Perspective

AP here:
I have started and stopped a new post over the past 2 weeks more times than I can remember now. I have been finding it hard to write about Tonka since he has not been doing well.
I think I am still very lost in my own head without a diagnosis for him. I research everyday and try to brainstorm (read grasp) for a reason or a solution to his inability to walk correctly.
Is the fact that both sides have now been affected relevant? Why is this side behaving  different than the other did? Is the cause one single event or did he have 2 separate events?  The list of questions is endless - all without answers.
He has been in therapy about a month now for this side and instead of making progress he is slipping backwards.
He stays in his house most days even if someone is home with him and the crate door is open. Maybe the coolness of the canine coolers feels good on his leg.

Lazy boy

I climbed in his crate for a kiss

He still wants to go for his afternoon walk with his friends but we cannot go very far without putting him in his cart.

I am trying very hard to stay positive and keep in mind that it took 3 months for his other side to come around..


Today I got an email from a friend who always has a positive outlook on things even in the face of extreme adversity and I was reminded that our problems are very small in comparison to some.

Perspective - its a wonderful thing to have but a hard thing to keep when you are caught up in the day to day stuff.
I need to keep the following in mind:
-he is not in pain (although I think his leg feels strange to him - perhaps pins and needle -ish)
-he can still walk (just not well or far)
-he can still make it outside to go to the bathroom
-he still loves to eat
-he still loves to be fussed over
-he does not have anything life threatening or anything needing surgical intervention
-there are many out there without a home or without the ability to walk at all or that are fighting cancer

So the problem is mine not his. I am the one that feels bad for him when he drags his foot or sits down so slowly and awkwardly when his leg won't bend. I am the one that grieves for the things we cant do anymore, he just accepts whatever the day brings.
I have learned this lesson before with the other leg but obviously I did not learn it well. We have all heard that we should count our blessings every day and if you really think about and stop to do it your troubles do seem to shrink.
I have to go hug my huggable now!

A Tigers Tale

AP here:
We make decisions everyday, some are small and require no thought and others are large and life changing. This is the tale of Tiger where a bunch of small decisions worked together to return him safely home.

Tonka has therapy every Tuesday but on some weeks he also goes on Fridays.and today was one of those Fridays. On Therapy days we walk earlier than normal in the morning and this Friday Tonka was insistent that we also walk a different route. So we were out earlier and at a different spot than usual when we met a man looking for his dog Tiger. Tiger had gone missing the night before and they were very worried since at 18 years old his vision and hearing were not so good. We told him we would keep and eye out and I would spread the word. As we walked on I sent a text to some other morning dog walkers and posted to my friends in the neighborhood on FB.
Tonka and I were running late as we headed out of the neighborhood when I saw a friend and made the decision (even though we were late) to pull over and ask her to spread the word about Tiger. I asked her to  please tell my friend Bob since he is home most of the day and usually is out with his dogs. She said she would and off to therapy we went.
When we returned from therapy I drove into the neighborhood and noticed someone had put up signs about Tiger. Bob saw my truck as we passed and made the decision to drive up to my house and ask about the missing dog. He pulled in as I was getting out and we chatted about what I knew about Tiger. Then running even later now I secured Tonka in the house and headed out to work..
I was at the stop sign getting ready to turn on to the main road leading out when I saw my friend Shirleeta who lives one neighborhood over. She was coming across the street with Tonka's little friend Bailey. Now normally I would have just waved and drove on but I made the decision to stop (I was already late). She saw me and came across the street holding a picture of a small dog. She was going to post it at the stop sign. She wanted to know if I recognized the dog and knew the owner. I told her I didn't but that a small dog was missing on my side of the main street. She then told me"well he doesn't see or hear so well" so I figured it had to be Tiger. We put Bailey dog in the back and I turned the truck around and we drove back to one of the signs to get a phone number.
She then told me her neighbor had Tiger at his house and that Tiger had walked out in front of his car the night before. Apparently it took some coaxing and the help of a county police officer to capture Tiger and the decision was made to keep him in a crate at his house for the night. The next morning his wife made the decision to go knocking on all the neighbors doors to see if anyone knew where he belonged and that's how Shirleeta got involved.
We called the number on the missing sign and talked to a much relived owner and then we all met at the "Hero of the day" neighbors house. Tiger was very happy to be back with mom and dad and we all agreed that it was just right decisions, right time, right place that had worked together to keep Tiger safe for the night. As I drove away I said to myself that I thought perhaps a bit of "Tonka Magic" was also involved to start the chain of events off by having me run into Tigers dad that morning..
I have no doubt that Tiger would have made it home without our intervention. I know Shirleeta would have put up the pictures and his owners would have seen it but I am glad it worked out to get him home sooner than later.

