My Prayer Page for Bootsie

Tomorrow morning, an internal medicine specialist will be performing an ultrasound on my Bootsie's liver. Please, please pray for her, if you have a candle, please light one for her!

This is my Prayer Page for my FurAngel, Bootsie

In times of crisis, I have always called upon the communion of Angels and Saints, asking them to please rush to help my Bootsie, to act as her Intercessor before God in Heaven. I know that they have never failed to do all they can to help us.

Of course, we venerate St. Francis of Assisi, who is probably the most well-known of all the Patron Saints. He is the Patron Saint of animals.

  

Many people pray to St. Roch, who is a Patron Saint of Dogs..

            

 


     

      Many people ask the intercession of St. Hubert of Liege,  

         

And some people look to St. Vitus when their dog needs help.. 
 


 
  But I, personally, feel a special affinity towards St. Beuno, and I feel very sure that he has come to Bootsie's aid many, many times... 

 
   
Sometimes when I feel like God doesn't understand what I'm feeling, I think of this picture of Jesus when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what was coming, and like any one of us, He didn't want to endure such suffering.....yet unlike us, He loved someone other than Himself so much, that He didn't run and hide, but instead He suffered the pain of humiliation and agony. He DOES know what it's like to hurt!

   

~Some Prayers~   

 
 
   
   

For A Sick Animal:

Heavenly Father,
you created all things for your glory
and made us stewards of this creature.
If it is your will, restore it to health and strength.
Blessed are you, Great Spirit,
and holy is your name for ever and ever.

Amen.

"Author Unknown"
------------------------------------------------------------------

Prayers for Sick Animals

Healing and transforming God, your love knows no boundaries, and in your sight every life is precious; look with compassion on [name of animal], and make us your agents of healing in a broken world. Amen.



"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it and you will.  And whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you." -- Mark 11:24 -25 

------------------------------------------------------------------- 


                           
------------------------------------------------------------
The above calling cards were loving crafted by the skilled talent of GranGran:



The Beautiful Animated Candle Graphics that you see on this entry have been Borrowed From:  http://www.charlotsweb.com  

The 24 Karat Gold Graphics you See were graciously lent from the following website:

WISH I KNEW WHAT'S GOING ON

 

Thank you everyone, for keeping me company through this.       

I am going to go visit Bootsie today, and thought I would bring some
food in a tupperware and spoonfeed it to her. Thought also that I may
stay awhile, so will bring some crocheting or knitting for when she's
sleeping.                  

Bootsie:

I spoke with the vet this morning.....this is all so very confusing!
Here's the latest:

* Bootsie is "doing ok"

* Boots ate some food this morning. I asked the vet if she ate enough
to make him happy, and he said "yes".

* Another CBC was done this morning which showed that Bootsie's white
blood cell count has gone up again, and is at 46,000.

* Bootsie's red blood cell count has went down some (I wasn't told
how much, and didn't ask). The vet said that it's possible that this
could be due to the fluids she is getting. Could also be something
else.

* The vet said that they are pretty sure that this in liver-involved.

When I asked the vet to throw some possible diagnosis at me, he said
that they are not sure what's wrong with Bootsie, but he is thinking
it could be one of these 3 possibilities:

1. LIVER DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF LONG TERM PHENO USE. (I have been
telling them ---as I told the doc this morning-- I want Bootsie OFF
this stuff immediately.....she has not had a seizure in a very long
time....I will say it again next time we talk and find out how they
will go about this....from what I know, they are still giving her
pheno in her iv, and I don't like that)...

2. BACTERIAL HEPATITIS

3. LIVER TUMOR (which is something that would not have shown up in
the blood test report from the pathologist. I guess cancer is still
within the realm of possibility).

If any of you can think of questions I should ask the vet, any ideas,
and websites that I would benefit from reading, please, please let me
know because with so much flying around my mind I am having a devil
of a time researching, which I'm normally pretty good at.

Thank you, please don't stop praying for my little girl, she's so
tough, and you can rest assured that she is fighting as best she can,
but prayers are so necessary with this!!

(((hugs)))            
Paula & Bootsie

                 

 

Bootsie Update

Just heard from the vet. 

