Gluten Free.....No way, not me!

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks that I have had some sort of rash.  It is mostly on my lower back (upper buttocks), on my sides, around my chest, on my lower stomach, behind my ears and all over my scalp.  It is so itchy and drives me nuts.

I have been unable to see my family doctor as they are booked about 3 months out, so I have visited the urgent care 3 times and the emergency room once.  On all 4 visits I was diagnosed with contact dermatitis.  Meaning, I am coming into contact with something that I am having an allergic reaction to.

I've been prescribed mass amounts of prednisone, topical steroid cream and scalp wash....but, it continually keeps coming back.  We have gone through every item in our home (indoors and out) to see if there is something out of the ordinary that I have used and to this day we have thought of nothing.

Thankfully, I had an appointment with my regular physician yesterday for my annual and we were able to discuss my rash.  She made a phone call to a dermatology office and explained my situation and they were able to get me in yesterday afternoon.  Miracles do happen!!

A biopsy was taken off my lower back and will be sent out for testing and I also had some blood work drawn.  The specialist is thinking that I have Duhrings disease (aka dermatitis herpetaformis) and celiac disease.

Unfortunately, if this is the case, I will be on a strict gluten free diet and this will be a lifelong requirement (along with medication).  I've been wanting answers for weeks now as to what is causing all of this....but THIS is not the answer I would have hoped for.  I love food way too much to even "think" about having to go gluten free!

As much as I want this chronic itching to end.....I just never imagined this would be my answer.

Do any of you have to avoid gluten?  If so, what tips do you have.

Back to work blues

Today is the first day back in the office after 9 days away and to say the least...it is horrible!  I really need to find a way to find some happiness and fulfillment in this job or else I think I may have a breakdown.

Don't get me wrong, I must like it here since I've been with the company for 11 years....but I am far from being happy.  The problem is that I can't pinpoint exactly what it is that is making me so miserable.  The obvious reason is that my job responsibilities have increased ten-fold over the past 5 years or so, but yet I haven't had a raise in almost 7 years.  It is so frustrating.

I also don't appreciate the amount of "off the clock" work I do because the other managers are incompetent and most of our customers tend to call me when they need something because they know it will get done.  Regardless of the fact that the things they are calling me about have nothing to do with my position in the company.

I can bitch and complain all I want, but I guess until I can pinpoint all my issues and then confront the necessary people, nothing will change.

There will be some big decisions being made in the near future!  Wish me luck...

Whirlwind

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events and the next couple weeks will be the same....don't you just love summer!

We started off with my stepdaughters graduation open house.  It was such a good time and worth the many weeks of prep leading up to the big day.  Although, in typical Michigan fashion, it decided to rain about an hour into the party, which caused about 30+ people to gather under 2 small canopies, our gazebo, and the garage.

The day after this party, I couldn't even get out of bed!  I prepped for about 3 weeks and put in well over 100 hours getting our backyard ready.

This past weekend my sister and I drove from Michigan to West Virginia to attend the Fiestaware Tent Sale.  It was so much fun, but exhausting all at the same time.  I awoke Friday morning about 3am and was on the road by 4:30am.  By the time we arrive back home I was whooped!  Not to mention a wee-bit sunburned :)

We normally stay in a hotel the night before, and then get in line about 6am to get our tickets.  But this year we decided to try something different.  We arrived about 10:45am and only had to wait in line about 2+ hours before entering the tent.



Patiently waiting

 

We rounded the corner and could finally see the tent

 

 If you've never had the chance to experience this.....It is an amazing site!

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Bin after bin after bin of colorful, fiestaware.  I am drooling all over again just thinking about it.



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I was hoping for a few more pieces than what I got, but that just means we will have to go back again next year!

I was able to catch up on some much needed quality time with the hubby and the pets yesterday.  It was a gorgeous summer day here in West Michigan and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Stewie

Lainey

It's so hard to get my tongue all the way into this cow hoof

Tucker

This upcoming weekend I have a bridal shower for a good friend of mine and then the following weekend is the July 4th holiday/wedding. If I can just get through the next 12 days or so, I think I will be able to relax.

