My side of the family has had four babies born into it in since November. Wow. That's a lot of babies!
Happy grandfather is my brother, Kyle.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Another Addition
My family got just a little bigger yesterday. My niece, Kara, gave birth a bit early to her beautiful daughter. Introducing Katherine Jean Hamilton. Born July 19, 2012 at 2:21pm. 18 inches and 6 lbs 5 oz!
Kate is truly a miracle and a blessing for Kara. After two miscarriages and also losing her twin sister in the past year, Kara was super-blessed to have a relatively uneventful pregnancy (for her). Some complications with the C-section (bleeding) may require a hysterectomy for Kara so prayers are winging to the Big Man Upstairs that the surgery won't be required.
My side of the family has had four babies born into it in since November. Wow. That's a lot of babies!
Happy grandfather is my brother, Kyle.
My side of the family has had four babies born into it in since November. Wow. That's a lot of babies!
Happy grandfather is my brother, Kyle.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Good News!
The owner of the little sheltie I wrote about yesterday called. The vet got her in right away yesterday and they went ahead and did surgery. As it turns out, it was a benign fatty tumor that, while they got it all out this time, will grow back over time.
But it wasn't cancer!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
Good news always makes the day brighter.
But it wasn't cancer!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
Good news always makes the day brighter.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Part of the Job
Sometimes I hate my job. Mostly the pros always outweight the few cons. But today was a rough one.
I am a dog groomer. I own my own business and have a shop out in my barn. It's not pretty, but it is functional and keeps the dog hair and random fleas out of my house. It's nice, too, because I use it to get my dogs bathed and groomed for a show. I get to make my own schedule and can take off (within reason) any time I want to. But the best part is I love working with dogs.
But on the other side, I have to contend with owners who want me to "save the coat" of the cocker spaniel who lives outside 12 months of the year. Don't forget the cattle dog that the owner won't admit may bite if I handle his feet. Or the white bulldog whose fur moves on its own because the dog is so loaded with fleas and the owner is oblivious. But it's all part of the job.
My job is such that I also touch these dogs all over every time they come in - kind of like a mini-physical. And sometimes I "find" things. I hate that.
Today a 13 yr old bi-black sheltie bitch (spayed) came in for her 'summer' cut. I've seen her every eight weeks for her entire life. Over the winter we leave her coat longer but they like it short for the summer months. I only hand-scissored her coat two months ago to shape it and tame the flyaways. I did her nails and took the hair out from between her toes. I cleaned her ears and expressed her anal glands. And I shaved her sanitary areas to help keep them clean. She got a bath and was blown dry by hand. So I'm pretty sure that it wasn't there two months ago.
But this morning this sweet little bitch had a large, hard, bumpy growth surrounding her vulva. I could see it inside her vulva. It made me sick to have to tell her elderly owner what I found. I have very little doubt that it is some form of malignant growth. If it wasn't there eight weeks ago, then that is very bad news, because something that grows that fast is not good. I'm hoping that I missed it somehow last time. But she had also been to the vet for her annuals around the same time as her last groom and I can't see a vet missing it, too. So that means that it grew quite rapidly over the past two months.
I consider it part of my job to educate owners about dog care. So I took the time to lay out some things for her owner to consider. One thing I am very careful about is not to tell them what they should or shouldn't do. It is not my dog so it's not my decision. But I do try to let the owner know that there are options.
Like with this dog. She is still very active and bright. She bounces when she walks and is still eating and drinking well. Pee and poop seem normal, too. (I was a bit concerned about incontinence or inability to urinate with a growth that size.) Mostly I stress "quality of life" and this dog still exhibits an abundance of quality life.
If it were my dog, I would get her into a competent vet and get a start on a diagnosis. It seems to be a contained growth so surgical removal may be an option but the side-effects of the surgery would be something to consider (incontinence for one). Anesthesia is risky for an old dog.
Money is also an issue. People don't want to admit it, but it is an issue. If you can't afford thousands of dollars then you can't afford it. I can't see putting yourself in deep debt for an animal that may only live another year or so, even if healthy.
