Adventures with Astrid: Once upon a Time

As we mentioned last week, poor pup Astrid isn't getting her usual walks right now. And she won't be getting her usual walks for many, many weeks. After all, she's waiting for the surgery to repair her torn CCL (like a human's ACL), and after the surgery she'll be on cage rest for 6 weeks. She'll be allowed short, controlled walks 2 weeks post surgery, but Astrid has informed me that's not good enough.

For now, Astrid is surviving on short trips down the street as well as lots of time in the back yard. She's also living vicariously through photos of some of her recent walks, like this one from once upon a time.

Astrid says it's absolute garbage the way she's being treated. Speaking of garbage, here's a garbage can from that walk.

Need to see it closer? Here you go.

Astrid wants to remind you all to properly dispose of your excrement, especially when in public. Or, at least she wants to remind her canine friends of that. Actually, Astrid would prefer if her gifts to the world were left exactly where she put them, but that's beside the point.

It's a bit upsetting to Astrid that she can't mark the entire neighborhood. Don't worry, though, because she's depositing plenty of goods in the back yard for us to clean up. Astrid prefers when we miss a pile and step in it. She says karma's a you-know-what.

Despite her current house arrest crankiness, Astrid wishes you all a happy Wednesday!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

***

Tip of the Day

Since September is Animal Pain Awareness Month, we'll be finishing out the month with a short series of tips on this topic. Today's tip relates to how our furbabies might let us know they are in pain. This can be a bit difficult sometimes, as cats and even dogs can be very good at hiding pain. This is why we must be very observant of our furbabies on a regular basis, in order to know when they aren't acting themselves.

The symptoms of pain in our furbabies can vary greatly, depending on the source of the pain, as well as the individual animal. You might see decreased activity level, or even a decrease in your cat or dog's appetite. Another potential sign is an altered gait, or an unwillingness or inability to move or jump. A cat in pain might avoid or miss the litter box, and a dog in pain might have accidents inside the house. Aggression and hiding are yet more potential signs that your kitty or pup is in pain. The list of signs and symptoms of pain in animals could go on and on. This is why it's imperative that you know your kitty or pup's norm, and that you make frequent observations of their activities and behavior in order to catch when anything is out of the norm. Altered activity or behavior could mean any number of things, pain being one possibility.

Tonks Tuesday with the Blanket Thief

This here human yet again made the rookie mistake of setting a clean load of blankets down on the couch on the way to their final destination.

I wonder when I'll regain possession of those blankets. Not anytime soon, according to Tonks.

Tonks hopes you all find a mountain of blankets on which to snooze today! Happy Tuesday!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

It truly feels like autumn around here these days, which makes it even more fun to share doodles like this.

I promise some brand new doodles are coming this way very, very soon.

***

Tip of the Day

Today is the last tip in our disaster preparedness series, and it is one that we have repeated many times, on many different occasions. This tip is to always ensure that your furbaby has some form of identification. In the unfortunate event that your furbaby becomes separated from you in any form of disaster or emergency, some form of identification could more easily bring them back to you. A collar with an ID tag as well as a microchip are the most common forms of ID for our kitties or pups. In addition to ensuring this identification is on your cat or dog, also make sure that the information is up-to-date. If you have moved addresses or changed phone numbers, for example, make sure this is reflected on your furbaby's identification. No one ever wants to consider being separated from their kitty or pup, but should this happen in an emergency or any event, your furbaby is more likely to find their way back to you if they are wearing some form of identification.

Mancat Monday

Hello, friends! We didn't mean to disappear for the entire weekend again, and to yet again not have a post prepared first thing Monday morning. Life is just happening all over the place these days, but here we are. And we're ready to get back to the blogging fun.

So, it's Mancat Monday. You know what that means?

Mancat Monday means you get a good ol' dose of handsome Evan! We hope you all enjoyed. We're sure you did.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

Here's a quick and silly little flashback doodle from a couple of years ago. It also hints at the fact that October is just around the corner, which means all sorts of weird and wacky Halloween scribbles.

***

Tip of the Day

Today's disaster preparedness tip is a rather specific one, and it is to consider using a pet rescue alert decal or sticker at your house. These decals or stickers are meant to alert rescue response teams as to how many and what kinds of animals are in the home. They can be placed on a screen door, on a window near a door, or somewhere similar where rescuers can easily see it. This type of information on what animals are in the home can help in the case of a house fire or any emergency evacuation, especially in cases when you are in any way unable to inform response teams as to how many and what kinds of animals are in the home and in need of rescuing. There are a variety of these decals or stickers available online, but one easy way to get them is through the ASPCA, as you can visit their website and order free pet emergency alert decals for your home.