Empty

This pretty much sums up my life right now.........and NO, I was not at the gas station when I took this picture.....Ugh!

Please disregard the dust.....Cleaning out my car
is about the 200th item on my list of things to do

Catch up

To say I've been busy is an understatement!  Funny how life can go from simple, effortless and quiet to complex, complicated and distracted overnight.

There is so much going on both at work and at home that there are days I can barely keep my head above water.

In a nutshell, here is what has been keeping me busy....

My stepdaughter graduated high school last Friday.  It was surreal to see her in her cap and gown.  My husband shed a few tears, but he won't admit it.  I think in my mind she will always be this awkward pre-teen.  So to see her enter this next phase of her life was mind blowing to say the least.

We are having her graduation party at our house on June 15th.  I've been working my tail off trying to get the backyard ready for such a shindig.  Short of still not having grass, it is starting to come around.

One of my favorite projects has been taking our plastic outdoor furniture and spray painting it fun colors.

As I mentioned, we have no grass in our backyard.  Well, I shouldn't say "no grass", but it is spotty.  This was going to be the year we put money into this project, but due to the expenses with the dog, it is going to have to wait another year.  This has been an issue since we bought the house.  Last year we put down stone and it made a big difference.  But, there was still a large area next to the house that was a disaster.  We haven't put much effort into this area because our end goal is to build a deck.

Spur of the moment I decided to tackle this area and it's amazing what a little topsoil and some colored pots will do.

(notice how the grass is "spotty")

These pots are currently full of flowers and the difference is amazing.  We are no longer looking at DIRT!

There is still SO MUCH more going on, but as I suspected, this post has to be cut short because I am needed by a million different people all at the same time....Ughhhh!

Is it Friday yet?

PS ~ I do not have time to proof read this...so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors!

The good news is......

After a reminder from a friend this morning, I realized I never updated Lainey's status after our appointment on Monday. There was some good news and some bad news....

• GOOD news ~ The sutures were able to come out.
• BAD news ~ She was limping the day of the appt.
• GOOD news ~ Even though she was limping there were no signs of any damage to the leg (maybe sore muscle or something).
• BAD news ~ She needs a new "customized" brace for her hock as the one she has doesn't fit her properly.
• GOOD news ~ She has started on some new joint medication.
• BAD news ~ I have to inject her with it myself

Within the next week she should be off of bed rest (again) and can go back to running, playing and just enjoying being a dog. Fingers (and toes) crossed and praying that this saga is over!

 

Lainey and her friend Kappy hiking last May
This was the last hike we took before tearing her ACL! 
I can't believe this saga has been going on for a year now!  And to think that I almost cried when the first doctor told us we were looking at 4-6 months recovery. 
If only I knew then what I know now 

 

Bullets

Every day I have this fabulous post in mind....and I just can't seem to find the time to do anything with it!

So today....you are getting bullet points.  It's all I've got the brain capacity for.

• Lainey landed herself at the emergency vet on Saturday evening.  The incision from her most recent surgery was very infected and needed treatment ASAP.  The specialist office who is handling her surgeries is over 2 hours away, so we opted for a 45 min drive to the nearest emergency vet instead.  She is doing much better now and will go on Monday to the specialist for a check-up and to hopefully have her sutures removed.

• Due to the above....Lainey is going crazy!  She has been on bed rest since May 1st and the amount of pent up energy she has is driving us all a little nuts.  We try to stimulate her mentally, but it seems to only work for a short period of time.  It is killing her to not be able to take walks or run zoomies around the yard.

• My birthday is Saturday and I will be spending the day with family celebrating my nephew turning 4.  I don't feel like celebrating my birthday this year as I realized yesterday how fast I am approaching the big 4-0!  It's hard for me to imagine that I will be 37 in a few days, because in my mind I was in my mid-late 20's only yesterday.

• The mosquitos are HORRIBLE this year.  The other night I tried to apply some weed killer in the backyard and was eaten alive.  Last night I tried to mow the lawn and had to cover my entire body.  It was almost 80 degrees out and I was wearing long pants and a hooded sweatshirt tied tight around my chin.  It is absolutely ridiculous!

