In Our Hearts

I Stood Beside Your Bed Last Night

Time To Go

Bet You Can’t Own Just One

Patch’s Last Moments

I kept saying I was going to video Patch singing and talking and I never did. I did video him one time-the first and last time. I am not very good at videoing-as you will see. You will also get to hear my lovely Southern accent as I talk and sing to Patch. This movie is 2:22 long.

WARNING: THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU CRY! IT MAKES ME CRY!

R.I.P. Patch

How Do I Live Without You

How Do I Live Without You

Leann Rimes

School is out for summer and I should be so excited, but I am having a difficult time right at this very moment! I used to always work 2 or three jobs. I kinda wish I had another job right now. I know I have a million things I need to be doing around the house, but that is at the house-and I am alone when Jedd goes to work or goes golfing! Ok-had to let it all out right now! Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

R.I.P. Patch

I Will Remember You!

I have so much I wanna tell you all-but I just can’t seem to do it right now! I have been so busy and when I am home-it is up and down for us. This song is for you Patch! I miss you so much! R.I.P. Patch!

R.I.P. Patch

January 1, 1997 – May 9, 2008

My beloved Patch has left us to wait for us at The Rainbow Bridge. We had to put him down yesterday evening. We agreed that it was time…that he shouldn’t suffer anymore. His liver enzymes were 850-not sure what that means but I do know they should be around 100. When we went to see him before doing it-he came out wagging his tail: so hard for me because I start to second-guess myself. Then as I am hugging him and talking to him (with his head pushed into my chest) he starts to vomit (just the liquids he had in him from the IV). This is so hard to write-It is Saturday morning and I should be walking him. I can’t seem to write anymore about this right now! I need to work on a eulogy and someday I will write more about the experience we went through while at the vet. It was a good thing considering what we had to do.

Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts, suggestions, prayers, and support! I so adore each and every one here for your love and dedication to your pets! They are our world and our children. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you!

Bless you!

Mad with barklove!

WOOF!

Mere

p.s. Just noticed the date on the pics-need to fix that on my camera-these were taken at the vet on 5-9-08.

Patch has Jaundice

Hello Blog Friends,

So sorry I haven’t been here to respond to comments or to post any Blog Karaoke! I am not in a singing mood right now! This is also me rambling on and I apologize in advance if it doesn’t make sense. It has been a rough night and I also just can’t seem to turn my leaky eyes off right now!

Patch Is My Sunshine

I sing this song to Patch constantly! I change the words to fit him-a little corny

You are my Pooty~my Pooty Mooty-lol

For all of you Will Smith fans~Do ya remember this one?

Memes: If you like to play, I am hosting Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. Come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

P is for Patch

Thursday Thirteen #6

This meme is hosted by Carol at Thursday Thirteen

13 Things~Patch Update

(Patch is my 11 year old dalmatian that has been “sick” for the last four months. Please read my Dogs Page to catch up on the history. He went to the Vet last Thursday and this is the update)

1. Yearly Shots: Patch got his yearly shots
2. Dental Work: He didn’t get his teeth/mouth cleaned because he had a slight fever and his blood work didn’t look to good.
   
3. WBC: His WBC (white blood cell count) was high
4. Anemic: Patch is anemic at this time-I can see it in him now: white lips & gums
5. Weight atch weighed 58 pounds. He has lost 10 pounds since this started-but the Doc feels he should lose weight to help out the arthritis in his legs & back. The bad part is he has flabby places-lol.
   
6. Bath-Nails-Flea & Tick Treatment: Patch did get his bath, nails trimmed, and his Revolution treatment. I told Doc C that I would just purchase Revolution monthly now-since I didn’t know what the future held for Patch . Doc C said this medicine had to be bought in bulk. I said, “hhhhmmmm I guess I could find someone that uses it and pass it on if I needed to”. He said, “I use it”. LOL
7. Lab Work: Doc C had some more tests ran. He still thinks it could be a tick bourne related disease. He ran a test for canine ehrlichiosis. He said that even if the first test is negative, it is good to do a second test in case the first was a false negative. The biopsy of the lymph node suggested this, but said that correlation of the patient history and other findings ruled this out. Doc C also mentioned Cushings Disease and had more tests sent off for this.
8. Meds: Doc C put Patch back on Tetracycline and he is now on Etodolac for pain. We also have Tresaderm drops to put on the sores on his ears-they are back. He has shown major improvement (not shaking) until today??
9. Results: Patch is on the above medicine for 10 days and hopefully the results from all of the lab work will be in this Monday or Tuesday.
10. Going back: Patch will go back for his dental work (we think this will help in some way-at least clear out all of that bacteria) after his results come back-hopefully.
    
