Important Videos

Since I'm such an absentee blogger, I'll totally write this one in, and give you some adorable videos.

Finally, I bothered taking a walking video.  Yeah, it's not great, he only takes a couple of steps, and...yeah, he's eating crackers off the floor.  He survived.



Cute puppy love.  Robby worships Harper.  Harper...does not always agree, but she's pretty tolerant.


And, finally, just because it's funny.  My brother's dog trying to lick cheese off the floor.

Wordless Wednesday: New Hampshire Edition

Ok, so the 2nd one was up yesterday, and the 3rd and 4th are similar subjects...but I edited everything for once!

New Hampshire Preview

I've been off of blogging, because we took our yearly trip up to my grandparent's house in New Hampshire.  I don't have time for a full post, but here is a glimpse.  More tomorrow.

Videos where I sound ridiculous

I can't email the larger videos, so I will have to publicly humiliate myself so that Chris and the few people I might have sent them to can see them.  Please don't mock me...too much.

First thing in the morning cheer

His favorite buddy

Harper "helping"

And more of Harper's "help"

Animal Reaction to the Baby

Things have already changed a couple of times regarding the animals.  I suppose that's the nature of any relationship, though.  Dr. Oz actually said an amazingly insightful thing on today's show to that effect.  He has been married to his wife for 26 years, and said that during that time, he has been married to 4 different women, because she continues to evolve and change.  It really made me think about the need to stay connected to the person you are with TODAY, rather than who you assume they are.  Anyway.  Pets.  Right.

When we first came home, Monster was incredibly clingy.  He couldn't get enough of the baby, and would cuddle up next to me while I was nursing, and be desperate to sleep in the nursery with us at night.  However, this has now changed into complete avoidance.  He wanders around the house yowling and will NOT come to me when I call him (yes, our cat used to do that).  Seemingly, he now feels that he isn't receiving the same level of attention that he is used to and requires.  And rightfully so.  Therefore, I only have pictures with Monster and Robby from the first couple days, as he is virtually never in the same room now.

Day 1 photos

Harper was initially intrigued, but she was more interested in reconnecting with us than checking out the baby. She wanted to smell and lick him, but would quickly give up and move on.  However, she has now transitioned into full-blown jealousy.  She "knocks" on the nursery door multiple times a night (by banging the hang tag on the doorknob), will stare at us from as far away as she has a clear line of sight, and does anything in her power to get our attention.  This includes stealing clothes and/or pacifiers out of the pack n play, trying to give Robby toys, licking him, and ringing her bell to go outside frequently.  Her EPI is also flaring up, she's losing weight, and she's back on antibiotics.  It's not out of control, though, which we had feared would happen.

She definitely is torn between interest in and jealousy of Robby, though.  The pictures below are from today.  She wants to be around him, but also misses being the center of attention.  Overall, we're lucky that both animals are very well behaved with him and are doing well, but we're still working on finding a good balance.  It would be easier if Chris wasn't hurt, because he's having trouble walking Harper, and I haven't been up for it yet.  Though, I did take my first stroller walk today, so I may try taking her on her walk tonight to give Chris's hand a break.

I can only imagine how difficult it is introducing a second HUMAN child to a family, with how much our furry ones are struggling.  We'll all get used to the new nature of our relationships soon.

Our Anti-Social Cat

This actually happened last week, but I wanted to make sure that I could tell the end of the story and waited to post.  For once, we were so excited.  We were going to have made it a month without going to the vet.  THAT NEVER HAPPENS.  With Harper's EPI, we joke that we should buy stock in our vet's practice.  Harper's not entirely healthy because of the stress of the baby, but she's hanging in there.  We could handle a little blood, digestive issues, and the like.  I know, how crazy is it to think of that as a GOOD month?

Alas, a break from the budget line item "Animals - Medical" was not to be.  Monster's goal in life is to get outside.  To be fair, I adopted him when he was 2, and he had lived outside previously.  He does not understand why he can't go outside now.  It might not be a big deal, other than 1) We've been trying to keep him inside during pregnancy, because being an outdoor cat increases his risk of picking up toxoplasmosis, and 2) Our neighbor "has" 4 cats.  They are somewhat feral and he never brings them inside.  He just feeds them.  There is a gigantic black cat that is NASTY and will pick fights with any other animal in the neighborhood.  This is not an exaggeration.  He apparently even sits outside another neighbor's door and yells at their Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  He's a bully.

