Mushman the Dog

07/15/2023

I'm watching over Mommifer and happy she decided to honor me by adopting and loving a fellow black dog 🖤 who is a senior. Please consider following their adventures

I'm excited to start this page for Gosling (Goose, Goosling, GosGos). He hasn't found his voice yet since it's only been 5 weeks, but his personality is here and he is ready to be social!

01/22/2023

TLDR- Notch Wednesday, February 1st at 7:15p for a final good bye. Raise a beer, eat a pretzel and remember how much I loved this place and the people there.

Years ago Mommifer had conversations with Cella about where she felt young, worryfree and pain free- a place to spread some of her ashes. They decided on Lake Champlain- a specific rock in Burlington Harbor Marina near the monument to Champ (the lake monster). They used to go down there all the time. She would swim, romp in the grass, chew giant logs and was happy as a clam.

Unfortunately Mommifer and I did not have this conversation. I wasn't ill, atleast neither of us thought I was. We thought we had plenty of time for this discussion; years before I had to pick my final happy place. I guess we were both wrong.

Mommifer has done lots of hard thinking and shed lots of tears thinking about this. She has concluded the Notch biergarten was a special place for me. Everytime we drove down Highland Ave, past Hawthorne Plaza, I knew we were going to Salem. And I loved it.

Running down Derby St, bounding along the grass in front of the plant, the smells of Dead Horse Beach... And my friends sitting outside when I got back. I'm not one for beer, but I loved to snake my way under the picnic tables and visit everyone. Notch was a special place for me. It meant friends, luvies, and pretzels.

Mommifer will always think of me when she goes and I want a piece of me to be there with her. So please join her at Notch Wednesday, February 1st at 7:15p for a final good bye. Raise a beer, eat a pretzel and remember how much I loved this place and the people there.

01/09/2023

Friday morning Mommifer could not find me when she got up. I was in a lot of pain- waiting by the backdoor downstairs panting and vibrating/shaking. She let me out and I peed for quite some time and then I went to the upper level where she couldn't see me. I did not want to come back in. My tongue was fully extended and hanging out to the side, but it was normal color she says as were my gums. Even though I was panting like I had run for my ball, I didn't want to drink any water. And I didn't want a treat.

We went back upstairs to bed but I still hurt. I was still panting and shaking no matter how tight she held me. She brought me back downstairs again, she says after about 30 minutes, But I didn't want to go outside. I didn't want breakfast, or water, I didn't even want a scoop of peanut butter. I hurt so much.

She brought me back upstairs and tried cuddling me again but it wasn't making me feel any better. She reached out to Dr. Eileen (my vet and good friend) after looking on her phone for another 30min or so. Mommifer kept telling me that she might have to induce vomiting but I didn't think I ate anything I wasn't supposed to. Dr Eileen could hear me panting in the background on the phone and knew something wasn't right. She agreed with Mommifer that I needed to go to the emergency room. We got ready, but I hurt too much to even jump up into the car. But during the ride I did manage to put my head out the window for a little bit and enjoy the air flapping in my ears one last time.

At the ER they did a bedside ultrasound and said nothing looked wrong but that I was clearly in pain. They gave me some of the good stuff and said I needed a full ultrasound but that team didn't come in until regular hours. So Mommifer was going to go home and they were going to call her with the results. She gave me a kiss goodbye and said she'd see me later. She was pretty sure she was going to be paying a $1000 vet bill because I needed to p**p or something silly and that we would laugh about it tomorrow.

Apparently when the ER called it wasn't the news anyone thought it would be. Turns out I had a mass that no one could have known about between my small and large intestines. This is a really bad location they say and the survival rate of surgery is not great. And since apparently I'm an old man my recovery chances were even lower. To make matters worse they said that the mass had perforated and I was on my way to being septic. This is probably what happened in the wee hours of the morning and why I hurt so much suddenly, something like an appendix she says?

Mommifer asked if I could go home and snuggle in our bed for one last afternoon- and come back to the ER at the end of the day. They said I couldn't leave. I was in such bad shape. Mommifer had Dr Eileen call because she was blindsided and wasn't sure if she was understanding right. Dr Eileen unfortunately confirmed that what Mommifer heard was right.

Mommifer came back and brought Matt & Keri. She also brought our bedtime pillow, my minion, my morning squeaky bone and big squeaky tennis ball. I didn't really want any of those- I just wanted pets and kisses. I couldn't move anything other than my head a little...they had given me lots of methamphetamine so I wasn't pain. They had strapped me to a gurnee and given me soft blankets- so I was at just the right height for all the luvies. I got lots and lots of kisses and pets as I drifted away.

01/06/2023

I am a wonderful boy. Unfortunately I had to say goodbye today. I know it was sudden- it was unexpected to Mommifer and me too. And I am sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to everyone who loved me. Here are the last few pictures from the past few days Mommifer took of me. Please remember me for everything great. 8/3/2010-1/6/2023

01/06/2023

Please keep Mush in your thoughts. He went into the ER this morning, should have more information in the next 3 hours.

01/05/2023

Rainy no fun

01/04/2023

I p**ped. A lot. Feeling better. Would like some uf youz snackums....

01/04/2023

Ugh. Bloated. Halp! Cannut move. Mommifer why did youz let meez eat dey plus worf uf kibbies?

01/03/2023

Sad iz rainy 🌧️

01/03/2023

Out wit old, in wit new. Byebye Bailey bed. New view out meez watch window

01/02/2023

Goob morningz