Set back

Du had a great day on Monday/ The sun was shining and the temp. was about 60 degrees. He stayed outside for about 3 hours while we cleaned up the yard and loaded firewood into the woodshed. He roamed around the yard by himself with very little problem getting up on his own. The bummer is that I think he over did it and is having a really hard time getting up on his own and his legs are very wobbly. I put his boots back on to help protect his feet. He has a couple bruises and cuts on his feet from that lovely day. I am having trouble getting him to lay on his left leg. He wants to lay on his weaker leg which is his right. Being 115 lbs makes it difficult to move him. I worry sometimes that he is sad. I really hope he starts to make big strides. Patience wears thin sometimes for me I am sure it gets that way for him too.

Wheels ?

At what point do we consider wheels for DU? I keep wondering... if he is wobbling around why do we need wheels. Then I think about the freedom for all of us, if he had wheels. To just open the door and let him go outside without worring if he fell down or not. To see him maneuver in the house on the hardwood floors with little problem. Obviously we can't let him stay in the wheels but he could have more freedom and so could we. Freedom is something we are lacking in the house right now. When?

Christmas 2009

Well Christmas was nice and quiet. It was just Jay and I and the kids. Even Brittanie my oldest wasn't here most of the day. As life changes so do traditions. She now will begin her new traditions as she meshes with her in-laws. Niece and nephew stopped by but no exchanging of gifts today. When my sister comes home we will have Christmas on the 16th of January. I only hope that DU has made more progress! If I could hope for something it would be to get up all the time on his own and poop outside! His feet are very bruised from trudging through the snow and ice for the last week, and the right side of his bottom is raw from scooting to get up. When,, will he move past this! Looking starting on Monday for someone that has water therapy for dogs. This area just doesn't have much to offer. I am convinced that this will speed up his recovery.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2009/07/video_underwater_rehab_for_pet.html

Check this video out! Looking for someone who would be willing to let DU use there heated pool or jacuzzi. I've been reading about water therapy and there is great success with this. I can't find a vet who offers this service in this area. I would have to drive to Wilmington to do it.

Today ended on a great note!

It has now been three days with snow and ice on the ground. Today it was sunny and the plows finally simi-cleared our road by 4:00. I had DU out several times walking him around the driveway and into the garage preparing my car to go out to my sister-in-laws for Christmas gathering. He was loving it following the barn cats around. I seriously think he is in love with my one barn cat we call David. We named this cat because when she was a kitten she was not afraid of DU the giant! So we named her (thinking she was a he) David from David and Goliath story. As I enjoyed watching him wobble around with the cats, I had to use a sling to keep his feet from slipping out on him. A couple times he fell and hit his bottom on the pavement. I felt just terrible for him. I was wondering if he was regressing. He wanted to go in the deep snow but he knew he couldn't get his feet to pick up high enough to trudge through. We left him for about 3 hours (apprehensive, wondering what we would find on the floor when we got back). The kids got home before us so when I came in I found DU VERY HAPPY, playing with TJ on his feet! TJ said he went out right away and pooped in a squat! The things we get excited about!!! It didn't end here, he went out in the snow and played tug-of-war with Deisel the puppy on his feet! He seldom lost his balance but got right back up. He played and walked around outside and inside with ease. God continues to keep me from getting too discouraged. His poor bottom is so raw and chapped from sitting on it and dragging. I have been using Neosporen and Bag Balm. Thankful for the blessings!

Snow! Its just another challenge

12/19/09 We are getting alot of snow. We are expected to get 1 1/2 feet! I haven't seen that much snow here since I was 12 years old! Any other time I would be enjoying the scenery and the opprotunity to bunker down and do some reading or watching a movie. That just isn't the case today. DU loves the snow even today. The problem is his legs aren't strong enough to keep him up walking in the snow. So now I out there with a sling helping him through the drifts. He doesn't want to find the shallow areas of snow, he wants to find the drifts! Then there is Diesel the puppy. DU wants to chase him around with my flying behind him trying to hold him up! NO FUN! Having the kids outside playing in the snow is torcher for him to watch from inside. I need to buy another belly band too. Having only one makes it difficult when you have to wash it and DU walking around the house without one on. I just feel like we are going backwards in progress instead of forward.

PROGRESS!!! PROGRESS!

