Local readers - I have an exciting announcement. A few weeks ago I received an email from Chili's Restaurant that said they were offering to host fundraising events for local charities. I contacted the volunteer coordinator at Kent Animal Shelter about it, arrangements were made - and now Chili's in Holtsville is having a "Give Back Day" on April 2nd, 2012.

All you have to do is eat at Chili's on 50 Middle Avenue in Holtsville, NY anytime between 11:00 AM and 11:00 PM on April 2nd, and Chili's will donate 10% of the cost of your meal to Kent Animal Shelter.

That's it. You get to take a break from cooking, and Kent raises some dough!

You need to bring a "Give Back" flyer with you and hand it in with your check for Kent Animal Shelter to get credit for the event. I have copies of the flyer, so just EMAIL ME and I'd be happy to either email one to you, or even snail mail you one if you don't have a printer.

Also, if you want to help even more, you are welcome to hand out flyers at Chili's in Holtsville any day prior to April 2nd, so that regular patrons will know about the event. That way, if they were planning to eat there anyway, they can bring a flyer with them and 10% of their meal will go to Kent.

Please spread the word about this awesome event and considering eating at Chili's in Holtsville on April 2nd. Most of us go out to eat pretty regularly, and if by doing something we normally do we can also raise some money for a great cause, how cool is that?

Kent helps dogs like sweet Myla find homes of their own.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited nine chapters out of fifty.

For the past week or so, this is where I keep finding Toby...

Strange, because usually he prefers his bed, his mat, the sofa, or a throw rug that he dug into a messy pile - basically - somewhere soft. Personally, if I wanted to lay my head somewhere cool and refreshing, I could think of several places that might be more comfortable than in front of the toilet. Especially for a Labrador. (In front of the fridge perhaps?)

But hey, to each their own! He looks cozy enough.

Oh, and today's the 15th, so I headed on over to Random.org and used their "True Random Number Generator" to choose a winner for my Mr. Chewy Giveaway....and the winner is: Will. Congrats Will! Please look for my email in your inbox and reply to it so that I can forward you the code for your $50.00 gift certificate.

And don't forget, even if you didn't win the giveaway, if you are a first time shopper at MrChewy.com you can use my referral coupon code: CONT4013 - and you will receive 10% off your first order AND they will donate $10.00 to Bideawee, the wonderful people who brought Toby into my life. And according to my account, my referral code has raised them $60.00 so far - just from readers shopping at Mr.Chewy! Not a bad deal.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited eight chapters out of fifty.

This is Toby and I earning our first leg in APDT Rally Level 2. It was like ninety five degrees out, and it was also the very first time I competed off lead with Toby - my occasional ring runner. When I think back to that day, the old saying "sweating like a pig" comes to mind. Yet I still had a lot of fun - and judging by this photo - so did Toby!

Why?

Because that's what APDT Rally is all about - building a relationship with your dog and making sure BOTH teammates are having fun. In APDT Rally, not only are you allowed to talk to your dogs and encourage them to succeed - when they do, you can even reward them with a small tidbit of food, or a pat on the head! Plus, you won't see any choke collars or harsh corrections being used at an APDT trial - they're not allowed.

Not to sound too corny, but that's Rally right up my alley.

Unfortunately, on Friday I received word from a talented dog trainer named Peg Munves, (APDT Rally Judge, Trial Host, and former Committee Member), that the Association of Pet Dog Trainers announced on February 1st that they are putting their Rally Program up for sale because it no longer fits in with their mission. Rather than having an outside entity step in and purchase it, a group of APDT Rally enthusiasts are trying to organize a not for profit called RallyNation, so that APDT Rally can stay in the hands of the very people who have helped nurture the sport over the past eleven years (and continue to do so today) - and so that it can stay a truly dog friendly venue.

So if you love APDT Rally as much as I do, please consider joining RallyNation with me.

Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to APDT by Ali Brown and Laurie Williams. Like Peg, they are both APDT Judges, Trial Hosts, and former Committee Members, and both of them also served as board members and rally advisors for the APDT.

Dear Don and Mychelle and Board of Trustees,

In light of the announcement to the APDT Rally committee on Feb. 1 that the current Board of Trustees has decided (unanimously) to "find a new home" for the APDT rally program and that you are "seeking proposals for this change in status,"  we would like to formally inform you that a group of current APDT Rally officials, trial hosts, exhibitors and dues-paying APDT members have amassed and are in the process of forming a 501c7 not-for-profit association so that we may be that "new home" for what is now the current APDT rally program.

