Summer weather!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's 6:30 am, I've been up since 5:30 with Cooper. It is a lovely morning, already warm. We are expecting a long stretch of sunny and hot weather this week. It's high time!

All is good with us. On Tuesday, Coop had his echocardiogram. We got the results a few hours later and they were as expected. His heart condition has progressed to the next level. Some meds are increased and a new one is added, spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic, to compliment furosemide. All this should help better control Cooper's congestive heart failure condition and provide him with a good quality of life. It goes without saying that Tuesday was a tough day for us. We had a good conversation with our vet. We cried, let everything sink in. Now we take it one day at a time and enjoy each one to the fullest. We can see lots of bright days ahead.

Cooper seems to be reacting well to the new and improved medication regimen. He is more alert between nap times.  His nocturnal outings are more spaced out...around 2 am then 5:30-6:00. I take the last shift as I give him some of his meds at that time. Sometimes I go back to bed, some other times I just stay up, like this morning. Coop wanted to play, his tail was wagging and he was being frisky. Those cute moments that just melt my heart 💓

His appetite is better although he doesn't seem to like his kibbles so much. So, I crush them into small pieces and mix them with the soft food version of his low-fat diet. Whatever works is fine with us. Cooper now says "nope" to the store-bought pill pockets. Spicy still likes them. Yesterday, I decided to make my own, just made up a recipe of cooked chicken (ground up), mixed with a little whole wheat flour and broth. Make little balls, freeze them and we have pill pockets. They are a hit with the Coop! 

Spicy is doing well. She sleeps through the night, lucky girl that she is. She continues to eat well, no fussiness. She gobbles down her breakfast and finishes her dinner well before Cooper. It's cute and funny to watch. They sure are a wonderful duo 😊

Last Wednesday, I finally planted some flowers. I also bought a bunch of Daylilies and planted them in a new flower bed that I dug out. A little project three years in the making. Now it's done. Russell cut the grass and cleaned the eavestroughs. We are ready for Summer. 

Our week ended with the visit of Errol, the nice man that we met at the park last year. He came for lunch yesterday.  We ate on the deck and chatted for over two hours. It was truly a lovely visit. Cooper & Spicy were also happy to see him. 

That's my blog for this last Sunday of May. This coming week promises to be spectacular, weather wise. We plan on having some nice walks and enjoying the deck. A little bit of weeding maybe.  Have a great week everyone!

Spicy and Cooper showing Errol 
some love on the deck.

Always time for a quick power nap!

Cooper is a faithful grilling buddy, always hoping
for a taste or licking!

Back up on the deck after a quick 
tour of the yard...no rabbits this time.

The duo on rabbit patrol...

Can you see Spicy's head...she is the picture of 
total relaxation.

A tree swallow on its perch
over looking its Summer home at
Edgewater Park.

These home-made wholesome pill pockets
for Cooper are a huge success, he loves them.

May Long Weekend

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is enjoying this first long weekend of "Summer". Our weather hasn't been the warmest but it will get better this week. We had a little bit of rain last night. It's cloudy with some sun in the forecast around noon. 

We didn't do too much this past week. I haven't started on our planters yet, a first for me. Yesterday, I went to the garden centre and bought a few things. I may plant them today. 

Our focus continues to be on Cooper. He is responding as he should to the furosemide which is good news. His resting respiratory rate (RRR) is now in the 18-22 range. As a result, our vet has reduced the dosage by 1/3 as of last night. We have to continue to monitor his RRR to make sure it doesn't go back up. If it does, we will increase the diuretic to its original dose. Cooper has his echocardiogram on Tuesday. Once the results are in, the cardiologist will be in a position to determine next steps.

The medication is starting to take a toll on the Coop's little body. He is more tired, his appetite has diminished and he has lost weight. For the first time in his adult life, he weighs less than 18 pounds. Those side effects are normal and have been shared with our vet, who continues to be in touch with us on a regular basis for updates. We got some blood work done on Friday to test his electrolytes, etc. The results are pretty normal although his potassium is a little down. This will all be taken into account after the echo.

Needless to say that the diuretic is resulting in many many trips outside for long pees. We almost have it down to a science during the night: 11 pm, 1:30 am, 4:30 am then 6:30 am when we get up. Cooper also drinks an enormous amount of water, also to be expected. 

