Notable in both good and bad ways. Sigh.
The Good: Today, for the first time, Jake decided it was okay to "go" on campus. Sounds like such a small thing, but he's been going to work with me since before Christmas, and has never gone there, despite how long the day was or how often I took him outside. so today I took him out once and he peed, and when I took him out later, he pooped, too! The latter took me so by surprise I didn't have a bag with me, and had to go back for one. But it's the small triumphs that matter.
The Bad: Chris is out of town on business. Today is the first day that Reilly has not had a mid-day potty break since his surgery. On my long teaching days, Chris had been coming home in the middle of the day to let him go. So, I was expecting that he wouldn't be able to hold it and that I'd have clean-up to do. I was right. But I was not prepared for him to have had diarrhea. Oh, my. I managed to remove washable items and get them in the wash, then get the rest, including the rug outside. And cleaned him up. But he seems to feel fine.
More Good: It's now right at six weeks since surgery, so we can start allowing him exercise and building muscle back up, so when I took him out I removed the leash and let him walk about on his own. He was surprised, and pretty much walked with me anyway. But he'll start getting more exercise now, although he's got to work into it. I don't need him injuring himself due to atrophied muscles. I'm sure he'll be glad to get some physical activity in!
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Catching up
I've let three weeks slip by without posting! What a slacker!
Within these three weeks, I've been back to my parents to be there when my mother underwent a medical procedure, begun a new semester with all that entails, have been working with Jake, and dealing with Bored Puppy as best we can. It's been busy.
Reilly is five weeks post-surgery now. He feels fine, wants to play, wants to run, and he's not yet ready for that. Bones take six weeks to heal. In another week, we'll start allowing him more freedom, although we won't be just letting him run with the others. His hind leg muscles were already weak, and this hasn't strengthened them. He'll need to build up muscle mass. But he'll start next weekend. Probably with just off-leash bathroom breaks to start. It'll be anther two weeks before he'll be allowed to play with the others. Not ready for roughhousing yet!
He has learned to ask to go out, but his asking method is grating. He's hit on the exact pitch of whine that will make you want to pull your hair out if you're within 100 feet of him. Surely gets him outside quickly though! Since he's not getting exercise, his system is off and he's back to needing to go out nights. He mostly wakes Chris up, since he's closest to the door. and he says he doesn't mind, so who am I to argue?
I'll be pleased when he can exercise for many reasons. He's eaten half a dozen towels, one orthopedic dog bed, one pillow, several dog toys and lots of newspapers. Last night I found him lovingly licking the leg of the dining room table! He hadn't started chewing, though, and he stopped when I admonished him. He always stops when told to, but if nobody is there to tell him? Well, destruction reigns. Can't blame him one bit. We've provided as much as we could think of in the way of entertainment, and at least he didn't resort to eating the leather covered furniture.
As he's healed, I've been re-enforcing behaviors, such as making him sit at the door for me to put his leash on (I wasn't making him sit for a while because it was obviously painful) and making him wait while I exited the door and descended the steps before telling him he could join me. He's been good about not pulling, or doing little pulling; easily corrected. Once he decided to chase Sherbert the cat, and snapped the leash right out of my hand. I yelled, and he froze two jumps away, then came back when I told him to. Good puppy!
I will continue working with him, and have him reevaluated for soundness between 18 mos and 2 years to see if he'll be able to work, although I won't expect it.
In the meantime, Jake has been going with me to work. He easily wears a light mobility harness, which I modified severely to suit me better. I needed to raise the handle an inch, and wanted a thicker, softer handle, so I got a neoprene one and altered it to fit. I also wanted Jake to be able to carry packs, so altered the harness to take packs or not as I chose, then altered the packs to attach to the harness. Velcro is a wonderful thing. (and I did order it through Amazon per Anna's suggestion. Thanks, Anna!)