11. Walks atch has been limping terribly on & off all week.
12. Car Rides: Patch’s favorite thing. For a week and a half Patch didn’t go for any rides except the one to the V-E-T. He finally went for a ride yesterday and today-yippee!
13. Price of Vet Visit: $355. Price of Patch’s unconditional love: Priceless!

(For some reason, I haven’t been able to bring myself to do this update sooner and I know I didn’t do a thorough job for myself-jut so much)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Memes: If you like to play, I am hosting two new memes (Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor) at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. These have finally been added to The Daily Meme! Woohoo! Please come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

Blog of the Week: Please visit my Spotlight Blog of the Week. You might be the Blog of the Week one week!

Memoir

I have been tagged by Kathryn at The Empty Nest to participate in a six word memoir about myself. Patch has also been tagged by Rusty to do his own six word memoir. He’s still working on his!

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• Write your own 6 word memoir about yourself (autobiography)
• Post on your blog…with illustrations of you like
• Link to the person who tagged your post
• Tag five more blogs with their links
• Remember to leave a comment on the the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Patch and I tag the following bloggers to participate in this Six Word Memoir:

1. Accountability
2. Beauty Inside and Out
3. Fighting Windmills
4. Curious along with Missy the Cat
5. Zen Diva

Memes: If you like to play, I am hosting two new memes (Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor) at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. These have finally been added to The Daily Meme! Woohoo! Please come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

Blog of the Week: Please visit my Spotlight Blog of the Week. You might be the Blog of the Week one week!

Going to the Vet…again

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Patch is going to the Vet again Friday morning. Jedd has to work, so my Dad is coming over after he gets off of work to take Patch to Doc C. I have the honors of going on a Field Trip to the movies to see Horton Hears a Who. This is my list I made for Dad to take to the Doc. I hope I have it all covered. For those of you that don’t know about Patch-he is my 11 year old dalmatian that has been going through some tough times these last four months. You can read my Dogs page to learn more.

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Patch
3-28-08
Needs, problems, & thoughts

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• Yearly Shots
• Teeth & mouth cleaned (horrible breath, drooling, & sores-we have thought this might be part of his problem)
• Is it possible for him to get a bath (no perfume) and nails clipped if needed-Today?
• Has hard time breathing and swallowing. He smacks and makes weird noises with his mouth. Could there be an obstruction in his throat and/or nose?
• Trembles/Shakes-at various times. He also will do this in his sleep and sometimes has a rhythm with his breathing.
• He has been blah for a week and looks like he is miserable.
• Sneezes often-but no blood yet.
• Hasn’t been for a car ride for a week (favorite thing to do, but can’t get into the car)
• Front legs (behind the “knees”)-noticed lumps/swelling of nodes possibly
• Limping (possibly arthritis-or could it be the lymph nodes/lumps behind the legs/knees?)
• Cipro made him sick-not taking it now
• Not taking the nerve meds either (I believe now that it is pain and not nerves)
• Has a knot on the right, back side of his neck
• Ears and Nose bother him and he scratches/ rubs them. (Wants to shake head often, but looks like it is difficult for him-thinking it could be the knot or the ears-not quite sure). I have continuously wondered if he has ear and/or nasal mites. Is there a test that can be done to check for these?
• Sores on body again and he continuously cleans/licks them and other places-creating more bad spots.
• We sometimes wonder if we should have just left him on Prednisone and Tramadol for pain even though we know Prednisone isn’t a good long term thing and Tramadol kind of made him wobbly. We understand arthritis and can handle that, but we feel there are other problems that we wish could be pinpointed.

*Medicine & Drugstore: Please do not copy/steal this post.*

Ten Things Tuesday

This meme is hosted by XBOX WIFE

It’s “Ten Things Tuesday”, and that means it is time to put your on your happy face, and share your ten things for which you’re thankful for today!! And if your happy face is hiding? Make your list anyway, and just see if it doesn’t make an appearance!

