Sunday, March 09, 2014

WE HAD US A BIT OF A PHEEBE EMERGENCY THIS MORNING

IMG_1331

Late Saturday afternoon we noticed what looked like a swelling on the top of Pheebs snout.  By Saturday night she definitely had a sizeable lump on her nose.  Her behavior was normal & she did not appear to be in any kind of stress.  Thought maybe she might have bumped her nose on something while racing around but when I turned on my light Sunday morning I immediately knew it was more than just a nose bump.

IMG_3623

The top of her snout was all bloody.  Her behavior was still normal but when I took her out she sat down & held her paw up.  Thought she had a sticker so checked.  No sticker.  Heard her whimper once.  When she came in she started licking her paws.  That is often a sign of pain in a dog.  Other than that she seemed her usual happy little self.  Being it was Sunday our Wickenburg Vet office was closed.  Kelly called the number anyway & wrote down the address & number of an emergency Vet Clinic in Peoria, a part of northern Phoenix.  My biggest worry was some kind of snake bite but Pheebs symptoms did not match up with that but we couldn’t take any chances.  Decision was made to take her to the Clinic in Peoria (Sun City)

DSC_0001

IN THE JEEP QUICKLY ON OUR WAY T0 THE EMERGENCY CLINIC IN PEORIA

It was 8:05 when we rolled out our gate & with the ‘hammer down’ we were in Peoria’s Emergency Clinic lobby by 9:20.  On the way there Kelly had also noticed some reddening on Pheebs upper lip.  Vet came right out to look at her & also noticed some swelling & redness around her right eye.  He did not feel it was a Rattlesnake bite.  He said for us to just have a seat & wait.  And wait we did:((  It was exactly 2 hours before we saw the Vet again.  In the meantime Pheebs did not exhibit any signs of stress, restlessness, or pain.

IMG_1318

PHEEBS WAS MORE RELAXED IN THE WAITING ROOM THAN WE WERE

IMG_1324 IMG_1326

FILLING OUT 2 PAGES OF FORMS WHILE PHEEBS MEETS A NEW PAL

IMG_1330

DESPITE THE 2 HOUR WAIT PHEEBS DIDN’T MAKE A FUSS…OH HOW I WISH I WAS LIKE MY DOG

We were finally called & taken into a back room where an intern weighed Pheebs (45pds) & took her temperature.  Temperature was up slightly.  A lady Vet came in & gave Pheebs a thorough examination.  She noted the insides of Pheebs ears were slightly red.  Her diagnosis was, ‘an unusual allergic reaction’.  Meds were prescribed & Pheebs received 1 cortisone shot & 1 antihistamine shot.  Also a plastic head cone to stop her from itching her nose if we needed it.  She did really well with all the poking & prodding & the Vet said she wished all her patients were as good as Pheebs.  It was after 12 by the time we left the Emergency Clinic.  If it was an allergic reaction to something we still do not know what that something was.

IMG_1336

WAITING FOR THE VET IN AN INNER EXAMINING ROOM

IMG_1337 IMG_1338

PHEEBS WAS SO GOOD ABOUT BEING POKED & PRODDED…OH HOW I WISH I WAS LIKE MY DOG

First stop on the way home was Trader Joes where Kelly zipped in & picked up 4 bags of stuff.  (I later discovered some Ginger Snaps & Lemon Crisp cookies) I stayed with Pheebs in the Jeep just in case there was any reaction to her shots.  Neither one of us had eaten any breakfast & I only had a bowl of cereal for supper Saturday night so we were hungry.  Didn’t want to go into a restaurant & leave Pheebs in the Jeep so we popped into a Burger King & Whoppered ourselves with burgs & fries to go.  Had maybe been 25 or 30 years since I had last been in a Burger King & must say I really enjoyed my Whopper, small fries, & Root Beer. 

