Fun fun with no pain!

Winston and I are enjoying his healthy lifestyle! Lots of new training and fun walks. He and I just stayed in Philly with our good friends Christina and SSD Ross.

We're going to try to post once a week for the new year!

Update (wk 3 + pics!)

Well Winston is doing great physically. He seems to be in no pain what so ever and has tolerated his 7 minute daily walks like a champ. I have finally gotten my camera back from Canon so here is his nearly 100% healed incision.



For those of you sicko's that would like to see a more detailed photo, click here

Other than that we are simply kick started his training and trying to get him back into the working mode. (since it's been months)

This weekend we will be going on a DASAF retreat with our friends CPL Ivy and her partner Sam, CPL Lily and her partner Lizz, and of course the infamous SSD Ross and his partner Christina! It should be a great weekend!!!

Week 2 Post Opp Check Up!

We have great news! Yesterday Winston saw his surgeon for the first time since his surgery. They took an extensive look at his gate walking, running, and doing steps. The doctor also observed how Winston balanced his wieght while standing still and did a few neurological tests with his back paws. All in all the vet told me yesterday that Winston has made a 100% recovery and that he is able to begin working again! We will avoid all heavy doors and walking long distances. Today we will start at home physical therapy which the vet and I decided I could handle on my own. He will walk a short distance and also walk a flight of stairs two times. Tomorrow we will increase the distance and the ammount of times that he walks the stairs. We will also use a ladder in my back yard (probably starting on Monday) to encourage Winston to pick his legs up extra high, strengthening more muscles in his body. I am looking for a body of water locally as well to take Winston swimming in.
We were at the kennel after his appointment and everyone was blown away at home wonderful Winston looks. Nancy noted that he has a spark in his eyes, while Yvonne couldn't get over how happy he is!
We discussed the issue of Winston working while he has an incision and large bald spot on his back. My initial reaction was that as long as he is given a clean bill of health and is up to working, it is fine. I brought it up to the trainers to make sure that is it not irresponsible of me as a partner. We all agreed that it is guranteed that people will make a very large deal out of it, but that it is not illegial or wrong of me to have him out. I am more than happy to handle all of the publics questions and settle their concerns.
Winston's first day back at work will be at a short conference Saturday. It will be a very relaxing atmosphere with very little walking involved.
Thanks again for all of the support! It means the world to us!

Update from the recovery room!

Wow, has Winston made large steps in his recovery! The first twenty four hours were absolutely terrible. By the 2nd day though Winston was beginning to have a spark back in his eyes that I have not seen in years. I was given permission to administer his tramadol every 8hrs instead of the originally prescribed 12hrs. He also found much relief taking Bach's Rescue Remedy. His swelling has decreased significantly and he goes days without whimpering! We were given permission to let him out of his crate because his pain increased laying down. Followingn that decision Winston stood for 9 hours. I also took his cone off which helped him relax a great deal. All of this combined with the natural healing power of time and you have one happy Winston.

Honestly, I think this took him back to age 3 or 4. It seems to be a miracle!!!

A soothing voice.

The hardest sound to hear and sight to see, is your partner in such pain. Although Winston's surgery went very well and just as they hoped it would, his incision is double the length and his pain is much higher than I expected. Since we arrived home he has not stopped crying, whimpering, and howling. I'm doing everything that I possibly can without breaking the Dr.'s orders and he only stops crying when he hears my voice or is being pet by someone. I spent the entire night falling asleep talking to him and then being woken up by his cries reminding me to continue talking. My mom slept half of the night with him so that I could sleep. I had nightmares on and off about his incision opening and finding blood everywhere. I cannot use words to describe how hard it is to see him like this.

As long as I keep talking to him, using his name and "good boy" he is quiet...

In the car!

Well i got word around 3pm that winston was recovering great and that i could pick him up after 5! So im grabbing dinner after work and going straight to the hospital! I miss my baby! Ill update tonight when i get home. Thanks so much for all of the support!

The day before his surgery...

Well, I can't help but spoil Winston today. Tomorrow at this time he'll be under and having his spine cut open. I've been pretty sick all week so it worked out to his advantage - mom is home with him. He's been curled up on his bed watching tv while I knit and retrieving the needle every time that it falls. I think we'll take a short walk in a little while and maybe do one nice grooming session too. I'm very nervous and very upset that my digital camera is broken because I WANT new pictures of him. Anyway, just updating to update. He'll have his last meal this afternoon and then water will be taken at midnight. Thanks for all of your support.

