Ok, so the pictures are a little early. The Woman bribed me with some goodboy bones to keep the antennae on for a little while at least. At one point, they were in my mouth about to become Pug meat!
Here I am waiting for some Trick-or-Treaters to arrive. I'm gonna Puggle their little faces!
I'm not thrilled with this costume. I really think we could have come up with something more Puggy friendly.
The Woman says that tonight a bunch of kids are going to come to our house and we are going to give them candy. This is apparently called "Trick-or-Treating," and if we don't give them candy, they will play a trick on us. I think this is called blackmail, but I admire the tactic. When will there be a doggy Trick-or-Treat day? Give me all your snausages, or I'll pee on your prized Camelia! Oh wait, I was going to pee on it anyway. I guess I should say, "Give me all your snausages, and I'll pee on your prized Camelia!" I doubt that will have the same effect though.
I am dressing up as a bumble bee, which appears to be a very popular doggy costume this year. The Woman doubts I will keep the antennae on for very long, and she is right. Don't expect any pictures with antennae.
I'm back in the Black Booty Gang. You see, my wound won't heal, because it's on the crease of my arm, and so the Vet told the Woman to do hydrotherapy on it twice a day. Hydrotherapy consists of Ian holding me over the sink and the Woman spraying my arm with warm water for two minutes. Hydrotherapy makes the skin all soft and itchy, and so I itch it. The Woman says I can't itch it, and since I can't be trusted to not itch it, I have to don my booty again.
The Woman is pretty ticked off about my wound not healing, because this is the top reason why she did not want me to have surgery, but the Vet assured her I would have no problem healing and the scar would be minimal. Here we are ten days after surgery, and the wound is still gaping and there is going to be a large scar, because the stitches won't stay tight. I don't mind having a scar, because I can tell all the other dogs that I got it when I was fighting a big Pit Bull for his woman, but the Woman doesn't like me being scarred up, because she likes me being a sissy boy.
Sometimes I get called Mr. Norman, and sometimes (rarely) I get called Sir Norman, but my official AKC registered name is Goodboy Norman Featherstone. It's quite regal, isn't it? Where does it come from? Well, the Woman picked out the name "Norman" before she ever even met me, and decided that she was looking for "the" Pug named Norman. Why did she want "the" Pug named Norman? She says Norman is an old man name, and Pugs look like old men, so it just fits that there would be a Pug named Norman waiting for her to take him home. Sure, there are other Pugs named Norman, but I am her Pug named Norman. So, where did the rest of my name come from? The Woman thought Norman was a little too bland to have as an official AKC name, so she got the rest of it from the Terry Pratchett book, "Guards! Guards!" In the book, there is a swamp dragon named Goodboy Bindle Featherstone, and she really likes Terry Pratchett books and swamp dragons, so I got part of this character's name. I hope this clears up any questions about my weird name. FYI, I never get called Goodboy Norman Featherstone - it's always just Norman or some strange nickname of the day.
It got really cold out last night, so the Woman brought in all of her plants, and now our house is like a jungle. I hope there were no scary bugs on those plants, because Ian tries to get me to eat them, and it really ticks the Woman off. I don't think the Woman really thought about where she would store all these plants in the Winter when she bought them this Summer. Some of them, like her giant fern, are quite big and take up a lot of space. Also, it tickles me when I walk by it, and I don't like being tickled. The Woman isn't so great with indoor house plants, so we probably won't have to worry about them for long, if you catch my meaning.
Here I am in front of our house posing with our Autumn decorations looking all handsome. I like Autumn, because it's pretty, and it's cool, and I can stay outside for longer than 10 minutes. I would like to go hiking sometime soon, but I can't go until my wound is healed. Blasted wound! It will probably be too cold to go by the time I am healed. Being sick is the pits.
(You can see my shaved spot in this picture from my latest surgery. I'll spare you the zoomed in picture since it's kind of gross.)
The Vet called this morning with the pathology report. They're quick, aren't they? She said it was another Mast Cell Tumor, but the mass was well contained and the excision had well-defined borders, and everything looked fine. She didn't actually put a grade on it, but the Vet said the pathologist would have made a note if it was anything other than a grade 1. So, I guess that's a good thing. The Woman was tempted to not have it biopsied, because she has no plan to put me through chemo or anything like that if a tumor comes back higher than grade 1, but she wanted to make sure the margins were clean, so she had it biopsied after all.
I'm having trouble keeping the scab on my boo-boo, because it's partially in the crease of my arm. Good thing I still have some pain pills left, because it is rather sore. Other than that, I am doing just fine. Thanks to everyone who has been thinking about me.
