My Diary
24 June 05 - First Day!
Hi
everyone, Nugget here, just wanted to let you know about my first day at my
new home. Mom and dad are real nice, mom barely lets my feet touch the floor
but its ok because I really like hanging out with her. When we got home last
night mom let me have a little of the other dogs food, it was ok and I ate it
but I was much happier today when dad took me to petsmart to get some ceasar
food just like I had at the shelter, I ate it all up...good stuff. Dad says
I have to get used to some crunchy food too though to keep my teeth healthy.
Dad was off today so we got to hang out, he's alright and he did take me shopping
at petsmart (got myself a snazzy new bed and harness) but I definitely prefer
mom, I was looking around for her all day, well between naps anyway. My new
brothers and sisters are ok I guess, still a bit overwhelming but I dont mind
them so much and they did show me around the yard (very good place to play)
Mom and dad get very excited when I go potty out there, I suspect they need
a new hobby, but I guess they didnt take kindly to me annoucing my arrival last
night with a little shower on the floor so Ive been keeping it outdoors ever
since. Ive got this great den to hang out in too when mom and dad arent around,
its got very comfy blankets and my new bed and I can hide my toys in there so
my brother ricky doesnt take them. It gives me some nice alone time when I need
it, sometimes the instant family can be overwhelming.
Mom and dad dont seem to understand that I must protect and sample their dinner.
I tried to growl and snap at them to establish my role but they were not pleased
and kindly told me so. Im not allowed to sit with them during dinner now and
must instead go play with the rest of the family, probably for the best. Sometimes
I forget this is a good place and I still grumble and complain but I get some
nice pats and the good stuff all comes back to me and I settle in again. Still
got that nagging cough so I went to see the doc tonite. Dad says better sooner
than later so the doc knows me and we can build a relationship. She was nice
enough and said everything seemed good. She gave me some cough medicine just
in case but dad doesnt think I will need it as Im not coughing much only when
I get really worked up, but its good to have it in case I keep myself awake
at night coughing.
As you can see I convinced them to relent and keep my name Nugget, for some
silly reason they thought of changing it but finally they said it suits me so
Nugget I will stay. Of course dad likes to mess with me and call me nuggles
and nugenator and all kinds of silly things and every once in awhile he calls
me Steve...I think he does it to drive mom crazy...perhaps he's just got a screw
loose. Well I must be off, time to go out in the yard a bit and get ready for
bed.
29 June 2005 - Funny Story
Hi Everyone! Nugget here. So last night dad was laying at one end of the sofa with Lucy beside him. He wasn't feeling very well so I thought he could use some good Chihuahua therapy to make him feel better. I'm still a little leery of my siblings at times so I got a good running start from the other end of the sofa to jump over Lucy. I cleared her no problem but miscalculated my landing area and proceeded to head butt dad right in the stomach. As he lay writhing on the ground muttering something about a "nugget projectile" mom came over to ensure I hadn't hurt myself. I was fine and dad must have been feeling better because he was finally moving again :)
30 June 2005 - One Week!
Hi
everyone! Nugget here. Wow, one week already, hard to believe. Overall things
are going well so where do I start...
Food, always a good place to start as I do love it so much. I've been eating
real good, getting my serving of nice moist canned food each morning and night
along with my siblings feedings. I scarf it all down its yummy. I also got some
swanky new food dishes which dont tip over as much, I have a bad habit of flooding
my den with my water dish so dad says these will help. Dad insisted I needed
some crunch in my diet to keep my teeth strong and healthy so while Im contemplating
life in my den during the day I have a dish of crunchy stuff available. Its
a good way to pass the time and Ive been eating it all up. Sometimes I think
when he's not looking mom is sneaking some "sauce" on it to flavor
it up and soften it for me but lets not tell him. Along with that we get some
snacks and treats. Ever since seeing the Doc last week I get 2 slices of hot
dog a day, Ive noticed brother Jaq gets the same. I finally figured it out that
dad is slipping some medicine in there but dont tell him because he thinks he's
clever and I like getting hot dogs. We also have other treats around, my siblings
go nuts for these crunchy ones ( I think mom and dad called them milk bones
but I didnt see any milk around) but I prefer the softer chewy ones. Prefer
them so much in fact that the first time they gave me one I stood obsessing
in front of the drawer they came from for an hour trying to get more. It's the
first time I havent been glued to mom when she is around. A little independence
is good, I dont want her to get too reliant on me always having to guard her.
