Oliver is better!!!!

Thanks to Dr. Cannon at Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists and divine intervention, the big guy has made it 2 weeks without the pericardial effusion returning. Dr. Cannon gave us the OKAY to travel, but she is paving the way for us as we head south with veterinarians who will be "on-call" for us that can treat heart problems. She has us covered to Key West. We are sticking around here for this week to organize and watch the weather. We have to travel on the ocean, so if the waves are large and the winds too high or from the wrong direction we will stay put until favorable conditions are present.

Totally worn out after the second drainage of the heart sac, poor guy.

Feeling more chipper looking for the cats- his favorite hobby

Colee Park as he regains his strength.

Still needs his naps though.

While here we did see the moon seem to grow in size. Scientifically this is not so, but the full moon has been gorgeous. It also is creating greater tides. We are at a fixed dock, so if the tides are too high when Oliver has to "do his thing", we cannot get Ollie off to a skinny dock. He would slide down his ramp and keep going. Splash! We put him in the dinghy and go to the docks at the edge of the property that are the right height. After we take a morning walk, he gets a dinghy ride around the neighborhood. For a while the tides cooperated in terms of the times for low and high and we could use the dock, but now we are back to the dinghy.

all we see here are million dollar boats and homes, but the free Moon is the best

I also found a great church, First Presbyterian that I have been going to on Sundays. It is a wonderful church and the choir sings many of the songs we sing at Mayflower ( Hayes, Rutter, Beck). They are doing a capital campaign right now and the minister had a great joke I thought I would share: the minister gets up in church and says, "the good news is we have the money for the new ministry center. the bad news is it is all in your pockets". I loved that one.

First Presbyterian Church

Our family went to Ft. Lauderdale for many Christmas breaks growing up. We attended a church Christmas Eve and I wonder if it is the same one. This church has been around since 1950's and since I was there in the 60's and 70's it could be the same church. Maybe my sister Mary remembers?

Love to all. I will let you know when we leave here.

Another update on Oliver

We were so cautiously hopeful, but unfortunately our buddy had to have his heart sac drained of more fluid today, the 14th of January. We went in for an ultrasound check the 7th and there was a small amount of fluid. The 10th showed NO fluid and we were ecstatic, but held ourselves in check. He was starting to eat better and had some pep to his step. He loved spying on the cats around this marina in the duplex next door. Every morning we put him in the dinghy to go for his  "business" walk ( it was low tide and we could not get him off the boat any other way, another story) and then a dinghy ride. He was so happy and feeling better. Today we went for a recheck and there was a substantial amount of fluid. Again, the way he acted, you would not suspect it. They sedated him and drained his heart sac and spoke to us about the possibility of surgery to remove part of the heart sac, so it would drain on its own. Our vet back home told us about this and we hoped it would not come to this. We go back next Monday the 21st for another ultrasound. We are still hopeful it won't come to surgery. We are staying in Ft. Lauderdale until this is resolved. We will keep you posted. He is asleep in the cockpit as I write this. He is as groggy with sedation as I am. Luckily, it is still in the 80s, so we can enjoy being away from the Michigan winter.

To my Spartan fans, this season is a nail biter. This is stress I do not need. 

 On a note about us, I went for a run this morning before the vet visit and forgot the roads are sloped here for drainage. I got about a mile away and the tendons in my once surgically repaired knee hurt, so I had to walk most of the way back. Note: don't run on an angle anymore. 

Love to all and keep the doggy prayers coming. 

Oliver update

Oliver, as usual, is being a trooper. We are still in Ft. Lauderdale and he is still seeing Dr. Cannon at Lauderdale Veterinary Specialist. Since the last post, his appetite is starting to pick up and he is eating more of his kidney food. His blood work taken Monday showed that his kidneys are not getting any worse and one number, called BUN actually improved. They also did a ultrasound on his heart to see if fluid was rebuilding. There was some, but not enough to have to drain. We go back on Thursday for another ultrasound. Luckily he loves going to the vet.

