'm a little groggy from my medication, but I wanted to check in to let you know how I'm doing. The two nights that I've been home have both been hard...harder for my mommies than for me, I think. Mostly I have trouble getting comfortable. One mommy stayed up with me each night, because it's easier for me to sleep on a soft lap with a sitting-up mommy than in my dog bed. It's not easy for them, though. They are "sleep deprived," and were very anxious because in the two days I'd been home, I only (excuse me for speaking of personal matters) went pee pee one time.

You see, and this might be too much information, it's very important that I don't get any pee on my bandages. I could be scalded, and hurt, if it touches my legs. So my mommies have been very careful and very anxious about my personal habits...so much so that today, they took me back to the vet to get checked out.

When the vet turned me over to ultrasound my belly, I let loose! So I got my pee pee out and feel so much better...