• My step-daughter graduates highschool this year and we are hosting our own graduation party for her at our house (there is some bad blood between her mother and my husband so separate parties were a must).  I'm so worried about the mosquito issue since we plan to have everyone outdoors.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

• I have 3 girlfriends who are (were) pregnant and 2 of them recently had their babies. I'm dying to meet these adorable babes, but unfortunately, they both live about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from me.  Hopefully, in the next couple weeks I will be able to make a trip down for the day and love on these little ones.

That's all I have time for.....Happy Thursday!

Full Plate

I must apologize for my temporary leave of absence. Life has gotten the best of me lately.

For starters....Lainey had to go in last week for another (emergency) surgery.  She is currently on bed rest again and we will go on Monday to get the sutures removed.

After she had her 2nd ACL surgery on her left leg, we noticed a bump on her leg (see pic below).  Come to find out, the crimper plate was actually protruding out of her leg.  The surgeon knew at some point it would need to be removed, but she wanted us to try and get past 16 weeks of recovery before opening that leg back up again.

We made it 12 weeks, but could not put it off any longer.  She had started limping again, she refused to lay or put any pressure on the leg, and her recovery was declining instead of improving.

I'm praying that this saga is now over and after her sutures come out, we will never have any more issues!

In addition to Lainey's surgery, I also had a 2 day audit at work and I needed to prep about 2 weeks leading up to it.  Thankfully, this only happens once a year...and now it's over and I won't need to stress about it until next year.

I need a vacation!  I want sand between my toes and a drink with an umbrella...anyone with me?

Dasher....You silly boy!

The weather here in West Michigan finally decided to behave on Sunday.  It snowed on Saturday, but by Sunday is was almost 60 degrees.

This allowed me to open up the windows and get some fresh air into the house.  It's amazing how such a little thing brings so much joy to my life :)

Unfortunately, we quickly figured out that Dasher wants to enjoy the nice weather as much as we do.  We adopted him in December and he spent 2 years at the shelter prior to that, so we have been anticipating how he would act once the weather got nice.

He is becoming pretty tricky at trying to find ways to escape through the door when you are trying to leave.  It's now become a circus act trying to open the door, stick your foot out, wave your hands in some crazy motion to scare him and then quickly turning and jumping out the door while pulling it shut at warp speed.

So, on Sunday, when I opened up the windows....this is where I found him

At first I was mad because he had put a bunch of holes in the screen (welcome to our home mosquito's), but then I just laughed.  He is such a silly cat!

I think the next nice day we have, I am going to put one of the cat harnesses on him and take him outside to explore.  That's the least he deserves to make up for the years in the shelter.

Animal Cruelty Prevention Month

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month.....

In honor of this, Lainey decided to wear her orange collar and show her support.  Isn't she the cutest?

March Madness

I'm not sure how many of you are sports fans...but you know how I love my Michigan Wolverines.

Basketball is not my favorite sport...I'm definitely a football kind of girl!  Nonetheless, when the Wolverines are doing as well as they have been, I can bring myself to watch a little b-ball.

Tonight Michigan will play against Louisville in the 2013 National Championship game.   It's been a long time coming.....Well, since 1993 when the Fab Five played in the championship game against North Carolina.  Unfortunately, Chris Webber infamously called a time-out with 11 seconds left in the game when Michigan was down 73-71.  There were no time-outs remaining, which resulted in a technical foul that clinched the game for NC. 

Lets hope the Michigan Wolverines can walk off the court with a National title under their belt tonight.....GO BLUE!!!

Unfortunately, the game doesn't start until 9:30 tonight and as much as I love my Michigan Wolverines, I don't think I will be able to stay up to watch.

2 Years

Two years ago today, my life was forever changed. I lost my brother...but the world also lost a father, a son, an uncle, a brother-in-law, and a boyfriend. I miss you like crazy but know that you are looking down on all of us from Heaven. You are forever in our hearts.....