Speaking of guarding her, she needs lots of it. It seems the my siblings are
always after her for one thing or another, dont they realize she is mine? Generally
Ricky and I will get in a bit of a shouting match about it at times. One time
I got a bit too carried away with it and nipped mom. I felt awful bad about
it afterwards, I didnt want to hurt her. I don't get in shouting matches with
brother Jaq, in general I try to steer clear of him. Heck, Im not even sure
he can see me from way up there but I dont want to get stepped on just in case.
I fear I may be a bit too bite sized for him, but dad says he's gentle and really
I haven't had any problems with him so I will keep working on that slowly. Sister
Lucy is pretty mellow, we get along alright, well co-exist is more like it,
its hard to develop a relationship with someone who is always asleep. Mostly
Ricky and I are at odds but dad says it's because we are too much alike....we
both love mom and right now Im not ready to share, but Im slowly getting better.
And when he came over to sample my dinner I showed great self restraint and
let him have a taste with no arguments, although mom and dad quickly put a stop
to that.
To quote one of the great entertainers of my species my new home is full of
wonderful new things.....FOR ME TO POOP ON! Ok well I only pooped on one thing
and really it wasnt all my fault, I was stuck on the sofa with no way down (dad
is going to build me a step he says) I do tend to keep the folks on their toes
by marking things in my own special way. I'm getting better about it, I can
see they arent pleased, but sometimes nature just calls and I like to answer
on the first ring.
I have a great new morning routine which has become much fun, mom gets me up
early to go out....Im not much of a morning person. But then she brings me back
to the bedroom and I get to harrass dad while he sleeps and she gets ready for
her day. At first I just barked at him from my den so he woke his lazy butt
up and let me hang out on the bed with him. Now we just skip the den and go
straight to the bed. Sometimes I feel sorry for him and let him sleep, sometimes
I even sleep a little too. Other days I feel its my duty to ensure he is not
late for work. Either way he seems to like it and I get to spend a bit of time
with him while waiting for my mommy to return.
Speaking of mommy, we have a great new game. When she takes her shoes off at
night I like to chase her feet and pants cuffs. She wiggles that darn foot and
I go nuts, then she starts with the other one. Before I know it I'm going back
and forth and in circles and she is hopping from foot to foot. We both have
a good laugh and dad says we are dancing. They both seem pleased to see Im relaxing
and starting to play. Silly people, I like to play but I have the serious business
of guarding mommy to think about too....can't be all play.
Oh and on the subject of silliness when will dad stop with the silly names.
His latest is to call me Chicken McNugget....Im no chicken...what's he trying
to imply?
Dad says since Im doing so well with my email he may let me have a website soon
(and he has). He thinks it will be a better place for me to put updates about
my life and tell people about all the good things at AWA. He has links on his
own website but its all about cars and stuff so those people might not care
too much about what I have to say or or what the cool folks at the AWA have
going on.
1 July 2005
Hi everyone. Nugget here. Dad came home sick early yesterday so I got to hang with him a bit more. It was a real turning point for us. I've been less of a mammas boy today and decided dad is alright. He gives really good scratches. In fact he was scratching under my chin and tried to stop and pull away so I pressed my head into his hand to pin him against the sofa so he had to continue. When he tried to stop again I figured further prompting was needed so as he moved his hand I just stayed with it and finally trapped him with my paws to get more scritches. We also played the chase the foot game. Sometimes mom, dad and me play together and I have to run back and forth between their feet, its alot of fun. Overall Im adjusting pretty well exept for sometimes forgetting to tell folks when I need to go out...gotta work on that one. I've even been getting along better with brother ricky, we used a team effort to steal some cheetos yesterday, teamwork is good. Dad told me they weren't good for me but he had a hard time being mad because at least I was doing *something* with the other dogs. Later he caught us hanging out together and got a photo before we could deny it.
On a separate note, cheetos become very pasty in ones mouth and are worse than peanut butter to try and lick off my teeth, not so sure I'll try that again.
