in memory of Scubee the one and only Wienerblab

a message from sara and ryan:

After a heroic battle with lymphoma, Scubee passed away peacefully in our arms on Tuesday, July 3rd 2007.

Although he wasn't with us for very long, we will be eternally grateful for the joy that Scubee brought to our lives. His first couple of years may have been rough, but Scubee more than made up for it in the last two years, which were filled with love, games, cuddles, and, perhaps most importantly, plenty of treats. Scubee was a true character, and won over the hearts of everyone who met him (with perhaps the exception of our mail carrier!)

Our deepest thanks go out to Animal Rescue Coalitions in Halifax for giving Scubee the chance to adopt us, to the Dogs with Blogs community, particularly for all the supportive messages over the last few days, and of course to the Wienerblab fan club of family and friends who loved Scubee despite and because of all his eccentrities (if you've ever been in a car with Scubee, you know what we're talking about).

So long, Scubee. We will miss you terribly. It's been a blast.

See you at the rainbow bridge.

it's almost time to say goodbye

sara and ryan came to get me from the hospital this morning, so i am home now. the nice vets gave me fluids through a tube, but they told me there's not much more we can do because the cancer has moved into my organs.

for now, i'm just going to lie out in the backyard in the shade and enjoy some time with my family. i'm not in too much pain really, and i am still drinking some water, but i just don't think i can hang on much longer. even though wienerblabs are world-renowned for being excellent fighters, i think it's almost time for me to go.

i keep telling sara and ryan not to be sad, and that i am so glad that they let me adopt them. they say that they really would have liked to have more time with me, but i am reminding them that i have had the best 25 months that i could ever have imagined!! even if it took more than a year for my people to discover pupcakes, and even if i was sick near the end, i have had a wonderful time!

in the hospital

sorry i haven't posted in a little while, but i've been feeling kinda sick.

sara and ryan were giving me special high-protein food, but for the last couple of days i haven't been able to eat anything, let alone my kibble... i know, i know, that really isn't like me at all!

ryan is away but sara has been sleeping downstairs with me, and even though she was making me drink little bits of water all the time, she still got really worried about me and took me in to the hospital. i'm going to stay here overnight while they give me fluids and transfusions, but sara is really sad because the nice vet says it looks like the cancer has moved into my liver.

i'm so glad that i got to go for a mini-vacation last weekend with tobi and my family, even though i didn't get around to blogging about about it, because i had such a great time and have lots of nice things to dream about tonight.

i'm very very tired, so i'm going to sign out now, but if the vet lets me use his computer tomorrow i'll let you know how i'm doing.

hangin' with tobi

Tobi came to visit! I was sooo excited! And we even got to spend the whoooole night and whooooled day together because his family came down to see my aunt melanie do something that they called a "half iron triathlon". I don't know what that is. We got to snuggle and play, and even though i was a bit tired so we didn't wrestle, it was great fun anyway!

Tobi says i look too skinny. Sara and ryan say that it's because of the sickness, and that i am losing my muscles. But i think it's because i don't get enough treats. Honestly, people just don't get it sometimes.

thank goodness for eating

Whatever it was that was bothering my tummy seems to have cleared up pretty quickly, which is good because it's no fun missing my meals. Yesterday afternoon i got to have three seperate little dinners of special food! And afterwards, i even got to take sara on a short walk!

The vet thinks that i didn't eat anything bad, but that feeling ill was probably something to do with my mystery sickness. The people still think it's most likely cancer, but despite many many tests and consults with special vets, they haven't been able to figure out which type. Go figure. People aren't nearly as smart as they would have you think.

If only they would listen to me -- i think that it is all due to a lack of pupcakes and cookies, and if only i could have an unlimited supply of treats i'm sure i would be cured!

not feeling so good

Today i am not feeling so good. My belly is just not very happy. I was up much of the night with ryan, and still was not doing great in the morning so sara stayed home with me. I'm feeling a bit better now that we went to the vet and got a shot -- i was very very good the whole time -- and have even been able to eat a little food, which is a huuuuuge relief.

I'm glad that sara stayed home to cuddle with me in the sunshine, but i wish that i was feeling better enough to play some games. What's the fun of having your person stay home with you if you're sick the whole time?

I wish i knew what was wrong with me...

why i love weekends

i just love weekends because ryan and sara stay home with me. sometimes they leave for a little while, but they often spend extra time playing in the backyard and cuddling with me. sometimes, we all nap for part of the afternoon. i think that napping with my family is just about the best thing there is (besides eating treats, of course).

finally...