IMG_1342

A PURPLE BANDAGE WHERE SHE GOT HER SHOTS THIS MORNING

The day was heating up & with no A/C in the Jeep we made fast tracks for home.  We were slowed down a bit by two accidents close together.  One in front of Wickenburg’s McDonalds & the second one a few hundred yards up the road at a Round-a-Bout.  We were soon past the slow downs & home shortly after 2 p.m.  Pheebs made the trip just fine despite the Vet saying she might be on the drowsy side.  Pheebs is such a non stop happy energetic dog the word drowsy means nothing to her.

DSC_0002

WAITING FOR MOM TO PICK UP THE MEDS AT CVS PHARMACY

Hadn’t even been 2 hours since her shots at the Clinic & already we noticed a big change in her nose.  The raw blooded look had toned right down to a darker healing color.  She might have shown a few sleepy signs but her tail was just a going & she had her usual big smile on her face that would make a Cheshire Cat look like a grumpy Perkins.

DSC_0256

FROM OUR FRIDAY JEEP TOUR

Bev (from our Friday Jeep trip) popped over for a few minutes & we may very well be off on one more Jeep trip later this week or the week after.  Not a big long one though.  Snow Birds will soon be scattering north to different parts of the country so Bev thought it would be nice to have one more dusty desert rumble.  Nan & John from TRIPPIN WITH THE TALLEYS had figured on stopping by today but plans changed & they have gone on to Quartzsite.

 DSC_0255

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THE BLACK JEEP BEING FOLLOWED BY THE SILVER JEEP BEING FOLLOWED BY THE YELLOW JEEP

Aside from night winds messing up our mats & dumping over our lawn chairs again our mornings just keep getting nicer with temperatures rising a bit each day.  Desert plants are greening up & early flowers are blooming.  Any day now the Mesquite trees will begin to leaf out & hopefully some of our Cactus plants will sprout some buds shortly.  Our Palo Verde trees seem to be late leafers so we  have never seen leaves on them.

DSC_0246

For any of you vintage Ford lovers TOM has a bunch of photos from Bisbee Az where he came across a vintage car gathering.  Bisbee is always a great place to visit at anytime but roll some old Fords into town & car buffs can have themselves a great day.

DSC_0260

SHADOWS WERE LENGTHENING AS WE REACHED THE VALLEY FLOOR

In a comment question on Thursday’s post Cindie asks, ‘have you ever come across any kind of trouble where you felt having a gun around might be a nice addition? Or have you heard any stories from other RV'rs who have’?  Well I can’t speak for other RV’ers but my answer to that question is ‘no we have never felt that’.  But I will quickly add that we have thought about it & do understand the logic of carrying some kind of protection whether it be from 4 footed animals or 2 footed ones.  Being Canadian & not being of the hunting side of life guns are foreign to us.  Never brought up with them & know very few fellow Canadians who carry them.  Totally different story here in the South-West where guns are a way of life & as common as carrying a wallet in one’s back pocket.  Arizona especially.  In our first 4 years or so of Snow Birding we spent a fair bit of time only a few miles from the Mexican border in an area known for drugs, illegals, & violence at times.  At no time did we ever feel threatened or in a dicey situation.  Of course we were always generally mobile & if threatened by anything always had the option of flight.  Not saying bad things can’t happen but we were always vigilante & did not venture into known risky areas.  We never felt the need to carry a gun & yet we do understand the logic in doing so.  Our main threat as we see it is Rattlesnakes, Javelina’s, Coyotes, Mountain Lions, & maybe Bobcats.  All very real threats.  Maybe not attacking us directly but attacking Pheebe.  We have looked into & talked about a small gun while hiking & Jeeping out in the desert but we have not made any decisions.  I suppose if we came across something for sale at a reasonable price we might seriously consider it……..DSC_0261

Just finished watching the first installment of the new series COSMOS which will continue on Sunday nights.  What a welcome breath of fresh air this show is.  It is a continuation of the original series by Carl Sagan years ago before his death.   And in my opinion after seeing tonight’s first episode, very well & very professionally done.  I especially liked this show because it follows a scientifically realistic approach to who & what we are & how we got here.  For me this is television at it’s best.  Yes, a breath of fresh air indeed.  Bravo Cosmos….’Bravo’. 