This bully caught up with Monster when he got out last week.  Monster is NOT a small cat.  And he usually can stick up for himself quite well.  He's 13 pounds of muscle and claws.  That wasn't enough to stand up to the bully.  He is COVERED in bite wounds and came back limping, barely putting any weight on his front right paw.  One of the bites had landed right in his shoulder joint and was starting to form an abcess. 

I took him over to the vet, where they shaved select spots where the bites were bad, shot him full of antibiotics, and were amazed that they got to see me again before the baby was born.  I'm not joking that these women know me too well.  They gave us Christmas presents, have invited us to private parties, and probably know more details of my life than even I do.  So, they were happy to see me doing well, but they do feel bad that we single-handedly keep the vet practice afloat. 

He still isn't walking perfectly.  It's been about a week, but he's definitely improved.  So, I think we managed to avoid any further need to have bites drained.  Thank goodness!  We love our animals, but they seriously are going to bankrupt us.  Again, not an exaggeration. 

And, of course, this has added to Harper's stress.  She is NOT supposed to be on the bed, but this was the scene when I got out of the shower one day last week.  Her protecting her "Bubba".  It's sweet, but the cat certainly doesn't see it that way.  Drives him nuts.  And I think he's very relieved that within the past couple of days he's finally felt well enough to take swipes at her, and to run away.

Now, this is an order....BOTH OF YOU STAY HEALTHY UNTIL AFTER THE LION'S BORN.  At least.  Please?!?!

The Noah's Ark of Suburbia

The animals went two by two to the vet yesterday.  I must say it's a little much for this already-encumbered girl to deal with, but we survived.  Monster screamed the entire way, as always, and Harper was ENTIRELY too excited to go visit her "friends", but so be it.  I just made multiple trips to and from the car, and left each one in the car by themselves during the others' appointment.  Harper sat behind her gate and Monster was in his carrier. 

What was unexpected was the results of the trip.  Harper is doing well.  She is at 71 pounds, and while she continues to eat excessive amounts of food, she at least seems to be fully stabalized, vaccinated, and her energy level is great.  Her current regiment is 6 cups a day of Purina Pro-Plan Sensitive Stomach Salmon (2 feedings of 3 cups each) and a teaspoon of Panicare enzyme on each feeding.  We have discovered that due to the tendency of EPI dogs to have MANY food allergies, that a fish-based diet with virtually no grains works best.  The purina has sweet potato and oats, which are less inflamatory.  She also, on occasion, will get a treat that is made of dehydrated salmon and sweet potato.  I'd have to look up the name if there are any EPI owners that care, but they seem to agree in small doses, too.  We are debating re-starting training, and may try buying cans of salmon to see if that works well as a reward (both as motivation, and not upsetting her stomach).  This is pretty amazing.  Below are pictures from December 2nd and today.  You can see how far she has progressed.

Surprisingly, Monster's appointment did not go so well.  He's been having some trouble jumping recently, and I mentioned it off-handedly to the vet.  Chris's theory was just that Harper made him nervous, and so he was having a mental block.  The doctor proceeded to check his back hips, and said that he has arthritis and mild hip dysplasia.  Of course, we would need x-rays to confirm that, but we don't have the money to spend on those.  For now, we're just starting him on joint supplements and seeing how that goes.  It's not particularly surprising, he is getting older.  He's at least 8, though we can't be sure of his exact age, as I rescued him when he was "at least" 2.  So, now we probably could fill an entire medicine cabinet with drugs just for the animals.  Monster doesn't seem too phased at this point, though.  As Chris said, we're really hoping for a healthy human kid, as we have had WAY too many issues with our furry ones!

Not So Helpful

Well...Harper's being a brat.  That's actually good news.  It means she's feeling good.  Here is a bit of evidence:

She is back to pre-washing all the dishes for us.  Which really isn't so great when you're supposed to be keeping her away from any off-diet food.  You try fighting with a stubborn 70-pound garbage disposal.  But does she eat HER food?  OH no.  Not until you give in and bribe her with something.  Sometimes this is some plain meat (like boiled chicken breasts) which she is allowed to have, a little frozen pumpkin, or her favorite, putting a little of the kibble in an empty cat food can.  Does she care that she doesn't get any cat food?  Not really.  It's the can that does it for her.