And then there's the other side if surgery isn't an option. As soon as I said 'growth' the owner said, "So I'll have to put her down?" Absolutely not! And I didn't want her going into an appointment with the vet with that in mind. The little dog doesn't know she has that growth. She's happy and full of life. Why end it now? When quality of life is no longer there, when the dog is suffering, enduring pain that is unrelieved - THAT'S when you put her down. Not when the diagnosis comes in - not with a dog that is still so full of life.
She took the dog home and was going to try to get an appointment as soon as possible. She was crying when she left and that broke my heart. But I had to tell her. It's part of my job.
I am a dog groomer. I own my own business and have a shop out in my barn. It's not pretty, but it is functional and keeps the dog hair and random fleas out of my house. It's nice, too, because I use it to get my dogs bathed and groomed for a show. I get to make my own schedule and can take off (within reason) any time I want to. But the best part is I love working with dogs.
But on the other side, I have to contend with owners who want me to "save the coat" of the cocker spaniel who lives outside 12 months of the year. Don't forget the cattle dog that the owner won't admit may bite if I handle his feet. Or the white bulldog whose fur moves on its own because the dog is so loaded with fleas and the owner is oblivious. But it's all part of the job.
My job is such that I also touch these dogs all over every time they come in - kind of like a mini-physical. And sometimes I "find" things. I hate that.
Today a 13 yr old bi-black sheltie bitch (spayed) came in for her 'summer' cut. I've seen her every eight weeks for her entire life. Over the winter we leave her coat longer but they like it short for the summer months. I only hand-scissored her coat two months ago to shape it and tame the flyaways. I did her nails and took the hair out from between her toes. I cleaned her ears and expressed her anal glands. And I shaved her sanitary areas to help keep them clean. She got a bath and was blown dry by hand. So I'm pretty sure that it wasn't there two months ago.
But this morning this sweet little bitch had a large, hard, bumpy growth surrounding her vulva. I could see it inside her vulva. It made me sick to have to tell her elderly owner what I found. I have very little doubt that it is some form of malignant growth. If it wasn't there eight weeks ago, then that is very bad news, because something that grows that fast is not good. I'm hoping that I missed it somehow last time. But she had also been to the vet for her annuals around the same time as her last groom and I can't see a vet missing it, too. So that means that it grew quite rapidly over the past two months.
I consider it part of my job to educate owners about dog care. So I took the time to lay out some things for her owner to consider. One thing I am very careful about is not to tell them what they should or shouldn't do. It is not my dog so it's not my decision. But I do try to let the owner know that there are options.
Like with this dog. She is still very active and bright. She bounces when she walks and is still eating and drinking well. Pee and poop seem normal, too. (I was a bit concerned about incontinence or inability to urinate with a growth that size.) Mostly I stress "quality of life" and this dog still exhibits an abundance of quality life.
If it were my dog, I would get her into a competent vet and get a start on a diagnosis. It seems to be a contained growth so surgical removal may be an option but the side-effects of the surgery would be something to consider (incontinence for one). Anesthesia is risky for an old dog.
Money is also an issue. People don't want to admit it, but it is an issue. If you can't afford thousands of dollars then you can't afford it. I can't see putting yourself in deep debt for an animal that may only live another year or so, even if healthy.
And then there's the other side if surgery isn't an option. As soon as I said 'growth' the owner said, "So I'll have to put her down?" Absolutely not! And I didn't want her going into an appointment with the vet with that in mind. The little dog doesn't know she has that growth. She's happy and full of life. Why end it now? When quality of life is no longer there, when the dog is suffering, enduring pain that is unrelieved - THAT'S when you put her down. Not when the diagnosis comes in - not with a dog that is still so full of life.
