I celebrated Alec's 9th birthday yesterday! And yes, there was dog-friendly cake (it was more like a big cupcake). Alec had a great day: swimming at a new indoor facility (more on that soon!), special homemade treats, and his first trip to a nearby park. The best thing (as is the case every single day) was spending time together. That might sound corny, but what dogs enjoy most in the world, once their basic needs are met, is spending time with their human (wish I could tell that to every selfish ignorant jerk who leaves their dog tied up outside all day)...it just so happens that my favorite thing in the world is spending time with Alec. So it works out perfectly. :) You can see the rest of the birthday pictures here.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Happy 9th Birthday, Alec!
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5 comments:
Awww! Happy Belated Birthday, big guy! :)
Juli Deli'Era recommended your blog to me for support during the rehab of my dog, Shiloh, who had neurosurgery for a herniated L3-L4 disc at ACC on July 18th.
I began reading your original post and the two or three after that and saw so many similarities to Shiloh's experience. I would really like to ask you questions now and as I proceed through your postings. I'm not much of a computer buff and have never blogged or even commented on a blog, so am a bit unsure of the protocol. May I send my questions to you as blog postings, may I write you directly?
I'd like to introduce myself and Shiloh to you. I am a senior and Shiloh, my 90# Black Lab, is my first dog. I fostered him for 3 days in July a year ago after my son learned that he was about to be euthanized for scratching the laundry room door of people who had locked him in because of his fears of thunder. He was returned to me last November by the people who adopted him because their work schedule necessitated their locking him in a garage for 8-9 hours each day. At that point, I decided that Shiloh had come to me twice and was going to stay. I promised him that he would never again be locked in or out.
Shiloh came with a number of issues, both physical and behavioral, but we had successfully worked through most with the help of a good trainer, obedience classes, multiple videos from Cesar Milan, Ed Frawley and others, multiple books, improved diet and lots of patience and love. Then on July 17, he woke me wanting out. Within the hour, his paralysis was obvious and he deteriorated through the day as we spent long horrid hours waiting for a local Vet to see him. I finally learned about ACC at about 5 Pm and my son and I drove him the 5 hours to Rohnert Park. His neurological signs offered little hope of a return to walking, but we elected to do surgery anyway. Shiloh remained at ACC for two weeks . I was lucky to be able to be with him 10 hours/day for 10 days of his stay. We returned to Eureka to begin his long rehab on the last day of July.
I am so grateful that you have generously offered your blog to others going through similar situations. You are providing an invaluable service. I hope that you'll allow me to learn from you and Alec as Shiloh and I make our journey. Hopefully, a year from now Shiloh will be where Alec is now.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, I am so happy to hear from you. Please email me at nrpallotta at gmail dot com. I would love to talk to you about my experiences with Alec and help you and Shiloh in any way I can. Shiloh is so very lucky to have you!! I hope you check back here and email me. If not, I will ask Juli for your email address. As you know from reading my blog, those first few weeks were incredibly difficult for me and Alec but we made it through and things only improved from there, so HANG IN THERE. Juli is wonderful and I don't know what we would have done without her. She will tell you, as I tell everyone now - do the physical therapy every day. I think it helped tremendously although it was difficult and tedious at first (especially when dealing with a large dog!). I am sending warm healing thoughts to you and Shiloh. You are obviously a wonderful, kind-hearted person and besides being persistent with the physical therapy, I think love and devotion (mine for him) were extremely important for Alec's recovery. Not to mention a positive attitude! Even if Shiloh never walks again he can live a happy and fulfilling life using a mobility cart. But don't give up - it was a long road for us, and I had been told from the beginning it was extremely unlikely Alec would ever walk again. I hope Shiloh will beat the odds too (truth is there is not much long-term data on dogs recovering from disc-related paralysis, so the "odds" may not be so accurate!).
I hope to hear from you soon!! Nicole
Hi Nicole...
Like Marilyn, I was recommended to your blog by Juli @ ACC in Rohnert Park. I only had a chance to read through the profile and will return (many times) to catch up on your story. We have a 2 year old Lhasa , Cassi, that suffered a ruptured disc/IVDD in November past. I am glomming onto as much information as I can about this and am inspired to take up pet physical therapy as a second life career. I saw Juli for the first time today and look forward to working with her. It looks like you are doing a wonderful job with Alec! I definitely want to get to the "No Wheelchair?" post as soon as possible!
I have been blogging about the experience also. Check out www.cassisurgery.blogspot.com if you get a chance.
I am glas I found you and have become a follower!
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thanks for stopping by! I received your message on gmail and will write more there soon. And I will definitely check out your blog; I looked at it briefly and it seems Cassi is doing very well all things considered! I hope you find something in my and Alec's experience helpful.
All the best to you and Cassi...keep up the great work!
Nicole
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