More Illness Discoveries

The Bad News: It has been discovered through lumbar x-rays that Winston has severe spinal inflamation. He requires a surgery called a Dorsal Laminectomy in order to reduce this inflamation. He is scheduled to have the surgery done at Palmyra Animal Clinic on September 27th. The recovery is projected to be anywhere from 6 to 12 wks and he will have physical therapy starting in the 2nd week of recovery. The Dorsal Laminectomy has roughly a 65% success rate.

The Good News: There is a great chance that Winston, pending the success of the surgery, Winston might be able to go back to work! We have put my placement with a new dog on hold until we see how Winston's recovery goes. Hopefully Winston's IBD is directly related to the stress of his spinal inflamation.

Winnie is resting on his new Urban Sprawl.

Winston continues to eat Hill's Prescription Diet i/d along with Tagamet twice a day and Prednisone once every other day.

We'll try to update more often, thanks for being patient!

We've been tagged!

Well, the old man and I have been tagged by our favorite dog guide teamand especially since this blog needs a little bit of an upper, we're going to play along!


Here's how the game works:
When you are tagged, you must list 5 weird things/habits about yourself. Then you tag 5 friends and list their names. The furries (or people) who get tagged need to write on their blogs about their 5 weird things/habits, as well as state the rules of the game clearly there too, then tag 5 more victims. Don't forget to leave your victim a comment that says "you're tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

5 Weird Things/Habits about SSD Winston:

1. In training I won the "Best Backer Upper" Award (for backing up until i'm blue in the face)
2. I have to find the absolute PERFECT spot to go "potty" even if that means not going for 24 hours!
3. I honor thy Father, Christ.
4. I'm more snuggly than you can imagine, but only with my plush toys.
5. I not only fall asleep with these plush toys in my mouth, but I try to bark at cars driving by, with the toys still in my mouth.

I don't have five other partners but i'll tag two! Rockwell and his foster mom have been tagged along with my good friend Sam and CPL Ivy.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

After talking with the vet and the other trainers at SSD I've come to understand IBD much more. Winston will have reoccuring pain and discomfort but on the contrary he will have really good times. This most likely has been going on since his urinary track issues back in '02 and simply gone into remission until now. Winston's entire intestines are affected by the IBD. Pet Education has supplied me with the wonderful infromation about IBD that I encourage anyone that is interested to read, again the information is here.

The past few months have been incredibly difficult and trying for Winston and I. I think constantly about whether or not he should continue working and everyone continues to say "You'll know when it is time." and most of the days he looks at me like he just wants to sleep and play. I'm waiting for Cindy and Nancy to call back to have one last discussion about what to do before I decide.

All advice, thoughts, comments would be greatly appreciated right now.

Vomiting and polyp update

Winston didn't get to finish his week of thorough journaling before we had a terrifying incident. He woke up 7/26 vomitting old foul blood. He was immediately rushed into the animal hospital at Palymra and admitted for an endoscope study as well as a series of other tests. Winston was discharged friday night on ID and two medications. He had moderate vomitting for 24hrs and then seemed to return to his normal (as of late) self.

As I was writing this the vet called. It seems as though he has finally been diagnosed!!

Winston has Inflammatory Bowel Disease

I will update after I google it :)

7/24 Winston had a normal apetite and multiple potty breaks (8am, 11am, 2pm, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm) with fearful and anxious behavior half of the time.

7/25 I walked Winston a mile or so early (8am) before leaving him home for the day. He had multiple "potty" breaks because he was squating while walking. All were successful. While at work I discussed in great detail what has been happening with some of the trainers. It has been decided that it may be something in relation to the spine. Upon arriving home Winston was very excited. He seemed in distress at random times all night.

7/26 - will write later

Health/Behavior Journal

22nd - Winston had a very normal day at home on friday. He "pottied" about 6 times outside and was acting comfortable all day. We increased his diet and hopefully that will help with his mysterious weight loss. No accidents indoors.

