Buttons, Supplements, & Recycling

Today I made buttons for Claire's blog, so you can link to her site if you have your own page. There's two to choose from, and of course I think they're both darling, because they have Claire's picture! Just add the icon with a link to the page at http://sponsorclaire.blogspot.com to show you're one of Claire's readers! Hopefully sharing the information in Claire's story will save another pet.

Claire had a laser therapy appointment today, so I asked about a supplement that has been recommended to me, NZymes. Claire's already on a similar pill called Dismuzyme, so I'm not sure that another additive is necessary, but I sent the link to the holistic vet so she can give us her opinion on the next visit.

I also turned in another load of can & bottle recycling from my friend's 4th of July party that she'd agreed to donate to Claire's surgery fund, so I have another $20 to deposit tomorrow. Small chunks are adding up! Thank you, thank you, THANK you to all who have donated to the ChipIn!

This blog has become a fun way to share memories of Claire's funniest moments. Last Christmas, when we went to my folks' to celebrate the holidays, I lost Claire within the first 24 hours. I searched high and low, calling out for her. Finally, I came back to where I'd started looking, in the center of the main floor. As I turned around, there she was, looking right at me ~ from the huge Longaberger basket that held nicely folded PEOPLE throw blankets, perfect for cozying up on a cold winter day in front of the television! Claire had found her spot and was too comfortable to respond. Her other favorite spot to visit was in front of the heat register, just below the kitchen sink.

Claire Update # ?*&

(watching the doorway for the vet to come into my exam room on Friday 7/29)

(having trouble staying awake but mom's got my back)

(here she comes--hello, doc!)

(aren't I your favorite patient?)

(relaxing at home--phew! that was taxing! gotta love the shaft of sunlight coming in the bedroom window that just falls on my crate too. yum-my.)

I can't believe it's August already. I had a job that took up the last two and a half weeks, so we've been out of pattern. I think it's been a bit stressful for Claire. She had a bit of a setback where she was yelping once on Friday and once on Saturday. She seemed generally tense again. I've not been able to take her to the vet for acupuncture or laser therapy while I was working, so that didn't help. But we went for both on Friday morning, and it did seem to relax her quite a bit--just not sure how long that effect lasts. She'll go back again tomorrow and we'll re-evaluate once more. The pictures above are from her vet visit Friday.

Claire's had a bumpy two weeks as I had a freelance job, so was gone for the majority of the day. While she's on crate rest, Claire requires close supervision, so the majority of the days she was dropped off at our favorite trainer's house, whom she knows well, and picked up on my way home from work. It's only about ten or fifteen minutes drive each way, and the crate rest was continued there. When we first went to the neurologist, even potholes made Claire shriek with pain. She's not doing that now, but as Claire has a spinal injury, I hate moving her at all. I travel her in a hard-sided crate, but she's so afraid to be left behind she really gets worked up into a state at the mere sight of the carrier. The new environment was exciting, and of course our return home was a big deal too, so it was hard to keep her as calm and quiet as the crate rest necessitates. Thinking practically, I can't stay home from work until Claire is better (I'm single with no other means of support and work in an industry with no vacation time on just a freelance basis), so we're learning to manage.

We also found another resource in our community. There's a dog walking/sitting service staffed entirely by vet techs, which is great for medical cases like ours. They're familiar with a wide variety of issues, and understand the need to follow schedules and instructions to a "T". L.A. Pet Tech is Kathleen Ashe. She gave me updates for each visit, came to my home several times a day, was a calming influence, available short notice ~ I really can't say enough about her.

I did a ton of research over the past few weeks and have added all kinds of links to the sidebar of the blog. Since my lunch period is short, when I found an article that looked relevant or promising from the intro, I bookmarked it by posting the link here, and am able to "read up" now that I have more time. I learned more about the type of laser used at Claire's holistic vet, where she's been getting laser therapy, found a lot of contacts on Facebook over the last few weeks, and have been researching supplements and meds.

Yesterday someone recommended a supplement to me called NZymes. If you use this or have experience with others, please leave a comment on this post!

