I noticed buds on h. Fungii and a couple of Carnosas!
March Hoya Buds
I have buds on H. limoniaca and H. cv Christine - I hope they make it !
First-time bloomers for me....
Paula
H. limoniaca
I loved seeing all of your pictures and storys about your pets. It's nice to see what else beside Hoya's that are also in our lives. Here is a picture of my 2 Jack Russell Terriers Arthur and Annie my best friends.
Betty
Do most or all Hoya rebloom on previous bloom stems? (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology) I had read not to remove them b/c they will bloom again in the same place. Well, I checking mine today and found most all the I have showing buds are on old blooms stems. You can see how thick this stem is where it has bloomed before and you can see small buds starting. This is h. Vitellina
better pic
Arthur & Annie are adorable! I didn't know Jack Russell's had long fur like that, too cute!
Update on our Cali. She is still with us. We are giving her SubQ fluids once a day and a B12 injection twice a week. She is eating well and doing so much better with the fluids. We realize that with her kidney's shutting down there's nothing that can be done, short of a kidney transplant. I had no idea they even did that with cats (or dogs for that matter). The vet said it is very costly, and since Cali is 15 yrs old we wouldn't put her through it, even if we could afford it. We will just keep spoiling and loving her for as long as we can. As long as she is doing well and not suffering we are happy to take the time to do the subcutaneous fluids on a daily basis. She is real good about it and doesn't seem to mind at all. We took her to the vet last Friday for blood work and her kidney function test levels had dropped since she's been getting the daily fluids. The rates are still high but not anywhere near where they were a couple of weeks ago.
Yep, I learned from this forum never to cut off those bloom spurs/peduncle's ... they do re-bloom from them! And, I think I read that the older the peduncle gets, the larger it gets?
I have a few hoya's with old peduncle's but no signs of buds this year ... yet!
Betty,
Your JR's are precious!
Lin,
I've been wondering how Cali is doing! Thank you for the update. It's amazing how the Sub-q's make them feel better!
Give her a little hug for me!
Kelly
Tall_Shadow
Mar 18, 2009
PDoyle,
The longer you have the peduncle the more it starts to look
like a cone.
Longer, and longer. I can now tell how many times a peduncle
has bloomed by the rings around it or if it is a new one.
Thanks for the up date on Cali. Please keep use informed.
etty
Hi all,
I've been MIA for quite awhile (lots going on with me being the MOH in my sister's wedding, etc.) - I haven't even been good to my hoyas :( Now that it's just about Spring, I'll get back into my babies!
I just saw this thread and I wanted to send out my prayers to Lin (and Cali of course). Glad she's hanging in there. Sawyer will be 11 years old next month, and I have to take her in every couple of months to get her kidney function checked via bloodwork (she's paralyzed and has neurogenic bladder, and therefore she develops UTI's which can cause kidney failure). Anyway, that's my worst fear. I just hope Cali is happy for however long she has....all my love to her.
A cute video of Sawyer running in her wheelchair (hope the link works):
http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Gabro14/?action=view¤t=MOV05474.flv
Welcome back Gabi! I wondered where you have been. Loved the video of Sawyer; That is quite a dog!
Doug
Gabi!
I, too, have been wondering where you were!
What caused Sawyer's paralysis? Glad to see she's doing well with her cart! How's that working with apartment life and the city?
My oldest guy Mikey's malignant tumor came out of remission in November, 16 months after radiation. Surgery to remove it again (on his leg) almost cost him is life....ended up having to heal as an open wound - gag- but so far so good! Has a tear duct gone bad as well, so stuff drains down to his nose and clogs up the one nostril....meaning I have to pick my dog's nose....the things we do....
Glad you're back!
Kelly
Thanks for all the well wishes for our "Cali". She is doing well, she has good days and not so good days but doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain. On her bad days she just acts like she doesn't feel real good, curls up in a corner of the bedroom closet on an old comforter and sleeps. She doesn't seem to mind the daily SubQ fluids, just sits and waits until it's done. She is eating and drinking which is good so we are just babying her for whatever time she has left.