Best Day Ever!

Yesterday we had Lainey's 8-week check up with the surgeon.  I was literally SO nervous.  This has already been a 10-month process for us and so far, we have gotten nothing but bad news.  I was anticipating "worst case scenario" in my mind the whole way there.

We arrived at the vet after a 2-hour car ride and I was so afraid that Lainey's legs would be sore and tight after being in her cage that whole time.  The cage is small enough to fit in my car so she doesn't have a lot of room to spread out and get comfortable, which I assumed would cause her to limp a little and be sore.  Thankfully, that didn't happen!

The girls at the front desk were amazed that this was the same dog that they took care of for 2 weeks post surgery.  They were loving on her and kept saying "she looks so good" and "look how good she is walking".  It put a smile on my face and put me at ease (a little).

The surgeon came in to the little room to see us and I was a ball of nerves.  She asked a few questions and then took Lainey with her to go get some scans done on her legs. 

The walls aren't very thick so you can hear the doctors and staff on the other side.  As the surgeon was bringing Lainey back after her scans I could hear some of the staff say "is that Lainey? Oh my gosh...what a different dog" and another gal said "Lainey, is that you?".

I felt so warm and fuzzy inside and knew that we made the right decision by bringing her here.  The staff took such great care of her during her stay here and they still love on her when we visit.

And now is when my whole day changed.....the doctor said that Lainey's scans showed that she is TOTALLY HEALED in both legs!  The surgeries were a success!  Lainey is free to run and play in the yard....she can be a DOG again!!!!

I nearly started crying!  It took me a minute to catch my breath before I could even say anything.

She will be sore after running/playing, but that is normal.  Compare it to us sitting on the couch for 10 months and then one day deciding to go run a mile....our muscles would be sore too.

We let her run in the yard yesterday and it was hilarious.  She was doing zoomies with her tongue hanging out and smiling so big!  We could tell she was sore last night, but this morning she was walking like normal.

I just can't believe that our nightmare is almost over!  It's been such a long haul and Lainey has endured so much in her young age.  I can't wait for her to "be a dog" again.  Fetching sticks, chasing squirrels and running after her brother.

Life is good and with patience comes great rewards!

It's Always Good to Learn from your Mistakes

When we first got Lainey she was such an easy dog to take on walks, take hiking through the trails, or even to public events.  She loved everyone and was never reactive towards any humans or other dogs.

Hiking through one of our State Parks with Lainey's boyfriend Kappy

Doing a very good Sit-Stay for mommy

After Lainey's first ACL surgery last fall, our trips around the city came to a halt.  She could no longer hike through the woods, walk on the trails or even attend doggy daycamp.

The most we could do with all of her surgical complications, was to walk up and down the street we live on.  Or on a good day, make it around one block in our subdivision.

I began to notice during this time, that I was having to pay special attention to her body language while we were walking.  She would become very stiff and inattentive whenever anyone approached our direction.  She wouldn't bark or get loud....her tactic was more of a stare-down.

One evening early this winter, it was just getting dark and I had decided that once we got to the end of our street we would turn the corner and head to the next side street before turning around to head back.  Just as we turned the corner, a very tall man dressed in a lot of heavy clothing (it was cold) with a big furry hat on, was about 30 feet away and running straight towards us.  I pulled Lainey into the grass and away from the sidewalk and put her in a sitting position.  I assumed that once the man saw us, he would transfer to the road or at least pick up the pace and run right by us.  He did not!!!

The closer he got to us the more agitated Lainey became.  She was barking, lunging, growling....I had never seen this side of her.  I used my body as a blocker between her and her site line to the man, kept a loose leash and tried "leave it" and "look", but nothing worked.  I just needed him to get by us and keep moving on. 

Instead, he stopped literally 2 feet away from us and asked me if I needed any help.  I explained to him that I would just appreciate it if he could move along due to the reactivity from my dog.  By this time, I am walking away from him through someones yard, just trying to put some distance between us.  Instead of getting the hint, the man just simply stood there trying to talk to Lainey.  This of course, was causing more harm than good.