The goal of this new association will be to continue in `The Spirit of APDT Rally' just as it is now, allowing people to continue to develop incredible relationships with their dogs in a positive, dog-friendly, non-punitive manner. This embodies what APDT rally has always been about from its inception, and we want to continue that without interruption. Many of us have spent years promoting and growing this sport.  Many of us have been so committed that we've continued to hold trials at a personal financial loss.  To us, APDT rally isn't just a dog sport.  We have formed life long friendships, liaisons, and created relationships with our dogs that could never be summed up in words.  You cannot compare APDT rally to any other dog sport venue.  We are unique.  WE are a family.  It is this passion and commitment that we feel can continue to support, build and grow Rally throughout the country.

Upon initial email inquiry to Executive Director Mychelle Blake about the particulars of the transfer she stated that the goal was to have all the detailed information for the sale in place for all "potential purchasers" to submit proposals "before the end of the month."  Because this decision was announced so abruptly and has taken everyone by surprise, in the interest of fairness, we trust that you will allow adequate time for all interested parties to make the necessary preparations and arrangements to be considered.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  We look forward to further correspondence and information from you about the next step.

Sincerely,
Ali Brown and Laurie Williams


If you would like to be a part of RallyNation, contact either Ali or Laurie directly and let them know:

Laurie Williams OneSmartPooch@aol.com - OR - Ali Brown ali@greatcompanions.info:

Also, please take a moment to hop on over to RallyNation's Petition, give it a read, and consider signing it.

As per Peg, they "Want to send the message to APDT that lots of us want to work this out and we hope they will work with us.  Power in numbers. THANKS for considering and for helping APDT retain its wonderful spirit and purpose."

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited six chapters out of fifty.

When we first adopted Meadow, Nick asked if he could be her primary handler, and at first I was admittedly a little disapointed, since I wanted to be the one to say I mended this amazing little 'wild' dog. But I was also thrilled that Nick wanted to be more involved with working with our dogs, which had previously been my thing, and since I was so busy working with Toby in Rally anyway, I agreed to let him take over the reins. Not long after Meadow joined us, I got involved in both Rally and Nose Works with both Toby and Leah, and as my time grew even more limited, I ended up being glad that he did.

Because of this, I rarely walk Meadow, and I don't work on her training all that much, aside for the basics, (sit, stay, come), and a few cute tricks I taught her, like spin and roll-over. Instead, I've become her playmate, a relationship we've both grown comfortable with. I toss the ball for her and encourage her to pick it up, I play tug with her with random sticks, and I talk silly to her until she play bows at me and then zooms around the yard. There's no pressure on her, we both have fun, and she gets some exercise.

But now that I'm trying to get fit, I thought it would be fun to include Meadow in my walking routine.

And it's not going so well.

The first night, I got her to walk up the block and back and she was fine. But then, the very next walk, it was starting to grow dark, and we had only gone a few feet up the road when a car with headlights passed us and turned into the driveway of the house across from ours.

Meadow grew fixated on it, turning around every few steps to stare down the road and look at the car worriedly. Eventually, she put on the brakes and would not walk any farther, not even a step - no matter how much I tried to coax her, kneeling down, baby talking to her, and bribing her with treats.

Finally, I gave up and I brought her back home.

Since then, she is behaving in a similar manner if we pass any moving car, headlights or not, anywhere on our walk. She stops short, stares in the direction where the car went, and refuses to budge. Not one inch.

Did I mention our walks are not going well?

I discovered on Saturday that I can walk her in the woods - where there are no cars, but that requires me to get around to our walks earlier in the day, while it's still pretty light out, since walking through the woods at night is not a good idea, even in a nice area.

And, depending on my schedule, I'm not always able to walk the dogs during the day. Often, I'm busy with other things.

Which is why I'm mostly back to walking just Toby and Leah, and leaving Meadow's walks for Nick. I do plan to work on this, but I think giving her a little break is a good idea. We've learned with Meadow, when something spooks her, she tends to fixate on it for a while before finally snapping out of it. Hopefully, once the clocks change and I have more daylight, I can eventually take her through more romps in the woods. In the meantime, I'm enjoying exercising her by throwing the ball, playing with sticks, and talking funny to her until she bows at me and zooms around the yard...

