What does V.E.T. stand for?

Well, I think I am back to myself again. Yesterday, I was even barking at the dogs across the street. I haven't done that in several days. Mom and Dad are glad I'm back to normal but wished I wasn't back to arguing with the neighbors. What am I supposed to do? They bark, so I must bark!

You guys left me some great comments on Friday.....here are a few of my faves in case you missed them:

Sadie said: "And as far as that job,maybe you would do better at a pet store, they have a lot of treats there!" Great idea!

Lorenza said: "A job?? Nope! It does not sound good!" That's what I think.

Fiona said: "As for getting a job where you ask "do you want fries with that?" - that seems to me that it might lead you to eating MORE things that maybe you shouldn't.... I'd talk to your Mom about getting you started in modeling or, maybe as a spokesperson for your vet? Or suggest that all those hours that she spends sleeping could be spent at a second job.... :-)" You reading this Mom?

Sasha said: "Have you thought about a lemonade stand out front, I bet no one could resist you." Hmmm...

Martha and Bailey said: "We wish you luck on your sensible eating - we like to eat rubbish off the ground too "!Rubbish?

Rocky Creek Scotties said: "We know what it's like when you are close to the ground - there's a smorgasbord just waiting to be discovered." Mmmm, a smorgasbord sounds yummier than rubbish.

Ruby's Mom said: "It's so hard to keep their snoots off the ground. If I fish one more wood chip out of Ruby's mouth, I can build a small log cabin." Ruby, you gotta swallow that stuff faster but wood chips?

Stormy said: "And I TOTALLY understand about the lecture! I'm 13 and have taken to going up to my mom and just woofing her up one side and down the other. No reason. Just to give her a piece of my mind. You should try that. It's very cleansing. :)" Excellent advise!

Please don't be offended if I didn't quote you, I just thought those were particularly funny.

This is the look I gave Mom yesterday after she told me she talked to the V.E.T. again.....

I'm feeling better, why would she need to call them again? She said she had to let them know how I am doing. She was also able to ask Dr. Abby a few more questions (My mom is the question queen). First of all and most important to me is Dr. Abby said she doubted this case with me was from something I ate! HA! I haven't been bad like Mom and Dad thought. I did not deserve that lecture I got either! (Storms, I am considering what you said) Dr. Abby said it seemed more like a spontaneous infection, similar to appendicitis. She couldn't say why this happened but she did say the important thing is I was responding to the treatment. With humans they always want to have a diagnosis and they generally have the equipment available to do that but not so with us pets. That is okay with me, I don't want to have any more tests than needed.

Now, speaking about the V.E.T., Dr. Abby reads my blog sometimes and she is convinced that V.E.T. stands for something mean. As far as I know it doesn't. I just say it like that because I don't like to visit her. No offense, Dr. Abby. I think maybe we should put our heads together and come up with something. You guys got any ideas?


I've been pondering picking out a photo to enter The Munchkins "Ear"resistable contest. What do you think about this one?

Don't forget to enter your bestest ear photo.
I'm hoping Mom will get off her lazy bum and dig out some of my puppy pics someday. I'm pretty sure I could win every contest with some of those babies! BOL!

Flower Friday is Finally here!

Has this been a long week, or what?

I'm finally feeling almost back to normal. My appetite is starting to return to doxie levels and I'm having more energy.

Thanks to everyone (furiends and friends) for the crossed paws and healing thoughts.
Mom sat me down and had a long discussion with me. So long I almost wished I was still sick. Sheesh! She made it very clear how important it is that I not eat junk off the ground when I am out walking. I tried to explain but she was having none of it. She doesn't care how tasty it smells or how it calls my name.

She said I need to stay away from it.
Can you believe that?
Uh, Hello! I am a DACHSHUND!!
You know, being an 'older woman' it has been a while since I got a lecture and I really didn't appreciate it much.
Next, she told me I needed to get a job.
WHAT?I've never had a job. What does she mean I need to get a job? Doesn't she have a job? I'm pretty sure that is the whole reason Dad leaves me everyday too....at least it better be. I pondered this for a bit and realized those vet bills are quite hefty at times and maybe I could help out. I told her I knew how to say,

"You want fries with that?"

Have a great weekend!

Another Update

Hi everyone! Mom here. Thank you so much for your concern for our little girl. We are very fortunate to have such caring friends.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Twix is doing okay at this point. It is fairly obvious that she doesn't feel good but she is starting to have a little more energy. She is eating a little bit of food at a time (2-3 times a day). Normally she would snarf down whatever canned food was put in front of her but now she eats some and then walks away. As long as she is eating and keeping it down I am happy.

