A Weekly Update

(Claire Sept 2006, within 2 weeks of adopting her)

Things here are settling into a routine somewhat as we wait out Claire's crate rest till the end of the month. I've formulated a basic plan that looks like physical therapy at CARE in September, and if Claire's a candidate, Laser Disc Ablation at OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma in October. I'm still doing a bit more research on the side effects of LDA.

We got a mesh harness like this for Claire that we tried out over our weekend trip to see my parents. I had her wear it 24-7 to eliminate the movements of putting it off and on, and that turned out to be a mistake. I haven't been looking at her underside much as I shouldn't be flipping her over right now because of the spinal manipulation. But when I did finally have the chance, I noticed she'd given herself light rugburns in her armpits from the harness! They still haven't completely faded. She's not getting walked right now anyway, but a leash is recommended when taking IVDD pups out for potty breaks to limit their movement, and my parents have a huge yard, so I thought it appropriate. My yard is only about five steps square, so I haven't been using one here. So we have a couple weeks to work out another solution.

I bought a retractable ramp for our car off of craigslist. Used, it cost me only $40 cash. I found it online here new for $99 plus $20 shipping! I think the nonskid surface it came with is pretty abrasive, so I want to get a piece of carpeting or a runner of some kind for it. Hoping I can find that at the dollar store. I still need to work out a ramp situation for the couch and bed in our house, but again, I still have a couple weeks to pull it all together before she's off crate rest.

I've made some changes to Claire's diet. I've started covering her dry kibble in water to get more liquids into her, and she still gobbles it up--especially when I mix in a generous tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to help her digestion. Claire's always had control of her bowels, but I do think it's been taking her longer or not as easy. She's off all pain meds so this should have gone away, but I know her squat isn't as deep so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it. She's up to three Dismusyme tablets a day. Occasionally I'm throwing in a 1/4 tsp of fish oil too.

Claire's getting more impatient with the crate, which I'm thrilled to see! Her personality is slowly coming back. I'm keeping the line though, and she does generally listen to commands when I ask her to "Go Crate" after a potty or meal break. Yesterday she scratched the ground after a poop for the first time in a long time! You have to be the parent of a disabled pet to know how much joy can come from a dog's potty habits. The day before that she was chasing her tail, something she did often when I first got her. Looking back, was that neropathic pain?

I've been checking back with the donation cans at Pet Haven, C&C Pets, & Zoom Room Culver. Claire's fund is now at $2075! Thanks again to all who have helped support her. I'm still leaving the money in her savings account until she goes to physical therapy or surgery, and meanwhile covering the cost of acupuncture, laser therapy, vet visits, and meds myself. These funds allow me to make decisions in Claire's care based on her best interest, rather than my financial situation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making that choice possible. Please keep her in mind as this saga is ongoing. CARE has said they will accept donations towards Claire's physical therapy as well, once we're a patient there.