Brace Yourselves

Here's the latest from the knee-front. Well, actually the knee back. Geez, I crack myself up. Anyway, Cache got his custom made knee brace this week and for the first time in about a year, he can walk without a limp. This video isn't the best because we had just gotten done with a walk and he was a bit tired of lugging the brace around, but for the most part, you can see him walking fairly limp-free. Except when he pushes off for a run. Then, he still does the little hop and avoids putting weight on the knee. But other then that, it's all very exciting.

Sad News

R.I.P.
E-collar #1*
9/26/07 - 10/1/07

E-collar #2, I fear for your life.



*I just want to clarify something. The damage to this collar is NOT from Cache chewing or scratching it. It is purely from him running into things. Gives you a little insight into his exciting world, huh?

Cache's Law

People don't understand why this monster shortens my life everyday. I was hoping this picture might illustrate my point. About a week ago, Cache lost a battle with a barbed wire fence. We had to put an Elizabethan Collar on him to keep him from making his gash on his leg bigger then he already had (he had already enlarged it from about a size of a dime to a size of a quarter). As of Wednesday, this was a BRAND. NEW. COLLAR. Every white mark on that plastic is from where he has ran into the wall or the doorway or our legs. Notice the duct tape. And the missing section from the top of the collar. And my favorite part is the zip tie holding the collar on his head.

This week I have an appointment with the vet that is trying to find out a solution to his ACL issue in his back knee. She is the same one that has never seen a dog tear out the sutures and reverse the surgery before. She just didn't seem to believe me when I told her what kind of idiot my dog is. I can not WAIT to walk into the vet's office with this collar on his head....that is, if it lasts that long.

Alternative Medicine

Yesterday, Jerod did some research and we stumbled upon this website. The custom make leg braces for animals. We looked into possible getting one of these made for Cache. It's quite a bit cheaper then the surgery route, and it doesn't require a long recovery time. After talking to the customer rep last night on the phone and annoying her by peppering her with all my questions, she was convinced that this was a viable option for Cache. She even seemed to think that after he had worn it for awhile and developed his muscle mass in his leg, that the muscles and the scar tissue would actually compensate for the missing ligaments in his leg. She's seen it happen before. This would mean, that it wouldn't be totally permanent for him. We would probably want to use it on him if we were to do any high activity, but otherwise, he could eventually go day-to-day without it. It sounds promising, huh? I'm still skeptical and I will remain that way until we discuss this with our vet.

My fear? It will just be a lovely $600.00 chew toy for the dumb goober. *sigh* Cache, I love ya, but you know you really are just a dumb goober. Remember the cast incidents?

Anyway, here's hoping!!

Here is exactly what you say to make my head explode

Me: "I just wanted to come in for a checkup on his leg because his limp just never goes away and by the end of the day he doesn't put any weight on it."

The wonderful vet whom I love dearly: "Hmm...it looks like he's torn both sutures all over again."

Me: *blink blink* "um...what?"

The wonderful vet whom I love dearly: "Wow, in 26 years of doing these, I have never seen a dog tear BOTH sutures after surgery."

Me: *trying to decide whether to cry or scream* "Please don't tell me that."

The wonderful vet who I love dearly: "I'm so sorry. After all you guys have been through, I hate to see this."

Me: *trying to think as the bells and whistles intermingle with the spinning dollar signs in my brain* "What does this mean? What can we do?"

The wonderful vet who I love dearly: "At this point I would have to recommend the TPLO surgery."

Me: *heavy sigh*

Jerod: *heavier sigh*

Me: "So what happens to him if we do nothing? No surgery. Just make him live with it."

The wonderful vet who I love dearly: "Well, you know, dogs do just fine on three legs. But, you have to realize that with all that weight on his right leg, his chances of tearing the ligaments in his other knee go up dramatically."

Me: *tearing up while looking down at my little puppy staring up adoringly at me* "Goober, don't look at me like that. You are NOT my favorite person right now."

