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| Ch Yardican Roland ROMb SAM 5/31/1998 - 6/30/2012 |
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
10 months ago
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sam Update
First, thanks to everyone who has made suggestions on ways I can help Sam. All of them are wonderful and appreciated.
Now, what you all need to know. Sam's condition is chronic, progressive and painful. He has deteriorated much faster than I anticipated. When we arrived in Nashville, three months ago, the vet was able to treat him with Prednisone and an increased dose of Tramadol. At that time, he also told me that we were at the maximum dosage of Tramadol. When that dosage became ineffective, we would have to move on to something stronger; most likely Morphine. We are very close to that eventuality.
Sam's mobility is also seriously compromised. Some days he can move around pretty well. Most days, walking is a struggle. I have to escort him outside and stay outside with him while he does his business. Then, most of the time, I have to assist him to get back in the house. I'm not carrying him in and out but he needs me to motivate him.
Being a caretaker for an elderly dog is heart breaking and exhausting. This is especially true of a dog like Sam; a dog whose personality and physicality is such a huge part of who he is. Those of you who have met Sam, or have members of the Samily, will understand what I mean.
Last fall, I wrote a post called Choices. I'm asking myself the questions in that post almost daily now. The answers are telling me that I will have to make a choice, soon. It's made all the more difficult by the fact that Sam is still Sam. He's not yet telling me that it's his time but, it's not in Sam's personality to quit. Knowing Sam, I doubt he will ever tell me. The last appointment we had with our regular vet, he warned me that Sam wasn't going to make this easy on me. I always knew that would be the case.
Now, what you all need to know. Sam's condition is chronic, progressive and painful. He has deteriorated much faster than I anticipated. When we arrived in Nashville, three months ago, the vet was able to treat him with Prednisone and an increased dose of Tramadol. At that time, he also told me that we were at the maximum dosage of Tramadol. When that dosage became ineffective, we would have to move on to something stronger; most likely Morphine. We are very close to that eventuality.
Sam's mobility is also seriously compromised. Some days he can move around pretty well. Most days, walking is a struggle. I have to escort him outside and stay outside with him while he does his business. Then, most of the time, I have to assist him to get back in the house. I'm not carrying him in and out but he needs me to motivate him.
Being a caretaker for an elderly dog is heart breaking and exhausting. This is especially true of a dog like Sam; a dog whose personality and physicality is such a huge part of who he is. Those of you who have met Sam, or have members of the Samily, will understand what I mean.
Last fall, I wrote a post called Choices. I'm asking myself the questions in that post almost daily now. The answers are telling me that I will have to make a choice, soon. It's made all the more difficult by the fact that Sam is still Sam. He's not yet telling me that it's his time but, it's not in Sam's personality to quit. Knowing Sam, I doubt he will ever tell me. The last appointment we had with our regular vet, he warned me that Sam wasn't going to make this easy on me. I always knew that would be the case.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
It's Not Just Potty Humor..
Warning! This post contains not just potty humor but actual potty...
As part of managing the symptoms of Sam's cauda equina he has started having acupuncture treatments with Dr. Tammy Perkins at Animalia Wellness. He had his second treatment yesterday. I'll post some pictures of the clinic in a later post. It's the most gorgeous clinic I've ever seen.
Dr. Perkins suggested that Sam might benefit from some hydrotherapy as well. I can't really afford to take advantage of the underwater treadmill at Animalia so Dr. Perkins said that a kiddie pool would work too. That I can afford!
Yesterday I bought Sam a kiddie pool at Lowe's. Did you know these pools can be tough to find now? Wally World didn't even have them. This morning, I filled the pool with water and let it sit in the sunshine for a few hours so it would warm up a bit. Then I got Sam outside and lifted him into the pool. The idea was to have him walk circuits around the pool. Turns out, the pool is a little too small for that.
And then it happened..... Sam's re-enactment of the pool scene in Caddyshack. Only no one was eating a chocolate bar......
And so ended Sam's first dip in the pool. I helped him exit the pool - there wasn't any panic - dried him off and then dumped the pool. I don't think I'll need to wear a hazmat suit to clean it but it might be a while before Sam takes another dip.
As part of managing the symptoms of Sam's cauda equina he has started having acupuncture treatments with Dr. Tammy Perkins at Animalia Wellness. He had his second treatment yesterday. I'll post some pictures of the clinic in a later post. It's the most gorgeous clinic I've ever seen.
