Naughty Boy...

We are all a little tired today, Winston did not sleep right through the night - he loves to bury himself beneath all the blankets in bed and be up against me. In the middle of the night he woke up panting very heavily, so of course water is brought to him and he doesn't drink but eventually stops panting. We all drift back to sleep (Winkie minus blankets) only to have Winston get cold and crawl back under the covers waking me in the process. :-)

Today it was back to work and Winston was his old self (with wobbly legs) - he is certainly eager to do everything he has always done! I have to say he was very good for most of the day, sleeping in his spot under my desk until about 1pm. It was when I went for lunch that he didn't sit still for the girls... oh Winkie!

We have been following the medication schedule to a 't' - three times a day for his cocktail of pain relief. He is having great pees, nice steady streams and is having regular bowl movements (with the help of Valium) too. To get around Winston uses a harness and sling around his back legs to support them while walking. I am still getting the hang of putting them on... I somehow have the harness all twisted up, can't figure out how that happened. :-) He is able 'walk' around unassisted but I don't let him do this much at all, but it seems to be unavoidable - sometimes Winkie just can't be contained!

I took a little too long to feed him this afternoon, he was quite literally moaning at about 6 this evening for his food, which he ate so fast I thought for sure he was going to choke! Throughout all of this his appetite only failed him briefly - it is a trademark of his... scarfing down his food with such force and delight all at once, you have to wonder if he evens knows what it tastes like!

I have him on my lap right now where he is most content, however I am trying to get him to not be such a couch potato because that is where he jumps the most, up and down off of the sofa. Even tonight, he fought being on the floor for a good hour before he finally relented and begrudgingly laid down at my feet. But he wanted to jump, he was poised for hopping several times and I had to hold him back and correct him. I will 'invite' him up and lift him in place - I want to get him to the point to where he 'asks' to come up instead of helping himself. Habits take a long time to break... and he is determined to keep his throne, the floor is no place for Prince Winston - heaven forbid!

Overall, first day back has not been without its challenges and frustrations but those things are forgotten quickly - what makes me smile and will mark this day is what his legs lack in strength and speed, his little tail more than makes up for it. It hasn't stopped wagging it all day! :-)

Winkie report: Right where he should be.

Home Sweet Home!

We are home! We are happy! We snuggled up together in bed! yay! More on the procedure and what we can expect in the coming weeks tomorrow - after nearly 10 hours of driving today we are all exhausted!

Thank you soooo much Dr. Sharp (and all the staff) who took such good care of my little boy!!

Winkie Report: Puppy sighs...there is no place like home (and sleeping on high thread count sheets again!) :-)

Coming Home

The little booger is coming home tomorrow - we are leaving bright and early so we can pick him up around 12:30. I just can't wait!!!

He is doing very well, is even walking with help! The vet techs say he is very happy, loving all the treats and snuggles they are giving him. He gets all his naps in (just like at home) and seems very content.

Winkie report: Milking it!

Thank you!

To everyone reading this and showing their care and concern for Winkie - Thank you. It is nice to know that you all care, :-) I know he loves you all too... even if you don't always have food for him!

I am overjoyed at the results - I went from being afraid and hopeless to relieved and elated at Winston's future. Things were a little uncertain for a while; contemplating life with a blind and paralyzed dog was interesting... I had even checked out doggy wheelchairs! More than anything I just want to give Winston a great life, he is such a great little friend to me that it is the least I can do for him, so I am very grateful for the doctors and vet techs who have made him better.

Update: Winston had a pee! Apparently this is an important event the recovery process. He is still not walking yet, but is really wanting too! I am hopeful that I will be picking him up on Thursday. The vet techs say he is in great spirits, wanting lots of attention and overall is a great patient!

Winston report: Recovering like a champ!

Great News!

Winston is doing great!! The surgery went very very well - the surgeon said that his disc was very enlarged and that while he was in there he also did a little preventative surgery on some normally 'prone' discs. So the chance that this will occur again is only 5-10%!! I am relieved and very happy with the outcome - more soon!

Winston report: Waiting to pee!

Awaiting news...

Vitals are good, but no word yet on his legs!! I am anxiously awaiting a phone call from the neurologist. Fingers crossed that everything is in working order...

Winkie report: Enjoying his paid meds

Surgery!

It has been a long day! This morning the neurologist was able to examine Winston and determined that he was not getting better and in fact was getting a little worse.

It all went quite quickly, after the examination we had about an hour with Winston for final snuggles and hugs. He looked super cute with his little IV bandage and was really looking forward to being able to walk again!!

At about 2pm he was whisked off for a CT Scan, (I would have thought MRI, but apparently doxies spines are captured very well on a CT Scan alone) and it showed an enlarged disc between #'s 10 & 11 and some scraping was required. I will make sure I write a more technical description of the exact procedure of what happened once I talk to the surgeon - and take notes!
We opted to leave Winston at the hospital (he is in excellent hands, and as much as I really wanted to be there I should really be at the store as much as possible right now) and so we got a call from the Dr. as soon as the surgery was over and he said everything went very well. The proof will be in the morning when Winston will (should) go for his first walk with his 'new' back!! I am just so happy and relieved that my little guy will be walking again!! There is an 80-90% chance that he will be as good as new! The best part is that the recovery time is less than half of the crate rest time (3 months) as I thought that was going to be his fate!!

More tomorrow after I talk to the doctor.

Winkie report: Resting comfortably with heated blankets :-)

Happy Boy!