23rd - Yesterday Winston accompanied me on the 1hr drive to Ikea. Although there was no where he wanted to "potty" he had no accidents! He was responsive and well behaved for the duration of our day but his tail remained down. After another chance to "potty" without success we were ready to leave. We undressed and had some water before the long trip home. Once back at the house he had another drink but began acting strange. I walked out of the house, and off of the backyard, like I have been doing to "potty" him and he appeared fearful of the back yard. Ears back, head andtail down. I said okay and we went back inside for awhile where he slept HEAVILY. I finally woke him up about 4 hours later to try to potty again. Again he acted fearful and I turned around and came back in, not pushing the situation. Winston fell back asleep shortly thereafter. I offered one last chance to "potty" before I went to sleep at 11:30pm. He was incredibly hesitant but followed me out to the yard with his head and tail down, ears back. Immediately after urinating he RAN back up the yard, across the deck and into the house. When I cought up to him he was wagging his tail and normal. There were no pm accidents again!

early am - Winston reportedly had a normal am "potty". He had a good appetite and is resting beside me. Winston pottied hesitently again around 10am. We began working on him shutting a new door in my house, he seems to be training fine. He is resting again.

Health/Behavior Journal

Early AM- Winston's first "potty" of the day was at 6:45am. He did both duties and came right back in to my room. My nurse reported that he seemed relaxed and normal. There was no straining to go to the bathroom. Winston was a little thrown off by my new shower (first time using it w/ him home) but after a few seconds he laid down on his bed across the room. He ate 3cups of Nutro for breakfast around 8:15am, and got another "potty" break which he defecated for the second time. He has been normal all morning.

First Day Home!

Well, yesterday around 2pm I received word from Palmyra that I could come to pick Winston up anytime between 5 and 7pm. Although they were unable to give me any word about how the tests went, I was nothing less than ecstatic to get my boy back! After a long day of errands we finally made it to the vets office. I think that the five minute wait to get him was the longest wait of my life. Dr. Clemens arrived with a shrug and look of confusion. The test results show that nothing is wrong with SSD Winston. Everything came back fine and that leads him to believe that it is behavioral. In saying that I will be going back to normalcy. Although Winston will be working full time again there are a few changes that we are going to make. Incase the urinating was by some chance a behavoiral act, he will be tethered to my bed for a week or so, as well as only pottied when I offer and not at his own discretion. I will also up his food again, brining his total to three cups plus treats. I will also make a point to journal his behavior daily. When the vet tech brought Winston back I was overwhelmed with the same feeling that I got when we met. He was so excited that he leaped straight onto my lap instead of his polite calm up onto my footplates. He continued to go back and forth between Laurel and I and wiggling his entire body. I gave him his new duck and he immediately settled and the best part was his wagging tail for the remainder of the evening. Winston isn't much of a tail wagger, so I love when he does.

7/19/06
Winston pottied when offered twice between 8pm and 11pm. He was relaxed and followed me from room to room. He was allowed free range during the night and followed the "nurse" command twice. He was reportedly a normal "Winston" from midnight - 8am. I will update my nurses on the new protocal tonight.

7/20/06
early am- Winston was eager to eat this am and finished his old amount of food in his normal amount of time. I will up his food tomorrow morning via his bowl and today through treats. He has slept on his bed and responded to commands normal all morning. I will offer him a potty break at 11am again. I would also like to try to get him dressed and out in public today. We will begin tethering tonight.
early pm- Winston pottied at 11am when I took him out. It was average amount, brighter yellow, no straining. While outside to potty at 11 I did a difficult "nurse". No one inside knew I was practicing which makes it much more authentic. He ran up the yard, across the deck and barked to get someones attention. He did not seem to mind running after urinating and there were no obvious stress signals. We took a walk (1/2 the distance we usually do) around our neighborhood. I offered him a potty before we left, he did not take it. Half way through the walk I noticed him showing signs of needing to potty so as soon as I got to a field I let him go. He went a small amount, less yellow, no straining. After arriving home he "spoke" to get attention so that my sister knew to let me in. He will not drink now that we are home though. He is panting and it was certainly warm out. He rests but follows me from room to room.
evening- Winston was incredibly excited to get. He worked as I expected after having a 2month break. He didn't "potty" at Barnes and Noble but we had no accident. When we got home I took him outside and he pottied before coming inside to get a large drink. He slept in my room with me and was normal during our dinner time. Around 6:30 we got ready again and went to the Pottery Works. He "pottied" outside before entering. He was very normal the entire evening. We had to wait outside for an hour in order to move a car that had my conversion van parked in and Winston was patient the whole time. We did some training for "Where's Laurel?". He seemed to not feel well once we got back to my house. He did potty but immediately afterwards his ears went back and he ran into the house. He found a toy and got onto the couch.
late pm- Winston spent the night beside my bed. His last potty was 11:30pm (he only urinated). He was calm and slept the entire night.