Dr. Perkins suggested that Sam might benefit from some hydrotherapy as well. I can't really afford to take advantage of the underwater treadmill at Animalia so Dr. Perkins said that a kiddie pool would work too. That I can afford!
Yesterday I bought Sam a kiddie pool at Lowe's. Did you know these pools can be tough to find now? Wally World didn't even have them. This morning, I filled the pool with water and let it sit in the sunshine for a few hours so it would warm up a bit. Then I got Sam outside and lifted him into the pool. The idea was to have him walk circuits around the pool. Turns out, the pool is a little too small for that.
 |
| Sam, lounging in his private pool. |
 |
| Yeah, this might not be too bad. |
And then it happened..... Sam's re-enactment of the pool scene in Caddyshack. Only no one was eating a chocolate bar......
 |
| That's no Baby Ruth.... |
And so ended Sam's first dip in the pool. I helped him exit the pool - there wasn't any panic - dried him off and then dumped the pool. I don't think I'll need to wear a hazmat suit to clean it but it might be a while before Sam takes another dip.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Happy Birthday Sam!
Today is Sam's 14th birthday. It's hard to believe he's been with me for nearly 10 years! I dearly love this boy. I took this photo while he was eating his birthday treat of soft serve ice cream with Bailey's drizzled over it. It just might be one of my favorite pictures of him EVER!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Good Vet
While moving can be fun and exciting there is also the hassle of finding a lot of new service providers; hair dressers, dentists, doctors and, arguably, most importantly a vet. I got so lucky in the veterinary department with this move. Before I left VA, I had several recommendations for Dr. Bernander at Caring Hands Animal Hospital in Franklin, TN.
It turns out that was a good thing because while I was making the drive down here, I called his office to schedule an appointment for Sam. In the weeks leading up to our move, Sam had increasing issues with mobility - specifically, his rear movement. So we arrived in TN on Tuesday evening, moved into our house on Wednesday and Sam went to see Dr. B on Thursday.
Dr. B took xrays and diagnosed Sam with a potential infection in one disk, a fully fused disk and a third disk - L7/S1 - that was causing the real issue - and quite a bit of pain. Basically, Sam has cauda equina. This is a chronic condition that is very painful and will eventually lead to rear paralysis. It's a fairly common condition in large, athletic dogs but you don't hear much about it in Cardigans.
The initial treatment for Sam included Cephalexin, Prednisone and an increased dose of Tramadol. It also included return trips to the vet every 2 weeks. So we made return trips for the next 8 weeks.
In the middle of all that, Grace, the cat, also became ill. My first clue was that she missed the litter box. During one of Sam's regular rechecks, I brought Grace along and ended up leaving her at the clinic overnite. She was diagnosed with a severe UTI and ended up spending 3 nights at the clinic. She came home on a Monday but by Thursday evening she had made it very clear to me that she was finished with this life. I took her back in on Saturday morning and Dr. B helped her cross the bridge just one week before her 15th birthday.
In my next post, I'll introduce Sam's new physical therapist. She's going to help us manage Sam's pain so we don't have to graduate to morphine for pain control.
It turns out that was a good thing because while I was making the drive down here, I called his office to schedule an appointment for Sam. In the weeks leading up to our move, Sam had increasing issues with mobility - specifically, his rear movement. So we arrived in TN on Tuesday evening, moved into our house on Wednesday and Sam went to see Dr. B on Thursday.
Dr. B took xrays and diagnosed Sam with a potential infection in one disk, a fully fused disk and a third disk - L7/S1 - that was causing the real issue - and quite a bit of pain. Basically, Sam has cauda equina. This is a chronic condition that is very painful and will eventually lead to rear paralysis. It's a fairly common condition in large, athletic dogs but you don't hear much about it in Cardigans.
The initial treatment for Sam included Cephalexin, Prednisone and an increased dose of Tramadol. It also included return trips to the vet every 2 weeks. So we made return trips for the next 8 weeks.
In the middle of all that, Grace, the cat, also became ill. My first clue was that she missed the litter box. During one of Sam's regular rechecks, I brought Grace along and ended up leaving her at the clinic overnite. She was diagnosed with a severe UTI and ended up spending 3 nights at the clinic. She came home on a Monday but by Thursday evening she had made it very clear to me that she was finished with this life. I took her back in on Saturday morning and Dr. B helped her cross the bridge just one week before her 15th birthday.
