The Accidental Olympian

GUILTY FACE

Isn't that the most pitiful face you've ever seen in your LIFE? 

Miss Stella, high needs pup extraordinaire is at the vet today for yet another round of tests. 

Basically the vets are going to (hopefully) rule out once and for all if the excess water drinking and the leaking (yes, we're STILL dealing with this) is caused by behavioral or a liver/kidney issue. They said her kidneys and liver was fine the very first time we took her in for tests, but it's possible it is something they missed or something that has worsened. Hell, maybe she has aliens growing in her bladder. At this point I wouldn't rule it out!

Either way, I just want to KNOW ALREADY. Give me a plan, a medication to pick up, hell a surgery plan at this point! 

So send your thoughts to my guilty girl today that whatever this is we find out soon, and we can fix it and move forward. 

Oh, and I'd like to recommend pet insurance again. 

People, DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKES. 

Love,

Going-Deeper-In-Debt-For-My-Dog-Ashley

STELLA THE TYRANT

Between the packing, the road trip, and moving to a new home, Miss Stella has not been adjusting well. 

And when I say not adjusting well, I actually mean, falling the F apart. 

Turns out girlfriend is sorta like her Ma. She likes order, stability, and a regimented schedule. 

Suddenly my sweet puppy that walked SO WELL on a leash, who had mastered house training, the puppy that LOVED her crate, who learned commands quickly, and who was a general delight to be around has turned into a mess. 

Bonified 100% hot mess. 

Hates her crate. Messes, everywhere! Scared of every noise ever made to the point that I have stopped taking her on walks for fear she'll have a doggy panic attack. Submissive peeing like nobodies business. Barking, barking, suddenly always barking! And a general heightened level of tyrant behavior. 

Behold. 

 Click here for the video on YouTube

 

Sure, I know in the video that looks so sweet, but this high level of destruction is honestly a new trait for her. And it's not just killing toys! Oh no. Trying to kill Oly, jumping on our bed when we're sleeping, knocking over Oly's crate and barking her head off at 6:30am, NONSENSE.

We have hardwood in the living area, something we didn't have in our old house, and so the only place she can really get into the toy destruction game is in the office, or in our bedroom. Suddenly it's not uncommon to be watching tv and look down the hallway to see Stella in our room, by herself, trying her best to kill this toy for no other reason than she seems to be very pissed off at the world. 

I'm about ready to have the bitch committed. 

 

WHY YES, I DO HAVE A NEW PUPPY. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE?

Oh that little o'l thing! I've forgotten it's even there it's such a small, unnoticable part of the kitchen wall! 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh puppies. Aren't they sweet? 

GREAT NEWS, THE WORLD IS NOT ENDING.

Sorry guys. I know I have been SO woe-is-me lately. I didn't realize that these three weeks with Adam gone dealing with the Stellanater was going to be so emotionally exhausting. BUT, I am better. Like a lot better. The snow melted, I watched some good movies, drank some wine, AND Stella seems to be getting better. I've got therapy today, a friend coming over for aps and drinks tonight, and Adam comes home on Saturday and wont be leaving for another work trip ever, because I am going to handcuff him to the dinning room table.

THE WORLD IS A WONDERFUL PLACE.

 

 

In other news, I have been working for a while with the amazing and talented pet insurance company Trupanion on a little collaboration. They found my post about Oly's trip to the ER a while back and asked me if I'd like it to be featured on their blog (only bummer was I had to edit out the swear words from the Oly post. Come on!) and they also offered me an affiliate relationship.

MEANING that if you click this, or the image below,

It will take you to a wonderful land where you can receive a quote for pet insurance for your pet. Yes, if you decide to buy said insurance for your pet, I will receive 25 bones. WHICH I swear on my life will go directly into the pups savings account towards future vet bills. 

Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you have a savings account for your pets? 

No?

Just me eh. 

Cool. 