Meanwhile, thanks to fellow boaters, we found a quiet live aboard marina in the canal section of Ft. Lauderdale. The boating community has been wonderful. We have had offers of rides, emotional support and rule bending to keep our dog here. The marina we are at is Bruno's Zoo. It turns out he is from Holland and even attended Hope and WMU. We have been talking a lot about Michigan with him. It turns out he was at Hope when 2 of my sisters were there. There is a no pets policy here, but we are so grateful he is letting us stay here. He is getting more rest, as are we. The breeze here is lovely and a residential street is a nice change. The vets keep checking up on us and one even offered her dock if we could get up a river that far.  There is truly kindness yet in this world.

We had an adventure yesterday to get the rental car from the other marina. Oliver had a dinghy ride then transferred to the car which I drove back here. Dale brought the dinghy back. He did well, but then slept for a while.. You would never know he was so sick a few days ago. Nothing like a dinghy ride to perk up!

We will keep you all posted. Hopefully the worst is over. We will stay here until we are sure. Thanks for all the emails, prayers and support.

Oliver - you can see his shaved area from heart drain and IVs, poor guy.

view from Bruno's Zoo

view looking another way

Happy New Year from Ft. Lauderdale

It is 2013 and we are enjoying the warm weather. Every few days we would get a north wind and it only gets into the 60s. What a change from last year. This week has been in the 70s and 80s.

We celebrated Christmas and New Year's Eve with Tom and Laura from Cool Hand.  We potluck up by the marina offices so Oliver can participate. We were hoping to cross to the Bahamas together when weather cooperates with the winds and waves.

Our issue is Oliver. Just after Christmas he quit eating and had diarrhea. Sorry for that detail. We took him to one vet that said try bland food and give him the medicine we had with us from the vet back home. Well, another 2 days of this and we went to another vet, Dr. Birken. She recommended some new meds , did bloodwork and he rallied a touch, but not much. His kidney numbers were slightly higher and red blood count was a touch low. His liver, pancreas and other numbers looked good. We went back in 2 days since he was still not eating. Luckily he was drinking water. December 31, she kept him in the hospital with IVs and we did Barium x-rays. There may be a blockage at the beginning of the small intestine but that is not definitive, it could be food stuck. So no real answer.  He was on a diet of chicken and rice and actually ate some New Years Eve.  For the gas and inflammation we added Pepcid AC. Another day goes by, Dale and I still felt he needed an ultrasound to see what was going on, so Dr. Birken got us into Lauderdale Veterinarian Specialists. We waited for an hour to get in as other dogs seemed sicker. They finally took him back for his ultrasound and within 5 minutes the vet tech said to come back, that the vet needed to talk to us. He again had pericardial effusion, the heart sac filled with fluid and was compressing on his heart. This makes the heart not work very well as you can imagine. Without oxygen, organs start shutting down with the intestines going first as they are not as important as liver, spleen and such,  So, they sedated him to drain it and and finished the ultrasound. This case of effusion was worse than the one a year and a half ago and his kidneys are worse. In fact his right kidney is almost nonexistent now. One kidney is not an issue if it works properly, but his left one is not. They still did not see a mass on his heart though. We brought him back to the boat at about 6:00 pm, very woozy and he slept in the cockpit until about 3:30 am. Dale and I put up the enclosure and I grabbed cushions and pillows and slept there with him. Getting a huge dog down skinny steps is tricky under the best of situations. This morning, January 3, Dale took him for a short walk and we got him to drink some water and eat a few pieces of his chicken and rice. He seems better, but he can fool even the experts. Everyone say some prayers for the guy and we will keep you posted. We plan to stay here to see how it goes. Bahamas will have to wait. 

We are thinking positive. Before all this we had provisioned for the Bahamas. so we have enough food to last us forever.. We had plan to travel with Cool Hand, but do not want to hold them back. Many boats plan to leave this week. We will make travel plans after we know for sure how Oliver is doing. We go back to the specialist on Monday.  Maybe the Keys are in our future

on the way to Boca Raton to anchor. 

at anchor in Boca, just a small house

On the ICW

Cool Hand going through a bridge

Oliver on Christmas morning, before he was really sick

Mommy Manatee by the docks. Laura saw them and called me and the camera.

Baby Manatee, a face only a mother could love. 

House all decked out for Christmas

Oliver after first hospital stay. You would never know he was in heart failure.

these are made of recycled bottles

our Christmas lights

Ft. Lauderdale Beach

Saw these on the rode to vet. Looks like the ones from Art Prize.