Welcome back Gabi! Sawyer is an amazing dog! She sure doesn't look like an 11 year old! Glad she is doing so well and getting around so well with her wheelchair! In that video she looks like a puppy running around!
Kelly: It sounds like you've been through a lot with Mikey! So happy he is in remission and doing so well. Yuck ... I don't think I could do the picking nose thing with my pets! I let my DH do all the dirty work. ^_^
Keeping good thoughts and prayers for all of our furry kids!
Nice to be back :)
Thanks Doug...yes, she is quite a dog!!
Kelly,
Sawyer's story is pretty similar to your pup's story. She had a spinal tumor about 4.5 years ago - it was surgically removed and then she had 3 weeks of radiation therapy (hence the square silver patch of hair on her side). She did great for several years, but a little over a year ago she started getting weak again in her back legs, so I took her for another MRI which showed growth of scar tissue from the surgery and/or radiation (and this is what is causing all the nerve damage). So over the past year, she slowly lost her rear leg function, and also can't urinate anymore (we have to express her bladder manually - yes, the things we do for our dogs!!), and she also has stool incontinence.
Anyway, she does great with city living...she doesn't move around much in the apartment - just scoots from place to place (she looks like a big brown slug!!), and she now gets to take long walks/runs outside because of the wheelchair. She's the most popular gal in town with her Harley!!
So sorry to hear about Mickey's remission. But I'm glad he's doing well so far. Please keep us updated, and give my love to him. And what a good mom you are, picking his nose and all!
Lin,
What a good mom you are too! Glad to hear that Cali isn't in pain. Please keep us updated.
Hugs to all humans and fur babies,
Gabi
Wow, Gabi, Sawyer sounds like a real trooper! How long has she had the wheelchair? Mikey, too, has nerve damage from the radiation.
A little distressed at the moment...Sidney, my cat (named came from Sid Vicious because she had this sort of spike hair as a kitten...) had her teeth cleaned this morning and the vet called to say that what they thought initially was an inflamed gum is actually growth on her jaw bone. Although she said not to panick she was calling to say they should go ahead and take some x-rays and do a biopsy while she's under anesthesia. She'll be 4 next month, I think.
Between vet bills and hoyas I'll never get out of debt....!
Kelly
Yes, Sawyer is SUCH a trooper. But I think all cats and dogs are way more resilient than humans. We can learn so much from them! She has had the wheelchair for about 2 months - but that video is only a few days after she got it! She took to it pretty fast. Not sure if you have access to my album from that link, but there are a few videos before that one, and the one right before it was taken 2 days after she got the cart...and she was fetching sticks and running in the snow! So good to see her back in action!
How does Mikey's nerve damage effect him? Is his leg still mobile?
I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear about Sidney. Can't believe this just happened. I am hoping and praying that it's benign. Please don't panic - worry only if you have to (and if you do panic, take a Valium or a glass of wine :))
And I hear ya about the bills!!!
Hi Kelly!
Love your Hoya Bella 'Louis Bois'! It looks very similar to columnea broget stavenger. Love that one too!
Nice photos....
Shanika
Here's my H. limoniaca - I think they'll burst open in a couple days...
And H. cv Christine - still chugging along - I dreamed last night that these buds blasted and were littered all over the lanai :( I got up to make sure that they were still ok this morning....
Needless to say, I'm very excited for these ones....
Paula
Lin,
I just read the update on Cali. , I’m so glad for her and for you. I’ve been thinking about her but I was afraid to ask since I know how hard it is. I’m very glad to hear that she is hanging in there.
Kelli,
I hope that Mikey continues to do well, he is very lucky to have you in his life.
Gabi,
Good to have you back! I’m very happy that Sawyer is doing so well with her wheel chair. Thanks for the link, she looks so happy.
Gaby, it's good to see you back. I'm sorry to hear about Sawyer. I watched your video, and looked at the older ones of her too. She's an amazing girl.
