The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[dede4wd]

I'm so sorry Robin!

I don't know what to say! I wish I could think of words to make you feel better, but I know nothing can.

I'm sorry about the accupuncturist news...

Thinking of you and Maggie and poor Teemu...

DeDe

[DogMa]

Even more good news. Sigh. We're supposed to get thunderstorms next week. Maggie is TERRIFIED of thunder. My only hope is that she'll be too doped up to be very scared. And that the thunder won't start till I get home Monday night.

So now I don't know what to do about this puppy my friend told me about. Her neighbors have two dogs and are in financial distress. They're trying to sell their house and move to California to live with her parents. Her dad said they can only bring one dog, so they're looking to get rid of the second one. He's about 6 months (they think; they found him in a field a few months ago). He's not housebroken, but my friend says they haven't even tried. They keep him outside, even though their other dog goes inside. They think he's fixed because, well, nothing's there, but they're not sure (maybe they just didn't descend). This, to me, means they haven't taken him to a vet, who presumably could tell right away. Which means he probably hasn't any shots or anything. So I don't know what to do. Part of me wants a slightly older dog (and one who's been fixed already and has had his shots and all that); part of me just worries that this poor guy isn't being very well taken care of and needs a better home. I hate even thinking about another dog while Maggie's still here, and I wouldn't bring one home until she's gone, BUT I know I'll need to get one right away, for Teemu's sake. This guy is apparently a good size (smaller than Teemu, which is what I want), although if he's only 6 months old, then he might grow. And he's part-Rottweiler, as is Tay. Christy says he's very cute and very friendly and gets along well with their other dog.

[THINKnTHIN]

Hey Robin! Just checking on you and the family. The meds will probably take care of the thunder problem since mild sedation is what vets normally suggest for dogs that are scared by storms. I'm so glad you are taking just a bit of time for yourself, intensity is not as important as consistency. I hope you know how much we all think of you, care for you, and wish we could make this all go away. You have been such a caregiver for all of us, we all want to help....what a blessing God gave your pets to have a Mom such as you! I hope you all have a peaceful evening.

[DogMa]

Thanks. She's been on painkillers before during storms; it's never enough, so I don't know. Then again, she's never been on THIS much medication before, even after her surgeries.

I feel kind of bad, because I haven't been visiting everyone else here as much as normal and I'm not really contributing much lately. I know everyone understands, but still.

So what's everyone's opinion on the puppy? Take him (or at least go check him out and have a vet look at him, although that pretty much means I'll be taking him) or go to the shelter? One big pro on the puppy would be NOT having to visit a shelter. The cons would be the housebreaking and the question of whether he needs his shots and needs to be fixed.

[dede4wd]

Okay, you asked...
I'd say go for the pup, if they're not moving right away. Someone (a doggie) in need right there that obviously sounds like he needs a better home...without having to go through the heartbreak of going to the shelter. I'm a mess when I leave there, I want to take ALL of them with me and with everything else emotional you're dealing with, I don't know.

If you're ready and want to get a pal for Teemu right away...sounds like a good fit. Of course, you should meet him and have Teemu meet him...if it doesn't work out, it doesn't, but sounds like this guy needs a second chance as much as the pound pups do.

As far as not contributing...are you crazy? You worry about you and your "family!" Besides, it's BS anyway, you beat me to answering all sorts of questions! Don't worry so much. You take care of Robin, talk to us if you need to and get through this!

DeDe

[DogMa]

I'm not so ready for another dog, but Teemu definitely needs one. I don't think he can handle life as an only dog, with all his issues. Although I want to give him a week or two to try it out. They're in no rush, since their house hasn't sold yet; if it does sell soon, my friend said she could take care of the dog for a few weeks. I might need to talk to them about giving him up sooner, actually - apparently they're asking way too much for the house, so it might be awhile. But considering they leave him outside and haven't taken him to a vet and all the rest, it probably won't be that tough for them.

[alpha femme]

on the puppy issue... it may be hard on maggie to have a puppy around right now; they can be rambunctious... to put it mildly. it would make the transition easier for tay, but i think i might make it harder on you. you might feel guilty for getting another dog so soon.... you might not be in the right place to have to start training. pups are a ton of work. we all know that, but...

also, if puppy hasn't had any shots, he could be a walking petrie dish, so be sure to have him fecal-tested.

kiss maggie for lilly.

[DogMa]

Oh, no, I would never bring home another dog while Maggie's still here. I'm talking about a week or two after she's gone, depending on how Teemu's handling being an only dog. And absolutely, I wouldn't bring him anywhere near Tay till he's been fully cleared by the vet. And nowhere near my house till he's free of fleas.

