Sunday, January 31

We will miss your WOO...WOO

Today marks one month since we lost our Schatzie, our home has been quieter.
We miss her.
 
On Saturday at 12:30 p.m. we said good bye to our sweet Gracie.
Today our home is silent.
 
Gracie had some good days, but most were uncomfortable and painful.
 I think I was looking at her health situation thru rose colored glasses.
 
A large hard mass was found on her abdomen and we could see that she was suffering.
 
Her eyes and body language told us it was time.
 We told her there would be no more pain. 
 
We were at her side when she took her last breath.
 
11/11/05 to 1/30/2016 
 
 
 
 
 


Reunited with her sister again.
 
I know they will both be waiting for us at the Bridge

We will miss your WOO-WOO
 
Run Free my Girlz, Run Free!!
 


Wednesday, January 27

Welcome.....

Want to Welcome some new readers.  Glad you are stopping by and hope you enjoy our Hawaii Life.

Gracie had a recheck appointment with the vet on Tuesday. Things seem to be improving--my girl is better, but still not 100%.  We believe we've nipped the bug and are making headway in recovering from the ordeal.  Gracie is exhibiting some signs of depression which is normal since she did lose her best friend. We will continue to monitor her issues and take a second round of the de-wormer the end of next week.

Sharing a few photos of my seal trek from Tuesday....Gracie isn't in to having her photo taken right now, so it's seal adventures for now.









Wednesday, January 20

Some days are just perfect.....

Sunrise 1.19.16
Gracie's health continues to improve--- can I get 3 cheers for that!! I took her along this morning to get the mail and to meet my friend Julie for a seal trek.  Gracie stole Julie's heart and a few belly rubs.  Think my girl is making a come back and I like that!!



Today was a wildlife filled day...spinner dolphins, seals, turtles, albatross and whales, all thing that make my heart happy.  It was such a blessing to sit and observe the beauty that surrounded me. My tank needed filling and today I got a tank of premium fuel!

 As Julie and I were scanning the horizon looking for whales, we watched as 2, yes 2 adult whales simultaneously do a full body breach. WOW!!  Julie and I looked at each other and said, "that gave me chicken skin!" FYI: here in Hawaii we use the term "chicken skin" aka goose bumps. Unfortunately I have no photo proof, but believe me it's etched in my brain. It was an awesome powerful moment - not to mention one heck of a splash!

The following are some shots of my tank filling day!! Hope you enjoy.

miles of walking on the sand makes for a great leg workout.  PC: Julie Honnert


Seal and honu

Honu tracks
 

the albatross were checking us out, it was like we could have reached out and touched them.
 

Julie watching for whales and albatross

The waves
me trying to ID these two seals--mission accomplished :)  PC: Julie Honnert

Today's events made me wanna kick up my flippers (I mean heels)

 

Tuesday, January 19

Snuggling...


As promised, I told you I would share how Gracie is doing.  Needless to say, it's been a tough road. We returned to the vet last Tuesday for more blood work and an urinalysis. The blood panel now shows that Gracie is anemic, but all other factors were well within the "normal" range. The urine sample was sent to the mainland for more extensive tests and the results came back on friday-- and you guessed it----all "normal" ugh. I know my dog and I know something is off, we just can't seem to pinpoint the issue. The vet sent me home with instructions of giving Gracie cooked beef liver!!

Gracie went to work with me last Wednesday and did well, she enjoyed greeting the passengers. We got home and she was given her dinner and bam...the lethargic dog was back, listless and I could tell she was uncomfortable. I was up most of the night with her, neither one of us got much rest.  I went to work the next day and she stayed home for rest. There were no real changes thru the day and I had a feeling that maybe it's her GUT!!  Friday morning I was able to retrieve a fecal sample and dropped it by the vet. An hour or so later I got a call.....all things are "normal"  "Really?" I exclaimed. I have a very sick dog that tests NORMAL---that's just crazy!!   I was just sure that she had a intestinal parasite or bacteria.  The vet decided to put Gracie on a series of panacur ---just in case it is a parasite, which is still possible as some parasites are not always visible, ie; giardia , just depending on which stage of development they are in when we test.
We are on day 4 of the parasite medication and  Gracie is doing better. Her eyes are bright, she's talking again and is dragging me down the street for her potty walks. She is still rather thin, weak and prefers boiled chicken rather than her dry kibble--but at least she is eating again.

We are taking life one day at a time, knowing that we still really don't know what's causing the problem, but are hopeful that we've finally nipped this bug.   Thanks for all the well wishes and concerns.

On a side note: We brought Schatzie home on Friday, and we placed some of her ashes near the mango tree that she loved to sleep under. Gracie checks it out every time she goes out in the yard. Funny how she knows that her sissy is back home.

Val

Monday, January 18

Vitamin Seal...