Balance

AP here:
The 8 minute underwater treadmill workout and meeting up with his buddies at the park 4 times a week seems to have been a bit much for the Tonka Dog. He is not walking as well as he was and can not seem to get comfortable. This whole neurological medical journey has been about discovering what makes him better and what doesn't work. We know the rehab he is getting with Chris and Diana at CVSS works (miracle kind of stuff) and going to the park and on walks are essential for his mental well being. The treadmill should help us strengthen him physically and retrain his gait so we just need to find the optimal mix of things. We are searching for the right Balance.
When undergoing an exercise program a workout will leave you tired but in Tonka's case we also have to lookout for what we are going to call neurological fatigue. When his system is stressed too much the signals between brain and body part get weak and things get slow. His back foot will not lift high enough or quick enough to clear a doorstep or his foot will not have enough downward strength to keep it from slipping out on the carpet. That is where we are today neurologically tired so this weekend will be low key and full of ice packs and rest.

It is good to have friends

AP here:
We ran into Tonka's human friend Marie the other morning and she had not seen him for about two months and was very happy to see him up and walking. Hopefully soon his stamina will be back up to where we can go further and "see" our other human friends that walk in the mornings.
His recovery has been amazing and I credit the great care he received and continues to receive from his doctors and therapists. His therapists ROCK!
I also have to give credit to his wonderful friends both human and canine that have helped us at the park getting in and out of the truck and around the field. He is such a social guy and being able to go to the park and hangout with his friends has really helped him mentally. He also tends to lift his feet higher when he at the park which I would guess is part adrenaline and part uneven terrain.
Here are some pictures of Tonka and his buddies.



A Pack of Friends



I can fit



Master of Agility





Duke to the rescue

 

Some of Duke's humans helping the Tonk Man

Pssst - Hey Henry let me tell you a secret



Jazz gives the best hugs



It may be all in his head!

AP here with an update:

I took Tonka to see Dr. Jay McDonnell to see if he might be able to shed some light on what has happened with my boy. He went over the MRI with me and he did not see anything different than what Dr. Harris had seen.

The MRI is a device that uses strong magnets that spin around the patient, and picks up the magnetic signals emanating from the cells as they demagnetize. This gives a picture of the inside of the body without having to use surgery and is more precise than X-rays.

In a dog there are 36 pairs of spinal nerves of the 36 spinal segments which are categorized into the 5 spinal cord segments labeled cervical thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal

8 cervical; 13 thoracic; 7 lumbar; 3 sacral; & 5 caudal = 36 total

His lumbar and lumbosacral areas of his spine look great so there is nothing to suggest that his problem is due to a disk problem or stenosis which is a narrowing of a spinal area that would put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

He does have some intramedullary (within the spinal cord) hyperintensity within the thoracic part of his spinal cord. A hyperintense signal is a "bright spot" on an MRI. In order to eliminate fluid being the cause such as cerebrospinal fluid they use FLAIR "Fluid attenuated inversion recovery" which is a pulse sequence that essentially removes fluids from the picture. This allows any lesions to be visible. It is not known what has caused his bright spots and in order to get a fuller picture of what has happened we would have to MRI his cervical area and his brain. The plan at this time is to do that in January. The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and this fluid nourishes the nervous system and protects the brain and spinal cord so it directly reflects what is going on inside the nervous system. Dr. Harris checked for CSF problems at the time of his MRI with a spinal tap and it came back normal. It could be that there is too much CSF and perhaps a narrowing that is inhibiting the normal flow and creating elevated intracranial pressure so he is now on Prilosec. Prilosec which is omeprazole relieves heartburn in people but in dogs it reduces the production of cerebrospinal fluid.