Alerting emergency personnel of the animals in your home can help them to more quickly rescue your companion animals in the event of a fire or other emergency. This being said, though, please do ensure that any such decals or stickers are kept up-to-date. Not only is this important for ensuring that all animals in the house are properly accounted for, but is also important for the safety of emergency personnel. For example, if one of your furbabies has passed away but it is still included on an displayed pet emergency alert at your home, then emergency crews might put their lives at risk looking for an animal who is not even present. So, while these pet emergency alert bulletins can indeed benefit your pets' safety, also ensure that you use them properly in order to keep emergency personnel equally safe.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello, friends. I am very, very sorry for this late post, especially given that it's Friendly Fill-Ins day. It's been a couple of wild days around here, and now it's going to be a couple of wild months. See our fill-in #2 for why.

That said, it is indeed time for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. We'd love for you to join us! My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. _________ should come with _________.

2. And just like that _________.

3. I get funny looks from others when I _________.

4. I once tried to _________, and I failed.

My answers are below in bold.

1. People should come with instructions.

(I'm admittedly not a people person, and I'm awkward as all get out in public, so I would benefit if there was a readily available manual on how to exist around other people. Some people require more instructions than others, especially when you need to be rid of them. Perhaps there are manuals for how to turn people into cats in order to make them more tolerable? Is that too much to ask?)

2. And just like that pup Astrid's next couple of months got really interesting.
(We've mentioned over the past couple of days how poor pup Astrid very recently had a leg injury that was diagnosed as a torn CCL, which is like a human tearing their ACL. We had a surgical consult yesterday, and her surgery is now scheduled for October 11. Astrid isn't getting her usual walks right now because she's hopping on three legs and that's just not great for her. It also puts her at an even greater risk of tearing her other back leg's CCL, and that's a great big no thank you. Even better—and please note my sarcasm there—Astrid's surgery recovery will entail strict crate rest for 6 weeks. We'll be giving more details on this as hyperactive Astrid lives the crate rest nightmare. SOS.)

3. I get funny looks from others when I talk nonstop about my cats.
(None of you cat blogging friends of ours think twice of my kitty obsession, but I don't often meet people like you all in real life. When people learn about my multiple cats, one of the few topics on which I can and will talk endlessly, most people look at me like I'm nuts. Especially when they find out one is hind limb paralyzed and all that jazz. People don't know what they're missing out on.)

4. I once tried to be good with technology, and I failed.

(I used to put it effort to learn better skills with technology, but it was a futile endeavor. It's a running joke in my family that I'm terrible with technology. I'm usually not even actively trying to be good or bad or anything in particular with it, but even so technology just fails around me for whatever reason. In my childhood home, my bedroom was the place where TVs, radios, DVD players, computers, and pretty much every device went to die. As recent as yesterday, my sister informed me that one of her special Amazon music devices that I don't understand only ever stops working when I'm near it. It's to a point where, if any technological device breaks, the first question anyone in my family asks is, "Did Lorianne touch it?" And I can't even blame them.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

***

It's time for your Eddy fix. Today, you get to see Eddy begging for some window whiffies.

Don't worry, she got her way. I opened the window for her to sniff the great outdoors. I know my place.

Happy Friday, friends!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

This flashback doodle is a pretty darn old one starring our housemates Toby and Winky. It's another one that I hope to recreate this autumn.

***

Tip of the Day

Today's National Disaster Preparedness Month tip is to, in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane, do your absolute best to consider the care and safety of animals who may not be your typical indoor companions. For example, do you help care for feral cats, even an entire feral colony? If so, please don't forget them in potential disaster preparedness plans.

Obviously, evacuating feral furbabies may not be anywhere nearly as easy as relocating your tame, indoor kitties or pups. However, do still do all that you can to ensure that you include ferals or strays under your care in the event of an emergency. Especially if there is a known threat of a disaster, try to find a way to access traps or other means of capturing and transporting ferals. And, of course, do your research ahead of time regarding safe areas that would be willing to take in ferals or strays in the event of an emergency. There may indeed be organizations willing to help with this feat. Therefore, also do your research in this regard and reach out to various animal rescue organizations to determine if they can offer assistance.

Another consideration to make are animals such as horses and livestock. As best as absolutely possible, try to always think ahead, even before a disaster is even on the immediate horizon, and make sure that you have access to trailers and other necessities for relocating large animals. And, again, do your research ahead of time regarding where you might be able to safely relocate animals such as horses or livestock.

Trying to orchestrate the relocation of numerous animals in the event of a disaster can indeed be very daunting. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, time or resources are short. In the end, though, you have to simply do the absolute best that you can. The best way to indeed do the absolute best you can is to always think ahead, be prepared, and have a plan. Make sure that you take the time to research safe options for all creatures under your care, and then, accordingly, make plans that could be implemented in the event of a disaster or other emergency.

