Things you shouldn't be thankful for.....

As we embark on Thanksgiving, I have been reading many "Today I am thankful for" posts on facebook.  I attempted to do this last year, as well, and well, I failed to complete it everyday.  I enjoy reading what people write.  To see what blessings they have or things they enjoy. 

I have stumbled on writing about this this weekend.  In fact, this is not my first version.  I have had a hard time being able to say this, type it "out loud".  I feel each blogger has to lay it out there.  Their lowest of low, for people to get it.  I feel I have ho hummed around this fact.

In the smallest, and most shameful way, I am glad that Gracy developed cancer.  Wow, that was hard to admit.  Now, I don't mean that litterally.  I am saddened she is sick and dealing with this dreadful disease.  I would not wish it on anyone....ever.  None of us want bad things to happen in our lives, but they do.  Things are usually out of our control.  But, sometimes, amongst the darkest days, good things happen.  It is hard to celebrate that.  Knowing that suffering has come to loved ones, friends, strangers.

I have often talked of silver linings.  I look back on my life prior to March 29th, 2011 when I found her lump.  A dark day indeed.  But reflecting back on that day, it was the beginning of me living for me.

Had Gracy not got sick, I may have never realized that life was just too short to be miserable.  I had gone from co-existing in my current job to hating everything about it.  It had begun to challenge everything I stood for and believed in.  I had gone from working for a company that believed we were a family to one that was a corporate entity.  So, I quit and started my own business.  While it has been a struggle, I have never not been happy about my decision.

On Gracy's many visits to the vet school, we have met many new and wonderful friends.  Gracy has a new family there.  We never would have met these fine folks, or reconnected with old friends, had this not happened.

I started a charitable cause to help support the oncology department at the vet school.  Again, this would not have happened had she not got sick.

I would not have started this blog!

Gracy's illness has lead me down a road I may have not had the courage to take on my own.  I have fallen in love with this pup in a way I have never loved another dog.  She is a fighter and her courage to survive is remarkable.  I am proud, beyond words, to be her Mom.  Through all of the sad and stressful days (and there have been a few), this girl has made me smile and laugh.  She has not given up on life.  I am glad she helped guide me to mine.  After all, she is NOT just a dog!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saving and Weighing in on Your Pet

Good Morning Friends!  I have had so many ideas on what to write, I can't write!  This is a combo pet savings/pet health day!

Our pets, like our nation, are facing an epidemic.  Many are overweight.  In fact, a recent survey by the APOP states that 54% of our pets are overweight.  Like us, overeating and lack of exercise are generally the reasons why.

Being overweight puts your pet at risk for some common weight-related conditions such as:

• Osteoarthritis
• Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart and Respiratory Disease
• Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injury
• Kidney Disease
• Many Forms of Cancer
• Decreased life expectancy (up to 2.5 years)

So, you ask, what can I do?  Well, putting your dog on a diet is easy!  Much easier than putting yourself on a diet.  First of all, the easiest thing you can do today, is read the food bag.  On the side or back of the bag, they have a recommended feeding guideline.  Start there!  Choose your pets ideal weight, ex. if your dog weighs 100 pounds, but should weigh 80, feed it the 80 pound recommendation.  Second, consult you veterinarian.  Feeding it at the 80 pound limit may only help it maintain its current weight, you might need to go less for awhile.  Also, each food varies in the amount of calories per cup.  If you are changing foods, you may be over, or under feeding your dog.

How you feed your dog is up to you.  Once a day, twice a day, three times a day.  It is also up to the dog.  Gracy will only eat about 3/4 cup of food at a time, no matter the calorie content.  Keys, well, I think she might eat the whole bag if I put it out!  How many pets you have also comes in to play.  Then you have the risk of them eating what is left behind.  Most pets can be trained to eat at certain times of day.  They key is to only give them what they should eat in a day.  They will learn to eat when food is available.  It might take a while to retrain them, but, it can work.  If they are hungry, they will eat!

Here is a fact that can put things in a bit more perspetive for you.  A premium pig ear (231 kcals) fed to a 40-pound dog is the equivalent of an adult human drinking six 12-ounce Coke Classics™ (840 kcals).  So, if you give your pets lots of treats, you may need to cut back on the treats and food a bit to accommodate their calorie limits.