So, here we are...back at square one. No, not even square one! We are at freakin' square negative fifty!
Here are our three options we are left with.
1) Re-do the cruciate ligament repair with the same doctor (which she VERY generously offered to do at cost for us. See? LOVE HER!) and risk him doing the same flippin' thing again and tearing it all up. But, only after a hell of a recovery where he chews up his cast again and shortens my life a little bit each day.
2) Pay for the more expensive TPLO surgery, which involves an even MORE extensive hell of a recovery and where we would be forced to sedate him for four to eight weeks to keep him from being his idiot self and hurting himself. This surgery involves an actual fracture of the bone, so the healing would have to go perfectly....but the results would be the best we could hope for.
3) Leave him to fend for himself on three legs. My three and a half year old PUPPY would be forced to be on pain medication for the rest of his life and face hip and knee arthritis while all the while making us hold our breath and hope he doesn't tear the other knee out.

It's just not fair. My little puppy that loves to run and jump and play and chase bunnies and kitties and tennis balls is left with this quality of life. I can't justify spending money on another surgery, but I also don't think I can bear to see him live a life with restrictions on what he can do just so we protect his other knee and perhaps the inevitable.


*sigh* This just sucks.

Good to be home

I never thought it would be this good to be home. I'm exhausted. But it feels SO good. Last night as we pulled up into the driveway late, Cache was barking at us. We realized soon that it wasn't his protective bark, but his "OHMYGOSHISITREALLYYOUI'MSOEXCITEDICAN'TCONTAINMYSELFANYMORE" bark. He just whined and barked and jumped. And Honey kept running back and forth between us as we snuggled and hugged them both. I missed those two more then I care to admit....and I'd admit a lot. I will post Italy/Wedding pictures and stories soon. I just have to get my feet back under me. Suffice to say that these last two weeks or so have already been the happiest in my life. The wedding went beautifully and the trip went off with minimal hitches. And I have the coolest family and friends ever because they all took such good care of us and helped out so much. My biggest problem now is to figure out how to thank everyone...and that's not a bad problem. :)

“No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one.” ~Elbert Hubbard

That's amore

Tonight, over a dinner of chicken parmesan, Jerod and I discovered the fun we could have with just a little bit of spaghetti and some hungry dogs. Although, some of it is a blatant copy of Dooce's torture of her dog, we tried to make it a little more original by putting it to catchy music!! Yay! Look at the doggies! And the spaghetti!!



BTW, Happy Birthday Jen! Your goober dogs miss you.

More than just a pretty face

My doggies have been working on a few new "tricks", so I thought I'd whip out the old dog lady-ness and post some video.

Video 1: My childhood dog, Whoopie, used to be the master of the treat-on-the-nose trick and I've always wanted Cache to learn it, but he was always just a little too high strung and easily distracted. I think with a combination of having to now compete for the treats and the fact that he's still on a diet to lose his "surgery weight", he is a lot more motivated to perform for the treats. So, I give you....da da daaaaaa....the treat-on-the-nose trick.




Video 2: Honey is her own dog. She doesn't perform for anyone. I've known for a long time that she is a lot smarter then she lets on, but she just doesn't care enough to perform. Plus, she's not too treat motivated. She'd like a treat, but no one is gonna make her want one THAT BAD. Since my sister, Jen, has been staying with me this month, Honey has taken a liking to her that I've never seen before. Jerod and I are officially ill-smelling chopped liver compared to Jen. One day I watched in disbelief as Jen had Honey sit and shake her hand without any extra coaxing. I was like, "what the...??" Honey looked up at me like, "Crap, you saw that?" So, now Jerod and I have been working on "the shake" like no one's business and she now has halfway resigned herself to performing for us. What a sell out. Geez.



Just a sidenote: Yes, I do call my dog gross in that last video. It's just that when she's hungry and she sees food, she foams and drips and slobbers at the mouth until the entire floor has a shiny hue to it. I love her, but it's disgusting. Believe me.

Video 3: They don't always get it. As I was trying to get Cache to do his thing, Honey decided she wanted to sit next to him and steal the treat off his nose. Clever girl. But, poor Cache was trying so hard to be good...

Uninteresting

I feel a little guilty that my last two posts are Lost posts. Is that the only thing in my week that I consider interesting enough to post about? Apparently...

So, here's some random updating.

Wedding news: We put the invitations in the mail yesterday. I was absolutely giddy doing it. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I was totally a girl about it. It just means that things are moving forward. It's getting closer! 86 days!

