We're back!

Yipee!

We miss blogging and most of all, we miss our friends in the blogosphere! We will post our updates and visit your blogs in a while. But wait, there's more. Someone is celebrating his first gotcha day tomorrow! Guess who?

Clue:

A Wordy Wednesday

Photo courtesy of Venusienne from Flicker

Handkerchiefs are associated with sorrow and pain, which I see a lot of in the Animal Doctor's world. Some go into fits of bawling and sobbing ( this is me) while others can handle their grief silently like this old woman who listened intently, tears rolling down her cheeks, as the Animal Doctor explained how he and the other vets had tried to revive her dog. Her husband was beside her, rubbing her shoulders while his other hand clutched at a rosary.

I also remember this guy whose Labrador suffered from heatstroke on the day of his wedding. Before leaving for his honeymoon abroad, he went to the clinic, sat by his dog's crib and murmured to it for several minutes. He tied a handkerchief around its paw, hoping that the dog would still be able to smell his scent on it and come out of coma. But the dog never made it.

I remember these images very well, perhaps because no words can accurately describe the bond between a human and his pet, and unless another person has tried it, no one would probably understand how loving an animal can be both so incredibly beautiful and painfully sad.

A special day

A Happy Second Birthday
to our two legged baby

M I G G Y

We will be on vacation in Iloilo City, my hometown, to celebrate Human Baby's birthday with my family. I'll be seeing my dogs too (they live in my Mom's house) who I haven't seen in two months. We will visit your blogs when we come back.

The Secretary needs some Talk-N-2

Hi every dog, cat and hooman. I am doing a quick post, first, to let you all know that I, Trudis, am pawfectly fine if you missed me on Monday. The Secretary did it again- fell asleep in the middle of my dictation- the nerve of that woman! Apparently, she had another hangover from watching Disney Cartoon Marathon last Sunday.

You are not taking this job seriously, are you???

And second, Benji, my real sister ( we have the same dog-mother) is sick. She was adopted by a client of the Animal Doctor's when we arrived here in Metro Manila. Like me, she has a habit of chewing things, hers are paint off the walls and rusty metals. Benji is very hardheaded and would not listen to her hooman. The Animal Doctor did some tests and found out she has ARF- I dont know if this has got to do with her bark but I can sense that she is very very sick. I am worried about my sister, please send good vibes to her, will you?

- A very worried Trudis

The Secretary's Note: The Animal Doctor diagnosed Benji with Acute Renal Failure( ARF) and the prognosis is not so good, like with most renal cases. The Clinic does not have a dialysis machine, so the Animal Doctor had Benji on slow but continuous IV drip and diuretics to flush out the toxins from her body. He is also giving her additional medications to prevent complications and fluid imbalance. I've never seen him in such a tough balancing act with other medical conditions. The good thing is, Benji's creatinine levels droped from 400 to 250 after three days, and her phosphorus and potassium levels are not that bad. However, her red blood cells might be falling. Fingers and paws crossed.

I am a good girl

Scarlet wasn't so chirpy when she woke up on Sunday morning so the Secretary decided to let her join our outdoor games.

See how huge Moy's mouth is? I was too busy sniffing something on the ground, but Scarlet looked like she'd care for a round of bitey face.


So I, Trudis, indulged her. See, how a good girl I am? I even had to play it her way.

Scarlet: Uhrmmm, grrr, ummmm.
Trudis: That not bitey face, girl.

We had fun with our Sunday playtime. Secretary gave us a bath after and we spent the rest of the afternoon snoozing in our house. The Secretary found out what I was chomping on of late: dried leeches. Absolutely yummy. But the Secretary did not approve and continues to withhold my outdoor privileges. Boo-hoo.

Oh, in case you're wondering why our sister, Pussy O' Woosie isn't blogging, she's obsessively watching the neighbor's cat. Tsk, tsk.

The Secretary thinking out loud:

1. Scarlet's Mom and Dad visited her this weekend and I gathered that they are not yet ready bring home a special needs dog. I volunteered to temporarily care for Scarlet but I had to ask them to chip in money for her food and medicines. My will and desire to help this dog is so strong and gives me a lot of frustration. I haven't finished her makeshift stroller yet and I am thinking of just leaving it to an expert and shell out some more money :( But I know what the real question is ( one that I am possibly evading?). For how long can I take on the responsibility of caring for this dog? When can I accept the fact that some animals are bound to experience pain and unhappiness in their lives, just like humans do? That there is a point when you need to stop resisting and just accept reality?

2. I have a problem with Trudis. She's developed an appetite for stones, soil, leeches- basically anything she sees on the ground. I am confining her in her kennel until we figure out a way to curb her pica. On the other hand, this strengthens the Animal Doctor's theory that Trudis' liver problem was caused by something she'd ingested, as opposed to a viral infection or congenital abnormality. He already started Trudis on a medicine called Godex and expects her liver enzymes to reach normal levels in two weeks.