Pre-Holiday Planning

We are heading up to the Moosehead Lake Hideaway for the holiday. I am planning on cooking a couple of yummy new dishes as well as try my hand at baking some sweet goodies. I've always loved cooking. Well, I should really say, I love cooking when I want to and when and only when I am in a good mood. And I've never baked anything that wasn't out of a box or tube. This X-mas, I am happy, thankful, and look forward to spending time cozied up in a cabin with my husband and furkids. This will be Sabrina's first stay away from home (besides in a tent). I am a bit nervous about how she will do if we need to leave the two of them in the cabin for a period of time. Thank goodness we have big brother Riley to keep her calm. I cannot imagine what it would be like if we had just the one Flattie, how do they stay calm with out a Berner Brother around?
So besides planning our entrees, I need to plan ahead what the furkids will eat. So far, I think I will bring 2 large Buffalo marrow bones, 6 lbs of lamb, 6 lbs of beef, and maybe 2 lbs of salmon. Plus I'll bring a few cans of Merrick, maybe Rocky Mountain Rainbows and Wild Buffalo Grill. They like those. And lots and lots of treats. Since I haven't had much time to train Sabrina, only during our brief morning walks, I plan to do more obedience training during this break. She still needs some work on down and stay. She's smart girl, just VERY ADD. Maybe she's more ADHD. Can't wait!

Hi-bye

Been too busy lately to write. But not much has happened around here with the furkids. So I thought I'd just post one of my favorite Riley-Sabrina cuddles.

Happy anniversary Bernerbuddy Blog!

I have been anticipating the first anniversary since I started this blog: December 9th, and what do I do? I miss the date! I can't believe it's been an entire year and I am still writing and people are actually still reading! I want to thank my three friends (two in my dance troupe and one in Cali) and my husband for reading my blog (at least somewhat regularly). You guys have kept me writing and helped me enjoy writing about my Bernerbuddy et al.
And all you lurkers out there that have popped in from time to time, won't you leave me a message? I'd like to know whom is reading and what you think about things I have posted. I am so surprised that my blog has been visited by people from all over the world: Africa, Peru, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and more. WOW! Won't you say hello?!

7 weeks post TPLO

Big event for the 7th week milestone...we've taken down the x-pen. If anything, I feel like we could use the x-pen for Sabrina, but she is not one to be confined. The couple of times I have tried to keep her in there did not go so well. First time she broke out. (Probaby just slipped out from underneath it.) And second time she was so anxious she couldn't even handle being in there for 20 minutes with a yummy marrow bone. So the X-pen is packed up and there is some wonderful extra space in our living room now!
This morning's walk was beautiful. The weather has been cooperating the past few weeks. The weekends have been beautiful. So I took the dogs to Beaverbrook and happened to see several Berners at the park. It is seldom that we see more than one of them so this was such a treat. One of the three that we saw is from the same puppy broker that we got Riley from. I have seen them at the park a couple of times before, but I never had Riley with me. With Riley at my side to be an ambassador, it gave me courage to talk to them more about this particular broker situation. It was ideal since both guardians were there. I didn't say that much, just asking about the general health of their Berner and letting them know that if they ever needed anything that the club is a great resource. The other woman with the cute female that Riley loves also chimed in. She recalled her encounter with the broker and knew right away that something about her just wasn't right. The poor couple was obviously shocked and surprised. No doubt a little devastated that the health of their furbaby was on the line. I hate to be the bearer of bad news as I remember how I felt when I first found out. But I also wished I had known so much sooner so that I wouldn't have "advertised" them when people came up to me asking where we got Riley from. I want people to know whom these people are and that they are not reputable breeders. Good thing the other Berner owner was there to help support me and the conversation. I hope to see them again and continue our conversation so they don't feel so helpless. One by one, we'll try to educate them all.

Cat fights and girls

Ever really think about why we describe squabbling amongst those of the female gender, "cat-fights"? Or why certain individuals may be described as being, "catty" and we may even add in a little simutaneous snarl, "reaaaar," with our forearm raised and our fingers formed into a claw-like demonstration?
I know I have used this simile frequently to desribe situations I have witnessed and people I know. But in actuality, I live with it everyday. We have three female cats in the house. Believe me-it's at least one too many. In fact, several times in the course of Ming-a-Ling's young life (she's three) we have decided we could not keep her and was determined to find her a new home. You see, cats are very territorial. And they are not pack animals. Therefore, the whole idea that one is dominant and the others fall into their respectiful submissive places does not apply here. If they fight, they will always fight. And Ming-a-Ling is an all around instigator. And it's not at all as if she can dish it but can't take it. She certainly can take it too. Our little Sabrina finds Ming-a-Ling as the perfect squeeky toy and loves to chase her, pounce on her, and even take her entire head into her mouth.

Ming is just plain obsessed about MeiMei. It's pure, deep rooted, uncontrollable jealousy.

If we put MeiMei in the office, Ming sleeps outside the door. If MeiMei is sleeping on the couch, Ming will sneak up on her and pounce her. If MeiMei is in the litter box, Ming waits for her outside to ambush her. If MeiMei has slept on our bed, Ming will pee on the exact spot where she laid. Her obsessive, jealous behavior has driven us to purchase water bottles to spray at her when she is stalking MeiMei. Riley hates it as much as we do and will try to scare Ming off before she attacks.
When you experience a cat fight, it not only does your heart jump out of your chest, but your blood curdles and your nerves shake. There is no other way to describe it...it's evil. Riley cannot tolerate that kind of distressful behavior.

Yesterday, Ming-a-Ling got MeiMei good. We were set to send her off today. But of course, we couldn't do it. So we've set up a new plan of attack.

I went to Especially for Pets and looked through all the training products. This is what I got:


It's supposed to be a blend of simulated feline pheromones that create a sense of well being. Supposedly great for stress and tension. I wish I could spray it all over my poor MeiMei (heck I wish I could spray the stuff all over myself!). And if this doesn't work, then we've got strategically placed spray bottles of this stuff around the house:

It's the "most bitter stuff on earth." I tried it. Yeah, it's pretty bitter but not the most bitter substance I've ever tasted. Still, it's pretty nasty. The bottle says it protects anything that pets can chew, lick, or bite. I suppose it kinda applies to our situation of pouncing, clawing, and biting. The good thing is, it is safe to be sprayed directly on dogs and cats so we can spray away! So I came home and sprayed all the common living spaces with the calming spray, hoping to distill some calm, happy, energy: the couch, the cat tree, the rugs, the seat cushions, etc. And when Ming got within 2 feet of MeiMei, we sprayed her with "Fooey" for target practice. The house has been quiet since.

So if you ever want to get a clear picture of why we compare fighting females to cat fighting...please, come visit it first-hand in our home.

6 weeks post TPLO

The time really flew by. When we were first researching options for Riley's torn ACL, I read a lot of other people's comments about how fast the time really goes by. But at that time, 10 weeks of restricted activity seemed impossibly long. And here we are now at 6 weeks and luckily for us, everything went so smoothly and recovery came quickly.
I am too ansy to wait until 10 weeks for the x-ray. I am planning on calling the local "kind" vet tomorrow to see if they have x-ray capabilities. I would like Riley to have his x-ray now to confirm that the bone has healed. In addition, I am hoping that they will do the x-ray without any tranquilizer or sedative. If not, I'll have to go to our old "mean" vet and see if they can manage not to piss me off again.

Our dog ate our WHAT?!

Jeffrey got home before me today. At 3:30pm, I got a call from him. I cringed in the seat of my car. I assumed he was calling to tell me what Sabrina did in the house...what she tore up...perhaps it was something of mine....or something important to him. So far she hasn't destroyed anything of any importance. It's usually just a bunch of newspaper shredded, any miscellaneous clothing is dragged out, and her toys all strewed about. But each day, I brace myself to find the worst. Today, however, was no typical day.

Today she knocked over our trash bin.
Oh, and she helped herself to the contents inside. What was inside you ask?

Our Wedding Cake.

Yup. I just took our wedding cake top out of the freezer this weekend cuz I decided it was taking up too much room and there was no way it would be good. Who thought of this silly tradition anyways? To eat a cake that has been frozen for a year?! Yuck. So I threw it out. Well, Sabrina ate it-ALL. It was a pretty good sized cake. About 6 inches by 8 inches and about 6 inches thick. A big serving, especially for a little puppy.

Jeffrey said he reamed out the both of them. He thinks Riley should have known better and stopped her. Yah, right!

Well, needless to say, Sabrina's not feeling too well tonight. By the time I got home around 6pm, she had already lost the contents of her lil tummy, 5 times. She was restricted to Riley's pen and she wasn't even crying.

"Yeah, She's not feeling too well," Jeffrey informed me. "Riley's really concerned about her."

After ensuring that she was done ralphing, I let her have some water and gave her a dose of homeopathic remedy, Nux Vomica. She is now resting peacefully. Riley seems to be feeling fine so he must have known she was doing something naughty and opted not to get involved. He is my good boy, isn't he?