We have to smile when it's time to eat....the roles have been reversed. Spicy, who can be fussy, especially at breakfast, now devours her food. Cooper is the one who has become picky. We started adding soft food to his kibbles. He enjoys that. He won't lick Spicy's bowl clean. Spicy finishes her food well before Cooper and looks for more. Moments that we observe with mixed emotions. 

Having said all this, Cooper has his crazy moments during the day. Face planting on the carpet. He lets us know when it's time for their 3 pm treat, which he thoroughly enjoys. They both love their daily snuffling episodes and we had a couple of nice walks last week. I also created a new maze and the Coop nailed it. 

The highlight of our week was Cooper's 12th birthday on Wednesday. It was a day filled with the usual joy and love. He was happy to share his homemade pupcakes with the Spicy girl. He enjoyed his gift, the Carrot Patch. He thanks everyone who wished him Happy Birthday. He is blessed to be so loved 💝

That's my blog for today. Time for everyone's breakfast. I wish you all a great week!

Happy Birthday Cooper, a family moment to
celebrate and remember!

Cooper shares his pupcakes with his BFF, 
they both enjoyed.

Cooper says I know something good is in that
box, I can smell it.

Happy 12th Birthday Cooper!

Me and the Big Boy sharing a Birthday
moment.

Cooper enjoying a Birthday cuddle!

Cooper, the 'carrot patch' destroyer...
well done Birthday boy!

The backyard apple trees in full bloom!

Back deck planter looking awesome!

Spicy and Cooper took time to smell the 
tulips on our walk at Edgewater Park.

Happy Day to all the Moms!

On this beautiful Sunday morning, we want to wish a wonderful Mother's Day to all the moms out there. May this day be special in every way. A loving Mother's Day wish also goes to all pet moms. You are all very special. Russell and I also have heartfelt thoughts for both our moms who are no longer with us but are always in our hearts. We miss them always, more so on this day 💕

So, here we are back from our Italian vacation, which was wonderful in every way. It went by too fast but we are happy to be home again. 

Since our return, we have been very preoccupied with Cooper. Half way on our drive to Montreal last Tuesday, we noticed that our Coop was looking sluggish. He just wasn't himself and his night was unsettled. Out of an abundance of caution, we were able to get an emergency appointment Wednesday morning with our own vet, Dr. Stiles. After a thorough exam and a good listen to his heart and lungs, she recommended a chest x-ray. The results were not what we were hoping for. Cooper's heart is very big and his lungs are starting to show some edema. On Thursday night, after measuring his resting respiratory rate for 24 hours, he was prescribed Furosemide, a diuretic. His dosage is quite high and will remain so, it seems, until his respiratory rate is well below 30 on a consistent basis (it was 42). We are monitoring his rate using the Heart2Heart App on our phone. In order to do that, we have to set aside times during the day where Cooper can have a meaningful, uninterrupted rest. We have been sending readings to our vet throughout the weekend. We spoke to her late yesterday. We will continue this monitoring  for the next few days at least. Dr. Stiles was also able to move up Cooper's echocardiogram appointment to May 23, from July. The cardiologist will come to the clinic. We are grateful for our vet who is on top of this. Cooper is in good hands. 

Needless to say, we are extremely saddened and distraught by all of this although we knew that this progression in Cooper's heart disease was bound to happen. We just didn't want it to happen so soon. Now, we hope and pray that the diuretic will make a difference and give Cooper a good quality of life. For the moment, he is asymptomatic, that is a blessing and he's back to his old self. The Coop will be 12 on Wednesday, a big day for our sweet boy 💝

As a result, we haven't felt like doing much since our return. I got the laundry done, Russell cut the grass twice (it was that long). He had the snow tires removed. I planted the herbs in the Trug, bought a planter for the deck, that's it. We haven't even resumed our walks to the park. We will do that sometime this week. 

Our Spicy is doing well and, for the moment, her heart condition is stable. We are starting to measure her resting respiratory rate also, it's good to have a baseline. We will do so every few weeks. Hers is between 18-22. A little cute story about Spicy. While we were at the vet, she was home alone. Since we were at the clinic for well over an hour, waiting for test results, I decided to go home and check up on her. I walked through the from door and called her name. No answer. She was sound asleep on our bed, sleeping on her good ear so she didn't hear me at all. Very good guard doggie LOL! She was so happy to see me. I didn't have the heart to leave her behind so I brought her to the clinic with me. We both walked into the examining room and Cooper was so excited to see her 😊

Those are my little news for today's blog. I leave you with two photos of the Pantheon taken on our last night in Rome. I also include a photo of a mat that Darlah made for us (we actually have two). Very nice and a keepsake that we will always cherish.  I wish you all a fabulous day and week ahead!  

