Stupid blogger

Blogger won't let me post photos, so my marijuana lookalike plant and Barney the Wonder Toad will have to wait.

Instead, I'll talk about my dogs and their various medical problems, which I think will soon cost me much $$:

Monster has hip dysplasia. Over the last 3-4 months, he has degenerated to where he is completely unable to jump on beds or couches, and has a lot of trouble going up stairs. He takes one step at a time and frequently makes the most pitiful crying noises. And since we live in a hilly neighborhood, in a multi-story house where you have to climb a flight of stairs to even get to the front door, he has to use them. Right now, we are giving him glucosamine supplements and an anti-inflammatory drug called Rimadyl. The problem is that this condition will not go away, and it is unlikely to get better. The medicine is bad for his liver, and we can't keep him on it forever. Our other options include anti-inflammatory injections that he would get once ever four days for awhile, and then once a month probably for the rest of his life, or surgery. Surgery would be either a procedure where they cut off the top of his hip bones, or total hip replacements. In either case, it would be an enormous amount of pain and physical therapy for Monster, and an enormous vet bill for us. We haven't gotten as far as considering those options yet. We're hoping that a combination of the Rimadyl, glucosamine, and gentle exercises will get him to the point where he can live a mostly pain-free life. We're also trying to figure out how to make ramps for our four flights of stairs.

Sebastian has always been healthy. He is just very anxious and over-protective of me. But yesterday evening while we were all watching a movie, he suddenly attacked Monster for no reason. With his hip, poor Monster couldn't really do anything but squeal and pee on himself (which he did). We pulled Sebastian off of him, and he almost immediately calmed down and became his usual self. We locked him in the bathroom for awhile, then took them on their nightly walk and went to bed. In the middle of the night, we woke up to the sound of him throwing up. Brandon got up to clean it up, and discovered that he was throwing up bloody mucus. Eventually, he got some milk down and went back to sleep. I'm not sure if that is connected to the fight with Monster, but you never know. He has an appointment at the vet this afternoon. Brandon thinks he has an ulcer, and I hope he's right, considering the alternatives.