The Things We Do For Love
The things we do for love… there are so many…
As many of you already know, our 13-year old miniature poodle Myshkin slipped on the icy steps last week and came up lame. Not just a little lame, but three-legged, no toe-touching, time-won’t-heal-this-owie lame. We were pretty sure it was a ruptured cruciate ligament, which for best healing, requires surgery. Especially in an old dog.
Worrisome but okay, we’ll do what we have to. He’s our boy.
Here’s the bit I didn’t post about last week. When we did the work-up to make sure Myshkin was healthy enough for surgery, x-rays showed a suspicious mass in his abdomen. My husband, also known as Dr. Ray of Ellwood Park Animal Hospital, naturally errs on the side of caution when it comes to our own pets (wise man that he is) and referred him for ultrasound. We agreed that, if Myshkin’s got a malignancy, we wouldn’t put him through knee surgery.
But oh, that would have been so awful. Our sweet boy.
I know I have to be prepared.
He’s a 13-year old dog, after all. I’m not totally delusional. But still… he’s a healthy, fit old dog… active…happy… loved… and turns out I’m not as prepared as I thought…
So yesterday, we went to our fantastic referral center, Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital where the lovely, kind and very thorough radiologist Dr. Alex Bratton proclaimed Myshi to be in excellent health, no tumors, just some weird anatomy that warranted investigation but is not what we feared. Thank you Dr. Alex!
Then, with about ten minutes notice, surgeon Dr. Geoff Hutchinson – same doc that put Gemma back together after tangling with the coyote last winter- adjusted his schedule to get Myshi in THE SAME DAY, to fix the knee. Dr. Geoff added an extra procedure to his already fully-booked day, and we’re so very grateful for his kindness and generosity!
Then, it turns out that the vet tech assisting Dr. Geoff in surgery that day was a young woman did her practicum and first few months of practice with us! I was very sad to lose Jenna as a staff member because she’s excellent at her job… but I couldn’t blame her for taking a position at a referral center. I’d have done the same thing at her age. And then she ends up caring for my dog! 🙂 Thank you, Jenna! Boundary Bay overlaps with the Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley and we’re endlessly grateful to everyone, from reception staff to the technicians and assistants to the doctors. You guys are the best!
The surgery went well – Dr. Geoff found that Myshi had torn his meniscus as well as his cruciate. (If you’re gonna wreck it, wreck it good, I suppose.) Myshi’s home now, sleeping the sleep of the well-medicated. He’ll be confined to crate/closet for the next week at least, and we’ll be carrying him up and down stairs, but we expect him to return to full mobility.
Our sweet boy isn’t heading for the rainbow bridge yet and we’ll be cherishing every day he has left.
On a pragmatic note, may I put in a plug for pet health insurance? You might think that, with a veterinarian as a husband, vet bills are not an issue for us. That’s mostly true. However, we carry health insurance on our dogs exactly for situations like this, where complicated conditions require diagnostics, treatments or surgery by board-certified veterinary specialists. These highly trained elite professionals are worth every penny – but those pennies still add up. Insurance means we don’t have to make a difficult decision about a beloved family member for financial reasons.
We use PetSecure, “Canada’s Pet Insurance” but there are many companies, with many tiers of coverage. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation. (I get no kick-back for this, in case you were wondering. I just know that it prevents a lot of heartache and stress.)
Please, don’t wait until it’s too late. Take it from me, these things happen without warning.
Need Last Minute Gift Ideas?
I am proud and relieved to say that I finished my Christmas shopping last week! I know, no land speed record; some folks are done in November. My mother-in-law was done in September one year. We’re friends anyway.
So I’m not in a mad panic. But I know some of you probably are. Life gets in the way. For us, this year, the weather has gotten in the way! I’m not scared of snow – hello, I took my drivers test in a snowy November in Saskatchewan – but BC snow truly is different. Plus, we live on a mountain and I drive a little, fair-weather car that gets spinny at the first sign of snow. Good thing I work from home!
Anyway, for those of you still needing to check off some lists, I found some great deals for you. Order online, get them delivered! Sounds perfect to me! For instance: Save up to 30% on Chocolate, Gift Baskets and Party Treats! The one that caught my eye? Lindt chocolates, my favorites for half price! There may be some of these under our tree too. Wait. No. We have dogs. (FYI: Activated charcoal and projectile vomiting is not a fun way to spend Christmas.)
Speaking of chocolate, have you read the latest in our Love at the Chocolate Shop series? Montana Secret Santa (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 3) by Debra Salonen, is the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit!
One final suggestion: KeySmart – Compact Key Holder (2-10 Keys, Black) I *may* have ordered a few of these myself. They *may* arrive in time.
Wherever you’re at with your shopping and whatever the weather looks like in your world, don’t forget to enjoy the season!
Cheers and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas!
PS: right now, all new subscribers to my newsletter list will get a copy of my USA Today bestselling holiday novella, A Sweet Montana Christmas.
Handbags and Drama
Handbags and Drama
Anyone else here addicted to handbags… and drama?
We recently visited with friends who have a very large, beautiful house, with the best walk-in closet and laundry room I’ve ever seen. I confess, I had storage-envy after seeing their place.
And I immediately recognized another bag-lover. Not only does my friend has a long shelf in her closet devoted to her handbags, but she also has another floor-to-ceiling cupboard in their laundry room to house those shoes and bags she uses less often. I LOVE it!
Recently, after having my credit card compromised, I’ve become a fan of Travelon Anti-Theft bags, with RFID protection. I’ve got one in red, and I love it. We hope to do more traveling in the coming years, and security is kind of a big deal for me. Also, since I just finished writing another book, I figure I deserve a bit of bag-shopping as a reward. Right?
I wear a lot of black, so red often works. But not always. I’m currently looking for a similar bag, but in a different color. This one, maybe? I love purple and I like the water bottle pockets. Not sure about the front compartment though.
For years, I was hooked on Derek Alexander bags. They’re an entirely different kind of bag, leather, elegantly designed, and fairly pricey, so I can’t indulge myself much on these. But this is one of the best organizer bags I’ve ever had. I find I need more room now, though.
Sometimes I wish I had a cute little bag for when you’re going out and you only need to bring keys, a credit card, tissues and lip balm. A friend of mine has an adorable Kate Spade mini-bag that looks something like this:
Isn’t this so pretty?
Right now, I’m leaning towards this one. All the Travelon security of my red bag, in color that will work with my blue-green-checked winter coat. What do you think? What’s your favorite bag?
PS: I almost forgot the family drama! I read this New York Times bestseller The Breakdown Lane by Jacqueline Mitchard years ago and loved it. Jodi Picoult says, “Reading just doesn’t get any better than this.” Publisher’s Weekly calls it a “no-holds-barred family drama.” It’s available in digital format now, and I’m getting it to reread on my Kindle. Anyone else remember this book?
PPS: the book I just finished writing is called The Chocolate Cure part of the Love at the Chocolate Shop series. There’s family drama here, too, though it’s the kind that makes you smile, not the kind that makes you want to stab yourself in the eye. In case you’re interested, it’s available January 4, 2017.