Monday, August 15, 2011 at 8:10PM After her appointment on Thursday, and because she looked so darn good after her day with Sydney at Petite Paws, Stella got a special treat - a visit with her friends over at BiMart Corporate.
Nicki & Stella
Holley & Stella
Holley & Doodle Dog share a moment.
What a great day! Holley and Nicki, thank you for letting Stella visit. She wants to know when she can come back.
Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 7:27PM What a great day! Stella went in for her 30-day follow up today with Dr. Bottorff, her cardiologist up at the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She jumped out of the car, trotted up to the door, and waltzed right in. Of course, there came a brief moment when you could see the wheels turning in her head . . .
"Hey, wait a minute. I remember this place. I'm not sure I wanna be here."
She weighed in at 73 lbs. Perfect, and down from her all too high of 85. We went into an exam room and the fourth-year student on duty this day, Marie, was great.
Marie: How's Stella been doing?
Me: Great!
Marie: Eating?
Me: Yep.
Marie: Drinking water?
Me: Yep.
Marie: Getting moderate exercise?
Me: Yep, yep, yep.
I explained how each day since the day she returned home she has improved. And she has. She eats well, peeps and poops, walks up and down the block without stopping to rest, and sleeps soundly through the night.
When Dr. Bottorff came into the room, Stella let him examine her and check her heart. Stella loves Dr Bottorff. No question about it. And he is so good with her. I'll never be able to describe adequately how grateful I am for the way he was with both Stella and me during this whole series of events. And had it gone any other way, I would feel the same.
She had an ECG and it showed that her pacemaker was working perfectly. 80 glorious beats a minute. He also did x-rays to check Stella's lungs (that's where the cancer will most likely turn up when (and let's just go ahead and say if) it does. The x-rays showed no problems.
Dr. Bryan Bottorff & You Know Who
So now Stella has a green light for whatever level of activity she's is up for. Mostly she's up for strolls through the neighborhood when the weather's cool so she can find out who's been there right before her (sniff, sniff, sniff), making her way upstairs to help me with my office work, and waiting for her trip to the beach.
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 4:03PM It's been more than two months since Stella visited Sydney for a Spa Day. She usually goes every three to four weeks on average, so you can imagine what the situation was after so long a time. (See previous post pic, for example . . . ).
Tangled hair, mats, toe nails four inches long, hair in her eyes - just plain groad-bomb.
Sydney took one feel through Stella and said something to the effect of, "Oh boy, I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to comb through those mats." I knew that was true, and it was a kind and gentle understatement on her part. We knelt together on the floor and I showed Sydney all her souvenirs - where the pacemaker was, how the wiring ran down her neck. And because Stella was lying flat between us, I didn't turn her over but explained the stitches scar from stem to stern on her belly.
Me: "What's the solution?"
Sydney: "Shave her."
[Long pause]
Me: "I know, but I just can't do that. I'm not sure how long she'll be around and I need to always know her with her Stell Dell bearded collie hairy monster looks. What else can we do?"
Sydney: "The mats will start to cause pain as they continue to tighten up and pull her skin, so . . ."
Me: "Oh boy. Well, I don't want that. She's been through enough. I'm okay with shaving the backs of her legs to get rid of those mats. They're really bad. And I guess I'll just leave the rest up to you."
Sydney: "I'll do my best."
And I knew she would.
And she did. . .
Stella Before
Please note the paws especially. And you can't even see the other side of them where the real trouble was. Groad-bomb. Lovable as ever, but groad-bomb.
Stella After
Night and day? Oh yeah...
The Transformer
The woman of the hour, Stella's bud and mine - Sydney. Sydney's been keeping Stella trimmed up and tidy for 13 years. She owns Petit Paws Pet Parlor in Eugene. This afternoon she transformed Stella from her post-op, recovery, and groad-bomb self to the beautiful bearded collie I love.
Stella will always be a work in progress. And Sydney reminded me that that's what we all are - works in progress.
Amen.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:51AM Look out Sydney! Stella's coming in Friday. Oh boy, howdy. Sharpen your mat-pullers, refill your shampoo bottles, and take four aspirins now to prepare!
There's now a new definition of Groad-Bomb! And her name is Stella!
