Happy Easter From the Tonka Bunny

Happy Easter!

My Caitlin (who I love very much) came by the other day and she and I had a lot of fun with my new rabbit ears that she got for me.

Hello I am the Tonka Bunny

Getting Ready to Deliver Baskets

Happy Easter

Back to Sleep Till Next Year - Tonka Bunny Out!

Have a Very Happy Easter Everyone

Not the Eyeball Again....

AP here:
Some of you might remember Tonka the Bloody eye guy which then became Tonka the Giant eye guy. The bloody eye was caused by a bleed - it can happen anytime there is nothing to prevent it so he has no restrictions on what he can and can't do. The left eye just happened to always be more troublesome than the right and his eye filled with too much blood and it did not drain correctly which then caused pressure (glaucoma). The pressure then caused his eye to swell. This is what led to the decision to either remove the eye completely and make him a "winky" or to insert a prosthetic and take out the internal parts causing the problem.
We went with the prosthetic.

On our morning walk we have a last hill to navigate to get home. It is half way up this hill that we always pause to catch our breath and listen to the birds.  Part of our routine is for me to bend down and give him a kiss on the forehead and tell him "lets go" before we carry on. The sun shines just right at this spot and as it hits his face it allows you see his eyes really well. Looking at his right eye I was sad to see the sliver of blood pooled at the bottom of the globe.
It is my goal to keep my boy from ever having another surgical procedure and undergoing anesthesia again. It is also my wish never to have to make a decision about what to do with that right eye.
I called Dr. Weigt and made an appointment for her to see him. Last year he developed a small bleed and we successfully got it under control with some eye drops and it drained successfully. Sure enough her diagnosis was a bleed and some inflammation and she put him back on the glaucoma drops.

A couple positives for us to keep in mind:
1. it is a very small amount of blood - no more than 4 or 5 drops
2. his eye pressure is still really good

Donate to Walk for the Animals

I am very excited cuz AP said we are going to the Walk For The Animals again this year. I love this event it is for a very good cause and so many of my favorite peeps and furry friends are there. I always run into the really big dog that walks on two legs.

2011

2012

This year my Newfie Friend Ollie will be there with his humans (he has really good humans).

Ollie

AP says we are taking my wheels and my cart so that we can do some of the walk without me getting too tired. Ollie's Dad Mike is doing the walk and raising money for the Anne Arundel County SPCA Walk for the Animals. You can help him by donating at:
Mike's Donation Page for SPCA 2013 Walk for the Animals  

You should come out and meet us. It is always lots of fun.

To the Beach for St. Patricks Day

AP took me to the beach today. She said we should go somewhere for St. Patty's day so off to the beach we went.
While we were there she took the cover off the camper while I supervised.

Fold it the other way Mom

When she got finished we went into town and down to the end of the boardwalk and parked so I could go down to the surf. It was the first time I had been all the way to the water in over a year. It took some doing to drag the wheels through the sand but we made it.

Trucking to the surf.

 It was really windy!

 The wind gave me lots of good things to smell...

and I met a new friend named Ray.

Ray

I was sound asleep before AP pulled away from the curb.

I do love the beach.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The 5 year Tonkaversary

AP here:
5 years ago I picked up my little bundle of cotton ball fur and sharp teeth known as the Tonka Dog.
I look back on our journey with such love and joy. It has not always been an easy road but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Happy Tonkaversary!

Running In the Water

AP here:
Tonka has some amazing days at underwater treadmill therapy and today was one of them. He actually was getting mad if Diana tried to help him. His footsteps were smooth and consistent and his foot strike and lift were well placed.
It must feel awesome to him to be able to walk while he is in there.We no longer have to fight with him to enter the building or the pool room where the treadmill is. I really do think he looks forward to it.
He still fights me about the bath when we get home though....

More than Just My Dog

AP here:
If you follow the blog you know that I call Tonka my magic man. He got this name because when he is around people cant help but smile or laugh. He magically can make a bad day better. I don't know if it is his goofy grin or his in your face happiness "love me because I love you" stance with everyone. I do know that on days when my world is crappy I only have to sit with him for a while and everything is better.

Since we screened in the back porch we essentially created a very large Tonka room with his 2 big dog beds pushed together to keep him extra comfy. He loves to lay out there sniffing the breezes and listening to the birds and neighbors. The dog beds are large enough for a person to lie down and cuddle with him and T-man is the king of snuggling. If you get on the bed he will wrap his paw around you and fall fast asleep.

 

Not long ago a Doctor prescribed some medicine for me and just like Tonka I am very sensitive to stuff. I took it and since it was a fairly warm day I decided to lie down with Tonka and take a nap. I ended up having a horrible reaction to the stuff and could not even get it together enough to call anyone. This is where Tonka becomes more than just my dog because that day he was my lifeline The medicine made me very jumpy and I started hallucinating.. I was trying to keep it together and stay calm so I snuggled in tighter with him and just concentrated on his breathing.. My boy never failed me as he stayed put and never tried to get up or wiggle away from me.

There was a quote I saw a while back about dogs that says it all:

When everything you know falls apart
When everyone you know turns their backs
When every last shred of hope abandons you

I will be here for you till I breathe no more

Last year we put Tonka on Ritalin to rule out a specific problem. While on it he became panicky and very agitated and I spent my nights sleeping on the floor with him to keep him settled. I cant help but think that how I felt the other day was like what he experienced back then. I am so grateful for my boy and thankful that we have each other.

Remember When

AP here:
While cleaning up my office I came across a list of measurements for Tonka. As he was growing up I would stand him against the door frame and measure how tall he was getting just like a kid. This was his growth chart to the shoulder for the first year.

4/25/08      22"
5/26/08      24"
6/26/08      25"
8/26/08      27"
10/20/08    27"
12/18/08    29"

He was such a cute little monster and some mornings I would look at him and think where did that dog come from he was a little guy last night.

He is a big boy now, and all grown up. His measurements today stand at

Shoulder 29"
Neck 21"
Chest 39"
Waist 32"
Length of Back 37"

Some days he looks absolutely huge and others not so much but he will always be my little monster.

Sleepy Head

AP here:
Tonka has been doing really well lately. He is loving sleeping on the back porch in the early a.m. out in the cool air of the screened in porch. I started taking pictures of his big sleepy head on some mornings and thought you might like to see some.

If it is really cold I throw one of his blankets from Just Beautiful Treasures and he is all snugly.