Untitled 260 -and- Mojito update

This is an older pastel, a mini.

Untitled 260.  Pastel.  Approximately 2" x 2."  Purchase information: jala[at]jalapfaff.com

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Well, Mojito (the dog, if you're new to this blog) decided to give me a good scare the past couple of days. Fortunately he is doing well now, and should keep improving until back to normal within a week or so.

He developed a sudden case of life-threatening hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (which I'd never heard of before) and had to spend a night and day in the veterinary emergency intensive care hospital, receiving continuous, large quantities of intravenous fluids, anti-nausea medication and antibiotics. 

As is often the case with this illness, the vets don't know what caused it. Chances are good he consumed something toxic to him in the park; he is one of five dogs that frequent the local dog park that became very ill with this during the weekend. Fortunately, after a great deal of veterinary bills and worry all around, it appears that all five of our dogs are going to recover. (We all found out about all the other dogs just today and yesterday, by asking everyone.) 

We are all worried, of course, about our dogs or others getting sick again, since no one knows what caused it. (The worst fear, of course, is that some horrible person purposely left something poisonous in the park that would appeal to dogs. But even if it was something completely different, since we don't know what it was, it could still be present, or it could recur.) Everyone around here brings their dogs to this park at least once a day, sometimes three times a day. It's a huge and beautiful park that serves all the area condos.

I was able to bring him home today, and he is exhausted but so happy to be back home. (And the kitties were happy to have him back, as well.) He'll be on antibiotics for a week, as well as a bland diet. It was terrifying to see that much vomiting and diarrhea, and especially terrifying to see bloody diarrhea. Moji has rarely had anything at all wrong with him, and I actually don't recall him ever throwing up before, remarkably. Right now he is sleeping profoundly and peacefully, with a doggie smile.

As long as he doesn't start vomiting and/or diarrhea again, we are most likely out of the woods on this one. Wow, dodging a lot of bullets lately... and it's been very hard dealing with the financial stress (I don't have so much as a dollar to spare and had to get a special vet-bill sort of credit card) and still juggling my jobs and my own meds and lack of sleep and migraines throughout this, plus taking care of my three kitties and making sure Rumi is peeing all right (he is! I am grateful).  

I am probably as exhausted as Moji, but so relieved, and I think and hope both of us will sleep restfully tonight for the first time in three days.

Life is short--go kiss your furry loved ones. (And be grateful for emergency 24-hour veterinarians; it may be ungodly expensive, but lives--including Moji's--are saved because of them.)


More art on my website: jalapfaff.com