November 19th

In the last month, Diego had an exam by a different type of specialist (a surgeon this time) and continued care with his rehab vets. I would like to thank Dr Jackson of Blue Pearl and Dr Tomlinson and Dr Whaley of Twin Cities Animal Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine for their time and dedication.

Diego is currently on one medication and a handful of supplements to alleviate as much of his pain as possible. We recently added a new medication and altered the dosages of his other meds recently. He had started lifting his right front foot up while standing again. One of his rehab vets had us increase his anti-inflammatory, Boswellia to being given twice daily. When just that didn't do the trick, we added in a new prescription medication that helps with nerve based pain. Diego is now flying around my apartment as much as I'll let him. He is standing up again instead of preferring to lay down. And he's back to being his very agreeable self.

During his consultation with Dr Jackson, we received some challenging news. Due to the further break down of Diego's wrist (despite my diligence with his care), Dr Jackson believes that our best chance of getting Diego pain free is to perform an orthopedic surgery (arthrodesis) that would fuse the bones in his wrist together and use a metal plate to stabilize. This is the option I wanted the least. It scares me because of the higher incidence of potential problems after the surgery. However, Dr Jackson has many years of experience, and many reasons why this surgery will give Diego the best outcome.

1) Without very advanced imaging, we can't ensure that all of the tiny bone fragments are removed (our original plan). Removing some of the fragments, but not all, may mean the really painful ones will still remain. We don't want this because we'd be in the same place we are now.

2) Diego has evidence of break down in his left wrist as well. Even if he were to be in an orthotic 80% of the time, he would still be putting a lot of weight on his left wrist. After he is healed, he should use his right leg more than his left because it will be non-painful.

3) Dr Jackson believes so strongly that this is the best option for Diego that he reduced the initial estimated cost by almost 50%.

So, Diego is having surgery on November 19th to fuse his right wrist together. He will spend the night there so they can administer very strong pain meds and monitor him after the procedure. He will then be in a bandage for 12 weeks (with weekly bandage changes) while his leg heals. During this time he will be able to go on very short leashed walks a couple times a day. He will need to be kept as quiet as possible to ensure the best possible outcome.

Diego and I thank you for your support!
Diego also thanks ESRA and his spectacular veterinary team. Last but certainly not least, he also thanks all of his fans!

Diego's Wrists

Diego has a very painful wrist and a semi-painful wrist. His right carpus (wrist) is swollen, it is hyperextended (stretches further than it should), and it hurts. He licks at it a lot, which tells me something is uncomfortable. He is missing hair in two places from licking. He protests me handling it. He chooses to lie down instead of sit or stand for long periods of time. When he walks, he limps. His left carpus is also hyperextended.

Bailey, Gabby, and Diego waiting in the elevator.

After his exam at my work, one of the recommendations was to get his front legs xrayed. So Monday morning, we xrayed Diego's front legs. Tuesday the xrays were read and it was determined that he had an untreated fracture in his radius (the big bone at the front of the foreleg, below the elbow, close to the carpus) with bone fragments present. This is likely the root cause of his pain. And we needed to talk with his rehab vet as well as a surgeon to determine the best possible outcome for Diego to be pain free. Two surgeons generously read Diego's xrays and told us their respective recommendations.

Waiting for his exam. Note the hairloss on his wrist.

So now we have a few options.
1) Surgically remove the bone fragments in his wrist then brace it externally with a custom orthotic from OrthoPets. Removing the fragments should give him pain relief as one of the surgeons said the fragments are likely pinching his tendons when he moves, causing damage and discomfort. However, he would still need support of his wrist after the surgery.

One xray view of his wrists.

2) Surgically remove the fragments and fuse his carpus joints together (arthrodesis). This is not a guaranteed fix and is very expensive.

The other view of his wrists.

3) Continue with pain medications and other anti-inflammatory treatments (specifically laser therapy). He is definitely more comfortable than he was, but he is still bothered by it.

We are currently trying to decide on the best option for Diego. We should know soon.

Diego and Gabby. Neither wanted to pose for me!

ESRA Diego

I picked Diego up from his temp foster (thanks Etta!) on July 11. It's taken me a while to introduce him as we have spent the last three weeks figuring out how to co-exist peacefully. To be honest, it's been more challenging than I anticipated.

Diego lays Frog Dog style often.

Diego is unfortunately in rescue because his owner died. Poor guy has been shuffled around quite a bit (with the best of intentions, mind you) in the last couple of months. He lived with his owner for 12 years and this new world has been a little bit of a shock for him.

Out for dinner at Panera, mat work like a boss.

It became very apparent that the first issue we had to address was separation anxiety. I don't ever claim to be the best at treating separation anxiety, but I certainly know the basics. And thankfully, we've made a LOT of progress in just the last week. I promise I will detail what I did in an upcoming post. But for now, I'm thrilled that Diego can safely, quietly, and happily, stay in his xpen while I'm gone at work.

Awkward dog sleeping at work.

We also realized that he's got pretty significant pain in his his wrists (right more than left) and we're in the process of getting to the bottom of that. Luckily, I work where I do! We'll get him as comfortable as possible.

So far Diego is respectful of other animal's space, pays no attention to my cats, and is a very quick learner. He already knew sit and down. In just a couple days time he has learned nose to hand touches, goes into his xpen on cue, and gets on the scale at work on cue!

He really does sleep sometimes!

He is working on riding in the car appropriately... (it's a good thing Gabby is incredibly tolerant).

Right now we're trying to find a balance between keeping him active (well, he's plenty active on his own) and letting him be too active so his wrist hurts. Our evenings are usually spent pretty low key, and he loves to lay on my feet. Mornings are greeted JOYFULLY, reliably at 7am. He spins in happy circles for meals and as we harness/leash up to go out in the morning.