Happy Mother's Day to all moms!
My arms are full of love!

Cooper enjoying the long cool grass.

Spicy basking in the sunshine.

The backyard crabapple in full
bloom.

Cooper at the table... any snacks?

Spicy says Peek a Boo, she too was 
looking for a few snacks.

Welcome to the Duncan Family Home.

 

The Pantheon by night.

No matter the time of day, crowds flock
to see the Pantheon.

Arrivederci Italy!

Happy Sunday from beautiful and sunny Rome! This is the last day of our Italian vacation. 

This past week went by very quickly. We didn't do as much as we wanted to as we had two days of on and off rain. Very unusual for this time of year. It didn't bother us in the least. We spent some time in the beautifully appointed club lounge just relaxing, reading a book, chatting with some guests and showing photos of our pooches 💖 

During our previous trip five years ago, we visited Capri, Positano and Ravello. This time around, we decided to stay put and explore Sorrento. We discovered a lovely lemon garden, visited areas of the town that we had never seen before. We also went to Marina Grande, a truly quaint and picturesque fishing village. 

We had a cooking class booked for last Tuesday near Mount Vesuvius. It didn't materialize due to our pick-up being one hour late... major traffic jam. The hotel management felt very bad, although not their fault. We did get a lovely complimentary lunch out of this which was quite nice and thoughtful. 

Wednesday night, we attended The Three Tenors of Sorrento concert at the Museo Correale di Terranova. It was truly a night that we will remember forever. It was intimate, only 85 people in attendance. The tenors sang beautifully and even got the crowd involved at times. 

On Friday, which was our last day in Sorrento, we went to the private solarium offered to guests at our hotel, an area for sunbathing and swimming. We didn't swim but dipped our toes in the cool water of the sea. It was nice and refreshing. We lounged on the sun beds for a couple of hours and watched the many boats go by.

Our time in Sorrento was truly lovely and relaxing. We can't say enough about the staff and management at our hotel. Truly exceptional in every way. 

So, here we are, back in Rome. We arrived yesterday afternoon. This time, we are staying within steps of the Pantheon. It's an area that we know well. We have a full day ahead of us and will make the most of it. There is a marathon going on today so Rome will be a busy place. We better get in line early for that Gelato! We leave tomorrow morning for Toronto, 11:30 am flight. We will stay at the Sheraton Gateway Airport hotel overnight and pick up our pooches early on Tuesday morning. The anticipation of seeing Cooper and Spicy is palpable. My heart is skipping a beat just thinking about it. We can already feel those kisses and lickings 😘The weather back home is looking spectacular. We look forward to getting into the Spring/Summer season and all that it entails. 

That's my blog for today. It's now 8:30 am local time. Time for breakfast. I wish you all a great week. Home Sweet Home soon for us! 

Lemons of all sizes abound in the garden in
Sorrento.

The Club Lounge at the Bellevue Syrene,
a great place to spend a rainy day with a good
book and a glass of wine.

The Three Tenors of Sorrento in a lively and 
most memorable concert.

The view of the Bellevue Syrene Solarium
(top deck) as seen from our balcony.

The narrow and winding road to 
Marina Grande.

View of Marina Grande from the 
steps leading to the village.

Steep stairways lead down from some hotels
to Marina Grande.

Laundry day in Marina Grande.

Soccer is religion in Italy and Napoli
is the team of the moment winning
the Italian Championship.

Beachside views in Marina Grande.

We took a moment to reflect on our
trip with our shadows cast in the sea.

Many charming 'casas' in Marina
Grande.

A fisherman and his catch of the day
in Marina Grande...what's for dinner?

A pine tree has found a place to 
live on the steep cliffs.

View of the Bellevue Syrene from the beach
Solarium.

Here I am, taking in the views from the 
Solarium.

Russell's toes in the cold sea...so refreshing.

Dusk in a busy Piazza Sant'Antonino in 
Sorrento.

A long exposure night photo across the Bay on
Naples, 25 kms away. Taken from our balcony.