We have seen some improvement with the foot drag which is now a lift and stutter until he gets tired and then it is back to a drag. The incontinence seems to come and go – some good days, some bad so we are just going to create as normal an environment and routine as we can. The advice was to “do the things that he likes and that seem to work and avoid the things that make him worse” and we can certainly do that. We will continue with the acupuncture and anything else that helps him physically. Twice a week I will take him to the park and let him “see” his dog friends and once a week we will go visit his human friends and that should keep him emotionally happy.

I cannot say enough great things about Dr. McDonnell and Dr. Harris. I never felt rushed or pressured into any procedure. They both took the time to go over the MRI results with me and the support staffs were and are always extremely professional and helpful. You can tell when people really care and understand what you and your pet are going through and this group does. I hope you and your pet never need a neurologist but if you do Tonka and I would recommend you check in with Veterinary Neurology of the Chesapeake and Dr. Jay McDonnell, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology) and Dr. Jeanene Harris, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

Acupuncture

I had acupuncture today with Dr. Phillips at GAVH
She stuck some little needles in me (even one in my head). She read through my very large file before our appointment and knew all about all my medical challenges. Maybe this will make my leg work again. She uses these little needles and they don't hurt at all. You can barely see the one in my head.

Pinhead

PICNIC

On Sunday AP and I got to go to a really cool park and meet some new friends and some of our old ones. The new friends were dogs and kids that all have had heart surgery like me. It was a great day and I got to forget about my medical problems for awhile. It was put on by the great people at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children and the Chesapeake Veterinary Cardiology Associates. 

I met a Collie named Annie

A Newfie named Bouy

Bouy and Annie are also therapy dogs.

I got lots of love from everyone.

The kids were all great and some of my Doctors were there. Dr. Rosenthal was there along with Cari who took really good care of me and AP got to meet Dr. Schmitt who was also in on my surgery

A really cool kid liked my bionic eye.



 It was a really fun time and I loved all the head pats, ear scratches and belly rubs from all the great kids.

Thanks to CVCA for inviting me and to Bouy's mom for the chicken.

p.s. AP borrowed 2 of these pictures from the CVAC Facebook site - we hope that is OK

The hippy hippy shake!

In 2009 I was diagnosed with a problem in my right shoulder and my  left hip. The x-rays of the left hip showed a gap between the ball and socket of  the joint. This means that my hip can slip a bit - the humans call it subluxation. Well my foot slipped off of the step downstairs and I sub-luxed something and now it is really hard for me to lay down. AP and Dr. Woodburn talked about it and they can't give me anything for inflammation because I am just weaning off the prednisone that I was on for the nosebleeds. Dr. Woodburn gave me Tramadol for pain and I have to take it easy. I am supposed to go to the Cardiac, Pediatric picnic this weekend so hopefully I will be feeling better in a day or so.

T-shirts and Coffee Mugs - Oh My!

I love the beach! AP says its like I know that there are no fences or trees to get in my way and I can run around like crazy and not have to worry about hitting something. I also love to dig in the sand - it is so easy to dig a big hole, really quick and then there is the water which is fun to leap in and out of. A special rescue for blind dogs http://www.blinddogrescue.com/  asked to use a picture of me at the beach to show that blind dogs can have normal lives. AP sent them pictures of me playing in the water and if you go to this website you can see what they came up with.
http://www.cafepress.com/blinddogrescuealliance/8103328

Its me- blippity blopping in the surf and I get to be on t-shirts and coffee mugs and AP even ordered "me" on a sweatshirt.  A percentage of the money goes to help blind dogs get medical attention and find homes. How cool is that?

Diggy Diggy!

AP here:
I spent the morning trimming trees and putting down top soil and the afternoon digging out dirt and adding on to the sand garden I created last year. Tonka perked up enough to come out and give me a hand for a few minutes.

He does love to dig!

