The Dogfathers

My Dog Runs Weird

2008-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

My dog runs really, really, really weird.

See, he starts off normal.

But then her morphs into a jowl monster!

And it only gets worse!

Well, at least he lays down pretty. :-)

Gobble! Gobble!

2008-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you have a marvelous Day of Thanks!

The Mafiosos are thankful for many things. Vinnie is very thankful for the box of cat poo treats I keep for him. He doesn't understand that I do not keep a litter box for his personal use of a snack tray!

"Whatever. I know you keep that litterbox
for my own personal enjoyment!"

Bruno and Gino would tell you they are thankful for an endless supply of cookies, but they are too lazy to get up at the moment. Currently, they are passed out stone cold from a long hike we took the crew on.

Carmela is thankful for her initiation to The Canine Mafia. She's very thankful to have three boys to boss around.

"Yeah, whatever.
What time is the turkey being served?"

From my crew to yours...

we wish you a most happy holiday!

Keep your pet safe this Thanksgiving! Please visit this site for some friendly reminders on how to keep your dog safe this holiday: http://www.doghobbyist.com/articles/DogHobbyist/Thanksgiving.html

Converstation With Vinnie

2008-11-26T05:00:00.001-08:00

Excuse me, but what are you doing on the couch? You know the rule: No Dogs Allowed On The Couch.

"Oh there's a rule?"

You betcha. The same one that's been in effect since you were a puppy.

"Are you sure it's been around that long?"

"Cuz I don't remember that rule..."

Well, I'll help you remember it. Get off the couch. Now.

"Do you mean, like, right now?"

Yes. RIGHT NOW.

"What were we talking about again?
I forgot."

"This rule doesn't apply to me because
I haven't been here since I was a puppy.
Right?"

"And I'm too new for this rule to apply to me.
Right?"

Why Blue is Yellow

2008-11-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

Blue was never supposed to stay. I was going to find a great home for the four-week-old kitten Ryan brought home. This is why I named her "Blue." It was a generic name based on her coloring.

But she ended up with us. And the little spit-fire grew like a weed before my eyes.

Molly and Maggie weren't too happy about their new little sister, but things settled in quickly and Blue made herself right at home.

So why is Blue yellow?

Blue's liver is currently clogged with fat deposits that her body tried to to utilize for energy. When a cat stops eating, for whatever reason (in Blue's case, it was because she has stones in her bladder; we found this out by doing an ultrasound), the body starts to utilize its own fat stores. Unfortunately, a cat’s liver cannot metabolize fat and the end result is liver failure.

Because her liver is clogged, it cannot filter out waste products. Collectively, this waste is known as bilirubin. Bilirubin is yellow in color and this is the reason Blue is so yellow.

There is no treatment for Fatty Liver Disease, only therapeutic support. The only "cure" is food. Sounds easy and simple, but it's not. Blue has absolutely no interest in eating and she cannot not eat while having this disease. We've tried everything under the sun (short of caviar!) and she has refused every single item we've presented.

This is why we've resorted to having to force-feed her several times a day. :-/

Please, please, if your cat stops eating for more than a day, see a vet!

We know we can conquer this. We've conquered broken pelvises before, so we can certainly beat this!

Blue was hit by a car in 2006 and suffered a fractured pelvis
in addition to road rash all over her face

The way I see it, Blue has 7 lives left! She'll be back up to speed in no time!

An Angry Blue Cat

2008-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you've ever wonder what a pissed off, force-fed cat looks like, wonder no more!

I am not very good at force-feeding. Ryan has the kitty burrito technique down was better than I do...I end up with cat food either all over me or all over Blue. The rest of the cat food (about 20 cc's) I manage to get into Blue.

"Seriously, you better sleep
with one eye open tonight."

"How the hell do you manage to get
cat food in my ears?!"

"I hate you.
Like, REALLY hate you.
I want my Daddy."

"Leave my room now!"

What I wish Blue would understand is that I do not enjoy cramming food down her throat. If she'd eat on her own, we could eliminate this procedure entirely. Alas, the only way to combat Fatty Liver Disease is to eat, eat and then eat some more. Please, Blue, eat!

Mobile Cuddling

2008-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

It is verrrrrrrrrrrry cold this morning!

Pancho Villa Vinnie

2008-11-19T11:40:00.001-08:00

Pancho Villa Vinnie
Originally uploaded by ! Mary !

This is what I got paid to do all day today. :-)

Together...

2008-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Canine Mafia always checks messages from other dogs together.

It's the unwritten rule.

P.S. Gino seems to be replying to someone.