It's so much more comfortable walking with Jake for balance than the forearm crutches! I did not anticipate this aspect at all. Instead of leaning into the crutches, which is good balance, but is stressful on shoulders, back and hips, I can stand straight and trust to Jake to keep me there. He's learned to stop and take one step at a time, allowing me to use him to ascend or descend one step at a time, too. I got throws for him, keeping one in my office and stashing one in each classroom I teach in. He had time to get used to the throw in the office, and when I pulled one out in the classroom, he got quite waggly. He knew it was for him.
At this point, when we walk into a classroom, he stands while I remove his pack (which normally contains whiteboard markers and my iTouch), then I spread his throw and he gets on it and sleeps through class. The timer on my iTouch that announces the end of class wakes him up.
Problems? Definitely. I've gotten Jake over the trauma of riding the elevator, and now he's fine with it. I learned that he's reluctant to enter the bathroom until the light is on. I've also figured out that he will not drink the water from the faucets on campus! The water is nasty. So I must bring him water. But I haven't gotten him to use the bathroom on campus not even once, no matter how often I take him out, or where I walk him. He'll hold it. Additionally, there's one long hallway that seems to make him nervous going in one direction, and he slows down to the point where I feel like I'm pulling him along. I haven't sorted out what he's thinking there, but I'm working on it. Overall though, this is going better than I anticipated. I explained his presence to my students the first day of class, and let them know that while they can meet him, since they can't distract him from working they need to come to my office to do so. I've had more students come to my office so far this semester than I even have before! Jake makes good bait. A lot of my students have left their own pets with their parents while they're in school, and they miss them.
A couple pictures from hubby's iPhone:
The first is him holding Reilly's paw. Maybe we should have named him Bigfoot!
Annnndddd....... a really blurry one. I was making supper, which was French onion soup. I was slicing bread to go on it, and Chris softly told me to turn around. I turned to all the hopeful faces. Bread is much loved!
Within these three weeks, I've been back to my parents to be there when my mother underwent a medical procedure, begun a new semester with all that entails, have been working with Jake, and dealing with Bored Puppy as best we can. It's been busy.
Reilly is five weeks post-surgery now. He feels fine, wants to play, wants to run, and he's not yet ready for that. Bones take six weeks to heal. In another week, we'll start allowing him more freedom, although we won't be just letting him run with the others. His hind leg muscles were already weak, and this hasn't strengthened them. He'll need to build up muscle mass. But he'll start next weekend. Probably with just off-leash bathroom breaks to start. It'll be anther two weeks before he'll be allowed to play with the others. Not ready for roughhousing yet!
He has learned to ask to go out, but his asking method is grating. He's hit on the exact pitch of whine that will make you want to pull your hair out if you're within 100 feet of him. Surely gets him outside quickly though! Since he's not getting exercise, his system is off and he's back to needing to go out nights. He mostly wakes Chris up, since he's closest to the door. and he says he doesn't mind, so who am I to argue?
I'll be pleased when he can exercise for many reasons. He's eaten half a dozen towels, one orthopedic dog bed, one pillow, several dog toys and lots of newspapers. Last night I found him lovingly licking the leg of the dining room table! He hadn't started chewing, though, and he stopped when I admonished him. He always stops when told to, but if nobody is there to tell him? Well, destruction reigns. Can't blame him one bit. We've provided as much as we could think of in the way of entertainment, and at least he didn't resort to eating the leather covered furniture.
As he's healed, I've been re-enforcing behaviors, such as making him sit at the door for me to put his leash on (I wasn't making him sit for a while because it was obviously painful) and making him wait while I exited the door and descended the steps before telling him he could join me. He's been good about not pulling, or doing little pulling; easily corrected. Once he decided to chase Sherbert the cat, and snapped the leash right out of my hand. I yelled, and he froze two jumps away, then came back when I told him to. Good puppy!
I will continue working with him, and have him reevaluated for soundness between 18 mos and 2 years to see if he'll be able to work, although I won't expect it.
In the meantime, Jake has been going with me to work. He easily wears a light mobility harness, which I modified severely to suit me better. I needed to raise the handle an inch, and wanted a thicker, softer handle, so I got a neoprene one and altered it to fit. I also wanted Jake to be able to carry packs, so altered the harness to take packs or not as I chose, then altered the packs to attach to the harness. Velcro is a wonderful thing. (and I did order it through Amazon per Anna's suggestion. Thanks, Anna!)