* Found out that the CBC that was done this morning showed that Bootsie's high bloos count went down from 50,000 to 36,000. (Normal is 17,000).

* Bootsie's temp is now normal, fever is gone..

* Doc got Bootsie to eat a little food.

* Said Bootsie is a little more perky, looking around etc. But also said she's sleeping lots.

* They've only received PART of the blood test results back from the lab......really need to get the rest before we know what is going on.........especially need the pathologists report, which we still do not have. From that, we'll know if there are any abnormal cells in Bootsie's blood. Hoping this report will come in this evening.

Vet said that because Bootsie's temp went down, that she feels that this is a good sign that we may not be dealing with a cancerous condition.

She said she thinks it would be good for both Bootsie and myself that I come down there and visit with her so I am leaving now.

(((Hugs)))

PAula & Boosie

My Lil Girl: Update

Please continue to pray for my Bootsie, I am having a very hard time dealing with this, and I want nothing except to have her home with me!!!

 

Here is the latest update.......I took Bootsie to the hospital last night......her little legs were weak and it was becoming more evident that there was something wrong.

They kept her, and she is still there. I MISS HER!!!!!

* Bootsie was running a fever of 104.5,  it has since went down one degree. (Normal is about 101).

* A CBC was done. This showed that two of her liver levels have lowered. I would normally be thrilled to hear this, except a vet told me once that this will sometimes happen when the liver is shutting down.

* The CBC also showed that Bootsie's white blood cell count has skyrocketed. Her level is at 50,000. A normal level is 17,000.

* Bootsie has a catheter, she is on an IV...... they are giving her two different antibiotics, I know I am not using the right spelling but the antibiotics being used sound like BETROL and SEPHOXITIN.

* Bootsie is still very lethargic and depressed. I called a few minutes ago.....they said she's sleeping.

I am leaving as soon as I post this for the vets office. I will be picking up Bootsie's blood sample and delivering it to Phoenix Laboratories for testing. (Otherwise I have to wait till tomorrow for the results and I can't do that). The bloodtest results from the lab will offer more of a picture as to what we are looking at here.

Two thoughts that Bootsie's vet thinks are possiblilites are:

1. An internal abscess (or infection)

2. Cancer.

I just want my baby Boots home with me, I just want another year, I justneed more time.

I will post again sometime today as soon as the results come back from the lab.

Pray for my girl.

Love,

Paula & Bootsie

Still Worried About My Girl

You know, when I started "The Bootsie Files", I had intended to fill it with all of the little antics that Bootsie would fill my days with. I never intended for each entry to be cause for worry and concern. I'm posting another one now, though, full of worry.

They say that a mother-child bond is a very amazing thing.....that a mother can "tell" when something is amiss, even when others cannot. Do you think it can be the same between a person and their dog? I do. I can take one one second glimpse of Bootsie and KNOW wether she is feeling ok or not.

Now, I KNOW that I JUST had her to the vet this past Monday, and the vet felt that there was no immediate reason for alarm. I know, too, that Monday's appointment was one of two that I've taken Bootsie in for in the course of the last 2-3 weeks. But I'm telling you, something isn't right.

I began the day off optimistically, thinking and saying that Bootsie is feeling better, not her best, but on the way to that. As the day grew longer, and as I began to have more time to watch her though, I have to vent this: I feel very much uneasy and upset right now.

See, Bootsie is still not able to hop up on the sofa. She still won't go up the 3 porch steps. But it isn't JUST that. Bootsie has a look about her......a very, very tired look, a look that I am not used to seeing except for when she is very ill. She was very slow to finish her breakfast this morning. Normally she gobbles it up quick-as-you please....this morning she barely managed to finish what she had (although she did).

Bootsie seems to not want to go outside.

She walks with her tail between her legs, her lead low.

Bootsie has not barked once today.

I think she may have been constipated, but she IS started to go again. (Started last night). I am wondering if this might be the problem? I just don't know.....this is a new thing for her.

Right now, Bootsie usually has her supper, but instead, she wanted to sit up on the sofa with me. I picked her up and set her down at my side, and she wiggled as close to me as she could get. She curled up, her head on my leg, and lightly trembled. She stops trembling when I pet her or keep one hand on her, so the typing is slow right now, (lol).

