Nelson is home!

Just a quick update on the Nelson situation. He stayed at the vet for two days and received an IV dextrose solution. They ran tests after 24 hours and 48 hours to check his blood levels and liver enzymes. Everything came back normal, so either he is not one of the majority of dogs that is effected by xylitol or we got him treatment in time and he had no damage to his liver. Either way I'm just glad we have him home, and he is back to being his little puppy self. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Please Pray for Nelson!

Today was a day that I definitely was not expecting. I was heading home from seeing my last home health patient this afternoon after working all weekend and got a call from Raoul. Our cute adorable little fluffy friend decided to get into my purse which I left on the couch (he is not supposed to get up on the couch) and get into a pack of Orbit cinnamon gum. We're not sure how much he did or didn't eat, but Raoul immediately googled the possible harmful effects of gum on dogs. The type of sugar-free gum I had contained a sugar substitute that just happens to be toxic to dogs. So, Raoul spent 30 minutes on the phone back and forth between the vet and poison control--neither of which were familiar with the effects of the substance on a dog. After research being done on all sides, the vet suggested that we try to get Nelson to vomit back up the gum. I ran to the store to get hydrogen peroxide and mixed up a solution, which promptly made Nelson upchuck all over the yard but no sign of the gum (this substance evidently metabolizes quickly). The vet recommended that we immediately start IV treatment with fluids and dextrose to fight hypoglycemia and try to flush out his system to prevent any liver complications. Nelson is staying at the hospital over night and then the vet will run a full panel in the morning (evidently this substance not only causes liver failure, but system-wide increased blood coagulation and hypoglycemia too). If he does well then he'll probably stay on the fluids for another day or so and have tests done periodically to check his liver enzymes. If he starts to go into liver failure we would be looking at serious medical treatment (i.e. puppy ICU) or he might not make it. Raoul and I are pretty worried about Nelson, and just really want him to be alright without spending thousands of dollars to fix him. Please pray that he will have a full recovery! We already miss him being around :(

31 Cent Ice Cream!

What a whirl of month since I last posted! So first off, ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!! This year's tournament run was fantastic, and that it ended with a win was the icing on the cake! After our near escape from Davidson, I decided that the emotional stress of playing UNC in the Final Four was just too much to endure alone (Raoul was in Tulsa for a wedding), so Nelson and I packed up the car and drove to Seattle to watch with fellow KU fans! What a fun trip! Nelson actually did really well in the car and didn't get sick or fuss. We took long walks by the lake together in the mornings, which he loved, and then Emily and I went shopping that morning, which I loved. It was awesome then to come back and cheer on our boys to victory--what a high! I got to watch the championship game back in the valley with Raoul, and I must say it was really crazy. I'm just glad the cops weren't called on us! It's "one shining moment" I'll always remember, and with Bill sticking around I'm looking forward to more championships in our future!

The extra help we were so excited to get with the new therapist we hired in Dec. left as quickly as it came. By mid-March it was apparent that things were pretty rocky. She just was not up to par on her knowledge-base, but at the same time was not open to learning to catch up either. Really the whole ordeal just brought a lot of office drama, and I was constantly stressed-out trying to make sure she was doing what she needed to do. When she quit it was honestly a blessing, and even though I have more quantity of work to do, at least I know I will get it done and trust the rest of my co-workers to do their part as well. There's nothing more draining than trying to do your job and babysitting someone else at the same time. So. . .we're still looking for another therapist. . .anyone interested? :)

With school winding down for the both of us (Raoul finished yesterday, I have one week to go) we are definitely looking forward to some fun this summer. Last week, we got word that Baskin Robbins was celebrating their 75th anniversary and had ice cream cones for 31 cents! We took Nelson and met up with friends and their 9 mo. old puppy to enjoy the cheapness. Then, we headed back to their place which has a huge fenced-in yard and just let the dogs play. At first Nelson was pretty timid since he was by far the smallest of the two dogs, but after awhile (with all of us cheering him on) he started to take some shots of his own. The best thing (other than enjoying some great company) was when we got home he pretty much crashed like a limp noodle and slept. We need to make more puppy play-dates!

On the schedule for this month: teaching a four-part series on Mormonism to the high school kids, a trip to Seattle next weekend to hang with Matt and Emily, Raoul's family coming to visit! And, we're looking forward to a 5 day get-away we are taking to San Diego starting May 31st! If warm weather won't come to us, we'll go to it!