Kero's November 2013 medical update

We gave Kero a bath on Saturday to properly clean those sores he has and it seems to have helped... They're finally showing signs of healing!

Well, we put anticeptic cream on the sores too, but we were doing that before and the cream didn't seem to be doing much until after we gave him the bath.

Hopefully we can avoid a return trip to the vet for now?

Fingers crossed!

He's still showing his age with lack of interest in physical activity and obvious achy joints and muscles, but there's not much that can be done about that. After all, he is almost nine and a half years old!

His groomer comes in just over a week, so he'll get another bath then.

Kero's World, Book 5: Kero Goes To Town

"Kero’s very excited to find he’s going to town with his humans. He’s sure there must be loads of great things to do there, after all the humans go there all the time. But what kinds of things can a little dog do in town? And will it be as much fun as he thinks it will?"

Today is the official release date for this book.

The ISBN is 9781301736898 and you can find the book on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. It will also soon be available via other retailers.

NaNoWriMo 2013 - week two update

The second week of NaNoWriMo is over.

I've now finished writing both of the books in my "Degu Days Duo" series; a pair of books about my very own degu buddies. They now just need to be given a final edit before I set them up for pre-release. I already have covers for them, so I can pre-release them as soon as the final editing is done. I'm going to leave the final editing until after NaNoWriMo is over though.

I'm now starting work on a story called "Goodies For Grandmother" which is one I actually wrote several years ago when I was in a writing group (I've mentioned said writing group on here before). It's based on the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" but with not a single wolf in sight. I may have actually posted the story in its original form on here before... I can't remember and can't be bothered to check. I'm making some changes though and getting it ready for the final editing stage too. I'll have to wait to pre-release this one though as I don't have a cover for it yet.

Of weight, pets and medical mutterings

I've lost a stone (14lbs) since I stopped the tablets at the end of July.

Not because I've been dieting or been doing serious exercise (though I have been doing a bit more and eating a little better than I was before). Mostly it's just stopping the tablets that's made the difference though. I mean, that's the biggest change.

I dare say chasing after Cara helps a bit though, LOL!

Cara is seriously hyper, and in to absolutely everything!

Luna loves Cara, and even the degu buddies tolerate her enough not to make a fuss if she takes a nap on top of their cage these days.

Kero's still happy to sleep with Cara, but he's seriously feeling his age these days and not really interested in playing with a kitten. He also still has those sores, which seem to be a bit tender. We didn't get to the vet with him like we'd planned to. We're going to give him a bath Saturday and see if cleaning them up properly will help first. It's worth a try, right?

Oh, and on the subject of Cara and weight... Cara has gotten a lot bigger, and she now weighs about 3lbs. I say "about" because it was hard to keep her still to weigh her so I can't be 100% sure.

NaNoWriMo 2013 - week one update

The first week of NaNoWriMo is over.

I've finished writing the first book in the "Degu Days Duo" that I'm working on. It's called "The Great Degu Round-Up" and is about a degu cage cleaning day from the point of view of our degus. The story is actually told from Jenks' point of view. I'm now working on the second book in the series, which is called "A Very Degu Christmas" and is also from Jenks' point of view.

NaNoWriMo 2013

November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

Because I write shorter pieces I don't really need an entire month to write something, so I'm using NaNoWriMo to work on some half-written stories I haven't gotten to recently.

I don't begrudge the time taken to settle both Luna and Cara in, and I certainly don't begrudge Kero the time he's needed because of being so unwell (he's still the same as he was when I did Sunday's post). I know nobody said I did, but I wanted to make sure that was clear.

But right now I want to get some of those stories finished.

I've been lucky in that I was so ahead that I could pre-release Kero's books and a couple of others and buy myself some time, but the last one is officially released early next month so I need to get some more finished and pre-released. NaNoWriMo seems like a good way to do that.

Goodreads 2013 reading challenge completed!

I've finished reading my 250 books for the Goodreads yearly reading challenge.

I would have finished reading them sooner if I counted re-reads, but I don't. Some people do, but not me... I don't even bother to list them on Goodreads.

Anyway, I finished reading the 250th book today!

