Sunday loafing

Wilbur and I went for a walk today. I let him off the leash so he could play with a few other dogs. It was short lived since Wilbur can't really tell his limits and I didn't want him to over do it. As you can see, he's now very tuckered out.

Plateau

Wilbur seems to have hit a bit of a plateau. We had been taking him for longer walks, but after two long walks back to back Wilbur seemed to be more stiff. We've re-started some of his anti-inflammatory medications which has helped a bit. One big change is that we've started leaving Wilbur home unattended during the day. Before we were crating the dogs while we were out, but in order to decrease his stiffness we thought it would be better if Wilbur could walk around and stretch during the day. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive the first few times, as Wilbur's known to have a love of garbage and anything left on the counter. Today I was pleasantly greeted by an excited pup, who thankfully had destroyed only the beef knuckle I had given him in the morning.

POD# ????

So I've lost track of how long ago Wilbur's surgery, which must be a good thing. He went for his longest walk today - a full 12 blocks (round trip). He seemed to enjoy it immensely and his limp is improving. I'll try and get some pics tomorrow of his re-growth - as Quinn said tonight during our walk "it's good, he's starting to look less gross."

POD#13

Wilbur's on a fairly steady recovery. He's still got a pretty serious limp, but it doesn't really seem to slow him down. Today we walked from 112th ave to 109th ave and back, which is the longest walk he's been on since his surgery. Since his trajectory seems good at the moment, I may not blog as frequently. Given my superstitions though, and the fact that he had to go for surgery after I closed the blog last time I will be leaving it open - maybe indefinitely! Feel free to check in from time, and I will add pics and stories a couple times a week.

POD#12

Last night when I got home from Winnipeg we took Wilbur's staples out. He was awesome and didn't even flinch. It probably helped that Quinn had a hand full of food to distract him. He's so desperate to go for walks that he almost loses his mind when we touch his leash. Given the chilly, wet weather we've been having I suited up appropriately. I'm not sure why it looks like my hood is wet - that's weird, and from the look Wilbur's giving me I think he concurs.

POD#9

Wilbur was apparently a little loafier today than usual. We've been taking him for slightly longer walks to try and remedy his boredom, but maybe they made him tired . . . It's hard to know! Life with Wilbur would be far more interesting if he could just tell us what's going on. I'm in my way to Winnipeg, so no posts from me over the weekend. For those of you interested in the graphic pics, make sure to check in on Sunday because I will be removing his staples and will post some photos on the blog, Have a great weekend!

POD#7

Wilbur's doing even better today . . . he's clearly got his spunk back AKA is frantic about any type of small mammals. Quinn took his bandage off, but he's snoozing now so I can't get a good pic of his staples. Yesterday Quinn opened a birthday package care of his dad - cookbooks and a salt pig and apparently Wilbur's just as taken with ceramic mammals as he is with the live ones.

POD #6

Wilbur had a lot of resting in his crate today, as will be the case on Tuesdays for the foreseeable future.

Tuesdays Quinn's out of the house from 0830-2130 (school + work), and I happened to be at a meeting at a First Nation about 200 KMs from Edmonton. When I got home, Wilbur was ready to go, so I took him out for a few short walks. I figured it would be fun to try and document said excursions. It turns out taking selfies are way more complicated with a dog who's set his sights on a neighbourhood cat, hence the WAY too close up!

POD#5 - turning a corner

Wilbur seems to be doing a lot better. He seems more full of energy and generally a little happier. We've been trying to take him out for a few short walks a day (one block or less) to get some movement over his shoulder joint and to get his brain stimulated with the outside smells. He gets SO excited for his walks and stays excited for a few minutes when we get home. These pics are of him post walk - tongue-lolling, head on bed with beautiful, big, brown begging eyes and finally a few of his peek-a-boo staples. The staples come out on POD#14.

POD#4

Wilbur's pretty much the same as yesterday. We went out again - this time to Safeway. Apparently the fringes of the Safeway parking lot are a treasure trove of disgusting bits of trash which are heavenly to Wilbur. He really enjoyed exploring the parking lot. Now he's busy resting. We will post again tomorrow.