After a good few minutes, the man finally continued on his way and Lainey and I headed back home.  I was exhausted, nervous and of course scared of what had just happened.  The next morning I called our dog trainers.  They seemed to think that since Lainey and I had been walking the same street over and over the past several weeks that she had grown to think that she "owned" them.  That this was an extension of her property.  They also stated that due to her medical issues and surgical complications that she was probably feeling a bit nervous that she could not protect herself (or me) if anything was to happen.  Her barking at the man, was her way of "protecting" and giving the man a warning.

This was the only time this has happened and I am much more aware of our surroundings whenever we walk.  At each corner I stop and look to see if there is anything that might make her uncomfortable (people, dogs, bikes, etc).

Unfortunately, months later and two more surgeries later, we are still only able to walk up and down our street or our block.  I have made some changes in our routine that I think have helped.  We don't walk the same "direction" every time.  We also change it up between walking on the sidewalk and walking in the road.  We also switch up on which sides of the street/sidewalk we walk on.  And most importantly....we have been working on loose leash walking along with a solid "look" command. 

I think that all of these changes has helped.  She is much more relaxed and our walks are very enjoyable.  We have come in contact with multiple people, dogs, bicicyles, etc. and she has not reacted at all.

I can only hope that a year from now when she is all healed with 100% mobility, we will be able to get back into hiking, walking the trails and enjoying nature as much as we both want to.  I think we are both ready for some new scenery!

It Ain't Easy Being A Pit Bull Mama

We all know that it's hard to be a Pit Bull Mama!  You have to be well-educated on the breed, be willing to put in the time training and advocate as much as possible.... and you MUST have thick skin because people WILL talk bad about your dog (most of them without even having met him/her).

The joke in our house has always been, that if you come to the front door, you should be more afraid of our Jack Russell than our Pit Bull.  The most dangerous thing our pittie would do, is lick your face inappropriately (on your mouth) or bruise your leg from her tail wagging so hard.

Unfortunately, the stigma around these dogs and the way the media portrays them....makes people believe they are vicious killers and should never be trusted.

The way I see it....NO DOG should ever be fully trusted.   

Pit Bulls need early socialization, but I believe that EVERY dog needs it.  Pit Bulls are terriers which means they are strong, stubborn and determined.  And since they are a terrier, they also can have a high prey drive.  But, so can a Chihuahua, a ShihTzu, Jack Russell or even a Greyhound.

Due to the incident last week between my dogs....people have assumed that our Pit Bull MUST have been at fault (She IS a vicious killer after all).  This couldn't be farther from the truth, but I've quickly learned that no matter how many times or in how many different ways I tell the story....I'm not going to be able to change their mind.  Does it bother me? Yes!  Will it ruin my day? No!

As long as I know I have provided them with nothing but the facts from that day...they are allowed to see things how they want.  What more can you expect from people who have an irrational fear and hatred for a breed due to all the media hype.

I can say one thing....I've received more love and loyalty from my Pit Bull than I have most people.

 

What have been some of your biggest obstacles to overcome being a Pit Bull Mama?

Good Signs

After last week's debacle, things have been pretty smooth around our house.

We took Stewie to the vet and he has been on his new medication for a week now.  I can't say that I have noticed any huge changes, but it is still early.

We started to "re-introduce" the dogs this week and it went well.  We began with leashing each dog and letting them sniff each other from opposite sides of a gate.  They were each rewarded for proper behavior, but as soon as one of  them seemed to become stressed or high-strung in any way, we ended it and took them each to their own spaces.  We did this over and over until we were confident that each dog felt secure.

The next step was taking down the gate and allowing them to meet without any barrier.  Each dog was leashed and again, rewarded for proper behavior.  As before, as soon as one of the dogs became too hyper, too rambunctious or too stressed, we ended the drill and took them each to their safe zone.

We have become better pet parents and are paying closer attention to any tell-tale signs that either dog is uncomfortable.  I think it was a big wake up call to us both and we need to "do better"!

Here are the both of them last night.....

