Day 1905

Rain, rain go away. The dismal weather we've been having this week is really beginning to wear me down. Wet is bad enough, but freezing cold wet is even worse. I tried to use the weather radar on my iPad to take Dash to the park to pee between downpours, but both times I failed. If Dash wasn't so particular about where he poops, we might have made it home relatively dry. Since he insisted on finding just the right place, we got drenched.

It has rained almost continually since Dot's discharge from the hospital, so she hasn't been able to get any outdoor physical therapy. We are continuing to walk up and down the hall, but I think Dot is as bored as I am. We've all got a bad case of cabin fever.

Dot was in a stubborn mood today. I wanted her in the dog bed next to my desk in the office, but she decided she wanted to be in the kitchen instead. Every time I lured her back to the office with a dog treat and got her situated on the bed, she tried to get up on her own and return to the kitchen. Needless to say, she can't make it to the kitchen on her own, so I had to jump up from the computer and quickly grab her harness before she could hurt herself. Eventually, I just gave up and grabbed Dot's harness with one hand and and my laptop with the other. I set up shop on the kitchen counter and everybody was happy again. Dot went to sleep on her kitchen bed and I finally was able to get a little work done.

It's really hard to get anything done when your main role is to be your dog's legs. I could have just put Dot in her new crate while I was working, but that wouldn't be fair. The whole point of this early-stage physical therapy is to encourage Dot to move. She needs to keep using her rear legs to prevent further muscle atrophy. If she sits up in her dog bed and appears to want to go somewhere, that's a good thing. I don't want to discourage her by continually telling her to stay or lie down.

Dot and I are still working things out. I wish her recovery was measured in weeks instead of months, but it will take whatever time it takes. I've just got to be patient and take things one day at a time. Dot is certainly doing her part. She remains in good spirits, despite what has happened to her. At times I even get the impression that she enjoys being the queen of the house, with her family waiting on her hand and foot.

It is supposed to snow tonight, but I hope this forecast is wrong. Since it is only 27 degrees outside, we could easily have slick, frozen roads again tomorrow morning. Conditions are supposed to improve by the end of the week, but that isn't fast enough for me. I've got a bad case of nurse fatigue and cabin fever all rolled up into one big ugly ball.

Maybe tomorrow will be better. It would be nice to see the sun again. It would be nice if Dot slept all the way through the night too. That's unlikely, because her prednisolone dose has been temporarily  increased. We're back to going outside to pee at 4 AM again. It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not. I'm delighted that Dot is slowly getting better. It's just very tiring trying to keep all these balls in the air.

Orion is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1901

Although the weather got even worse overnight, Dot continues to get better. I was amazed that Dot's medical team even managed to get to the hospital today, since roads throughout the area were a sheet of ice when we woke up this morning. We were a little nervous when we didn't get our usual morning progress report phone call from the neurologist, but I imagine that things were pretty hectic at the hospital today. When we did get the call, everyone was all smiles. Dot continues to beat the odds with her amazing strength and determination. The neurologist told me that she and and others at the hospital find it hard to believe how old Dot actually is, since she continues to act like a much younger dog.

Dot is using her legs more than she was yesterday and appears to be in good spirits. Her appetite is good and she is sleeping well without strong sedatives. The hospital has already discontinued narcotic painkillers like Tramadol because Dot doesn't appear to need them. I'm glad they did this. I've never liked Tramadol anyway. It can be very addictive and has been responsible for many more accidental overdose deaths in humans than most people realize.

If Dot continues to improve at her current rate, she may end up being one of the lucky dogs who begin walking again in two or three weeks. Her nurse says she is already trying to put weight on her rear legs, although she still receives support from the Help "Em Up Harness whenever she tries to move. When I was using the harness with Dot before her surgery I could easily tell when she was trying to walk. There is a handle on the rear part of the harness just above the dogs hips and you hold it so the rear legs touch the ground without having to bear much weight. It feels a bit like being a puppeteer. As you get better at using the harness, you can sense when the muscles are working and when to provide more support. You can even encourage natural leg motion with subtle movement of your wrist. I think it is fantastic that Dot is already tentatively trying to walk, because I have heard that it can take up to three months before this happens.

The weather is so bad that Dot is much better off at the hospital that she'd be at home right now. Our yard is still slick and icy and the house is a bit chilly. Luckily, our furnace is working great this winter and there haven't been any problems with roof leaks. I'm used to spending lots of time in the house, but Janet is already getting cabin fever. She was determined to get out today and decided to go do her usual Saturday errands anyway despite the bad roads.

As the day progressed, the traffic in front of the house began to move faster and faster until I eventually became convinced that the roads were safe. I bundled up in a warm coat and left to do my errands as well. This was probably a mistake. The first thing I encountered was an enormous downed tree that had fallen across the road, blocking all but a single lane of traffic. When I successfully navigated this logjam, I quickly discovered that everyone in town had cabin fever. The roads were actually crowded today.

Most roads were clear and dry, except when they weren't. There were still patches of black ice here and there and they often caught people driving fifty miles an hour completely by surprise. Even though most of the ice had melted by mid-afternoon, I still saw quite a few wrecks. I drive slowly in this type of weather, never braking hard and coasting to a stop wherever I can. I'm always keeping an eye on my rear view mirror. I learned to drive in Alaska where the roads were icy all Winter. Ice is seldom the problem. It's the driver behind you who ignores the ice that causes most of the wrecks.

