I will probably at some point get back to posting about politics and other stuff, but not right now. Here’s a little video of nothing, really, other than the panoramic view from my chair:
Also, Devon sends along these pictures of her previous foster Yuki who stayed here for about ten days. She is doing quite well at her forever home. Here she is with her new big brother and BFF Bogart:
And here she is just being adorable:
I don’t know if you all remember, but she had rickets and her legs were crookeder than Forrest Gump’s, but they are looking really good.
Not much going on here other than me driving myself insane watching every little thing Lily does- “she didn’t eat that much is something wrong with her stomach oh she ate a lot of that maybe I should get more how long has it been since she went to the potty oh it looks like she is pooping I need to check that shit out am I imagining things or is she breathing shallow her nose looks a little dry I wonder if that means anything should I be doing anything should I be concerned she just wants to be upstairs maybe she’s just sick and tired of being fussed over…”
I’m nuts. I can not even imagine being the parent of a sick child. We need single payer.
efgoldman
For pets??
John Cole
@efgoldman: for people.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@efgoldman: That’s part of the Baud!2020 platform.
TenguPhule
I see what you did there.
JPL
It’s okay. My mutt didn’t me at the door today when I returned, and of course I panicked. What ensued is when he finally came, he got extra treats. Maybe he caught on. hmm
What is love..
TenguPhule
@John Cole:
You didn’t deny the pets part.
Elizabelle
Thanks for the Yuki photos. She’s wonderful. Best to Lily and rest of the Cole family.
jl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I thought ‘single payer’ for Baud 2020! meant that it’s OK to pay for the Baud 2020! campaign beer needs one bottle at a time.
Mary G
Aw, love it all. Lily is probably quite sluggish after eating all the meat she could chew. She looks relaxed and comfortable. Love the pictures and update on Yuki, thank you. She looks happy and safe and loved.
Dog internet is all that’s keeping me sane today, so post a lot more.
jl
I can’t think of another politics/pets/national security/health care policy/gardening/nature/sports etc. blog that provides a panoramic view from the Blog Boss’ recliner. Truly a full service blog.
Cole is welcome to do some cat and pawpay blogging before he gets back to deranged political rants. As long as there are pix.
Thanks for update.
Edit: might want to update post to make sure comments about the crooked legs pertain to Lily dog, not the lady. Thnxbai.
Gelfling 545
Nice to see Lily looking so perky. Our Flora is staying at my sister’s until I can manage bending over to harness her & clean up after her when she goes out. I am hoping before the weekend as the house feels really empty. I have to stay clear of the cat as he feels the need to pounce on my mid section. Ii’m hoping I don’t strike him as prey!
sacrablue
Just wait til you’re estimating the quality, quantity and frequency of the pee and poop. Also, you obsess over whether she ate enough food so that you can safely administer the predniisolone. This has been my life since January.
TenguPhule
@sacrablue:
Too late.
zhena gogolia
Lily looks so sweet. You sound so much like me whenever my cats would have a problem.
No complaints about dog posts, it’s what I’ve been looking for all day.
debit
It may sound weird, but a sick pet is almost worse than a sick kid. A kid can tell you how they’re doing and won’t try to pretend that there’s nothing wrong. A kid, will in fact, wake you several times during the night to tell you that he “might” have to throw up, make you watch him dry heave a few times while fighting your own gag reflex, and finally, after the fourth visit you tell him, “So go throw up” and roll over. I still get shit about this, BTW.
A pet, on the other hand, will just go quietly hork in a corner, and maybe even be thoughtful and try to bury it.
TenguPhule
@debit:
You haven’t been around many sick pets, have you?
zhena gogolia
@debit:
I haven’t wanted to say this since I don’t have kids, but I have cared for my share of oldsters, and I think language is the big thing that makes it easier to deal with sick people — they can tell you what’s going on!
SiubhanDuinne
Hahahahaha John Cole, I was just thinking about half an hour ago that I hoped you would post about Lily at least twice a day for the next little while. Apparently you read my mind.
P.S. I know everything is about Lily right now, as it should be, but a picture of Steve and/or Rosie and/or Thurston would not be amiss.
zhena gogolia
@SiubhanDuinne:
Thurston’s in the video.
debit
@TenguPhule: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ahem, yes, I actually have.