1. Awoke from my dream: I am so thankful I awoke from my dream: I had Mary Kay make-up products open (at school-I never do this) and I was giving a lady a book. I told the car riders to get up (nap time) and they all hovered around the samples digging in the make-up with their fingernails-aaahhhhh! Then I woke up-thank goodness!
   
2. Alarm Clocks with Snooze: I am thankful that I have an alarm clock: with a snooze (I rarely use snooze) that works. My alarm awoke me from that horrible nightmare-lol
3. Jedd sleeps peacefully: I am thankful that Jedd was snoozing peacefully: since I hit the snooze button 2 times and the alarm went off 3 times
4. Patch is still with me: I am soooo thankful that my 11 year old dalmatian, Patch is still with us. He has been sick on and off for 4 months. He was mis-diagnosed as having lymphoma, then correctly diagnosed as NOT having lymphoma. Please see my Dogs page for previous stories of Patch.
5. Coffee was ready: I am so thankful that this morning of all mornings I set the coffee to auto last night-since I hit snooze 2 times. Whew!
6. Mary Kay Order: I am thankful that my Mary Kay order arrived and I will be delivering orders this afternoon and receiving payments. Payments are a good thing!
7. Granny: I am thankful that my Granny is doing much better and seems to be on the right track! She is 91 years old.
8. My Aunt: I am thankful that my aunt has finally landed a job! She is a nurse and her previous job closed down the Nursing home. She utilized her time off by having knee replacement surgery, but was in a rut after recovery while trying to find a job. She found one-woohoo!
9. Spring Break: I am thankful that Spring Break is almost here. My Spring Break starts on Friday at 3:30 p.m. BTW-I am a Kindergarten Teacher, but it is time for a break for the kiddies and me-lol!
10. Ten Things Tuesday: I am thankful that I have met XBOX WIFE and that we are getting to know each other pretty quick-hehe! I am thankful that she has created this meme, she is doing wonderful things with it, and that I was invited to participate!

For directions and more Ten Things Tuesday participants, please visit: XBOX WIFE.

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If you wish to participate, please start at her site and don’t forget to leave a link to your post with Mr. Linky and a comment at her place.

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Memes: If you like to play, I am hosting two new memes (Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor) at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. These have finally been added to The Daily Meme! Woohoo! Please come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

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Reminder: If you belong to one of the following blogrolls, I have something for you: Yummy Blog Award. Blogrolls: A1 Dogs & 2 Cats, Blog Buddies, Blog Meme Peeps, Blog Party Peeps, and Bloggers = Fun!

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Random Ramblings

I have had some various things going through my mind and instead of posting about each one, I just thought I would ramble on about them. I talk out loud, ask questions out loud, and often answer back-lol. This is me just rambling out loud! Feel free to comment, leave feedback, and leave suggestions. Have a great weekend & Happy Easter!

1. Tonight: I just went to get Jedd something to eat. It is a beautiful night! The moon is awesome! That is why Easter is this Sunday: The Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Solstice. I just saw a cool bumper sticker: God answers “Knee-mail”
2. Internet Browser: I am using Mozilla Firefox now. I have tried it before, but I am a creature of habit, so I went back to Internet Explorer. I decided to try it again, because some blogs at blogspot load slow and I thought I would test out the difference. WOW! What a difference. I have fallin’ in love. I just got to get the hang of it. What internet browser do you use?
   
