We need some rain to beat the heat!!!

Summer is, of course, here which is great but the heat is simply killing us! The past week or so has been terrible for us, New Yorkers. The scorching heat and sticky humidity with temperatures shooting up to 98 degrees Fahrenheit is no fun:( Sometimes, we have no breeze whatsoever making it so suffocating and sometimes, we have hot breeze blowing on our faces making us feel like we've been thrown in a furnace. Everyone has been hoping that it rains a little to cool us down a bit. But we have had no luck with that!

Well, it didn't matter much to us for the past few weeks that we've not had great outdoorsy weather because Walley could not really play outside after his surgery. But next week onwards, once his stitches are removed, the three of us would surely love to spend more time outside, playing and running around. However, if the weather continues to be so freaking hot, I wonder how much fun that would really be?

I am seriously considering buying an outdoor swimming pool for the three of us to cool down when we are playing outside in the scorching heat. Walley loves the water anyway!! It should be fun! Let's see.

That's all for now. Can't wait for Friday!

Follow-up Appointment at the Vet

On Friday, I took Walley for a follow-up (after his second surgery) at Dr. Tufaro's clinic and looks like I have some good news!! The doctor said that Walley's ear is healing very well and really fast so we maybe able to get his stitches removed a week earlier than anticipated. Dr. Tufaro has asked us to bring Walley to the Clinic on July 2nd (this coming Friday). He will take a look at Walley's ear and if everything looks good, he will remove the stitches on the same day. Yay!! Walley won't have to wear an E-collar after his stitches are removed!

Well, that's all for now. Walley is doing great. He is eating well ( in fact he ate a whole hamburger yesterday in twenty seconds!! ). He is sleeping well too. As usual, he is bouncing around as I type:-)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Ciao for now

The ordeal wasn't over just quite yet!

It was a week after the surgery and Walley was doing really well. We stopped the sedatives and the pain medication as per Doctor's advice. Walley was getting the antibiotics as usual and his operated ear was healing well. But, on Thursday morning, he began shaking his head again and when I checked his right ear ( the operated one), I noticed a swelling slightly above the operated area. Boy, was I terrified!! I called Dr. Tufaro who asked me to bring Walley to the clinic right away. So I did. Dr. Tufaro examined Walley's ear and said that the fluid accumulation is now moving higher up and the best option would be to put three more holes slightly above the area on Walley's ear where he was already operated on to drain the accumulating fluid. Dr. Tufaro also said that it would be better to put Walley on Steroids for sometime to treat the allergies which we think is causing Walley to shake his head. He quickly drained Walley's ear with a syringe and injected Hydrocortisone ( steroid) into Walley's ear flap. He also put Walley on oral steroids and some sedatives that night. Yesterday morning, Walley had to go to the clinic for another surgery ( an extension of what Dr. Tufaro had already performed last week)- only more aggressive this time. It wasn't easy for any of us!! Walley is only 10 months old and having to go through all this ordeal as such a young puppy is a difficult sight for us. But, he, of course, is always up for anything!! He takes everything in good stride. In fact, after all the pain he's been going through every time he goes to the clinic, he was so happy to go back again and meet the Doctor and his assistants. Walley's courage is simply amazing!

Anyway, I am trying to keep this blog post really short as we are very busy this weekend- taking care of Walley. The second surgery also went on well yesterday afternoon and Walley came back home in the evening. He was, of course, slightly groggy and disoriented when I went to pick him up, as he was still just coming out of the anesthesia and sedation. He is at home now and taking rest in his crate. He is doing well. He is eating well and taking his medications. Medications now include an antibiotic ( Cephelexin), steroid ( Prednisone), sedative ( Acepromazine) and pain killer ( Tramadol). All his medications are being given twice a day with food. We are also taking care of the surgical wound at home- thoroughly cleaning the operated ear flap with antiseptic liquid and water every 8 hours.

I will blog more as Walley gets better.

Walley is back in his Home Sweet Home!!!

