Oh My Dog!

As we plunge headfirst into the strangest holiday season on record, how are you feeling?

Our area recently released guidelines requesting families and friends to stick to Zoom or Skype for holiday celebrations if you can’t celebrate outdoors. So, for us, we’re going to stay home and find ways to make the best of it: yummy food, movies, fires in the fireplace, lots of hikes with Cooper, and cleaning.

Yeah, cleaning. It’s my way of combating stress.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what this pandemic situation means for all of us and how we can find silver linings in the muck. I do believe wholeheartedly that this universe is a friendly place, and even though small pockets of people are making this harder than it needs to be, in the end, we’ll be okay.

That said, we’re facing another layer of stress on top of the rest.

Our little Newtie isn’t feeling so well.

We don’t know what’s going on yet, but three Sundays ago, she landed in the ER because she spent the day vomiting and then started to stumble as she moved around the house. She had no appetite and was severely dehydrated.

That day, they performed X-rays and blood work. Ultimately, they filled her with fluids and antibiotics and sent her home with a diagnosis of pancreatitis. We had a new suite of medications to give her three times a day, and she started to improve.

A week passed and then another.

Last Sunday, it hit her again but far, far worse than the first time. She couldn’t jump onto the counter. She couldn’t walk up stairs. She couldn’t stop throwing up. She ended up staying in the ER the entire day on an IV with fluids, pain medication, and antibiotics. By the time John picked her up, she was exhausted. Just completely depleted.

We’ve been giving her another round of medications that seem to be helping, though not entirely. Even though she’s on an antiemetic, she still throws up at least once a day.

When the hospital discharged her that last Sunday, they told us to get an ultrasound with her regular vet as soon as possible. Well, turns out, our regular vet’s office had a COVID exposure and were all out of whack. We’ve waited another full week with her still throwing up every day (but, thankfully, she’s eating again) until her ultrasound, which we finally got scheduled with a different doc for this coming Tuesday.

It is, I think, a small gift of this unique holiday season that things are so quiet, so slow right now. Normally, in a typical November, we’re bustling around, attending family events, visiting friends, shopping, and cooking.

With all of that–except the cooking, of course–off the table, we’re able to spend our evenings cuddled in front of the fire, warming Newt and watching her for any changes.

Every November, people in this country turn their attention to thankfulness. This year, it’s even more important to show how thankful we are for the health of our families and friends since so many are struggling right now–either with their health, with the pandemic, with job loss, with losing loved ones, and more.

I’m thankful Newt is such a healthy girl overall. I’m hopeful this is just a blip, a fluke.

I believe the only thing any one of us can control is our response to a situation.

So, I’m choosing to be hopeful and to be thankful. There is some gift of growth in everything we face, so I’m choosing to watch for that, too.

What are YOU thankful for this season?

I’m also choosing to put both my books on sale!

How is that relevant, you ask? Well, I’ve been hard at work on another book project and another ebook / guide for 2021. I want to make sure everyone who’s interested has the opportunity to get their hands on either Authentic Blogging or The Zero-Waste Pet (or both)!

Since so many are unemployed or underemployed right now, and since so many are facing mountains of medical bills and insurance woes, and since I have a series of veterinary emergency room bills to pay off, I decided to make BOTH books “pay what you want” for the rest of November. They both come with gobs of freebies, too. Pick ’em up for yourself or as a gift for the blogger or pet lover in your life. Click the book you’re interested in below:

The Zero-Waste Pet

Authentic Blogging

All else aside…

I hope you’re able to find the gifts of the season, in spite of all the upheaval to our normal traditions and routines. I hope you’re well. I hope your family and friends are well.

I’ll be back with a couple smaller gift guides this year (think: presents you can acquire and deliver without leaving your home… support small… etc.)

Until then, take good care.

Hello, friends!

I’m coming to you today with a question. Or, more accurately, I’m coming to you today with a request for a discussion.

Let me explain…

I spend a ton of time researching things about dogs, answering questions about dogs, sharing information and memes about dogs, talking to my vet about my dog, following dogs on Instagram… you get the point. My life is largely about dogs.

And if I’m being totally honest with you, right now, I’m so grateful for blogs.

Why?

I feel so. very. done. with social media.

I’m not alone in this, I know. I suspect many of you feel the same way. BTW, I’m not even talking about politics. Just plain old social media. There’s something about the distance that screens give to some people that somehow makes them feel free to be mean, negative, and critical. So few people are open to learning because–gasp.–what you learn might actually change what you think or know about a particular topic. It’s disheartening and demoralizing.

I strive to post positive or uplifting content, even when I’m writing about difficult topics. That’s the best I can do right now, other than step away from most social media.

Blogs, though? I’m totally rekindling my love for all things blog as social media loses its luster.

Blogging puts trust in people with real-life experience.

Every week, I receive an email or DM from someone whose dog was recently diagnosed with tremors. It’s not a common condition, so there’s not a lost of first-hand experience out there. I’m grateful people find my posts and Cooper’s story so we can connect over this shared, bizarre condition.

Likewise, when I’ve faced training difficulties or health issues, especially with the cats, I’ve turned to blogs to gather real-life experience. Information from your vet is vital, of course, but actual experiences are invaluable.

For a while there, I turned to Facebook or Instagram because I felt like I had less time and there’s easier-to-digest info there.

However.

There’s so much inflammatory crap and misinformation. Blogs may take a little more time–searching for the right one, for instance, and digesting long, well-thought-out posts just takes longer than reading an Instagram caption–but the trade-off is completely worth it.

Who do you trust for pet advice online?

I’ve been monitoring my habits lately with one goal: Stop mindless scrolling! And here’s what I’ve discovered…

When I have a specific question about Coop or the cats, I first type the query into Google. I’ll look for a peer-reviewed study or a website with a reputation for sharing knowledgeable, fact-based content. Then, I’ll search for blogs about the topic to see what real people have really done for their real pets. On rare occasions, I’ll search Instagram or YouTube. Never, ever, ever do I search Facebook anymore.

I’m curious: Where do you turn when you’re trying to find pet advice online? Do you go to social? Blogs? Veterinary publications? Message boards? Forums? Somewhere else altogether?

How do you decide who to trust only for pet advice? I’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments. I’m genuinely curious how you are using the internet to learn more about how to live better with our pets, and I’d really appreciate any insights–even if you disagree with me! I love learning from you!

Also, if you want to learn more about blogging, obviously I have to recommend the book I co-wrote with Carol Bryant, Pet Blogging for Love and Money. It’s chock full of advice for working and learning online!

AND! If you want to learn more about pet health and you’re seeing this early in the week, it’s not too late to sign up for the FREE Pet Health Secrets Summit. I’m presenting on Monday, but all the presentations are live and free for 48 hours. Click here to sign up.

Click HERE to get the super sweet free playbook that accompanies the summit, whether you attend or not!