The Woman is knitting me some leg warmers to wear under my Halloween costume so no one sees my wound. She doesn't want to explain to every kid that comes to the house about my surgery, and since my costume doesn't have legs, she has to make legs for it. I don't mind since it has been cold here lately, and I will appreciate the extra warmth any way!
I don't know who gave the Woman permission to make a blog entry for me, but I'm a little ticked about her commenting on my rude behaviour lately. I'm not rude - I just have a malfunctioning politeness gland. There is a difference you know. She's right about the tooth pain though. I had been feeling pain in my mouth, but I thought I had just bit my lip or something like that. It does feel much better now. The Vet says Pugs have too little of heads for all their teeth, and sometimes one or two of them can get compacted at the gum line and cause an infection. That's what happened to me. I had the naughty tooth removed, and now I feel better.
I am on pain medicine. It's pretty sweet. I get it every 12 hours.
When the People picked me up from the Vet, I was very happy to see them. So happy, in fact, that my heart started beating really fast and pumping my blood harder than it was while I was in my cage recovering after surgery. By the time we got home, I had some blood trickling from my suture, so they had to take me back to the Vet. I was ticked to have to go clear back to the Vet, because it's a 20 minute car ride, and I just wanted to cuddle with my Big Butt toy and take a nap. When we got there, the Vet said my heart was just pumping really hard from excitement and that there was some ick coming through the suture, but it was ok. She tried to wrap me in a bandage, but it fell off before we even got home. It's ok now though. I'm all scabbed up and feeling fine.
I haven't even tried to lick or bite at my wound. This is my third one - I know the routine by now.
My Vet is very nice. She called yesterday to check on me, and the Vet Tech called to check on me too. I like her, even though the only time I see her is when I have surgery. She's still a nice lady no matter how much she cuts on me.
Thanks everyone for the kind words and thoughts. I am doing just fine. We won't have the biopsy report back until next week, but I'll let you all know what the report says. Hopefully, it's good.
Hi everyone, this is Tammy (the Woman). You probably didn't know my real name, did you? I wanted to let everyone know that the Vet called and said Norman is doing fine after his surgery. She assured me that his wound will heal just fine, even though it is on his leg, but he might have to use a cone to keep him from gnawing at the stitches. Poor little guy.
He also had to have a tooth extracted, because it was compacted and causing some discomfort. He has had a white discoloration on his lip for three months now, and the Vet attributes this to an infection on his gum line. He has been behaving rather rudely for the past couple months, and I am hoping it was because of this discomfort and he will behave better now that it has been taken care of.
He has also lost 3 pounds in the past 3 months, and I am afraid it is due to his new diet. I need to call his holistic Vet and set up another consultation, because I don't want to starve my little bear. I have actually been feeding him more than the Vet told me to, but we might need to switch to another diet, because he always seems to be hungry. I just thought he was a glutton, but maybe he really needs more food!
I will be picking him up at 2pm EST so he can come home and rest. His Lhasa Apso cousins (Rose and Ginger) are in town for the next couple of days, and I hope he is up to visiting with them, because he really loves them.
It has been raining here for two days now, and since I cannot get my royal paws dirty by sloshing around outside in the mud, I have to pee reeeeaaaaal bad. I seriously hope this rain passes quickly, because I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it in.
It's also been really cold outside, and inside too, because the People have not yet turned on the heater. I snuck up on the bed with the Woman last night and the night before, but got put back in my own bed when she woke up during the night. Bummer. She was so snuggly and warm. Ian doesn't allow me on the bed, and the Woman tries to respect that rule since she lets me break every other rule of the house that Ian has set. The Woman likes sleeping with me too though, and when Ian is not at home, we get to snuggle in the bed together all night. It's pretty much awesome.
I have to go to the Vet tomorrow morning to have my latest lump cut off. I have had it for two months now, and when the Woman first found it, it was just the size of a pinhead. At that time, the Vet didn't want to remove it but advised us to just watch it. You might remember me blogging about it back in August. We have been watching it, and it has grown a little bit more and is now the size of ... well ... I'm looking around for something to compare it to, but just can't find anything. It's still not very big, but since it is growing, the Woman wants to have it removed. It's in a tricky spot on my body though - it's on my shoulder right above the crease where my shoulder and front right leg meet. The Woman has not been anxious to have it removed for several reasons. First, she is afraid it will not heal easily since the wound will be constantly in motion with me walking and all. Second, she does not want to put me back under anesthesia, because she thinks my heartbeat was too faint and irregular after my last surgery. And finally, she is afraid I will have a big scar there and have to explain to everyone we meet why I have a scar. For some reason, whenever the Woman tells someone about my cancer, they feel the need to relay a story about a dead or dying dog that they know who has cancer. It is really not helpful to the Woman's state of mind to hear such stories, and she would rather my wounds are hidden so she doesn't have to talk about it to everyone we meet on the street or in the store.