Get A Clue

2008-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

"O.M.G. You really are dumb!
Didn't Bruno tell you how we felt
about your stupid camera?"

"Here's a clue in case you don't remember..."

"Hey, Ma! Look! I like your camera!
Take a picture of me pretending to be a reindeer!"

Let It Be

2008-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Ugh! I wish you'd stop pointing
that stupid black box at me!"

"You're really bad at taking hints, aren't you?"

Trusting A Mafioso Is Never A Good Thing

2008-11-12T05:00:00.001-08:00

I sometimes take for granted that Vinnie and Bruno have been with us since the time they were four months old. They are pretty trustworthy around high value items, such as the the trash can. This gives me a false of security with the other two rescued Mafiosos.

So when my Mom gave me a new fruit basket, I thought nothing of it to move it to a new location. It's two-tiered, so my usual spot didn't have enough clearance for the second level.

I expected some curiosity from The Mafiosos. And I got it...

What I DID NOT expect was this!

Someone helped themselves to a nice, juicy peach from the fruit basket!

That someone's name is spelled G-I-N-O.

Lesson learned! The fruit basket is now in an area that is unreachable to paws.

And I guess I should thank Gino for always keeping me on my toes. :-)

Kitty Mystery #39

2008-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Why is it that whenever you're making the bed or changing the sheets,
a cat must instantly appear and plop itself in the middle of the bed?

Powerful Pirate

2008-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Bruno keeps bugging me for a new dog tag. He says his isn't cool anymore. I told him he can't have one until the one he has breaks or falls off. The economy is tough right now and we need to pinch our cookies, er, pennies.

I guess he took my advice to heart.

Joke's on him though! He only broke a piece of it. The deal was the tag was to break entirely. How does one manage to only break one bone from the crossbones of a pirate tag? That is the million dollar question!

Since he took my advice to heart, I am half-thinking of getting him a heart shaped dog tag. Don't tempt me, Bruno!

Married to MacGyver

2008-11-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ryan is MacGyver. There is just no limit to what he can create with limited resources. For example, take The Case of Limited Space For A Second Litterbox.

Our "master" bathroom is someone's idea of a cruel joke. It is no bigger than a shoe box. I thought maybe we should put a litterbox in our bathroom for Blue so she won't have to travel as far. But where to put it? In the shower? On top of the toliet? Really, there is no room in there to place a litterbox on the floor.

But wait! Ryan manages to stick a litterbox in a place I would have never thought of...under the sink!

He removed the doors and cleared out everything there to make room for a small litterbox. He even was thoughtful enough to put a curtain for a covering. Ok, who am I kidding? He probably just wanted to make sure Blue had privacy. :-)

Now excuse me while I go check Ryan's pockets for a Swiss Army knife... :-)

Blue Monday

2008-11-03T05:00:00.001-08:00

All of that good juju is definitely flowing our way as Blue is recovering.

Blue is still very yellow, but we were warned it could be months before the yellow coloring completely goes away.

She is still resting heavily and spends her days on the cat tree. She even played with her favorite feather toy for just a few minutes.

Blue is also very proud of her stitches. She's constantly showing them to me, as if trying to make me remember she is one tough cookie and not to be messed with. Don't worry, Blue. I know I am last on the totem pole!

Although she's a little lethargic, the fact that she still musters the energy to give me her famous Evil Eye is a sure sign she will kick this hepatic lipodosis on its evil tushie!

The Artist Formerly Known As Blue

2008-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

She is now known as Yellow. ;)

Blue came home yesterday! Our kitty is finally back with us and we are praying that her road to recovery is fast and steady. She immediately came home and wolfed down some canned food. That is a great change from her barely wanting to eat at the vet's. She kept her food down and is alternating between sleeping on our bed and her favorite perch on the cat furniture.

You know why God invented credit cards? So you could charge $2,749.59 in emergency vet treatment for your precious cat. Worth every penny and I will sucker punch anyone who dare says "That much for just a cat??"

Also...

Dear Family Members Who Read This Blog,

I think King Diamond's song says it best: "There's no presents, not this Christmas. There's no presents..."

You have our full permission to blame Blue.

Love,

Mary and Ryan

"If you say one thing about my stitches,
the clawing off of your face will be confirmed."

(her stitches glow in the dark! ha!)

Why does Blue have pink stitches? She developed a large cyst on her head and it was removed while she was under anesthesia for her ultrasound. She kind of looks like a monk, but she can't fool anyone about being holy!

"So, what's for breakfast?"

(you can really see how yellow her ears are here)

"I see that Chihuahua still lives here.
Good.
She'll be the first one I beat up tomorrow."

