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.