DSC_0229

At time of posting tonight Pheebs still seems fine & is right now sound asleep on my bed.   We’ll see how she’s doing in the morning…………

DSC_0253

WE HAD JUST COME DOWN OUT OF THOSE DISTANT BRADSHAW MOUNTAINS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  There's no such thing as a stupid question. Right? Not if you ask the National Park rangers who compiled this list of actual questions asked by park visitors.

At Grand Canyon National Park:
"Was this man-made?"
"Is there an elevator to the bottom?"
"Do you light it up at night?"
"Is the mule train air-conditioned?"
"Where are the faces of the presidents?"

At Carlsbad Caverns National Park:
"How much of the caves is underground?"
"So whats in the unexplored part of the cave?"
"Does it ever rain in here?"
"So what is this, just a hole in the ground?"
"How many ping pong balls would it take to fill it up?"


At Everglades National Park:
"Are the alligators real?"
"Are the baby alligators for sale?"
"When does the two o'clock bus leave?"

 
At Yosemite National Park:
"What time of year do you turn on Yosemite Falls?"
"What happened to the other half of Half Dome?"


At Alaska's Denali National Park:
"What time do you feed the bears?"
"How often do you mow the tundra?"
"How much does Mount McKinley weigh?"


At Mesa Verde National Park:
"Did people build this, or did Indians?"
"Do you know of any undiscovered ruins?"
"Why did they build the ruins so close to the road?"

28 comments:

  1. Poor, poor Pheebs--hope she is better soon!! Maybe she is allergic to me (Janna)--I was smooching on her nose!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Poor sweet Pheebs..... Hope well on the mend! Tonight's Groaner was perfect. It's often hard to believe what comes out of peoples mouths.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here's to Pheebs getting all better.

    The Groaner reminded me of another: What's the number for 911?

    ReplyDelete
  4. We had that one spring with Molly (58 lbs). She looked puffy all over her face, like a Shar Pei. The vet diagnosed allergic reaction against maybe a flee or tick bite, and prescribed "pure" Benadryl. 25mg , 2tablets twice a day for two days.
    I have Benadryl in my first aide case for Molly. Just in case.
    Hope Pheebs will be fine soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. When our beloved four-legged friends are hurting, we hurt as well. Glad Pheebs went to the Vet and I sure hope she is much better in the morning! That is a strange looking spot on her nose; I wonder what could have caused that.

    We also watched Cosmos and though it was terrific!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The NatGeo channel showed Cosmos this afternoon, and I'm watching it for the 2nd time at 9pm! The 2nd time around I was struck by the idea of the multiverses, as I always thought that meant there were several universes. As I watched this show I got the idea there are millions of other universes. It is hard to take in that concept.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Get well soon, Pheebs! What a scary time for your peeps.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Please, please if you are considering buying a weapon for protection go to some place like Bass Pro Shop and talk to one of the salesmen/women.

    All you will do if you come across a mountain lion with a small (.22, 9mm) gun is (excuse my language here) is piss them off. Now you will have a mad hurt lion.

    I have a friend that has a cabin just west of Trinidad Colorado. Mountain lions, wolves, bears, elk and rattlers are all something that is not unusual to see. A rock or stick will take care of the rattler but I'd never go walking there with anything less than a .44.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was holding my breath as I was reading down your blog Al. And I was so relieved to finally read far enough to read that Pheebs is ok...Whew! So suspenseful! I so appreciate you both for your loving & caring for your children (read furry pets). Give your baby a big smooch for me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pheebs nose sure looked sore. So glad it wasn't anything serious. Nice to know Pheebs is just about back to normal. Hope the healing continues.

