And a snippet more regarding the Little dog.

May 9, 2013May 9, 201344 Comments

So as I told you on Saturday, Tucker is sick. For the past year and a half he has been on a hardly noticeable decline. As you read the following, please know that he was getting regular checkups all along, and we were relaying our observations to the vet. (These were usually the interns, not the head veterinarian.)

First he began peeing in the house. Not all the time, but just every once in a while. Then it gradually increased.

Next he started loosing weight. We could feel his backbones and ribs, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, except that nothing in is diet regimen had changed. Plus, he had this big pot belly thing going on and he didn’t have worms. We’d checked for that too.

Now it got really weird. The Little dog has always been what we referred to as a secret water drinker. Prior to getting sick we had only ever seen him take little sips of water at a time. Suddenly, he was drinking the water bowl DRY.

And weirder still, he began chasing the Big dog away from his food dish and wolfing it down!!!

The final straw was when we woke up with wet feet in the bed. Tucker sleeps between the covers at the foot of the bed and, poor guy, he lost it in his sleep!

I called the vet as soon as they opened and we went in to see the head veterinarian. We explained everything that had been going on, and he said he believed it was Cushing’s Disease. He began testing in office and sent out lab samples too.

So, now begins the treatment. Treatment is tricky with the old meds, but there is a newer med on the market that has been trialed in England called *Vetoryl (trilostane) . We will be using this newer med because it has less risk to the Little dog. This is not to say that it does not have side effects! (see below) We await the medicine, it is on order, and then will have to closely monitor the Little dog to get the dosage right.

~*~*~*~

Think happy thoughts, because it is breaking my heart to see him like this every day.

When he sits up his little belly sticks out like a Pot Bellied Pig’s.

Symptoms of Cushing’s Disease in Dogs

The most common symptoms include:
• increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia) (!!!)
• increased/excessive urination (polyuria) (!!!)
• urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs (!!!)
• increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia) (!!!)
• appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc. (!!!)
• sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance (!!!)
• weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution
• loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss (!!!)
• bony, skull-like appearance of head
• exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness (!!!)
• new reluctance to jump on furniture or people (!!!)
• excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on
• symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso (!!!)
• other coat changes like dullness, dryness
• slow regrowth of hair after clipping
• thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin (!!!)
• easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly (!!!)
• hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
• susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary)
• diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures

( (!!!) Indicates Tucker’s slowly increasing symptoms over the past year and a half.)

*Vetoryl (trilostane) Capsules, the latest drug approved to treat canine Cushing’s, is also the first drug approved to treat both pituitary- and adrenal-dependent Cushing’s in dogs. This prescription drug works by stopping the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands. In studies of the drug, the most common side effects were vomiting, lack of energy, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Citations:

Pssst…

April 25, 201323 Comments

This is big news!

Well, OK, maybe it is only big news for me, but I’m sharing it anyway!

The realtor spoke with the Octogenarian and she has agreed to record the history of the Mountain Farmlet for me, and to procure copies of any known early photographs of the home!

So now I’m off to buy a small tape recorder.

Do they still make those?

Looking north the old farm is on your right. I just don’t know if I can stand all this traffic every day! 😉

I’m so excited about this!

Can’t you tell?

~*~

UPDATE: the mountain farmlet edition

April 20, 2013April 20, 201336 Comments

I have received word from the realtor that the owner and son are proceeding with estimates and repairs to the 174-5 year old house. They have called in the plumber, and termite inspector, and are waiting for the estimate from the electrician to proceed.

When I last reported to you about the Mountain Farmlet, you will recall that we were asking for them to repair, or discount the price by 15K for repairs on the following:

foundation
electrical
plumbing
and roof

Things seem to be moving in a very positive direction! This makes me very hopeful, that we will be able to close the deal and take ownership of this antique home.

I know you think we have lost our minds, but this is a once in a lifetime event. Yes, it is an old house, but after the repairs we feel that she still has a few good years left in her. The house will never be perfect, it wasn’t when it was first built! But, it is precisely those ~~imperfections~~ quirks that make it such a charming old estate.

We really are looking forward to living there on the mountain.

~*~*~*~

Again, thank you to everyone for your goodwill and prayers for us. They encourage us.

~*~

When, and realistically if, she becomes ours, then she will become

The Mountain Farmlet

What else? 😉

~*~

Pictures From Friday’s Visit (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)
New Farmlet Update (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)
My Window Faces the South (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)
The next steps taken (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)

A visitor on the Farmlet!

April 19, 2013April 23, 201317 Comments

It isn’t often that we get visitors here on the Farmlet, and when we do it is a very big event! Recently, I enjoyed the company of Lori, of Day by Day the Farm Girl Way! We have been following each others blogs for some time, which led to corresponding via emails, and now most recently a week-long visit!

I found Lori to be a down to earth, true blue friend. Why, she was willing to jump in and help with anything and everything here on the Farmlet from washing dishes to pulling weeds!!! I tried to stop her, really, but she would not be dissuaded!

While she was here we continued our shopping for Farmlets. She has a very cool head when it comes to the purchase of a property. Her outside observations, and expertise in hobby farming were very enlightening and much appreciated! You see, I often get myopic about a place and its potential. So much so, that I fail to really see beyond its fence lines, or structural flaws. (By the way, this little flaw of mine can drive Bob nuts! 😉 )

We all agreed that this one was really nice,

but too expensive. 😦

This one she did not see, but it is a good example of my myopia.

Check out the neighbors living just over the fence…

The day I took Bob by to see this place he didn’t even slow down! There was a big flatbed truck parked halfway into the lane with another rickety shed on the back, and up by the fence between the properties were about ten scary looking types drinking and playin’ cards on a giant, wood, cable reel… It was about 9:30 in the morning as I recall. They own 5 acres of this junk!

😯

~*~

PLEASE NOTE: Most of the following photographs in this post were taken by Lori unless otherwise stated. (Thank you Lori!) I am afraid I was far too busy ~~conversing~~ talking her ears off to really notice and take pictures of anything. Sad to say, but true!

~*~

We also took in some of the sights in Huntsville.

We walked for hours looking at antebellum mansions which were survivors of the Civil War,

and other homes built later, but equally as grand.

Stepped back in time at Harrison Brothers Hardware,

enjoyed the view one late afternoon at Monte Sano Park,

and visited the pre-Civil War, Maple Hill Cemetery. (A must see if you ever find yourself in Huntsville.)

However, the best part of visiting, for me at least, was sitting in the kitchen. Here, talking over coffee or a meal, we shared our histories, our lives, and our dreams for our futures.

~*~

Do you ever read someone’s blog and wonder if that is really what they are like in person? Well, Lori is exactly as she portrays herself on her blog pages. Energetic, engaging, and honest, she says what is on her mind and in her heart, and I find that refreshing.