Birthday turkey with Grandma!

Bandit here! Me and Scout went with Mommy to Grandma's house for turkey today. Aunt Jackie and Uncle Eric were there, and Dali was there, Cassie and her boyfriend came over later after Cassie got out of work. Daddy went hunting all day. He needed a break from us.

Grandma is the best. She makes cut out cookies with frosting that are delicious. I know. I ate a whole bag of them!

Scout didn't like to be at Grandmas. He used to like to go when he was the only dog around but now that it's Dali's house he just wanted to go home. He's like that. He likes people but he doesn't really want to hang with other dogs.

I can see why! Dali was climbing on me and then climbing on Scout. She doesn't get a lot of dog company so she reeeaally wanted to play but Scout didn't want to play at all. And I didn't like that she was climbing on my brother so I tried to protect him.

Plus, she was all kissy face with Mommy! MY MOMMY! I didn't like that either. I gave Dali some scary growls and showed her all of my teeth and she got the message. Hands off my Mommy.

But actually I love Dali a lot. We have lots and lots of good fun when it's warm outside and we can run and play and wrestle. I like to play in her pool in the summer but she always pees in it so we stopped that game.

Anyway, Grandma cooked a lot of good food and even though I wasn't able to steal any from the stove - I was good, Santa! I only stole Dali's dog food! - it smelled really yummy in there and Mommy and Aunt Jackie let me have some tastes. I tried turkey and stuffing and corn.

I had to wear my leash the whole time and stay hooked to Mommy's ankle so she could remind me when I forgot and started to eat from the table. Scout stayed right by the front door the whole time saying, Anytime you're ready to go, I'm ready to go, Mommy! Are you ready? I'm ready!

So here's something I learned about my Aunt Jackie: I think she is magic. I was in the kitchen looking at the turkey. She said to me, Don't do what I know you're thinking about doing, Bandit!

How did she know what I was thinking?? And how did she know I was thinking about something that I shouldn't do?? I was afraid to think about anything after that. It's not easy to think about nothing when there is a whole turkey right in front of your nose.

Aunt Jackie has a dog named Goliath. Scout loves him and said I would love him too, but Aunt Jackie won't bring him to visit. She said it's too much chaos with all the dogs. Darn. I have another cousin that I've never met. Scout says Surprise! Goliath is not a giant dog but a little dog who is smaller than our cat. But he's got sharp teeth and he can chase Dali and Scout around! I can't wait to meet him.

Want to hear something funny? Aunt Jackie wants Uncle Eric to buy her a stroller for her dog. Like he's a baby! Isn't that hilarious? I wonder if Goliath wears diapers? HAHAHA Just kidding. Anyway, Uncle Eric just rolled his eyes and said, No. I think what he meant was, You're crazy, Aunt Jackie.

When we got home from Grandma's, Daddy told us about how he shot TWO does today! One time, he had to run and shoot really far with his last bullet and it sounded like a wild west movie and he was John Wayne. He's the coolest Daddy in the whole world. I hope he makes us some dog jerky from that deer.

So anyway, that's what we did for my birthday.

Love, Bandit

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Bandit: I'm home from the hospital and I met SANTA!

Hi, it's Bandit! I"m home from the hospital!

You do not want to go to the hospital. They stick you with needles and they give you funny medicine and they make you wear a lampshade on your head and sleep in a cage. It is not fun.

There were a lot of people there but none of them were Mommy. I had a nice doctor and helpers and they took very good care of me. But I wanted Mommy.

Here's what happened: yesterday I opened Mommy's purse to see if I could find her cell phone to call Dali and say hello. But instead I found Mommy's medicine. And I ate it.

It made me feel really shaky and made my heart go BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM really really fast. So Mommy took me to the doctor and by then my ears and whiskers were shaking and I was talking really fast.

So they made me go to the hospital. They gave me medicine to make my heart beat not so fast and other medicine to make me sleepy and they took out all of my blood and did experiments on it. Then I had to stay overnight.

