11.25.15
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:26 pm by eborzage
Post-op has improved life in many areas for Baloo, and I’d say we have plenty to be Thankful for tomorrow.
Someone has figured out that we’d doting on him, and is taking his best shot at destroying our “no food handouts for the dogs” rules!
Pllllllease? Can I have some? 11/22/15
Plllease? 11/22/15
Beyond realizing he has the world on a string, he’s been thoroughly enjoying micro walks, all about 10-12 minutes long. He absolutely loves hoping around in the yard, smelling smells, and watching the world pass by.
11/23/15
There are plenty of mornings spread out in warm California sunbeams, and evenings curled up on my bed, either with his buddy Maverick, or with me.
Sunbeams 11/22/15
Yin and Yang in my Snuggly Bed 11/23/15
We’re still holding off on that swim for now, but the incision site looks better every day. We do have life vests for the labbies, though we may end up with an upgrade for Baloo’s current scenario. When I lived on the ocean, my weekends were spent with my labs puttering around in a lil’ sailboat. They wore life vests, because no matter how calm the wind, the life vests were my backup plan if I were trapped, or they were. You can get caught in a line, or knocked out by a boom, or even have a random gray whale under your boat (true story), so it’s better to know the dogs will float until help arrives.
My black lab, Maverick, became a skilled crew over time, even learning my verbal commands to tack! Other sailors on the bay always got a kick out of his sail skills.
Baloo has earned his sea legs too, getting to go out in the boat a couple times when he came to visit me in San Diego, before I moved up north.
Thanksgiving 2010 – First Time Sailing
Thanksgiving Day 2010 – Baloo’s First Time Sailing
Saturday 11/28 is Baloo’s one month ampuversary, and my brother rolls into town, so there is a lot for Baloo to be thankful for, beyond the inevitable turkey trimmings we’ll slip into the boys’ bowls. We found a veterinarian in our hometown who is willing to start underwater treadmill therapy for Baloo in about a week, too, so with a little work he may become even stronger than when we started this journey! Here’s to the next step.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Permalink
11.18.15
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:40 pm by eborzage
It’s been three weeks on three legs, and as hoped, Baloo is back to doing everything he was pre-surgery, with the exception of swimming. To be honest though, our swimming hole is a little stagnant, and it’s not the idea of three legs in the water that bothers us, but the idea of our particular water on a still scabby wound that makes our skin crawl. We may wait for a little time to pass before getting that wound in our local creek.
However, the Bubz is less fatigued on our short-but-sweet walks through the fall colors in the park across the street. He walks for a few minutes a day, and goes a few feet further each trek out. He is anxious to go on his “usual route,” but we humans are a little more patient.
Of course, when I say “walk,” we’re really talking more of a triple-time sprint compared to the limping walk he had before surgery.
“Walking” 11-17
Fall in the Park 11-17
We are one week in to chemo, and though his trips to UCD are always tiring, we did not notice any considerable impact from his first round of treatment. We’ll go in every three weeks for another round, unless his white blood cell count falls too low.
I Get By with a Little Help From My Friends! First Day Of Chemo!
Our local vet tech is a friend, and she has been begging me to bring Baloo by for a visit so that the clinic could see him. On Veteran’s Day, Mom, Dad, and I loaded Baloo up and drove him over to our local vet to say hello! Everyone dropped what they were doing, including his vet, to run out and see him. They couldn’t believe how wonderful he looked, and were so happy to see his smiling face. Our vet hugged Mom, and told her we absolutely had done the right thing. Baloo cruised for cookies, and clearly had no idea what the big deal was. We were also pleased to see that he is down about 4 pounds despite the lack of activity, which should be helpful on his new frame.
What is very reassuring to me is that regardless of the success of the chemotherapy, I think the amputation is a resounding success. We had ‘hoped’ that Baloo would have only a couple of weeks of recovery in exchange for a return to a comfortable life. In our opinion, he had only a couple of days of mild discomfort, and nearly no issues adjusting.
We have one major goal left, and that is to get Baloo back in the water, and once that is accomplished, I would call his surgery a success.
Whether the chemotherapy is also a success, remains to be seen!
Next week my brother will get to see Baloo for the first time since his surgery. He wanted to wait to see his new “sleek” tripawd figure in person, since it’s a bit easier to be reassured that he’s doing fine to see it in person. I think he will be pleasantly surprised when the bucking bronco races through the yard to greet him!
Permalink
11.09.15
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:43 pm by eborzage
No matter what fun the boys are having, when Maverick and Baloo hear my Ford’s rumble miles down the street, they stop what they’re doing to race to the front window, and wait for the first glimpse of me pulling into the driveway.
I love those two faces expectantly waiting with their ears perked up, and then when my engine shuts down, watching their mad dash to the door to investigate the scents on my shoes, and demand a cuddle, and dinner, not necessarily in that order.
Baloo has resumed his evening greeting duties, and I am glad to see his face in the window when I get home!
Waiting Somewhat Patiently for the Evening Snuggle!
He even beat Maverick out the door a few days ago, proving motivation can beat four legs, if you really want to get there first. I’m especially glad to be the prize at the end of this finish line.
As expected, Baloo is improving each day, and my mom even felt comfortable leaving her baby for two nights to shop for wedding dresses with my future sister-in-law in southern California over the weekend, which we had not been sure she would be willing to do so soon after surgery. Maverick took the golden opportunity to regain a little attention, and decided to devour the uncooked rice inside a sock we’d been heating up and applying to Baloo’s wound.