Skepticat
My insignificant other and I spend entirely too much time on these fascinating subjects. He actually bragged to his vet about how smart I am because I cured his shepherd’s runny dumps with pumpkin. It’s amazing the strange things relationships thrive on.
Sab
@zhena gogolia: And they will tell you, loudly.
Planetpundit
Oh good! another Lily post. I must think about her 20 times a day. Two Lily posts are fine (4 are better; however I get it). Glad for you and yours, John.
Some Guy, Helvering
@TenguPhule:
I was gonna say.
For years, there was some R introducing legislation every session for a tax deduction for pet health (and maybe other?) expenses. Never went anywhere. Haven’t noticed it in a few years. I’m not certain where he was on two-legged people’s health care, but I have a guess.
And since I broached politics, footage from tonight’s state dinner:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KpLMnk2qi8o
Elizabelle
Where’s Rosie?
Sab
@debit: I am guessing that TP hasn’t and thus still has illusions.
I came home today after spending the weekend with my elderly dad, and discoveted that one of the cats had hoicked up a hairball on the quilt I washed just before I left.
Why are cats sleeping in my room? That used to be dog turf.
OldDave
It’s been an intense week here. Bear with me here – believe it or not, this is the short version of my story. We have dachshunds – one older girl and several younger ones – including two sisters that came to us after the ‘mental’ wife/girlfriend original owner disappeared and the husband/boyfriend could no longer afford their rental property. He didn’t want to just dump them at the pound so we took them in – in part because they were the sisters of our boys. Paid the vet bills for things they had put off – heart worm meds, rabies and other shots, and to have them spayed. That’s the background. The older girl blew out a couple of discs in her back – calcification – and spent a week in the vet hospital. Two surgeries, lots of care. She returned home earlier today, and seems happy. That’s the good news. The bad news is the off-kilter wife showed up last Friday and stole/reclaimed one of the girls – this nearly six months after her disappearance triggered the two sisters coming to us.. She reached over the fence, grabbed the pup, jumped in a car, and they drove off. No idea where she lives now, or even for sure of her last name. Cops aren’t interested in helping us find her.
So I’m hoping our old girl eventually recovers and regains control of her hindquarters (there is some hope – her spinal cord is bruised, but not cut). However, unless a miracle occurs, the little girl is lost to us. And damn, but I miss her – in a world full of four-legged characters, she easily held her own.
Edited because proof-reading? What’s that?
SiubhanDuinne
@zhena gogolia:
Oh thanks, I hadn’t even noticed it was a video. I’m kind of oblivious to things like that until someone whacks me over the head with it.
John has a lovely deep voice, hasn’t he?
divF
@Skepticat:
I think I first heard of that cure in Eco’s The Name of the Rose.
Patricia Kayden
@John Cole: Didn’t know you were on YouTube. Had to subscribe. Love your pets like they’re my own.
rikyrah
All the dogs look so cute ??
Some Guy, Helvering
@Skepticat:
My hound got to learner’s permit age before I heard about the magic of pumpkin. Helping both diarrhea and constipation is sorcery.
RandomMonster
Do not say “another dog post”. There cannot be enough. (Especially in the age of Trumpocalypse.)
debit
@Sab: If I get a new rug, or blanket, or piece of furniture, a cat will vomit on it in less than 24 hours. It just is going to happen so I make sure everything is washable. It’s less stress that way.
zhena gogolia
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes. He needs to do the voiceover for the next Prince Charles docu.
debit
@OldDave: Oh my god, how horrible! I am so sorry and really hope that your dog makes it back to you.
TenguPhule
@Sab: Wrong way around. I was the one scoffing at the claim.
Mary G
@debit: This. At least with children, you can explain why they feel bad, and that you’re not torturing them for fun, but trying to help them get better. With animals you get that look at the vet that says why are you letting this person hurt me, it’s just heartbreaking.
Sab
@JPL: I tend to to be literal minded. Sorry I missed the blatantly obvious snark.
Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)
There can never be too many dog posts.
eemom
This would be a vastly better world if all posts were dog posts 24/7/365.
Mnemosyne
I like the Trader Joe’s tamales, but they’re kind of a pain in the ass to warm up. You have to wrap them in a damp paper towel, then cover them with plastic wrap, and then unwrap everything without burning your fingers.
Sab
@JPL: I tend to to be literal minded. Sorry I missed the blatantly obvious snark.@Sab: JPL, I meant to respond to TenguPhule at #37, not you.