I'm trying to train for the MT Women's Run right now. It's a good motivation to workout and running is the only thing my un-coordinated body can do. I've even taken my puppies on a run with me. Gimpy boy does really good, but even his gimpy little legs move a little faster then mine. He is better running with Jerod, who takes one step to my two. But, that leaves me with Honey whose legs are just as long as mine, and who also randomly stops to avoid that scary grate in the street or to smell the grass. She just forgets the fact that she's on a leash. Yeah, did I mention I've only taken them on ONE run with me? I wanted to take them on a 5K they had up at MSU-B the other day, but I chickened out. Three miles is tough enough. You add my dogs to the equation and it's twice as hard, in my opinion.

Jerod and I are pretending to shop for a pickup. He's trying to sell his Trans Am to eliminate some debt, and you can't help but look for something else to burn holes in your newly stuffed pockets. The pickup is in our future plans because we want to use it to pull our future camper. It's fun making plans for OUR future. :) hee hee SEE?? I'm just a giddy GIRL! What's wrong with me?

So, that being said, does anyone want to buy a shiny pretty red sports car? It's shiny! And pretty! And it makes very cool growly noises. Did I mention that it was red? And shiny? (I know so much about cars...)

See? Excitement abounds. No wonder Lost is the highlight of the week. :) Meanwhile, I'm very excited that Thursday is half over and tomorrow is Friday. It's not that I live for the weekend. I just live for sleeping in.

Puppy lovin' and face chewin'

Ok, I'm having way too much fun with the video feature on my digital camera....um...and Microsoft Movie Maker....um....and YouTube. I captured Honey and Cache engaged in their favorite playtime activity: Face Chewing.

This first clip is just what I took of them before Jerod showed me that yes, I actually do have a video editor on my computer. Who knew?!? Anyway, I like this one because you can hear them talking to each other and it ends off with a simultaneous sneeze. Too cute. Just ignore Alex Trebek in the background. Listen to the puppies. Focus on the puppies!



This is after I played with Movie Maker for a few minutes. I had to put it to music! So, I have a question for you. Can YOU feel the love?



Jerod just called me "that weird dog lady that puts videos of her dogs on YouTube". Whatever dude. I'm totally cool.

Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear

His weeks are a wee bit shorter then the rest of the world's

Ok, so remember when I was saying that Cache had to have his cast on after surgery for six weeks? Yeah, he didn't really think the vet was serious about that. After chewing it off after only two weeks, he also decided after another two weeks that the makeshift bandage also had to come off. I came home on Monday to a living room floor and backyard adorned with lovely chunks of cotton he had pulled off his leg.

I called the vet knowing exactly what they were going to say, and listened to them tell me that the only thing we can really do is just leave it off and have Cache "take it easy". Yeah. Right. Do you want to come over here and tell HIM that?

So, we are sans cast/bandage this week. But, it's not so bad. Today is the one-month mark for him having the surgery and I'm already shocked at his bounce-backability. Last night, I rolled over only to find that my bed-hog dog is now feeling up to jumping up onto the bed with me again. He just hasn't had the the power in his back legs to make the hop up into my tall pillow-top bed, so he hasn't slept with me at night in quite some time. And here I was thinking for the last six months that he just didn't like me anymore. It turns out, he DOES still like me and the doctor must have also installed a little more cuddliness in him while they were installing his new ligament. So, last night as he shook the bed with every shift of his body and every heavy puppy sigh I figured what can a girl do but roll over and wrap herself around her warm puppy and go back to sleep thinking, "Expensive surgery? Ha! Worth. Every. Cent."

That smells GOOOOOOD

I feel a little guilty over the Cache-heavy puppy posts. It's not that I'm ignoring Honey. She has just been in the shadows lately because she's such a good girl and Cache is an attention monger.

Since the weather has been so nice lately, I've been eating most of my meals at home outside and thus, spending more time with the puppies outside as well. Honey does this hilarious thing, where she stands up tall, puts her nose to the air, and closes her eyes as she sniffs the wind. It's just so funny because she'll just stand there for the longest time, nose in air, as if she is smelling the most intoxicating wonderful smell ever and don't bug me right now because it's just SO GOOD!! Yes, I know what that is, my dear. That's the smell of Spring. And it's a-comin!