3. Laptop: I have been wanting a laptop for some time now. I am really ready to purchase one now. Jedd has found something else to do on the computer, which is cutting into my computer (blogging) time-lol! Any suggestions on what kind to purchase or what I really need to have loaded on it?
4. Memes: I have recently found some more cool blogs by participating in memes! I love participating in memes! Check my What are Memes Page to learn more. Do I need to continue to post a link to more about memes on my memes posts? Has it been helpful?
5. NaBloPoMo: I am participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for the month of March. The theme is lists. I haven’t followed the theme every day (isn’t required) but I have posted every day. I am going to participate in April too. The theme is letters-won’t be following the theme for that much-I don’t think. I have been posting a NaBloPoMo Button at the bottom of each of my posts. I am not going to do that anymore. I have the badge in my sidebar and I have NaBloPoMo as one of the categories/tags.
6. Mr. Linky: I have been using Mr. Linky where bloggers can add their links to their posts that relate to my posts (usually memes). I was going to stop using this and just let bloggers comment and find them through their comments, but a blogger commented today and I couldn’t find her through her link there. Thank goodness she left her link with Mr. Linky. I finally found her. So using Mr. Linky is still up in the air.
7. Death in the family: My Dad’s cousin was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away yesterday morning. Bless him and his family!
8. Tims Ford State Park: I will be going to Tims Ford State Park this weekend. My aunt and her family (from Signal Mountain, TN) have a cabin there for the weekend. I’m not sure if the whole Gunsmoke Gang (Matt, Dillon, Marshall) will be there or not. Matt is my 19 year old cousin who is battling renal cell carcinoma and has been for 5 years. I hope to see him there.
9. Dad: Dad came over today and visited me. He also washed 3 loads of clothes.I napped more than visited-oops! He had a good visit with his grandchild too: Patch. I’m glad he came over! I love my Dad! He is awesome!
10. Patch: Patch isn’t doing good right now. We went to the Vet this week and Doc C took him off of the antibiotic and put him on Cipro. I have read that Cipro is not FDA approved for dogs. He has gotten sick twice this week shortly after I have given him this horse pill. He has been so blah this last week. His sores are coming back-in the same places. He also is shaking/trembling again-which is how the whole thing started. He has been licking more spots on him and creating more sores. Aaaaahhhh! I just don’t know what to do. I had planned on having his yearly shots the first week of April (Spring Break) and also having him sedated to have dental work done. I may have to do this sooner. I still wonder if he has ear and/or nasal mites. I am going to ask the Doc to do scrapings and look under the microscope. Doc C says the skin problems are an autoimmune disease. He is also on an anxiety med which supposedly doesn’t take effect until after a few weeks of taking. But what is making him sick? Please view my Dogs Page to read more about my 11 year old dalmatian who got sick at Thanksgiving. He was mis-diagnosed with lymphoma and correctly diagnosed with not having lymphoma. We just need a correct diagnosis on what in the world is really going on! Thanks so much for your continued support, thoughts and prayers! WOOF!

Memes: If you like to play, I am hosting two new memes (Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor) at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. Please come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

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Reminder: If you belong to one of the following blogrolls, I have something for you: Yummy Blog Award. Blogrolls: A1 Dogs & 2 Cats, Blog Buddies, Blog Meme Peeps, Blog Party Peeps, and Bloggers = Fun!

The Price of Vet Visits

Thursday Thirteen #4

The Price of Vet Visits since 12-03-07

(One or two visits and receipts are misplaced at the moment)

1. December 3, 2007: $38.00
2. December 6, 2007: $45.50
3. December 10, 2007: $289.50
4. December 17, 2007: $180.00
5. January 2, 2008: $32.00
6. January 25, 2008: $6.00
7. January 31, 2008: $42.00
8. February, 8, 2008: $156.00
9. February 19, 2008: $28.00
10. March 8, 2008: $57.00
11. March 13, 2008: $41.94
12. March 18, 2008: $74.29
13. The total cost of Vet visits: $990.23

The price of a dog’s unconditional love: PRICELESS!

Patch is my 11 year old dalmatian that has had numerous health problems in the last few months. He was incorrectly diagnosed with lymphoma. We switched Vets and found out through correct diagnosis (biopsy of a lymph node) that he doesn’t have lymphoma. Feel free to visit my Dogs Page to read Patch’s stories during this crazy roller coaster ride we have been on!

The point of this post isn’t really the money. It is the PRICELESS part!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

If you like to play memes, I am hosting two new memes (Scrumptious Sunday & Hump Day Humor) at my other site: Mercedes Rocks. Please come on over and check it out! I would love to have you participate! Thanks!

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Reminder: If you belong to one of the following blogrolls, I have something for you: Yummy Blog Award. Blogrolls: A1 Dogs & 2 Cats, Blog Buddies, Blog Meme Peeps, Blog Party Peeps, and Bloggers = Fun!

