"And to think that in some countries these dogs are eaten."

The Film: Best in Show, 2000 (Christopher Guest & Eugene Levy, screenwriters; Christopher Guest, director)
Who says it: Fred Willard as sports commentator Buck Laughlin
The context: Buck is providing clueless commentary at the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show.
How you can use it: Any time you know you're going to extreme lengths for your pet.

A break from the usual theme to report on Dizzy, since so many people have asked. He had the second (and last) step of the stem-cell therapy last night, which involved sedation and an epidural. He has a shaved patch on each hip, and I can see a very small injection mark inside each one.

This morning he is stiff and uncomfortable, after a miserable night. Anesthesia of any kind is hard on his system, but he's eating well, and should improve fast. He has a small (2.5") incision on his belly, with staples that will need to some out in about ten days, but we'll do that in Maine. If all goes well, we'll head home on Monday, and watch for improvements from here on out. He has antibiotics and some pain meds, but beyond that will only need his daily doses of glucosamine. Miraculous.

I've been joking all along about this being an elaborate plot by a real-life Dr. Moreau. Last night, the vet tech handed me a statement from the stem-cell laboratory reporting that they had "banked" one sample of Dizzy's cell tissue, and retained a smaller sample for further study. That makes me wonder whether my Dr. Moreau reference was really a joke...

Thanks to everyone for all of the support and good wishes, and for filling for me in during this absence. I'm looking forward to picking my life back up next week.