We've doubled the number of "likes" on Claire's Facebook page in the past few weeks! We welcome the new friends and appreciate the support.

I approached Three Dog Bakery about placing a donation jar for Claire, and was denied, since they're a chain with a national foundation. Unfortunately, the Three Dog Foundation does not give to individuals. I also spoke today to the Zoom Room Hollywood location, and the manager is going to talk to the owner about us.

Some co-workers from my last job are working to set up a comedy fundraiser to benefit Claire's vet costs! The event may even be held at the House of Blues. Their target goal is to raise at least $1,000 which of course will help immensely. I couldn't be more grateful and am just heartened by the support whatever the outcome.

I had a visit from an old friend who lives in Texas but happens to be from Stillwater, OK. Oklahoma State University is at the forefront of treatment for IVDD, and I've been talking to my friend about setting me up as a guest with one of her relatives, if it proves to be best for Claire to fly there for treatment. Since it's a teaching hospital, it may be cheaper even with the cost of a flight, and there's no doubt that they're knowledgable. I still have more research to be done on this plan but it's a real possibility.

I'm sure there's more to report that I'm leaving out. I'll get back to daily updates now that I'm home and will be more thorough.

Monday--Banks and Blogs

(Claire sleeping with a smile April 2011)

I went to sleep last night knowing Monday would be a better day, and woke up to find $120 had been deposited to Claire's ChipIn fund! Unfortunately, the ChipIn still says $0 donated, and I think it's because I've been unable to claim the funds so far. The final step in the ChipIn setup requires a Paypal account linked to a bank account. Since I have paypal for my Etsy shop, I kept getting error messages when trying to set up something for Claire. So this morning started with another trip to the bank, to close the account I'd just opened on Friday (that was linked to my own) and establish an entirely separate one that I could link up to Paypal. I also deposited everything raised yesterday at Nuts for Mutts, bringing the total raised so far (including the ChipIn funds) to $616.86.

We had a follow-up phone call this afternoon with Dr. Gorgi, Claire's surgeon. He didn't have much to add but did say he'll give us 20% off on the surgery when we've met our goal.

After researching a few more, I chose a therapist to use for Claire--at least to start. She has an appointment tomorrow (Tues 6/28) afternoon with Dr. Jackie Grey at Limehouse Vetrinary in Toluca Lake. It's close to the house, and she was recommended by another dog owner in the neighborhood. Claire's surgeon, Dr. Gorgi, said he's had a couple clients go to her in the past with positive results. But he also spoke strongly against chiropractic care for Claire's condition, recommending accupuncture instead. I ordered Claire's records and will pick up a copy of the MRI images before seeing the new vet. I feel like I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow and can only judge as I go--at this moment, I'm not convinced by anyone.

I ran out of pain meds for Claire over the weekend, when all pharmacies were closed. I finally found a compounding pharmacy in my neighborhood today, but filled another prescription that did not need to be compounded at Costco, for fear that the compounding place would be much more expensive. When I compared their pricing, they were about 33% more than Costco, so I was glad I'd split them up, though it took nearly two hours to get both errands done. But to their credit, the compounding pharmacy told me in future they would match the Costco pricing for me to save me an additional trip. So for anyone in a similar position, it's worth it to do your research--then ask to price match. The worst that can happen is being turned down.

The majority of the day was all about Claire's blog. I want a site independent of Facebook for those who aren't on it. I'll use the blog to encourage donations and allow donors to track Claire's progress and recovery, as a journal to help me track whom I have approached and the responses, and as a resource for others who face difficulties (monetary or otherwise) in caring for their pet's medical conditions. I'm hoping the sidebars and resources will be useful to others long after we've been through this process and that some good will come of our story. Not to mention, on a blog we can use affiliate opportunities to raise funds through click-throughs and online purchasing, as well as administer raffles and other giveaways.

While I was blogging, a kind friend helped me begin to pull together my financials. I should be current by the end of the week, which will enable me to apply to more private foundations.

Goodnight kisses from Claire~