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more about memes

Had to Call Old Doc

Had to Call Old Doc

As I had mentioned in my Sunday Seven Post, Patch has been having the shakes/trembles again. We took him to Doc C last Saturday, but Doc C wasn’t in. We saw Doc M. Anywho, I called New Vet Monday and Ms. C told me that both Docs have discussed Patch and said I could come in for an x-ray if I wanted to. I asked her, “Didn’t Old Doc do an x-ray of Patch’s nose”? She said that he did but they didn’t receive those results and that I would have to pick up the x-ray from Old Doc.

Great. This meant I had to call Old Doc. I called Doc H Monday afternoon. I called and Lady answered the phone. I asked her if Doc H had returned from surgery. She said yes. I told her that I thought he was going to call me back and asked if I could leave a message for him. She put me on hold and got him on the phone. Aaaaahhh.

So Doc H got on the phone. I told him about all of the confusion with the other Vet in his office: Her asking me if it ws B-Cell or T-cell, me calling back to talk to him and being told he wasn’t there, me asking about the B-cell or T-cell, being told other Doc didn’t know and she would have Doc H call me when he returned. Yada Yada.

I explained to him that I felt I had to get another opinion since I was getting questions from there that weren’t being answered and since he wsa out due to his own personal surgery. I told him New Doc did a biopsy of a lymph node and that it wasn’t lymphoma. He told me that they hadn’t done a biopsy of a lymph node (just the fatty tumor-now he explains it-lol) because it was a serious procedure. (Patch’s lymph node biopsy was easier than the fatty tumor biopsy-IMO). I told him that I need the x-ray so New Doc could analyze it. He said that was fine.

He was very nice. I asked him how he was recovering from his surgery and we chit chatted. This was hard. He is a family friend and has been with Patch for almost 10 years. I really didn’t want any hard feelings. He told me to let him know how everything goes and to keep him posted. Whew! Got that over with.

For those of you that may not know what is going on: Feel free to catch up on Patch or find out about Patch’s roller coaster journey by reading my Dog’s Page and reading the posts about Patch.

*I am way behind on replying to comments. This Blog Party and my daily memes are keeping me busy~besides my day to day craziness. I will try to catch up this week!*

Update on Patch

SUNDAY SEVEN #3

Update on Patch

(For those of you that don’t know the story: Patch is my 11 year old dalmatian who has been on a roller coaster ride for 3 months with various health issues and we still haven’t quite figured out what is going on. If you would like to catch up on the story, just visit my Dogs Page and read the posts about Patch.)

1. Patch does not have lymphoma at this time. We are going to a New Vet~Doc C, who is closer to us and is wonderful! He actually biopsied a lymph node (necessary for true diagnosis of lymphoma) and determined it isn’t lymphoma~woohoo!
2. Patch is not taking prednisone (for swollen lymph nodes) or tramadol (for pain)anymore. He is now on tetracycline for infection. He will be on it for two more weeks.
3. His lymph nodes are not swollen at this time. He has fatty skin hanging around in weird places~possibly where the nodes were swollen~it looks kinda funny.
4. Patch has been shaking/trembling again. That is how all of this started. He has been doing this since last Wednesday night. When he does this it is so pitiful because I don’t know what I can do to help him.
5. We took Patch to the Vet on Saturday. It was snowing out and I wasn’t going to drive, but the lady had an appointment available for after Jedd got off of work. We went there but Doc C wasn’t there~I forgot to mention to her that he has been seeing Doc C. So we saw Doc M. He wasn’t sure what to do or what had been going on. Anywho he gave him a non-steroid shot to see if it would help.
6. Patch was still shaking last night and today. Last night, I laid in bed with him to try and comfort him. I was going to start reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, but I was in a sad mood for Patch and the book started out sad~I had to put it down. I just laid there with Patch rubbing and hugging on him.
7. I will be contacting Doc C in the morning. I am thinking he might want to keep Patch for a little while and if he does they want Patch there between 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Jedd works both mornings. I might have to call Dad and have him break away from my Granny for a bit. I sure wish we could pinpoint what is going on. I am going to mention/ask Doc C if we need to do any x-rays or ultrasounds.

I love Patch so much! I am thankful that he has stayed with us through Christmas, New Years, His birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Jedd’s birthday.

more about memes

More Sunday Seven

Happy Anniversary

Happy Three Years, Jedd! I love you!

