Liberty Visits the Neurologist...

And gets a pretty good report! While she is neurologically "not normal," at this point, anti-inflammatory medication should take care of her troubles. Her back will probably continue to be a problem as she ages, so it will be important for her to stay on the thin side, and stay as active as possible. We are planning for her to see Dr. Laflin, our holistic veterinarian, after the first of the year for a little acupuncture too!

Oh Liberty...

Running one day, unable to get up the next... that's where we found ourselves with Liberty this weekend. I spent Saturday morning as well as this morning helping her get out of bed. It's off to x-ray tomorrow, as she has significant spinal pain. Fortunately, she's still moving once she's helped up. We'll post the results Monday night, in the meantime, cross your fingers ~ any type of problem which would require rest would really dampen her hole digging routine!

We Said Goodbye to Poppy Today...

After his long battle with IBD, cancer, and pancreatitis. His symptoms had worsened over the last few days, and this morning he didn't want to help feed, or be held, or do any of his favorite activities. We tearfully told MeiLi it was time to help him along in his journey, as she maintained a constant bedside vigil with him, grooming his face and snuggling with him. He passed very peacefully in my arms as Dr. Booman euthanized him.



We also said tearful goodbyes to "Honorary Golden Heart" Murphy, who spent 15 wonderful years caring for his guardian Valerie. He was always welcomed by all of our dogs during his visits with us. He will be deeply missed, and our hearts go out to his mom.

It's never easy to say goodbye, as we have had to do all too often this past year.

Rest in peace, sweet boys. You will always be close to our hearts...

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas!

Stacy & Steve & the Golden Hearts Critters

Leo's Christmas Angel

Leo had a wonderful package arrive today, just in time for Christmas. His wonderful angel Karen, sent him a box of warm fuzzy blankets to share with his kitty friends, and a terrific book. The story was about the "Christmas Kitten" who was left outside in the cold, then found a purpose and a family to love. As I read the book with Leo, there were tears in my eyes, because it sounded just like him. She also included a Christmas card with a check to pay for his eye surgery ~ a wonderful Christmas surprise! Thank you Karen, for loving this sweet old cat!

Happy Day!

Leo had his sutures removed, and received a great report from Dr. Steele. He's healed great, and his 'bad' eye is comfortable for him at this point. He has another recheck in a month to make sure things continue to improve.

Today was "Leo Liberation Day" as he got to lose the e-collar and doesn't have to stay crated anymore. He's moved into the cat room in the main house, where we can continue to monitor his eye, and he lives where he seems to be the happiest ~ in the house. He really never enjoyed the outdoors as much as I hoped he would. As a matter of fact, when we brought our Christmas tree indoors, he growled at it for a couple of days every time he went past it!

A Break in the Weather...

Is a welcome relief! We've made up our rain deficit for the year within the last 3 days. Our rainfall since Monday comes to a grand total of 3.75", which is practically unheard of in that short amount of time. There are many news stories about the Tijuana River Valley flooding, and unfortunately while a huge number of horses were rescued, 4 still lost their lives; many animals are still unaccounted for. We are located much farther north within the county, so fortunately those flood waters did not affect us. We are, however, looking at potential snowfall with the next storm over Christmas!

And Piggie Is All Nestled...

Snug in her new bed, ready for the coming rainstorms! Today, we were able to finish Piggie's permanent shelter, which has real sides rather than shade cloth. We also added a stall mat, used most often for a comfortable place in horse corrals. Shavings top off the mat, so she can snuggle in to keep cozy. Trying to convince her that she really would enjoy her new house if she'd just go in it took some doing. It's hard to reason with a pig! Once she decided to try it, she curled up where you see her above, and hasn't moved yet!
This was our final big project to get ready for a week of rain, something really needed after a dry year!

Leo and Melody Updates

Leo had a recheck today, and he's healing well. We are able to reduce his eye medications to once a day, something he and I are both happy about!

Melody's labwork was normal. There are many things to rule out within the scope of "brain problems" but the best picture is painted with an MRI of the brain. It's a pretty costly test, something which we need to 'save up' for. In the meantime, we will be doing a trial of Prednisone for a couple of weeks to see if her symptoms improve. She's really enjoying the extra treats!

Recovery's Not So Bad!

Leo is recovering from his eye surgery quite well, thank you! We were able to wean him off of his pain medication about 4 days after surgery, and he is more active and almost back to normal (except for that darned cone on his head!) He sees his opthamologist on Wednesday for a recheck, and if his attitude is any indication, it should be a great report!

Wait for Me!!

It's 4:00, is it dinner time?? Liberty saw the back door open, and was afraid of missing dinner ~ after all, it gets dark early, maybe someone will slip up and think it's late? The poor girl doesn't hear very well, so it generally takes loud hand-clapping to get this kind of reaction from her at any other time of day!

A Post-Thanksgiving Emergency...

Just when we thought things were calming down a little ~ Leo had an emergency. Acutely painful eyes are nothin' to mess around with, and the poor boy became very frightened because he was blind and painful. He began to lash out at everything in fear, including us.

Leo was seen by one of our favorite opthamologists at the Eye Clinic for Animals, Dr. Schorling, who ever so gently looked at Leo. We knew he had entropian eyelids (lids that turn in) that we were hoping would resolve once his skin healed. His skin is looking pretty good, but the eyelid problem persisted and daily medication wasn't enough. Dr. Schorling says he, like Phoenix and MeiLi, has feline herpes virus; herpes cats tend to squint too much, and in Leo's case, caused his misshapen eyelids to rub directly on his eyes. He ruptured one of his corneas as a result.

Leo had emergency surgery to fix his lids, essentially a kitty "face lift". Dr. Schorling also did a corneal graft to try to repair his damaged eye. We will have to wait and see if it will take ~ it may heal or he may lose his eye, but this is the best chance he has to keep it. Tonight Leo is much more comfortable, sporting an Elizabethan collar to keep him from scratching out his sutures. I hope to have a picture of him in the next couple of days - he's a little camera-shy right now!