In my next post, I'll introduce Sam's new physical therapist. She's going to help us manage Sam's pain so we don't have to graduate to morphine for pain control.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Hoooooowdeeee!
A little homage to Minnie Pearl there in the post title tonight :) The house I am renting here in Nashville is about 2 miles from Opryland.
The drive down to Nashville in March was pretty uneventful. We had great weather, the dogs and Grace were patient with the long trip and, thanks to UHM's parting gift of a GPS unit, we didn't get lost :) Once we arrived, things got a little less uneventful.
The morning I took possession of our little rental house, I got to the house before the leasing agent. I was walking around the outside of the house and wanted to explore the little, fully fenced back yard. So I let myself in the yard and, like any good dog owner, shut the gate behind me. One small problem, there was no latch on the inside of the gate - I was locked in the back yard. Fortunately, the leasing agent pulled up a few minutes later and let me out so we could get in the house.
The movers arrived shortly thereafter and delivered my rather small truck load of household goods without incident. Usually, when I move for a new job I manage to arrive on Saturday and have to go to work on Monday so it takes forever for the house to get unpacked and set up. This time, I gave myself a full 5 days to get my act together! I had time to run errands on that first day even. The weather was gorgeous so I had the windows down as I cruised the highways in the greater Nashville area. That's when a hornet ended up in my car. I felt/saw it rocket into the car as I was going 55 miles an hour. Shortly thereafter, I felt a sharp stinging between my breasts - while I was driving 55 miles an hour. Yup, the hornet ended up going down my shirt and stinging me. Fortunately, I'm not particularly well-endowed so I was able to fairly easily get him out of my shirt without causing a wreck. About 10 minutes later, I felt a sharp stinging behind my knee. I managed to fling the bastard out of my shirt, only to have him land only the floor and subsequently crawl up my leg. Only me.
Friday -Our new vet and the many, many visits we've made to his office since our arrival.
The drive down to Nashville in March was pretty uneventful. We had great weather, the dogs and Grace were patient with the long trip and, thanks to UHM's parting gift of a GPS unit, we didn't get lost :) Once we arrived, things got a little less uneventful.
The morning I took possession of our little rental house, I got to the house before the leasing agent. I was walking around the outside of the house and wanted to explore the little, fully fenced back yard. So I let myself in the yard and, like any good dog owner, shut the gate behind me. One small problem, there was no latch on the inside of the gate - I was locked in the back yard. Fortunately, the leasing agent pulled up a few minutes later and let me out so we could get in the house.
The movers arrived shortly thereafter and delivered my rather small truck load of household goods without incident. Usually, when I move for a new job I manage to arrive on Saturday and have to go to work on Monday so it takes forever for the house to get unpacked and set up. This time, I gave myself a full 5 days to get my act together! I had time to run errands on that first day even. The weather was gorgeous so I had the windows down as I cruised the highways in the greater Nashville area. That's when a hornet ended up in my car. I felt/saw it rocket into the car as I was going 55 miles an hour. Shortly thereafter, I felt a sharp stinging between my breasts - while I was driving 55 miles an hour. Yup, the hornet ended up going down my shirt and stinging me. Fortunately, I'm not particularly well-endowed so I was able to fairly easily get him out of my shirt without causing a wreck. About 10 minutes later, I felt a sharp stinging behind my knee. I managed to fling the bastard out of my shirt, only to have him land only the floor and subsequently crawl up my leg. Only me.
Friday -Our new vet and the many, many visits we've made to his office since our arrival.
Monday, May 21, 2012
We're Baaaaack!
I bought a new computer this weekend so we are back on line and ready to start posting about our adventures in our new home, Nashville, TN. Look for the first installment of the Moving Chronicles Wednesday evening. Right now, it's late and we are headed to bed.
Thanks, in advance, for hanging in there with us. Lots of exciting things have happened since mid-March and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you all.
Red Dog Mom & The Horde (Southern Branch)
Thanks, in advance, for hanging in there with us. Lots of exciting things have happened since mid-March and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you all.
Red Dog Mom & The Horde (Southern Branch)
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