The gastrointestinal pyrotechnics that followed Maverick’s dry rice consumption were impressive, and our trusty steam cleaner and I worked hard Friday evening returning the carpet to a state that two, three and four-legged occupants could all enjoy.
By the time this Cinderella was ready to collapse into bed, my willpower to convince Baloo that climbing into bed with me would stress his stitches was weak. I tried. He cried for hours, and after stopping him from trying to jump onto my bed himself, I caved like a sandcastle.
I put my degree in construction management to good use and assembles a long doggie accessible staircase with minimal rise in each step. By the time “construction” was complete, we were into the wee hours of the morning, but Baloo was finally able to get up to his favorite sleeping spot, safely. You can see from that look on his face that the hard work was worth it.
Maverick also tested out the accent to the bed throne, and then as usual, left to patrol the house, which is his preferred nighttime job.
Baloo’s nighttime routine has always been to head into my room to climb onto my bed once he was sure we were done dropping food in the kitchen. He didn’t understand being confined to the floor post-surgery. Since making my bed accessible, he’s been in there snoring with his head on my pillows again, coming and going as he pleases, and my clothing is back to being covered in dog hair after a brief break.
To be honest, those stairs are more for my peace of mind than his comfort – I doubt he’ll be using them once those stitches come out tomorrow.
He’s feeling great, and learning to romp around a bit, and clearly not in any pain. We will find out tomorrow what his path forward with oncology will look like, and my hope will be that he continues to feel this great through his chemotherapy too.
Permalink
11.02.15
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:49 am by eborzage
When we went to pick up Baloo from surgery last Friday, we may have walked in to see him for the first time while he was mid-physical therapy session, unannounced. Oops! Baloo was still hooked up to the TENS unit when he caught a glimpse of us, but wires weren’t about to stop him from tearing free for a greeting. He was fired up! Seeing him barrel my way was picture perfect.
Our well laid plans to assist Baloo to our car went out the window as he hurled himself down the sidewalk so fast I had to reconsider my own pace. My friend assisted with a towel sling at the breakneck pace as our pup set out towards the parking lot. He was at the car before we could even move it to the loading zone and could barely slow him down to frame a photo with my buddy, and then try to assist him up and inside.
Baloo ready to for the trip home thanks to UCD and to great care from an old friend!
After our two hour trip, Baloo walked in the door, straight into the kitchen, and rather than collapsing, he did what any good lab does – lowered himself onto the floor to check the kitchen baseboards for scraps of food my other lab might have missed. It struck a nice note of grace and comic relief.
The first night home was tough. My friend’s parting reminder was one of the few things I hadn’t thought about – he said Baloo hadn’t slept much in the hospital, and to remember that on top of his surgical issues and medication, that he was was just plain exhausted. We were also having trouble restricting Baloo his normal activities, which confused him to no end. On normal nighta he grunts when he would like an invitation to get up on our beds, and when he did not receive one Friday night, he was restless for the rest of the night, and clearly in some pain, as were we. By Saturday morning things looked up considerably.
Baloo, wearing my favorite, now one-sleeved t-shirt, actually resting, with Dad and Maverick keeping him company
We were relieved to find that “relieving” himself came without balance issues, or other complications. Though we bought a support sling, he has not had fatigue or balance problems, so we involve it sporadically with trips to the grass.
Also not surprisingly, Baloo insisted on immediately resuming his favorite job of retrieving the newspaper (though I run out first to bring it from the end of the driveway to a more reasonable 5′ trek from the front door). Pre-surgery he also prided himself on taking our elderly neighbors’ papers to their doors, so I’m sure there are several seniors down the street wondering why their newspaper carriers have suddenly stopped delivering their papers to their doorstep over the past week.
Baloo’s Favorite “Job” Pre-Amputation, which has already been resumed!
Last night he was feeling so spunky that he even decided to try hopping up on the bed WITHOUT asking for an invite. Luckily we’d put the mattress at ground level. He even felt good enough to pick up a couple toys and give them a good squeak today.
But he fatigues quickly, and wants to do more than his single leg is up for. We are hopeful it’s a matter of conditioning and not his age limiting him, because his spirit is raring to go, and we’d like to see his leg and body willing to keep up very soon. I remind everyone that it’s only been a couple days, but we see how much he wants to do, and can’t help but think ahead. His heart is in it, and we sure hope the rest of him follows suit!
Permalink
10.30.15
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:14 pm by eborzage
Well, “running” is a strong verb, but Baloo is clearly feeling like his SPUNKY self, because at 7:59am I received this note from my friend:
Someone is ready to go home! 10/30/15
I was stoked to see him looking so spunky, and forwarded the tale to my family, along with the photo, and the proceeded to show his smile off to all of my caring coworkers also following his progress. Everything looked on track for Baloo’s planned pickup tomorrow morning.
But, 30 minutes later mom called me with a little extra information. She said that UC Davis had called, and said that Baloo not only chewed out the catheter, but that he also ate it. UCD had to induce vomiting to collect all the pieces. So, UCD wanted to know how soon Baloo could be picked up…something about him causing trouble…and apparently not needing any more physical therapy. ;o) “The sooner, the better,” they said.
I think he’s trying to say he’s READY TO GO HOME!
We hear ya, loud and clear buddy! We’ll see you in a few hours!
Permalink
← Previous Entries Next Entries →
