Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dozer's Christmas present

Dozer turned nine last month. I promised him a birthday party, but that didn't happen. Not even a little present, unless you count the allergy shots he's getting every three days or so (hey, he gets cheese as a treat for taking his shots so well).

Nine years is decidedly senior for a big dog like him (90 lbs). But he doesn't show his age, except that he's slowly falling apart physically.

Last week he had a major allergy episode, and had a staph breakout. He's on antibiotics.

He's also on a special prescription shampoo. I have to bathe him every 3 days. I gave him the first bath on Friday and he sloughed more fur than I've ever seen him shed before. I had a Chihuahua-sized pile of fur on the shower floor at the end, and Dozer continued to drop huge dust bunnies as I dried him.

Dozer also has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon--finally--to officially diagnose what appears to be a torn meniscus in his leg (the one that previously had a torn ACL and subsequent surgery).

If it is a torn meniscus, Dozer will probably have surgery the week before Christmas. Yes, another surgery.

So his Christmas present--and ours--will be... surgery! Yay!

I'm still recovering from the bill for his dental surgery to remove his cracked tooth. And it looks like we'll need another surgery in the future because of an odd growth on his front leg.

I'm still working two jobs. Actually, the freelance job is on break for the holidays--but that only helps me in that I don't have to come home from work and do more paid work. I come home from work and do unpaid work instead.

Byrd swore up and down that, if I went back to a regular job, he would absolutely help out with the housework, cooking, and all that jazz. Let me give credit where credit is due: Byrd has done 1 load of laundry (his pants only) and 2 loads of dishes in the last two months. (Note: At our house, I fill a dishwasher in two days, and do about ten loads of laundry a week. So Byrd has assisted with 3% of dishes and 2.5% of laundry in last 2 months.) He also cooked three meals in a row! (7.5% of meals) OK, you get the point. I still love him. I just wish he understood how much time gets sucked out of my evenings and weekends by chores.

I've worked full time before, and it seems like Byrd was a lot more helpful then. Or maybe I had more time for chores, because I wasn't as involved with volunteer work, website maintenance, and the like. Maybe it was a combination of both.

Anyway, the discouraging thing is that all of the money I'm making from my awesome new full-time job is going straight to vet bills. I can only give my most heartfelt thanks--and a sparkly greeting card from Target--to the people who hired me just when I needed the money the most.

Happy Holidays to you all! May you have a surgery-free vacation. :)

8 comments:

Heather in MN said...

I don't know why men do this, but they all seem to do it in one capacity or another. My dh finally got the message after I repeatedly stood up for myself and said, "Equal partners here. Working as much as you are, only not getting paid as much." It seemed to sink in.
I've tried every trick in the book to show my husband that I work as hard (if not harder) than he does. One thing that helped me, if not him, was writing down all the crap I do every day, and how long everything took. Picking up kids from school? 45 minutes. Being available for homework help? 2 hours. Making phone calls regarding doctor's appts., an bill that was lost in the mail, etc.: half hour. You get the picture. It does help to prove where your time goes.
I hope this helps. Just because we're women doesn't mean we're LESS.
Heather

Forsythia said...

Here is how to get your husband to pull more of his weight around the house. Break your femur. It's a little painful, and maybe even a little drastic, but it works.

The Oceanside Animals said...

hello jennifer its dennis the vizsla dog hay i am sorry things ar so crazy their and that dozer needs more surdjery i am pritty shoor its the ninja hedjhogs fawlt ennyway i hope things settel down and yoo git the help yoo need and that yoo al hav a merry krismas eeven with the surdjery!!! ok bye

Kari in Alaska said...

oh no! I hope Dozer is well soon! Once my DH is here I will be so happy to have someone to help out with the chores

Daisy Dog said...

Oh Jennifer! I have been worried about you and Dozer. I know you are super hectic busy, and not having any help around the house makes it 100 times worse, so I figured at some point you would surface and give us and update. I am sorry to hear about poor Dozer’s health issues  sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Daisy’s meniscus was torn and removed during the surgery she had for her knee.

I think you probably need to put your foot down with Byrd. Either that or stopping feeding him! LOL! I wish I was closer I would bring you a casserole  or do some laundry, or at least provide better moral support. My life is not as hectic as yours.

I miss reading your blogs, but I know that you are super busy. Too bad Dozer didn’t get a party! Maybe Daisy better send off a belated birthday present. Does Dozer have food allergies, or can he eat treats? I was going to try and make some homemade ones this weekend!

happypitbull said...

Thanks for all the support, guys. The holiday season is always nuts for me, and this year seems worse than usual. We aren't even going to put up decorations this year... no time.

Today we got the official diagnosis of Dozer's leg (torn meniscus, as suspected) and the surgery estimate, which floored me: over $2K. :o :o :o That's more expensive than his TPLO surgery, though this vet is not a low-cost clinic. This is the best orthopedic surgeon in town.

I asked why the meniscus wasn't dealt with when Dozer got the TPLO, and the vet said it was likely that it tore at some point after the surgery, during his recovery period. He said it happens in about 10% of cases. We are in the unlucky percentage.

Dozer apparently doesn't have any food allergies, according to his allergy test results. But lately he's refusing to eat crunchy foods unless we break it up or soggify it (oh god please don't let it be another broken tooth). Of course, I bet he'd eat anything from Daisy. :)

PBOforlife said...

I'm so sorry for everything your going through. Vet bills are a necessary evil unfortunately.
As far as Byrd, I say quit cooking dinner. He'll get the idea. Mine used to complain about what I was going to cook for dinner until I told him to figure it out himself. Suddenly, whatever I was going to cook sounded good. Hmmmm. They're worse than kids.
Try to have a Great christmas. I wish I was in Texas and could help.

Anonymous said...

We got the tweet about Dozer!!! I hope he is ok. We are worried, will you send an update when you get a chance?