We have an update from Athenspets on Van Helsing and Cindy Lou!
Van Helsing is doing great! You wouldn’t even know that he has had surgery at this point.
Van Helsing will be having a recheck in a week or so, and at that point we’ll know if his pelvis and other leg have healed properly or if he needs another FHO surgery. Hopefully, he’s set though!
Cindy Lou is having surgery on Monday to remove the cyst that is under her face bone. Without surgery, the cyst (which is likely due to prior trauma) would continue to grow, putting pressure on her nasal cavity and eventually killing her. The estimate is $2k-$4k for the surgery, The county has paid the diagnostics to date and will pay the first $500 of the surgery bill, and they have general funds to help with some of the cost, but having Walter’s Fund is a HUGE help to them!
They have lined up fosters for her (a temp foster now through surgery, then another for her recovery period) so she’s getting to chill and destress in a home right now. She’s a super sweet dog – great with people, dogs, and cats – but high energy so keeping her calm post-surgery will be a challenge.
They also have a matching funds fundraiser right now–all donations through Nov 30 (up to $10,000 total) are being matched by a few large donors.
Lisa at Athenspets didn’t know if it’s appropriate to ask again so soon for donations, but any new donations that come in to Walter’s Fund would be worth double, so I was pretty sure I would be in trouble on Balloon Juice if I didn’t at least alert you to the match!
So absolutely no pressure to donate, but the thermometer is in the sidebar in case you are so inclined.
FYI: Our Athenspets thermometer is never going to show the correct balance for Walter’s Fund, because it only shows what we have raised and obviously doesn’t reflect the amount we have spent. As I write this, the thermometer shows $2,950, but Walter’s Fund currently is about $1,950 – they used $500 for Van Helsing and are using $500 for Cindy Lou.
🐇
Heidi Mom
In for $25.
Alison Rose
I hope Cindy Lou’s surgery goes well! Poor baby <3
dexwood
In for 50. Glad to see Walter’s Fund spotlighted again.
WaterGirl
It makes me happy to see Van Helsing doing so well! In his original photo, he was just sitting, with his leg at an odd angle. Now he gets to be a happy kitty.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Obama’s favorite turkey pardoning jokes. The looks on his daughters make me laugh.
WaterGirl
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Coolest, most fun president. Ever.
kalakal
In for $25
WaterGirl
Where is everyone today?
Alison Rose
@WaterGirl: Sleeping off the tryptophan? Driving home? Black Friday shopping?
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
Commenting downstairs.
WaterGirl
@Alison Rose: Maybe so!
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: Yes, I know there are other threads! But even that one seems quiet.
Joy in FL
in for $25.
I love seeing happy, cared-for animals. So glad to be part of helping that happen.
WaterGirl
@Joy in FL: Even with the funky bulge where the cyst is, Cindy Lou has a happy face and seems very attentive. I bet she’s a handful!
Leslie
In for $50. Thanks for this update.
WaterGirl
@Leslie: Yes, these folks are good about keeping us in the loop!
greengoblin
Donated $50.00
J R in WV
OK, I’m gonna post about yesterday’s dinner, and last night’s doggie adventure. Trigger warning, 3 am gross dog events described below~!!~
Was just Wife and I for dinner, and after my extended Dr’s appointment Wednesday, I stopped at the fresh seafood place and got oysters, scallops (Wife isn’t into oysters, so scallops for her, oysters for me) and some shrimp. These guys are serious about their fresh seafood! Then I hit Kroger’s for stuff the little steak & seafood shop can’t carry, like milk and salad greens and cold cuts, etc. Big bag of kibble for the two big black dogs, BooBoo who is the girl at @ 65 or 70 lbs and CooCoo the big boy who is closer to 85 or 90 lbs.
We have a path through the woods for 250′ from the parking spot up to the front door, around the three giant boulders covered with moss and ferns, and I use a small freight wagon to move provisions up to the house and trash back down. I had trouble with the weight, and so left a bag of groceries and the DF behind at the switchback, where I couldn’t get going with the weight I packed onto the buggy.
Dinner yesterday was fried oysters and a big salad and deviled eggs for me, and scallops for Wife, and champagne, it was fittingly fancy tasting, though not fancy in appearance. We went to bed fairly early, not really full to bursting at all, it was just a nice tasty meal.
I may have mentioned that both dogs love to sleep on our bed, sprawled out in the afternoon without us, and will sneak in in the wee hours and crawl in between us, usually without waking us up until we move and find someone taking up a lot of room. Last night CooCoo was in and out a couple of times, which meant he begged and whined until I let him in or out.