"You may go now. You're dismissed."

"Is she really going to beat me up tomorrow?!"

Thank you for all of your prayers, juju and well wishes. We needed all of it to pull through from this yucky disease. Blue did eat like a pig when she got home and we need her to keep on eating. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts until Blue is finally out of the woods. We seem to have a few more trees to pass up before we finally have this Fatty Liver Disease beat!

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

2008-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Canine Mafia wishes you a happy Howl-O-Ween!

"You stupid copper!
You'll never get those charges to stick! "

"I want my lawyer!"

The Fun Police takes prisoners regardless of size.
You've been warned!

Fortunately for you, there is one member of The Fun Police that can be bribed. But it will cost you!

"In exchange for 100 cookies,
I can look the other way."

As with all holiday, please remember the safety of your pets during Halloween. Make sure to keep that chocolate out of reach! Also, if you light candles or pumpkins in indoors, make sure that they are out of reach of wagging tails. Sometimes, those pesky tails knock things over. ;-)

Lastly, please make sure to block access to the open door from your dog while handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Many dogs are hit by cars this time of year as the bolt through an open front door.

Have a safe Howl-O-Ween!

Craptastic Day

2008-10-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

After being told Blue was doing so well that she could come home today, I instead received news that she is vomiting again and her nausea has returned full force. So she needs to stay tonight at the vet's for monitoring. It has been one week since she's been hospitalized; we are walking on eggshells, praying hard that she recovers swiftly. This is how my craptastic day started. All I kept thinking about was Blue and I was in a funk all day long.

I only prayed that the evening could get better...and it did.

I came home to discover Carmela had a package waiting for her. I quickly asked her what the hell she had ordered this time and started to fear she racked up massive debt ordering cookies, collars and beds online. I had visions of begging the vet to let me make payments on Blue's bill and hoping the vet would believe that Carmela maxed out my credit card.

But then I quickly remembered that usually packages addressed to Carmela come from our very good friends. I took one look at the return address and felt myself smiling when I read the name "Diamond."

Diamond is an American Bulldog who has the best smile in the entire world. She's also Bruno's girlfriend, albeit a long-distance one.

"Dontcha wish your smile
was hot like mine?"

Diamond is best known for The Couch Incident. Diamond one day got stuck in the couch. Her mom, Susan, came home to find this scene:

This is one of the many reasons we love Diamond. :-) Diamond also shares Bruno's addiction to Block Dog Collars. See, they were meant to be!

Diamond and Bruno frequently talk to each other about the humiliations they are constantly put through. They talk about running away together and never having to wear another silly outfit again.

But they usually come to their senses once they realize that it would be very tough for them to buy cookies and toys (especially Frisbees!) without their moms.

Back to the package...

Carmela was ecstatic to receive another gift in the mail.

"I bow down to thee
glorious package!"

"Lemme go get some
scissors to open it up."

"Ooooooh...what is all this?"

"Boots! No, make that
GOLD BOOTS!
And shirts! Woo hoo!"

I think these shirts are highly appropriate. One reads "High Maintenance." Another says "Dog Park Queen." The last one is I think meant for me... Susan, are you calling me a ho?! :p

Diamond wrote a beautiful letter welcoming Carmela to the family.

Dear Carmela,

It is with much respect that I send you these shirts as a sign of my desire for a continued good relationship between the east coast Family and the west coast Family. If I can ever do you a favor--such as the removal of a particular individual in your household who might be holding you to unreasonable expectations of behavior, I'm just sayin'--please do not hesitate to give me some indication that you wish it to be so. I would be honored to execute the contract on your behalf.

With best regards,

Diamond "The Muscle"

P.S. I am also enclosing some gold lamé boots in case someone needs some extra presuading.

"Thank you, Diamond!"

p.s. I did not try to boots on Carmela yet as I did not want her to use Diamond's personal favor of "removing" me from the household for causing Carmela strife!

That Nagging Feeling...

2008-10-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ever get that nagging feeling?

And the more you ignore it,
the louder the feeling seems to get in your head?

Gino refuses to be called a nag.
He likes to term "Friendly Reminder" better.

Well, at least Blue seems to know what I'm talking about. She always feels like there's someone silently nagging her too.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

2008-10-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Ma! Ma! Lookie what I found!"

"Hello Mr. Yellow Ball!
Do you feel elated? Don't let the feeling last long
because soon you will soon be deflated! Ha ha!"

"Wheeeeee!"

"I love you, Yellow Ball!"

"Okay, fine. Take the Yellow Ball away.
But will you at least give me a cookie?"

