Before I write anymore, we've heard that some of you readers are having trouble posting comments. Please let us know, we love the comments! Either just keep trying, or email either one of us the comments, and we'll cut and paste them if we can. Dan thinks it's a problem with the blogger server, so please, keep the comments coming.
So yes, Gus does have Pemphigus, or so the vet thinks. We don't know the nature of how the disease will hit him yet, if it'll just be an occasional flareup or what, or how bad, we'll know that as time goes by. (we thank Becky, by the way, Dan's cousin, who told us her mother has this and it is pretty controllable--Becky, forgive me, i need to add that your mother is not a canine!----humans get this disease too!)She gave him a shot of prednisone, as well as some pills, and we'll see if that works. If it does, it's controllable at least. We aren't going to biopsy it further at this point, we'll see how it goes. It is very upsetting; though this is hopefully controllable, it reminds us that he IS going to 9, and is getting to be "an older " dog. Argh, I hate the thought of it and this starting, but it's all part of it. Hopefully, we'll be able to control this for a long time. We didn't want to put a collar on him to stop him from licking and chewing the paws, so instead, the vet suggested we buy him some socks. We think they are kinder than the booties, and he seems to tolerate them. But yes, he does look funny.
We took our first bike ride beforehand, there is a bike path near us that ends up in San Rafael. It was a really nice path, but I decided it was so typically California, as it had beautiful wetlands on one side of it, and the freeway on the other! (I know, Ruth, do the one in Tiburon---that is next, I made Dan promise!---it's finally warm enough and dry enough to go out.
Later, we drove to the East Bay because Lindsey and Jason had honored us by asking us if we wanted to go to their ultrasound appointment, to see the sonogram of their baby. We gladly said yes. We drove out early, checked out some other possible places to stay in the East Bay (Hercules and Pinole) and were not impressed. We then drove up into the Berkeley Hills, which I had found last year and took a few stairway walks. I was eager to show this part of Berkeley to Dan, and he too found it amazing.
The streets are so narrow and steep that trucks and vans have to take alternative roads, the views are amazing, and the houses are beautiful and old. We found a golf course that we are excited to play, in Tilden Park. And yes, we found a short stairway walk, Bret Harte Lane. I did not know that Bret Harte lived there, in fact, I have to google it to find that out, unless someone out there tells me why a pathway is named after him.
We then went to the ultrasound appointment, and it was a thrill. Dan had never even seen any ultrasound before, so he was fascinated. Everything is o.k., and great, and Jay and Lindsey were grinning away afterwards, so very happy that everything is AOK. We were so thrilled, i wanted to hold the baby! And Yes , it is definately a boy! I thought Jay and Lindsey looked like such typical expectant parents in the waiting room.
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