So for a change, Ryan is home on a weekday. He keeps going to work and turning off the computer before he leaves. Doesn't he know I can't turn it back on to post on my blog?

Apparently I'm it...Sparky has tagged me and I'm supposed to say eight things about myself. I'm not feeling very well so hopefully I can think of some quickly. I really hope these doctors can figure out what's wrong with me and just fix me already. Here's what Sparky said:

Now, I get to tag someone! The people I tag must:
1. Start with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. The person tagged blogs about each of these facts and posts these rules.
3. At the end of the blog entry, list 8 pups to get tagged.
4. Leave a comment telling them that they have been tagged!

okay then...eight random facts.

1. my forever family, ryan and sara, rescued me from Animal Rescue Coalitions in Halifax, NS. They were supposed to be fostering me for a couple of days...i sure fooled them.

2. i really really really don't like car rides...even though i get lots of treats and yummy soup bones, something about driving around in the car really freaks me out. I'm okay if we're going straight and at a constant speed, but I don't do well with the stopping and starting and turning, etc.

3. when ryan and sara got me I didn't even know what a cookie was. the first one i got i spit out on the ground and then finally was persuaded to eat it. Best move ever!!! now i can't get enough.

4. my favourite toy is my bungee deer...no wait, it's my duck...er...maybe my hedgehog...wait!!...how can i forget about my molecuball which spits out treats when i bat it around the room!

5. you already know this, but I'm part weinerdog, part pit bull and part black lab...you figure that one out.

6. mail is evil and it must be killed as it comes through the mail slot or else it will...hmmm....i'm not actually sure what it will do if I don't kill it.

7. i love to lie in the sun until ryan or sara point out that i'm crazily overheating, then i go inside for a bit before going back out into the sun.

8. i actually do like wearing clothes. i have several shirts and sweaters and my blue rain jacket keeps me warm and dry in the rain...and it matches one that ryan has with white reflector strips on it.

okay, now for tagging some other doggie friends.

How about MJ, Jackie, Peanut, Billy Boo, Opy, Sophie, Sherman, Penny and Lola, and of course Wally.

I would have also tagged Suki but she was tagged already today.

out for now...aaaRARARaarararARRrr

MY food!

So Ryan and Sara are changing my food. Not because there was anything necessarily wrong with my old food but just that we still don't know what's wrong with me. The vet said that we'll just have to keep me on that prednisone stuff every other day (because when we switched to every four days I got sick again) and see how I do. I wish I didn't have to keep taking that stuff because it makes me more anxious, especially when other people are over and I'm even more excitable when there is food around. I just can't help it.

They did say they were going to consult some specialist network, so we'll see what happens with that. Anyways, for anyone interested, my old food that I'm not going to be getting anymore is Wellness, but we've found just as many people saying it's a great food as those saying it's not that good anymore. The new one is really yummy too and is called EaglePack. (neither of them are made by that company Menu Foods that's making some of our friends sick)

scubee out,
aARAaRAArrrrrARrr

Where's Dr. House when you need him?

Sara and Ryan watch this show called House...it has this really obnoxious doctor on it who somehow manages to solve all sorts of weird medical problems that people have that no one else can figure out...so where is this guy when you need him?

Returning to the saga of my body's imaginary problems, after the ultrasound I had that left me with no fur on my belly the vet said they still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and didn't find any cancer, even though all the symptoms were pointing that way. They decided to gradually take me off these prednisone pills I've been on so I'm now getting one every four days, and things were going fine until yesterday, when that crazy need for water came back and I drank 27,000 gallons of water...(okay, maybe a minor exaggeration) I feel really bad because I had to get Ryan up at 2am to let me out to pee and I know he's busy with his school stuff this week.

Hopefully the docs will be able to figure something out soon.

aRArARrrrrrrrr

Of course I'm a lap dog

I'm not sure I really understand this big dog/small dog dichotomy. You see...I'm a big dog...part black lab, part american staffordshire...if you heard me bark you'd be concerned. On the other hand...I'm part dachsie...a little dog...I stand about a foot and a half tall on a tall day...so why can't I sit on your lap while you're doing work? Of course I'm a lap dog. So a lesson to all you little dogs, hold your head high, it's all in the bark...and for you big dogs, there's no problem being a little dog at heart...jump up and sit on your person(s) lap(s), you too can be a lap dog! (and those of you in between...no one should question you either way)

aARArararARrr

Happy birthday to me!

I would have posted yesterday but I was up island with my good buddy Tobi at his house on Protection Island. It was so much fun being up there for the weekend.

