Saturday, July 29, 2017

RIP, DUKE

Image may contain: dog

~RIP~
Sergeant "Duke" Hinton
"Such a Good Boy"
06/28/07 ~ 07/28/17

Image may contain: 1 person, child, tree, plant, outdoor and nature
We threw rose petals on Duke's grave yesterday

Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people sitting, tree, plant, child, outdoor and nature
Duke was always so excited when the grandchildren
came, because he loved them so much

Image may contain: 2 people, people standing, outdoor, food and nature
Oh, Duke ~ we miss you so

Image may contain: plant, tree, flower, outdoor and nature
We buried him beside our doxie granddawg Shadow,
who crossed the rainbow bridge 02/01/17. The spot is across our creek on
a little hill, under the trees. Our daughter Bethany and son-in-law Kurt are
providing his gravestone, just like the one they got for Shadow's.
Image may contain: flower, plant and indoor
My beautiful roses from Holly and Philip (Sunny's parents)
given to me yesterday. Aren't they gorgeous??

We are terribly sad at the loss of our beloved Duke, but knowing that he is no longer suffering helps a great deal. We are also amazed at the outpouring of love and support we've received from so many people we didn't even know! We can never thank them enough, because this loss of Duke, for me at least, has been the most heart-wrenching loss I've ever had, including those of my parents. It was just so unexpected, whereas we knew our parents were very ill. Duke got sick one week, and was gone within a week. If we had known what was wrong at the very beginning, perhaps we could have saved him. But that's now over, and we must look ahead, not back.

I know that at some point in the future I'll be able to smile again instead of cry when I think of him, but it's a bit early for me. He was a big part of our family for ten years, and I probably spent more time with him than with any other family member! Clark substitute teaches a lot during the school  year, so when he was gone all day four or five days a week, Duke was my constant companion. If I went to another room, he followed me (he didn't want to miss anything, especially food, lol!). He would listen when I talked to him, twisting his head like he understood.

When I've been sick, and especially when I had my two knee replacement surgeries, he stayed right by my side when I came home from the hospital. He was always there, ready for providing doggie kisses when the pain was so bad. He rejoiced with us when we were excited, he stuck to us like glue when we were upset, and was overjoyed if we shared some of our meals with him.

His death is the death of a dear and valued family member. He might have had fur and four legs instead of two, but he was far more than "just a dog." He was our fur child. And he knew it.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em . . . always.

Friday, July 28, 2017

SAYING GOOD-BYE TO MY DOXIE DUKE



DUKE FINAL UPDATE:
Dear friends,
Duke is no better this morning, and there's nothing further that can be done to help him, so we have chosen to send him over the rainbow bridge.He has much more swelling bc of internal bleeding, heart rate is up, his breathing more labored, no platelets forming.

More transfusions to "build him up" would only make him swell more, suffer more. So, as hard as it is, we don't want our beautiful boy to suffer further. I wish you could have known him and known his great personality!

We'll be at UGA by his side around 12 - 12:30 to hug him one last time and day good-bye. We'll have a family ceremony at home, and bury him on the little hill across our creek, beside his buddy Shadow.

Thanks for everything. My heart is too full to say more right now. God is good, even in the midst of deeply painful things. <{{{<


💔🐾🐾💔🐾🐾💔🐾🐾💔🐾🐾

💔

Thursday, July 27, 2017

AWAITING DUKE'S PLATELET COUNT

UPDATE on Duke 07/27/17, 12:55 p.m.:
UGA checked his platelet levels this morning, and there is no change YET. The vet said we need to give it another full day, as the med often doesn't kick in for three or four days.

The internal bleeding (stomach/GI tract) is worrisome, and until his platelet levels come up, there's no way of stopping it--but it isn't heavy, thankfully.

I posted last night that they had given him a red cell transfusion, as his levels had gone down due to loss of blood (also found in his stool).

So . . . we wait. Honestly, I was fine yesterday, not fine today. I miss my dawg and his dogginess. You fellow doxie lovers know where I am coming from!

Finally, whatever happens with Duke, I will NEVER forget the love and prayers shown to us by doxie lovers from everywhere. I have felt your prayers, your love, and your concern for Duke and his welfare. People I don't even know have private messaged me, offering prayer and commiseration! People have asked pertinent questions, not "canned" comments. God is in control, and you have been His ambassadors to our family, from my hubby and me down to the grandchildren, who love Duke so much. They had lost their doxie Shadow in February, who was 16.

LOVE to all of you, many who are also going through difficult times. I offer my prayers back to you, that God will comfort and sustain you, just as He's doing for us through you, friends, and family.
Duke is holding his own--he's not better, but he's certainly not worse at this writing. I'll take that for now .




Wednesday, July 26, 2017

DUKE: WE'RE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC



Duke had a good night and rested well. He's alert and calm--no blood tests today, just letting the meds to build up his blood platelets work. He's stable, and the vet also said Duke is a "sweet boy" (we knew that already).

That's good news. He's definitely not out of the woods yet, but we are cautiously optimistic regarding his outcome.

THANK YOU for all your prayers, kind comments, and concern. They are so uplifting right now.

Image result for dachshund praying

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, because they love us so much!

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

MY DOXIE DUKE: HE'S VERY SICK



Duke began throwing up last Wednesday, so by Friday, we took him to the vet. She noticed some bruising on his belly as well as pinpoint bruising in his ears, a sign that all was not well. A blood test confirmed that he had extremely low platelets, 18K--the range should be 117K to 450K +. Needless to say, we were very concerned. She put him on prednisone and three other meds to build up his system.

