28 Sunday Jun 2020
Posted in Just for Fun
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Nothing to disclose.
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What are you grateful for this week?
Me?
Sunsilk is stable and her appetite is increasing. She has not gained any weight but she is more alert and active!
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
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08 Monday Jun 2020
Posted in Just for Fun, Rheumatoid Arthritis
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There is a lot going on and with the discussion of privilege so prevalent in our society, it feels awkward to talk about the good things happening in our lives. But, I think it is important to acknowledge that good things are happening and we are grateful for what we have.
This week I am grateful that Sunsilk (and Affie) are still alive and healthy. They are both quite old. Sunsilk is 17 and Affie is nearly 15. I don’t know how much longer I have with them so I am making the most of the time I have left.
What are you grateful for this week? Let me know in the comments. 🙂
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
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(Please note, any contributions will be donated to charities supporting black activism)
21 Sunday Jul 2019
Posted in Just for Fun
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Nothing to disclose.
This week I am grateful for…
…my pets!
Marmalade and Affie had birthdays recently and I am fully aware they’re living longer than they’re meant to.
They know I need them so, they stick around!
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
30 Monday Jul 2018
Posted in Animal Sciences, Rheumatoid Arthritis
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I’ll be honest, though, when they act up (at the exact same time, of course) as well as get sick in a group, taking care of them is no joke. And, it gets less hysterical when I myself am ill.
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/got-pets-in-flare-try-these-tips-for-the-same-level-of-care/
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
23 Saturday Dec 2017
Posted in Animal Sciences
Tags
I grew it up in a gorgeous wooded neighborhood. It was a protected area where homeowners could only expand their homes vertically and not horizontally so they wouldn’t disturb the forest. Because of this, the houses were generally small with large, untouched yards wrapped around them. Fun fact: One was built by Andrew Lloyd Wright and remained in his family!
I know it sounds like I grew up in a quiet rural environment but actually I lived in the suburbs of Washington DC! The city and it’s neighboring counties took their environment seriously.
The surrounding streets connected through loops and general roundabouts with multiple outlets to the “main road”. This kind of made us one big happy neighboorhood, even if we didn’t know everyone who lived in the gorgeous 50 and 60 style houses.
Mine was not small but it was one story with a basement. It looked it, though, because of the vast garden. I was lucky that we had such an expansive yard. I had a lot of room to play and the dogs had plenty of space to run.
When we got Affie (our first dog) we decided to take advantage of this great big space and put in an invisible fence. I know it is a controversial topic but we thought it was a great idea because the dog had unblocked access to the entire property.
It was perfect for the Affie and Saachi (our second dog). They ran around all day (hours upon hours) as if they were farm animals and especially loved to trot next to other people walking their pets.
In retrospect, this is probably why our pets are so aloof and self reliant. They preferred the outdoors and were not interested in playing fetch or Frisbee.
We liked to keep Affie’s fur short. It matted easily and I couldn’t keep up with the grooming. But, during late Fall, early winter we grew her hair out so she could stay outside and not freeze her little doggie butt.
The problem with this, we found out, was she would disregard her fence collar. We didn’t keep the shock too high but it was high enough that we thought she could feel it through inches of fur. Even now, we’re not convinced that she didn’t feel it.
One weekday while I was at school a neighbor from three “neighborhoods” away rang our doorbell and handed Affie over to my father.
“We found her marching along the road!” she explained. My father was flabbergasted. He didn’t know the woman but thankfully she recognized Affie from when she walked her own dogs.
I don’t know how this lady caught this nutty dog but I have the upmost respect for her. Affie never came when she was called and played chase with anyone who looked at her.
Now, this is probably a good time to mention we checked on the dogs when they were outside but since they had full use of the property (front and back of the house) we never worried too much if we couldn’t see them. They explored every inch of the yard (and remember I mentioned it was very wooded) so we just assumed they were in some cranny inaccessible to us.
The woman was kind enough to remove Affie’s collar and it was still buzzing when she handed it over. She laughed “I can’t believe she didn’t feel it!”
We couldn’t believe it either.
After that, we checked on Affie more frequently and I did catch her making a break for freedom a couple of times. I think she chose to ignore the zap to continue her carefree exploratory existence outside of her usual four corners.
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
13 Saturday May 2017
Posted in Animal Sciences
Tags
Here is the next installment of the Furry Friends tag! Today, I answer the questions for Marmalade who is my oldest and first pet! She holds a special place in my heart and I in hers. After all, she does think she’s my mother!
Enjoy!
What is your pet’s name?
Marmalade. Her “birth” name was Samantha. She is sooo not a Samantha!
What kind of pet is she and what breed?
She is a feline tabby. A tabby is basically the mutt of the feline world.
How long have you had your pet friend?
Almost 15 years.
How did you get your pet friend?