Kelly, hope your Mikey and Sidney will overcome their problems.
And Lin, glad to hear that Cali is doing well.
It's hard when your pet is ill and you can't ask them what hurts. You have to play guessing games and then it's a trip to the vet.
I thing that animals have more 'get up and go' than us humans. They sure teach us quite a bit about determination and fortitude.
God Bless them all.
Ya'know...they do have determination because they live so completely in the PRESENT they have no other choice!!! We could learn alot from them: short memories for most things, unconditionally living every moment to the fullest, no grudges for an unkind word like "NO...drop it" . They are our mavens...teaching us so many of life's lessons like.... uh... letting go? Unconditional love? Sleep when you are tired and eat when you are hungry? How basic...how wonderful!
Paula,
Great bud shots! Woo Hoo!
Gabi,
The tumor was removed from the lower portion of Mikey's back left leg. It's really sensitive to touch and the hair never grew back from radiation(that little portion of him now looks like a Chinese Crested!). He can use it, but he sometimes drags the foot a bit. Unfortunately he has hip dysplasia as well and if it weren't for the nerve damage that would be his stronger leg. Just started him on Rimadyl and that seems to help. Had been avoiding pain killers due to his also having mild, atypical Cushings...like my vet says if it weren't bad luck he'd have no luck at all!
Won't have the biopsy results back on Sid until later this week or early next. The xrays did not look like what the vets expected them to if it is cancer, so hopefully that's good news. If it's not cancer then it's most likely excessive bone growth due to tooth irritation (?). Can't remember the name of it...which is probably best for now. If I did know it I'd be obsessively researching it! As you said I'm trying not to panic! She's being a little grumpy with everyone but her mama...poor girl's mouth is swollen where the vet had to cut into the lip and gum and take a bone sample....ouch.
Carol,
You are so right!
Kelly
Well said Carol!
Kelly,
Boy...you sure are going through a lot. You are a trooper, and you have these pets for a reason...because they need you. Someone else might've put them down by now. That's how I look at it with Sawyer when I ask "why her"? Well, it was gonna happen anyway, so at least it happened with a mom who loves her to the ends of the earth and would stop at nothing!! As for Mikey dragging his foot, do you have booties for him so he doesn't scrape up his nails and paw? If not, I can always send you the ones I recently got for Sawyer, since she now has the stirrups to put her feet in so they don't drag (I got the booties because at the time she was still able to use her legs a little, but not anymore). They are great booties...they are custom made for her feet, so if our dogs are similar in size, I'm sure it would fit Mikey. Let me know and I'll be glad to send em to you.
And I'm SO glad to hear that Sid doesn't have cancer.
Gabi
Gabi,
How kind of you! Mikey is good on booties- he has two handmade by his grandma (a red one with fringe and a silver "space" bottie) as well as a couple of store bought. One of the bigger concerns with his leg is keeping sunscreen on the area where the hair didn't grow back..
You know anyone reading about Sawyer, Mikey, Cali or Sid might wonder what the heck we're putting our poor animals through, but that video of Sawyer says it all! It looks pathetic in writing, but when you see them and how happy they are, it makes it all worthwhile!
Did get absolute confirmation yesterday that Sid has NO cancer! It's some kind of bacterial lymphatic thing causing irritation...we'll go back for a check up next week and I'll get more specifics. Right now I'm just relieved that cancer is NOT involved! Woo Hoo - I slept last night!
Kelly
I had a very long post here but somehow lost it.
Kelly, I'm so glad to hear that Sid has no cancer! That is great news.
