Another bake sale/raffle

The one improvement I see in Penny's movements is that it's easier for her to get up now than it was immediately after the surgery. When she gets up, she still limps heavily on her operated leg. Once she's been up, she starts using it a little. Her gait is funny. Her operated on leg looks bow legged and her other operated on leg looks pigeon toed. I hope that's progress.

We need to start thinking about raising more funds for her next surgery. I sent out an email request for baked items for another raffle/bake sale for Penny. It will be next Saturday from 11am-4 at Ideal Pet Stop (on Wilson, across from PCC). There will be lots of cookies, lemon bars, brownies, and hopefully some rice krispie treats. I've made krispie treats once and it wasn't fun. The marshmellow stuck everywhere -- I couldn't get the mixture to be flat in the cake pan. I know they're big sellers so I want to have them, but I was hoping that someone else would make the rice crispie treats.

Current baked items will include:
chocolate chip cookies
oatmeal cookies
ginger molasses cookies
oatmeal raisin cookies
turtle brownies
sugar cookies

There will also be book bracelets and cards.

The raffle includes:
dinner certificate
a book certificate
pet supplies
jewelry

Let me know if you have suggestions for the bake sale and/or want to donate to the raffle.

Thanks.

Conehead

Penny was licking her front paw on Monday evening. Rick had picked her up. Her paw was all raw from where she had been licking. I thought I could see a little puncture, but I wasn't sure.

Horace also was limping. So I took them to the vet. Horace has a little puncture, most probably from Gustof (an ongoing feud at my house... know of anyone who wants a black cat who may have asthma?) , so he has oral antibiotics. Penny has a little puncture, probably from a thorn or something. She has topical antibiotics and has to wear a cone.

She is so uncoordinated with the cone. She'll get stuck and will make no effort no move her head so that she can move again. She just stands there. I don't know whether she's being stubborn or whether she thinks that I'm am going to help her. She refuses to get in the car with the cone. She refuses to try to drink water with the cone. She walks slowly, despondently, with the cone.

But when I take the cone off, she starts licking again.

Stitches out

Yesterday, Penny had her stitches out. I didn't talk with Dr. Walker, but her tech says she looks good. She spent an hour in the car waiting for me to come out of the naturopath's and then she went to Ideal.

Kirsten bought her TWO new beds.

Today, she was limping. Enough for me to give her pain meds.

Tomorrow, we'll both hang out.

Upper body strength prevents fall

Penny has been using a ramp that Rick built to go up the back stairs. The last few days she's stopped midway up. I don't know what has caused her stopping. It may be the creaking that it does. I haven't figured out how her brains work.

Last night, she stopped and looked at Albro who was meowing next to the porch. Albro leaped onto the porch and we both looked at her. The next thing I know, Penny is hanging off the ramp, and straining to get back on the ramp. I couldn't move to help her because it would have taken too long to get around the ramp. I held on tight to the leash and encouraged her. She made it!

But, she limped even worse. She held her leg extremely high. I looked at the leg and I didn't see any damage, but who knows? She could have hit something. She could have strained her tendon even further...

I am worried about her. I don't know whether to take her to the vet or to my vet. I did give her anti-inflammatories and am hoping she'll be all right. I guess if she's worse tonight, I'll take her to her vet.

Every little bit counts

Yesterday, I went to see my friend, Barb's, art show at the UU church in Seattle. I hung out long enough to be asked to accompany them to an early dinner. Jane, Barb's partner, paid for my dinner and whispered, "Pennies for Penny." I'll transfer $15 into Penny's account.

Penny is doing... well, better. She's eating rice, cottage cheese, ground turkey and spinach. Still not real big meals so she is pretty hungry, but she's not licking her lips in a "my tummy's upset and I'm trying not to barf" manner. Since she's not eating much, she's not pooping as much, which is fine.

She's now suspicious of cream cheese, which is too bad. I used to be able to slather cream cheese on anything and she'd think it was a treat. But since those little horrid pain relievers that made her salivate, she looks at the cream cheese as if I'm trying to trick her. And I am. That's what I cover her stomach settling pills with. Two more days of that.

She's still not taking any anti-inflammatories and so her little eyebrows are wrinkled with pain. Tonight, if I see no signs of stomach upset, I'll give her the new pain reliever to help her sleep a bit better. This morning, we both overslept. Not used to Daylight Savings Time.

Snarfing cat food

Penny is on her second day of her fast. I've given her a little chicken broth this afternoon and again this eve. She's kept it down, so far.

Tomorrow, we'll do cottage cheese and rice. Maybe a little ground lamb. She'll be so hungry by then, she'll eat anything.

She keeps trying to get into the kitchen to eat some cat food when I let her out while I get ready for her potty breaks.

Girly has an upset tummy

Last night, I gave Penny her Rimadyl and then her dinner of Natural Balance cereal and 1/2 can of venison and sweet potato. About 1/2 hour later, she vomited it all up. So, that's the 2nd vomiting incident that she's had.

This morning, she was was a three-legged dog. I, being of a suspicious nature, suspected that my housemate may not have controlled her as much as she should be. Rox denied it, but did say that Penny did pull a lot when she went out for potty break at the same time I was leaving to go to the emergency room. (Gustov bit me so I headed to the emergency room for antibiotics and a lecture about infectious cat bites. I drove to Rick's and he drove me to Swedish. Since this is a blog about Penny, we won't get into details.) Rox pointed out that Penny vomited up her pill when she vomited up her dinner. I now think that's what happened.

I calledACCES this morning about 8 am. Dr. Walker doesn't work on Fridays, but she had told me to that the staff could get a message to her. In the meantime, I had to take Horace to the vet because he was limping too so I planned to ask Dr. Heino. Dr. Heino was very concerned about the vomiting. He said once was not a big deal, but two means its a cycle, regardless of how many days separating the two incidences. So, he told me to have Penny fast for a couple of days. I can let her drink a little water today, and then the eve of the second day, she could have some chicken broth. If she does well, she can have a bland diet on Sunday. Baby food or cottage cheese. Or both. I got 2 kinds of medicines that will coat and calm her tummy and help it heal. I got a different anti-inflammatory pills that she can start taking on Monday.

Penny, Horace, and I will both be pill poppers. Horace has a bite on his foot and will be taking antibiotics 2 x a day, I'm on antibiotics for the cat bite, and Penny will be taking 4 pills 2 x a day.

ACCES called while I was at Dr. Heinos. According to Ursula (I love that name!), Dr. Walker said only be worried if Penny seemed in pain. I explained that she was in pain but that Dr. Heino was more concerned about the vomiting. Ursula asked that they get some sort of report about her current medication. I relayed the message to Marlena, but I am unsure whether that report will be faxed because Rainier Vet is in the middle of transitioning ownership from Dr. Heino, who I love, to Dr. Kung. The office is even more chaotic than usual!