She took the dog home and was going to try to get an appointment as soon as possible. She was crying when she left and that broke my heart. But I had to tell her. It's part of my job.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Losing vs Failure
"There's a difference between failure and losing. Failure is not losing. Losing when you've tried your hardest or when you've done what you thought was right is not failure. That's courage. Failure is losing your focus and your commitment, a personal misdeed or not living up to your personal expectations. Nobody else will define your failure and nobody else will define your success. You do that." — Mike Flood, speaker of the Nebraska Legislature at the University of Nebraska at Kearney spring commencement, May 4, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
And The Season Begins
Yesterday, my St. Louis Cardinals opened the Major League Baseball season playing the Miami Marlins. It was the only major league game played yesterday. And the Cardinals did us proud, winning 4-1 with an awesome start by Kyle Lohse. Kyle went 7 1/3 innings - an amazing and somewhat surprising feat for him at the beginning of the season. Lohse is either pretty good or really bad. Yesterday he was very, very good, allowing only two hits and one run in those innings. Wow.
Mike Matheny debuted as the new skipper of the team. I loved him back in the 90's when he was the catcher for the Cardinals. He groomed "my" Yadi (Molina) to take his place when Yadi was a rookie. He did a good job.
So the beginning of the 2012 baseball season is here and off to a great start. Here's hoping it continues on this positive path and we win another World Series (the 12th) in 2012!
Mike Matheny debuted as the new skipper of the team. I loved him back in the 90's when he was the catcher for the Cardinals. He groomed "my" Yadi (Molina) to take his place when Yadi was a rookie. He did a good job.
So the beginning of the 2012 baseball season is here and off to a great start. Here's hoping it continues on this positive path and we win another World Series (the 12th) in 2012!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring IS Here!
Spring is officially here - the St. Louis Cardinals are playing baseball. Not necessarily good baseball, but baseball never-the-less. It's only spring training and good things are being said about Wainwright's comeback from Tommy John surgery. Carpenter is experiencing some neck stiffness so I'm a bit worried there, especially since he seems to be having more aches and pains. (He is getting up there in years.)
But it's the beginning of a new season and hope springs eternal (even for Cubs fans at this point).
I finally subscribed to Gameday Audio on the MLB network so can listen to each and every Cardinal game (and any other team I want) all season long. Out here in the boonies we tend to lose reception on the AM radio broadcasts when the sun goes down. And since a lot of baseball is played after the sun goes down, we were missing out on a lot of action. So now we just have to turn on the computer and get the live feed via the internet. How cool is that?
Granddaughter Ellie is also ready to root on her life-long favorite baseball team - the St. Louis Cardinals!
But it's the beginning of a new season and hope springs eternal (even for Cubs fans at this point).
I finally subscribed to Gameday Audio on the MLB network so can listen to each and every Cardinal game (and any other team I want) all season long. Out here in the boonies we tend to lose reception on the AM radio broadcasts when the sun goes down. And since a lot of baseball is played after the sun goes down, we were missing out on a lot of action. So now we just have to turn on the computer and get the live feed via the internet. How cool is that?
Granddaughter Ellie is also ready to root on her life-long favorite baseball team - the St. Louis Cardinals!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A Graphic Comparison!
My little Ellie is getting bigger! Of course I know it in my head. I can see it when I look at pictures Tara sends. And I can feel it when I hold her.
But this photo comparison shows very graphically how MUCH she's grown in just 3 months!
But this photo comparison shows very graphically how MUCH she's grown in just 3 months!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Spring Is Almost Here!
The beginning of Baseball Season is almost upon us which means spring will arrive with the Boys of Summer's resume of play. For my St. Louis Cardinal, pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Sunday, February 19th, with the full team assembling on Wednesday, February 24th. Their spring first game is Monday, March 5th.
Can't wait for the season to begin!
Can't wait for the season to begin!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ellie Is Growing Up!
Much too quickly, Ellie is growing up. I just saw her only two weeks ago and I was surprised at the difference in her. Mike was stunned. She is SO beautiful!
And for a quick smile . . .
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| Ellie looks a LOT like daddy Joel |
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| Ellie says, "Let's PARTY!" |
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