Alright, as for the health update, it's still in the wait-and-see mode.  We believe that the intestinal infection has cleared and are off antibiotics right now.  However, the digestive function is perhaps still a little...loose?  Trying not to be gross here.  It's looking up a bit, but it's still not great.  She also seems to be putting on a bit of weight, but that could be my imagination, as we haven't been back to the vet to be weighed.  Hopefully the digestive issues clear up soon so that we can get some vaccines.  She continues to be medically excused from being up to date on her shots, but it would be nice to get, I don't know, rabbies and the like at some point so we could head back out in public. 

What are we doing differently?  We're thoroughly charting EVERYTHING.  Every bit of food, every time she goes to the bathroom (though, I didn't go out into the yard with her at lunch, so I don't know, and Chris is going to be upset with me), and every medication we give her.  We continue to do about 1 tsp of pancreatic enzyme to 3 cups of food, but recent articles we've read seem to suggest a higher ratio of enzyme.  We also are continuing to give her FortaFlora, a pro-biotic for now to try and address that the antibiotics have killed of the good bacteria, but we may stop that after she improves.  As we chart it, we may add more fat into her diet.  The more recent studies on EPI dogs that we've read seem to contradict the long-held belief that these dogs need to be on low fat diets.  Rather, it's important to minimize grain/fiber, and fat can actually help them put weight back on.  We're only going to make one change at a time, though, so we're not starting that yet.  We've also tossed about the idea of going to a more meat-centric diet, but it would be expensive, so we're holding off on that for now. 

Long story short, she seems to be improving, but we're not out of the woods yet.

Good news for you!

The good news for you:  There won't be any more bad pictures for awhile!  Yes, I finally got off my lazy butt and sent the camera away to be repaired.  Well, there MIGHT be pictures, but it involves me finding the point and shoot and using that.  So we shall see. 

Also good?  2011 really seems to be turning around for us.  So maybe I will quit being so mopey and feel like I can write without depressing the rest of the world.  Yes, I'm still part time, but between Chris's test and work successes (oh, did I not tell you?  Aside from just passing the PE, he has been regionally recognized for a green building he helped design.  My husband is a rock star.), the Lion being healthy and generally driving me a little less nuts (thank you 2nd trimester), and just managing to work through a lot of crud in my head, things are looking up.

It just wouldn't be me without bringing you down a little bit, though.  Harper continues to have an intestinal infection, and continues to lose yet more weight.  Oh!  I might have a picture of her I haven't posted so you can see the skinniness.

 
There's nothing quite like being allowed to chew on an empty wrapping-paper tube if you're a puppy.  It didn't last long.  Maybe 10 minutes before I had to take the shredded remains away.  Anyway, our last bi-weekly visit resulted in a $200-some dollar charge, and she was down another 2 pounds in 2 weeks.  So Chris and I had to have the heartbreaking discussion of when were we going to say "enough is enough".  Don't worry, it's not yet!  We're trying upping the antibiotics yet again, and praying, but it wouldn't be fair to let her starve to death if things don't get under control.  I ended up in tears, and Chris had the nerve to say, "Aren't pregnancy hormones fun?"  Oooh!  I about slugged him.  My response?  "I would've been upset about this anyway, thank you." 

Alright.  Enough of that.  I'm going to go back to remembering that life is looking up.  Which...will be easier after I go grab a couple Tums.  ;)  For all the relief of symptoms the 2nd trimester has brought, it's also brought on some WICKED heartburn.  So, off to raid the medicine cabinet.

Finally, a Christmas Overview

If you think my break is due to the "blizzard" we're experiencing...you'd be sadly mistaken.  Here in the western suburbs of Philly, we only got about 6".  Although, that's what shut down London for so long, right?  All the snow meant for us was that we left Ohio EARLY Sunday morning (we're talking about 4:30 am ya'll), and drove back in time to beat the "onslaught".  We both still went in to work the next day.  Though, the roads were pretty empty.

Ohio was lovely.  They had a coating of maybe 4" of snow on the ground.  It was just enough for Harper to go, "Oh, yeah!  I remember this stuff!"  And promptly turn into insane-o-pup.  We went to the tennis courts at the middle school a couple of times so that she could chase her ball, and she just thought it was the absolutely most exciting thing she had ever experienced.  That, and, even though she usually has the nose of...well...something that can't smell, she decides to track everything once there's snow on the ground. 

