Where's the Hair?

It's been four months since Presley's surgery. Her fur has been slowly growing in, but she has several patches where the fur isn't growing back at all. Her skin looks very dry in these patches, almost mangy.

There are no lesions or crusting, so I don't really think it is mange. She doesn't seem to be bothered by these furless patches, but they do look kinda strange. She doesn't try to scratch these areas or rub up against them, so I don't think they are itchy. However, every once in awhile, her skin feels hotter or colder than other parts of her.

I just went into the bedroom to take a picture of her furless patches, but she's laying on that side and I'd hate to make her move. She looks very comfortable!

Clean Plate Club

Presley had a pretty good night's sleep except at 2AM she woke me up to go potty. From the window I could see her squatting all over the yard. She must have had to go pretty bad because she was out there for awhile. After that, she slept really well.

This morning, she was a member of the "clean plate club". At first she did not want to eat her breakfast (kibble). So I added a couple spoonfuls of canned food and she ate everything right up.

I'm not sure why one day she likes just kibble, then another day she wants canned food. Maybe she gets bored with her food.

Presley on Tripawds.com

I just received word from Tripawds.com that Presley has been included on their website. The dog featured on the tripawds site is named Jerry. His story is truly inspirational and comforting because it's great to see what the possibilities are when recovering from cancer.

On the site, Jerry's people (Jim & Rene) include health tips, photos, videos, resources and more. Because of this site, we purchased a harness for Presley, which has helped me to get her out of the Jeep, and down steep stairs, like at my mom's house.

You can check out the post at:

Presley's Story: One Milestone at a Time

Home Again!

After Steve dropped off Presley this afternoon, she initiated a mean game of fetch with her sisters. For about 30 minutes straight, she played fetch with one of the new balls that we bought on Thursday. She was the last one standing and outlasted both Diesel and Bristol. After a couple more tosses, they all conked out in the living room.

Unfortunately, the game did not stimulate her appetite because she barely ate any dinner. She ate a couple of bites of kibble out of Scott's hand but that was it. So she's not going to get anything for the rest of the night. Hopefully, she'll have a better appetite at breakfast time.

Steve said Presley did not sleep very well at night. She kept him up most of the night by moaning. He also mentioned that her rear left leg seems to be bothering her.

I'm really at a loss as to what to do with her. It's very strange that one minute she's outrunning her two younger sisters. Then she stays up all night moaning.

She's sleeping at my feet right now. In fact, my foot is resting on her torso as I type this. I'm so tempted to wake her up so she's tired at night. To be honest, it's been nice the last few nights to not get woken up and sleep through the night.

Spending Time With Daddy

Presley went to Steve's house last night. She'll be gone for a few nights to spend some quality time with Daddy.

The house definitely isn't the same without her. Diesel and Bristol don't seem to realize she is away but Scott and I bought them some new toys last night. So they have been very busy.

B-Day Message From Grammy

Below is a birthday message to Presley from Grammy:


HI PRESLEY,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER.

HOPE YOU HAD YOUR FAVORITE MEAL AND BODY RUB.
LOVE YOU VERY MUCH. I WILL SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER,
JUST HANG IN THERE.

LOVE, GRAMMY

P.S. DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR AGE BECAUSE YOUR MOM
WILL BE ALMOST HALF WAY TO GRAMMY'S AGE NEXT MONTH.


Hah! Thanks for reminding me!

Happy 10th Birthday

Today is Presley's 10th birthday. Thankfully her leg seems to be feeling better.

This morning as I shoveled the back patio, Presley and Bristol barked at the shovel and Diesel played with her ball. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning. I also brushed each of them. Presley hasn't taken her Fish Oil supplements in weeks and she has started to shed again.

The girls have been playing and napping on and off all day. As I write this, Presley and Bristol are laying on the cushion in the living room and Diesel is at my feet. Presley keeps groaning and looking at me. I think she wants her birthday massage.

Bonding

Bristol has been sleeping with her big sister every night on Presley's bed. Bristol rarely sleeps in her own bed anymore. Presley seems to enjoy the company and she usually doesn't mind when Bristol lays on top of her legs or snuggles up to her backside. Maybe it's comforting to both of them to be so close.