11 July 2005
Hi Everyone! Nugget here. Well, its been another one of those weeks. Went to see the doc again Friday, been having some trouble keeping my food down and just generally feeling pretty run down. I was in a rather feisty mood and mom cautioned the doc I might nip so she put this awful thing over my face to keep my mouth shut. Quite horrifying. Dad kept calling me Nugget Lechter...I am not amused. As if that all wasn't bad enough they started saying something about my temperature and the next thing I know I'm being violated. That was an eye opener. Doc said I looked ok but my weight was down and she recommended they try feeding me some chicken for a few days....woohoo....now that's the kind of medicine I can get into, yummie good stuff. They took some blood from me too, dad will find out soon if there was anything funny going on there.
Other than that I'm still settling in and getting adjusted. I still try to steer clear of the bigger dogs but I've come to realize its not necessary to stay on the other side of the room when they are around. I still feel grumpy at times, and I forget this is a good place and I nip at mom or dad. It really makes mom sad and I quickly realize what I've done and I feel sorry. Met the neighbor yesterday, he's rather large and imposing so I had to put on a good show of force so he knew not to mess with my place. I don't think he took me seriously though because he just stood there while I gave him my most menacing bark, and when I threatened to bite him....that crazy man just let me do it. He seemed all right though; I guess I'll just put him on my watch list just in case.
Seems everyone who comes around knows about the foot game now. And no matter how grumpy I am or how much I bark they just flash those toes and I forget all about it and just have to play. *Sigh* I feel like a tool, but I can't resist.
Still hanging with dad in the morning, this morning was lots of fun. He was very asleep when I came over and started scratching next to his head. He thought I was trying to wake him up but I just wanted to get under the covers so I could go back to sleep too. He finally figured it out and mom just laughed at us when she came back in and found me asleep under the covers next to him. She is sooo easily amused.
Well, that’s about all to report for now. My plans for world conquest continue, one mushy heart at a time. Hey, Im irresistable :)
UPDATE - Hi Everyone, Nuggets dad here. Nugget is off resting as he is again having a bad day. I fear our little buddy is a bit sicker than we all realized. Based on preliminary blood work and his symptoms it appears Nugget may have Addison's Disease. This disease prevents his adreanal glands from producing hormones in the correct amounts and throws his sodium and potassium levels off. The initial blood tests showed a very low sodium level and an elevated (although within acceptable parameters) potassium level. He has gone through bouts of vomiting, diareah, weakness and lethargy and tremors, all of which are signs of Addison's. On his good days you would never know a thing is wrong, but his bad days are getting worse and the lack of eating and vomiting have caused him to loose weight when we are so desperately trying to put a little more weight on him. He is down to 5lbs 7oz from his last vet visit where he was 5lbs 10oz. He will go in wednesday for an ACTH test which will confirm the diagnosis of Addison's so we may begin treatment. It is a frightening disease as the elevated potassium levels can lead to alot of problems but the good news is its all treatable and it looks like we have caught it early on. Although he's only been with us a short time now he is so much a part of our lives and our family we will do whatever is needed to help him through this. We will keep everyone updated on his diagnosis and condition. --Jim
Nugget resting after having a bad day.
13 July 2005
Hi Everyone. Jim here, Nugget went off to the vet's this morning. He is really in a bad way, very run down, won't eat and just has all kinds of nasty coming out each end. They did the ACTH test, which at this point is all but a formality. Right now he is still there resting and getting some IV fluids to help him out. They are also going to give him a steroid injection before he leaves tonite. If he does have addison's it will help and if he doesn't it won't hurt so it's worth starting now. He has been so sad I can't wait for him to feel better no matter what it takes. I almost look forward to him being back to his little ball of attitude and barking and growling at me again. He has been a real sweetie through it all and just wants snuggles to help him feel better. So not too much to report other than he is in good hands and we are all hoping for the best. He will be back to his own updates soon enough, Im sure of it.
