Maddy's Turn

Maddy here!

 

 

Murphy has written EIGHT posts and this is my FIRST one. I hate being the youngest.

Murphy isn't feeling too well this week, so Mama said I could take over today.

 

The other day, Mama had to take Murphy to the vet because he's been breathing really hard.  The good news is that the pink bump on his ear is going away.  The not so good news- it turns out that he is acting differently because he is on steroids!!!  No wonder he's so bossy lately- he has 'roid rage!  Check it out:

I mean, I like to get Murphy going, but listen to him-- he keeps yelling at Mom to feed him!  I couldn't take it anymore, so I just stood there, and his tail kept smacking me in the face.  Jerk.

 

Finally for the first time since she's been back, Mom took us for a walk!  It was hard for Murphy though- look at this time:

 

I mean, WOW.  Come ON, Murphy.  He just wanted to pee on things, even when there wasn't any pee left!  He was being a pain in the neck, literally.  Mama didn't want to yank on our leashes too much, especially when it was so hot outside and Murphy was already having breathing issues.  So we turned around and went back.  Thanks, Murphy.

 

But then, Mama took off Murphy's leash and just took ME out for a girls' walk!  YIPPEE!

People make fun of Bassets, but look at how fast I am moving!

Okay, so I stopped, too, but that's what Bassets DO.  We have to SMELL stuff.

 

Along our walk, I saw someone that looked like Calvin! 

Here is Calvin:

 

Here is Not-Calvin:

 

Normally when I see a cat, I like to chase him!  Cats like to be chased. And kissed on their face.  So that is why I chase cats and try to kiss them.  Because I am pretty sure they like it.

 

 This cat DID NOT MOVE.  Not one inch.

 

I didn't know what to do!

 

Mama laughed at me for hiding behind the tree.  That wasn't very nice.  That cat was SCARY.  I ran to the other side of the street.  After that, we had a nice rest of the walk.

 

When we got home, Murphy was passed out:

That 0.16 miles can really wear you out.  Try tacking on another 1.1 miles, buddy!

 

Mama said something about a four-day weekend and I thought I heard her say that Auntie Erin was coming to visit tomorrow!  She gives the best belly rubs with her feet!  I can't wait!

 

Thanks for reading my first post- I hope I did ok.  I'm gonna go see what's in the fridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Woof Woof! (Costa Rica!)

 

Mama's back! We were SO excited to see her, even at 2:00 a.m.:

Maddy was so excited, she couldn't stop squeaking:

Even Calvin was excited!

Notice that Calvin did not answer one question.  Even though I just said how excited we were, we played a trick on Mama:

Hahahahahaha!

 

Mama didn't get to check her interwebs very much- she had a hard time getting through to the MaddyCam.  (You know it's called that because Maddy is always the naughty one, right?)  She did catch this picture of us, though:

I have NO idea what we are doing.

 

Mama said she missed us a lot, and I guess she did, because she took a lot of pictures of animals:

That is a STRANGE-looking cat.

 

and a REALLY BIG dog.

 

That stick looks like it's smiling!

 

And this guy, well, I think he got some of his moves from Maddy and me:

 

This looks like a new toy!

 

Oh wait, that was this one:

 

I don't know why Mom doesn't- SQUIRREL!

(a weird one-- it looks like a backwards skunk!)

 

She did see some Costa Rican dogs, and it's hard not to get jealous:

 

This last guy, Mom even PET!!!  She CHEATED on us!  I guess I can't blame her- he does have some cool floppy ears.

 

She even got a video of a dog for us- he's barking in Spanish:

 

Well, I am tired from writing this blog-- it was a tough day today.  You can read Mom's Facebook to get some details.  Maybe I'll write about it tomorrow when I'm feeling better.  Good night!

 

 

 

 

 

Bark Voyage!

Mama has been around more the last couple of days, but she seems to be walking around the house back and forth, back and forth-- why doesn't she stop and take a nap?!?  (Oh, wait, she did take one with me yesterday- it was great!)

Maddy has been up to her usual antics-- even going through the fridge with Mom RIGHT THERE:

Then when Mama locked the fridge, she just kept crying.  I guess I don't blame her- that pizza smelled REALLY GOOD!