Alright, below are going to be some pictures of our walk on Christmas Eve.  That were taken with our broken Canon Rebel.  It will allow you to take manual focus pictures either 1) With a flash or 2) No flash and INSANELY slow shutter speed.  So...I'll show you some of each, and you can experience the torture. 

Lovely, isn't it? 

Harper thoroughly enjoyed  Christmas morning, too, and insisted on helping open presents.

Yes, she received an Ohio State football, and the Lion got an Ohio State onesie.  Chris was not so thrilled, and immediately called his mother to tell her she had to help balance the sports attire that our child will be wearing.

Finally...visions of the "blizzard". 

Oh, no, she wasn't enjoying herself at all.  Just a little more than poor Chris.  Who wouldn't let me help him shovel.  Sometimes this pregnancy thing is alright.  ;)

Catch Up #2: Harper's Health

Thank goodness this is in the past!

 Harper has come a long way.  She still is as skinny as a runway model, and you can see her ribs.  She still can't have any treats or fat, and she takes enzymes with every meal.  HOWEVER, she's back to having every ounce of energy she used to, and no longer has to go in for B-12 shots every week...or ever. 

Last week we took her in for follow-up blood work, and have established that all of her levels are as good as they are going to get (meaning no more shots, yay!), and one more very important thing:  WE CAN SPAY HER!!!!  We won't have to go through heat again!  No more diapers!  (at least not for the dog)

Diaper time

So, the poor girl is scheduled to get sliced open on Thursday.  I feel terrible about forcing an animal to go through an "elective" surgery, but not terrible enough to risk adding to the pet population.  Particularly with her genes carrying all these health issues!  (Yes, we have contacted the breeder to let her know what happened, and no, we never heard back.  We do know she's having a very rough time personally right now, though, so, hopefully she just takes it under advisement never to use that stud again.) 

All this new-found energy is causing trouble, though!  Now that the basement is finished we are back to longer walks, but she's still a bit of a maniac.  She LOVED having another dog to play with this past week, but Brutus couldn't keep up with her.  He'd play for awhile, but then want to stop, at which point she would become a kangaroo, and leap over him repeatedly while barking.  Until he hid under the coffee table.  Then she'd just bark at him.  She also can't be left out even as long as it takes for me to shower.  Yesterday, she emptied the entire kitchen garbage can, and shredded or ingested its contents.  Of course, this also meant her digestion was thrown out of whack, and she threw up all over the crate while I was at work, and "picking up her poop" on the walk was impossible. 

So glad my girl's back, though!

Dogs have the Memories of....Elephants?

I'm not sure this is a true statement, but I was floored when we went to the dog park on Wednesday.  Harper was being a maniac...bouncing with energy, even before we got to the park.  When we arrived, however, she darted straight to the center of the fenced area and started jumping ALL OVER a woman.  I was slightly horrified.  I went over and apologized profusely, but the woman laughed and said, "Don't worry about it, I'm used to it.  I'm a dog walker."  At that point, I said, "C'mon, Harper, let's leave her alone."  To which the woman gushed, "Harper!  I knew I knew this dog!"

Turns out that she works for the dog walking service that we use and when I used to travel out of state weekly to go to a client site earlier this year, she was the one that would walk the dog.  I finished that project in...April maybe?  It's been awhile.  But Harper still definitely knew who Robin was!  (It is also reassuring that obviously she was well taken care of and a big fan of her walker!)

Wait...No toys at the dog park?

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the sign, or a vivid recollection of every new rule that was posted, but I will convey what I can.

We arrived at the dog park on Sunday to try and burn out some of Harper's excess energy.  It's been tough on the girl.  Chris isn't available because of studying, and I just haven't felt well enough to walk every day.  I tried, but it wasn't always happening.  So, needless to say, she was quite excited when we arrived.  Much to our amazement, a new sign was posted saying that the park was at risk of being closed down, and that the following rules must be obeyed.  They mostly involved cleaning up after and observing your dog.  Nothing new, nothing surprising.  What WAS surprising was a new ban on bringing toys to the park, and also an adamant reminder that you must bring your own water and take it home when you leave.