Getting around

Du is sleeping on a twin mattress now! I am sooo glad we didn't get rid of the extra mattress. A dog bed wouldn't work yet because he can't cirlce and lie down gracefuly yet! His belly band is a blessing! I can let him roam the house and not worry he's going to tinkle on the floor doing it! I feel anxious to get him to get up on his own all the time. I can't leave him outside unless its for short periods of time in case he falls and can't get back up. With all the rain, the ground is saturated so it makes it difficult to allow him to lay in the grass! His doggie boots are just about shot already! He has worn them out. His paws look soo much better. He wants to play with the Diesel (black lab pup) but we are sooo worried he will reinjure himself. This makes it very stressful. Sleep is still an issue. He wakes up in the middle of the night and usually poops before he goes outside! No fun waking up to that in the middle of the night. Then he whines when we go back to bed. I am sick of the whining! I can't wait till he can just come to our room on his own and lay by our bed again. Prayers for continued healing.

Even the best of days can get you down

The last few days DU has been getting up on his own occasionally and walking on his own! This is wonderful to see him up and about however, it comes with a whole other set of issues. Now he requires more of our time and attention and when he's up (if we don't have the belly band on) he ends up having accidents on the floor. Lately it seems he could be outside for an hour and as soon as he comes in he lays down and poops before anyone can run to get a pad or paper towel to put under him. This happen to me at 2:00 in the morning when I got up to check on him. I noticed he hadn't pooped yet so I quick ran around getting a towel, jacket and shoes on to only find that in that 1 minutes time he had pooped and scooted off his pad all over the carpet. I yelled and carried on like a lunatic! I felt bad afterwards and you could tell he did too. Jay has been home all week with him and its exausting dealing with him and my daughters puppy and Lucy who seems to want to go out every hour. I try to put things in perspective. He's walking and getting up on his own. Wow a miracle! In time this will be a memory. I just hope by Christmas we will be walking and getting up on our all the time. But I guess its in God's time not in mine.

Two weeks after getting FCE

Baby Steps 12/6/09

The Happiness Notebook: Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) and Ralph

The Happiness Notebook: Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) and Ralph

DU with FCE

My family consists of 3 children my husband, one cat, two dogs, (10 year beagel and 3 year old yellow lab).DU is my yellow lab. He woke me at 5:00 AM as usual to go out and eat breakfast. It was when he went down the steps I noticed his back leg was dragging. By noon both legs were limp. We took him to the Vet to find out that the x-rays showed very little and without an MRI we couldn't be certain. It was probable diagnosis that it was FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism). The vet gave a grim synopsis of recovery. A technician basically said, " take him home and give the meds and see if he improves. I believe she was an angel! Progress was very slow and very frustrating! WE didn't leave him for anything. He urinated all over us and pooped without warning. Exercised the legs and messaged them alot. We took him to my chiropractor and she worked on him and used acupuncture and homeopathic meds. The littlest improvement felt like a miracle. It always seemed that it was the little things that kept us going. So frustrating trying to keep him on a padded area so he didn't pee all over my carpets. Endless laundry of towels sheets and changing pads, cleaning him up and getting him outside. Did I mention he weighs 115lbs? Then there is my daughters black lab puppy. Has no concept that DU is incapable of standing. Constantly trying to play tug of war with him. Tension builds as we worry that he will reinjure himself. The progress started with just getting him to twitch his leg by tickling his hairs on the bottom of his feet. Then squeezing his paws hard to get him to pull his legs up. Tickling the hairs on his tail to get him to twitch the tail. Excited to see him dream and his back legs would move! I was so excited when he wagged his tail when he stood up (with out help). Then seeing the knuckling going away. He now uses his left leg to balance and walk. The right leg still doesn't have complete control. Just about the time he started using it he broke two toe nail and cut his pad on his foot. So now he bobbles the foot trying to put it down so it doesn't hit the front of his foot. He took seven steps by himself yesterday! The last week he hasn't had any peeing accidents in the house. As long as we get him out side on a regular basis he relieves himself outside. Still poops in the house. We could have him outside laying in the grass for an hour and he would not poop. He lays down inside and boom, he poops. Soooo frustrating. He has been able to get himself up a couple of times if his legs are in the right "place". I will keep you up to date with his progress and try to post some video and pictures of him before and after.