Today Mama was really busy putting things in a big red bag.  Uh oh.  We know what that means.

Look at how mad Maddy is.  I'm just sad because I love my mama.

Even Calvin sat by the suitcase all morning.

Mama kept thinking of things she needed to do, and after she packed her purse too full, she just grabbed her wallet and left to go get her friend from the airport.  Maddy decided to sample the snacks Mom was going to bring, just to make sure they were fresh.

 

YUCK!  Sour Patch Kids are GROSS!  Maddy does NOT like them at all. 

 

Mama has to get up really early, so we are going to enjoy our last evening with her.  We are excited to hang out with Amanda, but we are even more excited for our mama to come back home.  I bet there are some really cool treats in Costa Rica!  I hope she buys them for us!  We are going to sign off for the week, but we will have a LOT to tell you about soon!  Bye!

Don't Read That Trash; Read This!

Another day, another vet visit.  It's been two weeks since I had my first dose of lomustine (which I won't be taking any more), so we had to go back to Plantation Animal Hospital to get my CBC blood work done.  This time, so Maddy wouldn't cry, Mama decided to bring her along.  Bad idea-- she cried anyway!

 

And here's why she's so upset:

 I think this cat's name is Benny.  It likes looking down on all who enter. 

It was very snuggly with the humans, who thought its white toes were cool.  Whatever.  It's a cat.

I wasn't gone too long, Maddy was whining about the cat or something, and also managed to lick the toes of everyone who came to the animal hospital.  As Auntie Cheryle says, she's a toe ho. 

After we got home, we met Amanda, our new babysitter.  For being a cat person, she was very ok with me trying to crawl in her lap right away.  Maddy explained that she was boss (yeah, right), we showed her how we howl, and then Maddy was trying to hog all the attention and be her BFF.

Here is what the rundown to a petsitter sounds like:
 "We are basically a pet CVS."
"Maddy is a hungry, hungry hippo."
"Maddy tries to eat Murphy's food, so make sure you stand between them."
"Maddy antagonizes the cat on a daily basis."
"Maddy gets into the dog food container, so it is in the utility room."
"Maddy opens the fridge, so that is why it has a lock on it."
"Maddy also gets into the "pet-proof" trash can, so it needs to be in the garage during the day."
"If you feel the need to walk a dog, just take Maddy."

Do you see a pattern here?  :D

Amanda was really nice.  We all like her and we will try not to miss Mama too much when she's gone.  I'm pretty sure that we will still get treats and belly rubs, and maybe we will let her sleep on the bed with us.

Just after Amanda left, Mom got this on video:

Notice how she doesn't even seem to care that Mom is watching.  She is SO bad.  

It's ALMOST Friday, which means that we get Mama for the WHOLE WEEKEND!  We are very excited because our days usually look like this:

But we are hoping that there is lots of this:

this:

and maybe even this:

Have a happy Friday!  WOOF!

Bath Time for Bassets!

Today was a pretty uneventful day as far as the last few weeks are concerned.  Dr. Kane's nice people called to tell Mama prices on Kinavet, Palladia, and vinblastine, but she doesn't know which chemo to choose.  I don't speak human, so I can't tell her how the Palladia made my tummy feel, and she is having a hard time deciding.  She just took a break to e-mail Dr. Kraiza.

Last night, I was exhausted!  I think I took a four-hour nap when I got home from Dr. Kane's.  The prednisone I'm on makes me really thirsty, too. Today I feel better and decided to sit in my favorite chair.

I love cushions.  Mom said I looked even sillier in person because my hiney was almost falling off.

 

Maddy likes cushions sometimes, too, like when she made a fort last night:

She was trying to get up on the ottoman and couldn't figure out what to do.  Ha ha.

 

Mama said that we stunk, so she grabbed us and threw us in the bathtub!  She forgot her camera, but here is a picture from our old house:

Look!  I still have all of my ear!

 

Baths aren't SO bad, but Maddy goes CRAZY when she's clean:

 



That was only a fraction of the insanity! 

 

Maddy likes to run outside and get dirty again, and she made a run for the backyard, not realizing that Mama had taken the doggy door out!  OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO FUNNY!  She almost ran right into the glass door!!!  I would give my left ear to see that again. (Is it too soon for ear jokes?)