We were a little put off by this.  Harper...is not a social dog.  Not that she's mean to other dogs, she just has no interest in going to the dog park to run around with them.  She might say hi to a few of the owners, but mostly?  The dog is ball obsessed.  The main reason we go is to have a large, fenced in space where we can use the long ball-tosser-stick-thing (I don't know the name) and wail that ball hundreds of yards.  Restricting toys terminates our purpose.

Although, on a side note, my ever-so-concerned husband threw it OVER the fence into another fenced area, and then let me climb the fence to retrieve it.  Thanks, hun.

Our immediate inclination was that it is an un-staffed park, and that they were just annoyed that it wasn't being maintained.  On further thought, though, I realized that it's probably a health concern.  If dog parks have too much waste present, it can cause a serious health hazard.  There are any number of parasites that can live in waste, as well as the following list of diseases, as posted by the Organic Pet Digest:

* Parvovirus (Parvo)- This is a highly contagious disease, which often leads to death, is most commonly transmitted through contaminated feces. Symptoms of Parvo include diarrhea and vomiting. Parvo is most common in puppies but can affect a dog of any age.

    * Giardia- This is a parasite that lives in various unexpected water sources. If consumed, it causes giardiasis, which has symptoms including diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain and poor weight gain.

    * Distemper- This is a highly contagious viral disease that affects the respiratory and nervous systems, causing fever, lethargy, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and eventually death.

    * Leptospirosis- A bacterial disease carried by wild animals or found in water sources. Symptoms include high fever, jaundice, hemorrhaging and bloody feces.

    * Kennel Cough- A highly contagious disease caused by organisms. Symptoms include severe coughing spells sometimes followed by vomiting and gagging.

So, maybe there was a rational.  Although, we may still sneak our own ball into the park.  We just won't be sharing...if that's possible.  "Ball" seems to be the equivalent of throwing a juicy steak sometimes, and you tend to get quite a few participants.  Ah, well.  It's a risk we'll have to take.

Oh, you didn't come to visit the dog?

Harper has begun to see herself as the hostess with the most-ess...though perhaps our guests do not feel the same.  It is not the norm, but we have had people over every day for a week now.  This ranges from my grandparents as overnight guests, to contractors looking at the basement.  Regardless of who the visitor is, though, Harper feels it is her job to occupy their time.  Exclusively. 

Take for example, Matt used as a pillow:

Or, holding court with the grandparents:

Last night, I was babysitting our friends' children (ages, I think, 8 months and 2 1/2), and I ended up having to put her up in her crate because she would NOT quit licking them.  It's not that she's not friendly...it's that she's TOO friendly.  Hmm...  So, we are now on a mission to 1) Re-break the couch habit, 2) Tone down the licking (sorry Chris), and 3) Stop all jumping once and for all.  Feel free to laugh at our ambition.

Harper is Improving!

Sorry I've been so quiet, but we've been as hectic as you may have guessed.  But we have good news!  Harper is responding well to treatment!  It's VERY expensive, so our pockets aren't loving it, but at least our puppy is.  One B12 shot is $16.50, and she gets one of those weekly.  One 12 oz bottle of enzyme powder is $129, and we estimate that will last us a little over 2 months.  (The vet tech tried to tell us 300 days, but we think she's confused.  Harper needs 1 tsp with every meal.  Believe us, we've run the math a million times by now.)  Also, as she progresses, she'll do a blood test every month or so until she's better...which is a couple hundred.  Puppies are not cheap propositions, people!

But the most encouraging sign?  This:

That picture may not look like much, but let me tell you why it's fantastic.  That is a puppy with a wet head because she wouldn't stay out of the shower while I was in it.  She was too busy biting at the stream of water and having a wonderful time.  She's starting to get back to her old, playful self!  Such a relief.  It's probably been almost two months since she's played this game, and we're happy to have it back, even if it does make for a wet bathroom, and public shower. 

30 before 30: #13. Throw a party

I do have to admit that this is one of many items on my "Bucket List" that I have done many times before.  That didn't make it any less of a goal.  And, it's yet another one that I selfishly used Chris for my purposes.  For his 30th birthday, we had some of our friends over on Saturday.  Not a huge gathering, but it qualifies.

Chris's best man, Matt, brought a lot of his home-brewed beer, as always.  He is very talented.  Don't think some skunky crud coming out of someone's basement.  Think treats from a semi-professional, who dreams of one day being a brewmaster.  He frequently enters competitions, and frequently does well. 