Mommy came to get me today. Dr. Simon Kirk said I am back to normal - Hahaha, Mommy said. Normal for him, Dr. Kirk said. They both laughed. I think they were joking about me.

But I don't even care because here's the best part. When they brought me to Mommy, guess who else was in the room?

SANTA!

I am not kidding. He was there with his helpers. So Mommy got my picture taken and then she went home and got Scout and he got his picture taken, too! See, I am telling the truth:



The best part was that Santa had biscuits. I found the jar and jumped on the counter and got tangled in the lights and knocked them down. And Santa didn't even yell at me!

So I had to go to the hospital and get stuck with needles and have experiments done on my blood but I also got to meet Santa. So it was all good in the end.

Love, Bandit

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Bandit's coming home

Scout here. I got up this morning and ate breakfast without being pestered by Bandit. I barked around the house looking for him.

Then I remembered that he's in the hospital. I heard Mommy on the phone with the doctor and she said Bandit is coming home this morning.

I'm glad he's OK! And I do miss him. But I like being the only dog on the house.

Maybe the doctor should keep Bandit for a few more days just to make sure he's OK? Or maybe a few weeks?

Love Scout

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Scout updates on Bandit

Scout here. Mommy went to see Bandit at the doggie hospital tonight. She said he looks terrible but that's probably because he's on some medicine to make him calm. She said his eyes are all glassy and he's just acting funny.

I know how he feels. I was acting funny this week when Dr. Hawkins gave me funny medicine.

Mommy said she laid right down on the floor with Bandit and snuggled for a little bit. He was excited to see her but then he curled up with her and started to go to sleep. She said Bandit's stomach was gurgling and gurgling. The nice vet helper, Beth, said they gave him some dinner - nice squishy canned food - and Mommy said that sometimes new food gives Bandit diarrhea. And that he chews up his blankies. So they might want to watch and make sure he doesn't poop all over or eat his blankie. Last time Bandit was at the vet hospital he chewed through the leash and made a big, big fuss.

Dr. Kirk said that Bandit could come home tonight if Mommy wanted, but that he would prefer to keep him till tomorrow to make sure Bandit's heart was all goofy because he was excited and not because there was something wrong with it. Mommy said that was OK with her as long as she could call anytime. They told her call all night, Mommy! We're here 24/7.

It's very, very quiet here without Bandit. I like being alone. I admit it. I get to sleep on my own dog bed and there's no one biting my legs and chasing me around. I played tree ball with Mommy and Murphy. And I'm getting to rest my paw from Bandit biting me all the time.

But I miss Bandit. It's fun to get all-Mommy-time sometimes, but I want my brother to come home soon and to be all better. Mommy is fun, but I need Bandit. I am used to my brother and he's getting better. You know he'll be one year old on Sunday? I hope he's well enough to have a party.

Anyway, pray for my brother Bandit to get better quick and not to get into Mommy's purse any more and eat stuff!

Love, Scout

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Bandit's in the doggie hospital

Mommy here. It's been a very busy dog day at the Brokaw Funny Farm.

While I was getting my shoes on this morning to take Scout to the vet's to have his bandages removed, Bandit came upstairs and coughed a few times. That's not unusual; he's often coughing up hair and dirt and leaves and whatever other thing he's eaten.

When I went downstairs, I saw money on the floor under my purse. I assumed Bandit had nosed in there and grabbed it but I didn't notice anything else missing.

I put him in his crate and took Scout to the vet. We were home in about 20 mins. Before I let Bandit out of his crate, I noticed that my rescue inhaler - albuterol - was on the couch, and that a hole had been punctured in the now-empty canister.

Apparently, Bandit had stolen it out of my purse and I assume that's why he had been coughing.

I called the vet (where I had been just 10 minutes earlier) and Dr. Hawkins said that albuterol can be dangerous for a dog, and wanted me to see if I could get a heart rate on him. Oddly enough, Bandit wouldn't come near me, even for hamburger. Dr. Hawkins said it was best to bring him in.