 

THIS JUST IN: Mama just got an e-mail back from Dr. Kraiza.  She is recommending that we go with the Kinavet because it works well with prednisone and has a lower risk for stomach upset.  Dr. Kraiza is going to have a baby ANY day, and it was so nice of her to reply so quickly.  Have we mentioned that we LOVE Dr. Kraiza?  We hope that her puppy, er, baby, arrives safely and quickly!

 

Maddy is still ticked about the glass door and about being clean:

 

 

Even baths are a bit tiring these days, so I'll sign off for now.

Good night!

 

 

 

Cheers! Here's to ears!

What a long day!  We are all beat in the Williams house.

This morning, Mama said that we would be going to a new doctor, Dr. Kane.

 

"We're going to ANOTHER vet?"



I think Mama was a little nervous and that made me nervous.  I started to feel not so good, and oops!  I got sick in our new car.  I felt really bad, but Mom didn't make a big deal of it.

Dr. Kane is an oncologist at Blue Pearl, formerly Florida Veterinary Specialists.  Here he is:
http://florida.bluepearlvet.com/curtis-kane/

I still wasn't feeling great, so I didn't really want to meet anyone new.

Dr. Kane seemed very nice, and he recommended that I get an ultrasound (WHAT?  Boy dogs don't get pregnant!) to get a staging done.  He said, "Staging isn't a prognosis but rather to see how aggressively we need to treat the cancer."  So Mom said that would be ok.  Dr. Kane said that the radiologist wouldn't be in until about 12:00, so my Mama left me there at the clinic for the WHOLE DAY!  I didn't even get to say goodbye!

Meanwhile, Maddy was at home wondering why she didn't get to go on a field trip.

 



Mama had to teach the rest of the day, so she didn't get to pick me up until 4:30 and we didn't leave until 5:00- that's almost SUPPERTIME!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEBFdHJIl-Y

 

Dr. Kane started out by saying that there was a little fatty material around my pancreas, and that it probably isn't pancreatitis, but it could account for me puking in the car this morning.  I have a fatty pancreas?  Anyway, I might have to eat bland food like rice for a couple of days if I puke again. 

 

Then he said that the radiologist found NO abnormalities in my abdomen or lymph nodes.  (Mom knew that that was REALLY GOOD.)  So I guess the only tumor is the little one on my ear.  Dr. Kane would like to use the tumor as a way to measure the effectiveness of the chemo rather than lop off my ear.  So that means... I GET TO KEEP MY EAR!!!  (for now, anyway!)  Mom asked what number stage that means, and he said that it would be a Stage 1- if they took the tumor off, I'd be Stage 0!  But I still have to go on chemo to try to shrink the tumor and so no more yucky tumors come back. 

 

Maddy was sad all day- Mom went home to clean up the car and Maddy was crying.  Funny, when we got back, Mama tried to get a video, but this was Maddy's response:

I SWEAR she was kissing me all over to the point that I had to yell at her.  Can't a guy just get a drink of water without little sisters!??

 

Mom didn't notice until we got home that they shaved my belly!  How embarassing.  What a day.

I am ready to take a serious nap, but first, Mama thought that we should celebrate- she thought today was going to be a lot worse.  I -love- it when she lets me lick the beer bottle!

So CHEERS!  Here's to my ears!  Mama is tired, so she ordered Chinese food and this is what our fortune said:

Isn't that the truth?  Have a great night, everyone!  ROOOOOOOOOO!

 



When the Mom's Away...

Boy, Mama has been so busy, she hasn't had time to sit down, snuggle, or type any posts all weekend!  Plus she left her computer at work.  I was just happy to have a lap to sit on yesterday.

Mom would like to point out that she has bedhead and no makeup on.  We couldn't find a picture we both agreed on.  She said her zit looks less obvious in this one.

 

 

Mama has been really busy with concerts, and this week was no exception.  Sometimes when she hasn't had coffee yet, she forgets to put the bungee cord on the fridge.  Perhaps you've seen this picture of Maddy:

"What?  I was just shopping."

 



Well, Mom must have been thinking of us, because she left us one of these in the fridge!