POD#3

Wilbur and I ran a few errands today. He looks ridiculously cute with his cone head smooshed between the seats. I'm still not sure how he got from the 'way back' into the back seat. It must have been pretty entertaining for the random passersby who happened upon the scene.

Here's a video of him in the yard, so you can see that he's managing fairly well.

POD #2

POD is "post op day" shorthand.
Wilbur's a little more sore than he was yesterday but still getting around. We're all going to have a quiet night. Here are a few pics from around the yard at dinner time.

Wibur had a good night

As far as I can tell, Wilbur slept pretty well. I guess big doses of narcotic have their benefits. He wasn't restless, and only needed to reposition himself a few times. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must be to have to sleep with a plastic cone on your head - poor guy. I'm off to work, but Quinn or I will post later with more pics.

Homecoming #3 . . . continued curse of the cone

Wilbur's home again. He's back to limping from loafing spot to loafing spot. Although he's clearly in more pain today than he was yesterday, he still looks way better than that very first time we brought him home.

He's now on Keflex (antibiotics) 1g twice a day, tramadol (narcotic) twice a day, and meticam (meloxicam - anti-inflammatory) once a day. He had been off meds completely.

He's able to get down the stairs by himself, but he's back to moving more slowly in general.
When we took him into the yard after dinner he took the longest pee I've ever seen a dog take. It was reminiscent of the Austin Powers scene only longer. I'm guessing they took his catheter out but left the IV in . . . his fluid balance was a little off.

So we're back to daily progress posts, feel free to check back.

Blog back on - broken shoulder

Well crappy news. . . Quinn took Wilbur to the ortho yesterday to check out his R shoulder since he still hadn't been using it very much. It turns out he has an articular scapular fracture and superscapular nerve damage. They took him to the OR yesterday afternoon and were in there for several hours. Because the leg's been healing for four weeks, everything was pretty well stuck down and it was a pretty tough surgery. They put in one pin, but they're not sure in the long run whether that will make a difference. He will definitely end up with some pretty bad arthritis in that leg.

He's still in the hospital, and he did well with the surgery. They think we'll be able to pick him up tonight.

We will try to post pics later.

Steady Improvement

Having been reprimanded for my lax blogging habits, I guess I'll provide this brief update. Wilbur continues to improve steadily, and is now going for walks and getting around fairly easily. The laceration on his right forelimb has closed up, but he is still limping, probably because the leg is still weak and a little bit painful. It is hard to tell whether or not he is sad being the only dog in the house, or simply bored of being inside most of the time. On Friday night we went to a shindig at my Aunt and Uncle's place and he was clearly happy to be social and smell some new odours! He is totally free of medications, and Daniele and I are happy to see him acting like his old self again (ie, stealing food off the stove!).

Signing out . . .

I came home to a completely different dog! Wilbur's large cut to his forelimb is almost completely healed. he can run up and down our back steps with little difficulty (although he can be a little clumsy). He's definitely a little sad and probably missing his pal Mosely - as we all are.

Thanks to everyone who's followed the blog and sent your supportive wishes. It's been a really tough few weeks, but we're so happy that Wilbur's made a good recovery. Mosely will be in out hearts and continues to be sadly missed.

Back at Home (Again)

I, Quinn, that is, brought Wilbur home from Marcia and Rashid's this morning and he's looking way better! His big, ugly bruise is almost entirely gone and the laceration on his leg, while still open, is much smaller and healing nicely. When I got to their house he ran to meet me and even jumped up, which is usually bad but was kind of nice to see this time around! It's nice to be home with him, even if we both miss Daniele. It looks like his energy level may have dropped a bit when we got back to the house, which makes me think that he's kind of sad to be back here without Mosely. We're just gonna take it easy and rest awhile.

Quinn's home!

Quinn has arrived back in Edmonton. He's waiting for his bags, and once he's got them he'll be off to reunite with Wilbur. I'm sure it will be good for both of them. I'll ask if he can post some fresh pics later.

Absentee owners

Quinn and I have arrived in Vancouver, one step closer to Wilbur. Quinn leaves first thing in the AM for the final leg. Rashid sent us a cute pic of Wilbur loafing in their yard. I can't wait to hear about the Q and W reunion tomorrow - I'm sure it will be fantastic.