JPL, although I did like your comment.
Ocotillo
Rarely comment but read especially when traveling. So happy Lily is coming along nicely. When this first started happening people at the airport must have wondered why is that man crying.
LAO
@OldDave: holy crap, I can’t even.
Sab
I am very happy to see where Yuki landed.
Elizabelle
@OldDave: Good of you to take in those dachshunds in need.
LAO
@Sab: my dog, very thoughtfully, always vomits on my bed. Usually, when I’m asleep.
Mnemosyne
@OldDave:
Yikes! I know it’s not much, but can you get the word out on Petfinder? You may also want to alert the animal shelters nearby. I suspect that the poor doggie may end up getting dumped again once the crazy woman gets tired of the responsibility.
CaseyL
No such thing as “too many dog posts,” or cat posts or horse posts or… well, let’s just say animal posts give me reason to go on living long after (some) human posts make me want to resign from my own species.
IOW, thank you for the constant Lily updates. Seeing the rest of the gang is good, too!
OldDave
@Elizabelle:
SWMBO and I have had something like thirteen dachshunds over the years – and all of them have been rescues of one type or another – rescued from the pound or humane shelter, accepted as new family members when someone else grew tired of the responsibility, that sort of thing. The boys are the only ones we’ve had since puppyhood and the only ones that might escape categorization as rescues – the were from an unintended litter and their human was looking for good homes. We were happy to provide one.
Pics of some of our rainbow bridged pups might be in a B-J calendar from a few years back. I’ll have to look.
Sab
@LAO: My dog always pees on the bathmat, even if we walked her. I think it’s her statement to the cats.
Makes for a lot of laundry.
OldDave
@Mnemosyne:
We had them micro-chipped as part of their catch-up vet work. The stolen/reclaimed pup has been flagged as stolen, so if she shows up at a shelter we should hear about it.
beth
john cole, you should post as many dog videos, updates, photos as you wish. after we got the amazing good news that fiona’s liver tumor was 12″ x 12″ x 7″ of benign with clean edges, i wallowed in the priceless gift of more time with the dog of my heart. i got until january of this year and i was fully present and grateful for each minute.
Sab
@Mnemosyne: Trader Joes has tamales? I love tamales, and they are hard to find in NE Ohio. So are Trader Joes, but there are a few out there.
OldDave
@OldDave:
July 2014 (4 across, 2 down) – the original three boys – Sparky the Red, Jake the half Basset, and Max the wirehair.
Aug 2014 (2 across, 3 down) – Missy the longhair, who came to us after my father died. She was a doll.
Olivia
I love the dog posts. I want to hear everything about how Lily is doing. When the subject was Walter, I couldn’t get enough either. It gives me peace to see humans caring for animals and it gives me joy to see how the animals do such good for the humans.
OldDave
@LAO:
Sadly, neither can I. I used to say that if one is lucky sometime during their time on Earth they will find a dog that’s *the one* (see: Cole and Lily). My one was Sparky – I’d come home from work, sit down, and he’d leap up into my lap, stand up, nestle his head under my chin, and sigh,. He did that for a decade before old age claimed him. But Pebbles – the one who was taken Friday – was running a close second. I’d go to bed, she’d use my neck as a pillow. She insisted in helping with the laundry – demanding to be allowed to observe the loading the washing machine. And when the dryer buzzed, she made sure I knew it. We called her “Laundry Dog” because of that. Pushing laundry the day after she left was so empty.
MazeDancer
Dog posts are like so many wonderful things “More is more*. Keep ’em coming. Especially appreciative of Yuki update. Most uplifting to see good things happen to good dogs.
@OldDave: OTOH, terrible to hear about insane thing happening to your good dog. So very sorry. Microchip is reassuring. If crazy lady dumps pup, you will get her back.
Also possible you will hear where crazy lady is while she is in town and you can go steal back pup.
jnfr
@OldDave:
I am so sorry for what you’re going through. Thank you for looking out for the pups however you can.
burnspbesq
The French, Swiss, and Dutch do just fine without single payer. The NHS sux.
What we need is affordable universal insurance, appropriately regulated.
