So this is the kind of day I'm having

[cleolinda]

The bad news: Pete's worse, and he's gone back to the vet. Sister Girl left him with me all morning because she couldn't afford to take him, and then he threw up twice on my watch and just lay there curled up and pitiful the whole time, so my mother came home, took one look at him, and said she would pay for it this time. So he's back on an IV. And now I'm left washing towels and cleaning the hallway carpet.

I'm not even going to tell you about the hip dysplasia surgery that Shelby needs that we can't afford. At least it's not life-threatening.

(So no, the True Blood recap isn't finished.)

The good news: I couldn't talk about this before, but someone who works for my stepfather had filed a frivolous discrimination charge against him (I say "frivolous" because she was a problem employee from the start, and then when she got pregnant she finally had something she could claim he was "discriminating" against her for; her accusations included "he slammed a door this one time" and "he emails me once a week to tell me to make my subordinate do her work." O HAY THAT'S YOUR JOB), and they finally had the hearing yesterday after three months of him worrying and stressing about it (him with his heart condition). So--well, he signed a confidentiality agreement, but basically, he won, and she didn't get the five-figure settlement she was trying to shake down the county for. So basically I've spent the last three months worrying that he would somehow lose his job, because it's just been that kind of year, or keel over while waiting for the hearing.

At least that's over, then.


ETA: It was a sock. Pete ate a sock. He's about to have surgery to get the rest of it out.

Comments

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's the first bit of good news 2008's been able to dish out, isn't it? Glad to hear that particular legal Sword of Damocles is out from overhead, at least. Best to the pups.

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

*hugs you gently*

*sends good thoughts and positive energy your way*

[munchkin62.livejournal.com]

Sending hugs

see, here's your *HUGS!*

[fangulation.livejournal.com]

Poor Pete. Is this bile or just food he's constantly throwing up?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure--the vet thinks it's either fecal blockage or a toy he swallowed. I won't describe the vomit, but... yeah. I'm not sure.

[amaz0n-princess.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry about pete. :(

And I'm so svery sorry that your Step-dad had to go through that! People who do that sort of thing always make me so very angry!

[muddyroad.livejournal.com]

Yay! Good for your stepdad. And it's really horrible that she did this, because it trivialises the efforts of the people/ women who ARE discriminated against/ harassed at work, and gives all female employees a bad name - thus hurting their chances in the workplace.

What a self-serving moron. >:-(

[claddagh812.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, poor Pete and Shelby. I hope Pete gets better.

Very glad to hear your step-father's hearing went well and that you all have relief from stressing over it.

[cassildra.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm sorry about the dogs. Is there anything I can do to help?

Also, I'm really glad that your stepdad won that case, because the woman was a moron who just wants to work the system. I hate people like that.

[all-ephemera.livejournal.com]

Awww, poor Pete!! Do they know is making him so sick?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Hope the dogs will be alright.

[madeline-may.livejournal.com]

Oh no, poor Pete... gross question, but does he have loose bowels, too? Because my dog for a while was throwing up bile a few times a day and then had loose bowels afterwards, and our vet thought he might have Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome. Thankfully it turned out to be a fairly harmless stomach virus.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Nope, he's barely managing to go to the bathroom at all.

[schmoo999.livejournal.com]

I really really hope that Pete will be ok..but he sounds like what happened to my Zooey in late August and early Sept. I hope that Pete's outcome will be better than my Zoo's was.

I still miss him terribly.

[syneblue.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your poor puppy.

[goonie-freak.livejournal.com]

Awwww poor puppy dogs! I always get really despondent when I hear animals (... er dogs anyway) are in pain or sick... even if I don't know them personally... I really hope Pete gets better and Shelby gets her surgery!

[angelene.livejournal.com]

Good Lord, that's the good news...? I mean, of course it is, but the story behind it... is rather horrible on its own and it kind of chews off the 'good end' with its mingy teeth. Ew.

As for Pete, has a diagnosis been made yet? I hope it's just some kind of infection or something he'll be able to recover off anyway. I'm sending prayers &pro-health vibes his way.

[misachan.livejournal.com]

Did you get Shelby from a breeder? If so, you might want to contact them to see if they can help. Breeders of dogs prone to dysplasia sometimes put into the contract that if a puppy develops it tehy'll pick up some of the bills, since it's a pre-existing condition.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Nope--we got her and Scout from the vet; they had a stray terrier mix with a litter of puppies.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

Oh no, I'm sorry about Pete! :-(

Good news about your stepdad, though. That must have been way stressful.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

oh, poor Pete!

My dog is also sick, but on the mend. I hope Pete gets better soon as well.

and yay for your stepfather!

[divadeanna.livejournal.com]

Awww, poor puppy. :-( I hope he gets well soon.

[r0ck3tsci3ntist.livejournal.com]

What relief for you and your family. Congrats.

[kirsdarke.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor Pete.

But that's good news for your stepdad. Glad he's okay.

[greedyskunk.livejournal.com]

Being a newish reader of your blog, I wasn't aware of the legal woes, but I'm glad that they are over. I know how having something horrible and prolonged hang over your head just causes a cloud of perpetual stress. The sense of relief when it's gone is so amazing.

Hugs to the pups. I hope everything works out well for them.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I wasn't aware of the legal woes

Well, like I said--this is the first time I've even been able to mention them. No one outside my family knew.

[starryeyes203.livejournal.com]

I'm a long-time lurker. I know that there's actual pet insurance that covers pretty much everything. Ask your vet, and he/she might be able to tell you where you can get it. I know that you can get it through Petco.

Hopefully the puppies are okay. And I'm glad that your step-dad's lawsuit-y type thing is over. :)

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

Oh honey. :( I hope that Pete will be okay. Poor little guy - does the vet have any idea what's wrong with him? My fuzzy puppy and I both send him (and all of you) love and happy wishes. *hug*

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Finally 2008 delivers a little bit of good news... what a horrible stress to have hanging over you all for months.

Hope the puppy gets better soon too!

As (perhaps) a slight destressor, a friend of mine who I forced convinced to read Twilight discovered that if you put bits of it through the squidifier (http://www.squidsquid.com/squidtranslate.php), you get stuff like this -

Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn't get used to it, though I'd been staring at him all afternoon. I have very large tentacles. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. He lay perfectly still in the seaweed, his shirt open over his sculpted, squincandescent chest, his scintillating tentacles bare. His glistening, pale lavender lids were shut, though of course he didn't sleep. A squidlike statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal.

And now I cannot think of Edward without there being 'scintillating tentacles'.

[syneblue.livejournal.com]

I think I need to go wash my brain.

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor puppies. And poor you. Ew, vomit.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

My mother just called: turns out Pete ate a sock, and now he's going to have surgery. An emergency sockectomy, I guess.