A health update for Kero

Kero seems to be fine apart from the weakness in his back legs and some sores he's ended up with somehow.

We're putting anticeptic cream on the sores and planning to take him to the vet a week on Monday if they don't show signs of healing by then.

That also gives time for the last of his anti-inflamitary medication to get used up so we can see if it's the only thing keeping him in reasonable health.

Sausage, Egg And Bacon Pie guest post (kinda FD)

Check out my "Sausage, Egg And Bacon Pie" guest post on Dee's Kitchen by going to http://deeskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/11/guest-post-friday-sausage-egg-and-bacon.html

Kero's World, book 4: Kero Celebrates Halloween

"Something strange is going on, and Kero doesn’t know if he’s more confused or frightened. All he knows for sure is that the humans are calling it Halloween. Will Kero be able to make sense of this Halloween thing? Or is it just too scary and confusing for a little dog to understand?"

Today is the official release date for this book. It's the fourth in my "Kero's World" series.

"The “Kero’s World” stories are all about the adventures of a West Highland White Terrier named Kero; read his stories, and see the world from the point of view of a little white dog."

The ISBN for this book is 9781301689095.

It's already available via Smashwords in all formats they offer, plus a couple of other retailers (such as Barnes And Noble and Apple) and will be available via other retailers soon!

Random questions: zombie and vampire dietry requirements

Two random questions today...

If a vegetarian became a zombie, would the zombie's need for flesh over-power the previous instinct not to eat meat?

And...

Does it matter what blood type a vampire drinks like it matters what blood type a person is given during a blood transfusion?

Carl's visit and Tamara's birthday (FD)

Carl was here for the weekend. We carved pumpkins, made pasta with pumpkin sage sauce and cheese, made pumpkin pie and pumpkin juice, made cheese and potato pie with sprouts and peas, and ordered pizza. We also watched "The Craft" and "Practical Magic" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "The Hunger Games" together. Oh, and we played Lego, I beat him four times at Scrabble, we won a game each of Battleships, he beat me twice at Snakes And Ladders, and I beat him once at Ludo. He was meant to go home yesterday (Monday) but we had a really nasty storm Sunday night/Monday morning and trains weren't running for most of Monday. Some still aren't now, but he was able to get home today at least.

While he was here we were going to do Halloween photos of the furkids, but only Kero would co-operate. The degus wouldn't stay still long enough, and it turns out Cara is afraid of pumpkins. I know I shouldn't laugh, but having her leap back in to my arms and cling to me shaking with fear just because I tried to put her beside a pumpkin is a bit funny... Well, actually, it's VERY funny, LOL!

***

It's our niece Tamara's 20th birthday today. Hard to believe that she's already out of her teens, but it's true! I hope she's having an amazing birthday!

Toad In The Hole guest post (kinda FD)

Check out my "Toad In The Hole" guest post on Dea's Kitchen by going to http://deeskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-friday-toad-in-hole.html

Kero health update

We took Kero to the vet again Tuesday because there wasn't much change. His temperature was up again and everything.

The vet gave us some anti-inflamitary stuff and some powder to put in his water to make sure he stays hydrated. We also got a couple more days of antibiotics for him.

They're sure it's just a nasty viral infection, but if he doesn't improve soon then he has to have blood tests to check for anything worse. When we called to change his grooming date his groomer said there seems to be a nasty doggy virus going around though, so maybe it's that?

I mean, Kero's a lot better; eating and drinking now and not shaking unless he gets himself worked up about something.

His back legs still seem weak though, but that could be his age, right? I mean, he's almost nine and a half...

The vet said to take him back tomorrow if he's no better, but since he's so much better we aren't taking him. We'll take him if his health slips though.

A couple of family friends said I should take him to a different vet since our vet wasn't rushing to do blood tests and said he weighs enough that not eating for a few days wouldn't hurt him (he's not terribly over-weight, but he could stand to lose a pound or two). But I've ignored them. For one thing we did actually talk to two different vets, and for another thing our finances are part of why the vet is delaying the blood tests... In hopes we can avoid the expense. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge Kero a penny, but funds only stretch so far, you know? Anyway, it looks as though he's getting better, so maybe we can avoid the blood tests completely? This time at least!

