Elphie had a good Christmas

Elphie is one spoiled dog, let me tell you. For Christmas Santa brought her two...count them TWO...rawhide bones: one was peanut butter flavored the size of her head and the other was plain and bigger than her entire body! Santa didn't even bother wrapping them, either. I'm sure he knew she'd sniff them out anyway.

Elphie + Camp = Love

Elphie loves camp. It gives me such pleasure to walk her through those glass doors and hand her off to the caring people of Pet Smart because I know she's in good hands. When she gets in the car, it's like she knows where she's going. She'll hop around in the backseat during the ride and when we pull into the parking lot her ears go back and she's locked, loaded and ready to play. She LOVES it. And they love her. There's love all around!

Jinx!

So I jinxed myself last post by saying that Elphie was feeling better...because she's not. Or if she was, she's not anymore. The Giardia is back (or never left?) and she may have an additional parasite. Sheesh! When is this thing going to go away? She doesn't seem to be hurting at all, just a little sleepier than usual, but she's still playing and eating like before. The situation is more frustrating for me than it is for her. A literal mess!

Elphie's Feeling Better!

I’m afraid to say it in the case of jinxing us, but I think Elphie’s feeling better. I brought her back to the vet two weeks ago because it seemed as if her illness was progressing. I was afraid that she was developing another infection on top of the Giardia. When I mentioned to both the vet tech and the doctor that Elphie was snacking on her own stuff (if you catch my drift), they told me that that was the reason why she wasn’t getting any better because she was just re-infecting herself. They sent us home with more medication which included a box of pills that you put in her food which causes her poop to smell bad enough that she won’t want to eat it (as if it could smell even worse). For the most part it’s worked. I still have to keep an eye on her when she goes out on her own, but I think we’re doing well. She even seems like she’s gotten the pep in her step back. Every morning she bounces out of her crate ready to play. It’s good to have my pup back.

Hubby and I are going on vacation next week so we’re going to have to board Elphie at PetSmart. Although we have friends and family willing to stop by to visit her at home, I just don’t feel right asking them to come by twice a day for a week and a half. It wouldn’t be fair to them or to the dog. The people at PetSmart take such great care of the animals they board so I’m not worried about leaving her there. We may even pay to have her in camp for a couple of days during her stay. I’m sure she won’t even realize we’re gone. I have asked my sister to stop by every other day to check on the cats, though. Cats are easier to handle whilst away. Just as long as they have enough food, water and a clean litter box, they’re happy as clams. They, too, won’t even know we’re gone.

Today I am working from home for the first half because there are some workmen in our home. It’s great being home during the work week, especially when there’s a kitty keeping you company. Nessa, our 4-year-old Orange Tabby, is helping me work by checking my notes. Boq (our 3-year-old Manx), on the other hand, has been hiding underneath the couch ever since the workmen arrived. He doesn’t react kindly to strangers. And miss Elphie is enjoying her day at camp. Now that you all know the whereabouts of my animals, I can sleep well tonight :)

Love That Dirty Water

Although Boston isn't Elphie's home, she still loves dirty water. Her upset tummy has been connected to her love for lapping puddles. I brought her to the vet on Saturday and they called on Tuesday to give me the results of the stool culture: she tested positive for Giardia. I did a little research and learned that Giardia is "an infection of the small intestine caused by a microscopic organism (protozoa)" (definition courtesy of http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Apparently it affects both humans and animals, usually caught by drinking stagnant and/or dirty water. I'm told that people who drink the water from Half Dome without filtration suffer from this ailment. Ick. I also read that it is undetermined whether the infection can be transferred between species. With that being said, you can bet your booty that I'm washing my hands every time I take her for a walk! That does not sound fun. I've seen, first hand, what it can do to the body and I'm not going to be signing up for that. Luckily it is easily treated with a combination of medication in various forms. I was sent home with pills for the diarrhea, powder to act as a vitamin supplement and liquid to treat the infection. I'm hoping she'll start to feel like herself again really soon.

Elphie has an upset tummy, although you never would know it with the way she goes about her day. She's just a tad lazier than usual but for the most part she's rather peppy. We put her on a 24-hr fast on Sunday and have been and will be feeding her boiled chicken, rice and cottage cheese for the next couple of days to help regulate her system. By the way she scarfed her dinner down yesterday, it seems like she thinks it's the best food in the world. I bet she's going to be upset when we switch her back to her regular food.

Camp has been going well and each day Elphie acts like it's her very first day. She always comes home with a shining paw-gress report and we learn that she loves to play with toys (we could've told them that) and that she's the life of the party. She's always making friends and she rarely rests during break time. I'm a-OK with the latter because that means she's not a bother when she gets home. It makes for an easy evening for mom and dad.

Doggie Day Camp - Day 3

Day 2 was a success so why wouldn't we bring her back for day 3? Although I have a feeling this getting up early in order to bring her stuff is going to get old fast. She was tuckered out after the second day and passed out on our bed while I watched TV in my lounge chair. She went out like a light and didn't even wake when the cat jumped on the bed to hiss and swat at her. Those are signs of a tired pup!