Presley is doing a lot better today but it could be that the Deramaxx has kicked in. This morning she played outside with her sisters -- chasing after a toy and wrestling. Presley even initiated play with Bristol by jumping from one side to the other. On one hand I don't want her to do too much if her leg is sore, but she is having so much fun that I don't want to discourage her either.

I have to go to Chicago tonight for work. Before I leave I may give Presley another Deramaxx with her dinner. We'll see how she does this afternoon.

Leg Pain, Lumps

Presley's rear left leg is really bothering her. Today when I got home from running errands, all the girls went outside to go potty. When we all got into the house, Presley tried to lay down on the living room floor and began yelping. She looked like she was in a lot of pain and she looked scared.

I helped her stand up and she leaned against the couch holding up her left rear leg slightly. I then helped her into the bedroom so she could lay down on her cushy bed. She was very hesitant to lay down because something obviously hurts. She finally settled down without yelping. I gently rubbed her leg and felt two very hard lumps near her hip, which I don't remember feeling before. But she is so lumpy all over that I can't be sure they weren't there before.

I gave her a Deramaxx to ease the pain and a Pepcid to offset a possible upset stomach. For about 15 minutes, I kept petting her and talking to her until she fell asleep.

About a half hour ago I checked on her. She looked alert and comfortable, but she did not want to get out of bed so I didn't push her. All the girls are sleeping now but they are going to be up soon either because they are ready for dinner or because Scott will be home soon from work.

The Deramaxx made her really sick before, so this is not a long-term solution. We're probably going to have to take her to OVRS for x-rays and/or blood tests. I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about this.

Need to Sleep

I got home from Vegas last night and I am pretty wiped out. I was really looking forward to getting a good night's sleep but Presley had other plans. She was moaning constantly from 2AM until about 4AM.

Bristol was sleeping with her on her bed so I thought maybe Presley didn't want Bristol on there anymore. I noticed that Bristol was laying on Presley's left rear leg. When I slid Presley's leg out, she yelped. I moved Bristol totally off the bed and when Presley stood up to reposition herself, she yelped again. I thought maybe her leg was sore from Bristol laying on it.

About an hour later, I heard Presley yelp again as she repositioned herself on her bed. This happened one more time about 45 minutes later. Of course each time she yelped, Diesel and Bristol had to jump out of bed to see what was happening. So none of us got a good night's sleep.

Presley wouldn't eat any breakfast but during the day she was fine. She played with her sisters in the yard while I picked up poops. I also took all three of them for a walk together. During the walk at the turnaround point, Presley seemed to want to keep going but I kept it short in case her leg or foot is bothering her.

I told Scott about all of this and he mentioned that she had been moaning in the van on the way to the airport to pick me up. Maybe she just missed her Mama and wanted my attention, but that yelping has me worried. She's never done that before.

She just finished all of her dinner, which is a good sign. I hope tonight we can all get a better night's sleep!

Aunt Nikki to the Rescue

Greetings from Las Vegas. I'm out of town for work this week and Scott is working most of the week at Cobo for Auto Show. Luckily Scott's sister Nikki is able to go to the house to take care of the girls for a few hours each day. Presley and Diesel would be fine, but Bristol really can't be in her crate for more than 8 hours at a time.

I just talked to Nikki on the phone and she said the girls were taking a rest after playing and wrestling. When she first got there, at first they were all barking at each other and she wasn't sure what to do.

I told her if they look like they are agitated or if the barking is simply too much to bare, then she should stand right in front of them and tell them "no". In most cases, it's Presley who gets agitated by Diesel and Bristol while they are playing. So she may have to be stern with Presley and show her who's boss.

Earlier Nikki gave the girls some bones that I had stuffed with peanut butter and put in the freezer a couple days ago. I also added a little shot of Cheez Whiz, so they should be pretty tasty.

I am so relieved that Nikki could stop in each day to watch the girls. We looked into doggy daycare, but the hours did not mesh with Scott's work schedule. Plus, I'm not sure if it would have been too much for Presley. She doesn't like to play with other dogs too much.

Sisterly Love

Last night my sister Stephanie (visiting from L.A.), my sister Christine, and my dad came over for dinner. My sisters brought my mom's dog, Dakota, with them and she played with the girls the whole night, which wiped out all of the girls.