What you are feeding your dog is important too.  I wrote an entire blog on that, and here is the link for it.  What are you feeding your dog? 

You can save money simply by feeding your dog what it should be eating.  If you are feeding it twice as much as it should be eating, than cutting back will make the bag last twice as long.

Feed your dog (as best you can) what it should be eating in a day.  Consult your vet if your pet needs to lose weight so that you can come up with a weight loss plan.  Doing all of this can help you save money now and in the future.

Liebster Award! x 2

Soooo!  My world has been a bit hectic lately.  Nothing in comparison to what most of you go through in a day, but, hectic for me. 

A couple of weeks ago I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Jackie from the Whiney Wife.  Thank you Jackie!  When I sat down to write my acceptance speech is about the time I became overwhelmed...mentally!  Yesterday, my dear friend, Dina, The Plucky Procrastinator, nominated me again for the award!  Yay me!  To say I am honored, doubly, is an understatement!  I stumbled with my first acceptance at finding 11 new blogs to nominate, and now I am faced with that again!  I like to follow the rules and did not want to write this until I had them.  Now, I feel like I have to find more!!  LOL!  I am going to do my best to fulfill both requirements, but, I am sure I will fail!

So, what is this Liebster Blog Award, you ask?  It is an award given from bloggers to other bloggers who have a following of less than 200 followers.

The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

With this award, comes a set of rules and here they are:

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves
• Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer.
• Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag backs!

11 things about myself:

Here are 11 questions for my nominees: Whiney Wife's questions:

1.      Do you prefer to read fiction or nonfiction? Explain your choice.  I prefer to read fiction and my preferred genre is mysteries.

2.      What would you do if you had a million dollars?  I would first pay off all my debt.  I would hire a well trusted financial advisor to advise me on how to invest it.  I would also set up some sort of trusts for my nephews for college, as well as do what I could for my parents.  After that, I am not sure.  I would probably buy a few toys, but nothing crazy.

3.      If your life was a song, what would the title be?  Life is a Highway

4.      Would you rather have the power to be invisible or the power to read minds?  Read minds!

5.      What was the best movie you saw this last year and why? Umm, I would have to go with the last one that I watched, "Up".  Why?  Read my blogs and find out why!  ;)

6.      If you could meet any celebrity or other personality in the world, who would it be and why?  Garth Brooks - because I would like to thank him for his music and how it touched my life.

7.      If you were granted three wishes from an angel or genie what would you want?  A cure for cancer, a better world, a cure for cancer.

8.      Which is the decision you regret the most?  I try not to regret anything, instead find meaning in why they did or didn't happen.  I suppose not having kids, but, there is a reason why I haven't!

9.      Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid.  I miss summer nights.

10.  Do you believe in ghosts?  Yes

11.  What is important to you right now?  Continuing to find my way in the world.

The Plucky Procrastinator's questions:

1.  Can you play a musical instrument?  If so, which one(s) and how long have you been playing?  I can play two instruments, the trumpet and acoustic guitar.  I haven't really played the trumpet since high school (a.k.a. A LONG TIME).  The acoustic guitar took its place in my post high school/college years.  I have been playing it about 20 years, give or take a couple.  I am self taught and would only win an award that I am giving out!  :)

2.  Do you have any tattoos?  NO

3.  When you were 16 years old, what did you think your life would be like when you were 25?  I thought I would be married, with kids and settled into a career.  Needless to say, I am still trying to figure that all out!  At my age, kids are probably not going to happen, but, I still have time to find the perfect guy and find the perfect career!  :)

4.  If you could only choose one, would it be bacon or sausage?  Bacon, and there would be no choice to make!

5.  Have you ever been in a car/truck/motorcycle accident?  Yes.  Car.  But a small fender bender.

6.  If you were stranded on a deserted island, what animal would you really hope was not also on the island?  Snakes

7.  Have you ever ran a marathon? No, I haven't ran since I was 12 and don't plan on it!

8.  If you could pick only one household duty to never do again, which one would it be? The bathroom....not that it is hard, it just seems to be the one I usually put off the most.

