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Nugget's Newsstand

Nugget's time to score

Hattie is the bird-eating, scrounging-is-my-super-power, steal without guilt dog, but today was Nugget's day to shine.

Supper. Fixed. In bowls. Dogs eating.

Went QUICKLY to change out of work clothes.

Nugget always takes way longer to eat than Hattie because Hoover ain't got nuttin' on the junkyard queen.

I forgot I left the rest of the food on the floppy cutting board on the counter.

For 60 seconds, tops. Okay, maybe 90.

Something sounded a little funny, like Nugget was moving stuff around. I went into the kitchen to find the floppy cutting board has been dragged off the counter to the ground, cleaned thoroughly of its contents, AND the floor AND counter have been ...er, cleaned as well.

Nugget was making sure his dish, which he apparently abandoned for the once-in-a-dog's-life opportunity, was also clean.

Since I didn't catch him in the act (even if I had... I mean, come on. Dude scored! Righteously!) I just pretended nothing had happened.

So did he. He knew I knew he knew I knew. And yet, really quite relaxed. Like that look of, "it doesn't matter what happens now. That was SO worth it."

I think Hattie was proud of him.

And a little miffed she wasn't taller.

Playing is good for health!

(Human report)
Well, now that our landlords' adolescent Rhodesian, Docker, has been... well, de-"Dockered"... the weird energy that had us separating these two is gone and we have a big family compound situation again. It has no doubt done wonders for Nugget's immune system to engage in the play sessions he and Docker are absolutely addicted to. My studio has become the WWRuff or, as my landlord Rich calls it, "Brokeback Mtn."

Docker was too big and boisterous for the girls (aussie cattle mix and jack russell), and Nugget and he can wrestle til they drop. Docker's on meds for valley fever too, so we're hoping the girls remain okay.

Valley Fever, not Valley of the Dolls!

Yeeps.

Well, I guess that weird sickness Nug had last year before the cancer was actually Valley Fever. Everyone thought it was and were surprised when the test came back negative. Apparently you can test negative and still be positive; it happens a lot.

A little while ago he ended up not being able to eat his food or drink water out of the bowls. He tried and tried and tried but just ended up slobbering a lot. He was also losing weight, getting more clumsy, and all the meat was pretty much gone from his skull. I taught him how to drink out of a medicine dropper and fed him by hand and we went through all these tests to try to figure out what was happening. It wasn't Myasthenia Gravis so the prognosis based on symptoms was Valley Fever.

Because of the nerve problems they think the valley fever crossed the blood-brain barrier and didn't think the medication would work, but he's been taking Fluconazole for almost a month now and guess what? He's eating out of his bowl again! Woohoo! He can drink sometimes, and other times he still needs to get it from the dropper. He's also chewing on bones again.

AND, he's gained a little weight back. Slowly but surely. He needs it to keep up with Docker!