I'm just glad everyone is feeling better and that the cake wasn't chocolate cake. So the lesson to be learned here?

DON'T EAT YEAR-OLD FROZEN WEDDING CAKE. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR YOU. ASK SABRINA!

Sabrina's First Beach Day

This weekend was my "birthday weekend." Along with the best presents a girl could want for her birthday, Jeffrey changed his plans this morning to take us all to the beach. It was the best way to finish up an already fantastic weekend. The weather was gorgeous and the furkids had been ansy in the house all morning. So we packed them up and up 128 we drove, right up to Wingersheek Beach. With his head out the window, Riley already knew where we were headed. He took some deep sniffs and smiled happily in my rear view mirror. Sabrina was twitching with excitement. Needless to say, we all enjoyed ourselved tremendously. Sabrina took to the sand and water with no hesitation. Riley immediately flopped onto his back so he could do his favorite back shimmy shimmy roll. I was even able to get a couple of short videos of them running and playing. Sabrina was hilarious, acting like a crazy lady, chasing waves, learning to dig in the sand. Here are some great pics:




Riley thoroughly enjoyed teasing his little sister by stealing her ball and burying it. Boy was it great to see him smiling.





Two minutes after we got back into the car, the furkids were out like a light. That was before 12 o'clock noon. It's 5pm now as I'm writing up this post, and they are still snoozing on the couch! Let sleeping dogs lie!

5 weeks post TPLO Phase 3

This past weekend, I pushed the envelope with Riley's rehab. I took the dogs to Stonehurst and parked at the far end of the parking lot where a less popular trail head was. We, dog-park people, call this the Anti-Social trail. So I took a few deep breaths and let Riley off leash for the first time in almost 3 months.
In total, I only let him off leash for maybe 6-7 minutes. Sabrina was so excited to be trotting side-by-side with her big brother. She kept picking up sticks and shoving them into his face. The poor guy could barely enjoy his first off leash walk. At one point he did a little blast off into a quick trot and my heart nearly lept out of my chest. That was about all I could handle. I put him back on a short lead and we turned around to head home. I told myself that if he came up lame later at home that we would go right back to restricted exercise.
But lo and behold, my boy continues to use his leg better than ever. So each day, I have allowed him to walk a little longer off leash as long as there is no running, no wrestling, no pouncing, and no quick turning involved. I keep a pouch of treats on me to keep Riley close. He is a very good boy and if I didn't have to bring Sabrina with me, I think things would go much more smoothly, but who can keep that lil ball of flying black fur at home?! No doubt she'd probably destroy our house if I ever did that!
So here we go into Phase 3 of rehab - when Riley can begin to get back into shape, rebuild his muscle tone, and relieve some of that mental madness built up from almost 3 months of cabin fever. I am so happy for my brave boy.

Feasting

So my "Peking" duck wasn't so smashing. It was just a roast duck. At least it was edible. The rest of Thanksgiving was...let's just say, it was another memorable, non-traditional Thanksgiving. But then again, maybe our tradition is to just be non-traditional!
One tradition we do keep is feeding our furkids their own special Thanksgiving feast. The cats all got their own can of Thanksgiving Day Feast by Merrick. Riley and Sabrina each got their own 4.5 lb free range chicken. Riley finished off his in just 10 minutes. Sabrina put in a really good effort but only got about 2.5 pounds in. I wasn't sure if she would even shut herself off or if she would just gorge until she passed out or popped, whichever came first. But luckily she did have full gauge. It was pure crunching happiness in our home!

Getting the word out there- YAY!

Every now and then I happen to pick up a free issue of pets! magazine. It's usually at the groomer's, Dr. Doolittle's office, or this time, at the rehab clinic in Natick. It's a pretty fun paper to read as it has short articles on a lot of different topics, lots of pictures, and good resources. That's where we saw the ad for Paws in Motion.
The recent issue (November) was awesome. The cover story was about service dogs being trained by incarcerated individuals - a topic that is always fascinating to me. But there were two articles in particular that I delighted to see... one was on reading dog food labels and the other was on raw feeding. I am so happy that this type of information is getting out there to the community. Read your dog food labels! Know what the 4Ds are and you'll never want to feed that crap to your family members again! Here is a link to the entire issue: Happy reading!

pets! local news for pets & their people

Sabrina's New Coat

Quality time with my BernerBoy

Yesterday, Jeffrey took Sabrina to Sawyer Pond in NH. It's somewhere along the Kancamagus Highway. Jeffrey's been there several times and I believe we've all gone up once before to hike. I've never stayed there overnight. Jeffrey has, several times. This is the first time he's stayed with a furkid, though. It's also the latest into the colder season that he's gone out. He bought Sabrina a coat- oye. When she gets back, I'll post a photo of her.
So my BernerBuddy and I got to spend some quality alone time together. As much as I miss Jeffrey and my lil girl, it was extra special to just have Riley to focus on. I didn't have to split my affections with anyone and we could enjoy each other's company uninterrupted. And I was estactic to sleep in this morning until 8am!! I can't remember the last time I was able to do that!

4 weeks post TPLO: Rehab Phase 2

I feel like we've gotten through the first phase of Riley's ordeal. 4 weeks of strict confinement and limited activity has paid off. He is doing great. These past two days, things have changed around here. Riley is allowed a 15-20 minute walk with me and Sabrina in the morning at the park. No one is really around that early in the morning so it's perfect. I think Riley is beginning to understand that he is not allowed to run or jump. Even when Sabrina comes charging at him, he calmly stops and braces himself. I have been trying hard to teach her that she cannot go barreling into him. She loves to stalk him from across the field, then charge at him, and ending up crashing into him. I can sometimes stop her before she gets into that "zone" but, like I said, I've been trying hard and she's just a puppy. I think she is just so thrilled that her brother is out walking with her again! I have chosen some open space where there are gentle hills so that we can work on using those hind legs equally to walk up hills. I haven't yet started the figure 8's but I think I will tomorrow.

So in addition to the longer walks, Riley is also going upstairs with us every night to sleep in the bedroom again. He is still carried upstairs as the floors are too slippery for him and I don't think he feels safe on them yet. But in the bedroom, he can crawl under the bed and boy was he thrilled the first night we brought him up! He trotted right over to his usual spot under my side of the bed and poked his head under there, as if just to check that his spot was still there. Last night was the second night we brought him up and this morning we found Riley and Sabrina sleeping together in the dog bed. It was precious.

Additional exercises include sit to stand exercises, which I have to keep to a minimum because it requires me giving out treats and it's been so hard to keep his weight down. The poor dog is willing to eat anything now: cantalope, honey dew, green beans, carrots, bananas, even garlic! Things that if I used to offer him, he would just glance at before he looked at me as if to say, "are ya kidding me? What else ya got?" Now he's eating everything. Anyways, this is an exercise that is easy to do with him and I can see his progress. He is better able to get into a square sit now. That means his leg is no longer exstended staight out to the side in a lazy sitting position, meaning he's more comfortable with his knee in flexion. Yay!

In 5 more weeks, we will be taking Riley and Sabrina to a cabin in Maine for the holiday week. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he could play off leash in the snow by then?

Getting ready to Gobble

In four days it will be Thanksgiving...one of my favorite holidays. I generally have fond memories of Thanksgiving. Even though my family is Chinese-American, we always celebrated Thanksgiving with lots of friends and family. Who doesn't like a day dedicated to being with loved ones and eating yourself silly?

Jeffrey and I cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner together 4 years ago (2002) when we lived in Allston. It was just the two of us but we made all the fixin's. It was really an obscene amount of food, but making it together was an experience to remember. And the bacon, bleu cheese, and chive mashed potatoes were hard to forget too. Since we've been in our new house, we've had one Thanksgiving dinner, but we didn't cook it all ourselves. We bought a lot of premade stuff from Whole Foods. That was the year we had a house guest. I cannot say that Thanksgiving dinner was that memorable. That was also Riley's first year with us. He got his own 2.5 pound roasting chicken for his Thanksgiving Dinner. He finished the entire thing and his gut looked like it was about to pop. It actually had me a little concerned but he survived it just fine.

Last year, Jeffrey and I spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. The dinner at the hotel wasn't anything to get to excited about (it was a buffet) but the trip was quite memorable. Riley stayed with Auntie Dory. No family Thanksgiving feast last year.

This year, we had planned to go away but when Riley's knee gave out, we decided to go ahead with surgery and cancel any plans we had. We just didn't know how Riley would be and couldn't bear to leave him with anyone while he was still in the acute phase of recovery. So this year, Jeffrey and I are making Thanksgiving dinner in our home-with our family-Little Li, Mei-Mei, Riley, Ming, and Sabrina. I went to the market today to buy us a duck. That's right, a duck, to make Peking duck (or at least my closest rendition of it). I had to call my mom in Taiwan this morning to figure out how to cook this bird. She thinks I can't possibly cook a bad tasting bird. I am a bit skeptical. I also got Riley and Sabrina each their own Thanksgiving Day chickens. They are HUGE, like 4 lbs each. They were only $1.99 a pound, whereas the smaller cornish hens were over $4 a pound. I figured since we would be gorging, let them too! I still have to stop by Especially for Pets to pick up something for MeiMei and Ming. Merrick has a canned cat food flavor called Thanksgiving Day Feast. They both love it. And Little Li, I'm sure she'll love all the Peking Duck.