It's so much more comfortable walking with Jake for balance than the forearm crutches! I did not anticipate this aspect at all. Instead of leaning into the crutches, which is good balance, but is stressful on shoulders, back and hips, I can stand straight and trust to Jake to keep me there. He's learned to stop and take one step at a time, allowing me to use him to ascend or descend one step at a time, too. I got throws for him, keeping one in my office and stashing one in each classroom I teach in. He had time to get used to the throw in the office, and when I pulled one out in the classroom, he got quite waggly. He knew it was for him.
At this point, when we walk into a classroom, he stands while I remove his pack (which normally contains whiteboard markers and my iTouch), then I spread his throw and he gets on it and sleeps through class. The timer on my iTouch that announces the end of class wakes him up.
Problems? Definitely. I've gotten Jake over the trauma of riding the elevator, and now he's fine with it. I learned that he's reluctant to enter the bathroom until the light is on. I've also figured out that he will not drink the water from the faucets on campus! The water is nasty. So I must bring him water. But I haven't gotten him to use the bathroom on campus not even once, no matter how often I take him out, or where I walk him. He'll hold it. Additionally, there's one long hallway that seems to make him nervous going in one direction, and he slows down to the point where I feel like I'm pulling him along. I haven't sorted out what he's thinking there, but I'm working on it. Overall though, this is going better than I anticipated. I explained his presence to my students the first day of class, and let them know that while they can meet him, since they can't distract him from working they need to come to my office to do so. I've had more students come to my office so far this semester than I even have before! Jake makes good bait. A lot of my students have left their own pets with their parents while they're in school, and they miss them.
A couple pictures from hubby's iPhone:
The first is him holding Reilly's paw. Maybe we should have named him Bigfoot!
Annnndddd....... a really blurry one. I was making supper, which was French onion soup. I was slicing bread to go on it, and Chris softly told me to turn around. I turned to all the hopeful faces. Bread is much loved!
Yes, that's Reilly on the right. Jake is center, and Murphy on the left. At 8 months, Reilly is the largest. Sorry it's blurry, but he was laughing at the polite hopefulness.
Meg, Reilly and Jake
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sutures out today
Reilly got his sutures removed this morning. I found it hilarious and sweet that other students who had seen him when he was in before had to come in and love on him, too. He's a heart-stealer, for sure!
Since he had the seroma on his left knee, and was showing a small one on his right knee, the vet student who removed the sutures had him seen by the clinician on duty...who happened to be the department head. It seems the seromas are quite common in younger dogs so not unexpected. Reilly will be eased back into being active more slowly than we anticipated. He wants us to continue hot packing and massage and increase his walk time slowly. They're expecting eight weeks post surgery before he's allowed rougher activities. He did say that some people would try to drain the seromas, but in his experience it increases the risk of infection in the joint, plus they fill back up anyway. I've seen them drained in the past, and know that they often do fill back up, so see no sense in doing that.
Overall, they were quite pleased with how he's healing up. So are we.
We have managed to get past the accidents in the house with reminders that he should ask, and immediate response from us when he does. I'd like to modify how he asks, but that can be worked on later. Asking is the important thing.
Jake went to knit night tonight. I stayed for three hours this time. Jake began on the floor at my side, and as more people came in, he slowly crawled under the table in front of my feet. This is the perfect place for him to be, and most service dogs are trained to go under the table. I can see a need to teach Jake to crawl on command, as he didn't know how to come out from under there. He sat up...and banged his head on the table. He couldn't sit up all the way and was confused. At home, our table is a counter height. It allows the dogs to walk under more easily, and it's much easier for me to have the higher chairs. Aside from that though, Jake did beautifully. He got so comfortable that he snored, and didn't react at all when someone brought in McDonalds for several of us. Knitnight is valuable for him to learn patience, waiting, and for getting used to having lots of strangers close by. It will be very helpful since we have a new semester starting soon.
