Dandy, Doogie

Dandy at Home

After a pit-stop at Sonic (in which Dandy did not deign to share her popcorn chicken with me), Dandy came home. She seemed much relieved to be home, she waddled into her crate and burrowed under the blankets. Doogie too was very much excited to see her, forgetting to eat as he rushed back and forth from the crate to greet her.

Dr Hayashi instructed strict crate rest for the next 4 weeks. Dandy has been prescribed Tramadol and Previcox and physical therapy 2-3 times daily to get her back legs stimulated. One thing I am glad for is that Dandy still has good bowel control, she is able to go to the bathroom when I take her out.

She will have to wait two weeks to get her staples out. Doc also recommended getting some blood work done because of elevated liver numbers. Until then, doctor advised withholding the Previcox.

Dandy also has a recheck scheduled at the hospital in 4 weeks. Doctor was optimistic, but at the same giving some realistic warnings. While Dandy has some use of her back legs, there is no guarantee that she will regain full use of them. She may be clumsy from now on. She might get worse, she might get better. However, only time will tell.

Dining, Reviews

Greek and casual dining

Shandiz Mediterranean Grill & Market

4013 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 943-8885

We missed the lunch buffet at this place, but I was craving some kabobs so the fiance and I hunkered down for an early dinner. For starters we tried their pita bread and baba ghanoush which I found very tasty–loved the lemony-garlic zing it added to the light, nigh-crispy bread that came out. The pita turned out even more delicious as we polished it off and requested a refill. I then ordered the lamb kabobs and sweet cheeks ordered the Mediterranean burger. (We found it intriguing that the outside canopy advertised burgers at this Persian grill…so we figured it was worth a try.) The lamb kabob came out juicy and flavorful, though some pieces turned out medium well versus medium rare. Still it paired up nicely with buttered rice, topped with a little bit of saffron. The fiance’s burger came out on a beautiful golden bun, topped with feta, roasted peppers and mushrooms. While the meat patty wouldn’t win any thickness awards, the entire burger was memorably good–so good that we wondered if we found a worthy challenger to rival the big name burger joints we visited lately. Saturday dining service came slowly here; our waitstaff were in no hurry to deliver our food and drinks too early, though when the food did eventually arrive, the pace quickened. We spent our time enjoying the decor however; Shandiz had some pretty blue tile, a serene water feature, and tasteful Mideast-influenced art on the high walls. The only thing that detracted were the large TV flat panels on 2 sides of the room, but the sound was thankfully low and unobtrusive. Because of this, we’re eager to revisit Shandiz and check out their buffet. However, if you miss the all-you-can-eat option, their short menu won’t be too challenging, offering the diner some sure bets.

My rating: 3.5 stars
***1/2

Mimi’s Cafe

810 W McDermott Dr
Allen, TX 75013
(214) 547-1440

No matter how many times I visit Mimi’s (usually dragged by third parties), I cannot bring myself to like their food. Sure, Mimi’s has pretty digs, a very cozy atmosphere, but the food is SUPER bland to the point that I wonder if consuming cardboard or sawdust would go down better. The only standout here are their baked goods, usually their bread basket featuring their freshest muffins and bread of the day. I am utterly convinced that only diners who are used to a liquid diet or have lost all sense of taste patronize Mimi’s…because it seems their menu of “safe” comfort food will neither shock or awe any delicate palates. Health-conscious eaters will flock to Mimi’s to pay for the overpriced fruit and salad options on their menu, but as for the rest of the home-cooked menu, one would do better crafting these dishes at home.

My rating: 1.0 stars
*

Dandy, Furkids

Dandy under the knife

After I left Dandy at the hospital, Dr Hayashi called to confirm that a CT scan revealed that a disc had herniated; they would perform the hemilaminectomy on Dandy right away. Post-surgery (about 1.5 hours later), Dr Hayashi called to inform me that Dandy had done well (she indicated that there had been some calcification) and explained that she would be hospitalized a few more days and would begin therapy starting tomorrow. Due to the calcification, she indicated that Dandy might undergo longer recovery, but the doctor sounded optimistic.

I scheduled visitation for Saturday 10am.

Dandy, Furkids

Specialist Visit–straight to surgery

After what seemed like hours of waiting, my vet finally contacted the hospital and I was able to take Dandy in for a nominal $250 emergency visit fee.

Her doctor, Emi Hayashi, performed some diagnostics and determined that she still had sensation in her back legs, but recommended surgery right away since 2 weeks of crate rest and medication has not done her any good.

I was able to apply for CareCredit online prior to the visit and obtain a $3000 credit. The estimated cost of CT scan, surgery and hospitalization is estimated to run from $3000 to $5000. According to the staffer, they will use the CareCredit right away toward the cost of her surgery, anaesthetic blood work, and hospitalization, since they required the minimum of $3k for a down-payment before starting Dandy’s care.

I hope to have left Dandy in good hands and hear how the surgery has gone very soon.