Friday 3 a.m. he started throwing up a good amount of blood, so we ended up taking him back to the UGA Veterinary Hospital ER; by then, he was in much pain, lethargic, and obviously suffering.  Last night they gave him platelets, but he was having a lot of trouble with that, so they also gave him a regular blood transfusion, which seemed to perk him up a bit. Today, he is stabilized, but is not in very good shape. Their job is to determine what is causing his low blood platelet count. Likely not the bone marrow, since his other blood elements are fine; could be an autoimmune response, where his body is devouring the platelets; could be some form of cancer.

Being completely honest, I vacillate from "everything is going to be okay" to "I'll never see my sweet fur baby again." I have to accept whatever comes. If it means he has to be on autoimmune meds the rest of his life, we are willing to do that. We do want him to have a good quality of life, though.

This situation is very difficult to accept. We've had Duke since he was eight weeks old, and he's just turned ten. He's been a wonderful pet and companion, even a nurse when I had my knee surgeries--he stayed right by my side to make sure I was okay.

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. I know he's "just a dog," but for those of us who think of our fur babies as family members, we go through about the same things as we do for humans. If that sounds weird or freaky, so be it. It is what it is.

God is in control, and if His eye is on a sparrow in a tree, He's watching over Duke right now.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.





Friday, July 21, 2017

THAT DACHSHUND "LOOK," A.K.A., STINK EYE

Image may contain: dog

Does your doxie ever give you the "stink eye"? My doxie Duke certainly does, especially when something doesn't go his way!

Duke also does NOT like to be made fun of, so if we laugh at him and/or point at him, he lets us know in no uncertain terms that he thinks it's rude!

Dachshunds, you gotta love 'em, even when they're being bratty!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

I WANT ONE!

No automatic alt text available.

This laptop design would be PERFECT for those of us who have pets--especially pets who think they are supposed to be in our laps while we work on those laptops, lol.

I'm from the old school: I don't own a laptop!  After you pick yourself up off the floor, hear this: I use my desktop, yes, but mostly my iphone for most of my work. I post to this blog, my other blog, word processing, and update my website on my desktop, but do social media on my iphone (Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook). 

To each his own, right?

Image may contain: laptop and dog

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

DACHSHUNDS CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE

Below is a rendition of "Starry Night," with apologies to Vincent Van Gogh:

Image may contain: dog
Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, no matter where you find them.

UNDIVIDED ATTENTION

Image may contain: dog

For those who haven't been following this blog, the photo above is of my two granddawgs, Sunny the doxie (3 mo. old) and Bruno the boxer (three years old).

Our daughter happened to be eating something while sitting on the couch, and this was her view when she looked up!

Dachshunds (and boxers) . . . you gotta love 'em!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

FIVE BOOKS IN ONE CONVENIENT E-BOOK!


Today we're featuring the complete series in one convenient ebook! Check it out by clicking on the link below:


Chock full of hilarious antics and doxie wisdom, Sarge the dachshund relates his life from adoption at eight weeks of age until he "retires" from writing at age 15 with Book 5. Dog lovers of all ages love this insight from the family dog, and he pulls no punches in sharing exactly how he feels about humans and life in his "circus," a.k.a. his human family. Those strong doxie traits of loyalty, love, comedy, stubbornness, and love for life are prevalent throughout Sarge's tales of both joy and disappointment, but he rises to all occasions with savvy and keen perception. You won't be disappointed as you ride the roller coaster of Sarge's tales, full of humor and unconditional love.

Free Kindle reading apps available:www.amazon.com/kindleappwww.amazon.com/kindleapp
(for smartphone, tablet, or computer)



Friday, July 14, 2017

SUNNY VS. BRUNO: LIVELY DUO

Dachshund vs. Boxer: who do you think won this play session??

Yep, that's right--our three-month-old doxie granddawg Sunny was the aggressor (shock!). I gotta admit, however, that her boxer brother Bruno was a true gentleman in this play session below. He could take her out in one bite if he were so inclined, but he's obviously so overjoyed to have a playmate that he indulges her.

Besides, being the 100% doxie that she is, Sunny truly believes that she's as big and strong as Bruno.






Image may contain: dog
Hard to believe that this innocent little thing
is the same aggressive dog from the video above!

Dachshunds (and boxers) . . . you gotta love 'em.

Friday, July 7, 2017

DO YOU SEE THIS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?

Image may contain: dog
"Wake up! I'm hungry! Play with me! I wanna go out!"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em (even if you want to strangle them at the moment).

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

SOOOOOO TIRED

For the Fourth, our family did what most American families do: we had a cookout and watched fireworks. However, we also celebrated my hubby's birthday--yep, he was "born on the Fourth of July" (didn't they make a movie in his honor, haha?)

We had the cookout at our house, and our daughter brought little granddawg Sunny along. Oh, she's so cute and playful. Our doxie Duke wasn't too thrilled with the youngster following him around and biting him in the posterior, though. She stayed so busy exploring, and we all stayed busy seeing what she was up to!

Neither dog was fond of the firework boomies (as most dogs), because we're only a half mile from our town green where all the festivities were. The rest of the family went up there, but us old fogies stayed home with the doggies. Not only could we see and hear the fireworks from our house, but around the neighborhood and beyond the woods, others also set off their own fireworks. The dogs were scared, but we each held one and comforted them as best we could.

Image may contain: dog and indoor
Sunny was so tired that she snoozed all
the way home

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em