(Memorial Day 2007-my how we’ve grown-lol)

20 Tidbits about Jedd and I

1. Jedd and I have know each other for about 5 years

2. We met when I worked at the Liquor Store adjacent to his store. He owns a Tobacco Express Covenience Store.

13 Phrases Patch Understands

          

Here is another meme I will be participating in on Thursdays. I like this one because it has you list things. This will be great for March’s NaBloPoMo. Hope you enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #1

 

    

 

Thirteen Phrases Patch Understands
 

1. No~Sit~Stay

2. Go to bed

3. You gotta stay with Momma

4. Grandpa’s here

5. Daddy’s home

6. Wanna go for a ride?

7. Get out of there!

8. Wanna go outside?

9. Get your baby

10. Wanna treat?

11. Let’s go to the creek!

12. Where’s Daddy? (playing hide ‘n’ seek)

13. I love you (he “talks” back to me)

   

more about memes

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

 

The Results Are In

  

Finally~I have received the results of Patch’s biopsy.  For those that don’t know what is going on: Please see my Dogs Page to read posts about Patch and the up and down roller coaster ride we have been on. Patch in Review really sums up this roller coaster ride. I am going to show you the read out from the lab. There are many terms I do not understand and I will link these terms to my Internet research. This is Chinese to me. I hope you can understand this-LOL!

Biopsy

Description: The submitted lymph node is infiltrated by macrophages and the paracortex and medullary cords are expanded by medium to high numbers of plasma cells. Multifocally, infiltrates of low to medium numbers of neutrophils are also present.

Diagnosis: Lymph Node: Lymphadenitis, granulomatous, diffuse, moderate, with multifocal suppurative inflammation.

Comments: The submitted specimens was most consistent with granulomatous lymphadenitis. The cause was not evident. The low numbers of neutrophils might also have supported pyogranulomatous inflammation that is a finding associated with canine ehrlichiosis. Correlation with the patient history and other clinical findings is suggested to rule out that condition. I did not find any neoplastic lymphoid cells, but continued close observation of this patient would be prudent. A fair and good prognosis is suggested.

Also~during more research, I have found that there are numbers of reasons dogs have enlarged lymph nodes~not necessarily lymphoma.  IMO-just like humans. The diagnosis is much better than the first diagnosis we received: lymphoma.  At this point, it IS NOT lymphoma!  Patch is OFF of the Prednisone and has been for almost three weeks.  Doc C and many others said not to give him Ibuprofen anymore. Patch took Ibuprofen for the very first week this sickness started.  Doc also said not to give him Tramadol right now either. Patch has been off of it for a week.  Doc C prescribed an antibiotic, Tetracycline-100mg, to take twice a day for three weeks. I just want to call Old Doc and ask him some questions, but I believe I will leave it alone.  Your thoughts on this?

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this wild and crazy journey. We really appreciate it and you mean so much to us! I am still researching this because it is really confusing to me. I will add links when I find more. I would appreciate any feedback or more info anyone has on this diagnosis.

                      

Patch Loves Wal-mart

Years ago: My ex-boyfriend and I went to Wal-Mart. Back then, Patch rode in the back of the truck. Patch usually always would stay in the back of the truck. We went in and  Ex went to grab a few things and I went my own way to grab a few things. I ran into a lady I hadn’t seen in awhile and began to talk to her. We were towards the front of the store. I looked up and Patch was in the store…and headed right for me. I quickly excused myself from my friend and Ex was coming up right after that. We didn’t say much except for “Oh my gosh”. I quickly handed my stuff to Ex and got Patch by his collar and escorted him out of the store.A man was in the car beside our truck (he was parked in a handicapped place). He talked to me out of his window and said “I’m sorry, I saw him get out, but I can’t get out of the car-I’m handicapped-I couldn’t do anything to help”. I let him know it wasn’t his fault and thanked him for trying to help. Ex came on out and we were on our way.

What Happened: Patch jumped out, saw where we went and he wanted to go too. Well~you know Wal-mart doors-AUTOMATIC. So he ran to the door, the door opened and he was off…to find his mommy of course…and found me quickly~such a good doggy! Maybe he needed to do some shopping too~who knows?

Pals

 

You see us every morning,
A common pair are we,
Each on a leash’s ending
My little dog and me.
We amble village byways
In bright or dismal weather;
You may not think there’s much in that,
But we have fun together.