Many of you have already seen this photo if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram. Taken last Friday, it's a shot of Hawaiian Monk Seal known as RN44. He's a 3 year male, living life on Kauai.  I love his facial expression...Think I was too close????  No worrries, I was no where near this seal, that's why I have a Nikon Cool Pix camera--no need to disturb the animal when you have great zoom capabilities. Let seals be!!!

I will give an update on Gracie tomorrow--it's been a tough month, but I think we're finally turning the corner with her and have the health issue identified.

Tuesday, January 12

Monday with Gracie..


Another beautiful sunrise...it was in the 60's this a.m.
brrrr......
 this way mom...
 
 are you coming????
 
 oh, I thought we were going this way...
 
Think Gracie is enjoying our morning hikes, I know I am!!

Monday, January 11

Sunday Stew....

 
The following was our recipe for a lovely Sunday.....
let's call it Sunday Stew.
 
 Gracie continues to join me on morning hikes.
 
 We so enjoy greeting the sunrise.
 
To our surprise we found this seal on our morning adventure.
 


 Sleeping Giant (the mountain in the background) was resting peacefully in the sunshine.
 
 A drive to the south shore gave us spectacular views
 
 Love the contrasting colors.
 
 A whale tail....
 
 and a cairn.
 
Life is good and our Sunday Stew was just yummy!!

Saturday, January 9

She's Feeling Better...

Gracie is feeling much better. She is eating and we are enjoying some great adventures which included a farewell luau for a coworker last night and a great hike this morning. She is resting now and we are so grateful for all the well wishes for our girl.



Next week Gracie will begin a new job---on Wednesdays, she will be the official K-9 greeter at my workplace....Wings Over Kauai. I'm lucky to work at a place where they LOVE dogs and allow me to bring her along for the adventure.

Wednesday, January 6

Seas the Day....

Was able to break away from the house today for a couple hours of much needed Vitamin Sea.

had the beach all to myself, well except for the 2 seals.
 
 too cute for words
 
Incubating an albatross egg is a 24/7 job
 
Hello Nene!!
 
Gracie Update: The tail is wagging more!!

Tuesday, January 5

Doing better...

Here's an update on Gracie--

She is walking much better, still requiring to be hand fed and is feeling blue.  We believe she injured her back on New Year's Eve trying to escape from the horrible fireworks that lasted over 7 hours. We had her inside, a/c on, television on but it wasn't enough, she tried her best to dig a hole in the bathroom, hid in the closet and burrowed herself between Ron and I in the bed. Needless to say, I hate fireworks!!   She jumped off the bed and I believe that's when she wrenched her back. On our brief walk on New Years Day I noticed she had a "crooked" back.  She was given pain meds for 2 days and that has seemed to "straighten" her out. She is back to gentle walking and is eager to go on her walks again!! YAY for Gracie.
We have been trying to take her on more outings; (church, post office, bank and the recycling center) she seems fine when we are out and about but her disposition changes  when we are here at home. I often find her outside sniffing the air. Wonder if she is sniffing for Schatzie....breaks my heart.  Guess it's just going to take time for all of us.
Monday after work we took a drive and enjoyed a nice walk to the beach.

and on we go....

Saturday, January 2

A New Year...

We survived the New Years Eve fireworks--Gracie was a nervous wreck for over 6 hours. We did our best to keep her calm; running the a/c, television on and snuggling close. At 12:50 the last pop went off....we could finally sleep.

With the loss of Schatzie, we are now a family of three. We did an early morning hike at a nearby bike trail that has a elevated view of the ocean. Observing our first whales of the season was on our agenda, the whales cooperated.  During our walk Gracie was reluctant to keep moving and Ron had to carry her a considerable distance. I attributed it to lack of sleep and sadness in losing her sister.
 
Later in the day I took her for a ride in the car, destination--Petco (she loves rides in the car)  Her sadness continued, but now I don't think it's sadness. There is definitely something going on with her. Once back home she had another episode of not being able to get up on her own or even walk and has no interest in food. We watched as she panted heavily and wasn't real responsive. The whole ordeal lasted approximately an hour, it's exhausting to witness. As I type this she is resting comfortably on her bed, we shall see what tomorrow brings.
I have to admit Ron and I are both quite scared...

Friday, January 1

2015.....as the sun set



We said goodbye to 2015 and to our Schatzie yesterday.  We are so grateful for all of the kind comments concerning the loss of our sweet girl, your kindness is so appreciated.  We will continue to move forward and explore the world just as Schatzie would have wanted. Dogs teach us great things. We need to live in the moment, love unconditionally, don't take anything for granted, stop and smell all the roses (or pee mail :) take naps, protect your family, enjoy every belly rub and thank God for this amazing ride. Again, thank you all for your support during our time of grief and sadness.

Val, Ron and Gracie