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Flash is doing much better. There's no more blood and certain areas of her life are...solidifying...if you catch my drift. The day after we took her to the vet I accidentally locked her in the garage for two and a half hours. She was sunning herself on the patio while Henry ran around and played and I tried to get some yardwork done. When we came back into the house, I assumed Flash made it in with us. Dave worked on fixing our leaky kitchen sink when he got home from work and after opening the door that leads to the garage he asked me where Flash was. I told him I didn't know, that probably she was in on her dog bed in the back room. He told me to guess again. Apparently she was standing in the garage madly wagging her tail. As if things couldn't get worse, 24 hours after receiving into our hot little hands an anti-inflammatory for her sad, inflated colon, Dave and I had one of those "Have you been giving Flash her pill?", "No, I thought you were..." conversations.

So, despite us, she's doing a lot better. In addition to her diet of brown rice and boiled hamburger, which has sent her over the proverbial moon every morning and evening since she's been getting it, we've also been giving her plain yogurt once a day. Our vet said the benefits of probiotics are a myth, but Dave and I disagree so we're doing it anyway. Her appetite is back in leaps and bounds, considering the amount of salivating she did over the pork Dave smoked for dinner last night. He took great pleasure in telling her she couldn't have any because she's on a bland diet. I'm glad she's hopeful again.

Posted by Jenn at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Flash has had bloody diarrhea the last four days. I bet you wish you could go back in time and choose not to read that last sentence. We took her to the vet this evening and it turns out she has colitis. Kudos to my friend Elizabeth for having hit that nail square on the head. So she gets antibiotics that are also anti-inflammatory and rice with beef/chicken until everything's back to normal.

But lets go back in time to the vet visit. All of us went to the vet with Flash. Henry thinks going to the doggie doctor is flippin' sweet because he loves watching Flash go through all the same stuff he has to go through when he goes to the doctor. He especially hates having his temperature taken, and the last two time we've been to the vet, Henry has settled into a chair in the exam room and asked me when Flash is going to get her temperature taken. Then he watches with glee fascination at the whole process. This evening after the thermometer was removed from Flash's rear, Henry said "Doctor take Flash's temperature two times." He looked disappointed when I told him her temperature only needed to be taken once.

The diagnosis for colitis required the use of a rubber glove and a smidge of Vaseline, and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Flash was not happy about the procedure and shuffled around the room and protested with a few sad whines. Do you know what my sadistic kid did? He laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd seen in years. After the veterinarian left I told Henry that not only was he a doctor for doggies, but also for kitty cats, rats, bunnies, and, in a pinch, he could probably even be a Henry doctor, and that when he comes back in maybe he could take Henry's temperature. That sobered him up right quick, but it did not stop him from asking a few minutes later if Flash's temperature could be taken three times. No sympathy in this kid. On the way home I told Flash she could come with us to Henry's third-year checkup so she could watch him get his shots.

Posted by Jenn at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Remember that walk in the woods we took last Saturday? Sunday night Dave found a tick on Flash. This morning, we found three more. Our dog, who has never before had a tick in our care, became a tick party cruise over the course of an hour and a half, four days ago. She has also been the cause of a slight case of the heebie-jeebies for yours truly because parasites are gross. I told Dave I think I was having sympathy pains on Flash's behalf last night because when I got into bed I briefly felt like little bugs were crawling on my legs. He said that just means I need to take a shower.

This afternoon we're picking up Dave's parents from the airport. They'll be staying with us until early next week. It will be nice to see them, and it'll be nice to have a few more hands helping to steer Henry away from trouble, because wow, does he ever seek it out. Tell him no and he'll stare at you while continuing to do whatever it is you're telling him not to. This is all very ironic considering he seems to have fully grasped the meaning and pronunciation of "yes", which means he's generally very agreeable. Based on experience alone I would have thought his first word would have been "no".

Posted by Jenn at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a foul, horrendous, beastly day here. It rained last night and this morning, and now it's gray and ridiculously humid out. I took Flash and Henry out for a walk and we couldn't go by Libby's store without stopping in to enjoy both her company and her a/c. She's been bringing her dog in to work with her. His name is Wyatt. He's a sheltie. Also, he's beautiful. Also, he thought Flash was smokin' hot. They mingled a bit through the dog gate and when Flash seemed to be okay with him, Libby let Wyatt out into the store. He made a beeline for Flash and commenced what would end up being ~10 minutes worth of walking around her, checking her out, nosing between her shoulder blades, poking his nose up and down her back, and panting, lots and lots of panting. Flash was a cool cat throughout all of this, alternately standing, sitting, and finally just laying herself down as flat as possible against the floor. Usually when another dog tries any funny business with her she really lets him have it, so I was surprised by her general non-reactive reaction. Finally Wyatt decided that the rest of the world needed to know that Flash was his girl so he lifted his leg to mark her but Libby jumped up and put him back behind the baby gate before he was successfull. It was quite a show. A little later she gave Wyatt another chance at freedom and after a few preliminary sniffs he tried to mark Flash again, and once again he went right back behind the baby gate where he spent the rest of our visit whining in protest. To be so close and yet so far...

