poor Riley + coconut

So, yesterday I was trying to decide whether I should take Riley to the vet first thing this morning or wait until after work. We didn't sleep well last night. He woke up coughing several times which woke me since his head was at my shoulder. I had originally planned to take the dogs with me for a 2-mile jog outside and then finish my planned 5-miler on the treadmill. But when the alarm clock sounded at 4:30 a.m. and Riley was coughing, I knew I needed to just do my run on the treadmill rather than take them for a run. I got a later start than I had planned so cut my plan to 4 miles so I could be done at 6 a.m. After my run, I showered and went to the kitchen to prepare a protein/peach shake. I was still debating about when to take Riley to the vet and then he gave me the signal. I looked at him lying on the couch and he had a huge amount of thick green snot coming out of his left nostril. I went over and wiped it off with a Kleenex and then picked up the phone to call the vet. They don't open until 7 a.m. so I had to wait a few minutes and then call back. They said I could bring him in now. Dr. Boudreaux listened to my explanation of what's been going on and then examined him. She heard him coughing and say his snotty nose and goopy eye. She suspected it's a respiratory infection that he picked up while being boarded at Funnybones. But knowing that he chews EVERYTHING, and the way he was trying to cough something up, she thought it would be best to take an X-ray to see if he had something stuck in his throat/esophagus too. I agreed. I left Riley in their care and went to work. Dr. Boudreaux called me a few hours later to say that the x-ray was clear (no flowerpots/shoes/underwear/couch found) but he did have a spot on his lungs that was consistent with a respiratory infection. She started him on antibiotics and said I should give him 1 pill a day for 2 weeks. I could pick him up anytime between noon and 7 p.m.

I worked until 3:30 and just couldn't concentrate any longer. I submitted a leave slip and left the office. I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for the dinners that I'm planning for tonight and tomorrow (went through my cooking magazine yesterday). Shopping at Whole Foods revitalized me. Something about a clean store with amazingly fresh fruits and vegetables breathed new life into me. I then stopped by the house to put the meat in the refrigerator and then picked up Kyra. I explained Riley's situation to her as we drove to the vet's office. Riley was happy to see us but Kyra clearly saw that he didn't feel well. He was not his normal energetic self and was coughing worse, it seemed. She gave him lots of love in the backseat as we drove home. She fed the animals as I cooked out meal. Riley didn't eat.

We enjoyed our dinner and then Kyra asked if it would be okay to give Riley hot dogs. I told her I was willing to try anything to get him to consume. He needs to take in calories. She heated up two hot dogs, cut them in small pieces, put Tasha outside, and Riley gobbled it up. She heated up two more hot dogs and he ate them quickly too. She then gave him a few treats. Now why won't he eat the kibble? He's lain around all evening except for the hot dog feedings. Kyra's been sweet and cuddled with him. He's getting lots of love. I hope he feels better soon!

Yesterday while I was mowing I noticed a package on our doorstep. It's from the Pottery Bar. I brought it inside and just set it on the table. Kyra opened it this evening and brought in one piece at a time to show me. Each one looked great! I was glad to hear her happy about her piece (puppy) because she wasn't too pleased with it when she painted it.

After dinner Kyra and I looked on the Internet to find out how to crack open a coconut. We found a YouTube video that made it look so easy! You just whack it a few times with the back of a cleaver and it pops right open. WRONG!!! After whacking it many times with the back of a cleaver, I turned the knife over and used the sharp side. I ended up ruining this knife! But we did eventually get it open, with bits of coconut shell all over the kitchen. What a mess! Once I got it open, we poured the water into a cup and tasted it. Yuck! So we added some stevia and that helped. I cut out some of the meat of one half and Kyra tried it. Yuck! So this little experience cost me a knife and dirtied my kitchen to find out that Kyra doesn't like fresh coconut. Priceless!