A Better Week for Oliver

Oliver Sleeping in my Lap

Last week I shared an update on Oliver, and I wanted to provide another one since many people have been asking about him. He does seem to be doing better overall. His enlarged heart, heart murmur, and coughing will obviously be ongoing issues, but there has been noticeable improvement.

He still has coughing fits, but they are no longer happening throughout the night. He is currently on three different medications and will be for at least another week. Two of them help with his coughing, and the third is a liquid medication for his enlarged heart.

His spirits are much better, and he has been wanting to play even more than before. He enjoys every walk we take him on, even though walking can sometimes trigger a coughing fit. Despite that, he seems better rested. Evenings are still the most challenging time, as he often coughs then, and he will sometimes wake us up during the night with a coughing fit. Overall, he truly seems to be doing much better.

We are enjoying having him feel more like himself again and are grateful for this time with him. Even if he needs to be on medication for the rest of his life, we are thankful to see him feeling better. We recently took him on a trip with us, and he had a great time. With everything going on, including his cough and the number of medications he takes, we are not able to leave him with anyone, so he travels with us.

I have really enjoyed taking him on walks, letting him sniff out new spots, and going on new adventures together.

Simple Thoughts from a Snow‑Covered Weekend

Carrie and me at the
Washburn Game Wednesday

A snowy weekend here in Topeka. The weather forecast for most of last week warned that a big storm was coming, and it arrived Friday night, snowing throughout Saturday. The sun is out today, but it is still cold and will be for the rest of this week. We have been lucky here in Topeka, as this is our first big snow of the year, and it was not that long ago that temperatures were in the 60s.

Not a lot has been happening for us this weekend with the weather. We have stayed inside and only went out once Saturday morning so I could get a haircut. I have done a lot of reading over the weekend, which is good, and I hope to get more reading done throughout the day today.

Oliver continues to have his nagging cough even though we are giving him medicine every eight hours. On Monday, a new medicine is arriving that should help his heart, and the vet said we could stop giving the other medication once we start him on the new one. Hopefully it helps and suppresses his cough, as he still wakes me up throughout the night. He is such a pitiful little guy when the medication wears off. He whimpers as the cough starts to build. Sometimes I can get him to stop coughing by rubbing his ears or the side of his face, as it almost seems to make him forget for a moment that his throat is hurting. Poor guy.

Another not-so-long post for a Sunday, but I wanted to make sure to get something written this week. Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week.