Today evening at 6 pm, I finally brought Walley back home from the Clinic. When I went to the Clinic to pick up Walley, I was so excited! I could not wait to see Walley and take him back to his sweet home. Dr. Tufaro's assistant went over the discharge papers with me. When Walley saw me, he was thrilled and so was I! The two of us walked back home where two surprises were waiting for Walley- Elwyn who had come home early just to see Walley and the fancy balloons on Walley's crate to cheer him up! It was raining cats and dogs while I was walking home with Walley but he had his E-collar on his head so the water didn't touch his ears. When we reached home, Walley was welcomed by Elwyn. Walley was thrilled to see Elwyn ( and vice versa) and when he saw the "Get Well Soon" balloons tied to his crate, he was so excited. We made him comfortable in his crate and soon he was fast asleep like a baby!

Later at night, we fed Walley with a little food and water as per the discharge instructions. He has a couple of medicines to take for the next few days. He has Flagyl twice a day for the next 8 days( which I was already giving him before the surgery). There is a mild sedative (Acepromazine) which he has to take for the next three days, twice a day to stay calm and sleep well. He also has a pain killer ( Rimadyl) twice a day for the next seven days. Also, he has another antibiotic ( Cephaloxin) which he has to take twice a day for the next ten days. Quite a bit of medication! I mix the pain killer and sedative with his food as they are smaller pills. I give Walley his antibiotics by mouth. Thanks to the Doctor's assistant's tip, I have a much easier way of administering the antibiotics to Walley. I dip the capsule and the tablet in a little bit of peanut butter and then slowly make him swallow it. He loves peanut butter so the little trick works. I give him some water after giving him the medicines.

Walley is doing much better now. He sleeps well at night as well as during the day. We try not to excite him too much. He wants to play but he needs the rest to heal well so we keep him in his crate most of the time where he can sleep well. We apply warm compresses on his operated ear, a few times a day as the Dr.Tufaro recommended.
Walley is so easy-going and he has made his healing phase easy for the three of us. He is such a lovely boy!

Walley has to wear the E-collar for the next 21 days. Also, we will be visiting Dr.Tufaro in 21 days when the stitches on Walley's ear will be removed.

Here are a few pictures of Walley at home after the surgery:

Walley is doing well and under the Doctor's observation

Today was the big day! At 9 am I took Walley to Dr. Tufaro's clinic for the surgery I talked about in my last post. It was really hard this morning for both Elwyn and me to take Walley in for a surgical procedure that we were not mentally prepared for. Walley, on the other hand was really cheerful this morning ( completely unaware of what was going to be done to him, of course for his own good!). Elwyn petted Walley and talked to him for a long time before he left to work, comforting him that all was going to be well and he would come home soon! After Elwyn left, I gave Walley his prescribed medication ( Flagyl) for diarrhea. Actually, since last night Walley has not had any episodes of diarrhea and this morning his stool was normally formed. ( Thank God!) Giving Walley tablets by mouth is quite a challenge for me. He spat the tablet out the first time I gave it to him and the tablet lost the top coating making the medicine bitter. Then, of course, it just became more difficult for him to swallow it without making a fuss. I finally managed to make it go through his food pipe and gave him some sweetened water to prevent bitterness in his mouth. Because we had to keep him fasting from last night I could not give him the medication with food ( which would have been a lot more easier and he would not even know there was medicine in his food). Anyway, after the medicine ordeal, I made him sit on the couch and he kept his chin on my lap so I petted him for a while consoling him that he would be completely fine after the surgery. But then I broke into tears looking at him. Walley was so sweet! He licked my tears off and put his paw on my hand first and then on my face. It was mostly him comforting me rather than me comforting him! When I told Elwyn later about this melting moment, even he was overwhelmed. A dog is such a special animal- they are the best companions man could ever ask for!

