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Not it hitting me that the show I want Mud to NATCH so I can cross agility off our list of things to worry about would most likely be his last show and getting emotional about it.

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Got this cart toy at a thrift store yesterday for half off. New dog trick prop for Mud. He's so quick to learn (and cute.)

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Snoot ✨🐶

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Mud and Anza Manipulations Appt Summary

They both had an appt today. It's been awhile for Anza and Mud's had a lot happen since his last appt. I wasn't expecting an easy appt for Mud, but Anza needed a lot more than usual.

Mud:

She did not feel anything in the right hind like at our massage appt in May. His pelvis was out tho, so there was something in the rear. His back needed work. His neck had some vertebra out and that was very uncomfortable. His left tricep was a little painful/tight/tender/whatever. Nothing to suggest a serious injury, but it was of note. I think those were the main places with soreness/trigger points/misalignments whatever.

I asked about his muscle tone since he's lost so much weight and been sick. She said it's actually not that bad. He's been better, but it's not bad. Overall I got a "just get back on his regular exercises" recommendation. No activity restrictions or anything. So yay! Nothing serious at this time. She did say his neck (and probably the rear) would have been worse if he hadn't had the massage in the mean time. I'm probably going to hold off on (at home) agility while I try to get his muscle built back up. There is an indoor show in August I was eyeballing, but I don't really think it's the best idea.

Anza:

Needed a lot of work on her back/pelvis. I think she also needed some on her neck as well. Also shoulders. Shoulders could be from chasing lizards, lol. I actually need to try to do conditioning with her because I think she's pretty out of shape.

She wanted to see them both sooner than usual. It actually lined up to be about where I was hoping to have another appt because we can't do massage in the summer. We also scheduled one more out in September, even though I had been hoping for massage at that time. Though with Anza potentially in line for another follow up, we'll keep that and do massage next time.

contorted Mud image for tax

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I thought Mud's insurance didn't cover dental issues, but apparently it does so now I'm less stressed about upcoming dental work.

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Mud played the most intense fetch he's played in years a couple days ago at a party with some small children. Very cute, but pretty rough on him. I felt he was a little sore/stiff the next day, but wasn't overly concerned.

I guess my brother was throwing the ball for him some yesterday to keep him out of his way while he was working in the yard and apparently he was favoring his left front and now I'm like fffff.

He hasn't had an "injury" in years, so I'm hoping it's arthritis flaring up. That'd be the best case scenario, honestly. He's been given carprofen and gabapentin (they gave us some for nerve pain from his teeth.) I tried to laser his shoulder this morning to see if that helps at all. Amateur massage. He may look a little less stiff.

We shot a gait video and some stands and sits. Difficult to get a square stand out of him. I also think he's still sore in the at spot found on his right rear at the last massage appt. Fortunately he's in for his routine appt with the rehab vet in a couple weeks. We'll do some mild activity restriction for awhile and see what he looks like. If it looks worse, I guess we'll be in at the vet earlier.

I'm glad I wrote off NADAC Champs or I would have been more upset about this. As it is, I'm just...impressed with Mud's ability to have so many issues at one time. His GI still isn't 100%, broken teeth need to be addressed, and now some musculoskeletal issue.

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Having dogs to go adventure with is such a gift.

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Mud massage summary from yesterday:

Mostly he was likely messed up from when Anza, instead of just t-boning him like normal, decided to attempt to hump him while he went for a ball. She grabbed him around the waist and Mud flipped over onto his head. It was totally covered in dirt.

His areas of ouch were the neck (pretty sure that's from landing on his head) and his right hind, which he actually already had a touch of atrophy from disuse. Anza hit him from the right, and I was told that hyper extending his rear could cause what she was feeling. I don't have perfect memory, but it's entirely possible Mud hyper extended that leg during the incident. He looked much better after his massage.

OH and it was also the most cooperative he's ever been during a massage. I am not quite sure what to make of that, lol. He usually has to get up and walk around at least once, usually more. He didn't do that at all. I did give cookies and have to manage him a bit, but still, he'll get up despite me doing that.

