Beautiful Day For A Marshmallow

Wow, it has been a whole month since I wrote to you diary. Today is a beautiful day, we are all out on the patio while mom types this for me. There is a nice cool gentle breeze keeping us cool. Yeah for fall.

I just got home from seeing Doc Nancy and I feel great. I haven't seen her in 3 weeks. This is significant because it means I am getting better. I no longer have to see her every week. The sores on my feet are healing up, this means I am not dragging my paws as much. I am eating normal portions of food now, but I am getting huge. I weigh 104 lbs. My usual weight is 96-98 lbs. Mom has started calling me Marsmallow, because she says I look like one and of course I am just a sweet. Doc Nancy told mom to add more veggies to my diet. Low calorie things because the extra weight will be hard on my neck. I can't get much exercise. Mom has been putting Paw Tectors (Booties)on my front feet so I can go for a short walk. We have to be careful to not go to far. I can just see mom carrying me home. BOL.

There is a family joke about Grandpa'a wagon. He offered his yard wagon so mom could take me for a long walk with Tuesday and Duke. Just imagine Mom walking with Duke and Tuesday and pulling a great big white german shepherd marshmallow in a wagon. Do you think people would stare? Wouldn't that be something? We would be having the greatest time and they would have something great to discuss at the dinner table. A beautiful day for everyone.

Hi Diary, I am still in no pain, but I do seem to be getting weaker. I had accupunture yesterday so i am a little stronger today. I fell on the tile floor the other day with all 4 legs out and I couldn't get up. Mom had to lift me up. Doc Nancy told mom to be careful about that, because sometimes this happens to a wobler and they get into trouble if there is no one to help. For example, if they are outside by themselves and fall in the hot sun. Luckly I am an indoor dog. Dad is worried about the pool so I am not allowed outside by myself any more. I am not peeing in the house any more. I still get very hungry and I have some weight back on. My personality has become unpredictable due to my meds. But, I am still the most loveable creature on this earth. I am still living the great life.

Hi diary. Today i feel pretty good.. I have no pain. I still drag my front paws so much that I have sores on my knuckles. I am week in general. I Pant, drink and pee alot. I have many accidents in the house now. Not sure if it is a neurological problem. I used to ask at the door to be let out but know I don't. I walk and pee. My appetite has slowed up ( I was eating like an elephant). I am still very skinny. I am down about 16 lbs. I still love to have the toys tossed to me. Mom and dad don't let me chase it much. We are tappering my prednisone dose. I now only take 1/2 a tab a day. We hope this will control my drinking and peeing. I am hoping for another great day tomorrow.

DOTW

Wow, what an honor. I am dog of the week on the dog park USA. I love the picture of me on the background. Way Cool. Thanks Dog Park USA.

Baby Gate

I am still feeling pretty good. I have started putting on some weight. I have been drinking a lot and peeing a lot. This is due to the prednisone. My lab work came back yesterday and I am having some liver problems with the meds. My doctor put me on some milk thistle and liver support. My wbc are high, which means I have an infection somewhere, and my thyroid level is low. So now, I am on thyroid meds and an antibiotic. But I feel good.
Now that I feel better I don't like this baby gate. I don't like it when mom goes up there without me. She lets me go up there to sleep and then back down in the morning. Then we have to stay down the rest of the day. So, I make sure she knows I don't like it. I sit at the gate and cry. I even tried to squeeze myself through the wrought iron like Duke does. I didn't fit and I think he laughed at me. I don't like it but I will keep trying to make her let me upstairs.

I do feel much better today and I am walking very stronge. Mom says that it seems that the 2nd day post acupuncture is the best day. I had only one dose of tramadol today and I haven't yelped once. I really want to go up stairs. Mom didn't sleep with me last night she left me and Tuesday down stairs. Duke can sneak past the gate so he goes up stairs.The skin brother let me in his room so I slept with him. tuesday dosen't seem to mind were she sleeps. Mom and dad really miss us not sleeping with them but they are trying to be stronge, because it is best for my neck. Mom got real sad because she can see my hip bones now . I am eating though. Dad went out back and I feel like going out with him so see ya diary.

Walking straight

I am feeling much better today. I slept most of yesterday, but today I am walking pretty straight and I haven't fallen once. I only cried once today when I climbed up on the couch. I wont be doing that again any time soon. I don't like the fact that mom put up the gate on the stairs. I want to go up stairs with mom. I am scared that they plan to not ever let me up there again. What will I do if that happens? Mom slept downstairs with me again last night but, I have a feeling that is going to stop now that I feel better. I get very nervous when mom leaves the room I lie on my bed and stare at her. I heard her say something about me developing speration anxiety. I don't know what that is but if she leaves me I am going to cry and wait by the door until she comes back. Will see what happens tonight.