At bedtime, Presley and Diesel went to their beds but Bristol wanted to snuggle with Presley. So she curled up on the end of the bed and slept with her big sister. The bed is just big enough for Presley, so it was a pretty tight fit with the two of them on there. Presley was so tired that she didn't protest at all.

Then today I took the girls in the Jeep with me as I ran errands. The girls were still pretty tired from playing all night and within minutes they were all snoozing. The back of the Jeep is pretty tight with the three of them back there. Presley used Diesel as a pillow and Bristol used Presley as a pillow. So cute!

Happy New Year!

The girls were party animals last night. After dinner we danced to hits from the 80s. The girls each enjoyed a yummy rawhide treat from their Aunt Jen. Then at midnight we banged pots and pans on the porch. At about 1AM, Aunt Nikki and Uncle Mike packed up to head home and we all watched from the window as Mike brushed the snow off the car. Once again it was a winter wonderland.

This morning the girls were up at 6:30AM for breakfast. As soon as they finished, we all went right back to bed. I've taken Presley off of all her supplements. I'm just giving her dry food, a combo of her food and Diesel's, because she turns her nose up at anything else. Presley didn't eat all of her breakfast but she has had a bit of gas, I'm sure from the rawhide. At dinner she cleaned her plate.

The girls have taken quite a few naps today. Scott played with Diesel and Bristol outside while he shoveled. Presley was too tired so I petted her while she lounged on her bed. A little later I joined the girls for the late morning/early afternoon nap. I forgot how much I love to take power naps. I think those girls are on to something.

Later in the afternoon, the AT&T repairman had to fix the wire in front of our house. A branch had fallen overnight onto the wire and it was sagging terribly. The girls were having a field day barking at the repairman as they watched him from the front window. He was out front for about an hour and each time he moved to a new spot, they barked as if it were the first time they had seen him. Surprisingly, Presley was the worst offender. She did not like that man on our lawn.

Once again the girls are taking a nap. I'm sure they'll be up in the next hour or two for their last hurrah. We might have to shovel one more time tonight because it is snowing again.

Won't Eat

For about a week, we have been able to get Presley back on all of her supplements with no side effects. However, yesterday she had a bit of diarrhea and this morning she refused to eat her breakfast. I tried to give her just canned food, then just kibble, but she turned her nose up at both. She was even hesitant to eat any treats.

Her poops are solid, so I don't know what's going on. Presley and Diesel are going to Steve's house for the night. Maybe Daddy can talk her into eating her food.

We had a really nice time at the park yesterday. Presley spent a few minutes alone wandering in a small patch of woods in the middle of the park. Maybe she ate something that upset her tummy. Of course, she didn't want to leave when it was time to go. She just laid in the middle of the field watching us walk/run away.

Before we got to the Jeep, we played on the playground equipment. Diesel loves to climb up the platforms to the top of the jungle gym. Bristol climbed a couple platforms but wasn't too keen on crossing the swinging bridge. Presley finally joined us but I didn't encourage her to climb on anything. She just sniffed underneath, probably looking for something to nibble on.

This is really getting old but I'm trying to be patient and not take my frustrations out on Presley. It's like trying to put a puzzle together but I don't have all the pieces. Presley loves her food, so she must be feeling bad to not want to eat. Sometimes I think she's getting a little senile in her old age. She's going to be 10 in a couple weeks. Most of the time she's very predictable and then out of the blue she does something new that makes me wonder where that came from.

Like last night, for example. Scott and I were watching a movie ("Knocked Up", cute movie), while the girls all slept in the living room. Presley woke up at one point and kept trying to get my attention. She would put her head on the couch and stare up at me until I pet her or talked to her. Then she got up, grabbed a toy and brought it over to Scott. He threw it a few feet away, she retrieved it and brought it back to him. This went on about three times until she settled back down on the cushion and fell asleep.

I'm not sure why I think this was unusual. Dogs play fetch, right? It just seemed strange at that moment. Presley would normally be asleep at that time of night. Maybe she was happy to see Scott because he's been working so much. Maybe she just needed to stretch her legs for a few minutes.

Who knows. I shouldn't try to over analyze too much. Sometimes I forget that she's a dog, not a human.