So anyway, wish me luck at the Vet tomorrow. The Woman's hopes that it is not a MCT have been dashed since it has changed size over the past couple months, but please be praying for another Grade 1 tumor. I'll chat with you all on Thursday probably.
The Woman finished up her flower bed in the backyard on Sunday. She says it's going to be really pretty next year, but for now, it looks kind of weird. The theme is purple and white plants. She planted some Aster, Russian Sage, Mexican Sage, Toad Lilies, Alpine Snowcap and other stuff I can't remember. She also planted a lot of things she calls bulbs that will eventually make tulips and irises. With each bulb she planted, she tossed in a handful of bone meal. Bone meal makes me absolutely insane. I was trying to dig up the bulbs as she planted them so I could get to the bone meal. I also tried to chew my way through the bone meal bag, but I didn't make it very far. Why would she give these bulb things this yummy bone meal stuff that I want? Next thing I know, she's going to be taking my goodboy bones out to her plants. The Woman needs to get her priorities straight!
I was not forced out into the cold this past Saturday morning when the People went to their Art Show, but instead, I was forced into my room. It was way too cold at 7:30am to leave me outside (like 34 degrees), so I got to stay inside for a while. The Woman called the neigbor lady, Nina, at noon and asked her to let me outside, so it wasn't all that bad. I played with Nina for a while, and sniffed Aurora and Rudy through the fence. It was a really nice day after it warmed up. I was glad to get to go outside, because I really had to pee!
I thought these silly Art shows things were over, but the People are getting ready for another one tomorrow. They haven't done one in a while, so I thought maybe it was out of their systems. I have to stay outside all day tomorrow, and it's been cold out there lately! Also, I have to get up really early in the morning, and I don't like getting up before 8am. I don't know why I can't go to the Art show thing. I'm a good boy!
The Woman went outside to water her Mums this afternoon, and what did she see but one of the neighbor dogs (Aurora) sitting in the front yard. The Woman tried to put her back in the fenced yard, but she ran away and hid under some bushes. Despite coaxing and several growls from Aurora, the Woman was not able to get her back through the gate. She was afraid of getting bit if she tried to force Aurora out from under the bush, so she took the neighbor's other dog (Rudy) and put him in the yard with me. (Woot for me - I like guests.) She then opened the neighbor's gate and went back in the house, hoping Aurora would find her way back into the fenced yard. A couple minutes later, the Woman saw Aurora go back into the gate, so she ran over and shut it before the dog could escape again. I had some fun time playing with Rudy. We need to have another play date soon.
Here are Rudy and Aurora in their yard. Rudy is the brown one.
And here's me being cute.
So, it seems that this story is over and ended happily with the loose dog being secured and everyone going on their merry way ... but ... there is more ...
When the neighbor lady (Nina) came home, the Woman told her what had happened, and the neighbor lady asked where her other dog, Sadie, was. The Woman didn't realize Sadie was supposed to be there too. You see, Sadie and Aurora are actually the neighbor's son's dogs and they don't always visit together, because they are real trouble makers when they are together. So, Nina went in the house and called her son to see if Sadie had been dropped off today, and she had, but now she was missing. The Woman and Nina went looking for Sadie and found her pretty quickly. Everyone is now safe and sound back where they belong.
Here's a movie of Aurora celebrating her sister's safe return.
OK, she's not really celebrating. She barks like this all day long. It really drives the Woman quite mad.
I'm pretty much a high strung kind of dog. Every morning, I sit impatiently by the Woman's side of the bed waiting for her to get up. I whine at every little movement she makes, hoping she's ready to get out of bed. Sometimes I get over-excited and jump up on the bed, and Ian yells at me. When the Woman finally gets out of bed, I bark and bark and bark at her. I follow her to the bathroom, barking the whole time. I'm just so excited to see her again! When she's done with her routine, she lets me outside, and I run out, whiz on the first thing I see, then come back inside and bark at her some more. This is usually her cue to make my breakfast. While she's making my breakfast, you guessed it, I bark at her. I haven't mastered the ability to bark while I'm eating, so she gets a 30 second reprieve at that time.
On a normal work day, I sit under the Woman's chair in my cave made from a blanket draped across her legs. Whenever the neighbor dogs bark, I bark. Whenever an airplane flies overhead, I bark. Whenever someone starts a lawn mower, I bark. Whenever the phone rings, I bark. I think you get the point. I bark a lot. I also sleep a lot though, so I think it evens out pretty well.