At 8:30 am, I walked Walley to the Clinic. His enthusiasm and energy was really my driving force today. I dropped him off with the Doctor's assistant who told me that they would call and let us know when to pick him up. We were expecting to pick up Walley from the clinic at around 6 pm. At 2 pm, anxious as I was, I called up the clinic to find out how Walley was doing after the surgery. It was such a relief to hear that his surgery went on well and that he was slowly coming out of the Anesthesia. I was told that Walley would be ready to go home around 6:30 pm. Both Elwyn and I could not wait until 6pm to pick up Walley. I got a phone call around 6:20pm letting me know that Walley would be ready to come home at 7 pm. I left home right away and began walking to the Clinic so I could be there well in time to bring our munchkin back home. When I got there though, plans changed slightly. The Doctor felt it better if Walley would stay in the clinic tonight as the bleeding from his ear had not yet stopped after the surgery. When I was walking to the clinic, I was very excited to bring Walley home today but then even I felt it was a wise decision to keep him in the Doctor's care overnight so he could be monitored better. I, however, could not just come back home so easily. I asked the Doctor's assistant if I could take a quick look at Walley before I left the clinic. She told me I could see him for a couple of minutes. So I walked in to see how our munchkin was doing. I don't even know how to describe the moment when I saw him. I felt sad and happy at the same time. Mixed feelings, I guess! Walley was still drowsy, disoriented and lying down when I saw him. He had a tightly wrapped bandage around his head and ears and he was wearing an e-collar to prevent him from scratching or shaking his head and ears. But when he saw me, he immediately sat up straight and made crying sounds. I could tell from his look, he was hoping I would take him back home with me. Although he was in so much pain, he was happy to see me. I consoled him, made him lie down and talked to him for some time. I told him that I would come back tomorrow to take him home with me. I couldn't stay with him much longer ( I knew that I would cry if I had stayed for another minute). I petted him quickly on his nose once again and left the ward quietly. He is in good and safe hands and that's a good enough reassurance for me!

I walked back home slightly dejected that I could not bring Walley back with me. But then, I knew keeping him with the Doctors for one more night would only be better for him and us. When I told Elwyn that Walley was not going to come home today, even he was upset but then even he wants the best for Walley. So we comforted each other that Walley would come back home soon enough and our little family would be rocking again! Elwyn and I can't wait for Walley to come home tomorrow and see a pleasant surprise we have in store for him. We know Walley loves balloons!! So, this morning after I dropped off Walley at the Clinic, I stopped at a store to get two "Get Well Soon" balloons and decorate his crate at home. We are sure when he comes home tomorrow, he will be really cheerful especially when he sees the fancy balloons. Walley is such a unique breed!! He is always so strong, steady and calm. Even today, after the surgery, God alone knows how much pain he was in, but there was no complaining from him. He was so calm when I saw him despite what he was endearing. His strength has changed both mine and Elwyn's life completely. He's just truly amazing! Our brave Walley has yet again proven to be a super-dog! Hats off to him.

So, tomorrow is another big day for us! We can't wait for Walley's homecoming after undergoing his first (and hopefully last) surgery and General Anesthesia experience. I will blog more about Walley after he comes home tomorrow.

Walley's Tummy trouble and incidentally found Ear issue

Last night Walley began passing loose stools and the poor little pup was lethargic for a while. Today morning, along with diarrhea he vomitted twice. I gave him half a tablet of Pepcid along with some food to get rid of the acidity which was probably causing the vomitting but the diarrhea was persistent. Despite his playful and active behavior, I made an appointment to take him to his Vet. I was only able to get an appointment for 6 pm so the entire day was a difficult journey for Walley and me. Elwyn wanted to stay home too with us but I thought it was something I could handle so I told him to go to work and I kept him posted all day. Walley's diarrhea just would not stop. I didn't give him any food after the morning meal as his diarrhea was getting worse. I just gave him lots of water after his vomitting stopped. This way he would not get dehydrated. I could not wait for the clock to turn 5 pm so that I could walk him to the Clinic. All day, he was playful, alert, responsive and wagging his tail but the persistent diarrhea was troubling my mind. I kept thinking all along if he ingested anything that he shouldn't have or if there was any diet change. But nothing like that really struck my mind. We are so careful about what Walley's puts in his mouth but who knows about unnoticed accidents. It's so hard to figure out.

Anyway at 5:30 pm, I began walking Walley to the Clinic and he was as usual very energetic and playful but he would stop couple of times, as were walking, to poop and the stool was still very watery. It was impossible for me to even collect a stool sample for the Vet because of the consistency. We finally reached the Clinic and both of us were so relieved to be indoors again. It was bit of a wait before the doctor would see us so Walley was getting a little impatient and restless and would cry at times. I kept reassuring him. Finally the Doctor's assistant approached us and asked me about Walley's symptoms. As I was telling her about the diarrhea and vomitting, I was petting Walley's ears and I felt something. It was strange. His right ear flap felt swollen at the tip. I asked the Doctor's assistant to feel it and even she noticed the swelling. She made a note of it for the doctor to check it out later. Now as we were waiting for Doctor I was getting concerned about Walley's ear more than anything else. I kept wondering what could have happened that caused it. I mean, I felt his ears this morning and they were fine and now all of a sudden I feel and see this swelling. I could not wait for the doctor to examine Walley. Just when I began getting restless myself, we were called in. What a relief! The wait was challenging!