At first I felt a little embarrassed showing this picture with the chipped paint, the rough-looking stoop and the torn screen. But, then I thought, "Hey! It's a puppy's backyard. That's how it's supposed to look!" So there.

Week Three

Here is Cache's timeline leading up to Week Three.

Thursday: I got my cast trimmed to expose my foot. All is happy and good. I can finally go outside in the snow without wrapping my foot in three plastic bags.

Saturday evening: I've decided I don't like this "cast" apparatus and proceed to chew on it late into the night, unbenownst to Andi who is sleeping soundly in her bed.

Sunday morning: Andi wakes up, and sees my magnificant chew job and is so happy that she yells very loudly in celebration at my genius and, I might add, very artistic work.

Monday morning: Andi skips a morning of work just so we can go on another fun car ride to the vet! Except it wasn't so fun with all that sawing and plaster dust. And just when I think my leg is free, they go and wrap my leg in five layers of cotton and then plastic. It's not great, but at least my leg is not weighed down by that heavy plaster. I can chase that bunny in my backyard much easier now. Andi must be happy about it too, because she yells very loud at me again while I do it. She's such a great cheerleader.

Tuesday morning: Andi goes off to work again this morning. I'm bored. No toys to chew. Hey, this thing on my leg is kind of chewy....

Tuesday lunchtime: Andi was SO happy how I decorated the living room with the cotton that used to be wrapped around my leg, that she takes me for a ride in the car AGAIN! And I get to go see those nice people at the vet's office again.

Wednesday: Andi must of had a bad week at work. She seems grumpy with me. Weird. She keeps spraying this nasty tasting spray all over my new cotton chew toy on my leg. It makes things very difficult when trying to decorate the living room with cotton again. Maybe tomorrow I can have some peace when she goes off to work to get some more decorating done.

Week Two

He got his cast trimmed down yesterday so his foot is exposed now. He is so cute now because he hobbles around now more then just hops around. He's enjoying the new-found freedom, I think. Little by little!! I have to keep telling myself that! In only five short weeks, the cast will be completely off. Both Cache and I can't wait.


This picture really doesn't show the wonderfully BRIGHT hunter orange color of his new wrap on his cast. All my pictures just drain the color out of it. As if this dog isn't hard enough to take a picture of! If anyone has the secret of how to take a picture of a completely black dog and not make it look like just a black blob, let me know.

By the way, the heart on his cast was not my doing. It was the sweet girls at the vet's office that came up with that one. I think it's cute, but Jerod and Cache think it's too girly.

Week One

He's a little embarrassed about showing his shaved bare bottom, but I told him no one would care. Plus, it's cute.

Could you get this big purple thing off my leg....please? Someone?

I had to throw this one in just because....well, let's face it. We're pretty cute together.

Happy 3rd Birthday Little Goober

I'm fine. Really. Can we go for a walk now?

For the past several months, I've noticed that when Cache runs or plays to hard, he has a limp for a couple days. This typically happens when he would go to my parents' house and have a hard weekend of playing ball and chasing kitties. But, then he would come back home, sleep for a week, and the limp would go away. However, since Honey has been in the house, there really isn't any time for him to re-coup after he develops the limp. In the past week, the limp got worse and he wouldn't let anyone go near his leg. He also has put on about 10 pounds since November (which doesn't sound that abnormal. I mean, come on, we've ALL put on 10 pounds since November, right?). But, that is not normal for non-stop Cache. He's never had a weight problem as he often forgets to eat because there is just too many important things to smell or chase. So, on Friday, I decided to bite the bullet and take him to the vet. I was thinking it was a re-occurring sprain or at the worst, a small fracture. Althought the vet seemed to have an inclination right away what it was, he kept him there for the afternoon so he could sedate him to take x-rays and access the knee without Cache taking off his hand. I came back after work to get the prognosis and write a big fat check to the vet for x-rays that I didn't even get to keep as a momento. So, it turns out my Cache has torn his ACL....that precious little ligament in the knee that holds the top of the leg and the bottom of the leg together. It's not completely severed, but enough for the vet to predict that he will probably need surgery.