Basically, we're back to being playmates, and the pressure is off.

Just because I want to do something with one of my dogs, doesn't mean they agree, so I try my best to listen to what they have to say.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited five chapters out of fifty.

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Times nearly over to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's as simple as a comment to enter - and it's free - so click the link to find out how and where to enter.

Find some at Brookhaven Animal Shelter's:

WHEN:
February 11th and 12th
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Brookhaven Animal Shelter
WHAT:
Free Adoptions, Microchipping, and Pet Food
Call 631-286-4940 for more information

This photo is of a handsome dog named Cassidy, just one of the many faces you'll find over at Brookhaven.

Even if you've got enough love in your life right now, please share this post and help spread the word about this adoption event, so dogs like Cassidy can find someone to love of their own.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited four chapters out of fifty.

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Times running out to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's as simple as a comment to enter - and it's free - so click the link to find out how and where to enter.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I'm a little nuts, in that I browse through dogs' mug-shots on Petfinder regularly, even though I know we can't handle a fourth dog right now. First of all, there's Leah - as many of you know she's a little nuts right now herself. Then, there's those pesky things called finances - or lack thereof. And finally, we have no room at the Inn.

But I still look.

So last Saturday I came across this cool dog. Not to spoil much, I won't tell you his name, but as it turns out, he has the same name as the dog in my novel.

And he has the same exact eyes that I imagined in my head when I created the character:

Uncanny, isn't it?

So while I obviously can't adopt this guy, his intense eyes now sit directly in the center of my computer screen, staring out at me, and reminding me to stay focused on my goal of finishing my novel before my busy season at work begins sometime in mid May. I worked on the first draft for about a year and a quarter, and during that time I outlined and edited a lot as I went, so I really shouldn't have to go through the book too much more to get the job done. I'm thinking one full intensive edit, another read through to proof it for errors, and then I'll be ready to have a trusted person give it a read before I polish the final draft. I think that's attainable in three months time, but I'll let you know how it goes.

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 My Novel's Progress: Edited three chapters out of fifty.

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Times running out to enter my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's free to enter - so click the link and check it out.

Hello Friends! I'm back from my two week (much needed) hiatus, feeling refreshed, and with lots of news to share, most of it good.

Meadow's leg is finally healed up and she is once again done with the comfy cone. This time, hopefully, for good. Her urinary issues seem to be subsiding, although we are not sure why. Her test results had all come back normal, but our vet decided to do an antibiotic trial, just in case. Along with that, I had changed her food to a higher protein, low carb food right after her surgery because I read that cancer loves carbs. Suspecting that the new food might have caused her problems, I switched her back to her old food. Also, since she in no longer wearing the comfy cone, she is less stressed. So, whether the cause was a hidden infection, a reaction to the high protein food, or just stress - we have no idea, but as long as she is on the mend, I guess it doesn't matter much.

Toby is off of his restricted activity - I started him with short walks, then longer walks, then short runs, and now he is allowed to run full out - and his limp has not returned. That said, I do notice a slight hitch to his gait when I walk him longer than twenty minutes on pavement, so I am trying to keep his walks under that time frame, in case he does have hip problems brewing like his vet suspects. But all in all, he is doing much better, and he is much happier that he is allowed to run again.

As for Leah, the good news is, our management program is working and we have been able to prevent further incidents. She also play bowed at Meadow the other day, and has shown no more aggression towards her. The bad news is, she is definitely not better. First of all, she is lunging and barking at the cats pretty regularly from behind the confines of her X-pen, and we need to lock them up whenever she is free for safety reasons.

Things also went wrong when we had our behavioral assessment with Debi.

Leah greeted Debi with some degree of suspicion, at first, but then she wagged her tail at her, and laid down a few feet away while Nick and I talked with Debi. Several minutes passed, and then, without provocation, Leah got up and lunged towards Debi, barking aggressively. I grabbed Leah's leash and moved her away, and nothing happened, but of course, the incident surprised and worried me. Leah will bark and lunge when she is crated or behind a gate and someone is standing too close, but she does not normally aggress at visitors for no apparent reason.

Debi had not moved or done anything at all to provoke the behavior, and she herself did not see any build up towards the event, which she remarked was not normal.