We adopted Marmalade one week after my mother passed away in August 2002. She was one year old. She was a “hospital cat” at the clinic I work at. Her owner could not take Marmalade to her new apartment and asked the vet to find her a new home. The first time we met she just rolled over onto her back and showed us her belly. We knew she was ours.
She must have picked up on something because she immediately took on the role of “mom”. She protected and took care of me.
She is a very maternal and loving cat!
How old is your pet?
She will be 16 in July.
What are some quirky things about your pet?
She loves the color red.
She looks and acts like a 5-7 year old. Nobody believes she is actually 16 because she has boundless energy and is still as limber as a kitten.
She is the alpha of the house and she knows it. She controls everyone, gets first dibs at the litter box and gets the most attention. This being said, she is surprisingly benign to Sunsilk. Marmalade lets her eat first and does not crowd her.
As she has gotten older, though, Marmalade has become more jealous. She needs more attention and sometimes does not let Sunsilk near me! I guess this is a consequence of aging.
What does your relationship to your pet mean to you?
She takes care of and protects me (in her own way). She sticks to me like glue whenever I am sick. She will wait until I fall asleep to eat, drink and use the litter box and she will beat up anyone who comes near me. I can’t ask for a better protector than her!
She is the best first cat I could have asked for. She is patient and loving and lets me get away with a whole lot like pinching her ears and pulling her whiskers.
Without her, I would not have gotten through half the “downs” in my life.
What are some of your favorite past times with your pet?
Honestly, just being together. Whenever she is with me I feel safe.
Nicknames?
Parmpi, Parmpi-Marmpi, Gorg (short for gorgeous), Bestest Friend in the Whole Wide World (magic words for her to stop grumbling…seriously!)
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
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13 Thursday Apr 2017
Posted in Animal Sciences
Tags
Blogging A to Z, dog, jaw, pets, surgery
I don’t think I ever really went into detail about Affie’s attack four years ago. Saachi tore Affie’s lower mandible off her face. It was possibly the most dramatic event to ever happen to me.
It was Saturday morning. I was warming up the dogs’ AM meal in the microwave (they eat home cooked food). My aunt was at the sink washing dishes. Suddenly, we heard Affie cry and we turned to see Saachi shaking her like a rag doll.
My aunt shrieked bloody murder and grabbed Saachi by her neck. I grabbed whatever part of Affie I could and pulled in the other direction.
Our yelling woke the entire household and they came running from every direction. I was still in complete shock. There were pools of blood all over the floor.
We rushed her to our clinic. My dad drove while I kept Affie conscious. We were almost at the hospital when she went into shock. The light left her eyes…I tried to stay calm and said “Come on Affie, wake up…wake up”. Dad freaked and almost crashed into the car ahead of us. I didn’t know what to do except grab Affie’s tongue and yank and pull almost hard enough to pull it off. She woke up (thankfully, because that would have been the end) just as we pulled into the parking lot.
Our vets called the closest emergency clinic and made calls to friends (dental surgeons) to get her into surgery as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the earliest appointment was Monday so we took her to emergency. I don’t know why we didn’t initially go there first. We probably should have but we were on autopilot and went to my work instead.
The veterinarian-on-call told me Affie’s lower mandible was separated from the top. I did not understand her words. I couldn’t fathom that my dog’s head was in two pieces and she was still alive.
Affie stayed in emergency, with her jaw taped closed, through the weekend. She, being the stubborn brat that she was, kept tearing off the tape. Her doctor worried she was very anxious to which I laughed and said she just didn’t like it and she wasn’t going to wear it!
Monday came and we took her to the surgeon. He took x-rays and showed us (read: me) the breaks (Dad can’t stomach this kind of thing). The right break was while the left was shattered pieces of jaw. He wired her mouth closed but left enough space for her tongue to grab food. He knew the right side would heal while it was a waiting game for the left. If the bone did not repair itself properly Affie faced paralysis for the rest of her life.
Affie wore the wires for six months and it took just as long for her broken leg to heal. Thankfully, given her diet, she had no trouble eating (the food is mostly ground). She was on house arrest and cranky but her bones healed perfectly.
Affie felt better within 10 days of the attack and immediately forgave Saachi. She wanted to run and play with her. She wanted to jump up on her face and lick her (which is how we ended up in this debacle). It was a full time job separating the dogs and keeping Affie from injuring herself more.
Affie was a stubborn dog. An obstinate and hard-headed dog. She was resilient and refused to die. I frequently called her my Nalgene bottle because no matter what happened she never broke.
“Mom! Look! I got my wires out!
It’s weird to think Affie might not be here today. She should have died. It’s unnerving to think about that sometimes. What is even more amazing it’s like nothing happened! She is as strong as ever and has the exact same temperament (even around Saachi). She has frequently has nightmares but hey, if that’s the only trauma that came from this then I consider her extremely lucky!
Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.
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