Roid Rage (well more like roid naps)

AP here:
Four days of the prednisone and benadryl combo and Tonka is a slug. He has no interest in going for a walk, he does not care that I am in the kitchen making English Muffin pizzas (which usually brings him running for CHEESE), he just does not care about anything.

Bloody Nose

AP here:
Tuesday Tonka and I went for our morning walk and he had some blood on his right front leg so after looking all over I found some on the floor next to his red rubber nylabone. I chalked it up to a tooth or gum thing form chewing on the toy. We played a little at the park and he was prancing around.

We looked under some toadstools trying to find the toads.

When we came home we had a normal morning routine, he ate well and everything seemed fine.

In the evening we went for a early walk because we had a vet appointment to discuss his breathing, sneezing and his itchy ears. We ran into his friend Pepe and walked with him for awhile.

Then we were off to the vet. Tonka was seen by his good friend Dr. Woodburn who came back with a diagnosis of allergies and no ear infection. So Benadryl twice a day and Genesis spray for the ear flaps. So much for no more medication - now it was drops for the pre-glaucoma eye and pills and spray for the allergies.Oh well allergies we can deal with right?

Wednesday morning was just like any other until after he ate his breakfast. I heard him go out the doggie door and went down to check on him. The first thing I noticed was something liquid on the bottom of his food bowl and when I swiped my finger at it I came back with a finger covered in bright red blood. I immediately went out and found him in the yard and checked his mouth, his gums, his tongue and found -nothing. I called the vet and they suggested I come in so I grabbed his leash and out the door we went. As he was making the turn to go up the ramp in the truck he sneezed and bright red blood came running out of his nose. He licked right off and you couldn't even tell it had been there. Mystery blood solved and now I knew the blood from yesterday was not from chewing a bone! I got him up the ramp and started up the truck and called the vet on the way to tell them the origin of the blood. I then called the cardiologist to see if this could be heart related and then called the opthomologist to see if it could be caused by the new drops. the specialists all came back with a no-not likely but wanted to be get up to date with whatever the primary care vet had to say. Dr. Woodburn was in surgery so we saw Dr. Gerity whom Tonka also really likes (she took care of him when he had the heart arrhythmia). She looked up his nose, checked all his vitals and had his blood pressure taken. Since Tonka had just been there the night before and had been fine the belief is that he has allergies that have caused rhinitis of his nose and has probably broken a blood vessel and when he sneezes it breaks open and bleeds. So she added to his on going medicine list two additional drops of the same steroid that goes in his eye but these two go up his nose. I also now carry a bottle of Epinephrine to use in case the bleeding will not stop.

Thursday morning came and Tonka got up and went outside to sleep on the back porch. When I went out to check on him I found him with bloody paws and a small puddle of blood in front of him. I cleaned him up and he laid his head back down to go to sleep. He came in later and wanted to go for a walk so we started off down the street and ran into his friend Marie who was coming up the street. He decided he wanted to walk with her so he turned and we headed back up towards the house. Once we got past the house he decided that it was best if we just turned and went home so that is what we did. Hopefully the medicine will start to work and this does not turn out to be anything other than a blood vessel.

Beach Friends

I got to go to the beach and Saturday night I hung out with my human friends Wally and Gwen and their granddaughter Sydney. We made Smores and I got to have a mini marshmallow. Sydney went with me for a walk and we went up on the jungle gym and since the slide was too steep for me she helped me get back down the steps by telling me where they were.
Sunday morning I went to the beach and ran into some old friends and made some new ones. AP took some video of me but missed me playing in the surf and I was really blippity blopping in the water.

Then we went and picked up breakfast from Robin Hood down on main street and after we ate we walked around and window shopped. I dragged AP and CM to Odysea to say hello to Rick but the store wasn't open yet. AP tried to get me to leave the door and I wouldnt it I wanted to wait and dug in and kept my nose to the door. She finally told me we would go get her coffee and come back so I agreed and when we came back the store was open but he wasn't working. I got some treats from his employee and laid down and took a little power nap while AP and CM shopped.

We walked around some more and I got to kiss a kid on the ear and met a 7 month old puppy named Mickey. Hopefully I will "see" Mickey again down on the beach and we can play.

I had a great weekend!