When Dr. Tufaro walked into the examination room, Walley, as usual, gave him a warm welcome. Dr. Tufaro's assistant also stood by Walley and petted him to make him feel comfortable. Dr. Tufaro did a thorough physical examination of Walley and asked me a few general questions about his diet and activities etc. He checked his temperature which was a little elevated than normal and did a Per Rectal examination. During the Per Rectal Examination, Walley winced a little but Dr. Tufaro always reassures Walley in the best manner I have ever seen so in no time Walley stopped crying. The doctor had a diagnosis by the end of the examination. He said that Walley has a bit of bacterial overgrowth in his small intestine which is spreading to the large intestine causing the diarrhea. He prescribed Flagyl (Metronidazole) twice a day for the next ten days and the diarrhea should be effectively treated. So, that was about the tummy trouble. A good tip that I took home from the Doctor's Clinic is that "When a dog/puppy has loose stools, do not give him any food for 24 hours and if he has diarrhea accompanied by vomitting, then do not give him food or water for 24 hours". That was quoted by Dr. Tufaro. Of course along with that noteworthy tip, just like we did, take him to a Vet as soon as possible to get treated. What a blessing we took Walley to the Vet today. Read on below and you will know why.

Dr. Tufaro discussed Walley's ear with me. This had been troubling me since I incidentally felt it while I was petting Walley at the Clinic and apparently it seems to be the more pressing matter at the moment. Dr. Tufaro asked me if I noticed Walley shaking his head or ears lately. And yes, actually I did notice Walley shaking his head/ears a couple of times over the past couple of days but it was always associated with his play time so both Elwyn and I thought it was nothing to worry about especially when his ears felt fine at that time and he never complained of pain whenever we petted his ears. Dr. Tufaro said that dogs/puppies usually shake their heads when they have seasonal allergies but in Walley's case he ruled that out because he didn't have any other symptoms of allergies. Also , when Dr. Tufaro examined Walley's ear canal he didn't find anything abnormal so he ruled out Ear infection as well. So the reason for Walley shaking his head/ears still remains unknown but the fragile little capillary beds in his right ear flap have might become inflammed or injured and is leaking blood and/or serum into the space between the skin and and the cartilage of the ear flap. Dr. Tufaro said it is nothing to be really worried about; it's not a serious issue but felt the need to treat it immediately. So he drained the fluid out of Walley's ear with the help of a syringe and said he could he go back home today. But tomorrow, I will be taking him to the Clinic again as Dr. Tufaro recommended surgery to treat the Ear-flap problem. He said that as small as the swelling was today and as little as the fluid accumulation was, it can recur again so it is better to operate on it now and prevent it from further recurrence and I totally agreed with his decision. Better sooner than later. If operated on now, he will not have any scars but if operated when the problem becomes a bigger mess, it will lead to scarring. And why wait especially when it's much easier to treat the problem now. Walley was happy to be home after the Doctor's visit and Elwyn and was so relieved to see Walley when he got back from work. After all, phone conversations about these kind of things are never easy. Elwyn couldn't wait to come home and see Walley. Walley, as usual was wagging his tail as though telling Elwyn," It's OK; I'll be fine"

Dr. Tufaro loves Walley and always tells us that Walley is a very healthy and lovely dog so we know his decisions are always made with good intent. As hard as it is for me to even begin imagining that tomorrow is the surgery and it will be performed under General Anasthesia, both Elwyn and I know that it is in the best interest of Walley and that's what really matters at the end of the day. While Walley is under General Anasthesia and being operated on his right ear flap, he will also have his teeth cleaned ( an annual requirement for all dogs). Tomorrow is a big day. I am trying very hard not be scared. If I stay calm then I can reassure Walley better that all will be well and he will come home happy and healthy. Let it all be in the gracious God's hands so that Walley's surgery goes smoothly in the morning and we will have our munchkin come home in the evening as bubbly as ever.

I will blog more about Walley's surgery tomorrow after we bring him back home in the evening.

Elwyn's Birthday Part 2

I know that I have yet to blog about Elwyn's birthday ( the second half of it) and upload some more pictures but for now I am going to hold off on that. Please read my following post which is more crucial at the moment.