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I genuinely believe that the new SW trilogy wouldn’t have flopped out into irrelevance like it did if they hadn’t dumped Finn on the side of the freeway like a new pet rabbit the week after easter

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Guess I should update. Mud had bloody stools after the vet visit and into the following day. I was not provided with any medication at the appointment. Just told to give him more fiber (either psyllium husk or pumpkin) and probiotics. I called and asked if there was anything he could have that would help with bloody stool. Was rxd metro. I'm like fine. Whatever. I asked about sucralfate, which is what the e-vet usually gave us after one of his vomiting/diarrhea (with blood) episodes. They didn't do that this time, and it has me wondering if that's why he's never had the bloody stools for multiple days before.

About 1:30 on Wednesday, he finally stopped pooping every hour. Didn't poop again until yesterday, and it was solid. Still solid today. So hopefully we're over that mess. Again, I hope it's not going to be a recurring thing like 2023. It does make me rethink something like Champs in September.

I was supposed to be an artist vendor at the local farmers market this morning, but Mud started vomiting about 2am, basically every hour, so I told them I couldn't make it and we ended up at the e vet around 6:30 after he'd thrown up water and had bloody stools. Cerenia and fluids and we're doing better so far. He's got an appetite again (he's even hangry) and is keeping food down. (Stools are still gross, but I kinda expect nothing but liquid when he's expelled every bit of solid food from his body.)

His GI flare up(?) started I would say Wednesday PM, when he had the worst "reflux" episode I've see from him in awhile (it lasted hours and I finally gave some omeprazole and he settled down for the night). Thursday PM, he started to have the worst diarrhea he has had since 2023. I was already going into the vet on Friday for some cracked teeth I discovered on Thursday, to get an idea of how urgently I need to get those taken care of (didn't sound super pressing, but not something I should blow off for a long time). They were very interested in the diarrhea and offered me Diagel and the special vet Proviable and I'm like yeah, I'll pass for now, since this is something we've got experience with. I don't even think the Diagel helped last time lmao. He's already on probiotics, so I'm like meh. I started him on a bland diet that morning as that's probably the most helpful thing. (Oh, they also recommended Pepcid for the diarrhea which had me confused? I've never heard that before.)

I am not sure what triggered this. There's lots of hmm, maybe, but nothing glaringly obvious. I'm suspicious of our Wednesday afternoon therapy dog class downtown and that he consumed something he shouldn't have, but then I'm thrown off by it seriously kicking in over 24 hrs later? He played in some lake water 12 days prior to any major symptoms. Over the last month I've been slowly transitioning him fully over to a food that he only ate partially for the last year or so. We've been on fully new food for several days before this happened. Someone had soft stools earlier this month. I think even before he played in the water. Just don't know.

I just hope this doesn't escalate to an 8 month long fight with GI distress like 2023. He did SO WELL last year I had hoped we wouldn't be dealing with this again. If it does, we're probably just jumping to biopsies because that's the only diagnostic we haven't really done yet. (Other than maybe like...an elimination diet and idk if those are considered diagnostic?) I pulled him from an agility trial next weekend because I don't want to stress him out and trigger another GI upset, since that seemed to potentially be a factor last time. Fortunately he doesn't have any other shows scheduled. I was hoping to do another NADAC trial at the end of May, but that's not something I'm going to press for.

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Posting this so I can pin it because I guess I'm better about keeping this updated than a post every year. Please reach out if you're looking for something other than a pet portrait. I'm open to other work.

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Khibiny Mountains, Russia by Vitaly Istomin

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by macstonephoto

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Grassland Ecological Species by Lestoidea 蟌

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Cover art by Mowry for 'Altair 4,' January 1978.

One of hundreds of speculative fiction fanzines available online from the Milwaukee Public Library's Rare Books Collection. Via Daniel Solis.

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One of the few dinosaurs we actually know the approximate colors of, Anchiornis huxleyi. By studying the melanosomes, color-determining pigments within fosilized feathers or skin, scientists can infer that Anchiornis had black, grey and white featheres across it's body with a reddish crest on it's head.

I, of course, stylized the colors, but I think it turned out pretty good. I tried to make it look like a chill little bird with the poses being mostly neutral and not so dynamic.

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Warmth of the Woods

(c) riverwindphotography