In Palm Beach

We ended up staying in Cocoa Village Marina longer than expected. Dale ended up replacing the alternator, then rewiring and programming. When we were finally ready to go, the weather turned rainy, windy, foggy and the Intercoastal had quite a chop on it. I did not know waves formed inland like that. Anyway, the marina and the people were really nice. They laughed that it was like the motel where you check in but you cannot check out. I took a grocery run again with some "boat neighbors" and Oliver enjoyed his walks to the town coffee shop and parks. The mail carrier, girls in the coffee shop and local shop owners knew him by name and greeted him daily. He thought this was a great place. It is another city where dogs are welcome to sit at the outside dining area with you.

Finally the fog lifted at 10:00 on the 15th, so we set off with "Cool Hand" right behind us. Luckily we had radar as a fog bank moved in as we had just gotten underway. We made it to an anchorage in Melbourne in plenty of time to set anchors before dark. The next day we anchored in Wabasso. There was suppose to be a dinghy dock at an Environmental Learning Center, but it was too high and had a closed gate at the end. Plan B was a concrete fishing wall under the bridge, again too high. There was a small sandy patch we used. Not the nicest, but it was okay until we had to go at night. It was dark and scary and I kept imagining different critters or local hooligans( from some trash I had seen). Thank goodness Tom and Laura were within screaming distance. We survived and the next night we anchored at Jensen Beach which had a beautiful causeway park and ramp. We split from Cool Hand as they had to pick up a sail getting restitched in Stuart.

The 18th we decided a dock would be nice, so we pulled into the North Palm Beach Marina. It was a tiring day of bridges to be lifted. We made most of them, but one bridge tender decided we only had 30 seconds to make it near enough for him to open the bridge. Since we had a 1/2 mile to go, I said we could not be right at the bridge by then. We would be there by the time it opened though. It takes a good 5-10 minutes to stop traffic on the bridge, then have the bascule bridge open fully before a boat can pass. He must have been having a bad day saying we only had 30 seconds.

 Cool Hand has since docked and we are headed to Ft. Lauderdale for Christmas. We planned to leave today, but again, Mother Nature decided to blow in a cold front with wind. Since there are 12 bridges we have to have lifted, holding the boat steady in the waterway is tricky with the wind pushy our back end (stern), especially with a bridge in front of us. We decided to wait until tomorrow. Oliver of course loves it here. There are some large yachts here and many of the captains have met him. We also had a vet appointment while we were here to get Oliver 's health certificate for the Bahamas. It took a couple miles by dinghy and another mile walking to get him there, but we did it.  Nothing is easy. The dinghy dock by a lovely anchorage we had planned to go to is under construction, hence the marina and the other route to the vet. Oliver sees it all as a grand adventure. He loves dolphins, pelicans and he keeps looking for the elusive manatees. 

Since I opened the blog up for anyone to read, if you sign up as a follower, you may get notice when I post. This is not my forte, so I am not sure.

Merry Christmas to all!

Condo Christmas lights in Cocoa Village

Cocoa Christmas Parade

Cocoa neighborhood I loved on our walks

Morning coffee shop that Oliver loved. Laura and I enjoyed it also.

Fog on our departure date from Cocoa the 15th

Sunset at anchor

egret

Oliver at anchor in Wabasso looking for his wildlife friends

Dockhouse (bigger than our house)

Oliver sitting on the boat in North Palm Beach

Laying around in Palm Beach

Florida at last!