Along with Peking Duck, I will be making a Chinese rice stuffing with Shitake Mushrooms and shrimp. For appetizers, Chinese dumplings and smoked trout. For side dishes, traditional cornbread stuffing (Jeffery's making that), asparagus, and rolls. Then I am making my first blueberry pie. I'm cheating a little bit by buying a premade pie crust. I got it from Whole Foods today-it's whole wheat! But I'll be making the pie from fresh blueberries and all organic ingredients. This is the recipe I'm using:

Blueberry Pie

I'll post pictures of the final product whether it's good or not!

Kindness, at last

On Tuesday, I met a prospective new vet. I've always known that this place existed, but their name is a little cheesy. I just never bought into it and thought we would be better off at a place that was more "professional." Well, I was wrong. I loved this place.
The veterinary clinic we have been going to is a pretty big practice. Three veterinarians and they are quite busy. In fact, the front desk staff are always too busy to ever greet you when you enter their waiting room and the vet is always too busy to greet you when they enter the exam room. Incident after incident of less than pleasant experiences with them has made me look for a new vet. Not only do they lack the ability to speak the words, "hello" or even a single syllable, "hi," they are very business-like, trying to sell all sorts of stuff to me whenever I'm there. One time, a young man whom I assume was a vet tech who hadn't gotten enough sleep, grumbled that he was going to take Riley into the back to have him weighed and before even finishing his garbled sentence, grabbed Riley's leash right out of my hand! I was very upset about that incident and that may have been the only time I have ever said anything about their service.
We have brought all five of our pets to this place at one time or another, you think they'd know who I am, right? The lady who feeds raw food, doesn't want any flea or tick prevention, and resists medications. Nope. Each time I go there it's like reintroducing myself again. You'd think they'd learn to stop lecturing to me about the stupid Lyme vaccination or how dangerous heartworms are. I've done my research, thank you very much. I'd much rather have an educated conversation about healthcare options than have to sit around and wait for you to stop yapping at me. I'm so sick of their bad patient management.

But enough about them. We're leaving them.

This new place, on the other hand, like our holistc vet in RI, greets us happily and knows exactly who is here for their appointment.
"Is this Little Li?!" they exclaim as they coo and aah over my sweet little girl in her crate. Who doesn't like people to ooh and aah over their child?
The vet actually walked over to me and introduced herself (amazing concept huh? ....take notes old vet clinic). She took her time getting to know who Little Li is, whom our other family members are, and what kind of care I am looking for. You see, Little Li's rabies vaccination is expired by law. And I say, by law, because the state has arbitrarily decided when my cat is no longer immune to rabies. I have full confidence that my cat still has immunity to rabies from the vaccination she received 4 years ago and was hoping not to have to have her vaccinated this time around since she has been vomiting blood. As I understand it, only healthy animals should be vaccinated. I was hoping Little Li would be exempt due to her recent problems. The vet understood this entirely and never pushed the issue. She was so respectful of my decision as a "parent" and really presented herself as someone whom is available to help me if I wanted it. She realized quite quickly that I was no ignorant, follow the crowd, type of person, but rather someone who has done her homework and didn't want to be lectured. I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. I don't think Little Li would say the same though. They had to draw some blood to do some tests in order to figure out what's wrong with her. She did NOT like that. My little sweet girl got all fiesty and they ended up having to put her in this bag contraption-thingy in order to get some blood. Poor thing.

So diagnosis? We don't really know. But at least we're pretty sure she doesn't have a tumor or ulcers down in her stomach. She could have hyperthyriodism, which is causing her to each a lot, poop a lot, but lose weight. She's only 6 pounds! The hyperthyriodism could also be causing the excessive vomiting which is causing her esophagus to bleed, thus the pinky-colored vomit we've been seeing. Hopefully we'll hear back from the vet in a few days and she'll have found something. Oh, another thing I liked about this vet, she was willing to do some investigating about this problem and didn't just label Little Li with that stupid wastebasket term: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and prescribe some suppressive drug. Yay! I think I like her! Good, cuz Sabrina is going in to see her on Tuesday and will hopefull get spayed there too.

Lookin' good

Today we took Riley to Paws in Motion, a veterinary rehabilitation center in Natick. We met Suzanne Starr, the owner. The visit lasted an hour and consisted of a quick background interview, an exam, and then recommended exercises. We were very pleased to hear that Riley is recovering far better than most 4 week post TPLO patients she has seen- and Riley is still 2 days shy of 4 weeks! That was great news. She felt he was doing quite well and we wouldn't even need to bring him back to do any walking on the underwater treadmill, range-of-motion exercises (ROM), or anything like that. She showed me how to do some weight transfer exercises and suggestions on helping him rebuild all the muscle he has lost. She suggested walking up a small hill, doing figure 8's, sit-down stand-up exercises, and helping him shift his weight from his good hind leg to the weaker one. She was very nice and Riley really liked her. Sabrina even got to come in near the end and grace everyone with her crazy face licking. They were very amuzed by Sabrina's silly play antics (pulling on Riley's leash, looking at herself in the mirror, etc). The visit only cost $85, which I thought was very reasonable. We were recommended to return in 2 weeks for a check-up. I haven't decided yet if I think it is necessary. We'll see.
I'm really excited about starting a new exercise program for Riley. As of yesterday, we were up to two, 10-15 minutes walks a day. I'd really like to get him up to 30 minute walks in the next two weeks. Perhaps tomorrow we will try a 20 minute walk. This is such good news!

Rainy day blues

The rain makes me want to hibernate. I've been trying to get Sabrina out as much as I can when it's just drizzling out. I hate being cold and wet!

And unfortunate accident happened during morning's rainy walk. I never knew when it actually happened but I'm sure it happened at the park, now looking back. Sabrina must have gotten her toenail caught on something as she was chasing a ball. I didn't even notice until we had gotten home and there was blood coming off her paw. She had been acting strangely at the park, doing a lot of low to the ground sniffing, carrying her tail low, and then jumped right into the car when I opened the door. She *never* does that. She always wants to stay and play more. Or she wants me to pick her up. At first I had thought that coyotes or wolves had been around the night before as I have known that to happen before with Riley. In fact, Riley would be quite skittish and refuse to enter the park entirely. So I attributed that to Sabrina's behavior. After all, she was still happy enough to retrieve her ball.

Upon close inspection at home, I saw that only a bloody red stump remained where her right, front, left toenail one was. Eeew. She did not seem to be in excessive pain. I recalled times when Sabrina got her toes stepped on or caught under the door jam and she cried far more pitifully. This time, there was no crying. She seemed just a bit more freaked out by the smell of blood. As she left blood prints all over the house, she was also "tracking" the scent of blood with her nose and the smell was driving her crazy. I tried to keep her still and ice it with a bag of corn, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Feeling like I was going to do more harm than good, I just left her alone and hoped her bleeding would subside. And it did. I left for work figuring I would try to clean it when I got home and eventually the nail would just grow back.

The internet can be a scary thing. When I finally got a chance at work to get on the computer and Google, "my dog ripped her toenail out" what I read put me into a panic. People talked about the paw getting infected, dogs losing an entire paw, the toenail ripping out at the base of the toe, dogs bleeding to death, oye. I immediately got on the phone and called the vet. Since we are in the process of changing vets and Sabrina's visit isn't until next week, we have to go to our old vet. That's okay. I just want them to take a look at it, tell me she hasn't lost a toe, that the nail will grow back, maybe get some antibiotics, and that's it. I'm grateful they gave me an appointment for this afternoon. We go in at 4pm.

Meanwhile, I rushed home to make sure my puppy did not bleed to death and try to help her feel better. After all, if you ripped your nail off, wouldn't you be feeling pretty bad? I made up some yummy kong filled treats for Riley and Sabrina to enjoy. This is what I put in them:

1/2 can of Merrick's Campfire Trout
1 TB of peanut butter
1 diced package of string cheese
6 diced Zukes dog treats
a few small pieces of dried beef liver treats
a few small pieces of Merrick's dried lamb lung
a few small pieces of dried chicken liver
6 Jungle Greens wafers, crumbled
1 small carrot, chopped
1 tsp of fish oil
1 tsp of Raw apple cider vinegar
and I dug about a TB of marrow out of one of their beef marrow bones and added it to the mix.

I was able to fill 3 kongs and the centers of two marrow bones. They each got a marrow bone and all are content. I'll let you know how the appointment goes. It will be a tight squeeze as the only appointment they had was 4pm and Sabrina's older sister Little Li has an appointment at 4:30 at another vet's office. (we're trying out a new vet) Eeek.