Bootsie just looks so..................old. So old. There is none of the sassiness, the lil spitfire, hell-on-wheels, bark-for-all-your-worth joy that I have always known her for. Not today. I can't stand seeing her looking so drained......just rips me up!

I know that Bootsie has a lot of friends who truly care for her online, and part of me contemplated not adding any of this entry, so as not to upset anyone.

One thing that you should all know about me: this is a VERY very difficult time of year. I don't send out Christmas cards, I don't decorate, nor does a tree go up here. It hasn't in 7 years, not since my dad passed away. I just don't haven't felt "in the spirit of the season". For me, the Christmas lights and tinsel, while they are truly beautiful, still carry with them some very sad memories of 7 years ago. I haven't yet been able to associate the two events as seperate things. Does that make sense?

In many ways, losing my dad effected me deeply, and I suppose that from a psychiatric viewpoint, it left me a tad dysfunctional, lol. I'm more prone to sadness at this time of year...........what I'm trying (not too successfully, I might add) to say is that given the time of year we're in, and given the fact that this time of year reminds me so much of the pain of losing someone I loved so much, I may have a tendency to transfer old fears into new situations. I hope this is the case. I just don't want to upset anyone, I may be making something out of nothing.

 

Thats all 4 tonight.

We'll cya l8r.

;)

In Loving Memory of My Dad

                              

                                                       

 In Loving Memory of my Dad, Billy C. Owens May 09, 1933 to December 01, 1997  

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
( David Romano )
 

When tomorrow starts without me
and I'm not here to see... 
If the sun should rise and find your
eyes filled with tears for me, 

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
the way you did today... 
While thinking of the many things
we didn't get to say. 

I know how much you love me, 
as much as I love you... 
And each time you think of me, 
I know you'll miss me, too. 

But when tomorrow starts without me,
please try to understand

    

That Jesus came and called my name
and took me by the hand, 

And said my place was ready
in heaven far above... 
And that I'd have to leave behind
all those I dearly love. 

So when tomorrow starts without me,
don't think we're far apart... 
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here in your heart. 
 

Dad
(  by Judy Burnette )
 

Dad...so many images come to mind
whenever I speak your name;
It seems without you in my life
things have never been the same.

What happened to those lazy days
when I was just a child;
When my life was consumed in you
in your love, and in your smile.

What happened to all those times
when I always looked to you;
No matter what happened in my life
you could make my gray skies blue.

Dad, some days I hear your voice
and turn to see your face;
Yet in my turning...it seems
the sound has been erased.

Dad, who will I turn to for answers
when life does not make sense;
Whowill be there to hold me close
when the pieces just don't fit.

Oh, Dad, if I could turn back time
and once more hear your voice;
I'd tell you that out of all the dads
you would still be my choice.

Please always know I love you
and no one can take your place;
Years may come and go
but your memory will never be erased.

Today, Jesus, as You are listening
in your home above;
Would you go and find my dad
and give him all my love. 
 

Amazing Grace
 

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The world shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun refuse to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Shall be forever mine.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun. 
  
(I LOVE YOU DAD!)

 

Two poems for my dad,

written by Joyce Kilmer:

 

Joyce Kilmer - Love's Lantern

Because the road was steep and long .......

And through a dark and lonely land,

                                                                              

God set upon my lips a song

And put a lantern in my hand.

Through miles on weary miles of night That stretch relentless in my way

My lantern burns serene and white, An unexhausted cup of day.

O golden lights and lights like wine, How dim your boasted splendors are.

Behold this little lamp of mine; It is more starlike than a star! 

                                        and, of course:

"Trees"

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree

I LOVE YOU, DAD!

                                                          

                                                                              

                                                   

                                                                   

      

                                               

Thank You, Lord, for loving me.

         

                                                                                                              

                                                                  

                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                            

   

 

Bootsie Update

ABY BOOTSIE BEAR

(don't let that cuteness fool you, this little angel is TONKA TUFF)!

A HUGE HUGE THANK-YOU goes out to ALL who have been praying for my little girl!!! I cannot even begin to find words that adequately express my gratitude to you for such a caring and selfless act. In a world where the news floods our living rooms with images of war and unrest, sickness, and poverty..........I always try to remember that although these things do exist, there is also much GOOD to be found, and I have only to look toward people like you. that pray for a dog you've never met outside of an electronic journal. When I count my lucky stars, you are among the brightest for me. Thank you!!!                          

