THE CRITTER THREAD (PETS! not "Criterion disc sets")

[RocRizzo]

No Frank, I don't!
Mead can be sweet or dry, still or sparkling. My favorite mead is called a cyser. Generally mead is honey and water that is fermented, with my pets. Instead of water, I use good ol' Hudson Valley apple cider. It gives the yeasties more sugar to eat, thus producing more alcohol. It is often 16% alcohol. It's quite sweet and appley. It's the perfect winter dessert drink!

[Lori Koonce]

Rocco

Is it against the law to send people some mead? I had a friend who used to make lavandar mead, and I miss it ever so much.

I'm asking because the day I graced the planet with my presense is commin up soon, and I'd love to find a box of you elixer sitting with our desk clerk waiting for my arrival home.

Love and hugs

Lori

[RocRizzo]

Lori,
I suppose that it's legal for testing. I'm not sure what the laws are in your state. I think I can send it within NY, but again I am not sure. We send in entries to competitions, so it may be legal.

[Lori Koonce]

Rocco

I live up the street from a Law College, I'll just grab a wanna be lawyer and ask 'em. As far as I know nothing is really illegal in California, just highly frowned up on! *L*

[Moderator]

Rushing Jazz to the vet this morning. He may have a bowel obstruction. He can barely walk and isn't even drinking water.

[FinderDoug]

Crossed-fingers and well-wishes for favorable prognosis and results, Steve.

[Lori Koonce]

Barber

A quick prayer to Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals as well as the namesake of my fair city!

And one for mom and dad as well. This can't be easy for either of you.

BTW, how is your personal health doing?

[Moderator]

Thanks guys. The news isn't good, but its also not horrible. We're down a couple grand, minimum, but it's looking more and more like a pancreatic attack, with low blood pressure and high blood sugar egging it on.

He's overnight at the vet's and they're pumping him full of fluids and meds designed to counteract the pancreatitis.

[FrankChurch]

A Barber loves his dog.

Hope all goes well big guy.

[markabaddon]

Steve,

Glad Jazz is doing better. Will a change in diet help with the high blood sugar or is this pancreatic condition caused by something else?

Keep us informed,

Mark

[Moderator]

Hey Mark -
I *wish* Jazz was doing better. He's not out of the woods yet. We're expecting an update sometime tonight, though the fact our phones haven't rung in the last two hours is a good sign.

Yes, he -- like me -- is going to be on a much more stringent diet once he gets home. He needs to stabilize his weight (down another five pounds). He's lost 1/3 of his body weight since last October. This may indicate something much worse is going on, but we'll attend to that after this current crisis ends.

The pancreatic issue is genetic, but the individual crises are triggered by a diet that is too rich or fatty. Since he's been reluctant to eat -- we're dealing with weight loss as a problem -- we've admittedly been giving him anything he'll consume. This event was triggered, we think, by a bag of Beggin' Strips. A big bag, and, no, he was not supposed to get it all at one time. Last Sunday night he managed to get an unopened bag down off the counter (his reach keeps extending further and further onto the counter), eating the entire contents before we got home. 24 ounces. The vet thinks that the treats are rich enough that they are what brought on this attack.

We're happy this, as of yet, doesn't appear to require surgery, and that his odds of survival are good (but not perfect). Not thrilled with the price tag (Cris commented that this was the most expensive bag of Beggin' Strips we'd ever bought), nor with what it does to our finances -- but our decisions are made based on what's in Jazz's best interests. The house is a little quiet at the moment, reinforcing his contribution to our happiness.

Stay tuned. And thanks.

[Chuck Messer]

Jesus Christ, Steve. As if you haven't had enough to worry about. I hope Jazz will be home soon and he'll be eating better.

Damn and double-damn.

Chuck

[Moderator]

Thanks Chuck.

The news this morning is better than it could have been -- more a virtue of very low my expectations were rather than anything good. Cris and I were nervous that we would get a call in the middle of the night telling us he'd died. He had a couple of crises but they pulled him through. He's extremely weak, but his vitals have stabilized -- though his blood sugar is still too high to measure. His BP, which dropped into the 60s is back to where it should be (105). He's been up and outside for a couple of short walks.

We visited last night around 8pm. He could barely raise his head, but seemed happy we were there. His comfort is our focus, and we've made it clear to the doctors that surgery is out of the question. (They have wanted to do exploratory surgery -- if he were human, maybe, but in my opinion this is nothing more than torture for an animal who doesn't understand. If the doctor cannot tell me what the problem is and how it will be solved by cutting, I refuse to let them do it. "I don't know" is not an acceptable answer.)

So we're waiting. I have to go to the office today, and the (human) doctor this afternoon. I don't know whether it's the focus on Jazz, the use of pain meds, or something else but right now the pain in my neck and arm are manageable...

Stay tuned.

[Moderator]

Jazz Barber

April 2002 - Jan 2011

He'll be missed.

[FrankChurch]

Wow, Barber, I'm speechless. Only can give a warm look and love your way. Sorry bud.