Good and Bad News Again

And Merry Christmas!

Hi there, we hope you are happy and healthy out there.

Family Update

This week has brought some challenges for our family. The dogs and cat are fine, as are Kris and me, but Kris’ step-dad has had a rough week.

Without getting into too much detail to respect his privacy, I mentioned in last week’s newsletter that he was in a minor accident and went to the hospital. He was on his way to pet emergency with one of his cats, Mouse. He was very disoriented and couldn’t describe why he was headed there, so Kris and I split up. She went to the hospital, and I took the cat to emergency. Luckily, it was a minor urinary issue, and Mouse seems to be doing just fine.

Gord is still in the hospital, and he received some hard news. He suffered both a stroke and a heart attack. It’s unclear if they caused the accident, but they likely played a part. Miraculously, Gord has suffered little—if any—physical or cognitive impairment from the stroke, which is incredible. However, his heart is another issue. He is awaiting an angioplasty on Tuesday or Wednesday, and he may need a stent or possibly heart surgery. He is stable right now and doing okay.

Kris has been at the hospital with him this week, and I’ve been holding down the fort after school. Christmas holidays couldn’t come soon enough, as we are both pretty drained.

Things could be so much worse, so we’re trying to take the wins where we can. Kris got permission to bring Doc, Gord’s miniature schnauzer, in for a visit, and it really boosted his mental state. We’re working on getting him another visit, but Gord has been moved into the cardiac ward, and things are much more locked down there.

With luck, the angioplasty will show less than a 70% blockage (which they suspect caused the heart attack), and it can be treated without surgery. All things considered, what comes will come, and Gord is in the right place to get better.

Okay—what’s up with the pets this week?

Brix

Brix continues to grow like a weed, probably because he’s being watered by Bernoulli. The little kitten gets more confident each day and loves mixing it up with the dogs. He wants to hang out with them all day, every day, and still tries to be Beaker’s friend. As long as he isn’t touching her, she has begrudgingly accepted the tiny fry. Bunsen just loves Brix and watches him carefully as he moves around the house. Bernoulli is still completely smitten, but this week Brix has started trying to play with him. In fact, he chased Bernoulli, smacked him, and then ran away. Bernoulli had absolutely no idea what to do

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Bunsen

Bunsen’s nagging surgery wound on his leg is still a struggle. We’ve taken off the cone and switched back to the shirt. He can lick the wound a bit through the shirt, but it’s limited enough that it’s slowly healing. The vet figures it will take about a month for it to scab over enough that, even if Bunsen picks at it, it won’t become a raw sore again. The shirt isn’t a big deal, and Bunsen wears it without complaint—he was definitely getting sick of the cone. Kris took Bunsen for more laser therapy this week, and he seems to really enjoy going. I’ve taken the dogs on a couple of creek walks, and Bunsen is doing just fine in the snow, which is awesome because he LOVES winter. It would be a shame for him to miss most of it again this year.

Beaker and Bernoulli

Nothing much to report with these two! They’re both super happy and had a great week at doggie daycare. Personally, I’m really looking forward to having time to ski with them and go snowshoeing over the break—though this past Saturday and Sunday were wicked cold (-25 to -30°C), so it takes a bit of psyching up to get out there. Ha!

That’s about it for the newsletter today. Next week I’ll spend more time on a more polished one, but for now, Kris and I are wishing you all happy holidays—and if you celebrate, a very Merry Christmas!