But guess what...it was my birthday yesterday and it was so great (except for the riding in the car part). You'll never guess what I got for my birthday, so I'll tell you. If you recall, my most favouritest toy ever has been this deer but the stretchy part has worn out, one of the squeakies doesn't squeak anymore and there's stuffing coming out of his head. I had heard of my people looking for a new one for me but they never had any luck. How surprised was I yesterday after having two big soup bones in the car ride back from Nanaimo, when we returned home and Sara pulled out a brand new deer! They come from the American Kennel Club and, even though they haven't recognized the wienerblab as an official breed, they do make good toys. I also have the duck but it doesn't quack anymore, though it's still fun to play with.

And if that wasn't enough, Sara made me my own bone-shaped birthday cookies. They're soooo good...even though the recipe said to cook them in the microwave. Anyways...back to my deer...I'll post again later with more details from last weekend.

arararARARARaArararar-squeaka squeaka-raaARarr

bath time! gross!

This week, sara has not been going away to work each day like she normally does. She says that she needs to do school stuff, but i know that it's really because she wants to hang out with me in the sunshine.
So imagine my surprise when sara said that the sunshine was a good occasion to give me a shower outside! I tried to be really really good, but i don't like getting sprayed with water one bit! Even though sara hooked the hose up to the inside tap so that the water was warm, i was not impressed.

And rather than rescuing me, ryan decided to take photos. I'd like to see how he would feel if sara made him stand in the back yard and sprayed him with the hose. Hhmmph! Getting wet is soooo gross!
araARARarAArarrr

An example of when the game is over

Don't you people understand? This is an example of the end of a tug o' war and fetch game. You're supposed to leave me alone to chew for a while, and then I'll come back to you when the game is to resume.



araARARarAArarrr

Tug o' war or fetch...I always get the two mixed up

I thought I'd start off the week with a couple of videos taken yesterday out in the backyard because the weather was so nice. You see...I have this little problem. I seem to be the only one who understands the rules of these games. The games of tug o' war and fetch are not separate games, but they are one and the same. I'll go fetch, but you need to then play tug to get the thing back from me...and if I win, you have to keep trying. The game ends when the toy needs a rest (rest defined as me squishing it in my mouth for a while). There is also a lot of growling involved. It's so much fun.



aArarararARRaarr

kinda cold in here

brrrrrrr...

So I still haven't heard back yet from the vet but we should hear something today I think...as you can tell, I survived my bout of starvation. It was touch and go for a while there but when I came out of the vet room I got a great big cookie and then a whole bunch of kibble in the car on the way home. Since then though things have been a bit chilly...my poor belly had to be shaved for the ultrasound thingy to work...it was quite frightening...they had to shave me and then they put this weird jelly-type stuff on my belly while they moved this thing around. I'm okay, but fuzzy scubee isn't so fuzzy anymore in some parts. They assure me it will grow back though, but I'll believe it when I see it (or at least when I show it to people when I roll over to let them rub my belly).

araRAararaRArarrr

ssoOoOOooOoo hungry

I don't know why everyone is so mean to me. Can't you see I'm starving? Look, you can almost see my ribs. My tongue is sticking out in hopes of catching any airborne nutrients that might happen by...(don't worry, I don't have Charles' problem)

I don't know what I did to deserve this but I didn't get my breakfast this morning. I did get a mildly unexpected additional dinner around 9:30 last night, but that's no reason to deprive me of breakfast. They say it's because of my vet appointment today. I'm going to get an ultrasound done of my belly, but it's not until 11:30. They said I can't eat for 12 hours before my appointment but I still don't understand why my appointment couldn't be earlier. Oh well...hopefully I'll make it...and Ryan better bring my breakfast with us to the vet to revive me afterwards.

araARRararRRrrARararr

And you thought cookies were great

Yes, my friends, there is something out there, just for dogs, that is better than cookies. I know, I know...but take a look at these!


Your eyes are not deceiving you...they are, in fact, doggie cupcakes. Sara brought them home from the store on Friday and they are sooooooooo good. I didn't want the goodness to ever end...but alas, she only brought home two of them. I heard her saying to Ryan that she had to show him the store she got them at, so all is not lost...I believe there will be more. For those of you here in Victoria (MJ, this is to you), I heard the place is in Dragon Alley in Chinatown. I don't know where that is, but if you get your people to read this maybe they can help. Anyways, off to go dream about more of those yummy yummy cupcakes.

AARararaARAararrr

Check out the new duds!