An update. I'm not doing so well today. Our Cali is fine, holding her own with the fluids being administered daily, but we had to have our cat Cookie euthanized yesterday. I'm not sure what happened. I was outside for about fifteen minutes yesterday morning and came in and she was in a lot of distress and paralyzed from the center of her back down. I rushed her the @ 1 mile to our vet and he said it didn't look good that she may have had a stroke. They took her back to do blood work and x-rays. I sat there for two hours listening to her cry in pain. The doc said the blood work was normal and he didn't see anything out of order on the x-rays. He wanted us to take her over to a specialist in Orlando where they could do more extensive tests like MRI etc. I called my husband who immediately met me at our Vets office. We asked the vet if he could give her something for the pain and he said he really didn't want to do that, not knowing what was wrong and not knowing what tests the specialist would want to do. So, we headed out for the one hour (or longer, depending on traffic) trip to Orlando. We didn't even make it the 2 miles to the interstate. She was in such distress, we felt we didn't want to subject her to the long drive to Orlando. We called our vets office and told them we were turning around and coming back and wanted them to euthanize her. We brought her back home and buried her in the backyard. It is so hard, not knowing if we did the right thing, but we just couldn't stand to see her suffer. She was really scared and in a lot of pain.
I am in a state of not knowing up from down today. I didn't sleep last night and am tired and not thinking clearly but keep wondering what happened to cause Cookie to be paralyzed. I asked the vet if the paralysis could be from her possibly eating a plant? He said that wasn't what was wrong. The only thing I can think is that she may have tried to jump up onto a high place and she was overweight and had trouble jumping. Our bed is high but she jumps to a little stool at the foot of the bed and then onto the bed from there. She likes getting up into the windows and will jump onto a table and then to the window but I think she may have tried jumping from the floor to the window ledge ... I don't know, I'm just at a loss not knowing. The past few months have been pretty rough. My Dad was in the hospital from the first of November until he passed away February 3rd. Then our Cali had to be rushed to the vet and he said it wasn't good, that her kidneys had stopped functioning so we have been trying to wrap our brains around the fact that she maybe isn't going to be with us for much longer. And, now this happening with Cookie. Very hard times to deal with. The past couple of years I have been telling my husband that once all our old kitties are gone maybe we would adopt another dog but I'm 61 and right now I don't think I want to have any more pets. We were never blessed with children so our pets have been our kids and it's very hard to lose them. But, I know I'm just saying that right now because of the sadness of the past few weeks and months and I know we will end up adopting another dog or cat in the future.
Well guys and gals, thanks for letting me vent for a few minutes.
Don't forget to give your furry critters big hugs and spoil them while they are in your care.
I'm so sorry Lin, my heart goes out to you. I think that you did what was better for Cookie, if she was suffering that much.
I hope that you can rest some tonight.
A big hug for you and your husband.
Lourdes
Oh, Lin! I'm so sorry about Cookie. What a shock. She was a senior as well? Oh, how heartbreaking.
Again I'm so sorry about your Dad as well. I know too well right now how that feels. Sometimes for me the grief strikes at such odd moments, but, wow, your resolve is really being tested.
I'm sure I speak for many on here when I say do know we're thinking about you.
Kelly
Kelly,
I'm so glad that Sid has no cancer. Those are great news for both of you.
Lourdes
Lin,
I'm am so sorry. May brighter days be ahead of you and your family.
PLEASE do not question yourself - she was crying out in pain, and you did the right thing by stopping her suffering.
Thinking of you today.
Gabi
Lin, I'm so sorry to hear about your Cookie. You did right by her, by ending her pain and suffering. I'm happy to hear that your other kitty, Cali is holding her own. It's tough when our pets get old. Our Sweetpea, a Silky Terrier, went over 'The Rainbow Bridge' a few years ago. She was 14 yrs. old and suffered with mamary cancer. When she passed, I swore, no more pets. But I missed the unconditional love that she gave me, so three years ago we found Shanghai. He is such a funny little dog. Stubborn as all get out. He brightens our days and makes us laugh. You will do what's right for you as far as another pet goes. I'm betting you will adopt again. Just think positive.
Brighter days are comming.
Update on my H cv Christine buds - wonder when these will pop ?
I guess they grow like the plant - slooooooow.
Paula
Paula,
That's a fabulous picture!
Hope they open soon for you!
Kelly