We finally made it to Florida on November 25. We left Jekyll Island and went out the sound to the ocean for time away from the Intercoastal waterway. There was no wind, but also no waves, so we motored along until we reached Fernandina Beach entrance. We stayed there for 2 days. It was a charming town and you could walk to the downtown area. Oliver loved the park and city, especially the fish store.He has decided Starfish make a great toy. I got it away and put it back in the store bin before damage was done (don't tell). I even had time to myself to wander. We met up with old friends Lee and Lynn on Serenity, and Kathy and Jim on Charm.
On the 27th we again went out to the ocean to travel. This time we did have some wind, so the sails came out and the motor was shut off. Boy that was nice! Unfortunately we did lose wind later, but then we motored into the sound and to our anchorage for the night. It was finally warm and sunny for the last 3 days. We anchored near a public ramp where we could dinghy Oliver ashore. I still have this fear of alligators finding us if we go too close to shrubs. We did see some snake skin that was molted, so we stayed away from the wooded area.  There was one boat anchored when we came in and 5 by nightfall. We were in Sister's Creek with navy and marine helicopters buzzing us.
The 28th brought us to St Augustine. It was foggy in the morning, so we stayed inside. Also St. Augustine's entrance from the ocean is tricky. We picked up a mooring ball and stayed for 3 days. There is quite a current  in the river there, so getting the dinghy to shore was a good upper body workout. We loved St Augustine and it's history. Every morning we dinghied in, took a 2 hour walk around the sights before heading back to the boat for some chores. In the afternoon we would go for another walk, then have dinner, then one more trip ashore and a short stroll to see the Christmas lights. I was surprised to see a Kilwins fudge shop on their pedestrian tourist street, St George. It was like being on Mackinac Island. Oliver loved all the attention he got, the other dogs met and time off the boat.e ran into Lee and Lynn there also.
From there we ventured down the road to Palm Coast and Titusville. In Palm Coast we met the people that started Active Captain, Jeff and Diane Seigel and their 2 dogs, Dylan and Dyna. Oliver loved the play time with them and the barks across the boats. We were together the next 3 stops. They have moved on and we are taking a break at Cocoa Village Marina for a week. We pulled in the 4th of December so here we are. We rented a car so we could get dog food, people food and see more sites. The marina is next to downtown with quaint shops and a hair salon that stayed open late for me. The salon Que Bella kept their doors open so I could actually get lowlights and a cut. I was looking pretty shaggy and brassy. Our Michigan friends, Tom and Laura on Cool Hand pulled in Thursday, so we are enjoying times together. We also met fellow sailors Floyd and Elaine who we had over for cocktails. He wrote a book on their travels and is quite a character. Oliver loves company. Tom and Laura joined us too.  Yesterday, the 7th, Laura and I went out for a morning coffee and sweet roll, then shopping later in the afternoon. We came back to finding Tom and Dale having a beer. Dale did work on boat electronics that day and I did 8 loads of laundry the first day. Now we are trying to figure out what to do. Do we try for the Bahamas, go to the keys, or just find a place we like in Florida to keep the boat for winters. There is also a little (ha-ha) issue with the alternator. When I first typed this, we had planned to be headed South, but we are now here for another day or two waiting for a part. Jason sent us mail and other backup parts here, so we have caught up on home things.
We will keep you posted. Laura and I have spent time in town and Oliver loves the coffee shop every morning. Even the Mail carrier knows him by name now as well a the city workers as we wander.
I am not good at keeping this up as you can tell but wifi and connections should be better now. Missing everyone and holiday things,  especially the Christmas music . Good luck with the Cantata my choir friends.

Fernandina Beach which is on Amelia Island

tree by the marina

Supposedly the oldest bar in Florida

Oliver on those cold travel mornings/ 

St. Augustine Park

Oliver getting attention in St. Augustine

Flagler College

park in St Augustine, more Christmas cheer

old cobble stone street

moorings in St. Augustine

Shop 'til you drop street.

walking the old streets, Ollie saw something and I go "whoosh"

love the old houses

park at night, it was beautiful

people dressed in Spanish period clothes from the 1600s

just cool

oldest school 

Oliver at the fort, a school group saw him and the teachers lost control, what memories

Ollie and Dale looking for dolphins, Ollie's favorite past time

a drink in the park

then a nap, what a life

rainbow in Palm Coast while playing with Dylan and Dyna

even the bridges are pretty sometimes

pelicans dive bomb around us often

Rockhouse creek anchorage, Oliver's beach in background. He ran around like a crazy dog. 

Looking for those dolphins again

and again as we travel South

egret

he is really cute when sleeping

silt builds up and islands just appear in the middle of nowhere

Oliver discovered the presents in St. Augustine

We have plans to celebrate Christmas with Laura and Tom, so here is hoping. Enjoy the holidays, I will try to post again soon and add some Cocoa Village pictures.