14 July 2005
Hi Everyone! Nugget here. To quote Mark Twain "The news of my demise is greatly exaggerated." Seriously, mom is a nervous wreck, she needs to relax. Ok, so I have been a little under the weather, and I did spend the day with the doc yesterday. All kinds of funny tests, noone told me to study so Im not sure how I did, dad is supposed to find out this afternoon. They did hook me up with some IV fluids and a shot which have helped me perk up a bit. Overall Im still tired alot, and its taking a bit for me to warm up to my food again but I can't stay mad at food for long so that should end soon. Of course I have to take some pills right now, mostly just to keep me from getting worse until the test results are back. This is of great frustration to dad since Im not very ready to eat right now so he cant really hide them in anything. It'll keep him on his toes. Of course the Pepto Bismol he is supposed to be giving me really keeps him on his toes too. It is nasty vile stuff and Im not going to go easy on that one. We had a great family bonding moment this morning, me, mom and dad, as they tried to figure out how to get me to take it. Dad tried to use an eyedropper to shoot it in my mouth but I'm smarter than that so I turned my head and most of it ended up on my face. Nugget 1 people 0. I had to lick it off right away, I don't want to be running around with pink stuff on me......waitaminute....dang it....that means they succeeded in getting me to take it anyway....rats, going to need a new strategy here. Guess its people 1 Nugget 0....outsmarted again. Well Im off to rest up and see what the future holds, everything is looking good, I'm well cared for and mom and dad seem pretty committed to making me feel better.
15 July 2005
Hi Everyone. Nugget here. Well, dad said my test results were positive so I guess that means I passed, not bad for not studying at all. I have to take a little pill every day now, dad says its .1mg of Florinef in case anyone is interested. I dont know what that means, but I do know it means a steady supply of hot dogs for me. Still not very interested in my food, but I'm loving the hot dogs and my gooberlicious snacks. I'm feeling a bit more energetic between my naps than before but I'm still taking my naps alot, rest is good they say. And I want to give a big shout out to the good folks at the Blackwood Animal Hospital, they have been very good to me and gave me the best care, I highly recommend them if you need any doctors. And they are building a new office dad tells me so it should be a really cool new place soon. Mom and dad said with all us dogs here and all our medical problems we should have our own wing :) If you need to contact them there information is on my links page.
21 July 2005
Hi Everyone. Nugget here. Well its been almost a week now and let me tell ya, I feel great. One magic hot dog a day and life is good. Tomorrow I go in for a follow on blood test to see if they need to adjust my dosages but Im feelin' fine. In fact my only real complaint is I broke a nail. Hurts kinda bad, chipped it pretty good, but in the grand scheme of things I guess its pretty minor. Now that Im feeling back to my old self I'm, well....back to being my old self and growling and complaining and I've slipped up and nipped at mom and dad a few times. Dad's been pretty patient with me and we've been working together on it so Im learning to calm down and trust people a bit better and not automatically go on the defensive. I stil love mom best, she is lots of fun to hang out with. Sooner or later I have to learn to master the huge climb to get upstairs because I hate being left behind when she goes up there. Mom and dad have been working with me on that too but its still pretty scary. Just wanted to let everything know that things are good, Ive been eating alot too and dad says I dont look so bony anymore....who's he callin bony?
26 July 2005
Hi Everyone. Nugget here. Things are going great. I had my blood test last friday. My weight was back up to 5lbs 10oz already which is where I was before all this started so mom and dad are very happy. The results came back yesterday and while my sodium level looks good now my potassium level is still high so now I get an extra magic hot dog each day....thats alright by me :)
This weekend sister Lucy got a bath, she gets funky real quick so she gets baths pretty often. I decided to be nosy and I snuck into the bathroom while it was going on. Mom musta been feeling adventurous because she decided I might as well get one too. Now I don't know what she was thinking but I can tell you it is not one of those situations where Im going to go quitely. Then dad pulled the big surprise on me. He pulled out one of those awful things that he says makes me look like "Nugget Lechter" and strapped my face. That kinda killed my plans for a snarling flying chihuahua attack. Still I fought the good fight and it took both of them to get the job done. I guess its good to be clean, but really did they have to use the stuff that smells like apples? Don't they have any good smells like roadkill or cat poo? After the horror they were drying me off and trying to put my harness back on when I pulled out my surprise, I had figured out how to get that thing off my face. They were so shocked and I'm sure frightened by my awesome skills and might that I couldn't bring myself to continue with an attack so I relented and let them put my harness on.
Guess what?! I now know how to get on and off the sofa all on my own....and I can climb the stairs. Still haven't figured out how to go back down them but mom seems to be happy overall that I'm striking out on my own and learning new things. Of course with new accomplishments and independence comes new problems. Now that I'm a bit more comfortable around here Im trying to work my way up the status ladder with my siblings. Overall I don't think they take me too seriously.....I'm gonna have to start working out and bulk up. Yeah, thats it, I'm gonna be big, bad and buff. Off to the gym, see you all soon.
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