She wasn't available but Dr. Herrema saw Bandit and said he was "clinical" for albuterol overdose and sent us to the animal hospital.

There, they took his vitals - his heart rate was up to 260 - and started him on the antidote as well as IV fluids.

Albuterol can affect the dog's heart and also potassium levels, hence the antidote, EKG, and fluids. The doctor, Dr. Kirk, said that fortunately the medicine's effect is short lived and will wear off after 6 or 8 hours.

When I left, Bandit was sedated and his heart rate was down to 160. Dr. Kirk said he didn't forsee any long term affects and that barring any complications, Bandit might be able to come home tonight.


PS I found this from a vet website about animal toxicology- I am SOO glad I took him in right away!:

Albuterol is a synthetic sympathomimetic amine that primarily has beta-2 adrenergic agonist activity. Albuterol inhalers are used for relief of bronchospasm in humans with obstructive airway disease, and they generally contain approximately 15-20 g of albuterol that is designed to be released in 90 microgram increments. When small animals puncture inhalers with their teeth, some or all of the contents may be propelled into the oral cavity, where it is rapidly absorbed.

Signs of albuterol toxicosis may develop within minutes of exposure to the inhaler. The most common signs associated with albuterol toxicosis are tachycardia, vomiting, depression, tachypnea, hyperactivity, muscle tremors, and weakness. A not infrequent comment regarding symptomatic dogs is that one can see their heart beating through the chest wall “from across the room,” signifying severe increase in the force of myocardial contraction. In addition, agitation, arrhythmia, nervousness, hypertension or hypotension, collapse, weakness, seizures, and death may occur. Some animals may experience an initial phase of hyperactivity, hypertension, and tachycardia that gives way to a “collapse” phase of depression, hypotension, bradycardia and, possibly, circulatory failure. Clinical laboratory abnormalities that have been associated with albuterol include profound hypokalemia (can be life-threatening), hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemia. In experimental exposures in dogs, doses of albuterol in excess of 0.28 mg/kg have been associated with myocardial fibrosis.

Because of the rapidity of absorption of albuterol from inhalers, decontamination is generally not feasible. Animals that have bitten into inhalers should be examined for evidence of tachycardia or other signs; if more than an hour has passed and the animal is asymptomatic, it is unlikely that signs will develop. Treatment for foreign body ingestion may be required in cases where parts of the inhaler have been ingested. Symptomatic animals often require prompt and aggressive care. Seizures, hyperactivity, tremors and agitation will generally respond to diazepam. Propranolol (preferred) or other beta-blocker should be used to manage severe tachycardia and/or arrhythmias. Fluid therapy should be initiated and maintained while the animal is symptomatic. Potassium and glucose levels should be closely monitored, and abnormalities, particularly hypokalemia, should be treated as needed. In dogs, signs generally resolve within 12 hours, although in some individuals, signs may persist up to 48 hours. The prognosis is generally good for cases where veterinary intervention is prompt and appropriate. Animals with pre-existing cardiac disease may be at increased risk for severe cardiac complications or death.

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Updated photos: December 2009

Mommy here! (Isn't it nice that the dogs let me have a chance to write?) I was taking some pictures of Scout and Bandit this week and was struck by how big Bandit has gotten since he came to live with us! Take a look:

April 14, 2009

April. 27, 2009

November 9, 2009


December 2, 2009

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Scout's hurt paw

Bandit here! Mommy took this picture of me and Scout and his hurt paw.

I laid down with Scout for a while to keep him company. He's a lot better today, but he was tired so we both took a break. It's quiet in the house today. Mommy is baking bread and making Rice Krispie treats. I ate a marshmallow. It was squishy.

Scout has been chewing the bandage, so I thought I would help him a little, too. It's yucky tasting. But Scout really wants to get it off so we figured if we both chewed for a while, it would come off faster. Mommy said DO NOT chew the bandage. Then she sprayed some really icky tasting stuff on it. So we ate peanut butter in our Kong toys instead.

Love, Bandit

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