Sara went out the other day and came back with an early birthday present for me. My birthday isn't until next month but she got me this new shirt. If ever there was a shirt that described the essence of wienerblabness, this is it! She said she got it from this store in Market Square where they have lots of cool doggie stuff. You should get one!



AaraAraraArARARRRrr

A lesson in cookie eating

Not that you need a lesson on how to eat cookies, because I know you're all pretty good at that naturally. The key to this lesson is one of strategy. Now I know it's not often that you are confronted with multiple cookies at the same time, let alone ones varying in size, shape and tastiness, but watch the video and learn. The key is to go after the largest one first, because we all know, cookies will disappear before your eyes if you don't eat them fast enough.



aRAaraArrrRRRArarr

But I'm an Aries...

Aries
Your element: Fire
Your ruling planets: Mars
Symbol: The Ram
Your stone: Ruby
Life Pursuit: The thrill of the moment
Vibration: Enthusiastic
Aries Secret Desire: To lead the way for others.

Ryan talked to the vet yesterday because we were still waiting to hear back about my last blood tests and she said that she thinks I have some sort of cancer. I don't know what that is but I know I don't like it. They couldn't see anything from my x-rays (after all that) so they said I need to go back and have an ultrasound on my belly. I'm not sure what they'll find because I keep telling Ryan that there's not enough food in there. I'm taking this thing called prednisone twice a day. It's also making me want to drink more and it's making me really hyper (probably not so much that the average person could tell the difference from before but my people can).

Anyways, I'll hope to know more in a couple of weeks when they do this ultrasound thingy.

aARAraRARAARararr

antifreeze tastes like candy

did you know that even though that green stuff people put in their cars tastes like candy, it can kill dogs? and other animals too?

and even though there are are safe kinds of antifreeze that are not poisonous, most people don't know about them.

in my home of british columbia, us dogs have started a campaign to get people to learn about the safe kinds of antifreeze and to get the poisonous stuff off the shelves. find out more at the spca website.

here's a picture of me with some of the safe kind of green stuff -- my people bought this at canadian tire. i look worried because i am thinking about all the dogs that get sick and even die from the poisonous green stuff each year.



aarARRAraRAArarrrarr

Napkins are bad for the environment...I use pants instead

You know how after a really great and satisfying meal (to the extent that a meal that ends can be satisfying) and you're all done licking the crumbs off your face, you find your face covered in slobber and your nose running a bit? Rather than using napkins that are made from paper and the senseless destruction of the places where we pee, I find a nearby pantleg (preferably with the leg still inside) works wonders. It not only helps you to wipe the aforementioned (okay, ryan helped with that word) slobber and snot, it also helps with that itching sensation that comes with it. Here's an example of how it's done.



aarARRAraRAArarrrarr

mmmm.....kibble!

This is me licking my lips after some good kibble. I'm glad I have my appetite back, mostly, because I was wondering how I could possibly survive without my kibble. (though the beef and chicken and fresh salmon kinda helped) They still don't know what's wrong but they've got me on some sort of drug in the meantime which seems to be helping because I have more energy and my love for all things food seems to have returned (except for mushrooms, but they're not really food. I'm not sure why ryan eats those).

I think we'll get the results from the last set of tests tomorrow or friday.

AraRAaArARarARRrrrr

x-rays are stupid too

Well...back to the vet today. They still don't know what's wrong with me so they had to take more of my blood (it's really not fun). They also made me get x-ray pictures taken. Now I love getting my picture taken as much as the next wienerblab, but this type they put you on a cold table and stretch you out and try to hold you still while they do this...they're sure not getting my good side (even though they took pictures of both sides of me and one of my belly...I'm sure they could see how empty it was). And then the messed up on one of them and had to take it again. As you can see...I'm now glowing from all the radiation and appliances turn on as I walk by them. I hope I return to normal soon.

(okay okay...I'm not really glowing...ryan showed me how to do that in his photo program)

aArrArarARARaRraarr

I hope Tobi comes over again soon

Tobi is my bestest friend. When he comes over we have so much fun running around and wrestling. We don't break stuff very often. We used to make a lot of sound when we'd wrestle but our people like it better when we're more quiet like this. It may look like we're hurting each other but Tobi doesn't have most of his canines and I don't actually bite down, I just pretend.



