A Stitch in Haste

And what, pray tell, is a "Doggelgaenger"?

Simple: Dog + Doppelgaenger = Doggelgaenger

Behold:


This amazingly pretty lass is the "May" entry in my ASPCA calendar.

Remind you of anyone?


Need more "Wow" factor? The other dog's name is "Ruby."

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Back in August 2007, a loyal reader in Australia suggested that his dog Sioban might also be a long lost cousin of Diamond:


Also super-adorable, but I think Ruby wins the Doggelgaenger prize. Any dissents?

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark.)

Now available — the Stitch in Haste Podcast, Episode #004.

In this episode: Why Diamond is a libertarian --

• Dogs are property-rights Lockeans.


• My adventures with the dog licensing bureaucracy.


• The divine-right theory of parks commissioners.


• Why breed-specific legislation is unconstitutional.

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About the Podcast:

The idea will be to record a quick commentary, no more than weekly (and typically less than weekly) and never longer than 20 minutes, either about something I don't feel like covering in a full-blown blogpost, or something that I have already covered in the blog and don't feel like revisiting. Eventually I might include responses to comments, interviews, roundtable discussions, etc.

Related post chain: Breed-Specific Legislation Blogposting.

Diamond got a new chew toy recently:



Only slightly less messy than real ribs...



Doing her impression of Knut...



The infinite bite versus the impervious bone...



This may take a while...

Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark.

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I'm traveling this weekend — little or no blogging through around Tuesday.

Happy Easter!

Whom are you going to trust, a fat tailless squirrel:


or the best dog in the world:


Diamond saw her shadow this morning, so expect six more weeks of winter the Giants to win 28-22.

(Background on Groundhog Day here.)

Last week's Friday Cameloidblogging reminded me that I did indeed have some recent impromptu pictures of Diamond:


Someone found a new hiding space.


Comfortable — somehow.


Dog logic rocks...


Ready for her close-up...
Best dog in the world.

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark.)

The surgery was a complete success, but the recovery was not. The cone, or "e-collar" the vet gave her was too short.


Apparently the vet forgot that we were dealing, not with abdominal stitches, but with interdigital incisions on her front paw. The very first day I left her alone and went to work, she got the bandage off and ripped out one stitch. Over the ensuing days she got all four out (two stitches times two incisions), despite my best efforts at repeatedly re-bandaging her.

Still, both incisions have now closed and she is completely fine — walking, running and jumping as friskily as ever. But she will have scars that are far worse than they needed to be. On the other hand, her fur will grow back and conceal them, more or less.

And it goes without saying that I will not be returning to that vet. I'm just glad I have a choice and that we don't live in a socialized vet care regime.

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark.)

Diamond's surgery was successful and uneventful. The vet said that the lesions were in fact cysts and not just inflamed tissue, but also said that having them biopsied was unnecessary.

They had just shot her full of painkillers when I picked her up, so getting her home was a bit of an adventure -- she wobbled and paused like a drunken sailor.




She's far less groggy now, but still a bit listless.

On the bright side, she gets a new fashion accessory:




Fortunately she only needs to wear it when I'm at work.

Next milestone is a trip back to the vet on Saturday to change the dressing. The stitches stay in for ten days.

Best dog in the world.

The Clavamox had no noticeable effect on Diamond's furuncles. The vet and I are in agreement that it is better to remove the lesions now, before they have a chance to worsen and possibly make her go lame.

So she will be going in tomorrow for the quickie same-day procedure. This way I have all day Wednesday to nursemaid her.

Her ear, meanwhile, is now completely free of the yeast infection.

Thanks for all the well wishes this weekend.

Diamond has developed a case of interdigital furuncles on one of her paws.




Nothing life-threatening. In fact she can walk, run and jump perfectly well.

She is on Clavamox, but there is still a 50-50 chance that she will need surgery.

On the other hand, the surgery is minor — not even general anesthesia — just lots of lidocaine and a strong sedative that knocks her out for 15 minutes. Then snip-snip, stitch-stitch, cone, home.

She also developed a yeast infection in one ear. Apparently it is not at all uncommon for the two problems to occur simultaneously, and suggests allergies. Though I can't imagine to what after three years with me.

Stay tuned.

(Cross-posted at Modulator's Friday Ark.)

Economies of scale?



dog = 45 pounds
dog food = 35 pounds
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, especially considering that Beneful is far and away Diamond's favorite brand of dry food. (The "healthy weight" just happened to be on sale.)

After much rearranging, I finally was able to make space in a closet for the bag. I just hope no other four-legged critters find it.

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark and Mickey's Musings' Carnival of the Dogs.)

Yes, I know, it's been far too long since I posted any pictures of Diamond.

And I've also been far too slow in starting to use my new camera-phone.

So here goes, from the local dog run last weekend:






And for those not familiar with the dog run, here's the classic footage from last year:



Best dog in the world.

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark and Mickey's Musings' Carninal of the Dogs.)

One of my new blogfriends, Maddog in the City, has an unorthodox way of alleviating stress: he knits scarves.

And he was kind enough to knit matching scarves for Diamond and me:


I specifically asked for green for St. Patrick's Day.


Now I can be discriminated against in style!

Unfortunately, Diamond seems more interested in chewing her scarf than wearing it. She previously destroyed a pair of beautiful knit gloves that I had bought in I*eland. I'll have to be careful and keep the scarves out of her reach.

For Discussion: Do you bundle up your pets in the winter?

(Carnivalized at Modulator's Friday Ark and Mickey's Musings' Carnival of the Dogs.)