Last month we were planning a camping trip to Yosemite.  We were just so excited for this new adventure.  Camping with just Brandon and I.  We had bought all the equipment, packed our Civic beyond its capacity, and took off for the south entrance to Yosemite.
To sum it up in one, run on sentence: Our camp site ended up being right next to the road and the camp ranger station, the camp ranger told us we cannot use our very exciting fire pit that we cut out of the inside of an old washer (it’s very cool, I promise), we had to be holding the 6 foot dog leash at all times (try setting up camp like that!), and last but not least, it snowed and our tent leaked.
So we came back home after one night.
But, we had an excellent couple of hours driving through a beautiful, snow covered Yosemite Valley.
Which brings us to Little Lucy.
She had this look on her face the whole time.  And we made fun of her for being a wimp of a dog.
Then we felt terrible because the next day she wouldn’t eat or drink and couldn’t even stand up or move, and she had a 105 temperature (106 is fatal).  Poor little poochie was just so sad.  We rushed her to the vet who then sent us to an advanced critical care hospital.  They kept her for 4 days and ran countless numbers of tests all to find out that she has immune mediated poly-arthritis.  Basically since they can’t find any cause to her sickness, they have decided that her immune system is overactive and it has decided to fight against her joint tissue.
A very happy Little Lucy came home with swollen paws, shaved legs, and a doggy bag full of 6 types of medication (hehe, doggy bag).  Almost 4 weeks later she is down to only 2 types of medication and she is doing GREAT!  The little girl even got into the trash yesterday.  She’s starting to act like herself again, running and pouncing and playing with her favorite toy, Violet Squeakerton (It’s purple and it squeaks, naturally).
The vet’s hope is that since she is only 9 months old, her immune system will mature and all the problems will go away.  Our hope is to never have to take this pup to an “advanced critical care†hospital ever again.  I have never seen more Vets in my life than in this last month.  Sheesh!
In other news!
We are now finally getting a vacation!  After much pursuit, Brandon has found the perfect Subaru, and we are traveling next week to Illinois to seal the deal. Conveniently, we will then drive home through Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and back to California.  Thankfully we are just driving one way.  The highlights of the trip should include but are not limited to Mount Rushmore, The Crazy Horse Memorial, and Yellowstone National Park.  See ya when we get back!
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