Another Night At Palmyra

Yesterday Palmyra called to inform me that Winston had to stay at the clinic for another night of testing, with the possibility of two or three more nights.  She told me that she was unable to give me much information about the results of the previously performed tests other than the doctor is concerned and needed to run more.  Winston was schedule for two tests to be performed last night and this morning.  First being a water deprivation test and second being an ATCH to test of Addison's disease as well as a disease that I had never heard of.  They said Winston was resting comfortably (i'm sure they say that to everyone) but that he had a hard time when I left yesterday.  I am trying so hard to stay busy and not think about everything.  I'll call around 2 o'clock today.

I miss my old man...

Overnight studies at the Palmyra

After a long weekend of lots of indoor potty accidents my anxiety for today's visit was very built up.  Winston had lost another pound and I was ready to meet Dr. Clements.  Luckily the wait was short and Dr. Clements was wasting no time in listening to my problems.  After explaining the past 8wks to 12wks he immediately decided to begin a 24 hour segment of thorough tests. He is redoing all of their studies as well as running an EKG and an ultra sound.  When I asked when he would like me to schedule the tests he told me that there was no time to lose and that he would be starting them right away.  Leaving Winston was much harder than I expected it to be, but I know not only has Winston been there before, so has every other SSD. That's all for now, i'll update as soon as I hear from the vet.

Sick Boy (part 5)

Well, Winston had his x-rays and appointment at SSD's vet scheduled for the end of next week when our plans changed drastically. This morning on our walk he was sniffing the ground obsessively. This is NOT like Winston even when he has to urinate badly. I stopped and told him to "Go Potty" so instinctively he squatted and I immediately noted straining. To no avail he went at most a tablespoon. His urine was very dark. I hoped he was just marking a spot in someone elses yard and attempted to carry on our walk. About 5 feet up the road he started signalling that he had to "Go Potty" again, so I offered him another chance in another yard. Once again he strained and only a few drops came out. The third time that this happened I called my local vet and turned towards home. They said they wanted to see him immediately. After calling them I called Palmyria, SSD's vet and they moved his appointment up to this monday night. My local vet did a chest and abdomen xray as well as cathetorized him to check for a blockage. Everything came back clear, but he still hasn't urinated. He is home and resting now. This is going to be the longest three days of my life...

Month Update

Well in the past month Winston has been acting fine and has only had one accident. He has had a hard time because of all of the fireworks but luckily our friend Sam reccomended Rescue Remedy as a relaxent. It has been working wonderfully! Winston seems to be much more relaxed and calm but still able to work. My vet said this was an excellent option as well. Because Winston has been having accidents we do not go out in public very often. We will not go to hospitals, grocery stores, or anywhere that pottying isn't very close to the door. We did go out to lunch a few weeks ago which was a perfect photo oppurtunity.



Other than that this month we have been spending a lot of time outdoors.



We took a few trips down to a creek near my house.



We also spent a week at the MDA's Summer Camp in philly, PA with SSD Ross, CPL Dylan, and SSD Sequoia.

Sick Boy (part 4)

Yesterday (6/4) wasn't a very good day for Winnie. We had a really great weekend with SSD Sarge (pictures to come) and decided to go visit SSD Owens for some play time like we do every few weeks. Winston is the mellow one out of the crowd and was acting like his usual self wondering around. About 4o'clock Winston had one of his shaking spells from a storm that was coming in. It didn't last more than a minute or so and he seemed to shake it off (literally) and, to my surprise became excessively playful. He took a toy and began running and trying to get Owen to play. I am running the behavior over and over in my head trying to pick out nervous signs and I can't find any. His tail was wagging but not excessively, he was throwing the toy up and catching it but not growling or shaking it. It seemed to be very normal play behavior. He within seconds for the first time since the day I got him, dropped the toy, and urinated. I was baffled. He has never done that. He is GREAT with telling me when he needs to go out, and he was offered a potty before we entered about 1hr before that. He did not go potty but wasn't interested. Laurel took him outside to potty after he stopped and he went again a LOT. He laid in the hall noticeably upset the rest of the afternoon. While cleaning up the urine we noticed traces of blood. This morning my vet simply asked for another urine sample, which i'm waiting to hear about.
Today Winston is very mellow and seems extra tired. His water intake and pottying have been normal. He's barked at cars like usual and has normal color in his gums. I am waiting to hear from the director of SSD about what she thinks.