I intend to start going to work next week, with Jake, and going into the classrooms I'll be teaching in, using the computers in there to do my prep work. I'll take Jake's throw from my office, so he gets used to having his space, and waiting in there. That should make it easier when classes start.
Off to bed!
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Since he had the seroma on his left knee, and was showing a small one on his right knee, the vet student who removed the sutures had him seen by the clinician on duty...who happened to be the department head. It seems the seromas are quite common in younger dogs so not unexpected. Reilly will be eased back into being active more slowly than we anticipated. He wants us to continue hot packing and massage and increase his walk time slowly. They're expecting eight weeks post surgery before he's allowed rougher activities. He did say that some people would try to drain the seromas, but in his experience it increases the risk of infection in the joint, plus they fill back up anyway. I've seen them drained in the past, and know that they often do fill back up, so see no sense in doing that.
Overall, they were quite pleased with how he's healing up. So are we.
We have managed to get past the accidents in the house with reminders that he should ask, and immediate response from us when he does. I'd like to modify how he asks, but that can be worked on later. Asking is the important thing.
Jake went to knit night tonight. I stayed for three hours this time. Jake began on the floor at my side, and as more people came in, he slowly crawled under the table in front of my feet. This is the perfect place for him to be, and most service dogs are trained to go under the table. I can see a need to teach Jake to crawl on command, as he didn't know how to come out from under there. He sat up...and banged his head on the table. He couldn't sit up all the way and was confused. At home, our table is a counter height. It allows the dogs to walk under more easily, and it's much easier for me to have the higher chairs. Aside from that though, Jake did beautifully. He got so comfortable that he snored, and didn't react at all when someone brought in McDonalds for several of us. Knitnight is valuable for him to learn patience, waiting, and for getting used to having lots of strangers close by. It will be very helpful since we have a new semester starting soon.
I intend to start going to work next week, with Jake, and going into the classrooms I'll be teaching in, using the computers in there to do my prep work. I'll take Jake's throw from my office, so he gets used to having his space, and waiting in there. That should make it easier when classes start.
Off to bed!
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Jake out and about
Today I needed to run some errands, searching for some wide, heavy duty, sew-in Velcro. Hubby also needed to go to Harbor Freight. Anticipating lower crowds, I took Jake. We did HF first. He did very well, responding to "left" and "right" as we turned through isles. He did stretch toward one man who held his hand out, but stopped when I minded him that he wasn't supposed to do that. We then went to JoAnnes craft/fabric store. He did exceptionally well there, passing carts and people with aplomb. It was the first time he's seen shopping carts, too. There was a little girl he was attracted to, but again, he desisted when reminded.
JoAnnes didn't have what we needed, so we proceeded to Hobby Lobby. He decided he was an old hand at this now, and bypassed excited children as well as people and carts. But they still didn't have what I needed....so on to Michael's. Again, he acted like a pro. The only exception there was on the way out, where they have metal framed containers to display baskets and such, Chris rattled one, and Jake jumped. He settled back down quickly though.
We came home after that...still with no Velcro! Jake behaved marvelously. The check-out girl at HF didn't even notice him until we had paid and started to leave. I'm extremely proud of him.
Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 am to get to Reilly's 9:00 am appointment for suture removal and re-check. We'll see how it all goes. Chris is still hot/cold packing that swollen left knee.
Now I must find the sew-in Velcro so I can adapt doggie backpacks to fit the mobility harness.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al
JoAnnes didn't have what we needed, so we proceeded to Hobby Lobby. He decided he was an old hand at this now, and bypassed excited children as well as people and carts. But they still didn't have what I needed....so on to Michael's. Again, he acted like a pro. The only exception there was on the way out, where they have metal framed containers to display baskets and such, Chris rattled one, and Jake jumped. He settled back down quickly though.
We came home after that...still with no Velcro! Jake behaved marvelously. The check-out girl at HF didn't even notice him until we had paid and started to leave. I'm extremely proud of him.
Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 am to get to Reilly's 9:00 am appointment for suture removal and re-check. We'll see how it all goes. Chris is still hot/cold packing that swollen left knee.
Now I must find the sew-in Velcro so I can adapt doggie backpacks to fit the mobility harness.
Meg, Reilly, Jake, et al
Local vet recheck
Took Reilly to get looked at Wednesday as the seroma on his left knee just won't stay away. It goes down with a hot pack, then comes right back. It was larger and firmer than it has been, so we called and got a short appointment to get it checked. Doc Kim checked him out, agreed that he doesn't have signs of infection, and called State to confirm her suggestions for care (continued hot packs alternating with cold, and gentle massage). She also asked up to give them her email when we go up as she would like a copy of his x-rays. She wants to see better what she should be looking for on knees. Turns out she's only seen OCD in shoulders and has not had a case in knees, which is one reason it didn't get picked up. So she wants to fill in that education gap.
She did a quick scan of his record from State, and was amazed (and thrilled) that we went ahead and did the CT of his elbows while he was under anaesthesia. It was cheaper to do it then than to go back through all the anaesthesia again later, not to mention easier on him. After her comments today, I realize that I often forget the fact that we live in an area where people let their dogs run free or or leave them chained in the backyard, and they are considered disposable. It's not uncommon to see several puppies on the side of the road where they've all been hit by a car, as the litter has never been confined. So I'm guessing that most of her clientele would not pay to have their dog's knees fixed, but would let it remain in pain or put it down. On the other hand, I believe that when you get a pet, it's a responsibility. And a personality. Not disposable.
Reilly is quickly learning again to ask to go out, although he's not so quick to poop once he gets out. He pees like a race horse....but he also drinks more water than any dog I've ever seen. But he doesn't poop so quickly. But he's figured out that if he comes in and still needs to poop, to just ask to go out again, and we'll do that.
Of course, his asking right now is not subtle. He just starts barking. Loudly. It gets the point across, but he's got a serious big-dog bark going on that reverberates nicely through the house. Funny pup. Still, he's remembering what he should do, and that's good.
Jake starts beginner obedience class in a week or so. He already knows much of what is taught there, but it will still be good for him, and he'll go right into his CGC class. By then, Reilly will be fully healed and ready to go back to school, too. If it wasn't for the hurdle jumping, I'd put one of them in competition obedience, but jumping is not what they need to be doing. I'll just find another outlet somewhere for Reilly.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
She did a quick scan of his record from State, and was amazed (and thrilled) that we went ahead and did the CT of his elbows while he was under anaesthesia. It was cheaper to do it then than to go back through all the anaesthesia again later, not to mention easier on him. After her comments today, I realize that I often forget the fact that we live in an area where people let their dogs run free or or leave them chained in the backyard, and they are considered disposable. It's not uncommon to see several puppies on the side of the road where they've all been hit by a car, as the litter has never been confined. So I'm guessing that most of her clientele would not pay to have their dog's knees fixed, but would let it remain in pain or put it down. On the other hand, I believe that when you get a pet, it's a responsibility. And a personality. Not disposable.
Reilly is quickly learning again to ask to go out, although he's not so quick to poop once he gets out. He pees like a race horse....but he also drinks more water than any dog I've ever seen. But he doesn't poop so quickly. But he's figured out that if he comes in and still needs to poop, to just ask to go out again, and we'll do that.
Of course, his asking right now is not subtle. He just starts barking. Loudly. It gets the point across, but he's got a serious big-dog bark going on that reverberates nicely through the house. Funny pup. Still, he's remembering what he should do, and that's good.
Jake starts beginner obedience class in a week or so. He already knows much of what is taught there, but it will still be good for him, and he'll go right into his CGC class. By then, Reilly will be fully healed and ready to go back to school, too. If it wasn't for the hurdle jumping, I'd put one of them in competition obedience, but jumping is not what they need to be doing. I'll just find another outlet somewhere for Reilly.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Did I say bored?
Seriously bored.
