Buddy Stuff

Hi everyone, I’m a little late with my Sunday posting so it’s going to be Monday Ramblings this week. I’ve been suffering with a migraine that refuses to completely leave and I just wasn’t up to being on the computer this weekend.

Our weather has been beautiful this weekend though. Very sunny and hot. I didn’t sit outside much though with the headache although yesterday I did get out more but in the shade. Buddy loves sprawling out on the cold cement step and keeping an eye on things.

I didn’t get any reading done this weekend except for some Sunday night. Currently I have a few going: The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, The second story in the Brothers of Gwynedd and Green Darkness by Anya Seton. I’ve been working my way between the three although Green Darkness is really starting to capture my attention more.

Look for reviews this week on The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews which I really enjoyed. I love her writing style and have a few more of her books on my shelves to look forward to. I will also have a review up of Souvenir by Therese Fowler- another book I really enjoyed.

This pic coming up is of Buddy on Saturday night. I had washed his face and he was busy giving those pillows the what-for.

The next two pictures are of Buddy’s new haircut which he got on Sunday along with a bath. He had way too much hair for how hot it was on the weekend and even this week is going to be fairly warm. He was a very good boy for his haircut and bath surprisingly enough.

Buddy had a few bad days there last week; I think I had mentioned that somewhere along the way but he seems to have perked up again the last few days and especially after his hair cut. Maybe he was just too hot and uncomfortable to be hungry. He’s such a little sweetheart. I see how adorable he looks in these photos and it’s just so hard to believe that he’s sick. I’ve been thinking of starting little flashbacks about cute things Buddy has done over the years in my Sunday posts too. We’ll see.

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a great weekend and that the week ahead for you all is good as well. I hope to get to some blog visiting this week – gosh I miss everyone! If only I could muster up more energy, feel great, and manage to do everything I wish I could do! Have a great week everyone!

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Good morning everyone. It’s a beautiful morning here so far and I’m only hoping it stays that way. We were finally able to plant the garden and our pots of flowers are starting to bloom. We had to hide them in the garage during the snow.

Buddy is still holding his own. Since that really bad day a week and a half ago he’s been pretty good. Still very fussy about eating and I’m going to check in with the vet this week on what else I can feed the little guy other than rice. He picks it off my hand and then proceeds to spit it out on the floor. Not very productive at all. The vet is waiting a few more weeks and then he’s going to redo the test we did a few weeks ago to ensure that there really is a problem with his adrenal gland. Other than that I’m doing what I can and that’s just keeping him comfy and happy and praying everyday he stays stable and by my side. Here’s a couple of pictures I took of him yesterday out of his standard pose but that was only because he was sleeping. lol.

Doesn’t he just look like an angel when he’s sleeping like this with his eyes barely open even though he’s trying his hardest not to sleep. You might miss something going on if you actually have a nap.

I’m not sure if you can tell in this picture but he’s laying on his back with his paw paws in the air. He looks so sweet when he sleeps like this.

As for reading, Becky from One Literature Nut and I have been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and last night we had a bit of a chat about it. We are both enjoying it but both agreed that we weren’t quite as excited as others have been but I think that was only about the first quarter of the book or so because I’ve found now that it has really picked up for me and I don’t want to put it down so I’m beginning to now really see where the enthusiasm for the books come from. Look for my reviews of both sometime this week.

We talked about the dystopian angle and the future of the world. Reading this type of novel always makes me wonder about the future of our world – what will it bring. We talked about how in the novel there are the people in the Capitol who have it all and then the others who have to hunt and search for food. Then I thought it isn’t much different now – we have people who have more and then we have the homeless and others who are constantly struggling. I think one thing we can depend on, no matter whether it’s in the future or not, is that there will always be the powerful, the middle, and the less privileged.

So, we’re set to read the last half today which I intend to get started on as soon as I feed Buddy. Then it will be on to Catching Fire. I’m also reading The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews and enjoying it – I really enjoy her writing style.