I don't really understand why she has inflammation in her stomach/intestines. The vet said she could have inflammatory bowel disease (dogs get that?) and if this happens again we might have to put her on steroids. The other thing he said is she could have eaten who knows what and it brought on the inflammation. Because of the pancreatitis, we know we have to be careful about what she eats but these low dogs always have their nose in the ground and have eaten something before you can even see what it is. We try to be careful when we walk her but unfortunately, her nose picks up those scents way before ours does!

I do think maybe we tend to worry a little more than we should when she gets an upset tummy because of her past with pancreatitis. I have had dogs all my life and have never seen a dog as sick as she was. And, I certainly have never heard of a dog being in the hospital for a week over an illness. On her previous post she mentioned what the vet said when she gave me Twix's bill at that time.....let me tell you, that really brought things into perspective. I knew she was really sick and we also knew she might not make it but I NEVER realized the vet didn't think she would live through her bout of pancreatitis. The vet even said to me, "Now you know where the phrase sick as a dog comes from."

Again, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and for listening to me ramble via Twix's blog. I am very behind on all of your blogs so please be patient with me. I will try to get caught up when I can.

I told Twix she was gonna have to get a job because we have laid out quite a bit of money in the past 10 days! She just looked at me with her sad eyes........

Wordless Wednesday

Update

Thanks everyone for your concern and crossed paws. I went to the V.E.T. tonight and they took a sample of my poo cause I was having some bleeding along with the diahrrea yesterday and they took some blood. They said my poo was looking better and my temperature was back to normal. My bloodwork, however, is another story. My white blood cell count is pretty high; high enough that they thought about keeping me in the hospital but decided not too. Thank DoG!

They aren't 100% sure what is going on but my bloodwork didn't show pancreatitis. The V.E.T. thinks I have some inflammation in my intestines or some bacterial infection. I got 2 different kinds of antibiotics, a shot for nausea, and some yummy canned food. Even though the canned food is bland I still like it. Mom gave me a little when we got home and, so far, I have kept it down. The V.E.T. said if I don't get better within 48 hours then I have to go back and stay in the hospital. Hopefully I am on the upward swing. I have been to see the V.E.T. a little more than I like lately.

Personally, I think Mom and Dad are a little overprotective and worrisome. The V.E.T. didn't agree with me and said they have a right to be worried.

The Perfect Award for Me!

Well, my furiends know me better than I thought they did! I was given this award by Tank and Sadie. I guess you guys have figured out how important food is to me and I ain't talking about dog food! This is how the award works:

"When accepting this award, you must blog about the food you have stolen when your humans were not watching. If you have never stolen any food, you must have been a really good pup! You can accept this yummy tray of cookies as your reward! Next, add the logo of this award to your blog (optional), then nominate at least 5 other furry blogs and let them know by leaving a message on their blogs."

Well, I have stolen food but I am still accepting this tray of cookies!
Gosh! I don't know where to start. I'll give you a couple funny ones and then we can talk about something more serious.

My cousin, Kayla, was born the year before me so we sorta grew up together. When she was around 2, Grandma would give her Twizzlers and she would have one in each hand. Of course, she didn't really pay much attention to the candy and I would snatch a whole Twizzler every chance I got. I thought it was great! Kayla, however, was pretty upset by my thievery.

When my Dad started dating my Mom, he made it known he did not like "little" dogs. I was just a little offended by that, as you can imagine. So, he would come over, Momma would cook dinner, and they would eat in the living room using TV trays. Daddy likes to have bread and butter with dinner so imagine if you will....TV tray with a plate of food, 2 slices of bread and butter on the tray next to the plate, and me watching and waiting. As soon as they were not paying attention I would reach up there and snatch one of those slices of bread and run off with it. By the time they realized it and grabbed me I had snarfed it down. Hehehe! That's what you get for not liking little dogs, Mister!

Almost 2 years ago, I had gotten into the trash and chewed up some papertowels that had bacon grease on them. As you would expect, I got into some trouble. Later that day, Mom looked over at me; I didn't look too good and she asked if I felt ok. My reply was projectile vomiting. She thought it was just the papertowels coming back up. I started on a downward spiral at that point. Over the next 2 days, I became lethargic, refused food and treats, and finally, wouldn't even get up when they came home from work. Mom had called Aunt Shannon over to look at me and she thought I might have the flu but when I started refusing all yummies and didn't even care when they came home from work Mom knew something wasn't right.

Off we went to the V.E.T. and they said they would keep me overnight, give me fluids, and something for an upset tummy. The V.E.T. called Momma at work the next day and said I wasn't any better and she wanted to do an X-Ray to see if I had an obstruction (thinking I may have eaten something else out of the trash). That test revealed I defniately had an obstruction as nothing was passing from my tummy to my small intestine. So, the next call Mom got was telling her I had to have surgery right away.

