Sole Action

Molly is a lumpy-bumpy girl. More correctly, she was. I finally took her with all her lypomas and her two other odd things (one was a growth under her right ear, the other was a BB sort of thing on her knee. How does one spell BB? I forget....) Both dogs needed their teeth cleaned for the very first time and Baby needed shots and blood work done.

I anticipated a bill in the four figures. All I really cared about was getting my babies back in good health. Poor Molly has Addison's Disease and stress can kill her. I have lamented that often enough in this journal. I am much more experienced now with being her adrenal glands. When she needs more prednisone, I am there to administer it, just as her original adrenal glands would have released cortisol.

I also anticipated a high need for prednisone. I didn't anticipate as high as the vet did, so I did not give her as much as the vet told me to. I had to make my own decision. I did tell the vet what I had given, and she was good with it.

However, after dealing with two food sharks who were not allowed food or water after midnight on Tuesday, getting them up at 5 am for company at 6:45 am, and then walking them to keep their little walnut-sized brains off food and running into a thunderstorm half a mile away (and literally running back), we were off to the vet at 9 am. I was then told that their appointment was on Thursday.

I knew better. I have to keep good records because of my bad memory, and I had to rearrange my physical therapy for my shoulder around the vet appointment. I just stood at the vet's office and thought, "I am not going to do this again." They then told me that since they only had one other dog scheduled for surgery, they could take my girls. We all smiled.

My girls weren't too happy once they were shoved into a crate. I wanted to avoid the crate, but the least I could do was be the one to shove them in, chase Molly as she escaped once, and sit on the floor with my fingers through the bars while Molly ripped them up with her nails, trying to get out. Once they settled down a little, I said, "Say goodbye. Be good girls." - same as I do at home when I leave the house, and quietly walked out. No tears, nocarrying on. I was a good girl.

I was told to call about them at 2 pm. It wasn't even 10 am yet! What was I to do with myself while I had horrible thoughts about one or both of them dying from a bad batch of general anesthetic?

Shoes. I could think of nothing else. I realized I was about to be greedy, so instead of Nordstrom I hit Nordstrom Rack, their outlet store which is conveniently located only a few miles from the vet's office (and my old house). I have the luck to wear a size 6, which means sample shoes are my size.

The downside of this is that my shoes are the sample size. Everyone who wears a size 8 has to try to get their feet in the shoes to see how they will look. Even my friend Cindy did this recently when she saw a new pair of sandals I was wearing. She actually was trying to put her foot in my shoe until I reminded her that it would permanently stretch the shoe out and I would no longer be able to wear it. She sighed. So did I. I am forever trying on shoes where one fits and the other flaps around, all stretched to hell. Ann, you know what I mean, yes?

Nordstrom Rack has racks and racks of shoes. Just thousands of them. You grab what looks good, try on the right one, and then go to a counter to get the other. I had just decided I have no flip flops or thong sandals at all, and it was time for me to start a collection. Nordstrom is great for collections.

I grabbed all that I liked and tried them on, assuming that some would not match once I got the left shoes. Sometimes the right one has been left out on display too long and the color is off, or the right one has been tried on many times and shows wear, but the left does not. I ended up with 5 pairs of Reef sandals, all thong style. None very expensive, just every day sandals. Four pair of good leather ones, and one nice pair of Keen sandals for sports.

Sad to say, they were all perfect. So, I bought them all. Even as I bought them, I was telling myself, look, you don't need 10 pair of sandals. You have plenty, just none with toe straps. But, I said back, I can leave some in the casita in AZ for my next trip. Still, I said, you don't need them. Tough titties, I retorted, I want them. It took two bags.

Did I mention it was still raining? Hard? I then went to the library and grabbed some books that I had on hold. I always look guilty there, since I don't live in that city any more but I haven't told them yet. I like that library better than my new one. I haven't really tried the new one, so I think it's just principle. Everyone knows me in the old one. They should, after all these years.

So, there went about 3 hours. I went home for an hour, and played with my shoes while I again worried about my babies. At 2 pm I called, and was told they were doing just fine. I was also told Molly was "just fine" when her potassium was over-corrected to 3.6, but that is another story. I wanted my babies with me. They said 4 pm, come get the babies. I played with my shoes some more, read a book, and generally was miserable.

As I went to go get them, I realized I still had a kitchen table and vacuum cleaner in the back of my Highlander because I didn't want to lift them yet. I decided the girls might have to separate and not sit together in the front passenger seat, so I took the things out of the car. By myself, of course. I would like a video of me removing that table, since I think I employed all the laws of physics to do it. I didn't even need the dolly. I love my dolly anyway.

I went to get my babies. First I had to pay the bill (four figures - they seemed surprised that I wasn't), then get the directions, and then I got my babies back.

Non-event. Baby was her usual boucing beagle pup tart self, and Molly was a little quieter, with 8 separate incisions that were shaved. She looks like a very bad patch quilt. I was worried about the pred, and the vet said give her 2.5 mg that night. I gave her .625 mg. It was too much. Molly begged for food all night.

Once Molly was able to jump on the sofa, I was able to get up off the floor and read in a comfortable position. They slept all evening while I played nurse/cook/mommy. Did I mention that I am now changing them over to home cooking?

Today Molly is great. She is a little slow and stiff if she sleeps too long, but her Addison's did not affect her surgery. She scratches a little at the incision below her ear, and the vet said OK to Benadryl cream or tablets. I gave her both. I expect her to sleep again soon, and who scratches in her sleep?OK, I do.

Molly heard me talking on the phone to the vet tech and she sat down in front of me and sat up in a beg. She could hear the voice, and wanted to give attention to the tech. Molly is like that - very loving.

All will be well. I have two healthy beagles and 10 new pair of sandals. Anyone want to go for a walk?

I might be slow, I have shin splints and stress fractures in my foot and ankle - which is why I needed new, soft-soled sandals.

Now I just await the results of the histopathology on the thing that was growing under her ear and the BB in her knee.