That’s my plan for the day and again hopefully Buddy is in the mood to cooperate with me and be good. Since it’s nice outside I fully intend to relax on my swing and get in some quality reading and sun time. What is everyone else up to? Any special plans this weekend or just enjoying yourself? Have a great week everyone!

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Hey everyone, I know I haven’t done an update on Buddy in a while and I’m sorry about that so this is an extra long post. I’m just trying to get through each day and get what he needs done. He’s become quite difficult to feed as he doesn’t seem to have an appetite most days so I have to try every few hours and usually get down on the floor to feed him. It seems that all I’m doing is cooking chicken and vegetables and trying to feed him all day. I don’t mind; it’s just that I get upset when he won’t eat because I know to keep up his strength and stay reasonably ok, he needs to eat.

I had him in for some more blood tests this past Friday. They were testing the how his adrenal gland functions. As I was writing this I heard from the vet. Buddy does show a problem with his adrenal glands which indicates Cushings Disease. Yet many of the most common symptoms of it Buddy doesn’t have. The vet is going to speak with the pathologist on another test they can do to hopefully better determine Cushings. So basically I’m still no further ahead than before. Cushings Disease is not curable either but can be maintained depending on how well the pet tolerates the medicines. However if it’s an adrenal gland tumor then you’re looking at only a few years as surgery is pretty dangerous because of blood clots, etc. His ultrasound didn’t show a tumor but there can be small ones that aren’t seen unless you’d do something like a CT scan which apparantly they don’t do often on pets. Unfortunately the vet said we still can’t rule out something called amylodosis which is not good. There isn’t a cure nor is there treatment; basically you can just keep your pet comfortable. They can be with you anywhere from a few months to a few years, but not likely more than that. So far Buddy hasn’t been losing weight but if he keeps up with not eating he surely will. So here I am again waiting to hear from the vet as to the next move. At least my vet is really good and goes to great lengths to make sure he’s doing the right tests instead of me spending a lot of money on ones we don’t necessarily need. The vet bills are already pretty scary but Buddy is worth it to me. The worst thing is that with a lot of these diseases dogs can get they are very hard to exactly pinpoint as these symptoms practically go for almost all of the diseases they can get.

Of course I’m devastated. My heart just hurts every time I look at him. I know other people have lost pets but I still keep thinking ‘why us’. Buddy is such a big and important part of my life. I got him shortly after I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and even on my worst days I know he has to be fed and all that – he makes me want to get up out of bed those mornings. As well when I got sick a lot of my friends decided it was too much trouble I guess to stay friends with someone who just didn’t have the energy anymore to be going out all the time but he was always there. Needless to say I’m extremely attached to the little guy. He’s been so much more than just a dog for me – he’s pretty much been a lifesaver at times.

Anyhow when I hear from the vet I’ll post again. Hopefully I’ll have more of an idea of what to expect and stuff like that. I know I haven’t been visiting blogs and I probably won’t be for a while. I’m not even completely sure what I want to do with the blog at this point. I’ve lost a bit of the will to keep it up right now. I am fulfilling all my tour dates and such but not booking much extra right now. I think ultimately I may just go back to the old days where I read what I wanted and then just write reviews. I really haven’t made a set decision there yet.

Thanks to all of you who have kept up reading my reviews even though I haven’t been commenting on your blogs. I do miss the interaction sometimes. As well thanks to all of you who have sent me emails and commented here on the blog with wishes and prayers for the Budster. It means a lot to me. I took a few pictures – the first one is of Buddy the other day when he had his blood test. You can see his pretty little bandaid on his paw. The second one is of his new haircut that he got yesterday. It’s extremely hot here right now and there was no way I could leave the little guy as furry as he was – he would have been really uncomfortable today. Doesn’t he look like a completely different dog with his short hair? I’m partial to the long hair but I love him with his haircut just as much!

Again, thank you all so much for your support. I have no words – just thank you.

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