9.  What's the one TV show you never want to miss?  Shockingly, I am not too addicted to anything right now.  I enjoy CSI, NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, The Voice.  I guess to answer, I would have to say The Voice.  That Blake Shelton has me wrapped around his little finger!

10.  What is your earliest memory?  Wow, I would have to say remembering watching our cat, Butch, walking across the backyard.  I was pretty young, probably 3 or 4.  This was tough!

11.  Do you like peanut butter in your chocolate?   Only Reese's.  Any other combination will not do!


Here are my nominees:
Beer Bitches
I Will Get Up Again
Tails from the Ruff Side
Fruits and Nuts
A Mommy's Perception
Mommy's Distraction Time
Dina Marie - A Plucky Procrastinator
Diary of an Unbreakable Mom
Running Towards the Light without spilling my drink
Whiney Wife
Jenn's Blogspot - My Daily Jenn-ism
I Will Get Up Again

And here are my questions!

1.  What is your favorite side dish for Thanksgiving Dinner?
2.  What is your favorite pet (if you have one) and why?  (i.e. dog, cat, etc.)
3.  What is your favorite hot drink?  Coffee, tea or hot cocoa?
4.  Do you let your pets sleep in bed with you?
5.  Do you stay home for the holidays or do you have to travel to your family?
6.  What is your favorite color?
7.  What is your favorite candy bar?
8.  Walmart or Target?
9.  Are you more productive in the morning or evening?
10.  What do you miss most about being a kid?
11.  Which would you choose?  A tropical paradise or mountain retreat?

Again, I am very humbled to have received the award!  I have tried to stay true to the rules, but I know I strayed!  Thanks again to Jackie and Dina!  I love your blogs and facebook pages!

Momma crying wolf!

I am wondering where the last couple of weeks have gone!  Not to say I have been overly busy, but, maybe busy and a bit unmotivated, unchallenged...unsomething (yes, I know.....that is not a word). 

I think it all started a few weeks ago when I found Gracy's lump of fat.  I had been doing fairly well (I am sure her doctor's might disagree with this).  I feel like I am analyzing every little move she makes.  I have to make mental notes...she coughed, she didn't eat, she did eat, she got sick, what made her sick, does she have any new lumps.  Some might say I worry too much (including myself), but anything can be an indicator of something beginning and I want to be on top of it.  I want to make sure our team (Gracy, Doctors, myself) have all the tools we need.

It might help if we knew what was making her get sick.  That "might" help me to relax a little bit.  However, we are still trying to figure all of that out.  The fact that I still have to hand feed her most of the time leads me to believe that she still is fighting something.  Her belly still isn't right, or, I have just spoiled her.

Every day it is something.  Some days  I feel as if I am Peter crying wolf.  Gracy started leaking urine sometime this past summer.  She takes meds for it, but, it still happens.  It had only been when she was sleeping and some days are worse than others. 

Last weekend it was really bad.  I have towels and pads laid all over her favorite places to sleep, but, sometimes, it is a crap shoot to catch it that way.  It was a constant rotation of towels, bedding, etc. in the washer.  I wasn't too worried about it until Monday morning when it seemed as if she was doing it while she was awake.  At one point, it was like a dripping faucet.  It was actually kind of a funny moment when Gracy and I sat there in amazement watching it happen!  I had broke down and bought some doggie diapers that you put sanitary napkins in and put them on her until I heard back from her doctor.  Gracy walked around the house like she had a corn cob up her you know what!

So, back to the Peter thing!  I have Gracy, who for days had not been able to control her bladder.  I have become concerned enough to email her doctor and buy diapers.  The doctor isn't too concerned yet (because of her symptoms, or lack of them) and doesn't like the diaper idea (increased chances of infection).  So, after getting the response from her doctor, that little stinker leaked only 2 times the rest of the week.  UGH! 

The moral of my story is that I am continually made to look like a fool by my dog! 

If it sounds like I am complaining, I am not.  Frustrated...yes.  I want to fix her!  I just want my little girl to get better and be with me for a long, long time.  I want to stay on top of things and catch them before they get out of control.  My silver lining is that she is still here for me to clean up her messes and feed her.  She is my sweet, brave little girl who is fighting as hard as she can to hang out with her Momma and sister as long as she can.  She is NOT just a dog, and she knows it!