No many-stranded cable
Could bear the jokes that pass
Between my little comrade
And me — my! how we sass!
But how we give assurance
That we don’t really mean it!
(A dog-and-man companionship
Is balm to him who’s seen it.)

He greets his dog friends gayly,
While I to neighbors speak;
He sometimes finds a treasure –
A bone that’s lost its meat!
He talks with dogs or children,
While I swap views with master . . .
I had this thought the other day,
While visiting with Pastor.

“When dog and I have rambled on
Beyond this mundane scope,
And seen the Golden Gateway,
(From the inside, we hope!)
We won’t pause on the highway
Made smooth for feet more sainted,
But wander down some quiet land,
And start to get acquainted.

We hope there’ll be a hydrant,
A friendly tree or two,
Some drying leaves to shuffle,
A field to wander through.
We’ll glory in our freedom,
And need no leash of leather;
It really will be Heaven, Lord,
As long as we’re together.”

John E. Donovan

Lots of Spots

These are commercials with dalmatians.

This one is Patch’s twin-lol!

I love this one!

Miller Lite has stole the dalmatians-lol! These are too cute!

C is for Chicken

Dogaholics Anonymous

 

Dogaholics Anonymous

Author Unknown 

Good Evening. My name is Mercedes, and I *am* a dogaholic.

I would like to welcome all of you to this month’s meeting of “Dogaholics Anonymous”. Some of you are here tonight because a friend or relative brought you here. You may be sitting here thinking that you are o.k. and that you really don’t need any help. It is not easy to admit that you are a dogaholic and it is even harder to bring yourself to a DAA meeting for help. DAA is here to assist you.

I have some questions to ask you:

1. Can you say “bitch” in public without blushing?
2. Do you drive a station wagon, van, or 4×4 when everyone else drives a real car?
3. Do you have more than one car? One for you and one for the dogs? Patch has his own car~The Patchmobile (it’s my old 2004 Sentra)
4. Do you spend your vacations and holidays going to shows, specialties, and seminars when everyone else goes on a cruise?
5. If you do go overseas, is it to London in March to attend Crufts?
6. Do you discuss things at the dinner table that would make most doctors leave in disgust? Most definitely
7. Do you consider formal wear to be clean jeans and freshly washed tennis shoes? You know it
8. Is your interior decorator R.C. Steele? No~JOF: Just Old Furniture-lol
9. Was your furniture and carpeting chosen to match your dogs? No, but it sure isn’t anything fancy or new-lol
10. Are your end tables really dog crates with tablecloths thrown over them?
11. Do you know the meaning of CD, CDX, UD, CGC, HIC, WC, JH, MH, Ch, and OTCh? See my answers below
12. Is your mail made up primarily of dog catalogs, dog magazines, and premium lists? A lot of it is, along with teacher stuff too
13. Do you get up before dawn to go to Training Classes? Dog Shows? Seminars? No~just to WTD~Walk the Dog
14. If you do have dresses, do they all have pockets?
15. Do those pockets often contain freeze dried liver, Rollover, or squeaky toys? We just keep a bag of treats in Patch’s car
16. When you meet a new person, do you always ask them what kind of dog they have and pity them if they don’t have one? Of course
17. Do you remember the name of their dog sooner than you remember their name? Uh-huh-huh~Yes
18. Do you find yourself referring to people as “Rover’s Mom” or “Rover’s Dad”? Oh yes. My Aunt was asking my cousin’s child (4 years old at the time) about me and she looked confused~then she said, “Oh, you mean Patch’s Mom”?
19. Do you find non-dog people boring? Sometimes

If you answered “YES” to one of the above, there is still hope. If you answered “YES” to two, you are in serious trouble. If you answered “YES” to three or more, you have come to the right place.

My advice to all of you who answered “YES” to three or more questions is to sit back and smile, turn to the smiling person next to you and know that your life will always be filled with good friends and good dogs, and it will never be boring.

CD=Campanion Dog; CDX=Companion Dog Excellence (AKC-CKC); UD=Utility Dog; HIC=Herding Instinct Certified; CGC=Canine Good Citizen (AKC ); WC=Working Certificate; JH my Dad’ initials-lol~Junior Hunter (AKC); MH=my intials-lol ~Master Hunter (AKC); Ch=Champion; OTch=Obedience Trial Champion (AKC-CKC)