Less than an hour later, Mom got another call telling her I had one of the worst cases of pancreatisis she had ever seen. My pancreas was so enlarged it was blocking off my stomach from emptying. All they could do was give me some medications and keep me on IV fluids and wait and see what happens. Well, I spent about a week in the hospital but Mom and Dad came to see me every day. I think they got special treatment cause Aunt Shannon works there! The first several days I still didn't even get up or lift my head when they came to visit. As I started to feel better it was hard for me to let Mom and Dad leave me. I cried a lot and I think it broke their hearts. The V.E.T. said I couldn't go home until I ate something and pooped for them. Let me tell you, they tried to feed me everything but I wouldn't eat it. Not canned dog food or even canned cat food. They asked Mom to bring some things from home (people food) as long as it wasn't greasy. She brought some scrambled eggs, boiled chicken, and roast beef. As soon as she took the lid off those eggs I went after it. Mmmmmm, they were so good after not eating for a week.

Momma got to take me home that day! When the V.E.T. gave her the bill, she said, "I'm scared to look at this." The reply was, "You are getting to take Twix home with you, I thought you were gonna get this bill and not get to take her home." Momma knew I was pretty sick but she didn't realize the V.E.T. thought I would not get to go home. It took me quite a while to get back to normal and start eating again.

I know this is a long story but I have been wanting to post about this and thought this was the perfect opportunity. Anything greasy can cause a dog to get sick like this so please be careful what your babies can get into or what table scraps you give them (if any).

I would like to pass this award on to:

Mochi, The AO4, Bijou, Baxter, and Sedona.
I know you guys will have some great stories!

Note from Mom: As I began working on this post, Twix started acting strange. Shivering but not from being cold (more like being in pain), very warm to the touch, and diahrrea. We took her over to Aunt Shannon's to take a look at her. Her temp is up a bit but nothing serious. Shannon gave her some medication to help with her tummy and told us to watch her tonight and let her know how things are in the morning. Since we have been home (about 20 minutes) she has thrown up. Some of these symptoms are very similar to the pancreatitis she had before. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping and praying she is much better tomorrow and that she isn't getting real sick again.

Paw It Forward

It was beautiful here today.

And I assumed my usual sunbathing position.

I hear Dad say, "Twix gets better mail than I do."
Are you jealous Dad?
Hurry up! Open it, I wanna see what it is!
I can smell something yummy in there.

A new toy with a squeaker that actually works (for now).

Another toy with a squeaker and some rings I can play tug with. WooHoo!

I knew I smelled something yummy in there!
GIVE. ME. THE. BAG.!

Ha Ha! I am faster than you think I am.
(I snatched one and he didn't want me to!)

Here we go with the torture treatment again.
Momma says the look on my face in this photo is priceless.

I am determined to break into this stupid bag!

Ahhh, even though I hate the torture the reward is worth it.

I know, I shoulda checked everything out before enjoying my treats but I couldn't help it.
Look at the note Sasha sent me. Isn't she cute?

AND she sent me some bubbles! Sasha, if I find the magic bubble I will come visit you first!

A closer inspection....Pretty Puppy Perfume in pink!

I've not seen one like this before. It squeaks too. Tug anyone?

Mom was trying to get me to pose with my gifts but I was still interested in those yummy treats. I've never had Zen Puppy treats before and, let me tell you, I have been missing out.
EDIT: I meant to tell you that the treats are called Beauty for Coat, Skin, and Breath. I'm so glad Sasha picked those out for me, given my hair loss problems and the fact that Mom and Dad are always telling me what horrible breath I have!

Sorry, this is the best I could do after all the excitement.

This is my first Paw It Forward experience. Thank you so much, Sasha! I love my toys and treats!
I know lots of you have participated in this before but if you haven't or it has been a long time please let me know in your comment. I will PIF to the first 3 that let me know they want to participate. Please send me an email with your address so I know where to send it!

Its Flower Friday!

A beautiful Gerbera Daisy today.

I'm so glad the weekend is here....and I'm pretty sure I don't have to visit the V.E.T. either.

Several of you made guesses as to what was on my nose in my WW photo and unfortunately, it was not any of those yummy things you mentioned. It was just a piece of string from the mop. I like to nose around in corners making sure there are no lingering tidbits of food and sometimes I get funny things stuck on my nose. Unfortunately, Mom thinks it is funny and whips out the camera before I realize it.

I was wondering if The OP Pack gets to eat Marshmallow Fluff....it sounds extremely yummy.

Hopefully I will get to taste it someday.

Thanks Tiffany at Munchkin Memoirs for my new signature!

Wordless Wednesday

The V.E.T.

