1/15/04 - I just wanted to give an update on Chloe.. She's hanging in there. She's gone through a lot of blood tests and vet recommended food changes and none have made a difference. One of her blood tests did show she had extremely low levels of protein, in fact the only protein that showed up proved to be muscle protein, showing that her body is eating away at itself. The vet wanted to do ultrasounds and x-rays to rule out foreign objects/tumors- but they were so expensive. We've decided to just let her be a dog... I've changed her over to a high protein food and now we just have to make sure her ears are clear and vigilant in stopping her constant scratching.. On a better note, she and Bronco did have a good Christmas. She got a new toy that suffered through her love of chewing and a bunch of treats. We've been using them to enforce the "sit to get attention" routine... She's getting there! :)

10/7/03 - Hi everyone! A lot has happened in 2 months since I've written last. Chloe's in a funk. Please don't read this update before or after eating! She's had a ton of gastro issues lately and nothing we've tried seems to help.
To put it bluntly- she's had explosive diarrhea for the past 2 months. She has severe food allergies and it feels like we've tried everything. We've tried the rice thing for a few days (she's allergic to beef) with no result. Cut back her diet, tried changing her food at the suggestion of the vet (to IVT), changed it back (to Solid Gold) when the new food did not help at all. We've tried vet prescribed pills to calm her stomach, she's had shots, we've tried Immodium.. Nothing will stop the wrath of Chloe!!!
We've done the thyroid test and the blood sugar test- all came back fine. She's also been drinking a ton lately, probably to make up for the lost fluids. We've tried to limit the water because she tends to gulp it down and throw it up just as quickly, but the END result is still the same.. Does anyone out there have any idea on what's running through Chloe?

8/5/03 - Chloe had a few "off" weeks last month but she's 120% better now. She has severe food allergies that leave her extremely itchy all the time. During one of her scratching episodes she managed to introduce a little germ under her skin and her face swelled up with cellulitis. The poor baby.. Her eye, cheek and nose were so swollen on the right side of her face. She was miserable. I made her wear a huge plastic collar so she wouldn't scratch. Talk about humiliating! We put her on antibiotics and they didn't help. I had to take her back to vet last week. I asked him for something to help with the itchiness so she wouldn't keep breaking open her face and he gave her a shot of Cortizone. Strike up the harps- here where the miracle happens!!!! The Cortizone not only (A) helped with her constant case of the itchies, it also (B) brought down her swelling to the point where she looks completely normal, (C) her hair is starting to grow back in (old hot spots from her former life), (D) her appetite for Solid Gold is back again and (E) her skin isn't all red and irritated anymore!!!!! The vet says the shot should last her a couple of months. I can't believe something so small could make such a big difference in her!! Hmmmm... Now if we could just get rid of the "Phantom Dingleberries"..... :)

7/11/03 - Chloe's doing well. She's happy. She's not a huge fan of the heat but she's dealing well. It's pretty normal to find her laying belly-up on the kitchen floor with her tongue hanging out! It's so cute (after you see that she's still breathing..whew) The other day she had an adventure. She managed to push the back sliding door open and go wandering. Good thing I looked out the window just in time to see her trotting around the cul de sac! It was easy enough to get her back in- she's too lazy to go far. I'm just glad Bronco, our Boxer, didn't notice her escape or I'd still be running around the neighborhood trying to catch him..

6/15/03 - It's time for Chloe's monthly update. I've been affectionately calling her "our little money pit". We've been to the vet's office almost every week. It's always an adventure. She's got allergies- we thought it was only food, but turns our she also has seasonal allergies. Because of her allergies, her ears are constantly blocked and gross.. We're cleaning them out twice a day and not seeing any changes. Last week, the vet told me that her left ear is so blocked and swollen that she'll need an operation to open it back up again. $$$ Last week, she had conjuctivitis due to her allergies- in both eyes. She now gets eye ointment twice a day. $$$ My vet also did a skin scraping on her to make sure she's not itchy from mites, and of course she's not. $$$ She's also had a thyroid blood test. $$$ And she has an interdigital cyst on her front paw that we need to watch in case it breaks and becomes infected.. P.S. The vet is stongly suggesting having her hernia taken care of..$$$$ We're looking into insurance.

5/30/03 - Chloe here... They finally let me on here- here's my side of the story... Life's all right in MA.. I live with a boxer who has a thing for me, poor boy, although I'll tell you I'm not surprised. I have lost 4 pounds since I got here and I am looking good! Everywhere I go people and dogs alike stop and talk to me.. It's called personality, and I'm rolling in it! I've gone to the vet a couple times to get my ear's checked out and my seasonal allergies are flaring up but don't worry, I'm fine. I've figured out a system that guarantees me a piece of cheese twice a day! Pretend you don't like grape flavored Benadryl!! It's so easy, you'd think they would figure it out! I've also decided that walking up and down the stairs takes too much effort on my part. Don't get me wrong I can do it-but I just prefer not to. Being queen of the house is definitely a full time job here..

5/13/03 - Time for another update on Chloe! She's still doing great! Her activity level has been through the roof lately-well, for a bulldog :) Her chew toys are proof of that! She's also become a tennis ball fiend! No matter how far we throw the ball, she'll beat Bronco out for it- by taking him out at the knees as she runs by!!! No one said she played fair! She's losing some weight (which she needed) and now looks like a trim hippo! Some of her other funny quirks- She'll go up the stairs on her own but has to be carried down them! If we refuse, she huffs and barks until someone gives in (it's always me!) When up on a couch, she uses the arm rest as a diving board-and from there jumps right onto the stomach of the poor, unsuspecting person- (again, always me!)!! It's definitely Chloe's world... :)

4/30/03-Hi everyone! Just wanted to give a quick update on Chloe. She's doing great! She's definitely become the "boss" in our house. The other day we were wrestling with Bronco and she marched right over and gave a growl, then turned her butt towards us and stalked off!!! If she's not in the mood to play- no one should be!!! Bronco is love with her and she could care less! He follows her around everywhere she goes (which isn't far from her bed) and lets her boss him around all day! It's a perfect match for all of us!!

4/19/03 - Chloe went to a great family that has been searching for the right bulldog for almost a year now and were thrilled to death to get Chloe..it was love at first site!!