Posted by Jenn at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If Flash goes too long without a bath, she startes to make me sneeze. As of a week ago, she had officially gone too long without a bath. Over the course of this past week I started dropping what I thought were not-so-subtle hints about Flash needing a good scrub-down, but sadly, Dave never volunteered. Lately, probably because of the pregnancy coming to an end sometime over the course of the next 3-4 weeks, I've been laying awake at night obsessing about the most mundane things that I just *have* to get done. Two nights ago, I was freaking out about finding a pediatrician, writing thank you notes, dropping off our real estate tax bill, and getting in touch with a dog-sitter who could watch Flash once we officially went into labor. Fairly important stuff, right? Last night I obsessed about washing the dog, cleaning the bathrooms, finishing the wall in the living room, and fixing the one half of our kitchen sink that leaks. I obsessed to the point of having to go downstairs to watch t.v. just to get my brain thinking about something else (I saw an episode of Cowboy Bebop dubbed in english; it's just not the same). Enter morning, where armed with only four hours of restless sleep and strong desire, I searched around in our cabinets for dog shampoo. We were out. No problem. I could hop in the car, drop off the real estate tax bill, hit the pet store, toss Flash in the tub, thereby effectively ending the sneezing *and* checking two things off my list. I get to the pet store and there are, I swear, nearly as many dog shampoo options as there are people shampoo at the grocery store. I pick up an oatmeal shampoo (you know, because oatmeal is good for their skin and my dog only gets the best, etc, etc) and head home. After a brief struggle involving lots of groaning and grumbling from both parties, Flash is unhappily installed in the tub and getting a pre-shampoo rinse of water. I pump out a palmful of shampoo and proceed to lather her up. Except she isn't lathering. My first thought was "Good grief; she was dirtier than I thought" followed by the feeling that something just wasn't right. I take another look at the bottle and it turns out I purchased oatmeal conditioner. Conditioner. I didn't even know they made that for dogs. So to make a long story shorter, I decided to use our gentle Dove shampoo followed by a deep conditioning doggie rinse that will hopefully combat any skin dryness that may occur from my not having used a pH neutral shampoo on her. Or maybe all of her hair will fall out and I'll feel absolutely horrible. Or maybe she'll get dandruff and I'll be really grossed out. Poor Flash. She's almost pampered, but not quite.

Posted by Jenn at 10:52 AM | Permalink

Flash tossed her cookies on our couch this morning. You know how I figured it out? Because I sat in it for ~ 15 minutes before getting up and wondering why I was all wet. Two things I can't believe about this whole scenario: 1. that it happened period and 2. how lucky we are that we own a Little Green Steam Machine. I don't understand why animals have to throw up on wonderfully plush, fabric-y things like furniture and rugs and never on easy-to-clean hardwood floors. I can only imagine that anyone who reads this and then comes to visit will forever look warily at our couch with their nose wrinkled in distaste (although, I suppose the look of distaste could be a reaction to our fabric choice).

This past Saturday Dave and I drove to State College to peruse Target. We were officially in the market for an air conditioner for our bedroom, but you can't go to Target and come out with just one thing. It's impossible. In fact, we walked out with many things, none of which was an air conditioner. We ended up going to Lowe's for that. Anyway, since we were next to the greatest supermarket in the world, Wegmans, we decided to have lunch there. I got sushi and a soy sauce stain on my shirt, and Dave got a pasta dish that they cooked in front of him and which made him stink of garlic for the next two days. We were both very happy campers. It was extra-cathartic to get out of Lewisburg for the day. Dave drove me out of town a grumpy beast and drove me back into town a happy clam.

Posted by Jenn at 10:47 AM | Permalink

I just got an email from Atkins Nutritionals advertising their new lo-carb cereal bar while stuffing my face full of macaroni and cheese. Hello, irony.