Rainy day visit

On Wednesday, I took both Riley and Sabrina to see Dr. Doolittle. The rain was brutal. Because I was driving south, I was driving right into the storm. As I gripped the stearing wheel with white knuckles, I could see Riley's head up in the back, his eyes on me the entire way. I think he was nervous for me. Our little dear Sabrina slept the entire car ride. When we finally arrived, my arms were shaking and my legs could barely hold me as I lifted Riley out of the car. But we had made it, and we were only 6 minutes late.
Dr. Doolittle was pleased to see that Riley is recovering well from his TPLO. Her initial advice to us was not to go with surgery. Her opinion was probably greatly influenced by the fact that she recently knew a client who lost their German Shepard to complications related to an ACL surgery. But there is risk in everything we do, right? Nothing is a guarantee. Surgery seemed like the best option for us and we can only hope for the best. Unfortunately, the narcotics used for anesthetising him and then the NSAID prescribed for post-op care did a number on his organs. I have heard that Metacam (what Riley was given) can cause liver problems, even though it is thought to be "safer" than Rimadyl. Never-the-less, Riley's body had undergone a trauma and needed some help. She prescribed several natural supplements including toxin removes, digestive aids, and anti-inflammatories. Sabrina got to have her little visit too. She was so squirmy it took the Vet and an assistance to hold her while I distracted her with a treat for the evaluation. We go back in 6-8 weeks for follow-up.
I hope it won't be raining.

Regarding his recovery, he seems to be doing very well. We were supposed to have an appointment with Sterling Impression Animal Rebahabilition Center on Tuesday but I decided not to go with them. They were originally recommended to us by Dr. Doolittle. However, I really do not see how I am going to be able to get him to Walpole for his appointments on a regular basis. Recently, it's been hard enough just to get home in time to get a good run in for Sabrina. So I found someone closer in Natick: Paws In Motion. Suzanne Starr is a veterinarian there and her rehab facility has been open since April of 2004. She hasn't been around as long as Sterling, but I don't doubt she could still be good. We have an initial consult with her next Sat. I am beginning to rethink this whole rehab idea though. Many people on the OrthoDogs list have rehabilitated their dogs without formal therapy. Dogs *can* recuperate without hydrotherapy, massage and accupressure. But formal rehab certainly may increase the likelihood that Riley recuperates faster. That's the trade off: money for a faster recuperated Riley, maybe in time to enjoy some of the snow?

Where's Riley?

I take Sabrina to the same parks I used to take Riley to. Over the past three years, I have gotten to know several dozen dog owners and dogs that frequent the same parks. We have our own little dog community. For the most part, we all just know the names of the dogs. I know the first names of maybe a handful of the owners. I see these people more than I see my family-almost everyday, if not twice! Given each park trip lasts anywhere from 20 minues to 45 minutes, I see these people a lot!

When we first got Sabrina, I would bring both Riley and her to the park. People would see me and Riley and never realize that the little black girl was with us. After a few weeks, Riley was restricted from park romps, so I began to show up with just Sabrina. This really confused people. Some people would say hello to me, talk to me for a few minutes, then look around and realize that my usual tri-colored companion was missing. They would even hesitate for several minutes to ask. I think many of them were doing quick memory checks in their head to make sure they were talking to whom they thought they were talking to and didn't mistaken me for somebody else. Then they may ask with great apprehension, "Where's Riley?" The first few times I was asked, I felt a horrible sense of guilt. Having Riley with me for the past 3 years defined who I was. Much of my daily life revolved around him. And now I show up one day at the park with a new puppy. I feel like I traded in my baby boy for a new puppy. Now, most of the regulars I see everyday know of Riley's situation and frequently ask for updates. It is very difficult to comprehend that they will not see him for many many more months.

2 weeks post TPLO

Yesterday we rearranged the living room. YAY! Let's say that again..YAAAAY! I get really psyched about moving furniture around. It feels like we've revitalized our most common living space. I feel refreshed. There is more air, more energy, and better Feng Shui in the room now. I'm very pleased. I think all the furkids thought it was a good change too. There is more room for Riley to lay down and though the X-Pen is still set up in the room, Riley now has a window view. All of Sabrina and Riley's toys have been reorganized in a basket and this morning, Sabrina has been very busy taking them all out to explore. It's funny what a little reorganization can do.
Riley is doing pretty well. We had an Oops moment yesterday though. This isn't our first oops moment. I had a mini one with him one of the first days post TPLO when he came in from the rain and slipped on the floor on his way into his pen. He didn't seem to have injured himself there. Just gave me a mini heartattack. Since then, I've been sure to wipe down his paws after he comes in if it's wet outside. Like this morning, when out steps were slippery with frost...eek! But yesterday morning upon our return from Yoga, Riley got a little too excited. I came around the kitchen to say hello to him and calm him down and I saw his head popping up over the pen. The pen is 3.5 feet high. Riley was jumping up on his back legs in excitement. Before I could get him to calm down, I heard him yelp. By the time I got to him, he was holding his leg up high in the air. He just doesn't realized that he is still healing. He is obviously feeling great. I keeping saying...8 more weeks...
The leg seems fine today. I have been massaging it. I have now added the mesh top to his x-pen. It is advertised as a sun shade. I originally purchased it to ensure that Sabrina would not be getting into the pen. Now it works well to keep Riley from letting his paws leave the floor. He seems to still like his "den" and will retreat into his pen when Sabrina gets too roudy.
His fur is growing back thicker and his incision seems like it has healed. The staples will be removed tomorrow by our local vet. I think once the staples come out he will stop bothering with his leg so much.

Sabrina's Ways

Now that Sabrina is 5 months old, she is really beginning to develop into her own. And we are beginning to really see who she is. She is learning her role in our family and I, too, have to see her for whom she is. Frequently, I realize that I try to get her to be just as Riley is. Yesterday morning, I had a sudden realization that what I had perceived as a naughty, I've-told-you-over-and-over-again-and-you're-still-not-doing-the-right-thing Sabrina, was really Sabrina doing things a little differently.

Sabrina is known to pick up anything and everything that is laying around in the house, left on a shelf, left on the coffee table, and yes, left on the kitchen counter. She seems to always wants to have something in her mouth. This is a Flattie's personality I hear. She seems to go by the motto: finder's keepers. I come home from work everyday and brace myself to what I will find in my home. A pile of shredded tissues? The gardening tools strewn about? Branches of the tree torn down? And what I keep telling myself is, she hasn't really destroyed anything yet. She just likes to displace things and shred paper. Even when we are home, Sabrina picks up our slippers, our shoes, or clothes and likes to walk around with it in her mouth. When she was younger, she seemed like she was everywhere moving all of our stuff all of the time. Now that she is 5 months old, she seems to have refined her motive. Yesterday morning, I dug out my Uugs for the upcoming cold weather. I left them at the top of the stairs while I went into the bedroom to change. 10 seconds later, Sabrina appears with a boot in her mouth. My initial instinct was to scold her and give her the command, "out" but before I could, she dropped it nicely at my feet. I suddently realized who Sabrina is. She is a retriever. And she was bringing me the boots that I "dropped" outside the bedroom. Coming to this realization brought me great relief. She's not just being naughty, she's just trying to do what her instincts are telling her to do. She's doing things her way and I love her for being her.

Can you say...Feeling Better?

When I took Riley out this afternoon, you won't believe what he decided to do. He stands on his *injured* leg and lifts his good leg to pee! AIYA! Craziness. We are really going to have to keep a close eye on him. He is really feeling TOO good.

6 days post TPLO

Riley is recovering very nicely. The discoloration and swelling are just about gone. I did have to ice his leg Friday night as he was licking one area red. It looked like he might have bumped his knee or gotten scratched by one of his siblings. He welcomed the cold compress. But where there was redness and a little swelling the night before, by morning it was gone. His entire leg down to his ankle are now back to normal. It is very good to see. His incision continues to look clean and dry. I cannot wait until next week when he gets those staples out. I kinda can't comprehend how they are going to be able to take the staples out without tranquilizing him or at least numbing the area locally. They seem like they're really in there. I'm gonna have to call and ask. Apparently we have to go to our local vet to get the staples out.

He has been fairly good about staying in his pen. I leave the gate open so that he can see out of it easily, even though the entire thing is mesh and he can pretty much see everything that is going on around him. He gets to go out for two potty breaks a day on a short 4 foot leash. I have to be very vigilant about keeping him at a slow walk though. He gets outside, throws his nose up in the air as if to drink in the beautiful fresh, crisp air, and wants to run off into the closest pile of leaves. It can also be quite humorous when he turns to look at his bare rump as if to say, "How come things are a little chilly back there?" He is managing the front stairs going down quite well with me walking closely next to him to keep him from going down too fast. On occasion, he attempts to go up the stairs as well, and I let him as I closely supervise. I think it's good for him to use his leg muscles for those few seconds of the day. His weight, unfortunatley, has probably gone up. I have to rub his sides pretty hard just to feel those ribs. Besides the potty walks, meals are the only other major event of his day. I'll just have to add in more tummy rubs and brushing time. I tried to add green beans into his meal last night to act as a filler. As he ate mouthfuls of his yummy salmon, he would eject the green beans out, projectile-style. I think he was thinking, "Are you kidding me? Frozen green beans?"