Kero is sick and I'm worried (kinda R/WP)

Kero is sick.

He's been off his food for almost a week and shaking violently since Thursday.

We took him to the emergency vet early hours of Friday morning after he came to me, whimpered, then just lay down beside me panting heavily. His temperature was 40C (112F)) and his heart rate couldn't be measured because he was shaking so. We took him back that same afternoon and his temperature had dropped to 38.7C (109.4F) but there was no other change.

Also, his back legs seem weak and we have to help him on and off furniture and up the steps to the street. Plus he seems to get confused sometimes.

He's on antibiotics and has to go back tomorrow if he's no better.

I'm really worried about him and so scared we're going to lose him. I'll do what's best for him, but if what's best is to let him go then I know it's going to hurt like heck! Just the thought of maybe having to let him go makes me ache so much it's all I can do not to crumple up in a heap and cry.

Bubble And Squeak guest post (kinda FD)

Check out my "Bubble And Squeak" guest post on Dea's Kitchen by going to http://deeskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/guest-post-friday-bubble-and-squeak.html

Smashwords Interview

Check out the interview I did on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/interview/toriz

Adopted Cara

So, we adopted a kitten yesterday.

She was my Mam's kitten, but she was too much for her, so now she's our kitten. Well, my kitten actually.

Mam had called her Kiera, pronounced "Key-rah" which is a pretty name, but because it was so close to Kero, which is pronounced "Key-row" if you don't know, we've changed it to Cara. It seems to fit her, if nothing else because it means "friend" and she's very friendly.

She's also very tiny; she only weighs 1lb 15.5oz.

Kero seems to absolutely love her; they sleep together already.

Luna is trying to make friends with her; Luna talks to her through the cage bars.

Jacob, Jasper, Jenks and Joshua aren't as impressed though. One of them especially got angry and squeaked and hissed at Cara.

Kero's September 2013 medical update

A couple of years ago Kero had a lump thing that was something like a wart above his left eye, and the vet removed it. Last year we noticed one below his left eye, but the vet left it alone at the time. But recently it's started irritating his eye, so we all agreed it should be removed.

He went to the vet for his shots on September 19th, which was when we decided to have them remove it. He went in to have it removed on September 23rd, and all seemed to have gone well, but when he went back for his post-op check up on September 25th the vet told us the stitches were irritating his eye. He was also given a cone to wear just in case it was more because he was pawing at it than because of the stitches. Then he went for another check up on September 27th, and while he was there ended up going back under anasthetic to have the stitches sorted out. Then we were told to bring him back on September 30th, which we did. Once again all seemed fine, but the vet said to bring him back on October 7th (today) after his antibiotic ointment ran out.

He finally has the all clear, which I'm sure he's relieved about... So am I!

Stopped the tablets (kinda FD)

I'm not taking the tablets any more.

Well, actually, I stopped taking them about two months ago.

Why?

Because I was having side effects and the doctors were blaming them all on my weight, despite the fact that some of them (like the extremely bad headaches) couldn't be weight related. Not to mention the fact that the tablets were actually causing much of the weight gain.

I wasn't 100% sure it was the right thing to do at first, but all the side effects disappeared within a few days of me stopping the tablets, and I've ost 8lbs since stopping taking them, bearing in mind I'm not exercising as much as I should be due to trying to get my strength back after a year of essentially spending most of the time laying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself.

I'm also wanting healthier foods again; fruit and veg rather than chocolate and pizza.

Luna turns 2 (FD)

Today is Luna's 2nd birthday.

We weren't sure what to give a degu as a birthday present, so we gave the degus a couple of little peanuts each but gave Luna an extra one. She seemed happy with that.

We've had her a couple of weeks now, and she's really settling in well.

She absolutely adores Kelly and will let him pet her for quite some time. She isn't as fond of me. She doesn't hate me, but will pick Kelly over me any time, even if I'm holding food and he isn't (I know because we tested it). So I guess she's decided she's his degu. That's fine by me since I have the four boys anyway, LOL!

Anyway, happy 2nd birthday Luna!