Saturday, June 21, 2008

Horse Fly

Being Saturday morning, Doughboy is home. We woke to a drizzle of much needed rain and set out to complete our errands. First on the list was a veterinarian visit for our Scottie, Dianora (a/k/a Dee). She has been undergoing a treatment of antibiotics to control an increased elevation in her liver enzymes (for reasons unknown). We discovered this when she was taken to the vet for teeth cleaning. As is routine, blood was drawn and tested for any anomalies. Unfortunately Dee didn't get her teeth cleaned as a result of the blood tests. More so, the two-week regimen of antibiotics didn't work and her enzymes are even higher than before we began treatment. Additional blood tests have ruled out Cushing's disease, a common canine malady. Xrays taken last week didn't reveal any tumors, but they are not always conclusive. Dee's appointment today was an ultrasound with Dr. Susie. She is not a fulltime vet; she practices on as needed basis for ultrasounds and treatment of cancer patients. That in itself sounds foreboding. Today's ultrasound results were encouraging. No tumors were detected, but clearly Dee's gall bladder is not functioning as it should. She is on another set of antibiotics that are target specific to her gall bladder (you don't even want to know the charge for today's visit) . We will have her blood retested in two weeks to see if the new antibiotics prove successful. What wouldn't we do for our pets? For us, our canine children are our family. They mean everything to us and we want them to have full, happy, and healthy lives. All in all, there have been no evident changes in Dee's behavior as a result of her medical problems. With the trauma of going to the vet behind her, she is napping contentedly in a spot by my feet. She is such a sweet girl.

So, what does this rambling have to do with horse flies? Absolutely nothing! However, I did take some interesting photos during our walk around the pond at Madison Park yesterday. As usual, I went to Chick Fil-A to grab a salad on my way back to work. In the parking lot was a horse trailer with the cutest face curiously poking out. Obviously he/she was patiently waiting for its owner to return. For some unexplainable reason, I thought of horse flies. Click on the photo below to view a slide show of photos taken at the pond. The butterflies were abundant. Enjoy!

P.S. Yes, the two birds sitting in the tree are vultures. I wish I could have gotten a closer shot, but they were clear across the pond. Ewwww!

P.S.S. NOTE: All photos shown in the slideshow for this post were taken with a 300mm zoom lens. A macro wouldn't have allowed me to get close enough to the subjects. I used Photoshop to crop a few images to bring the subject even closer. It's fun to experiment with various lenses. I am trying to perfect the quality of my photos so that I rely less on PS and more on the original SOOC shot. I use my macro and 300mm zoom 90% of the time (refer to the list of photographic equipment shown of the left side of our blog for detailed lens information).


7 comments:

Deb said...

Hi Debra, I hope your little Dee makes a speedy recovery. Our furry pets become our children, don't they? Great photo of the horse, so much detail! Great job! I've got some better flower shots that I can't wait to post. My new hardware should be in by Tuesday.

Roxanne Schwandt said...

yes, our pets are everything to us. We will do whatever it takes to keep them happy and healthy! Dee sure is one tough cookie :) I do hope your fur-baby is well soon! She really is a sweet girl!

Judyann said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Judyann said...

Hi Debra,

Sure hope D'anora gets better soon. She is very sweet. We know the feeling of expensive vet bills, just ask Mitch about Dixie and the rib bone.

Chere said...

Oh Debra, I hope for a fast recovery for Dee. I am glad she does not have Cushings. They do not do well on the medicine for Cushings. Most dogs do not last very long. Hope and Hope she only has a really bad infection and is getting better every minute. Your pictures are unreal. The texture of the butterfuly wings was amazing. I would love to have a Macro lense. I have not been able to find one with IS or VC. Everyone has said that you really need it to hand hold the lense. I am waiting. Keep the pics coming. Thanks for sharing a day in the park.

Janette said...

Hi Debra,
Gorgeous photos!!! I love them all. GREAT details and fabulous colour. You are getting better and better! =)

Hope your fuzzy little fur ball feels better soon. They sure are a huge part of our lives.

Have a great day!

Country Girl said...

This is the post I was talking about when I said my mouth was hanging open! I'd love to be able to figure out how to do all this on flickr.

Worried about your dear little dog now. How is she doing?