Dave is coming home from a conference this evening. I'm so looking forward to seeing him. Flash has managed to defend his side of the bed by keeping me herded onto my side, with the exception of Sunday night when she kept getting up and curling up snugly against my legs causing me to inch away little by little over the course of the night. I was perfectly horizontal by morning. Anyway, it's been like one long girly sleepover here: lots of junk food (and dog treats for Flash) and DVD's featuring good-looking guys. I did manage to clean out the huge closet in our back room, a feat which I am infinitely impressed with myself for accomplishing. Unfortunately it means that everything that was in the closet is now strewn across the floor of the back room itself. Oh well. One less room I have to vacuum before the weekend.

My parents are arriving tomorrow to stay with us for a few days. My dad is going to be attending a few philatelic seminars being held outside of State College which means me and my mom get to goof off and go shopping, get haircuts, etc. The weather is supposed to be nice the whole time, which means Dave will be manning the grill, if I have anything to say about it. I'm looking forward to toasted marshmallows...

Posted by Jenn at 10:37 AM | Permalink

We've been experiencing astonishingly gorgeous weather here for the past three or four days. Yesterday was sunny, 75, and not humid at all. Flash and I went for a nice long walk, stopping at the halfway point to rest on a park bench along the river to enjoy the cool breezes. Flash has been showing all the tell-tale signs that signal the return of warm weather:

1. Trotting along happily until the half-way point on our walk when she suddenly down-shifts into ultra low gear and hangs her head like I'm slowly killing her.

2. Lots of panting. She was panting at the end of our walk yesterday as we went by Megan's house. She called us inside and Flash headed straight for the tile floor in their kitchen and collapsed onto her side.

3. After our walk this morning, she retired to the back room downstairs (which gets no sunlight because we always have the curtains closed) instead of hitting the couch per usual.

Today is gray, toasty, humid, and buggy, no doubt a harbinger of what's to come this summer. Argh.

Posted by Jenn at 10:04 AM | Permalink

Dave spent the last week and a half madly working on a grant that he submitted this past Thursday. All of this mad-granting time coincided with the start of the spring semester so you can imagine how busy he was. He'd work until the early evening, come home, have some dinner and relax for an hour to an hour and a half, then would retire to the back room where he would remain until 2:30 or 3 AM. Every night. I would hang out in the living room until midnight or one out of sympathy, but then would head upstairs where I would eventually fall asleep with the lights on and my finger stuck between pages of "The Count of Monte Cristo". Eventually Dave would make his way up, brush his teeth, turn off the heat and lights and climb into bed. As soon as he was settled, you could hear the tip-tapping of claws making their way across the living room floor, up the stairs, through the beaded curtain, over to the pile of stinky socks on the floor, and then finally up onto the bed. Every single night, Flash would hang out downstairs until Dave got settled in bed, then would curl up next to him for the duration. We have the world's sweetest dog.

Posted by Jenn at 09:58 AM | Permalink

I woke up this morning, patted Flash on the head, went downstairs, gave her
some food, put on her collar, gave her another pat, and then what happened?
I saw a flea. In case you didn't catch the enormity of that, let me capiltalize:
A FLEA! ON MY BABY! Immediately my morning unfolded before my eyes: take the
dog for a quick walk, drive to the vets to pick up some anti-flea medication,
throw Flash in the tub for a bath, and finally, apply aforementioned medication.
So, that where we're at. I'm waiting for Flash to dry off a bit before I go
ahead and use "That Which Will Kill the Fleas That Have No Business Being
On My Dog". Flash knew the minute I came home that a bath was in the immediate
future because she immediately hit the floor in "Submissive Pose I" and looked
up at me with her one eye all giant and Bambi-like. She can be very manipulative.
She got tossed in the tub anyway, but I totally appreciate her effort. Right
now she's stretched out on the living room carpet, somewhat towel dried, and
happily chewing away on a rawhide. Ahh, the drama.

Posted by Jenn at 10:30 AM | Permalink

1. Her morning bowl of dog food.
2. 1/4 of a Brown n' Serve sausage because she was so cute parading around
the house with one of Dave's stinky socks in her mouth.
3. Three or four liver treats doled out over the course of the day as reward
for hanging tough and persevering over difficult and varied doggie tasks
such as the ever-dreaded "Go potty!".
4. The rest of her best friend Madge's breakfast. Girl dogs can be quite
catty you know, although Madge handled this turn of events like a lady.
A confused lady, but a lady nonetheless.
5. Chicken breast. All the dogs got a piece of chicken breast from Adrian
because he's a sucker for dogs it was a holiday.
6. Lots and lots and lots of grass from Megan and Adrian's backyard.
7. Some of Rooney the Chihuahua's dinner.
8. Some of a rawhide chew flip which Sami promptly stole when Flash went
into the kitchen to be of assistance should any food be dropped by the baby
that was being fed.
9. Her heartworm medication, which seems like a not-very-tasty way to end
the day except that she loves it and would eat a whole box if she could.