Playing nice with their tennis ball

Cuddling on the couch watching Animal Planet

I can only hope that these are signs of good things to come!  We will continue to pay closer attention to their needs and hopefully, life will keep on keepin on!

Does this mean War?

Our household is in shambles....and is crumbling more and more every day!  The overall dynamic has been off for quite some time and I think every one (and every pet) is at it's breaking point.

If only I could go back 9 months and do things differently.....

It all started back in September when Lainey had her first ACL surgery.  We had to keep the dogs separated and Lainey was caged or leashed at all times.  We would have random "play" with both dogs together, but it was quiet play and not the "run around the house playing catch me" kind that they really like.  Stewie was often times corrected for trying to "rough house" with Lainey, so most of the time they just cuddled and Stewie would give her comfort.

Lainey (left) & Stewie (right)

Then came November and the nightmare I will never forget.  After the loss of Walker, sadness seemed to overcome each of us (humans and animals).  It was a very dark time for us and you could really feel the dynamics between all the animals start to shift.  Tucker, our other cat, was mourning the loss of his brother and would take it out on the dogs.  The dogs could tell that mommy and daddy were sad and would feed off our energy.  I don't think I realized how bad things were getting.

Walker ~ RIP & Tucker

December rolled around and we decided to adopt Dasher.  We thought that Tucker would appreciate having a play mate and after hearing his story from the shelter, we had to bring him home.  It took about a month for him to settle in, but now he is the happiest cat I've ever seen.  He is so loving and isn't at all afraid of the dogs.  Unfortunately, between still taking care of Lainey and now giving a lot of attention to the new member of the family...Stewie once again was getting the short end of the stick.

Dasher

In January, Lainey tore her other ACL and needed surgery on both legs.  For the couple weeks leading up to her surgery we finally let the dogs get in some good old fashion play time together.  I mean, what was the worst thing that could happen...Lainey was already going in for surgery, so we thought it would be good for them.  They absolutely loved this time together.  They were both so happy.

Then....everything changed!!! 

After surgery, Lainey spent 2+ weeks at the hospital.  During the time that Lainey was gone, Stewie received the most attention he has gotten in a long time.  We had so much more free time on our hands now that we didn't have to spend it on Lainey and her recovery.  Everyone in the house was happy!!!  Unfortunately, Lainey was stuck in a hospital, around strangers with her mama no where to be seen.  I would visit her on the weekends and she was so sad.  She had become a totally different dog and the vet explained it was most likely due to the meds, her pain level, etc.  For such a young pup, she had gone through so much in life, so they told me not to worry. 

The first night we brought Lainey home from the hospital, there was an exchange between the dogs that we had never seen before.  They both growled, got loud and it made me nervous.  I called the vet the next day and they said this was normal for our circumstances.  We were told to keep the dogs separated for a few days and let Lainey start her recovery stress-free.  We did as instructed and Lainey spent her days in a cage in my office at work and her nights in her pen in a room that is gated off from the rest of the house.  The dogs could "see" each other, but they couldn't get near each other.

Those first couple weeks passed without incident so we began slowly introducing the dogs into the same space.  It was a success!  They spent the next couple weeks loving each other and playing (as much as Lainey can play right now).

Unfortunately, this is where the story gets ugly.....

Sunday night I was home alone.  I had fed the dogs, walked Lainey and was doing a training session in the living room with both dogs.  As I always do, I had them both sit on the rug (one on my left side and the other on my right side).  I give each dog a command and then reward with a treat. After treating Stewie, I give Lainey a command and then treat her.  Then go back to Stewie and repeat the process.  After about the 4th-5th command, I gave Lainey a treat.  Unfortunately, I missed her mouth and the treat dropped on the floor.  As Lainey bent her head down to pick it up....Stewie attacked her.  He locked onto her neck and wouldn't let go.  Lainey was thrashing her neck around, but Stewie was not letting go.  I immediately stepped in and got Stewie to release.  The dogs were then separated, but Stewie was still "revved up" and he latched onto my arm.  I screamed, and before I knew it, Lainey was attacking him.  I know she was just trying to protect me, but it got ugly....fast!  Stewie ended up with a cut on each ear and a small cut on the top of his head.