Holy Cow! It was hot in the car when we first got in there!

It was a bright sunny day with a beautiful blue sky today.

I was trying to tell Dad to go left instead of right but he didn't listen to me. He drove straight to the V.E.T. I thought he loved me but I'm not so sure anymore....traitor!

There were two little girls out front with this cute puppy. They really liked my dress (Thanks again Lorenza).

Hailey greeted me when I got inside. She loves me!

This is the office where my Aunt Shannon works. Do you remember meeting Griffin when we were in the parade together? Well, surprise! He went to work with Aunt Shannon today. Momma said he has gotten bigger and filled out more. I just think he looks serious.
We got into a room and had to wait. I don't like waiting too much; I paced and whined the whole time.

Dr. Snyder came in and talked to Mom and Dad about my thinning hair. I don't really get what the big deal is, its just hair. Then she checked my teeth and said I need to get a cleaning ASAP! Mom said she was a bad mom and has not done that in quite a while.

Then she felt over my body and under my tummy. Hey, this isn't so bad after all.

She listened to my heart too but that thing was cold!

Next, time for my shots. Mom took a picture but didn't know if she might cause someone to pass out if she put that photo on here so I've spared you. I tried to climb on top of Dad's head to see if he would get me outta there.

He didn't so then I tried to climb on Aunt Shannon, which ended up not being a smart thing to do.

Cause she helped Dr. Snyder trim my toenails.

I don't too much like having my toenails trimmed. I understand why so many of my furiends don't like being groomed. Mom said at least I didn't have to be muzzled like my brother, Max. (I never got to meet him but I think I woulda liked him.)

Then, Aunt Shannon held me while the V.E.T. did something to my behind. It didn't smell too great and it kinda hurt too. You guessed it! Momma and Daddy had them squeeze my butt. Traitors!

Mom didn't get a picture of this but I wanted to make sure the V.E.T. understood exactly how I feel so while they were paying I peed and pooped on the floor! That's what you get for squeezing my butt! When we got back in the car I gave Mom this look....just to make her feel extra guilty.

Then I relaxed! It was over. I like to rest my head on both Mom and Dad. Makes me feel safe.

Next, we went to the City Shelter to get my driver's license.

They had bunnies for adoption. Mom said if Max would have been there he woulda tried to eat the bunnies so it wasn't very smart for them to put the bunnie's cages on the floor.

There were 3 of these puppies being adopted. I sniffed them but they weren't really guys I wanted to make furiends with. While we were inside, there were people and dogs outside. I think some of the people were thinking about adopting the dogs. All of a sudden, we heard lots of snarling, growling and barking. There were 2 big dogs out there fighting. Only one of the dogs was on a leash and the workers were having a real hard time getting them separated. They kept pulling on the dog with the leash so it couldn't fight back but the other dog kept attacking it. I think the dog with the leash got hurt. They brought him through the room we were in and he dripped blood all over the floor and there was blood outside when we left. I felt bad for him because I don't think the people helped any by holding him back while the other dog kept attacking. You know what I mean?

We got my driver's license so I am a legal resident in my city now.
Well, that was quite a stressful day for me so on the way home, we made a pitstop.....

Mom went in and came out with a bag and then we went home. Can you guess what is going on here?

I'll give you a hint....

I was exhausted after all that excitement today. It was most certainly nap time for Twix!

After my nap, we went outside and I got this little cup of ice cream!

I thought maybe I could get a better angle if I tipped the cup over.

There, that's better!

Mom had to be a brat and set the cup back up.

So, I tipped it back over.

Then she tried to take it from me but I latched on and tried to stop her. I finally let go cause she said I could have some more later. I couldn't have it all because Dr. Snyder said I had gained 2 pounds and I should not to gain any more weight.

Mom tried to blame Dad for me gaining some weight but it was her idea to stop and get ice cream!

Note from Mom: We talked with Dr. Snyder quite a bit about Twix's hair loss. She said it wasn't something totally abnormal given she has always had issues with it, even when she was a pup, and that on top of her age could be most of it. We can have some tests ran if we choose to do that in the future. She said she would be more concerned if Twix was itchy and scratching alot but that is not the case. She said we could try to switch foods to see if that helps as she could have developed an allergy to that knowing she has food allergies. She did say it is good she is not bald and that is something that can be an issue for doxies....Dachshund Pattern Baldness. So, basically, we learned we don't need to worry about this too much since she is not showing any other health symptoms. We will just continue to try to keep her warm. She did get her shots today and weighed 13.2 pounds. Last year she weighed around 11 pounds. Dr. Snyder said she was not overweight but she should not gain any more weight or we will have to put her on a diet.
Thanks to everyone for their concern about our baby. We are so fortunate to have all of you as our friends.