Mom left for Ft. Myers, we opened the fridge, and BINGO!  A Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadilla from Chili's!  It was SO good, especially the chipotle ranch and sour cream- we licked up every drop!

The next day, she had to go back to school (on a SATURDAY?!) and she asked us if we were going to be good:

We couldn't look at her-- she hadn't found the empty Chili's container yet.  We couldn't tell her, but we couldn't promise we'd just sit around and wait for her all day, either.  She came home and discovered the evidence.  Oops.  That was the last straw.  Next time she left, we found this on the fridge:

WHAT IS THAT WHITE THING?

There's a LOCK on the fridge!  Now we have to keep our paws crossed that Mama forgets to lock it back up again after making her coffee.  Until then, there's always the trash can. 

"Pet-proof."  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

So, Maybe Not ALL Ears...

This morning, Mom and I went to see Dr. Johnson.  I got to ride in the new car!

Mom let me stand there for a few seconds, so I decided that this was a good time to get rid of some of the rumblies in my tumbly.  Now the Sonic has a different new car smell!

I love going to the vet!  I always run across the parking lot because I love seeing people!  They might have treats!

This cat was sitting at the front desk along with another kitty.  Her name is Allie and she did the coolest thing-- she sat on her back legs and "waved" like my friend Jacob the Bichon does. 

Danielle the vet tech took me back where they poked me with a metal stick for something called CBC.  (Complete Blood Count)  Then, Danielle and Dr. Johnson and I went back to talk to Mama and WHOA, they stuck me with another little metal stick- IN THE EAR!

They said they were taking cells and then they put them on a little piece of glass. I guess my ear started bleeding- I got blood on Mama's pants when I went to sit with her.  Then, saying they needed a cleaner sample, THEY POKED MY EAR AGAIN!  This time, I let them know I was NOT happy about tiny metal sticks.  YELP!  Mama said I was very brave.

Dr. Johnson was so nice, she called me Murf-Murf and even gave me a hug and some kisses.  Then she started calling me Muffin-Head- is that a good thing or a bad thing?  She came back and said the little glass pieces with the cells on them looked suspicious and that it was a good thing they poked my ear bump.  But she said they might have to take off a big part of my ear because of the bump.  It's just above the place where my cool ear notch is, but I guess our first vet didn't make my notch big enough and a new bump showed up.  Mama got quiet and looked very serious.  She even thought about not going to Costa Rica so she could stay home with me, but Dr. Johnson said that wasn't necessary. 

Before we left, I made a new friend- this is Ella, Dr. Johnson's Corgi.  I thought she was interesting because she was short like me but she has big pointy ears that stick up- is that what they're going to do to MY ears?

When we got home, Maddy was so mad that she didn't even run to the door to greet us.  She is just jealous that I got to go to the vet and get treats and she didn't.  I am just happy to be back home, sitting next to my mom while she types this blog.  Ear, schmear.

Our First Post!!!

WE HAVE A BLOG!  Finally, something to do while Mama is at work all day.  She came home today and finally asked us the question that we've been waiting for:

Obviously, we are excited and had a lot of ideas to share with her.  She is helping us by typing the blog for us amidst her busy schedule.

We should introduce ourselves!
I'm Murphy!  I'm 7.5 years old, I like kisses, kids, laps, and the end of your sofa.  Not the middle, but the end- gotta have that armrest.  I rescued my mom on June 9, 2006, when we met at the Lee County Animal Shelter on my 10 month birthday.

Next to me is my little sister, Maddy, or Madigan as she's called when she's in trouble (which is pretty much everyday.)  She is 6 years old and Mom and I rescued her from living in Nebraska the rest of her life when she was just 9 weeks old.

Here's a picture of us the day Maddy came home:

And here we are now:

 

She's ok.  Mom says she wishes Maddy would have stayed that small so she wouldn't get in so much trouble.  Whatever.  She's Maddy.  It's inevitable.

We have a feline brother named Calvin.  He's ancient- he's going to be 14 this summer!

He always looks this happy.  Especially when Maddy kisses him.

Well, that's enough for our first blog post- hope we did ok!  Time to do what Basset Hounds do best- SLEEP!  Have a great night!

--Murphy--