PUTTERING IS A GOOD THING...

George (foreground) and Dave sleep in the sock nest.

I took Dave to the vet today so she could give him a check-up and see how he's doing. He's actually doing quite well -- he wakes up from his naps and putters around and he's eating good. Dr. Dori said his heart and lungs sound pretty good. He does have some sores in his mouth, on his upper gums. So, we are giving him Clavamox for that. We are decreasing the Lasix and weaning him off of that to see how he does.

Dr. Dori showed me Dave's x-rays and, yeah, it looks pretty bleak. She notes two growths (probably tumors) -- one in his heart and one under his trachea. ::sigh::

So...I'm cherishing every day he is with us. Right now, he has a good quality of life. I hope it stays that way. Still, how do I prepare for this, the inevitable? How do I stop the heartbreak of loosing him?

Anyway, I snapped the photo above this evening. The "sock nest" was created when Dave came to us with his cagemate, Cupid. They stole K.'s dirty socks, took them under his desk in his office and slept there. After Cupid died we never picked the socks up, but Dave didn't sleep there much. Lately, though, I've seen him back under there, usually curled up with George or Misty. It's bittersweet.

Cupid and Dave sleep in the sock nest. After Cupid died, Dave stopped sleeping there.

About Dave Bear

His favorite places to sleep are the sock nest under K.'s desk, the big plastic container in our bedroom or the toy box we converted into a Hidey Hole. Sometimes he'll surprise me, though, and I'll find him in a ferret pile in the hammock under the bed or sleeping in one of the crinkle tunnels.

Even though he's blind, he gets around just fine. A few bumps into the walls at times. Or a bump into the Thing that mommie put in his path that wasn't there before. But he just good-naturedly finds his way around it.

He hits the potty pad more often than his comrades, none of which are blind.

He knows exactly when it is time for his Duck Soup and comes straight to the kitchen and waits for me. My favorite time of day is sitting with Dave in my lap as he gobbles up his soup and then washes his feet.

He loves boxes. K.'s trash can. And WalMart bags. And "crunchies". And N-Bones. He lets the other guys steal his treats and he just comes back for more. He "hides" his treasures in the middle of the living room floor. We just pretend we don't see them.

He lets me give him his medicine, even though it's yukky. He knows I'm taking care of him. Plus he always gets Ferretone after his medicine.

He's gained a lot of weight and waddles. He's losing his beautiful coat. And he is just so beautiful to me. He shows me unconditional love, because I, too, have have gained a lot of weight and waddle. But Dave doesn't care. I'm Mommie and he loves me.