Walking straight

I am feeling much better today. I slept most of yesterday, but today I am walking pretty straight and I haven't fallen once. I only cried once today when I climbed up on the couch. I wont be doing that again any time soon. I don't like the fact that mom put up the gate on the stairs. I want to go up stairs with mom. I am scared that they plan to not ever let me up there again. What will I do if that happens? Mom slept downstairs with me again last night but, I have a feeling that is going to stop now that I feel better. I get very nervous when mom leaves the room I lie on my bed and stare at her. I heard her say something about me developing speration anxiety. I don't know what that is but if she leaves me I am going to cry and wait by the door until she comes back. Will see what happens tonight.

POPs work

Thanks to all my dogster frinds that sent me pop's. They seemed to have worked. I don't have to have surgery or the alternative that my family was so afraid to mention. I was seen by a neurologist today and he seems to think Meds, rest, and accupunture is an option for treatment.
Today has been such a long hard day. It started today at 6:30 when they woke me up at the hospital so mom and the skin brother could pick me up to take me to the ortho vet for test. As you may have read I don't like strangers so an overnight stay was difficult for me. But, they said I did ok. Then we drove about 25 min to the ortho vet. There we waited 2 hours to have my doc tell us that the doc who actually does the test was uncomfortable doing a mylogram on a large dog and we would have to have it done at the neuro vet. She called and made me an emergency appointment for 3:15 in Tustin (a 1 hour drive). Mom was a bit irritated about this . My doc should have known and not made the appointment in the first place. The other irritating thing was that we had to wait 2 hours before we were told this. I was the 2nd dog to sign in and I was the last dog to be seen. Mom says she isn't sure what their protocal of who goes first is, but I think I was the only dog there who was obviously suffering, had an iv cath in my arm, just came off a morphine drip, and the only one who didn't walk in on his own four paws and that they should have seen me first.
Well, any way the doc gave me a shot of somethig that would keep me comfotable till I saw neuro doc. so, we went home and I was so relieved to be there and I slept until 1:30. then we were off to the neuro vet. Luckly (or was it the POP's at work) there was no traffic on the 91 freeway and we flew there.
Neuro doc was very nice and had a very nice room with a blanket covered mat on the floor for me to lay on while he examined me. Then I was off to have an MRI. Neuro doc needed a MRI if I would have had the Xray and mylogram at ortho doc it would have all been waisted money and they're not cheep.
Well, the results of the MRI showed I have woobler syndrome. Woobler syndrome is common in dobies. What this means I have a week neck and over the years it has caused injury. My spinal cord at C-5 looks like a key hole and my nerves coming out to my fore legs are being pinched by my vertabre. the doc said that it could be treated with two surgeries with a cost of almost $10,000 and probably would not fix me and I could very well still be in pain. Or, I could be treated with meds, rest and accupunture. He feels I could probably do well on this treatment. So this is what we will do. He increased my tramadol (pain med) from 50 mg 2x aday to 100mg 4x a day, we will continue my prednisone( decreases swelling), and he added gabapentin ( med for nerve pain), and I must rest my neck. This is the worst of all no toys. I can't shake things or chase things and I am not supposed to use stairs. Where will I sleep? I think mom plans to sleep down stairs with me for a little while.
Well, mom and I finally made it home again the POPs helped us fly through the traffic quickly. I am zonkered still sleeping at 10:00 as i type this in my sleep. Again, mom and I want to thank those who sent the POPs we feel they must have really helped to give me a very hopefull treatment plan that we can manage. thanks and goodnight.

Today is not a good day. This is because I am in the hospital. It is a good thing because i am not hurting any more. I am in a cage with iv fluids, and they are giving me pain meds and muscle relaxants. My neck starting hurting real bad last thursday and I started holding my front paws bent. This is a sign of neurological problems in my neck. My doc started me on prednisone that day. Prednisone is a steroid that should reduce swelling. We were hoping this would help, but Saturday night I started falling on my face when I tried to walk. This is a very bad sign. Mom slept down stairs with me last night because she didn't think i should try the stairs. This was great because I so want to be with her especially when I hurt. She had dad bring down a roll up matress for us and he put it in the family room. this I liked because mom and I could sleep together except when she would move I would move too and I would hurt. So, When she got up to go into the bathroom I went and layed down in the laundry room. Mom left me there so she wouldn't disturb me. The when she came back later she found my human brother a sleep on the floor with me. Boy did she cry to see this 21 year old goof sleeping with me. So this morning mom and dad took me to the emergency hospital so I could be comfortable until tomorrow. tomorrow they will come and get me and take me to have xrays and a mylogram ,to diagnose my problem and see if I am a canadate for surgery. If surgery is an option then I have to go to another hospital to have it done. I know mom is real worried about me. I do not like strangers and I so want to be with my family. But I am sedated and I should be ok .