She seems to be having a really good night, after sleeping pretty much all day. I was worried when I left, but she's perky right now. Ate her whole dinner (with a little chicken broth on it again, which seems to help), had her meds and a bit of crust from that leftover pizza that I defrosted (from one of my first free days) and actually almost jogged to the door to go outside.

I've been warned repeatedly, though, that the meds will do that. You'll think they're not in such bad shape after all, and then either they crash or they break a bone (their bones are much more fragile because of the cancer). But I'm glad to see her looking happier.

[DogMa]

129.4. Maggie had a little trouble sleeping last night; she kept coming over and pawing at me, but I couldn't figure out what she wanted. She finally went back to sleep, though, and she seems OK today. I think I can cut back on the Tramadol again, now that she's getting the full dose of the liquid stuff (whose name I keep forgetting; neurontin, maybe?)

Did the treadmill. Still a little tired for running, but I did what I could and then walked at a higher speed than normal to make up for it.

[DogMa]

129.8 after being up most of the night with horrible stomach cramps. Not sure what's up with that.

Last night I stopped on my way home and picked up some more McNuggets and fries for the baby. She had most of her dinner, but not all, then a couple of nuggets and fries (I'm saving the rest for tonight). She wouldn't go outside till around 3 a.m., but she did get up on the couch at one point (with the step and much difficulty). She was up a lot during the night, but so was I.

No running because my stomach still hurts some. And I was pretty much settled on that other dog, but I started thinking that it might be better to get a female, to make sure Teemu gets along with it. So I looked online at petfinders, where pretty much all the local shelters and rescue groups seem to be listed. E-mailed about a couple of possibilities (one's a Shiba Inu and the other's a blue heeler mix like Teemu, but with different coloring). The good news is I think I can do it this way without actually walking through the shelter and seeing all the dogs (although it's hard enough seeing their pictures and reading their stories; I already learned to avoid looking at one shelter entirely because they list scheduled euthanasia dates - the one dog I looked at is scheduled to be put down tomorrow!).

[DogMa]

I was afraid to eat the chicken I'd had the night before, so I ended up having a bit of a free night at work last night. Salad with way more cheese and stuff than I'd normally have, plus some cookies a friend had given me as a gift. And then way less water than I'd normally drink.

So 130.8 today, which is fine. I had trouble running, though (started to get some cramping, probably because of the lack of water, so I cut it short).

One of the dogs I saw online was already adopted (good for her, but I'm kinda sad), but I have a few more I'm looking at. My current favorite is a black lab-dachshund mix.

Maggie had a pretty bad night last night. She ate most of her food plus two McNuggets and some of the aforementioned cookies. But then she tried to get up on the couch, and ended up in a lot of pain. I gave her some extra drugs, but she still seemed pretty bad off. Didn't potty or anything, either. Sigh. I hope she makes it till next week. She seemed a little better again this morning (better than last night, not BETTER better).

[DogMa]

130.8 again. Had to have a frozen dinner last night because my chicken was defrosted (might have to again tonight). No big deal, but it's more sodium than normal. Also didn't get much sleep again, so running was too hard again. But this time I walked for half an hour. I have GOT to get some sleep one of these days.

Maggie had another somewhat rough night, although she did better climbing on the couch. And then during the night she started pawing at me again, but apparently that meant she wanted to come up on the bed. She made it by herself (with the steps), and was actually able to settle down and sleep. Of course, it meant I didn't sleep, but that's OK.

[Jan]

Dear Robin,
I am sooo sorry to hear about Maggie. I feel soo badly.. I'm sending you an e-mail.
jan

[DogMa]

This still seems really strange with Maggie still here, but tomorrow Teemu and I are going to visit a potential sister for him. She's my absolute first choice, so I hope they get along well. She's got to be the cutest dog I've ever seen.

I talked to the foster mom and got her whole story. She was found wandering the streets by a neighbor. The poor girl was underfed and covered in fleas and ticks. They took her to the vet, who treated her for the fleas and ticks, gave her all her puppy shots and estimated that she was 6 months to a year old. The foster mom brought her home, and she's been living there ever since, along with four dogs and seven cats. She was 32 pounds last time she was weighed, which was a month ago. Judy says she doesn't seem to have grown any since then. She gets along with everyone, dogs, cats and people. She apparently has no "issues," other than that she still chews stuff occasionally - mostly socks. She's house- and crate-trained and loves to run around and chase and play. (And did I mention she's the cutest dog I've ever seen?)

search dot petfinder dot com slash petnote slash displaypet.cgi?petid=7271494

[dede4wd]

Wow Robin, that's great!

Is her name Penelope or Phoebe? What a cutie!

DeDe