necessities and accessories (or things to make life easier with a blind, partially disabled dog)

AP here:
I have discovered some things along the this journey with the Tonka Man.

#1 nothing is ever easy with Tonka (except loving him)
#2 trying to make things easier you need to be inventive or very rich (not rich so having to be inventive)
#3 poop happens (often) and no matter where it happens it is never the end of the world
#4 if poop doesn't happen you can make it happen (which isn't much fun for anyone)
#5 anger is a waste of your time

We are now creeping up to the 11 month mark with the Tonk and his bizarre mobility problem. Some days it seems like its already been a lot longer than that. A very wise woman (my mother) suggested to me the other day that this may be as good as it gets. She then followed that with "and we will just have to deal with it" and in true mom wisdom she is right. We will deal with it just as we have been. I think at some point I stopped looking at now and started trying to look ahead thinking that this leg would come back just like the other. In thinking that I stopped coming up with things to deal with the now. I stopped thinking of things that would make the daily routine and challenges easier on everyone including Tonka. So that is the priority now, to put systems and things in place to make it easier to get through the day. Back to the Girl Scout motto - "be prepared".

He will probably always need the Tonka trailer so I have outfitted it with a hand pump using 2 of his rubber booties to keep it from slipping out of the Velcro straps. His cart is not a standard bike frame so commercial mounts don't work. It is now secure hanging off the back in case we get a flat (like we did a week ago and I had to push him uphill doing a wheelie). Two necessary items packaged together, extra booties and a bike pump!

The wheels don't have fenders so if we don't have the covered wagon piece (what we call rain gear) on dirt and grass kicks up and all over his back. That means that once we deal with the whole ordeal of getting him out of the cart I have to make sure I get all the little grains of sand and dirt out of his fur. I got to thinking about the little red wagons and how they had sides that you could put on. That's exactly what we need side panels - but side panels that allow air flow so I took PVC pipe, some screen and some duct tape and made little panels to block the dirt. Once I know it works well I will come up with a little nicer looking panel to accessorise his very cool cart..

Since his right leg is so goofy he usually falls to that side and props himself up on the right elbow. As a result of staying on that elbow it is developing a rough spot. To keep it from becoming a sore I needed to come up with something to cushion it. Tonka wont lay on a dog bed and the mutt mats and blankets slide out from under him when he tries to stand. As he already has trouble getting himself up the last thing I need is him sliding all around.  I did find an elbow brace for humans with memory foam in it which got me to thinking that memory foam would be perfect but something thin and with a non slip backing - the answer was a memory foam bath mat. Not too thick - non skid bottom and soft easy to clean cover -perfect. So now when he lays down I stick the mat under his elbow and he is good to go.

I purchased the Hartman's Hip Helper since it has a handle over the hips to help you get your dog to its feet and then help it walk. It is really well made and light weight with lots of cushy padding around the chest and legs. Of course since Tonka has to be difficult when I put it on him it messes up his gait and he cant walk well at all. So much for thinking about making it easy to get him around. I can put it on him if he is going to be laying around, then use it to get him up and then take it off right away but that is all a bit much. I also prefer him to try and get himself up as much as possible so we will hold on to it in case we need it later. I am now trying to come up with a less back breaking way of getting him to his feet when he cant do it alone.

When he is really struggling to walk correctly he gets himself bent into sort of a u shape with the right side swinging around to the front. I have discovered that when that happens if i hold his tail up and to the left it counterbalances him and he walks/stumbles a straighter line. I took a roll of vet wrap and bound his tail up like they do horses for polo thinking that perhaps that would help - It didn't! So now I am trying to think of ways to get his tail up and to the left.

Of course we have our awesome thin fleece blankets all over the floor in case he has any accidents (fleece is a great moisture barrier). We have baby wipes stationed everywhere to wipe after a potty a break since he cannot clean himself very well anymore and his belly bands loaded with a Poise pad for bad dribble days.  I still have baby monitor cameras all over downstairs so that when I am upstairs I can watch him and Internet cameras to monitor him when I am not home.

Perhaps this blog should have been titled "inventions for Tonka".

Payback or - Did you really just walk me into a car?

AP here:
The T-Man and I are still walking twice a day although we only travel about 4 or 5 houses up the block and then turn around. He cannot touch concrete or anything rough with the middle two toenails on that bad foot as they are completely worn down and become a bloody mess. Once out of the backyard he has to have either socks or a boot on to protect the toes.

He is managing to lift the foot with his Ruff Wear Skyliner boot (see this post) for a good portion of the walk so that is promising. This is exactly where we were in November of last year with the other leg. I sometimes feel like I am just repeating the days over and over again like the Groundhog day movie..
The boot thing is a huge deal in my little corner of the world since it means I don't have to deal with socks and duct tape. Socks and duct tape require stopping every few feet to reposition since they roll around and sag no matter how much duct tape you use or how tight you make them. I had created some sock boots but they suffer from the same rolling problem.

He is doing well (since this weekend) with the boot. He takes slow methodical steps and his back end does not seem to be drifting as bad to the right like it had been. He still thinks he can go further than I will let him which is also a good sign.

 June 22nd

On the way back when he gets sloppy we do some thera-band work to keep him going and to train his foot and leg to lift.

This morning I was walking him home with the thera-band and I was looking down at his foot so that I could get the proper placement and he subtly drifted a bit and walked me right into a parked car.
I had to chuckle a bit because there have been times over the years that I have walked him into some items such as a tree, a car, and the occasional fence.
I had to wonder if he was silently thinking "YES-Payback"

                                                                 June 23rd

I am encouraged by these little baby steps of progress and so we will keep "walking" forward and try to avoid the obstacles in our path..

Stubborn, Rotten Boy

AP here:
Walking for the boy this weekend was crappy. This video is of him walking on Saturday morning.
Sunday was not a whole lot better and he was up several times trying to get comfortable.

The week did not start off much better and Monday night was a disaster
We went for a walk with his friends Nala and Duke and when he got tired I went to put him in the trailer. I did not have it secured enough and it rolled forward when he went to step in which caused him to fall. I got him up and we attempted to get back in the trailer. he stepped in and I lifted his back end up. I put my arm behind him to help him sit back and he pooped as he sat which ended up on me and in the trailer. So I got him back up and out and then got most of it up before putting him back in.

Once we were home I got him cleaned up and then broke down the trailer and disinfected it. Thankfully the trailer is a cinch to clean.

I am sure he really put himself out of sorts when he fell because he was up all night trying to get comfortable. The problem is he wants you to sleep on the floor with him and snuggle which works great for him but not so much for me. So with not much sleep both Sunday and Monday night I must have been a sight because everywhere we went on Tuesday people told me how tired I looked.

When we went for a little walk on Tuesday morning he was dragging his foot so I shortened our already little excursion and when we got to the house at our corner he put on the breaks. He can be so stubborn (if you own a Pyr you know) and will refuse to go forward if he thinks he has been cheated on the walk. He was so shaky I couldn't just pull on him so I let him off the leash and sat down on the curb about 8 feet in front of him and just started to cry. Now it takes a lot to make me cry so I really was very tired.  Next thing I know there is a cold wet nose in my ear. The rotten boy had walked up beside me and then proceeded to lick my ear and the side of my face.
How can you stay upset or angry with a Tonka Dog giving you kisses?
I got up kissed his head and we staggered home.

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!