yorkie

Bucket List for Buddy

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Buddy 8-13-19

So I’ve been thinking a lot about living life to its fullest and spending quality time with my Yorkies – Artie, Buddy, and Coby (ABC). When it comes to family, which includes my little guys, I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to know that I gave them a life full of love and experiences. There are so many little things that bring ABC joy…which in turn makes me happy.

I’m calling this post “Bucket List for Buddy” because Buddy was recently diagnosed with bladder and kidney stones. Unfortunately, this is not his first case of stones. He’s had two surgeries to remove his bladder stones in the past (October 2017 and January 2018). Now 9 months later, he’s once again been diagnosed with stones.

Dogs can have two different types of stones…one can dissolve and the other can not. Buddy has Calcium Oxalate stones which do not dissolve. They require surgery, or an act of God, to remove. Although it’s a difficult decision, we’ve decided against surgery because his stones come back so quickly. Since his last surgery, we added two medications to his diet to prevent the stones from returning, but those measures were unsuccessful. As his doctor said, “He’s a stone maker”. Some dogs, just like people, are more susceptible to stones (it’s in their DNA). This is the case for our little Bud.

We do not know what comes next for Buddy. On September 9, he will turn 10 years old and Yorkies usually live to 13-16 years of age.  Our concern at this time is his comfort and happiness. Although, as I’m typing I selfishly want it to be about me…I don’t want to lose this happy handsome little guy.

All this brings me to this post “Bucket List for Buddy”. I’ve been thinking about the things that bring him happiness. He is such a loving and sensitive dog, and it doesn’t take much. Dave and I just need to remember to put aside the phone, tv, and other distractions to spend quality time with him and the other two. So here it goes…an ongoing list of things that bring Buddy (and the other two) happiness.

Bucket List for Buddy

  1. Morning snuggles – Buddy loves to snuggle in the morning. He seems to have pain first thing. I think it’s because his urine is more concentrated and he’s been holding it all night. To help with that pain, I’m going to try to snuggle (hold) him every morning, even if it’s just a few minutes.
  2. Walks – Right now, Buddy still loves to go for walks. Walking three dogs alone has never been easy, so we love it when daddy joins us. If not, I’m making more of an attempt to walk them daily.
  3. Petting – Buddy loves attention, more than the other two. He loves when we pet his neck area. In fact, he will flip over in our arms so this is possible.
  4. Brushing – Buddy could sit and have me brush him all night. I suppose it’s like a massage for humans. I hope to brush him more often to help him relax and take away any pain.
  5. One-on-one attention– When there’s three dogs, it’s hard to share the attention. Luckily, Artie is content with sitting on mine or daddy’s lap. So most of our attention goes to Buddy and Coby – who crave it more. Whether it be by petting, brushing, or cuddling, I intend to give them more attention.
  6. Fresh air – All three dogs prefer fresh air over air conditioning! They love it when the storm door is open so they can sit and look out the screened door. They also enjoy being in our sunroom. Therefore, on days when it’s not scorching hot, I leave both doors open.
  7. Adventures – All three dogs are love adventures. As long as it doesn’t involve the vet or groomer, they are ready to head out! I’m personally hoping to visit the dog park more. Dave loves to hike and take photographs of wildlife, so he plans to individually take the dogs on trips such as this.
  8. Dog park – Our community dog park is just minutes down the street. Now that the weather is cooling off some, I hope to take the dogs more often.
  9. More time at home – I’m a busy beaver, so one of my goals is to spend more time at home with the boys. This is especially important for Buddy who needs to drink more water so he will frequently urinate.
  10. More outside time – ABC love being outside! Hopefully we can be outside lots before winter. Vitamin D is good for them too!

So here it is…my bucket list for Buddy. As I said, this is an ongoing list so I may add more ideas as time goes on. Lord willing, Buddy will be healthy for some time. Buddy 8-9-13

 

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Sick Babies

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It’s been a crazy week here at the ABC household. Artie has been suffering with terrible allergies. His eyes are runny and red, and the left eye is partially closed. I called the vet and set up an appointment, only to have to cancel it due to an appointment for myself. So Artie continues to suffer…although the eye rinse and Children’s Benedryl brings some relief. He will see the vet Monday morning.

 

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Artie and his sad allergy eyes 

 

Coby was our bigger concern. Coby wasn’t acting normal on Sunday. He couldn’t get comfortable, wouldn’t eat, and his stomach kept making lots of noises. On Monday, he appeared to feel a little better and ate some food. It was Tuesday morning that I discovered he had bright red blood in his runny stool. I immediately called the vet and took him in to get examined. While at the vet, he threw up three times, two times it was nothing but a pile of bright red blood.

After ruling out any type of worm, the vet discovered two of his bacteria levels were high. He was in rough shape so that vet encouraged me to hospitalize him. Reluctantly, I left him there around 11 am. They gave him IV fluids, medication to stop the vomiting and diarrhea, Pepcid, and antibiotics. He didn’t have any more vomiting or diarrhea after that point so I was able to pick him up from the vet at 5:30 pm that same day. They kept his IV port in his leg overnight just in case he needed fluids again the next day.

 

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Coby and his IV port 

 

After a really good night of sleep with mommy and daddy, Coby was still really tired and weak the next day. I took him back to the vet and they gave him some fluids under the skin and another shot of Pepcid. Pepcid helps with the intestinal bleeding.

So today, Thursday, is a better day. Cody ate well and had his first bowel movement since Tuesday. It was solid but covered with dark blood (which is better than bright red). He has also been more active. We will continue his antibiotic, Pepcid, and probiotic until he visits the doctor next Friday, May 20. We pray that everything is cleared up by then and that he will be back to his normal happy self!

It’s been some week!!!

 

It’s Been a Year!

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It’s hard to believe that one year ago today, Coby entered our lives. Born on September 11, 2014, Coby wasn’t considered “perfect” in the eyes of the pet stores because he has a luxating patella (moving kneecap). This is very common with small dogs. So, Coby was given up to  a rescue. This may seem like a sad situation, but it was a BLESSING for us. We were the lucky ones to have the opportunity to adopt a precious Yorkshire Terrier…our “C” of the gang.

It was November 26, 2014, when I talked to the founder of Homeward Bound Rescue about another possible adoption. I remember her words to this day, “It’s your lucky day. I just got an adorable Yorkie yesterday. He is neutered and ready to go home with someone”. The next day I picked up Coby on what was suppose to be a two-week trial. I knew from the moment I saw him that he would be ours! Would Artie and Buddy feel the same?

 

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Lots of sniffing happened that first day, and to be honest, it took about two weeks for Artie and Buddy to begin warming up to Coby. Once they warmed up, I knew Coby was HOME!

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These were some of the first pictures of them together. It made my heart so happy to see the three of them starting to become “brothers”.  Today, one year later, they are inseparable…they are ABC!!!