Remember Me Thursday

As we're sure most of you already know, today is Remember Me Thursday. The Remember Me Thursday website has often explained this day with one poignant sentence: "Remember Me Thursday is a global awareness campaign uniting individuals and pet adoption organizations around the world as an unstoppable, integrated voice for orphan pets to live in forever homes, not die waiting for them." Just like most of you, around here we are huge proponents of adopting cats, dogs, and other companion animals from shelters and rescues. That's why our post today is indeed centered around this significant topic.

I am of course a huge advocate for adopting shelter and rescue animals. Going one step further, though, I myself am also a huge advocate for adopting special needs—or specially abled—animals, if you are able to do so. They have so much to offer, as I have learned with my extra special Evan and Eddy.

Now, it seems perfectly timed that Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop always falls on Remember Me Thursday, given that both take place on, well, Thursday.

I am of course beyond thankful for all of my furbabies. All of them are rescues, though only one of them was actually adopted from a rescue group rather than stumbling into my life by other means. The furbaby I actually actively adopted is none other than Eddy, who is a sort of specially abled kitty herself.

As some of you might know, when I adopted Eddy, she was suffering from some sort of acute neurological issue that appeared just a day or so after the rescue trapped her. She walked and ran in circles, had a head tilt, had right-sided facial nerve paralysis, and all that neurological jazz. I was actually seeking out a special needs kitty at that time, as I had just recently lost my geriatric angel Rosie and wanted to give another special needs kitty a home in Rosie's honor. And so, I became Eddy's mom. She has since recovered from her major neurological issues, though she did adorably retain her head tilt and facial nerve paralysis.

Want to see a photo of Eddy at her first appointment at our vet? Of course you do.

That little lamb there behind Eddy was her little buddy when she was a young kitten. He had to be retired (and bleached) when he kept being dragged into the litter box by Eddy, but now he's tucked up in a closet for safe keeping. But I digress.

All that to say, Eddy and all of my rescue furbabies have brought me endless joy in life. Cats, dogs, and all animals in shelters deserve the chance to show just how much joy and love they have to offer. Because it's a lot. Today and every day, we are purring, woofing, praying, and doing our best to spread the word in order to help all animals in shelters and rescues find forever homes. They deserve it.

***

Before we go, we of course have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ should come with _________.

2. And just like that _________.

3. I get funny looks from others when I _________.

4. I once tried to _________, and I failed.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Did you know?

In honor of Remember Me Thursday, how about some facts on animal adoption?

Did you know that the average cost per day of basic pet care is only an approximate $3? That's less than luxuries like fancy drinks from coffee shops.

Did you know that roughly 25% of shelter dogs are purebred? Breeders are not the only source of purebred animals, because both purebreds and amazing mixed breeds can be found at shelters.

Did you know that a vast majority of shelter animals are already spayed or neutered and up-to-date on certain vaccinations prior to adoption? That means you'll pay the adoption fee and thereafter won't need to schedule or pay the typical cost of a spay or neuter or certain vaccinations.

Did you know that animals can make our lives happier and healthier? Science has proven this on multiple occasions.

Some of the above facts are ones you animal lovers out there certainly already know, and some are ones we've already shared in the past. Now we need to spread the word. Shelter animals have so much to gift us. They are special and filled with love. Let's get them out of shelters and into homes.

An Update on Astrid...and a Hobbling Adventure

We mentioned in yesterday's post that pup Astrid was at the vet getting evaluated after refusing to use her back right leg. Most of us thought it would be related to Astrid's hip, since this has been her leg with a problematic hip for pretty much her entire life. Instead, it would appear the girl tore her cranial cruciate ligament, or CCL. This is essentially the same as a human tearing their ACL.

That's one of the last walks we took the other day, soon after she suddenly stopped using her back right leg. You can't really see it in the photo, but Astrid is hopping on three legs there. Maybe you can tell, though, as a closer look might let you see that both of her back legs are off of the ground in that photo, because she's in the middle of a three-legged hop. And she's still hopping on three legs as we speak. The day of that photo, Astrid was begging to go more than just down the street despite her condition, and I made the poor decision of letting her convince me to take her farther. She happily made it, smiling the whole way, but boy did it make her tired to hop on three legs the whole way. It was difficult to see her so worn out from one of her usual walks. Now, the poor girl gets no more walks until she has had her surgery and is done with recovery. Sorry, pup Astrid.

You heard that right. Astrid is going to have surgery to fix her leg. Given that Astrid is an incredibly active and mobile girl, even at 9 years old, her vet heavily recommended surgery as the best treatment for her torn CCL. Cage rest can help some dogs, but in active Astrid's case we'd probably end up in this same boat yet again in a couple of weeks or months if we don't get it surgically repaired. So, surgery it is.