Sabrina, however, thought it was great and took it upon herself to clean up the green bean mess.

Proud Parents

I can't believe it! Around 9:30pm last night, the special report on NECN was on. Riley didn't just get 2 milliseonds of TV footage, he got about 30 seconds worth! I'm sorta in the background but he's looked so handsome! I was able to find the video on NECN website, under Health. Here is the web address, but I haven't been able to figure out how to make the web address a direct link. Hmmm. Help someone?

www.boston.com/news/necn/Health/

NECN 9pm tonight

We have been notified that New England Cable News (Channel 6 I think) will be airing a 30 minute segment on Clinical Advancements for Alzhiemer's Disease, or something like that, tonight at 9pm. Pet therapy at McLean Hospital will be mentioned and therefore there is a possibility that Riley's smiling face may appear for 2 milliseconds on your TV screen. Unfortunately, I will probably not be able to see it. I've gotta find someone to TeVo it for me or something.

Into Day 2

Riley slept through last night like a baby. So did I, thankfully. During his morning potty break he was already too exuberant for my liking. I feel very bad, scolding him when he's already gone through so much. Tough love, I guess.
His leg already looks better today. At least I think it really is and not just wishful thinking. I think the swelling in his ankle has actually gone down enough for me to make out the bony parts. It doesn't feel as hot to the touch either. The stitches still look okay. 17 in all. I was able to count them this morning. Unfortunately that hotspot still has him bothered. Hopefully I can find something today that will clean it up.
Sabrina has been a very sweet girl to her big brother. I had the two of them lying on the rug in the kitchen this morning getting belly rubs. She slowly inched her nose over to Riley's paw and licked it ever so gently. It was a very cute gesture from a 5 month old.

Day 1

We weren't able to pick Riley up until about 5pm last night. Partially cuz we were trying to finish up our work days and partially cuz I knew we've already paid for the day. If we could have hospital supervision then why come home so soon?

Angell Memorial Animal Hospital was getting busy when we arrived. Apparently we weren't the only ones picking up our loved one. The staff were very courteous and informative. I was handed his post-surgery discharge papers and a bottle of Metacam for pain and inflammation. We were asked if we wanted an e-collar. Why not? It'll save us another trip if he really is going at his stitches.

Five minutes later I see my baby boy appear. He is wearing the ridiculously large e-collar, lounging forward at his leash, eyes darting back and forth across the room trying his darnest to get the hell away from wherever he just came from. Then he sees us. Oh my, what a scene we made. Have you ever tried to hug an estatic dog with an e-collar on? I was sure his stitches were going to pop out right there in the lobby. Luckily, I was able to undo the string for the e-collar to remove it for a proper reunion hug. Along with his crazy squirming, he was also singing his happy chortle. As he spun around our legs in a spastic happy-dog sort of way, I could hear by standers gasping at the site of his shaved and bruised leg. We left the hospital as soon as we could. I don't even remember what I said to the person who handed me Riley's leash. I hope I said thank you.
I gingerly lifted Riley into the back of my car. Boy was he happy to be back in his car! The ride home was long. Jeffrey drove while I kept an eye on Riley in the back. Everyone was exhausted and couldn't wait to be home.

Upon returning home, we brought him to his pen and I sat in there with him while Jeffrey prepared everyone's dinner. While we waited, I gently massaged his back and rubbed his tummy while I checked out his incision. He has a long incision about 3 inches long on the inside of his knee held together by a row of staples. Though red, it actually looks very clean and healthy. Down by his ankle, there are two more staples. I assume this incision was made for draining the fluid. I have never seen anyone or anything post-operatively so I guess I was shocked to see the discoloration of his skin. I am most alarmed by the amount of fluid that is pouching around his ankle. But everyone tells me this is normal and within a week or two all the swelling and bruising will be going away.

I was happy to see that Riley had a great appetite. He took the Metacam with his food with no issues either. After dinner, he was confused why he was confined to his pen. How can you deny that look of betrayal on his face? We let him out and he found his favorite spot between the coffee table and the couch and passed out. Boy was he exhausted. It was like he hadn't slept the entire time he was in the hospital. I was exhausted as well. Jeffrey got my sleeping bag for me and I spent the night on the couch next to Riley and Sabrina and Mei Mei.

Our first night was not too bad. Riley apparently felt good enough to try out various sleeping arrangements. I was surprised to see him lie with his injured leg underneath him. He was able to easily switch from one side to the other. Around 10 pm, he left the rug and got up onto the couch. Around 11pm, he went to the hardwood floors. Around 11:30pm, he decided it was time to go upstairs and go to bed like we always do. I tried to redirect him back to the rug but he wouldn't settle down. He began to get restless and then the panting started. He would lay down, only to get up again as if something didn't feel right. He made some groaning noises and would sometimes pop up suddenly and lick his stitches. I began to think he was in pain.

I started out with cold compresses to numb the area and try to help with the swelling. I really couldn't tell if it did anything or not, though the extra attention from me seemed enough for him. At around midnight, I probably wasn't able to think very clearly but I tried my best to make him more comfortable. I brought him into his pen and he happily laid down with a big sigh, as if to say, "okay, this place really isn't so bad." After some gentle massage and a warm compress, he seemed to feel better. From 1:30 am all the way through 7 am, he slept quite peacefully in his pen. I didn't even have to shut the gate all the way. I left it open so he wouldn't feel so confined. But all I heard for the rest of the morning was snoring. Poor baby.

After breakfast this morning he decided he was ready to partake in our regular morning routine. He lined up at the door with Sabrina ready to go to the park. *sigh* This is really going to be a long recovery. I supervised him down the front stairs and he seemed to have to problems going #1 and #2. I was relieved. I had heard that some dogs didn't go for almost 48 hours. He was walking on all fours but with a little hitch to reduce the amount of time there was weight on the left leg. I was so afraid he was going to try and stand on his left leg and lift his right to urinate. But he didn't. Right after he was finished with his business, I tried to get him back inside, per post-op instructions. He decided he was going on strike. Too bad. I just picked him up and brought him back inside. Good thing he's only 81 pounds (and thank God for Lion Dance). He still stood at the door after I brought him in though, ready to go to the park. Sorry buddy.

Now he is resting peacefully in his pen. Every so often, he startles awake and looks directly at his leg or licks it. I think he's having pulsating pains in his knee. I wish there was something else I could do. But in a way, I am thankful that he has an awareness of his injury. That may keep him from doing too much too soon. Maybe it will help him restrain himself a bit, or not. I plan to be in an out of the house today for various periods of time just to see how it goes. More for me, I'm sure, than for Riley and Sabrina.

Post TPLO surgery update

I took Riley early this morning (6:30am) to Angell Memorial Hosptial to check him in for surgery. I didn't get to ask too many questions because the only people I dealt with was a receptionist and a vet tech who took him. I figured I could talk to Dr. Trout later in the day anyways. Riley was in a good mood and after I exited the building, I lurked outside watching him through the window. His tail was wagging and he was still smiling so that put my heart at ease. I just don't want my baby boy scared or feeling abandoned.

I drove off to Springfield for a conference and from 10-10:30 I began to feel extremely nauseas. I didn't know how I was going to make it thru the rest of the day as I wasn't expecting Riley's surgery til about noon and the surgeon wasn't supposed to call me until later the afternoon. Funny thing is, the surgeon called at 10:45 to let me know that Riley had been put under and was now being shaved and prepped for surgery. Mommy-baby vibe? You betcha. I was so grateful for the phone call.

1:15pm Dr. Trout calls me again to let me know the surgery went well and Riley was going into recovery to wake up. He gave Riley an epidural and he seemed to do well with it, whatever that means. He also assured me that we made the right decision fixing his knee with surgery. Apparently the angle of his knee was at 32 degrees. He informed me that 22-25 degrees is the normal angle. Thus, Riley had a steeper, less stable slope in his knee. Okay, that definitely made me feel better. I immediately asked him to check the x-rays for the slope in his other (good) knee. He very politely suggested that I focus on one thing at a time. I like this surgeon a lot. As I have mentioned before, he has a very calm and reassuring beside manner that is not arrogant or condescending. Very good for a Mommy like me.

I am thinking about calling tonight before I go to bed to see if he has eaten anything or feeling more alert. I may also call early tomorrow morning just to see how his night went. I am very concerned that #1 he has never been kenneled before, and #2 he has to spend the night with strangers possibly in pain. I hope that he is still too doped up to realize where he is.
Tomorrow when the surgeon gets in, he will check on Riley and call me to tell me when I can pick him up. I am kinda thinking I'm not going to pick him up until late afternoon. Since we've already paid for the entire day, I figure he may be better off under their supervision and that less fretting for me. But then again, I can't wait to see his smiling face again.