We did get lots of advice from both Debi and from Lesli, Meadow's former foster mom, on things we can do to try to help Leah - and not surprisingly, a lot of what they advised was the same. Management was key, (which I'll describe in detail below). Separate walks with me for speical "Mommy and Me" time. Reducing stress in the household. Some counter conditioning by trying to make the appearance of our other animals "special time" by offering treats and praise. Not allowing Leah to run the fence searching for the neighbor's feral cats any more, which torques her up. Both of them also suggested getting Leah used to a muzzle, so she can hang out with the family more safely. I measured and ordered one, but it did not fit regardless of my careful measurements, (as it turns out Leah's head and muzzle have weird dimensions), and I am waiting for the replacement to come in the mail.

Debi also said to up Leah's obedience, and both Nick and I have been working with her regularly and she is doing really well with that. We already make a habit of asking for sits and waits for meals, to go out doors, and what not, but we had let some things slide as Leah got older, chalking it up to old age if she ignored a command - but now we are following through.

No sit? Well then sorry Hun, no pettings. Period.

There was some additional advice that Nick and I did not feel comfortable with, as benign as it was, and since Nick and I both felt the same way, there must be an underlying reason why. Obviously, we live with Leah, and we are probably picking up on things that a trainer who is evaluating her in one (albeit lengthy and thorough) visit would not notice.

But that's the beauty of advice, it does not all have to be taken.

So, along with everything mentioned above, our main goal has been careful management to keep everyone safe, and we appear to be doing a better job at it. When we go out and Leah is free, the cats are locked up, and Toby and Meadow are crated. When only one of us is here to manage the crew and keep our eyes on everyone, Leah is put in her X-pen. When Leah is free with the others in the house, supervised, she drags a leash and she is not left alone in rooms with the other animals - even to run to the bathroom to wash hands.

When we had friends by last weekend, I kept Leah behind closed doors. In the past, that action was reserved for visits from children, but this is what I will need to do when anyone visits for now on. I can't risk my guests' safety with any more unpredictable behavior.

Leah has been enjoying her prescribed daily walks with me a lot, and whenever possible, Nick comes along with Meadow - so that Leah and Meadow get to enjoy "fun outings" together.

Currently, we do not allow Leah to play with the other dogs in the yard anymore, but we do take her out there when both of us are available, so one of us can keep her occupied and she is not totally segregated from the other dogs. Once the muzzle arrives, after a few weeks of getting her used to wearing it, hopefully, we can let her rejoin the others in their daily play sessions.

I gathered our tax papers as fast as possible this year, and our taxes are already being processed. I plan to use our return to put up that long awaited fence. Half of our yard is easily climbed chain-link, and part of our fence is only three and half foot tall. We are replacing all of the fencing with six foot stockade, right up to the back door, (and four foot stockade in the front if we have enough extra money). This will help us with Meadow, as we won't have to keep her on the long line anymore since it is harder to climb stockade, and now she will have access to the back door. Luckily for us, when a firework does go off, Meadow wants to go inside, to the safety of her own home (yay!), but with the current set up, she would have to hop the back fence to reach the door and we are afraid, once free, she might take off in a blind panic. With the new placement of the fence, she will have access to the very place she wants to be, and the new fence will be more difficult to climb, so we will finally feel safe enough to leave the long line off of her  - except maybe during the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July. The new fence will serve a double function, by preventing Leah from seeing the feral cats next door and the people walking through the woods adjacent to our house - that all seem to set her off.

So, that's pretty much where we're at with the dogs update.

Nick and I also haven't found the time to get down to Kent to walk any shelter dogs recently, but we are going today, and I'm looking forward to getting back to doing a little volunteer work here and there.

Oh, as for my novel? The first draft is finally done! I have to be honest, I really dragged my feet up until the last minute, but I sat my rear down in front of the computer this Saturday and got to work. And I managed to finish my last 4000 words or so in one very long session. Now that the hardest part is over with, I'm looking forward to cutting, rearranging, and polishing my work.

Finally, don't forget to check out my Mr. Chewy's giveaway - I'm giving away a gift certificate for $50.00 worth of dog supplies. It's easy to enter - and it's free - so take a moment to check it out.

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 My Novel's Progress: About to start editing second draft.

A few days ago, I received a very nice email from MrChewy.com asking me to give an honest review of their pet supply web-store, and graciously offering me a $50.00 gift certificate to use at their store as a thank you for taking the time to do so. Before I go on, I want to make you aware that any time I've reviewed any type of product on this blog in the past, whether it be jackets, CDs, books, or videos - the opinions are all my own and I'm not getting paid as an advertiser.