Why the beer talk?  Matt showed up, and immediately treated us to a  micro-brewery beer he had recently discovered, and MAN, was it delicious.  He did not warn the light-weights amongst us (*cough* me) that it was 13%, though, when he handed me a mug full.

Try it, it's delicious.

Not surprisingly, before any other guests showed up, I was running up and down the street trying to invite neighbors.  While this may count toward #8 Making Friends, it is perhaps a little embarrassing.  Not that I was visibly intoxicated.  I just get very friendly.  The two neighbors I talked to, and would love to be friends with, both sounded very positive, and said they'd try to stop by...but didn't.  I was bummed.

The real reason for the party, forget all that birthday stuff, was to watch Penn State play Alabama.  Originally, we were going to watch the game on a screen in the backyard, but the dog has made the yard a terrible minefield that contains swarms of flies.  We try our best to keep up, but...it's disgusting, and we certainly weren't letting people out there.  So, inside it was. 

Lent by another groomsman, Mike

I can't really claim to have watched much of the game, but perhaps that's better for our sanity for two reasons.  1) Penn State got slaughtered (not surprisingly) and 2) Chris DVR'd it and we watched it again the next morning anyway.  The re-watching of the game is pretty standard in our house, and should not surprise any of you who read Old State Glory.  Chris doesn't get all his stats with one watch.  OH no.  There is serious analysis going on in our house.



Now, I'm starting to feel there's a bit of a conspiracy.  Virtually every blog I read has recently announced they are pregnant (Hi Kat of Living Like the Kings and Tina of Faith, Fitness, Fun who usually read here, too).  ALSO, while you can only see Maddie over on the left, and Will front and center, Sam is hiding behind a column and Tim & Cathy are hiding little "Borat" (or so they claim) in-utero.  Feeling some pressure.  But, while my husband suggested that I do a post on my feelings on what we're thinking, I think I will not ask for THAT many comments.  ;)

EDIT 
***NOTE FOR ALL NEW PEOPLE WHO ARE FINDING THIS POST SEARCHING "PREGNANCY": The complete and total irony of this post is that I was indeed pregnant at this party.  I did not know it.  I found out 4 days later.  Our feelings were that we were going to start trying some time in a few months...obviously...well, y'know...unnecessary.***

Overall, we had a great time.  I made vegetarian chili (which, I need to send the recipe to Kelle, but you can find HERE.  Yum.) and pulled pork, as well as the cake.  Our very generous and helpful friends brought all the sides.  Which, obviously means, I broke down and ate some of Meghan's buffalo chicken dip.  Ok, the majority of the pan.  So much for vegetarianism, and my comfort.  OHHHH have I felt sick from the dairy.  Whatever, worth it.  It's awesome.

And even Harper got up off her whiny, sick-butt and joined in.  She can't resist a good party!  Of course, she was passed out the next day, but loved it while it was going on!

Harper Update

We got Harper's bloodwork back today, and it's confirmed that she has an insufficient pancreas, which is pretty much destroyed.  She is being put on pancreatic enzymes which need to be given with every meal for the rest of her life.  Furthermore, the vet wants to give her a B12 shot to try and push her in the right direction, and is switching the antibiotics over to Metronidazole after reviewing the bloodwork.  I did a little google research, and it seems that it treats protazoa instead of bacteria, so I'm guessing that's what they found.

She's still on pain killers for the leg, but because she seems to be improving, we are holding off on seeing the orthopedic specialist for now. 

It's amazing how much the dog is going through.  Never anticipated anything like this, but hopefully she'll be alright soon. 

 (Happier baby Harper)

Doggie Depression

It is incredibly sad to watch how lethargic and antipathetic Harper has become.  Even Chris is letting her on the sofa.  So, you know things have gotten rough. 

She wouldn't even get up when I came downstairs this morning.  Or even give me a wag.  And this is a dog that typically loses her mind with excitement if I step outside for 5 minutes and come back in!  But there is one thing that got her up this morning...

COOLER FULL OF ICE WATER!!!

No puppy can resist dunking her head in freezing gallons of water, just to retrieve ice cubes, and run them over to her bed to chomp on them:

"Running" being a relative term, of course.  With Harper it's kinda a slow hobble at the moment.  But that didn't stop her from going back for more:

Feel better soon, baby girl!

**We do not have test results yet, but as you can see from the above picture, the total bony-ness is SCARY, and they need to do something SOON.