I shied away from fostering him because he reminded me too much of Buzz. But he is helping my heart heal, while I help him.

"Failing" Fostering

Gaby is now Gabby.

First night...

She's been with me four months on Friday 10/4, and I finally made the official decision to keep her. Some people have asked why. Is it because I don't think someone else will take care of her? Is it because I feel sorry for her? Not exactly.

First night, post bath. I still admire her butterfly daily.

The more I got to know the real Gabby, the more I enjoyed her. She's so silly with her toys--taking flying leaps to grab them from the floor after I throw them. She's so happy to greet each day and all her friends--that Rottweiler-like-nub just wags her whole butt! She's so good with Buzz (when she isn't too excited).

That's what she did for the first couple months. Stared and stood.

But most convincing of all, is that Gabby loves to work. She was literally like a lump when I got her. She just laid around all the time and had a general disinterest in everything. Sure, she pottied outside and let me pet her but she wasn't interested in anything I was doing. She humored me by going for walks (or at least until her feet got sore).

At the dog park. She just kind of ambled around.

The more she started to come out of her shell, the more I realized how awesome she is. I had to give up on any attempts to train her for the first two or more months because she wouldn't take food reliably. She just freight-trained around. This last month however, she's turned into a completely different dog. She's learning how to be operant, she's offering the very few behaviors she knows, and I'm getting the hang of shaping her to do fun stuff. In the last month alone, she's learned how to lie down, how to hand target, how to walk politely on a leash, and how to wait to get into the car (well, this one will always be a work in progress, but the baby basics of impulse control are there).

And then she started DOING things, like playing tug!

And she taught me that she loves to spin in circles to show her excitement, and use her nose. She enjoys food and treats now, chewing on bully sticks and other things as they're available. She relaxes in her crate while I'm away but is always ready to say hi the minute I walk in the door.

Even if she still looked sad while doing it.

Oh, and she's pretty unflappable. She's that take-anywhere dog I love. I haven't had a worry in the world anywhere I've taken her. She has been concerned about a few situations, but nothing earth shattering.

She's a joy to have around, and really is a genuine Good Dog.

Good Dog hanging out on the futon.

So she became MY Good Dog. Well, she will be after her adoption paperwork goes through officially. And even more so after we get her registration sorted out! Her temperament is that blend of Buzz and Bailey I've always desired. I simply couldn't let her go. Not when she fit in so well. Even if she is the exact opposite of what I envisioned my next dog would look like. I wanted a black & white boy, she's a liver & white (very faded) tri girl. I wanted a full tail, she's got the shortest Rottweiler-like nub ever. And she'll likely never be an agility dog. I'm not concerned.

We'll do the things we want to do, when we want to do them. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy her new life with her.

Now she plays tug with enthusiasm!

I think she has finally convinced Buzz that he doesn't need to worry about upsetting her, which also makes my heart happy. Watching them interact reminds me of past times when he and Bailey were good friends. The few times she's met Bailey, Gabby's been so respectful of space and resources. I couldn't have asked for a better third dog.

And poses for (blurry) pictures with expression.

And goes on Senior Spaniel dates.

I will be forever grateful for the stars aligning so I could meet this girl. Welcome home kiddo.

Happy, happy dog!

58# and a boat ride

Gaby has reached 58# now! She's developing such a sweet and silly personality, I wonder how people can't fall in love with her! Last Saturday she went to an adoption event, to a photoshoot, and then we took her with on a boat ride. She was her happy and relaxed wonderful self the whole time.

At the Adoption Event!

Videos of Gaby

Just a couple videos of Gaby!

Three Months for Gaby!

Gaby has been with me for three months as of September 4th (so I'm just a day late in getting to this).

In those three months Gaby has blossomed into a really wonderful dog. She has personality now, and recognizes people she likes. She wiggles her whole butt when she sees them, and trust me, it is the most adorable thing ever. She has learned how to go hiking and says that she LOVES it. I'm really impressed that she can trot for miles now. All I need to do is ask if she wants to go outside, or grab her car harness, and she's dancing around the apartment.

She sits very reliably in situations she knows and is learning to sit to earn something exciting (getting in the car, her bully sticks, frozen kongs, etc). She's learned down within the last few weeks but it's not nearly as reliable yet. She does this adorable "curl into a C shape, then plop down" version.

And her crate manners at home are almost impeccable. There is still occasional whining (especially if I crate her at night) but it is a dramatic improvement from having never been in a crate before! She still stays in her crate whenever I'm gone for more than about a half hour. Not because I don't trust her, but because my apartment is small and I want my own animals to feel comfortable enough to move around. She sleeps loose 95% of the time and either chooses the dog bed, the futon, or the floor.

She takes treats fairly reliably now out in public, so we've made a lot of progress on her leash walking skills. She will still stare at dogs and people on leash without being able to redirect at times, but it's far less frequent now. She has chosen a select few dogs she REALLY likes and has tried to initiate play with. Yes, it's as adorable as it sounds. However, most dogs are still boring to her and she'd rather not meet them.

She has taken grooming in stride. She gets her ears cleaned regularly, she's bathed at least every two weeks, her feet get trimmed as needed, and she's learning how to handle having her nails dremeled. I clean up around her face as I need to and she's great about that as well. I'm so excited for her coat to be growing in now that she's started thyroid meds. There's a definite improvement already!

This girl is great. She's going to make her new home complete. She's been to one adoption event, is scheduled to go to another, and we are in the process of setting up a meet and greet for her with potential new adopters.