You would think that this was the end of the story, but unfortunately, it is not!  Later that same night, Stewie attacked one of the cats.  He grabbed onto it's neck and would not let go.  Once again, thank goodness I was "right there" when it happened, so I was able to release him from the cat pretty quickly.

Since this incident, we have spoken to the vet and Stewie has been checked over. The vet thinks that not only are we dealing with some aggression issues, but we also have some OCD issues with the dog too. He prescribed clomipramine which treats canine obsessive-compulsive disorders, anxiety produced by phobias, and aggression. We are going to try the medication for a month and see if there is any improvement and then move on to some behavior modification training techniques. This medication should allow Stewie to learn new desirable behaviors that replace any undesirable behaviors, while calming his fears enough to make the learning process easier for him.
There has been a lot of change in our household over the past 6 months with Lainey's surgery ('s), the loss of one cat, the addition of another cat, etc.  Stewie's anxiety has increased significantly due to all of these changes, along with all of the emotions that we (humans) are feeling due to all of these issues and he may be feeding off of us, leading to an extreme level of anxiety, fear, etc.

We will continue to keep the animals separate for a couple more weeks and assess the situation at that time and see how he is reacting to the new meds.

I'm so afraid that the dogs will never be "best buds" again.  That they will have to be separated at all times and never left unsupervised.  This will be my worst nightmare.  I wish someone could tell me that this happens and that things will get better!  I know I'm not the only one who has dealt with aggression/fear in a dog, but I feel that way.  How did they go from being best friends to worst enemies?  I am stressed and my heart is breaking.  If I could go back to last year I would have never taken Lainey hiking that day that she tore her ACL.  It seems like everything has snowballed since that day.  If she wouldn't have torn her ACL she wouldn't have needed surgery...which means we would have never had the Rimadyl in the house...which means the cat would have never ate it...which means the cat would have never died...which means we would have never gotten another cat...which means that Lainey's "good" leg would have never taken on all the stress causing another ACL tear...which would have meant no hospital stay...etc!!! 

Bumps, Yeast & Eye Infections....Oh my!

A couple weeks ago we started to notice a bump on Lainey's left hind leg (this is the leg she had the Lateral Suture done twice on).  As the days went on, it began to get bigger and bigger, so we finally had to take her back to the specialist and have them look at it.

It is not causing her any pain and is not hindering her recovery at all, so at this point we are going to leave it alone.  The surgeon thinks it is her "crimper" that was used during surgery, but can't be 100% sure.  After we get between 8-12 weeks into recovery, the surgeon will take another look at it and make a decision as to what we need to do at that point.

This Friday marks 4 weeks post-op and she is doing great.  She is weight bearing on both legs (although, we need to remind her sometimes to use her left leg, because she has been so used to not using it since August).  She is wearing her brace like a champ, and we have extended her walks this week.

We have lowered the dosage on her meds and she seems to be doing okay, but ironically, she has gotten a yeast infection in one of her ears so now we are battling that issue.  Due to the meds she is on for her legs, the vet can't prescribe the necessary medication for the infection in her ear, so we are using some prescription ointment and hoping it will help.

She is still being very picky with her meals, so we have started making her "work" for her kibble.  When I walk her, I take her kibble rather than treats.  We also use a puzzle like this one...

Overall, I think she is doing great...but with the added issues of her ear infection and both cats having eye infections...I don't seem to ever get a moment of rest.

Thankfully, we had one of my nephew's visiting this past weekend and he was such a good helper.  It was sad to see him go...  He did such a good job with Lainey and spoiled her with so much love and tummy rubs!

Sleeping Beauty

Lainey is still doing great!  Every day I can see improvement and it makes this mama VERY happy.

She still sleeps most of the day, but she continues to eat and her overall demeanor is getting better.  There are small spurts throughout the day that her ears will perk up and I can see that happy-go-lucky puppy we used to know!

Here she is yesterday being her silly old self.....I had just given her some pain medication and a couple minutes later this is what I saw