Yarrow
John, thanks for the Lily and Yuki updates. I was out of pocket all weekend and didn’t get to say how wonderful it is that Lily is doing so well and is back home with you where she belongs. It’s heartwarming to see her looking like her sweet self with her little doe eyes full of love for you. Thank you for sharing Lily’s journey with us. It has been a real ride full of ups and downs and so much love and it offers lessons along the way about living in the now and being grateful for every day. Thanks for letting us be part of it and I’m so happy for you both.
Mnemosyne
@Sab:
Ours does, but the offerings at TJ’s can be very regional, so I promise nothing. The ones I got were in the refrigerated section.
PaulWartenberg
@efgoldman:
YES!
<—still misses Page and Tehya something awful
Mnemosyne
@burnspbesq:
FWIW, the NHS is single-provider. I think France actually is single-payer, but has multiple private providers.
hitchhiker
Kids can’t always tell you how they feel. Our Hitchhiker-daughter #1 arrived a month early and spent a few days in the infant ICU because they wanted to be sure her little lungs were working. She weighed just over 5 lbs when we left the hospital, and the next 2 months were a blur of trying to get food into her so she’d grow and thrive.
Did you know in newborns there’s a thing called Failure to Thrive? I don’t know if it’s still true and I don’t want to look it up, but 30 years ago that’s what they were telling me to be nervous about. “Your baby isn’t gaining weight. If this goes on much longer she’ll need to come back into the hospital.”
I was obsessed. Pump the milk, put it into a tiny little bottle with markings that showed how many cc’s we started with, and then writing down how much she swallowed at each feeding, every two hours, around the clock … for weeks and weeks.
Brat. She and her husband just came home from a week in Dublin, where she spent her 30th birthday swallowing some rando Irish version of craft beer. Pretty sure nobody was measuring how much she drank.
Also tx for the update! There’s no such thing as too frequent.
Gretchen
« I can’t think of another politics/pets/national security/health care policy/gardening/nature/sports etc. blog that provides a panoramic view from the Blog Boss’ recliner. Truly a full service blog. »
I don’t need to read anything else. It’s covered.
ruemara
That is a cutie pie and there’s never too many dog/pet posts. We need them now more than ever.
kdaug
Straight to hell, fat boy. Keep ’em coming. And you relish this shit.
Jackie
@hitchhiker: My premie grandson went through much the same. He’s a thriving seven yr old now??
Mnemosyne
Since this is an open thread, do all of my Hamilmaniacs know that Leslie Odom Jr. has a new book? It’s half-autobiography/half-inspirational. I got to hear him talk about it (and sing a little! ?) at the LA Times Festival of Books yesterday.
SWMBO
@hitchhiker: Our 37 year old autistic spectrum was a failure to thrive baby. He couldn’t regulate his body temp and was damn near hypothermic. We turned up the heat, put him next to bare skin and covered him to try to keep him warm. He finally came out of it when we took him to the allergist and found he was allergic to planet Earth. The day they tested him for wheat he walked around shaking his head and looking completely confused. When we finally asked him what was wrong, he said, “I don’t have a headache. I don’t remember not ever having a headache before.” He was 8 years old…
hitchhiker
@SWMBO:
oh … thanks for that story, and yay for no headaches! we probably shouldn’t tell these stories, in case anybody lurking is thinking of getting pregnant.
jk
it’s not always about reading the Velveteen Rabbit, but it’s always worth it.
Manyakitty
@OldDave: Whoa, that SUCKS. Here’s hoping the chip brings her home.
Aleta
@OldDave: Terrible. My sympathy. The good you did for your missing sister pup hasn’t disappeared. Getting her onto a healthy footing is a huge gift to her that’s protecting her from some of the vulnerability right now. You’ve improved her strength to weather whatever comes along the next week or so, compared to before she received the spay and medical care, good food and kindness. She won’t go into heat, so she’s much less likely to roam off and get lost and in trouble. She’s protected from heartworm and other infections for a bit. Seems like you’ve already accomplished the first part of helping through her situation. I know you don’t need need my advice (sorry to run on like this). But … it seems that a situation like this one, that might change unexpectedly because of the thief’s volatility, at least would have a bit of possibility of getting better. Leaving room to consider options. To me, using a 3rd party is one idea that comes to mind. Either to construct a high road or a low road. Or a bypass. Whatever might help the odds. When I got involved in the situation that ended up with our dog coming here, I changed my approach in the middle. (The woman who was subjecting him to a hard life turned out to be in bad shape herself–mental and physical disabilities, her living situation was poor, her house half burnt.)