Sabrina seemed to do alright on her own at home today. Shredded some cardboard but nothing more than what she usually will do when she's bored. I think she's actually kinda enjoying being the only child. She's never had the opportunity so she'd better just enjoy it for the day!

Boy Scout

I realized that I had started this post a couple of months ago and never got around to posting it. Here is Riley ready to go on a visit to McLean Hospital. The little side kick is the Mandy Dandy. The people at McLean think he looks like a Boy Scout with his badges. I hope Riley will be feeling better enough in about two months to return to work.

5 month birthday

Sabrina was born Kickemuit's Sakonnet Surge 5 months ago today. She was one of 10 siblings. 3 girls, 7 boys. Before she was officially named, she was called Yellow Girl: the color of the string of yarn tied around her neck to identify her from her brothers and sisters.
I thought I would post some history of the Flattie. The Flat-Coated Retriever was developed in the 1800's by crossing several already established breeds, including the Irish Setter, Labrador, Water Dog, and the St. John's Newfoundland, though one source also mentions the Collie. I have also heard of spaniel in there too. The breed was fairly popular until the beginning of the World War, but was then overshadowed by the Labrador and Golden Retriever. The Flat-Coated Retriever is not only an excellent bird dog and swimmer but also an outstanding family dog. These dogs are gifted with a fine intuition and an excellent sense of smell. The Flat-Coated Retriever is used above all for retrieving on plains and in areas thick with trees and bushes. They are good swimmers and also work well in marshy areas. Some of the Flat-Coated Retriever's talents are retrieving, hunting, tracking, watchdogging and agility.
So far, my Sabrina is pretty good at attacking life with reckless abandon. She finds ways to break the rules though she always finds a way to convince me that she really is trying to be a good girl. She is such a loving little soul who just wants to be the center of our family. She has certainly been a delight to have.

Two days til surgery

A couple of days ago the X-pen I ordered arrived. Yay! Riley was very wary of this new large structure in the house and avoided it at all costs. Sabrina barely bat an eyelash. They are so different! So for the past few days, Riley has been eating his meals in the X-pen, but with the gates open. Little by little, he has gotten used to the noise it makes when someone bumps into it and the fact that it will move a bit. This morning, he and I were actually able to get inside it, close the gate, and leave Sabrina on the outside. I was very pleased how it all went. I brought a bucket of treats and a clicker in with me. I got Riley to lay down inside while I treated him and Sabrina. Sabrina did not jump or claw at the pen, yay! So I'm so glad this x-pen came early. Just one less thing for Riley to worry about after the surgery. I still have to decide if we want to use the mesh cover. It seems Sabrina is not able to clear the 42 inch frame, but who knows after a few more weeks of growing? She is quite the kangaroo!

This weekend, I will be preparing a bunch of kongs to prepare for the "lock down." 8 weeks of potty breaks only. Gulp. People say the time goes by faster than you think. But having already done 6 weeks of restricted activity, it feels like starting all over again. I am relieved that I won't have to carry Riley up the stairs every night though. The plan is to have him stay downstairs thru the 8 week recovery period. Who knows. 8 weeks is so far away.

We went to see Dr. Doolittle on Thursday. When I asked about physical therapy, she was adamant that Riley had to go this facility: Sterling Impression Animal Rehabilitation Center of New England, in Walpole. Good. It was one of the two places I had found on my Google search that were near us. I will ask the surgeon on Monday when we can start physical therapy. I am hopeful and positive that this surgery and recovery will go well. Please keep your fingers, toes, and paws crossed for us!

Riley's TV debut

I received a voice mail message last week from the Activities Coordinator at McLean Hospital. Although Riley has not visited the patients since his injury, they wanted to know if he could come in for an interview. New England Cable News (NECN) is planning to do an hour long segment on McLean Hospital's Alzheimer Unit. Part of the program will include the enrichment programs at the hospital, including therapy dog visits. The Activities Coordinator said that, "We all agree that Riley's the guy."
So today I got home a little early from work to give him a quickie grooming. I brushed him out, trimmed up his ears, snapped his therapy dog vest, and we were on our way. Riley's mood seemed to perk up once I put his vest on. He carried his head and tail high as if to say, "Finally! I'm back to work!" Upon arrival at the hospital, they specially arranged a small room with a carpeted floor for Riley. He was so happy to be back at work! He strut down the hallways, poking his head around corners looking for his favorite people. The interview was short but to the point. Riley was a bit confused why there was only one patient in the room with 5 other people standing around watching him. He was also a bit wary of the cameraman and the ginormous video camera on his shoulder. But overall, I think they got what they wanted.
We don't know when it will air but I'll be sure to post it when it does!

A broker's market

Seems lately, everywhere I look, someone's got a Berner. In the past 2 months, I have met three new Berner puppies at the park: 9 months, 4 months, and 13 weeks. All from the same puppy broker we got Riley from. She is certainly making a good income this year. The club believes she's shipping puppies in every month. *sigh* Yesterday as I left Back Bay, I saw a woman crossing the street with two young Berners, probably around 9 months old, in tow. Today, as I picked up my raw food order from Especially for Pets, the family in line next to me had a Berner puppy too. I tried not to get into a conversation with them. This is getting to be crazy! Are they becoming a new fashion trend?!
In the last year, this breed has suddenly increased in popularity. Of course I am happy that more people are learning of this beautiful breed and enjoying these dogs. But the reality is, the more that people want these dogs, the more the puppy brokers and puppy mills will be breeding and selling. This may be the beginning of a sad era and difficult battle for our breed and the club. Everyone can reflect what has happened to popular breeds in the past: Dalmations (especially after 101 Dalmations), St. Bernards (after Beethoven), and of course our ever popular labradors and retrievers. Unfortunately, we live in a world where money talks and animals are treated like property.
Well, no use dwelling on these issues unless we're going to do something about it. So I'm gonna try to do something about it.

Pre-surgery prep

I'm trying to stay calm. The only way I know how is to try and plan ahead, prepare, and get a massage. This weekend, I did my research on getting Riley an X-pen (exercise pen) for a safe recovery from surgery. I've been trying to decide what size and what kind of pen I would need. I didn't want to use his crate: #1 because he hasn't seen it since he was a little puppy and he never really liked it, #2 cuz he wouldn't be able to walk around or turn very easily with an injured leg, and #3, he would seem so separated from us in there. So I've been trying to find something that is not too heavy, easy to use, flexible in size, and something that won't spook him out. I've decided on Midway's It's a Breeze soft-sided x-pen. It looks like a toddler's pack and play but with 8 sides that can be adjusted from 4, 6, or 8 sides. I like it cuz Riley will have some safe space to himself and will still be able to see everything going on around him. If he rubs up against the sides, it's soft and if Sabrina tries to jump in from the outside, it won't rattle and spook him. I think I will have to get a mesh cover though since Sabrina is part kangaroo and I'm sure she would jump in just to be with her big brother.

But no one sells the stupid X-pen. I went to three different pet stores. No luck. I found it in the Pet Edge catalog but they ship it directly from the manufacturer's and it takes 1-2 weeks. I really wanted to have it by this week so we could all try it out and get used to it before the actual surgery. My only hope is that Especially For Pets will be able to special order it for me and rush to it me. Worst case, we'll receive it the day Riley gets home from surgery. Oh well. You can only plan for so much.

In preparation for weeks of confinement and restricted exercise, I have been researching on ways to keep Riley's mind occupied. Aside from a lot of silly training games, many people keep their dogs busy with chew toys. I will be buying lots of buffalo marrow bones (which are about a foot long) for him. In addition. I have purchased several kongs as well, which I plan to stuff with a myriad of yummy/tasty treats to keep him busy. Yesterday I tested them out with both Riley and Sabrina and they were both occupied for at least 3 hours! They slept like babies afterwards.

I still have to figure out if we're going to need a sling to help Riley up and down the front stairs to go out and potty. Maybe this week we'll try out just using a towel and see how he does. I think he's gonna look at me like I've lost my marbles.

TPLO or TTA

It has been 5 weeks since the first onset of Riley's crucial ligament injury. We have been doing a stricter conservative mangagement (CM) program for him for the past 3 weeks. So far, it has worked for us and we have a nice routine. Ten minutes of controlled on-leash walking in the morning, one short potty walk in the afternoon, and extra brushing or belly rubs in the evening. He is closely monitored for descending stairs and carried up the main steep staircase. Plus, no jumping in or out of the car. Riley is bearing weight on his leg and is generally in a better mood.

Today was our visit to Dr. Trout at Angell Memorial. First of all, the hospital is beautiful. I think it looks better than Boston City Hospital. There were several dogs and cats there, all waiting to be called in. We didn't have to wait long. Dr. Trout came out with two interns following close behind and greeted Riley. I found Dr. Trout very humble, very thorough, and has a great bedside manner. We tried to ask every question we could think of, but I knew there were still questions I was forgetting to ask. Several surgical options were explained to us: traditional repair, TPLO, and TTA. The conventional, surgical treatment involves sewing a strong surgical suture around the knee joint to restore normal position and stability of the femur on the tibia. The suture provides support and performs a similar function as the cruciate ligament.