araARRararArarar

some good news, but more tests

Well...apparently it's not the kind of cancer they thought it might be that they tested for yesterday. On the other hand, it means they still don't know what it is that's causing my loss of appetite and crazy water consumption. As a result, I'm going back on Monday for more tests...this time they're going to do another blood test (the one they didn't do last week by mistake) and a chest x-ray. I guess we'll see what happens after that but the results from that won't come back until the end of the week and in the meantime they say they're going to give me something called a cortico-steroid (and I thought I was already muscular enough for a wienerblab) and that might help with things.

gotta go (time to go mark up the neighbourhood again)

araARAARaararArararar

still waiting

I really don't understand...I thought these veterinarian-type people were supposed to just know what's wrong with you when you're not feeling well. I had to go back there again today and they say they still don't know why my appetite's gone (except for the fresh salmon and rice in chicken broth that I've been getting lately) and why I'm drinking so much water. They said it wasn't that parathyroid thing (whatever that is) but that they didn't do all the tests they were supposed to last week. They also said something about my lymph nodes today and had to shave part of my leg and poke me with more needles. It wasn't fun at all. And then, of course, the thermometer in the bum again...hopefully we'll figure it all out soon and I'll be back to my normal fuzzy wienerblab self soon.

bybye for now

ArraArAraRAARRRaararar

more tests? :(

well...the vet called and said they want me to come back and see them again on monday. I'm not really happy about that. They told ryan that my white blood cell count is low and my calcium is high. They said that the calcium being high is what is making me so thirsty but I need more tests to find out why.

blood tests are stupid.

they said it might be something about my parathyroid glands or something. Oh well...I guess I'll go back there on Monday, but they say these tests won't get back for a week or something. I'll let you know when I find out.

AraaAraaRararararAR

she said I looked old

So I went with ryan to the vet today because I haven't been eating the same lately and have been drinking way more water than usual. I don't feel that different otherwise so I'm not sure how anything could be wrong with me. Anyways, after putting the thermometer in my bum they proceeded to take me into another room where I thought I would get more cookies (which I did) but they also stuck me with something pointy that hurt a bit.

After all that though, they said that they have to send my blood to vancouver and I won't find anything out until tomorrow. Oh well...I'll let you know what I find out as soon as they call me. (well...actually they're probably going to call ryan what with my lack of opposable thumbs that make it very difficult to answer the phone.)

'till then

AraArARAARarraARARARRrrr

oh sun, how I have missed thee

I'm so glad the sun has come back. It's just not the same lounging in my nest on the window-seat without that warm glow baking me while I spend my days thinking about how to save the world. (my plans often involve creating an army of wienerblabs but sara and ryan tell me that that's not possible since a couple of years ago when I had this really uncomfortable operation).

On another note, for some reason I haven't been as hungry lately...I'm not sure I like the food I'd been getting so I've got a new kind now...it's not that much better though...who would have ever thought I would skip breakfast but I just didn't feel like eating it this morning. I've also been really really thirsty lately and drinking lots of water. Maybe as much as I don't want to I'll ask ryan to take me to that person that puts the thermometer in my bum.

araRArARARArrraarr

Yoga Time

Sometimes when i go walking, i see the people going to that place down the street to do yoga. But really, i know that you can do yoga from the comfort of your own home. Just check out my perfect Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward Facing Dog to those of you not familiar with the yoga language. My duck, of course, is demonstrating a great Savasana pose.

Sara and Ryan aren't really into yoga, but i find it helps me deal with stress and maintain a positive outlook on life. Achieving balance is an important part of the wienerblab lifestyle.

sorryyyyyy...but i'm back!

I know I haven't been posting lately. Ryan was on his computer for almost all of December writing papers and stuff. Silly Ryan also keeps turning off his computer when he goes out and my paw is too big to press the power button. Anyways...I had a great christmas holiday. We went and saw all my friends up in qualicum and nanaimo including Tobi and all five collies. I wasn't allowed to visit with the chickens or the goats though.

Ryan and Sara were sooooo proud of me...since Tobi moved over to protection island where ryan and sara got married I was worried I wouldn't get to see Tobi because you have to take a scary little boat to get there....but Ryan carried me on the boat while Sara kept giving me treats and it really wasn't so bad at all. I hardly barked at all even though both ways there were other scary dogs on the boat too.

I got lots of new toys for christmas too. I got a squishy ball that bounces all over the place and we can play tug with. I also got a fuzzy bone with rope sticking out both ends for tugging...this one squeaked at first but doesn't anymore...i don't know what happened to its squeakiness. Also...the coolest scubee toy ever...i got a duck...and it quacks like a duck and everything...it's soooo much fun. I hear Ryan and Sara getting out of bed now so I should go.

bye for now.

aaARarARAararrARRARarr