Monday morning update

Wilbur is receiving top notch care at the Kashani's. Apparently he's eating well and he's really enjoying hanging out in their backyard. We are so grateful to Marcia and Rashid. Knowing Wilbur's in such good hands, has given us a chance to enjoy our wedding venue hunt and visiting in Victoria. We're In transit to van at the moment. Tonight we will have dinner with quinn's mom, sisters, my sister and sister in law, my nephew and my friend Ashley. Tomorrow Quinn heads home first thing, my mom will head to Surrey to visit with our cousin Suz and I will head up to Whistler for my conference. I will ask Quinn to post some Wilbur pics tomorrow!

Sleepover therapy

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Marcia, Rashid and Willow!!! When we arrived last night, Wilbur transformed into a new dog. He was sniffing, exploring, checking out Willow and then stealing her toys . . . the dog I know and love. Wilbur slept well with his foster family, and I know he will be in good hands over the weekend. Quinn and I can't thank you guys enough!!!

Friday night . . .

Well, Wilbur and I are all packed for a sleep over. Our friends Marcia and Rashid have graciously offered to puppysit our sick little guy this weekend so that we can do our Victoria stuff. Wilbur's still pretty low key, and not really himself. He managed to have some supper and keep that down. I'm hoping that he has a good weekend, and that having another pup around (marcia and rashid's willow) will brighten his spirits.

So far so good?

A colleague of mine was able to cover my afternoon clinic, so once I was done teaching I was able to come home. Wilbur greeted me with a wagging tail, which was great to see. Without any pain meds for 36 hours however, his limp is pretty bad. Apparently he hasn't thrown up this morning. I've just given him his first Tramadol (pain killer) since the puking started, so hopefully he'll be able to keep it down. He's still not interested in drinking, although even when he's feeling well he drinks sporadically - just not his thing I guess.

I'm still waiting to see how he does to decide about leaving for Victoria in the morning. I've always had a profound respect for parents, and single moms in particular, but these last few days have deepened it further if that's possible. It's horrible trying to care for a little one that's sick!

Rough night

Wilbur started throwing up yesterday. I had to take him back to the Emergency Vet last night. He was able to come back home, although this morning he's not quite himself - pretty listless and droopy. The upside is that he's had a little bit of food which he's managed to keep down. He's not interested in drinking at all. The vet took him off all his meds, and switched him to some stomach pills Losec, and Cerenia. I've got to go to work and Quinn's camping at Sombrio Beach on vancouver island so I'm feeling pretty terrible that he's going to have to be in his crate part of the day. We have some friends/dogsitters that will check in on him this afternoon. If he doesn't bounce back, I may have to postpone my trip to Victoria. I was supposed to be leaving in the morning.

Please send more prayers again, they seemed really helpful last time!!!

Quick Thursday AM update

Wilbur had yet another good night which was nice, because it meant I had a good night's rest too. We're both missing Quinn, but we're managing OK. This morning Wilbur even limp-ran a few steps to catch up with me in the yard - which made me feel good. Hopefully by the time I have to leave on Saturday morning he'll be more mobile.

Blue day . . .

Quinn left for Victoria this morning and I think Wilbur's missing him. He's probably missing Mose too. I got home and he's just been lazing around, looking pretty glum. He didn't even want to chew on one of his bones or hoof, which made my heart break. He must be feeling pretty crappy, if he doesn't even want his treats. The upside??? He's moving a little more easily . . . I think. Here's a pic from happier times - a few weeks after we got Mosely last winter.

No news is good news?

I went to work today, so I was away from 9-5. Quinn reports that Wilbur had a fairly uneventful day. He's still on heavy doses of narcotics and limping quite severely. His spirits seem good though, and we are counting our daily blessings that he's still trucking along.

Visit to the vet

Wilbur saw his regular vet this morning. She thought that he's doing quite well. We've added a few herbal and homeopathic treatments to his regime, so hopefully this will help him get better as quickly as possible. We've been trying to keep him from licking the wound on his R fore limb, which has meant Wilbur's been wearing a cone almost 24/7. The vet suggested we use a kid's shirt to cover him up. When we got home I fashioned a little shirt out of one of Quinn's old button up shirts - it's pretty cute to see Wilbur all dressed up in a dress shirt.