He then showed us a pretty impressive mechanical model of how a Tibia Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) could help stablize his knee. This procedure levels the slope of the tibial plateau so the cruciate ligament isn’t necessary to keep the femur from sliding down the plateau of the tibia. Surgery involves cutting and rotating the top of the tibia, then screwing a bone plate into place so the bone will heal in its new position. Okay, that last part was medical jargon I found on this website: http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ccl-injuries.html.

Finally, he talked about a Tibia Tuberosity Advancement (TTA): Similar to TPLO surgery, TTA stabilizes the knee joint by changing the geometry and physics of the knee and enabling it to work without a cruciate ligament. TTA surgery may be less invasive and quicker than TPLO surgery. Again, that jargon was from the website.

As a surgeon, Dr. Trout performed his job well. We walked out of there thinking surgery was the obvious option for Riley. He told us he'd expect Riley to be able to eventually return to all previously normal activity, given time and proper increments of exercise of course. As I left the hospital, I felt relieved. I felt hopeful and happy my baby boy was going to be all fixed up. But the surgeon left the decision up to us to decide between a TPLO or TTA. He felt comfortable with either surgery for Riley. But the fact is that the TPLO has been around a lot longer and Dr. Trout has done a lot of them. The TTA is newer but seems slightly less invasive and recovery may be a bit easier.

It seems surgery is the way to go. 30-40% of dogs that tear a ligament in one knee end up tearing the other too. I hope this never happens to him, but if it does, I'd like to know that he has a stablized, strong knee to rely on.

Surgery is set for October 23rd. We admit him first thing in the morning, he stays over night, and we pick him up the next day. Here we go.

Trailblazer

Columbus Day weekend: 2006. The last hike of the year turns out to be the most beautiful day for a hike. In celebration of a GK sister's 43rd birthday, a group of 12 met at the base of Mt. Liberty in NH and climbed a 4460+ footer. This was also Sabrina's first hike. It is approximately 2.6 miles to the top and I was very leary that she would make it. At only 4.5 months, I was worried she wouldn't know when to stop; that her young joints and muscles just wouldn't be able to take the 3 hour hike up. But hike she did, and with ease. In fact, not only did she hike up, but she would run up and down the path, darting back and forth between us hikers, keeping us in a pack. If someone stopped hiking, she would begin to whine. It was amazing to see her little pack dog instinct kick in. I thought it was just something Riley used to do, but here was little Sabrina making it her job to see that everyone stayed together and kept hiking.
The trail was tough but picturesque none-the-less. When we reached the top, the view was breathtaking. Atop our summit, we could see the tops of all the neighboring mountains. Some summits we have even climbed before: Flume, Green Leaf Hut, etc. We gathered, we ate, we basked in the sun, and we laughed.
We even got a professional photographer to take our photo!There was no breeze this particular day at the summit and I wanted to stay there and take a nap. Sabrina certainly found a comfy place to catch a snooze. One GK sister presented the birthday girl with a bottle of Irish Cream she had carried all the way up the mountain! Cheers to the birthday girl!
As the rest of the party hiked down, my mountain man and I hiked .6 miles back down to the Liberty Springs campsite where we were going to stay the night. We took platform #8. After setting up camp, we headed over to the outlook to watch the sunset. As night set in, we prepared our meals, tent-side on a little Jet Boil. Jeffrey brought freeze-dried lasagna and meat sauce. I had a little Miso and Tofu instant noodle cup. Anything at this point looked delicious. Little Sabrina was so tired even a spoonful of her Mediterranean Banquet in front of her nose couldn't wake her up. After dinner, a little bedtime tea and we were ready for bed. The night was unseasonably warm, around the 40s. By 5am, before the sun rose, Sabrina was up and ready to go again. Finally by 7am we were up, packed, and began our descent. It took us only 1.5 hours but the trail was steep and rocky. When we reached our car there was great sense of accomplishment. Jeffrey is proud that I have finally gone backpacking with him, though it is a bit embarassing to say that he pretty much carried *everything*. And really, I mean everything. It was quite an amazing feat. I could barely even lift this pack.
Unfortunately, Sabrina's first hike was absent of Riley. We let him stay home to get extra rest and not aggravate his knee (or good knee for that matter). A kind neighbor came over to let him out and spend a little tummy-scratching time with him. I wish he could have hiked with us, with our new little trailblazer Sabrina. He would have liked that.

Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble...

I usually try to title my post with the main theme of my entries. I don't really have a main theme today. Just lots of thoughts. So as I sit down to type, all I hear is the sound of Sabrina playing with a plush turkey toy that I just picked up for her today. She has been carrying it around the house ever since I brought it home 30 minutes ago. When she bites into the turkey, it of course, gobbles. Very cute.

Riley update this week. No mental wellness walks Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, only potty breaks. By Thursday not only was he going bonkers but I couldn't take it anymore. So he got a 15 minute very low key walk with Sabrina in the morning. Friday morning, same thing. We go up to Stonehurst just as the sun is rising so it is very quiet and there isn't anyone around. Riley is thrilled to be able to roll around on his back in the long grass. Whenever he does that, I think I can actually see the mental wellness atoms increase in his spirit. Friday night he actually sneaks up the stairs without me even knowing! So this morning I decide to take him Beaverbrook for a walk. We go at 8am and I dont' expect that many peopel to be up on a Saturday morning of a 3 day weekend. Boy was I wrong. Riley got a 30 minute walk and came home with a bad limp again. Too much too soon. Back to rest again.

Other interesting things I read in the pets! free newsletter. Cesar Millan in on the front page. I read the article. Here's a quote:"Most dog problems come from two things, lack of exercise and lack of leadership." Isn't that so true. At least there's a really good reason why I'm killing myself getting up at 5am every morning in order to have time to organize my house, exercise, and feed my dogs. And then there's that catch phrase Cesar always uses, "calm and assertive energy." Yeah, I need a little of more of that in all areas of my life.

Another opinion

New information via a long-time Berner owner. She attended a workshop last night specifically about cruciate disease. Since I could not make the workshop, she kindly forwarded some of her notes to me. Things that jumped out at me:
Many dogs that begin with conservative management end up with surgeries either on the same leg or on the other leg anyways. Many dogs while on conservative mangagement lose a lot of muscle mass that would be helpful in stablizing the knee. One of the causes an unstable knee besides a sudden athletic injury or trauma, is chronic inflammation due to autoimmune disease and poor joint conformation.
Bingo. It was like a light turned on. Riley may have been predisposed to this injury due to chronic inflammation secondary to his immune issues. Riley has exhibited chronic inflammation throughout his life. If it wasn't his skin, it was his ears, then it was his muscles and his joints. I remember once when he was just a few months old and I botched my first tick extraction. Riley's face swelled up like a balloon, from just a tick bite! In addition, though I don't know anything about conformation, I sincerely doubt Riley has good conformation. But I'd have to ask an experienced breeder that question. Maybe his bone structure was faulty to begin with. Who knows. However, I also do know that plenty of "pure bred" Berners from reputable breeders have also had joint problems.
I'm beginning to lean more towards surgery now...

Set backs

We're back to square one. Prior to the weekend, Riley was showing some improvement in the stability of his knee. His gait was smoother, there was no noticeable limp. Unfortunately, the weekend in NH may have been too exciting for him and he over did it. I had my worries at the campground as I tried to keep the dogs calm and quiet. But my suspicions were confirmed when we arrived home. He balked at the front stairs. He has been doing these stairs all along and this time he knew his knee would not not support him.

In the past two days, I fear more damage has been done to his knee. He balks going down the stairs and he has an exaggerated limp. We are starting over. Two weeks of careful rest and care are down the drain. 8 weeks of rest, here we go again. My goal is to finish the 8 weeks of rest and begin 8 weeks of increased activity in time for Riley to enjoy the snow. I wouldn't want him to not be able to enjoy playing in the snow.

Celebrating 100 posts

I just realized that the last post was my 100th post. I'd like to celebrate this milestone by posting one of my most favorite photographs of Riley. It was taken at the top a mountain 2 years ago when Riley was a year and a half. I think the mountain is called Pico Peak, in Vermont. Jeffrey and I had hiked this mountain before. Our first fall foliage together, in fact. Two years later, we went back with our Bernerpuppy.




Here some more photos of the hike. Hopefully, there will be more photos of Riley and us hiking during fall foliage season in years to come. And I hope I will still be posting them here on his blog.