Bootsie has been making up for lost chow time the past 2 days, lol. Every 15 minutes or so she voices "the need for feed", lol! Anyone who has had a pet that lost an appetite from illness knows what a joy it is to watch them enjoying their meals again.  This little dog of mine thinks that I am the best darned cook the eating world has ever known, lol.

Today will br the first day that I am not giving her any Amforal to prevent diarreah, and to be honest, I'm a bit nervous about it. Bootsie, for the most part, has been doing much better since seeing the vet on Monday, but there are moments here and there when I feel as though something isn't right.

One thing that I wish I could understand is this: Bootsie still will not jump up onto the sofa to sit with me, nor will she bound up the three porch steps when she comes in from the backyard, as she did before last Sunday. I cannot understand this......(if anyone has an opinion, please share it with me).  Last night, Bootsie clearly wanted to get onto the sofa to assume her customary place at my side. She had her front paws up on the sofa, and would lower her back legs and make a "little leap". This really only served to make her seem taller for a split second...never got her anywhere near her target though. She did this over and over and over again.

Now, like anyone else, Bootsie can get downright frustrated when things are not working out as they should. Take for example, the spot that Bootsie chooses to lay down for a nap. It has to be "just so". lol.  And if it isn't, she will fret over it until it is! Sometimes, this is not as easy thing! Bootsie will begin by sniffing, then she will do a bit of a circle dance around the spot as she surveys all that needs to be "worked on", then she goes about the business of scratching the site with her paws, as if she were a little chicken, lol. Most times, this solves the issue, and she plops happily down, pleased with the nest she's made. Then there are those days when Bootsie "can't get NO satisfaction" though she tries, and tries, and tries, lol! After awhile, she begins to growl with annoyance as she paws away at the spot.....scratch -growl -scratch- growl....Well, who could keep from laughing at such a thing!?!?!? I have to tell you, it's just not possible for me to keep a straight face when this goes on, lol. Needless to say, Bootsie will stop, look up at me, and give me "a look" as if to say, "Yeah? You think YOU can do any better??" Lol.

But back to the sofa....as I was saying, Bootsie hasn't been able to make it up here, try as she might. And hence we have another dilemma......you see, Bootsie is a dog with an independent spirit. She honestly takes pride in being as self-sufficient as possible. (I would wager a bet that she would use those words to justify her love for garbage scavenging forays....but we won't go there right now, lol).  When I try to give lil Bootsie a helping hand and end the struggle, she gets angry! Bootsie is a sweetheart of a dog, but when she feels you deserve a nip or a full fledged bite she'll be sure to reprimand you accordingly, lol. (Can't type that without adding that Bootsie is QUICK with an "I'm-so-sorry-I-love-you-i-love-you-i-love-you" apology, afterwards)!

I do have to pick Bootsie up and carry her outside......(she has a couple of discs in her lower back that are very close to each other, and since I learned of that, I have limited her jumping activity and her running as well. Jumping UP has never been a problem, just jumping down).

I have to walk over halfway toward the patio door and bend over and wait for her, and that's the only way she'll let me pick her up to put her on the sofa. lol. I feel like a quarterback waiting for the football (Bootsie) to get into my hands, lol. It workd for us, though, lol.

At any rate, there's this inability to jump up anymore, and Bootsie has not been acting like she wants to go outside at all, which is HIGHLY unlike her and VERY worrisome to me! She is such a happy dog outside, and this sudden change has me concerned. She seems to walk with a stiffer gait as well.

I am keeping a close watch over her, and will continue to let you all know how Bootsie is doing.

 

I had hoped to write much more, but I need to stop for now. Today is the 7 year anniversary of my dad's passing. (or it will be in less than an hour). I want to go and light a candle for  him now.

 

Thank you all again SO MUCH!!!

Please rememeber my Bootsie in your prayers today. I will be remembering you in mine and thanking God for you. 

                                        (((hugs)))

  This beautiful rendering of Bootsie was created for us by our dear friend, Jo, in England. (We LOVE U, Jo)!!