The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Corin Stormhands]

Sounds kind of like Bilbo...

For heaven's sake Hair, you didn't let her wear the ring did you?

[Corin Stormhands]

Well, I'd walk you through what we did for my PC, but then we'd probably lose you for good!

[HairOfTheDog]

She didn't have my ring, but I always suspected she had her own secrets.

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh.... Yeah, no point in that. I am at peace with my dialup right now for this morning. I am going to go to a friends house for the day (later) so I don't care so much.

Gonna take all the dogs, and see how well Zulu travels. Maybe she is partially just bored and getting out would perk her up. My friend is a dog person too and perhaps she can help advise me on what she sees.

My friend has some metal pipe she wants cut. A job for my new saws-all! - Haven't used it yet!

[Corin Stormhands]

Well, pat her for me when she's (ahem) awake...

I need to run for now. I should at least pretend like I'm doing some work. I've got to get these taxes filed.

BTW - I get a weekly newsletter from a freelance writing group. They post warnings about less than honorable "companies" looking for writers. The company I applied with (and who rejected me) is listed prominently in the warnings. I read some of the scenarios. I could've written them.

So I guess in the long run, I'm better off.

See y'all later.

[osagebowman]

Hair; corn oil overdose? We are scratching our heads over that one. Is it a medication? Your care of animals has to be exemplary, those ages are quite amazing.

Just gave Samantha an extra scratching, she is on antibiotics from her teeth cleaning, "cheese time - Sammy" one gulp and pill gone, love it.

[Penny1]

Oh no, poor Zulu!

She is such a sweetie, I'm sorry she's doing poorly. I know there's no avoiding it, but it's so sad to see the day approaching for her to go. :(

I'll be thinking of you and your little "family."

[Overtaxed]

I hope she doesn't have the same reaction that my cat did.

[Dawntreader]

:-( Sorry to hear about your dog. It's really great that she's been with you that long. I'll be thinking of you.

[osagebowman]

OT: us too, general anasthetic is problematical at any age but Samantha is 11 (or so). Your miss kitty had a really rough time of it. You too as a concerned owner, or 'staff' as our cats refer to us.

As a wayside waif dog, we don't have a history on her first 6, 7, or 8 years. Age is estimate from vet. We've had her 4 years Valentine's day so we just say 11. We had a 'geriatric blood scan' prior to the GA, vet said excellent candidate, liver and kidneys excellent (for age), guess all the walks are paying off (for us as well).

[Centurion2000]

This has got to be the largest and longest thread I think I have EVER seen on FR

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh.... No the corn oil incident was not a medication, but a bit of mischief that got her in trouble.

I had a full gallon jug of Mazola corn oil in the barn, that I had to supplement the horses. In the summer months when everything is dry, adding a little corn oil to their feed helps moisturize their feet and coat and makes them shiny.

One day while I was at work, the dogs pulled the gallon jug off the shelf and broke into it. They could only reach it if they climbed on top of the dog house in the barn. I am sure Gidget did this part - Gidget was still a puppy, and was the only one that would have tried since she was into everything still.

Anyway, whoever chewed the cap off of it released the full gallon onto the concrete floor. The two big dogs probably sniffed at it and tasted it, decided it was gross, and walked away. I don't think they ingested much of it.

Zulu, I think, lapped up most of the gallon (she is a 20 pound dog!). When I got home from work, she was covered in oil and not feeling well. I gave her a bath because she was a mess and made the incorrect assessment that the oil would probably just give her the runs for awhile.

Then she started throwing up. In the process, she aspirated some of the oil into her lungs and now she was gurgling trying to breathe.

So I called the vet night service. When my vet called me back, she told me to meet her at the clinic, that not only would she now get pneumonia from the oil in her lungs, but that the huge quantity of that much fat (assuming she drank most of it) would likely kill her liver and kidneys.

They carcoaled her and made her throw up again anything that was left, and started IVs to super-hydrate her, and sent me home. The vet said she doubted Zulu would survive. She looked that bad. The first time I realized Zulu was actually old was when I looked at her chart. It said under type: Geriatric cocker mix! So I left, thinking she very well could die, but by morning she was still with us, and could go home.

For the next week, she still oozed oil out of every pore. I swear her eyes were even oily. I had to bathe her every day because she was oily to the touch! - and her poop was bright yellow for days. An early re-check showed her kidney and liver functions to be "pretty good for a 14 year old dog"... But I am gonna guess before that, she had the functions of a dog in her prime. But she was a pig, and ODed on corn oil.

[Sam Cree]

Thanks for the nice words, Corin.

My kids love Virginia too, even though they were born and raised in Miami, I've brought them here alot, since I consider Virginia my, and their, heritage.

Although Virginia is the keeper of my main affection, I've thought every state I've been to so far has parts that are just beautiful, even New Jersey, to my surprise.

See you later.

[Overtaxed]

My kitty had her teeth cleaned 3 years ago when she was 8. They didn't prescribe antibiotics then. This year she had the blood work done and she tested okay.

I think she came through okay except for the antibiotics (Clavamox) making her sick (nausea, diahrrea, loss of apetite - the info I found on the web said that these were a side effect.) When she started throwing up and stopped eating, I got worried and didn't give her the last two doses.

[HairOfTheDog]

Hullo Penny!

I am just consumed by her condition because I don't like being in the position of deciding she needs to go.

This is the first pet where I am in that role.... childhood animals were my parent's decision. I need this practice... I have more to come, including my horse someday. But this first one is hard.

I will try not to obsess on it in the Hobbit Hole!

[HairOfTheDog]

This has got to be the largest and longest thread I think I have EVER seen on FR

No it isn't! - You were on the last thread, it was 48,000!

I bet we don't post more than the other daily threads like the Freoples and the Guild.... We just don't start new threads every day. We are slow to move once we get comfortable.

[Overtaxed]

Oooo....Tornado watch until 4:00.

[Overtaxed]

It's starting to thunder. Talk to everyone later!

[HairOfTheDog]

Eeeek.

[JenB]

Morning! Not sure what we're doing today but I think the bookstore figures into our plans. What about you?