The challenges of parenthood

Two weeks into conservative management (CM), all in hopes that we won't end up doing surgery anyways. I have read about all the different stories. People who did CM for 6 months and then ended up having to do surgery anyways. People who did CM for one knee and then having to do surgery on the other. There's traditional surgery and there's TPLO. At least half of those dogs that had one knee go, surgery or not, had the other knee go too. Labs, Huskies, Berners, Rotties, Goldens, the list is long. All active breed dogs, though I hear that lil ones like Yorkies are likely to have this injury too. Then there are also the stories of dogs returning to their previous levels of health without surgery. Right now it's just day to day and the orthopedic appointment cannot come any sooner. I want to see the ultrasound and know exactly what we are dealing with. I wonder how much you can actually see. I want to know!!

Another challenge: keeping Riley's weight down. At the last vet visit we were at 81.8 lbs. We have been working on decreasing his weight from the 87 pounds he was a year ago. Yay! But now with activity restrictions, I'm sure we will be struggling to keep his weight down.
Strategy #1: adding bulk without the calories. I started adding raw, chopped carrots to his meals. It makes up about half of the bulk of his meal so that he can feel fuller, but the carrots are not absorbable at that size so they'll just come out the other end whole! Interesting huh? I also use the principle of sibling rivalry to my advantage. I try to feed him with Sabrina watching so that everything goes down, in fear that what he doesn't wholf down will undoubtedly go to his lil sister. Works like a charm. It's how I get his supplements down too!
Strategy #2: Hydrotherapy. I have been reading about dogs doing well with underwater treadmills or even swimming. Even dogs that have a fear of water. I am quite certain that Riley does not aspire to be a swimmer, but perhaps a little walking in the water would be good exercise. I need to look into finding a facility that is hopefully nearby and affordable.

I have come to realize that I'm an over-protective parent. Okay, everybody else had probably already figured this out, but I never thought I'd be this way. I thought I would take challenges in stride and not be too obsessive in protecting my children. But with this injury, I am a maniac. Maybe I won't be this way with my human kids and the only reason why I am this way is because you cannot talk and rationalize things with a canine. In addition, I refuse to do things out of fear. I like to make decisions based on information and I like to maintain the control that I ultimately get to make the decision. I feel like I have to watch his every step and analyze his every move. I am obsessed with Riley's well being at this point.

I think I've just realized that it is affecting my total stress and anxiety level. Instead of enjoying my family and having a good time, I am extremely anxious and okay, maybe a bit uptight. This past weekend, we went up to Pillsbury State Park in NH again. I was convinced that this trip was going to send us straight to the emergency room and then surgery. I was literally holding my breath for the first 24 hours, just waiting for the moment my Bernerboy's knee gave out. I was one stressed mama. Good thing I woke up Saturday morning in a more positive mood. Riley's knee seemed to have survived the morning's rambunctious antics and he seemed so happy. The weather on Saturday was gorgeous. A perfect autumn day for a hike. Sadly, this was the first hike in a long time without Riley. I cannot even recall when was the last time we hiked without the Bernerbuddy. I don't think we ever did, except when we hadn't gotten him yet. Sabrina is just 4 months old and not able to hike so leaving her in the car was fine. But Riley could not understand why on this perfectely crisp autumn day he was not running up a mountain with us. Despite my reluctance to hike without my boy, I realized half way up the mountain that I really enjoyed hiking with my mountain man, sans the furkids. I had forgotten what it was like to focus on just us and not be competely obsessed about my furkids all the time! Of course, upon our return to the car, it was difficult to explain to Riley that we had already finished the hike. He pulled on the leash and headed right over to the trail head as if to say, "What are we all waiting for?! Let's go hiking!" He continued to try and head into the trail despite our calls to return to the car. *sigh* Love is tough. Especially when the ones you love don't know you're doing it because you care about them.

Tonight Riley is limping again. Did we let him overdo it? Definitely yes. But boy was he a happy to be out in the woods, chewing on sticks, digging in the dirt, and breathing in the fresh crisp air. A trade off for some mental wellness.

Here's a photo from Riley's first Autumn as a 6 month old.

The fall

Sometimes, or rather frequently, technology drives me crazy. I just finished writing this post, "the fall," and when I went to publish it, Blogger lost the entire post. URGH! In addition, I really liked how I wrote it.

I cannot rewrite anything. It never comes out very good so I won't even try. But I still wanted to record this event, "the fall." Riley got up and decided he was feeling just fine and went to go down the stairs. Despite that I just took him to the grommer's the day before to get all the fur trimmed out from between his toes and get his nails clipped to minimize any slipping on the floors, Riley slipped and tumbled and fell all the way down a steep flight of stairs. I was ready to take him to the emergency room, but instead, my Berner boy got up, smiled, and wagged his tail as if to say, "Hi Mom! Did you see that?" and then proceeded to prance around the kitchen and decided he deserved a treat for the neat trick he just performed.

Oh my...this is going to be a long 6 months.

More answers or more questions

After our visit to the holistic vet, I seemed to feel like I had more questions than before. I had anticipated that things would be clarified and a clear plan of action could be taken. Maybe it was just me feeling overwhelmed.

The vet confirmed that Riley had either ruptured or partially torn what she believes is two (of many) small ligaments in the left hind knee. I think she said one anterier and one lateral, but I cannot recall exactly at this point. His right "hock" or ankle was also testing weak. In addtion, his back was a little messed up too. So a little back adjustment here, a little there, and he was walking pretty straight again. We left with a musculoskeletal support supplement and another supplement (Boswellia) that would help reduce the swelling. I was happy to have something other than aspirin for him.

Her advice was 4-7 months of rest.

Gulp.

Well, when you really think about it, the rate we are going now, we certainly wouldn't be doing what we are doing now in 2 months. Little by little we are supposed to increase the duration and intensity of exercise until enough scar tissue is formed to support his knee. So in order to determine his progress, we will set up an appointment with an orthopedic specialist to do an ultrasound of his knee. The vet said we should be able to see in the scan where the ligament has frayed or torn. I decided we should go see Dr. Trout at Angell Memorial. He is very well known in the Berner world. We have an appointment October 10th.

Looking to tomorrow

So I had a good cry today. The saddness stems from guilt. This feeling like I didn't protect my baby boy. I know I am just going through this grieving thing and I'll get over it, but it is hard none-the-less to learn about your "child's" injury and wondering how you could have prevented it.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I am leaving work as soon as I can to get home and drive the kids down to the holistic vet in RI, Dr. Doolittle. I am hoping she can help us determine a plan of action for him. I am expecting to come home with supplements such as Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM for his joints. I hope to get a recommendation for an orthopedic specialist, though I already have my sights set on Dr. Trout at Angell Memorial. I hope she can alleviate some of the tension and strain Riley has put on the rest of his body in order to over-compensate for his injury.
Following the vet visit, we will be taking Sabrina to visit where she was born. We are going to the breeder's house. He still has one female and one male available from the litter. We are all excited to see the reunion, if Sabrina's mother recognizes her, and compare the puppies. It will be a fun reunion, hopefully after an enlightening vet visit.
And I have a dinner date with my gal pals after I get home. Malaysian food.

Tonight, Riley's tail is wagging and he has been very interested in getting attention from us (a good sign). Tomorrow will be a good day.

Better news

Riley woke up in good spirits today. During his am potty break his gait was less laborous and if you didn't know him well or knew that he had an injury, you might not have even noticed his gimpy trot. I was pleased to see some improvement from our efforts.
While reading and researching online about cruciate ligament injuries, I found out that this is the most common type of orthopedic injury in dogs. Who knew? It is, in fact, the ACL in the knee that is partially or entirely torn, just like in people.
I have also learned that there is a name for what we are doing: Conservative Management. It is the rehabilitation option that vets are not willing to suggest. And Riley seems like a very good candidate for it as we have already seen improvement in the week we have restricted his activities.

The plan:
No jumping or running at all.
All walks on leash with close supervision.
No going up stairs in the house. The outside stairs offer a lot more traction and are less steep. Riley does not seem to balk at all at these and maneuvers them with little stress.
No jumping on furniture.
No jumping in or out of the car.
Strict diet. We have 1-2 more pounds to shed off.

We will be adding supplements to his diet to help with his joints and look into hydrotherapy as a way to keep exercising him without impact. Also, regular chiropractic adjustments to ease the tension in his back and hips from overcompensating the weak knee.

For now, I have decided to stay on this plan for 6-8 weeks. We'll see how this plan gets changed/adapted as time goes on.

As I read more and learn more, I now realize that this has been an issue that existed even before the date (Sept. 4th) I thought the injury first occured. I read on line that someone's dog began to refuse to sit and that was one of the first symptoms. Riley had begun to do that a few weeks before the 4th. I had thought that with the new puppy, he was being fresh and insolent, refusing to sit on command. I now look back with guilt as it was probably difficult or even painful for him to bend down into a sitting position. In addition, for months, Riley has been balking at the stairs in the house. Often requiring several false starts before heading up the stairs. And the way he would go up stairs looked like something was chasing him, and he was afraid of slowing down and losing his momentum. It is sad to think about it, but night after night we were asking him to climb those stairs. And he did it with our encouragement. My sweet boy.