And I plan to keep it that way.

So when this store offered me the certificate in exchange for the review, I thought I would be saying "No thank you," however, in the very next sentence in their email, they mentioned that many of their reviewers have offered the $50.00 certificate as a promo prize to their readers, rather than using it to make a purchase for themselves.

Well, THAT, I can totally do....what better way to say thank you to all of my awesome readers? So I'm happy to announce that I'm having my very first giveway, and giving you a shot at winning a coupon code worth $50.00 to spend at MrChewy.com! (see contest rules below)

And I'm also happy to say that after checking the store out, I have only great things to say about MrChewy.com.

They sell many different brands of quality dog (and cat) foods - including some of the harder to find ones, like Orijen and the Royal Canin Veterinary Diets:

They also have competitive prices on Frontline - and they only sell American Made Frontline.

Along with food and Frontline, you can find dog & cat treats, litter, and wee wee pads....and they offer live chat on their site in case you have any questions about their products.

PLUS...they offer free shipping for purchases over $49.00.

Already sounds awesome, right? Well it gets even better. They offer a referral program - that benefits each of you, and it benefits an animal shelter. There's nothing in it for me, and all I had to do to get these great deals for you was to tell you about MrChewy.com like I just did above.

How cool is that?

The referral program works like this: If you are a first time shopper at MrChewy.com - just use my referral coupon code: CONT4013 - and you will receive 10% off your first order AND they will donate $10.00 to the charity partner that I choose from their site!

As for that donation, they only had three charity partners to choose from, but when I saw Bideawee as one of the choices, I just had to pick them - because as it turns out - that is where I adopted Toby from! So, please, head on over to MrChewy.com and check them out. You'll get 10% off your first order, and help Bideawee at the same time. But before you go, please take the time to read the contest rules and then leave a comment about your favorite Donna and the Dogs' post below, so that you'll have a shot at winning $50.00 to spend while you're shopping at: 

FAVORITE DONNA AND THE DOGS' BLOG POST CONTEST RULES: In order to enter, please leave one comment below this post telling me which of the blog posts I have written in the past is your favorite - and why. Commenting about THIS post does not count, it needs to be about a previous post I have written. Please leave the comment here, on my actual blog page, under this contest post to enter. Sorry, commenting through email or on Facebook does not count as an entry, you must visit my actual blog site to enter this contest. Only your first comment under this post counts, (no spam please), and you will need to leave a valid email address for me to contact you with the coupon code. Just be aware that Mr. Chewy only ships within the United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska, so if you are from out of that area and you want to comment, you will not be able to purchase anything from Mr. Chewy unless you have a relative here that you can have it shipped to or know someone in the States that you would like to give the code to. On or about February 15th, 2012, I will count how many eligible first comments there are, and then I will use Random.org to choose a number out of those, and the person who left the comment with the corresponding number will be my lucky winner.

ETA: You must leave your comment by February 14th 2012.

That's it. Simple, isn't it?

If you have any questions about these rules, don't be shy, just ask.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Donna and the Dogs will be on a brief, short, minor, temporary hiatus (except for answering questions about this contest) until around February 5th, while I work on finishing the first draft of my novel. For those of you who have been watching, you may have noticed that my word count has NOT gone up in several posts...and I have a self imposed deadline to reach.

Good luck, see you in two weeks - and thanks for reading Donna and the Dogs!

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 My Novel's Progress: Current wordcount: 72,201

I came across this photo, which Nick took along with several others while he was photographing me for my new jacket post. If you are a dog trainer or experienced with dogs, you probably already see what caught my attention...

...but for those of you who don't, let's take a closer look.

(1) Ears flat back. (2) Tongue sticking out. (3) Whites of eyes showing. (4) Lips puckered forward.

That is one stressed out dog.

This happened so fast, it went unnoticed by me until I went through the photos - even though I was looking right at her. Here are the shots Nick took immediately before and after that one.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Notice how she pulled away from my hug and stared at the camera?

I'm unsure if it was my hug, the sound of the camera, or both that caused her reaction - but knowing that I'm having behavioral issues with her, I should've been more careful. Actually, even without her recent problems, I should NOT have put her in that situation - Leah has never been a huge fan of hugs or cameras.