Posted by Jenn at 10:20 AM | Permalink

We just got back from the vet. The good news is: the vet couldn't find evidence
of a flea problem so she gave us a tube of Advantage and that should take
care of any rogue bugs that might be hiding out. The bad news is, she needs
to lose about four pounds (just like me!) so she's on a diet.

Posted by Jenn at 05:05 PM | Permalink

I don't think I've done a Flash related post in a while. Today it is snowing
out. Flash likes the snow. She doesn't like the cold. This morning on her
walk, she huffed at a herd/gaggle/bunch of ducks, causing them to take flight
and splash into a nearby stream. Flash was very pleased. She is wearing her
jingle bell collar right now, but she's taking a nap so no angels are getting
any wings. Do angels get wings if a jingle bell jingles? Flash doesn't know
it, but tonight she'll be sleeping at my grandmother's house, one of her favorite
places on the planet. I think sometimes she dreams about grandma's kitchen.
Lately she's been sleeping with us. It's cute, except she takes up a lot of
real estate, particularly on my side of the bed which means Dave wakes up
rested and I wake up with cramps in various places. Flash is starting to smell
which means next week will probably find her in a tub looking like a drowned
rat.

Posted by Jenn at 05:03 PM | Permalink

Dave and I brought Flash in to work because there's a house inspection at
our place later on today. Emily and I were watering one of the lab PI's flowers
because he's out of town when we spied our favorite stuffed buffalo sitting
in a corner of his office. This being a laboratory for scientific research,
it was only natural for us to ask ourselves "what would happen if Flash saw
the buffalo". We took it down to my office and opened the baby gate so Flash
could get out if she wanted to. She was very leery at first and started approaching
very slowly (and sideways for some reason; I guess she wanted to maximize
the range of vision of her one eye). I gave the buffalo a nudge every once
in a while to make it seem like it was alive. After a few stops and starts,
Flash inched her way out of the door and around the buffalo. Can you guess
what she did next? Why, she made a beeline to sniff the buffalo's butt of
course. Dogs will be dogs. We were all highly amused. I never knew science
could be so entertaining...

Posted by Jenn at 04:27 PM | Permalink

Flash is famous. I sent her picture in to the For Better or For Worse comic strip website and they posted her picture on "The Fridge". See if you can spot her!

Posted by Jenn at 08:24 PM | Permalink

I updated Flash's online den. Flash got to come to work with me today. She likes to hide under my desk on her special leopard-print pad with her Bubbles doll. She got lots and lots of attention and the Office Depot guy gave her a yummy beefy doggy bone. *mmmmm*

Posted by Jenn at 08:22 PM | Permalink

WE GOT A DOG!!! No, no, let me qualify that. We got the best dog in the whole world! No doubt my desire to show her off by posting pics will temporarily eclipse my desire to put up the wedding pics as planned (scanner is still on the fritz anyway). Besides, this time I'll be using a digital camera so it'll be easier. Anyhoo...the details: Dave and I went up to Methuen's MSPCA animal shelter this past Saturday and walked a german shepard/something else mix. I thought she was derranged but Dave liked her. The problem was I wanted one that could keep me safe while Dave is off conferencing and although this dog would have worked, I also wouldn't have been able to walk her because she was really strong and into yanking the leash. So we drove back to Salem and visited the Northeast Animal Shelter to check out a chocolate lab they said would be well-suited to our lifestyle. Once there, we spotted this sweet dog named Alondra who is a lab/beagle mix. She's medium sized and was rescued as a stray by a fabulous woman named Ruth Diaz in Puerto Rico (to whom we can only say 'Thank you!') and taken to Save a Sato. When Ruth found her, Alondra's left eye was "exploded" and had to be removed. We took her out for a walk; she was so sweet. I gave her one heck of a rump rub and I think she still remembers it. Half an hour later we were proud owners of a dog that was trying like mad to get into the shelves of dog food at our local pet store. It was great... She has been nicknamed "Flash", partly cuz of the Dukes of Hazard and partly because we can say it with more force when needed than we could say "Alondra". Check out Flash's online den for pics soon...

Posted by Jenn at 08:19 PM | Permalink