The dog bed is now completely history, and he shredded the beach towel I put down on the carpet, too. Chris just took shoes away from him. Reverting to confinement has reverted him to acting like a teething puppy. Sigh. Nothing to do but watch him closely and remind him how he's supposed to behave. And keep giving him toys to play with and things he's allowed to destroy. Every day we get through is an accomplishment. And he'll be happy to get some freedom back at the end of it. If we all survive it!
It's made me remember all the things I would get into as a child when I was kept home sick. And when my son, Joe, was hospitalized at one year old, he tried to dismantle the hospital bed, piece by piece. Healing puppies are very similar to healing children. He feels better and doesn't want to be confined. Sutures out on Friday!
Today Jake escorted me to my knitnight group, and was a perfect gentleman. He is learning the Invisible Dog trick so well that one woman came in, walked past us to a seat, and later in the evening when he was mentioned, it took her by surprise. He'd been beside my chair the entire time. He will begin getting off-farm practice at least every-other day until spring semester starts up; then every day. And his obedience class begins on Jan 3rd.
We're getting there. We're taking a different route than the one I planned, but the scenic route is good, too.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
The dog bed is now completely history, and he shredded the beach towel I put down on the carpet, too. Chris just took shoes away from him. Reverting to confinement has reverted him to acting like a teething puppy. Sigh. Nothing to do but watch him closely and remind him how he's supposed to behave. And keep giving him toys to play with and things he's allowed to destroy. Every day we get through is an accomplishment. And he'll be happy to get some freedom back at the end of it. If we all survive it!
It's made me remember all the things I would get into as a child when I was kept home sick. And when my son, Joe, was hospitalized at one year old, he tried to dismantle the hospital bed, piece by piece. Healing puppies are very similar to healing children. He feels better and doesn't want to be confined. Sutures out on Friday!
Today Jake escorted me to my knitnight group, and was a perfect gentleman. He is learning the Invisible Dog trick so well that one woman came in, walked past us to a seat, and later in the evening when he was mentioned, it took her by surprise. He'd been beside my chair the entire time. He will begin getting off-farm practice at least every-other day until spring semester starts up; then every day. And his obedience class begins on Jan 3rd.
We're getting there. We're taking a different route than the one I planned, but the scenic route is good, too.
Meg, Reilly, Jake et al
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bored Puppy is bored
What do you get when a mastiff puppy catches Santa?
A snowstorm, maybe?
Oh! Wait! Reilly says that wasn't some old guy's beard after all.
It's just my pillow, Mom.
And since you took it all away...
I decided to bury my chewy in my bed.
Bored Puppy did go for a ride to Georgia and back, and got loved on by my nephews and niece, all in one day. Perhaps that will help for a few hours.
Also, I figured out that Reilly quit asking to go out some time ago, and has simply depended on the other Boys to ask and gone out with them each time. It's apparent now because we don't want them out altogether. It's hard to walk Reilly with the other Boys loose. So Reilly has had a couple accidents inside, simply because he forgot how to ask, and we weren't paying attention. We will be paying attention now, and he will re-learn how to ask.
The things you get with multiple doggies!
Only 2 1/2 weeks of incarceration to go!
Entertainment ideas for Bored Puppy would be welcome.
Meg, Bored Puppy, et al.
Oh! Wait! Reilly says that wasn't some old guy's beard after all.
And since you took it all away...
Bored Puppy did go for a ride to Georgia and back, and got loved on by my nephews and niece, all in one day. Perhaps that will help for a few hours.
Also, I figured out that Reilly quit asking to go out some time ago, and has simply depended on the other Boys to ask and gone out with them each time. It's apparent now because we don't want them out altogether. It's hard to walk Reilly with the other Boys loose. So Reilly has had a couple accidents inside, simply because he forgot how to ask, and we weren't paying attention. We will be paying attention now, and he will re-learn how to ask.
The things you get with multiple doggies!
Only 2 1/2 weeks of incarceration to go!
Entertainment ideas for Bored Puppy would be welcome.
Meg, Bored Puppy, et al.
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