Our usual veterinary office does not currently have a surgeon on staff who performs this particular surgery. So, we were referred to another local vet who specializes in it. We have the consult at that vet tomorrow, and we'll get the surgery scheduled after that.

Astrid wanted you all to see that she can still sniff other dogs' pee even when she's standing on three legs. So, there you go.

Thank you all for the purrs, woofs, prayers, and good thoughts you've already sent us! You all are such wonderful friends, and we're so very lucky to have you.

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

***

Tip of the Day

We're in the midst of a series of tips for National Disaster Preparedness Month. Yesterday, we discussed preparing emergency supplies or a travel kit, so that you and your furbaby will be ready to handle a disaster, evacuation, and so forth, should the need arise. Today, we're here to remind you to go yet another step further and to have a plan. In other words, in the event of a disaster or other emergency, how and what will you do in order to ensure the safety of both your furbaby and yourself? For example, if you live in an area where disasters might make evacuation a possibility, have a safe a safe destination secured, not only for yourself but for your furbaby as well. Do you know of a motel or hotel, or another similar shelter, where animals are allowed? Or, do you have friends or family where your kitty or pup will be allowed to stay? If necessary, research veterinary offices, boarding facilities, or other similar facilities out of harm's way, where your furbaby could be taken in the case of an emergency.

Emergency plans don't just relate to possible evacuations, though. For example, if you live in an area where tornadoes are a possibility, have a plan for what part of the house both you and your furbabies can safely hunker down. Pick a safe room in the center of the house, for example, and have a plan for getting your kitty or pup there in a hurry. If needed, have leashes, carriers, or other necessary tools ready. Depending on where you live and what your situation is, always think ahead to how you will keep both your furbaby and yourself safe in an emergency situation.

One last comment we'll make on this topic is to, as needed and possible, practice your emergency plans. Make sure that everyone in your home knows the plan, and that everyone will know their part in the action. Doing a trial run or two can never hurt, to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and that everything will run as smoothly as possible in an actual emergency.

Purrs and Prayers Request for Pup Astrid

Given that it's Tonks Tuesday and yet we're asking for purrs and prayers for pup Astrid, I tried to find a photo of both the little calico and the dog. All I found was this old one of Tonks checking out Astrid's beloved dental treat.

Most of Tonks and Astrid's interactions involve the tiny calico slapping around the giant dog, so sweet Thimble decided to take this one.

So, Thimble is asking for a few purrs and prayers for her puppy sister. Astrid is 9 years old and has had a problematic hip for awhile, but pain meds have been helping it. However, after getting somewhat needlessly freaked out like the scaredy cat she is and making an odd maneuver on her problematic leg during her walk last Thursday, Astrid has refused to use that leg since then.

Those photos are deceiving, as that's Astrid's front right paw. It's her back right leg that's the bad one. After some scheduling issues with our vet, Astrid is finally there today getting looked over. They're trying to figure out if her hip is still the main issue, if she tore her ACL, or if it's something else altogether.

So, if you have any purrs and prayers to spare, pup Astrid could use them. We'll let you all know in Astrid's post tomorrow what's going on with her leg. Right now we still don't know, but we're crossing all of our fingers and paws that it's a simple answer with a simple fix. We'll see, though, and we'll let all of you friends of ours know tomorrow.

Wishing you all a terrific Tuesday!

***

Flashback Doodle of the Day

***

Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, we're in National Disaster Preparedness Month. Our newest series of tips, therefore, relates to this. Today, we're here to discuss having emergency supplies and travel kits prepared, should you and your furbaby need to evacuate suddenly. After all, destructive hurricanes, tornadoes, and other such disasters can, sadly, put people and their pets in the line of danger, as well as without a place to live. Therefore, especially if you are in an area where disasters might lead to evacuation, but also of course simply to be prepared for an emergency, do consider having an emergency kit prepared for your kitty or pup.

When preparing an emergency travel kit, think of the things your pup or kitty might use or need on a daily basis, or even weekly basis. Anything that they need on a regular basis can, of course, be included in an emergency kit. For example, an emergency kit for your furbaby would do well to include a week or so worth of their food, water bottles, bowls, and any medications they require. That is often not all that can or should be included in a cat or dog's emergency travel kit, though. If you rack your brain for anything that might be useful in your furbaby's emergency kit, you might consider a blanket or two, a spare leash, a carrier, a transportable litter box, litter, toys, your cat or dog's medical records, pictures of your cat or dog, and even cleaning supplies, such as paper towels and dish soap. All in all, consider anything and everything your furbaby uses or needs on a regular basis, and then create a travel kit based on that. In the case of an emergency, having such supplies already prepared can allow for you and your furbaby to evacuate and get to safety in a timely manner.