We have an intact spirit! Winston was much more himself today (minus the lack of back leg movement of course) after attempting to devour the squirrel we captured and brought for him to 'tame'! We looked high and low to find that thing... several stores later - including a pet store, we finally found the ideal squeaker in Zellers of all places. He got a little too excited, and we ended up having to take the toy away! :-(

Had plenty of snuggle time, with Winkie waking up right on schedule to moan for his supper, the nurse said he was right on time. That's the Winkie I know and love! He also drank an entire bowl of water before finally settling down for another nap, I even got a few winks in too!

The staff are so wonderful, they are very attentive and kind to Winston making sure he is completely comfortable at all times! I have heard many comments about what a sweet boy he is!

Tonight, when I checked in on him, his evening exam showed he was still stable and that his right leg was stronger than his left at this point. I am really looking forward to hearing what the Neurologist has to say in the morning.

Winkie report: Still an apex hunter!

Update

No change today during rounds - but we did get confirmation that Winston will see the Neurologist in the morning!

Today we shop for some toys for the boy - I hope he can have some fun during our visit this afternoon.

Winkie report: Being missed terribly.

Sleepies

Winkie was in a great deal of pain when we arrived for our visit. He was moaning and shaking quite a bit, I had to ask for his pain medication and thankfully they brought it quite quickly. Within 1/2 hour Winston was much more comfortable and calm. Within an hour he was sleeping peacefully in my arms... soon I was napping too! I woke up here and there and would forget that we were in the hospital for a split second. Having the little bear snuggled up to me was so warm and comforting for us both. It was wonderful...

Update: still feels deep pain, took him outside with his sling and harness and he seemed happy to sniff around but we were unproductive in both departments. No tail waggin anymore (?), but apparently has not got worse. He is topped up on his meds and hopefully having restful puppy dreams right now. :-)

Winkie report: He's in there somewhere.

Hoppies in Action

Here is some vintage Winston at supper time, his favourite time of the day, I can't wait until he is back to his old self!

Stable

Well, just returned from our visit with the little man. He is heavily medicated right now with an anti-inflammatory and with pain medication. I had a chance to snuggle with him for a couple of hours until the waiting room chairs got to be too uncomfortable. It was heartbreaking leaving him... he started whining and frantically moving about his cage. The girls in that ward said it can take about 10 minutes for patients to settle down. :-(

I had a chance to briefly discuss what is happening to my sweet boy with the intern neurologist who makes the rounds on weekends. What is most frustrating is that I still really don't have much of an idea of what is going to happen or what to expect in the future -nor do I know how much longer Winston will be staying at the clinic. I am a concerned winkie mummy, and I brought him to this hospital because they are the best, and because my vet felt it enough of an emergency to send me four hours away to them. I am just very frustrated that no one can seem to tell me much about what is going on with him, it would be great hear anything at this point, unfortunately we have to wait until Monday.

So, the gist of what I know so far is that he is.. you guessed it - stable, he is not paralyzed ,(although he can't walk either and his legs just hang beneath him like limp noodles!) he can still feel 'deep pain' (which is a good thing I guess) so he may not necessarily be a candidate for surgery, (but because Winston is not an emergency, I don't get to know that for sure until Monday, but as of right now, surgery on him would be considered 'elective'). It is a wait and see situation, the nurses test his pain threshold hourly to see if there are any changes, if the sensation goes from feeling deep pain to not feeling any pain then that would be the point of him being considered an emergency and surgery would be urgently required should he ever hope to regain the use of his legs. OR should he not get to that point, he may just heal on his own! I am told to possibly expect to have him confined to a crate for the next three months, only to come out to potty and eat!!

So... either way in my books, it is not going to be a fun time for my little pooh bear over the next few months!

While I am waiting to go back to the clinic (I reserved the family room this time in hopes of some comfy visiting :-) I am trying to get a little work done. I sure do miss the little booger at my feet - and snuggled in bed with me!

On top of all that, I get a 6am phone call from the alarm company that my store's alarm has been triggered... thankfully it was a false alarm! Sigh...

Winkie report: Spreading his cuteness all over the hospital!

Daschund Down - Calcified Disc in Back

Winkie Down! Winkie Down! I write this from Vancouver where Winston was rushed (4 hours from where we live) to be seen at a critical care hospital after his back legs gave out on him. This clinic has two Neurologists on staff and is truly the best place for him, he is waiting to be assessed now.

It started about a week ago, I took him to the vet but his symptoms at the time let us to believe it was internal tummy problems, well, it turns out it is his back. My poor Bear!

Doxies are adorable, but cursed...with a long back - yup dog and a half long by just half a dog high!

Winston stopped being himself - you know... naughty, jumping on and off the couch, licking the floors, being generally needy just over a week ago (August 12th or 13th), he just kept to himself and even stopped getting excited about his food, in fact, one evening HE LEFT FOOD in his bowl. So an enormous amount of pain, an emergency visit, a misdiagnosis of colitis (he had diarrhea, and an extremely tight hard abdomen), another vet visit, xrays and blood work (came back just fine) and we determine we have a back problem! OK... I could handle that, I would just give him lots of rest. We gave him Metacam for the pain and inflammation (he seemed on the mend... almost a new dog on Thursday), then Friday morning, wobbly legs, and couldn't stand on his own, couldn't even go potty!!!!

So, that brings us to Saturday... we are waiting for word from the intern neurologist after she makes her rounds. We are heading out for a visit now.

Winkie report: Brave little soldier with rear end issues