So, I'm sharing with you my stupidity, in hopes of pointing out that even when we think we know a dog really well, yes, even if we love them, we can unintentionally put them in situations where they are NOT COMFORTABLE - and these are the ways people can get bit. So please be careful when you're doing stuff with your dogs and watch for subtle (and not so subtle) clues that they are uncomfortable.

Don't be stupid like me.

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 My Novel's Progress: Current wordcount: 72,201

...The K-Rosco Dog Walking Utility Jacket from Let's Go Design.

I mean, really, even the name just sounds so catchy, and for a dog walker, it has a ton of cool features - including a removable treat pouch, reflective piping for nighttime wear, a back mesh pocket to carry a water bottle, and a belt that doubles as an extra leash!

But at $270.00, it was a wee bit out of my price range...

So this past fall, when my old winter jacket was ready to be retired, I went shopping. Instead of the K-Rosco, I found what I felt to be the perfect dog walking jacket, a zeroXposur snowboarding jacket with lots of cool features of its own. 

And since I bought it at Kohl's while it was 40% off and I had one of their nifty 30% off coupons, I got this two hundred dollar jacket for only sixty bucks.

The problem was, it has stayed so warm since the time I purchased it in October that I didn't have a chance to use it...until just recently.

Now that winter is finally here, (Brrrrrr), I pulled it from its hanger, and I just love it. Since it's meant for snowboarding, it is incredibly warm, and has every feature a dog walker could want.

A snug hood - which is detachable.

Two side pockets, one to attach my treat pouch to...

...and the other to tuck my citronella spray into.

An arm pocket to keep a roll of poop bags in...

...and a breast pocket to stash hand wipes.

An ID pocket in case of emergencies...

...and an interior pocket to safely carry keys and a cell phone.

ALL of the pockets have zippers on them to keep your belongings from falling out while you're on the go, and since it's got a lot of white in the pattern, I'm much more visible than I was in my old black jacket. Between that, and having Leah at my side, it's much safer for me to walk at night.

Not bad for sixty bucks, right?

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For those of you who are looking for an update on the dogs due to THIS POST, I don't have a whole lot to add at this time, but I'll tell you what I can.

Leah's still being grumpy with the other animals, especially with Meadow and the cats, and has been barking at them from behind the bars of the Xpen. I also have been alternating, by putting Meadow in the crate and leaving Leah free when I am in the room to watch her, and because of this, we had one "incident" with my cat, Cinder. I left the room while she was out of the Xpen just long enough to wash my hands in the bathroom, and she went after him. I heard the commotion and ran back into the room in time to see him scrambling away from her up onto the sofa, where he turned around hissing and growling with his fur on end. His fur was soaked, on both his back and head, but somehow, luckily, she did not harm him. It was momentary carelessness on my part, and I'm so thankful he didn't get hurt. I have been much more careful to make sure she is confined if I need to leave the room for anything, and it feels as if my house has gotten so much smaller between the Xpen, repositioned crates, blocked off baby gates and closed doors. Debi is coming to evaluate Leah on Monday, and hopefully, she'll be able to give me some advice.

After a full week of no activity, I gave Toby a short walk yesterday, and half way home I noticed a weird hitch in his gait, he was turning his right hind leg in - the same leg that was bothering him. I brought him to the vet today, but of course, he wasn't limping when I did, so she is not sure if it was his hips, his knee, or his back causing the issue. She wants him on 7 - 10 MORE days of rest, plus Deramaxx 1 X per day. If the limp comes back after that, she'll want to do x-rays, but she is not sure what to x-ray yet. She believes he probably does have at least have mild hip issues, judging by the way he walks and stands, but she does not know if that is the cause of the limp, so she wants to be conservative about it. She said if it is a torn ligament, it is only minor at this point, and they would give him 7 - 10 days of rest and Deramaxx anyway...so, more waiting.

Meadow's culture came back negative for bacteria, which I found out while I was in with the vet who was examining Toby. Although she is one of the senior vets, and one whose opinion I trust, she said I'll need to speak with the head vet, (he is the one who has been treating Meadow), to see what he wants to do next. So I'll need to phone him tomorrow. In the meantime, Meadow is licking at herself constantly, drinking a lot, and frequently urinating - sometimes it's clear and other times it's normal. Another puzzle to worry over.

So...like I said, I really don't know much of anything yet, but I'll post more when I do.

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 My Novel's Progress: Current wordcount: 72,201