Agility Fun Match and Tika's Tummy

We went up to Elk Grove yesterday for a fun match. It was pretty warm.

Tika did good. Actually her agility skills are danged good; it's that foot-grabbing thing that I especially wanted to work on. She cooperated by grabbing at me a couple of times durig the very first runs. I picked her up and carried her across the ring each time she did it, saying in her ear "don't you grab my feet", then put her down, made her sit-stay, and ran her some more. Not sure whether that's as good as carrying her out to her crate, but she seemed less interested in my feet as the day went on.

Of course, as the day went on, it was hotter AND I was probably acting more relaxed, less like a trial, AND I did whip goodies out of my pocket a couple of times, so she might have caught on that this wasn't the real thing. I wouldn't put it past her.

Contacts pretty darned good (after she flew off the 1st one and I made her walk back around and redo the obstacle). Got most of her weave entries, although she really crashes into them and has trouble managing the next couple when she gets a good running start at them.

Didn't stay at the start line the first run, but I brought her back and put her back in a stay and then that was fine the rest of the day, too.

She and Jake, of course, slept the wholllllle way home and then, of course, were rarin' to go when we got here, while I had a horrific headache that just hadn't quit all day. Had to stop twice on the way home to stretch and close my eyes and put my head down (would have tried taking a nap but it was too danged hot).

Because I felt so awful, I slothed on the couch for an hour or so, sort of watching TV while trying to get my head to relax. Then, because I felt so awful, I didn't bother closing off the living room like I usually do when I'm not in there. Hold that thought.

It's been so warm--usually I close the door to my bedroom, but I've been keeping it partway open so the fanned air can circulate, with a wastebasket in the door to (a) keep it from slamming shut and (b) discourage the dogs from wandering out in the middle of the night without me knowing (because, on the rare occasions when they need to leave the room, it's almost always potty or sick--and I'd rather know about it).

Anyway, for whatever reason, Tika wanted to get up at midnight and go outside. Then at 2:30. Then at 4:30. Each time I let her out for a short while, while I cradled my poor excuse for a head on the table. She'd come back in ready to go back to bed. A couple or 3 times she woke me up with sharp whines or groans. None of this is at all normal for her--trying to remember--I think she's been sick in the night maybe once before. At 6, when she leaped out of bed again, I woke up enough to realize that the bedroom door was wide open, meaning that sometime between 4:30 and 6 she had already been out of the room on her own.

I followed her downstairs and let her out. There were 3 distinct areas of vomit, all different colors and consistencies (you want more details?) inside in the general vicinity of the kitchen door (where the beasts usually go in and out during the day). I didn't see what she did first thing when she went out, because I did a quickie cleanup so that I and Jake could walk through without stepping in goo.

But then she just lay out on the lawn with her head down. She doesn't usually lie on the lawn; lies on the porch or inside with us. Didn't leap up to play when I walked out to join her, but her little nubber tail did wag and she snuggled up close for petting.

After I thoroughly cleaned the kitchen area, I went looking--sure enough, 3 separate spots in the living room and 2 more in my office. Poor girl.

But thank goodness for the wonderful hand-held carpet washer that I got from a good friend!

Nothing obvious in the output that would tell me what caused it. She was a little low on energy the rest of the morning, although she did say that she wanted to go for a walk. (I avoided it because of her stomach and my head.) By the time my headache was finally gone after a couple of naps, late afternoon, she seemed completely better. Ate breakfast and dinner with no apparent problems.

I get so nervous now, after going through the cancer thing with Rem, but I did refrain from calling the vet when it was clear that she still had her full appetitie and breakfast was staying down.

Maybe it was a very delayed reaction to running in the heat? Maybe it was a very delayed reaction to the Bully Stick that she consumed in the car on the way home? (But no chunks of bully-stickness appeared.) Hope that whatever it was was here and gone.

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