Girls and Their New Toys

After a couple of very busy days visiting with family and playing with new toys, the girls have been pretty wiped out. Until today.

Scott fed the girls at 6AM but they went right back to bed. The day really started at 7:30AM. Bristol and Diesel wrestled and played tug-o-war for three hours in the living room, with Presley closely monitoring and correcting them when they got too rambunctious.

We napped for a couple hours. Then playtime started all over again. I took them in the backyard while I picked up poops, but they don't seem to have as much fun in the yard. It's cold, wet and muddy. Maybe they can sense that I really don't want to be out there either.

The living room looks like a toy store blew up. Unfortunately, many of the toys haven't faired very well. The fox is only half-stuffed. The squirrel is missing its tail. The squeaky ball is missing its squeaker. At least I know the girls have been enjoying their toys.

Just now I was going to take the girls to the park to run around, but they are all taking their afternoon nap. Presley and Bristol are butt-to-butt on the cushion and Diesel is on the carpet. I'll give them a few more minutes then we'll head out. It will feel good for all of us to stretch our legs and get some fresh air.

Sneaky

We ended up taking the girls with us to my dad's house this afternoon and they had a chance to run and play in his huge backyard. Needless to say, they were pretty wiped out when we got home.

Just a few minutes ago, Diesel and Bristol were sleeping soundly on the cushion in the living room. Presley came out from the bedroom and I could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to lay down on the cushion but there was no room for her next to the other girls. That's when she got sneaky.

She grabbed the squeaker ball and brought it over to Scott as if she wanted to play. He threw it, she kinda ran after it. They did this three times until Bristol got up off the cushion to chase after the ball. Presley grabbed the ball before Bristol could reach it. Then she hopped over to where Bristol had been laying and plopped down on the cushion. Very sneaky!

Christmas Eve Day

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at chez Sprangerberg. The palm tree is decorated with twinkle lights and the stockings are hung from the entertainment center with care. We only have a few presents under the tree because Bristol is too interested in the packages.

Scott and I have a special delivery we have to make today. We're going to surprise my dad and Nancy with a garden arbor that Scott built for their yard. The arbor is going to take up most of Scott's van, so we might not be able take the girls with us.

In preparation for their afternoon at home alone, I took the girls to the park this morning to let them stretch their legs a bit. There wasn't a whole lot to do at the park, so we just ran around. When it was time to leave, we ran back to the Jeep, and Diesel and Bristol jumped right in.

However Presley was dragging her feet. She just sat in the field looking at us. After I got the younger girls loaded in, I started the engine to get warmed up (it's only 27 degrees out). Presley might have thought we were going to leave without her so she hustled over to us. When she got to the Jeep, I opened the passenger door and she jumped right in without any help.

The fresh air must have worked because they haven't been able to keep their eyes open since.

Barking, growling - having fun or pissed off?

This morning Diesel and Bristol have been wrestling for about an hour. They are both loving it.

Presley on the other hand seems agitated by them. A couple times, Presley has jumped in growling and pushed Bristol to the ground. Bristol goes belly up. Then Presley puts her face in Bristol's face and continues growling. This gets Diesel excited, so she gets in Bristol's face and starts barking with a very high pitch. I've had to break this up several times because I don't want it to escalate into a fight.

Usually Presley reprimands Diesel, but now she's going after Bristol first. And she seems pissed off. She's trying to tell Bristol something but I'm not sure what it is. Hopefully Bristol can interpret the message correctly and all will be right with the world. The growling and barking is a bit much for me first thing in the morning.

All I Want For Christmas...

Here are my Christmas angels with Santa Claus.

In this first shot, everyone looks pretty serious. At least in the shot below, Presley shows us a little smile.

Fetch raised $400 on Saturday for the Royal Oak Animal Shelter. It turns out that Santa is the hubby of Fetch's owner. I guess that makes the owner Mrs. Claus. The photographer was Santa's sister. Nice job!

Agitated

For about the last 90 minutes or so, Presley has been very agitated. I've been trying to watch the season finale of "I Love New York 2" but Presley has been whining, crying, staring at me, doing anything she can to get my attention.

I've been paying attention to her, talking to her, petting her, but nothing seems to pacify her. She doesn't seem sick. So this is very strange.

However, I just realized as I'm typing that she may have gas.