UPDATE ON JOYFUL GRACE

 I wanted to update everyone on Joyful Grace.   We had a bit of a scare yesterday and she was yelping in pain and she had quit eating.

 I texted my vet (love my vet!) and he said to bring her in.   As most of you know, Monday is a busy day at most vets and this would be a "fit into his already busy schedule."   But, he did, and didn't act rushed, but took all the time she needed.   (She is licking her lips from the yummy chicken.)

 Before arriving at the vet, I stopped in Hallmark.   I wanted to find Joyful's first Christmas present-- she has received several gifts and they are wonderful-- thank you to those who sent them!!   But, I wanted to find her name!   Joy is as close as I got (unless I wanted a big pack of Christmas cards).

 I also went into Chick-fil-a (next door to my vet) and bought her a pack of grilled chicken nuggets.   If a dog won't eat, a lot of the time, they WILL eat these nuggets.   Here she is, eating every bit in front of her new sign.   You can see she is still having trouble standing, but she is doing better.

 Her skin is not inflamed like it was last week.   Her skin was so bad we could not use  a medicated shampoo, but just used a gentle shampoo (Hy-Lyt).   I love that one, and also an Aloe shampoo my vet has.   If my dogs needs things, I trust my vet so that I know they are getting the best.   (I don't buy things at Wal-Mart or on line-- I would rather make sure they are fresh, and not made out of country.)

 Joyful was walking around.   She had been shaking some, and my vet said that could be from a low glucose level.   She has no fat at all, so her reserves are just not there.    We also got a variety of foods to add to her K/D food to make it tastier.   (Trips to Chick-fil-a every day are not really an option haha.)   If you have a dog who is not feeling well, who won't eat, I've found the Hill's I.D. canned stew is delicious to them.   And it is healthy and gentle on the stomach.   Joyful also received some sub-Q fluids and will go back on Thursday for a brief check up to make sure she is still doing okay.  Then, she will return next week for a pre-Thanksgiving visit to make sure she is ready for the holiday week-end.   With dogs this fragile, we want to stay ahead of any problem that may surface if we can.

Joyful, we fully expect that JOY will be in your future.   Thank you to all of you who are helping us!   You have no idea how much Jeanne and I appreciate all of you-- your donations, your emails, your comments of encouragement on facebook.   You are just the best!