Baby Joshua

[JayM]

It's weird that I still managed to catch cold in spite of always masking up whenever I set foot outside my gate and washing or sanitizing my hands frequently, but some Duckduckgo-fu says that it's not actually uncommon. At least I was able to get a flu and pneumonia vaccination in August. Pity they don't also have one for colds, but there are just too many types of cold viruses.

[JayM]

Joshua had his follow-up exam this morning. He weighs 33.6 kilos so he's gained some weight back, though I can't remember how much he weighed last time. I only remember that he was down to 30.5 at one time. His prescription for furosimide (loop diuretic) is the same but his spironolactone (a second diuretic) was reduced by one 25mg tablet a day. Additionally he has to get oral rehydration salts (hydrolite) in his water again to boost his electrolytes plus L-carnitine (an amino acid of some sort) to help his heart. He goes back on the 19th of February for another follow-up plus another chest x-ray to compare with the others. Otherwise he's been acting more like his old pre-heart failure self: more energy, not just sleeping all day. My Sunny Jim is back! "And the beat goes on."

[Eadwine Rose]

So glad to hear this. Yeah it will be a back in back out where checkups are concerned, but them staying on top of it is a good thing :)

[JayM]

I had to wait around 40 minutes for his blood test results was all, but they have the analysis machines in-house now rather than having to send the sample out to a lab like they used to. This animal hospital has lots of fun toys: x-ray, ECG, ultrasound, plus as I said a full blood testing lab. They do surgeries beyond just spay/neuter, fix broken bones, treat cancer, and sell many supplements, herbal remedies (which actually work), medications... (though for many of the latter still I have to go to a "people pharmacy" to get the prescriptions filled.) And they have their "pet ambulance" shuttle service available which is nice because many taxi drivers refuse to stop for you if you have a dog. Many Filipinos are afraid of dogs due to rabies still being a thing here, though not as much as it used to be 10 or so years ago. I also had to go up the street to a pharmacy. The entire trip took 2 1/2 hours from leaving home to arriving again. Poor Joshie was very nervous though and slept like a log all day after getting home.

[Eadwine Rose]

Sounds like my animal hospital indeed. Loads of fun toys hehe. Much easier indeed, and faster, when emergencies hit. The other clinics in my area put you through to this one on their off hours.

We don't have the ambulance shuttle service though. I would have liked that for sure, we have to find our own way of transportation to the clinic (which is a 20-30 min drive but definitely worth it).


And yeah.. he knows now.. vet=annoying. Too bad you cannot just go there every now and then and just have cuddles delivered to take the ew out of the place.
Then again.. thinking about the dentist... yeah that likely won't work anyway "laugh"

[JayM]

The problem is going for a ride, being taken to a different place with lots of other people and dogs there, plus he still remembers having to be left there for several days in November so he's always scared that that'll happen again and he won't be able to come home with me. He was more relaxed during the trip home. On the way there he laid in my lap almost the entire time, or as much of him as would fit anyway. And he gets to do it all again in three weeks. (They all six have separation anxiety and start howling and crying whenever I put my mask on anyway, never mind jeans, because they know I'm going someplace which I need to do on Sunday to get the rest of his meds. They start before I've even left the house even if I'm just going across the street to the sari-sari store for a few minutes.)

[Eadwine Rose]

They're just like kids huh.

I was very glad that when Rakker* passed away I already couldn't work anymore, so Doerak* wouldn't be alone.

[JayM]

You have cool names for cats. I'm starting to run out. I have Butch aka Mister Butch Sir, Jonathan, Rupert, Abshire, Hannah, Merle (my wife named her that), Marvel, Andromeda, Jupiter, Spotify (mostly black with some white including a spot on his nose), Jelly Bean, Yin and Yang (she named them too because I couldn't think of any), plus one I just call Pretty Eyes because he has one green eye and one blue one. He belongs to somebody but he keeps hanging out at my house.

[Eadwine Rose]

Haha feel free to steal if you need them That is a LOT of cats over there.

I am still leaning over to the no more animals side here, especially given the health eek I had this past month. Wouldn't want to worry about what happens to them if get shipped off to the hospital! Almost all better now, no worries. Not clocking out just yet (goes he he he toward those who hate me, the fish lives on!)


I hope Joshua continues to do well for a long time to come!

[JayM]

It doesn't matter what you decide, an animal will adopt you sooner or later whether you want one or not, I bet. One will just show up one day and make itself at home. That's what keeps happening to me, regarding cats anyway. Or you'll find a stray kitten along a busy street and it'll come to you being friendly and you won't have the heart to leave it there to be run over by a car, which was how I got Butch.