So, the vet told me to keep Cache off his feet for at least two weeks. No walks. No hikes. No wrestling. Nothing. I kind of just stood there and wanted to laugh in his face. I mean, sure, as he was telling me, Cache was still under sedation and konked out on the floor drooling on my shoe. But, THAT is not Cache. Cache is the typical three year old Lab that loves life and loves to run and jump and chase. No walks or hikes for him is like taking a birthday away from a kid.

But...I'm trying. For the sake of my puppy's knee, and for the sake of avoiding a thousand dollar surgery on a DOG, I'm trying. Honey is particularily confused because she is no longer allowed to wrestle or take Cache down. I do allow them to chew on each others faces, but that's as far as I can let it go. Poor little goobers. How do I explain this to them?

On the gooey sentimental side of things, I got a glimpse into what kind of father and support my future husband is going to be. He went with me to the vet's office for the prognosis and held my hand as the vet told me. He carried a drooling sedated Cache out to the car and put his hand on my shoulder as I fought back tears to see my baby that way. He didn't even hesitate about spending money on a dog's knee surgery. Money that we've saved up for a wedding and honeymoon. He knows Cache is my baby and he has adopted him as his own too. How lucky can a girl get?

So, since we were stuck in the house this afternoon, I took a few pictures of the stir-crazy dogs. Ugh, the next two weeks are going to be murder....

The couch is off limits now (since he can't jump or climb on things), so he has a bed on the floor now that would make anyone jealous.

An example of the aforementioned face-chewing.

Guard dog. "How dare those little kids walk by my house!"

"Please please PLEASE can we go outside??"

"Seriously. Someone has got to teach those kids a lesson."

This is good. This is good.

My parents have talked about this show, The Dog Whisperer, they watch on the Discovery Channel for awhile now. But, I never got a chance to watch it until over Christmas where I have access to more channels then just what comes in through my $9.99 antenna. It left me very intrigued and Jerod and I even rented a few episodes from Hastings one night. That left us hooked and now Jerod DVR's every episode he can. In a way, it reminds me of that show Supernanny. There are problem children/dogs and then the expert is asked to come in to cure these problem children/dogs of their wild and disobedient ways. But, as if the parents/owners don't expect it, this "expert" comes in and starts training THEM instead of the assumed problem children/dogs. It's always the same premise. You have to be the boss. Stop babying them and give them discipline for their own good and stop feeling sorry for them. It's YOU that is the problem, not THEM.

I've had to change my tactics since Honey has moved in. Akita's have more potential for taking control of you then the typical breed, so both Jerod and I have stepped it up in showing her that we're the boss. Little did I know that it would teach me that Cache has been the pack leader of my house for some time. He's not agressive about it, but in small subtle ways, he has been dominant over me. He goes through the doorways first, he expects food anytime and anywhere, he expects a walk when I put on my tennis shoes, he expects a treat when he sits. I had no idea that those small things were showing me that he runs the house. Hmmm. Who knew??

So, Honey and Cesar (the Dog Whisperer) have changed the dynamic in my house. I've been strict with Honey making her be submissive (and believe me, she is testing me!), but at the same time, I have been allowing Cache to keep the Alpha Dog status by treating him as I always have. It's confusing to them both, and that is why there has been fighting. Honey is the natural leader, but I have been trying to force Cache into leadership without really realizing it, and therefore confusing the natural pack order that they would've set a long time ago if I hadn't unintentionally interfered.

Since I've started realizing this and started treating Cache differently, the dynamic in the house is starting to change. I really noticed it this last weekend when there was this calm and relaxed feeling throughout the house. Cache and Honey are getting along. Cache submits, and Honey keeps him in check (without being a bully about it). Honey gets fed first (after her pack leaders, of course), gets affection first and Cache calmly waits his turn. HE wasn't the one with the problem with the pack order, it was ME. And now, he is becoming a much happier and CALMER dog.

I'm not saying it's all fixed. For example, I now have one of these on my wish list. And I wouldn't mind a copy of this. But, I'm working on it. It's harder work being a dog owner then I realized. You always have to be the leader and LOOK like a leader. Maybe one of these would help me achieve that look, huh?

Do YOU want to be my friend?

Honey's back and I think Cache and her have come to somewhat of an understanding. No bloodshed lately anyway. Here are the latest pictures of the two goobers.