The Woman has tried many things to keep me from barking so much, but none of it works. I'm just a vocal dog. I'm usually quiet all night, so I think she should count her blessings.
My dear on-line friend Gizmo has joined Chew Bear in doggy Heaven. His cancer is gone forever now, and he no longer has to be worried with trips to the Vet and special medicines or diets. Although I never met him in real life, I will miss him very much on-line. I look forward to meeting him one day, and I am glad that Chew Bear will be the one to introduce us. The Woman is very sad that Gizmo has passed on, and she is crying a lot. I guess she really loves Pugs. Please say a prayer for Gizmo and his sweet Owners, Kara and Alan and his Pug brother, Kritter. I'm sure they are all hurting very badly right now and could use the prayers.
The Woman decided that I needed to post a new picture of myself today, because I haven't posted any pics in a while now. I was too tired to do a photo shoot, but she insisted, so I reluctantly agreed. You can tell by the picture that I wasn't really up for it. I need my beauty sleep. How do you think I maintain these gorgeous wrinkles? Certainly not by staying awake for more than 4 hours a day, that's for sure!
So anyway, here I am beside the Woman's rock garden. She really enjoys her rock garden. It was one of her first gardening endeavors in the new house, and it is overflowing with various succulents and "hens and chicks." She got some new "hens and chicks" from her Grandpa's house when we were up in Ohio. Those are her favorite plants in the rock garden now. Her Grandpa always used to give everyone who came to the house a box full of "hens and chicks" and was so proud of them. She is glad to have got some of them too.
I'm not really sure how this can be called a rock garden though. I mean, I see some rocks in it, but it's mostly plants. Shouldn't a rock garden be all rocks? I know rocks don't actually grow or anything, so you can't really "garden" rocks, but you can have a Zen garden made of just sand, so I guess you can make anything into a garden. I bet the Woman would love to have a Pug garden. Ian wouldn't be having it though, I'm sure.
Do you get it? It's pretty funny, but you might have had to have been there to really understand. Chew Bear told me that joke once, and I added my own little spin to it there in the end with the three successive WOOFs. I think she would have liked that.
I'm sure all you all Pugs and Pug Owners out there understand what I mean when I refer to a dust bunny as a Pug bunny, especially if you have hardwood floors. We do have hardwood floors, and every week the Woman sweeps up enough Pug hair to make me a whole new Pug brother. She calls them Pug Bunnies when they're loose, and Pug Brothers when they have been swept into a pile. Well, there was this one Pug Bunny in particular that has been accumulating under the desk for quite some time now - under the desk doesn't get swept very often - and I decided to eat it the other day. Ian looked at me and said, "Is he eating that dust ball?" The Woman freaked out, and tried to get me to spit it out, but I wouldn't. I ate the whole thing. It tasted weird. I don't recommend eating the Pug Bunnies.
I mentioned in my previous post about Flan! that the Woman is worried about me eating sugar, because I am a "cancer dog." Well, the Woman was talking to a nice Vet Lady she met at Sarah's birthday party, and she says that I am not a cancer dog. She says that Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumors can't really be considered "cancer," because they are isolated on the skin, and do not spread into the organs. She told the Woman not to worry so much about me getting more of these lumps. I hope this doesn't mean she's going to change my diet back to regular dog food :(
The Woman is torn by this information, because she has me on a lot of supplements and the cancer dog food. My new diet costs a lot of $$$ a month. She wants to trust the holistic Vet, but she also knows that Vet is out to make money, and by selling us the supplements, she is doing that. This nice Vet lady the Woman met at Sarah's party is just offering friendly advice, and is not trying to make any money off of us. She didn't even try to get the Woman to switch over to using her, so her credibility seems a little more stable. We still have enough supplements to last over a month, so I guess the Woman will make a choice when they run out. I think flan will solve all my cancer problems, but the Woman wants some facts to back that up. Apparently no medical professionals have investigated the positive effects of flan on Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumors in Pugs.
Flan is awesome! Is this what you people eat all the time? I thought my hamburger and broccoli were yummy until I got me a taste of flan! The People made some of this tasty flan stuff the other night, and as the Woman was getting it out of the fridge, she dropped one of the bowls on the floor. She was scrambling to find something to clean it up with so I wouldn't eat it, but I got me a good couple bites before she could clean it up. She's all worried that the sugar is bad for me, because I'm a "cancer dog," but I don't care! I would take cancer if I could just eat flan every day of my life!
Location: Asheville, North Carolina, United States
I live in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and I am an ornery little pugger. Although I am only awake about 3 hours each day, I work a whole lot of mischief into each and every minute.