Eventually he climbed into bed, very slick at the foot of the bed so as not to bother us. Haha! I was still awake when he arrived, and slowly crept up between us. I reached down to pet him, and put my hand into a steaming warm pile of venison bits, which CooCoo had disgorged onto the bed, in case Wife or I was still hungry. This is how dogs provide food to their den in the wild, so I wasn’t angry with him. I did have to clean things up, didn’t really wake Wife up at all.
I gathered the bambi-bits up with a plastic bag, and wiped things up with some paper towels, also into the plastic bag. Then bundled the down comforter up with the bloody spot up, and got another comforter from the unoccupied guest bedroom. CooCoo went back outside for the rest of the night, they really like being outside at night once the weather gets cool. Will put the comforter in the wash later on.We have three of them now, a full, a queen and a king size. Fluffy!!
Dinner tonight will be a Cajun Gumbo with beans, rice and shrimp. And sparking wine again… No, not venison via puppy… not that, never that I hope.
skerry
I’m in for $25
Anoniminous
Russia is doubling down on the “Kazakhstan is going Nazi” propaganda.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@J R in WV: Your wife slept through that? Hm. Maybe. If it was me, I’d just keep my eyes shut and let Mr DAW get on with things.
sab
Every year the giblets are the big thrill. This year, Butterball turkey, no pets wanted any part of the giblets. Five cats and one pitmix. Didn’t want the neck. Didn’t want the liver. Didn’t want the gizzard,
First time in my life when pets rejected everything. What is butterball puttng in those turkeys? Best turkey we have had in years, but what about our pets? They suspect poison.
Yes they will eat tablescraps, so the meat was okay.
Canine MAGAs? Dogs, you can’t vote,
WaterGirl
@sab: Whatever Butterball added to make that the “best turkey in years” I would think twice about getting that again after all the critters turned their nose up.
It must have smelled very wrong to them.
LauraToo
Not sure how I missed Walter’s fund but I put in $50.00 to try to catch up. Thanks for all you do WG!
Alison Rose
@Anoniminous: Everyone’s a Nazi! Wheeee!
Pretty soon, putin’s gonna start throwing darts at a world map and whatever country he hits, the Kremlin will start talking about the Nazi problem there.
MazeDancer
In for $10
Kristine
In for $25. Hope Cindy Lou’s surgery goes well.
Is she no more than two?
BQuimby
Love matching efforts…just made a donation … and I will consider that my Black Friday ‘shopping.’
Yutsano
@Alison Rose: Let’s not forget the fact that Uncle Vladdie just supported the government there after there were some serious riots not one month before he invaded Ukraine. Kind of a big change in a few months eh?
MattF
Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a rebuttal to a Trump lawyer’s argument. From the Netherlands. On Thanksgiving. Within a week of his appointment. I’d say he’s showing eagerness to engage with the adversary. Speculating wildly here, but maybe he wanted this job.
zhena gogolia
@MattF: Yes, that was heartening.
eclare
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Hahaha…great take!
WaterGirl
@LauraToo: Yes, after giving to the previous pet charity for 2-3 years, we announced a new pet charity a few months ago. They are called Athenspets – they are based in Athens, GA.
We wanted our $$ to go to something special, so we created a special fund so we can help pay for medical expenses for pets that who need extraordinary medical assistance that isn’ t cheap.
And of course we named it Walter’s Fund, in honor of our beloved Walter.
WaterGirl
@Kristine: I’m not sure how old she is, can I ask why you are thinking “two”?
eclare
@WaterGirl: Dr Seuss reference from the Grinch.
Alison Rose
@Yutsano: So flighty, that boy.
Steeplejack
@J R in WV:
Did you successfully retrieve the provisions from the switchback? Let’s have some closure on your loose plot threads.
J R in WV
@Steeplejack:
Actually, the 2 one pound sets of cold cuts ( Black Forest Ham, Blackened Turkey) were eaten, along with two frozen pizzas!!!
The sack of Big Dog Kibble was OK, they didn’t care for more after all the bambi bits they could choke down. Still love them, so affectionate and lovable.
West of the Rockies
@Anoniminous:
Man, when is that dead-eyed goblin going to notice all the damn American Nazis?
Alison Rose
@West of the Rockies: Oh, he’s noticed them.
They’re his bestest friends.
Repatriated
@West of the Rockies
He does Nazi them.
debit
Thanks for the update, and the match! In for $50 to help fix that poor sweet face.
LauraToo
@WaterGirl: Lovely, Thanks!
raven
Oh my, back from a long offshore trip to see this! How nice.
Matt McIrvin
@West of the Rockies: To Russians, “Nazi” is a synonym for “anti-Russian”. Any other properties Nazis might have are secondary.
Wolvesvalley
Just added $50. Hooray for the matches!
Lovely to think that dear Walter is inspiring all of us to help more animals.