Blood Donor Bruno

2008-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

"Woo-hoo! The car has stopped!
We're here!"

"WAIT!
This is the vet's,
isn't it???"

Bruno decided to see if he could qualify to be a canine blood donor for the UC Davis Animal Blood Bank. It only took one hour to see if we could help canines in need. Every year, UC Davis veterinarians perform 200 to 300 blood transfusions to treat conditions ranging from surgical complications to kidney failure.

Did you know dogs have 13 types of blood? During our visit today, Bruno was screened to for diseases and to qualify his blood for which one of the 13 types he posseses. We received the results of his blood screening for free in addition to a health check with a veterinarian.

"Ok, Ma you know the drill..
Vet = LOTS OF COOKIES!"

It also was a good training opportunity for Bruno! We had to climb stairs and ride in an elevator, something we'd never done before. We met new people and we met a friendly male vet who was able to restrain Bruno when they withdrew blood.

If you know Bruno personally, you probably cringed at the words "male" and "restrained" and had images of Bruno barking his head off in an effort to get the bad man away. But the staff was very understanding and gave us all the time we needed to work at Bruno's pace in order to help Bruno feel comfortable.

"The staff here are all
A-OK by me!"

Our visit took less than an hour and we also received a goody bag!

These goodies for the dogs and goodies for the humans! From dog cookies to human food coupons, there is something there for everyone to enjoy.

(And I am still laughing my ass off that they included a Raiders sticker in there, since Ryan is a DIE HARD 49ers fan and cringes whenever I tell him I am going to buy Bruno a Raiders Collar. Ha ha!)

Coincidentally, the hospital is right across from where I work. After we were done with our visit, I decided to show Bruno where I work. I felt he needed to understand what I go through in order to earn that green paper that buys him all those cookies he eats.

"So this is where you wait for the bus?"

"It would be better if they had a
cookie dispenser in this booth."

"Ma! Look!
How did that dog get up there?"

"Excuse me!
Hello??"

Um, Bruno...that's not a real dog. It's a bronze statue erected as a memorial for dogs killed in the line of police duty.

"Hee hee...he's not real!
I knew that!"

Bruno says that donating blood is easy and, if you live within 100 miles of Davis, CA, you could qualify too! If you are interested in seeing if your dog qualifies, I encourage to sign up. More information can be found by clicking on the following link: http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8551

"That was easy!
Now break open those cookies
they put in that goody bag!"

Blue This Morning

2008-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

My heart is breaking.

It's Not A Tumor!

2008-10-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Say it with me now!

"It's NOT A TUMOR!!"

This is good news for Blue! Now all we need her to do is keep food down and her odds of coming home get better! Thank you to all of you who have been sending nonstop juju and prayers for our evil blue kitty.

I get to visit her tomorrow and I am bringing her favorite cat treat: dried herring. It is like kitty crack. Hopefully, she'll take a lick or two!

We need you to come home, Blue! The house is in anarchy without it's leader!

Blue Update

2008-10-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

I was able to see Blue today. She is completely yellow. Ironic that a cat named after a color ends up being the wrong one.

She perked up when she saw me and I stayed for an hour petting her to her heart's content. She can't come home yet. She can't be released until she starts to show interest in food on her own; until then, she is being force-fed.

As you can guess, she is not happy about the forced-feedings.

I had a pep talk with her. I told her she needs to eat so she can come home soon. She heard what I had to say, then promptly went to go hang out in the sink. Huh?!

All the juju and prayers everyone is sending our way seems to be working. If she's feeling spunky enough to hang out in the sink, then she's fighting these horrible disease.

Tomorrow, she has an appointment with an ultrasound specialist. An opaque area was found in her x-rays right underneath her liver and the vet wants to rule out a tumor. Please say a small prayer for Blue during 9:30 AM as this is when her ultrasound is scheduled. We'll even take miracles. Anything you can send our way is greatly appreciated. ;-)

We Need Your JuJu

2008-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Blue is currently experiencing liver failure.

Blue refused to eat any food for a day and a half. When she refused breakfast this morning, we rushed her to the vet. Our vet diagnosed her with Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (or Fatty Liver Disease). The cause of her state is unknown; tests are still pending to rule out any toxins or bacterial infections. Currently, she is being force fed via a tube and is on IV fluids for dehydration.

Although The Canine Mafia will never admit it, Blue secretly runs The Organization. She is the hidden consigliere that operates behind closed doors. We need her back in full force!

Please keep Blue in your thoughts and send her speedy recovery vibes. The Canine Mafia thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.