 

 

Anyway, obviously if you've been around this site in the last couple months you know my life has been ALL ABOUT vet bills. Like, I'm in a LOT of debt right now because of vet bills. Why? Because we were idiots and took Oly off her pet insurance after the first year because we thought it wasn't worth it. To show us how stupid we were, Oly decided to cost us $1300 in vet care one night while she was uninsured. Had she been insured with Trupanion it would have cost us $130.  

Ugg, I feel sick. 

When we got Stella we actually talked that first night about how we were THROUGH being idiots and we were going to sign her up that night. 

Of course we didn't get her insurance right away, because that would have been too responsible and rational. 

Three days later Stella was in the vet for incontinence, and since that went on her record before being signed up for insurance, she now has a pre-existing condition and will never be covered for her pee-leaking related issues. 

ALL BECAUSE I DIDN'T SIGN HER UP THE DAY I GOT HER. 

 

 

Please, my entire mission in life is to make mistakes so that you can learn from them. Things like, "Spend the 20-30 bucks a month on your pet BEFORE THEY ARE SICK. It will be painless in the long run when your dog/cat eats something weird, develops a leaking habit, runs away and gets hit by a car and BAM suddenly Trupanion is there to cover 90% OF THE VET BILL." 

People, there is a world of difference between $1300, and $130. 

Trust me. I know. 

 

 

To reiterate, yes I get $25 if you use my ads and links to sign your pet up for Trupanion insurance. BUT, that money is going into Oly and Stella's vet savings account, which, could use some help growing since I seem to have the most expensive dogs ever.

Also, Oly and Stella are signed up for Trupanion and it is NOT discounted or free for me. We pay out of pocket every month because I actually think Trupanion is the best company on the market. We used to have VPI the first year of Oly's life, and decided to switch to Trupanion after Oly's vet disaster and a little research. Trupanion pays 90% AND has no lifetime payout limit. In the world of insurance, that's amazing. 

So yeah, love me some 90% coverage TruPanion.  Get you some. 

CAN'T GIVE UP NOW, WE'VE COME THIS FAR

You guys, I am SO boring these days. 

Adam has been on this crazy work schedule of gone somewhere far-far-away Monday through Friday, home for the weekend, then gone again until the following Friday. Thankfully this week is the last of the week long travels to distant lands because I'm starting to feel like we have a long distance relationship.

The weekdays alone as the dogs main caretaker means I do a whole lot of feeding, potty breaks, walking, working from home, watching Netflix while consuming wine, and eating by myself. There is also an unhealthy amount of talking out loud to the dogs who sadly never respond. 

If it was just Oly and I rocking bachelorette status I know I'd have a bit more of a robust weekly schedule. Oly can be left alone in the house. But Stella, there's the leaking (even after 5 days of meds we're still not out of the woods. Which equals LAME SAUCE) and the eating of her own poop (this dog you guys, this dog!) which all leads to a general sense that I'm a captive in my own home. 

 

Guess it doesn't help that we're suffering from snowpocalypse here either. 

I have some days where I feel like we're doing ok. Stella will have a good day, which means she wont leak very much or is kind enough to my sensibilities to not eat her own poop, and then some days her issues feel like they take up all the oxygen in the room and I feel mean and spiteful for these last 5 or so weeks of struggling. 

I keep getting my hopes up, thinking we're at the end of the issues and headed to the land of normal and then BAM. Back to square one. 

If the meds don't work there is talk of a 600 dollar internal ultrasound to see if the issue is actually a problem with Stella's plumbing and not her estrogen levels. I've had this dog less than two months and have already sunk nearly a $1,000 into trying to find out what's wrong with her. Put her back together. 

People keep saying they'd never do this much, go this far, and they just don't know her. 

Even with her issues, her VERY expensive issues she's just so damn amazing I can't imagine someone not jumping through fire hoops to fix her. Even right now, she's sitting across from me in the 'dogs chair' in her silly little blue diaper looking at me with those perfectly fluffy ears totally unaware that there seems to be something wrong with her insides. 

She played in her first snow this week, and if you've never watched a puppy romp around in the snow for the very first time, never laughed as they throw their bodies every which way in sheer bliss as if the snow under their feet is infused with crack, then you haven't lived.

We can't give up now. 

We've come this far.