    ReplyDelete
  11. little doggie nose looked very very scary! so glad it seems to have dissipated a bit and hope it continues to get better. whew. Having just had a bit of a doggie scare ourselves back in Florida I knew exactly how you felt.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What awesome parents! So glad you drove Pheebs to the emergency care vet. That nose looked bad. So glad Pheebs is all right.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gosh, Al...you nearly gave me a heart attack when I read about Pheebs...hope she is okay...I would have thought a snake bite! Please update us on her condition, okay?

    On another topic...Yes. My husband, when we travel, ALWAYS takes a gun along. He knows how to use it and has taught me. And, it ain't no sissy .22! We feel safer with it. I've used his .22, but this, I believe, is a .38. (I'll have to check...) We don't travel with our dogs. This is for our own protection.
    Cheryl Ann

    ReplyDelete
  14. Poor Pheebs. Her nose sure looks awful. It's a shame there's no way of telling what caused such a severe allergic reaction so it could be avoided in the future. Hope your sweet girl is on the heal very soon. My husband & I really enjoy reading your blog Al, & we simply love your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I know how relieved you are to have Pheebs on the mend. It's so scary when they can't tell you what happened. GREAT groaner. Can people really be that stupid? It amazes me. Wish I'd known about Cosmos. I hate missing the first of a series or the first part of a movie. Maybe I'll wait for netflix and watch Carl's first one if they have it and then this new one.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That is a good that you were able to get Pheebs looked after and hope recovers quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Pheebs is such a sweet girl!!! I am so glad the Vet was able to give her something to begin the healing process!! That nose sure looked awful...bless her heart!!!
    Take good care of her...as I know you will.

    ReplyDelete
  18. So glad Pheebs is okay - that poor nose sure looks sore. It's so hard to see our furkids with a problem.

    Had to laugh at your groaner. I had a woman standing next to me at Crater Lake one time who turned to me and asked if the lake was man-made. True story!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sure happy that Pheebs is doing better. That sure is a scary thing when her poor nose looks like that! Emergency Vet visits are always a bit frazzeling but more so for us than for the doggies, I'm sure. We all come away feeling a bit better, anyway! Your groaner is really funny. So true, that people don't understand so much about nature.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hope the Pheebs is better. She is such a precious dog and didn't fail to meet and greet me when I stopped by! I told Jim about how we couldn't talk about her nose because she would rub it..what a little smart one she is.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Soooo glad that Pheebs is on the road to recovery. I can't imagine sitting and waiting for two hours in a Vets office. They must have had many emergencies.

    Q is great. Not a neighbor in sight. Just the way we like it, right?

    ReplyDelete
  22. That is an usual allergic reaction. I suspect she might have got bit by a spider that had some nasty stuff in it. We have had dealt with reactions to bee stings, spiders, poison frogs and tarantulas but never seen that reaction.

    Wishing you all a relaxing non eventful day!

    ReplyDelete
  23. We don't have a dog but if I did, I'd want one just like Pheebs. I am so sorry she is going through this... and that you are as well. Hoping all is better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sure hope Pheebs is doing much, much better today! I know it is hard not knowing what caused the allergic reaction. Hopefully it will not happen again.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'd be curious to know how this all began and what she is possibly allergic to...Hopefully, it never happens again. Who knows, there are all kinds of critters, bugs, plants out there...Don't know if you have Fire Ants, but they are a real problem here in parts of Texas!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Poor Pheebs. This would drive me nuts trying to figure it out. Someohe above said benydrl, I always carry it to but wouldn't have thought to give for a poor bloody snout.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm sure your heart was in your throat seeing how bad poor Pheebe looked. So glad to hear she's recovering well, you just can't keep that sweet girl down! :c)

    ReplyDelete
  28. If I had a gun, I wouldn't blog about it... Especially if I was going back to Canada where I couldn't take it.. That would make folks assume that it is in your Az home somewhere.... If that doesn't get the lock knocked off of the front door, nothing will.... Get better quick Pheebes....

    ReplyDelete