Thinking of Mose . . .

Found this video of our little Mose. He LOVED this toy. It was filled with treats, that would only pop out if the angle inside the toy was just right and they could slide through the hole. I filmed him playing with it in April. I could watch him for hours playing with this thing - although he was so clever, that he would get all the treats out in about 15 minutes or so! So glad I caught this little bit on film . . .

Looking better . . .

Wilbur had another good night. It seems that huge doses of narcotic promote a pretty sound sleep. This morning he did almost a full lap of the yard which was pretty impressive - but that really tuckered him out so now he's just taking a snooze. Hopefully, this means he's turned the corner. Quinn and I were supposed to be heading down to Calgary today for my sister-in-law Jane's Call to the Bar tomorrow. Since Wilbur's still needing a lot of care, we've decided not to go.

Saturday morning - loafing

Wilbur had a much better night - less panting, less whimpering and a generally better rest I think. He woke up with a big 'ol tail wag, which was great. After his dose of morning meds, and ointment applications however, he's back to needing a rest.

Will send update again later.



This little video is Wilbur going a little crazy on his make shift water bowl.

Graphic pics

So we just took Wilbur to the vet again! After dinner we noticed that the eggplant-like bruise on his belly was growing so packed him up to be re-evaluated for the second time today. He looked pretty amazing and even hopped into the car at the end of the visit - just to show us how spry he is I guess. Here are some snapshots as promised.

The black line at the bottom of his chest is the top of the bruise.

Homecoming #2

Quinn took Wilbur back to the vet this afternoon, after a huge purply eggplant type lump appeared on his underbelly. Good news - it looks to be old blood from the original injury that's just tracking down a little. Bad/good news they repeated his chest xray and his lungs had re-collapsed so they had to withdraw more air - 240 mls on one side, 340 mls on the other.

When he got home, he looked a lot brighter than this morning, and even seemed to walk a little better, although still with a lot of limping.

He's sleeping now, so no pics of his massive bruise. When he's up later for meds, I'll try and snap some photos - it's really impressive.

A bit of a rough night . ..

We love having Wilbur home, but it's hard to see first hand how much pain he's in. He panted and whimpered through the night, although his meds certainly seem to take the edge off somewhat. We are watching closely, since we don't want mistake painful panting, for panting that's caused by worsening of his lung conditions (collapsed lung and bruised lungs).

We had shifts in the night, Quinn did the first part of the evening and I was up on and off from 0300 onward. Because Wilbur's so sore, Quinn has to carry him to the yard to do his business . . . having been pretty severely laid up myself earlier this year my heart really aches for him.

I'm not sure what Quinn has in his karma cards, but he certainly wins the gold medal for Caregiving/Nursing 2010.

Thanks again for all the thoughtful e-mails, facebook posts and calls. We are reminded of how much we're loved. Please keep your prayers coming, Wilbur can use all the help he can get (us too!).

pics later . ..

Wilbur's Homecoming

for the medical folks in the crowd, and those of you that are into details *Brenda* I've included his med sheet.

WILBUR'S HOME!!!

We picked him up from the vet's at 8PM. He's lying on our rug, taking it easy, which is perfect. He's still limping quite a bit, and has a bad gash to his forelimb that wasn't sutured, so he's got some pain. - but he's home and we couldn't be happier to have him with us. I will try and post pics later!

Best tail wag ever . . .

Technology got me again, here's my second try at the video . . .

Day 2 photos

Here are this morning's photos. Breakfast, post breakfast chops licking and finally satiated grin. If I can figure out this blog there should be a little video of a tail wag too!

Wilbur day 2

Wilbur's doing WAY better this morning. I went to see him and he was wagging his tail, licking my face and I even got to feed him his first meal since the accident which he devoured. I will post pics a little later. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts, they're working!!!

Mosely . . .

We loved you so much. You were an incredible little dog, and our lives are not the same without you. We imagine you're in doggie heaven, which for you must be filled with boundless treat toys, comfy beds, and of course an endless supply of "poop-sicles". We're so glad you came into our life, and we will miss you forever.

p.s. make sure to watch over your brother Wilbur so he keeps getting better.