Random Leela Pictures for your enjoyment

Apparently they are doing studies on how happy dogs make people in work places.  Duh.  Dogs are nothing but joy wrapped in fur.

(car ride)

(Last Winter's snow)

(close up)

(That's my dog)

Leela says Hello out there!

Leela was fine after another doctor visit and an enema.  Poor baby.  She has been really great this year. Her eating has picked up.  I think the Blue Buffalo brand was making her sick.  She's gained weight and been far less lethargic since we changed food.  Her stool has finally normalized.  I hate to say it, but I think our food choice might have been a huge part of her digestive and eating problems.  She wasn't processing most of the stuff in the Blue Buffalo Brand.  Especially anything with blue berries in it.  Her body doesn't break them down.  It totally clogs her system.

Now we are feeding her made in the USA Nutro Max Beef and rice dinner Homestyle Ground and Nature's Recipe Venison and rice Homestyle ground.  We take a third of a can and sometimes mix it with tuna and fresh organic broccoli.  She loves it.  Cleans her plate every time.

We switched out her crunchies as well.  She had been eating blue buffalo wild something or other with a wolf on the front of the sack, but now she's eating a combo of Nature's Recipe Vegetables and Salmon.  We tried these after running out of Blue Buffalo.  When we went back to the Blue Buffalo, her diarrhea problems also returned, so we stopped immediately and haven't had any issues for months now.  It's hard to believe all of this was from the food.  Seriously, if you notice bowel problems in your dog and you are using Blue Buffalo, stop and switch to something else and see if it clears up.  

I was amazed at how quickly she seemed to even out and act like she felt better.  She hasn't been to the Vet since her last visit, posted below.  

Leela is in the Hospital

Leela had a great yearly check-up at the first of the year & has been doing fine up until last Wednesday. Last Wednesday, she started vomiting. She vomited a total of 5 times. Each time is was clear with a hint of yellow. I figured it was her allergies.

She has terrible Spring allergies. She usually vomits once during the allergy season when she has really bad drainage.

She seemed a little lethargic, but we figured she just had really bad allergies. Her nose would go from runny to dry to runny.

Fast Forward to Monday. We come home to an accident on the rug. This is unusual & has only happened once before when she had colitis. I'm slightly concerned. T not so much.

Tuesday her stomach is making really loud sounds and she has needed to go out every couple hours like she has colitis. I'm trying to figure out what could have possible set her little system off this time. I got nothing. She is extremely lethargic & can barely stand. I decide to see if she wants to go for her walk. I wanted to see if she'll pep up a little. We get around the corner & bam! (WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS TO FOLLOW) Explosive rust colored liquid shoots from her rear end. Twice. We try to get her back home & more! Okay, vet time.

We take her to the Vet & I'm waiting for the usual, "Oh, you cute over-protective dog owners" smile from the vet. Not this time. They are concerned. So concerned that they are drawing blood, sticking her with needles, poking & prodding & trying to get a diagnosis.

Then they want to keep her overnight. OMG. WHAT?! I haven't been apart from my dog EVER! Except when we went to LA in February, but even then she stayed with her Grandma & Grampa & Uncle Jack. She LOVES Uncle Jack.

I can't LEAVE her with strangers. However, the vet's explanation of what "could" happen convinced me to leave her. So I did. We did. Then I cried all the way home & then in the house & then outside on the back patio.

It was a no cuddles night. No meany face. No one brought me a ball or a fox or a mouse or begged for a cookie.

So today we are still waiting. The vet can't get a stool sample. She hasn't eaten since Monday at 6 pm. They tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat. I am worried sick. Plus, I just want my dog back. I'm out $600 plus dollars & no closer to figuring out what's wrong with her.

The Doc thinks a poo sample will clear things up. So pray for poo or whatever you do. Positive think for poo? I just hope she poos so I can have my dog back. I miss her.

Storm Watcher

When I was a kid, my dogs were petrified of storms. I thought my dog Cocoa was going to have a heart attack every time it simply started thundering. Now, true, they were outside dogs, but I decided I did not want Boo (Leela Boo) to be that way. Being a mostly inside dog I'm sure helps, but I decided to be proactive.

During the very first storm we had when she was just a pup, I looked at her & told her to come with me. I said we were going to go check it out. It was thundering & lightning & we opened the back door & looked out. She was curious & a little uneasy, but I think she trusted me to keep her safe. We closed the back door & I told her we would go check out front. The storm was coming from the west.

I opened the front door & we stepped out onto the small covered porch. The gust front came through & the temperature dropped as the lightning & thunder got closer & closer. Her little ears perked up & she sniffed the air. What she didn't do was shake. She didn't cower, and she didn't cry.

I repeated this process with every storm & still do. I mean, I get excited to look out, too. It is tornado alley Oklahoma.

The only problem is that every time it storms I have to let her out to look at not just the back yard, but also the front. Because, you never know, there might be something different happening on the other side of the house!

Annual Check-up time.

The sweet adorable Leela had her yearly vet visit & received a clean bill of health. She weighed in at 21.7 lbs & everything looks great! Hooray!

Please?

So Leela has learned to say Please. Yep, every time there is food around now or if she really wants something, like a walk or to play, she sits up like this. It's adorable, but also almost impossible to resist. What have we done!?

Leela trying to convince her Momma to give in.

I can haz Tacos?