Dash has already appropriated Dot's special new dog bed. This is a minor problem though. Dogs are just like children in many ways. Tomorrow we will work on getting the house ready for Dot's return. If her progress continues, she could come home as soon as Monday afternoon.

Connor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1900

When Dot's neurologist called this morning to give us a progress report, she seemed pleased. Dot is already eating and drinking water on her own, so she was taken off of IV fluids today. When the nurses help her out to pee using a special sling under her belly, Dot moves her rear legs and even squats fairly normally. She can't support her own weight yet, or walk unassisted, but the neurologist assures me that this is normal at this stage of the game. Dot is still very weak and on a lot of pain medication, but everyone at the hospital thinks she's doing even better than expected. Her doctors are optimistic that she will learn to walk again.

I'm glad Dot is safe and warm at the hospital now, because the weather in Dallas has turned cold and nasty. It snowed most of the day and the temperature never got above freezing. Traffic was a nightmare and there were lots of wrecks all over the city. Janet and I both canceled afternoon appointments when we saw how the traffic was inching along in front of our house. It just wasn't worth trying to get out in this mess. You don't really worry about snow or ice when you venture out on days like this. You worry about the other drivers. A single idiot who doesn't know how to drive on snow can snarl up traffic for hours.

Dash is such a baby about walking in the rain that I didn't think he'd go out in the snow at all. Much to my surprise, he seemed to enjoy the stuff. We took a long walk where he hopped around in the small drifts, smelled the tracks left by other animals in the snow, and peed on everything. I think I got cold long before Dash did. I took some pictures while we were out to document the rare snowfall. The one I liked the best captured a single perfect snowflake caught in a spiderweb. If you look carefully, you can see the six sided flake suspended in the web.

We were going to visit Dot this weekend, but that will depend on the weather. It could get better tomorrow, or it could get worse. I think even the weather forecasters have given up trying to predict things. Two days ago, they said it was going to be sunny today. UPS delivered Dot's new rehabilitation dog bed this evening. It looks like it's about the right size and can be easily repositioned around the house when needed. Now we've just got to figure out an easy way to quickly assemble a secure fence around the bed when we have to leave. A friend said that that we could use some of the rubber backed rugs she'd used when she had an older dog who had difficulty walking. Slowly but surely, we're getting the house ready for Dot's return.

I'm glad I went to my favorite restaurant yesterday, because I certainly didn't feel like venturing out in the snow today. Apparently, not everybody shared my aversion to the wet stuff. Schools closed early and children were enjoying sledding down hills all over the neighborhood. I guess I've lost the fascination with snow I had as a child. I didn't build a snowman or even make a snow angel. It was fun watching Dash cavort around in the snow on our walk, but even he was glad to get back inside again where it was warm. I've got my fingers crossed for another sudden temperature reversal and a quick return to warmer weather. With the fickle Winter we've been having, it could happen at any time.

Thanks for keeping Dot in your thoughts and prayers. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's report from her medical team and I'll keep you posted on how she's doing. This remarkable dog has beat the odds again and again. Dot has been an inspiration to me for many years and it looks like the old girl is not ready to relinquish her role as the head of the household yet.

Princess is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1899

I've been on pins and needles all day. Time passes very slowly when things are completely out of your control. We got up early this morning and drove Dot to the veterinary specialty center in Lewisville so she could be admitted for surgery. We filled out a bunch of paperwork, said goodbye to Dot, and then we waited. It was very quiet in the house today without Dot to warn us of cats and squirrels in the back yard. Even Dash could sense that something was wrong. I could tell Dot was scared when we were admitting her to the hospital this morning. I tried to reassure her, but I don't think I did a very good job. I was scared too

I tried to keep myself busy while I waited for the all important phone call from the surgeon. I went out to breakfast, even though it was almost lunchtime when we arrived back in Dallas. I finished a couple of writing assignments and sent them off to the client. I took Dash on a long and somewhat cold walk and then did a lot of pacing around the house. Finally, about 4:30 PM, the call I'd been waiting for arrived. The surgeon had good news. The arduous three hour surgery has gone well. The surgeon felt that she had been successful in removing the broken disc fragments in the L1 vertebrae that had been pressing on Dot's spinal cord. Now that the spinal cord is no longer compressed, the nerves will have a chance to heal and if we are lucky, Dot will walk again. Sometimes when a spinal disc ruptures, the fragments become attached to, or embedded in nearby blood vessels and are very difficult to remove. Dot was lucky. The fragments that had broken off and caused her paralysis were still clean and the surgeon was successful in removing all of them.

Dot is still not out of the woods yet, but she survived the surgery. That's the important thing. When the surgeon called, Dot was just waking up from anesthesia and was still under heavy sedation. She will be watched carefully tonight and for the next several days until her condition stabilizes. On Saturday, Dot's physical therapy vet will come to the hospital to give her acupuncture. This, along with cold pacs and laser treatments, will help reduce inflammation and speed healing.The best thing I heard from the surgeon today was that while Dot was waking up from anesthesia, she moved her rear legs. It was just a reflex action, but it means that there is still a nerve connection between the legs and the spine. There is hope.

Dot will spend the next five days in the hospital. While she is recovering, Janet and I will try to prepare the house for her return. We will need to connect the rooms with rubber backed carpet runners so Dot can safely move about without slipping on the brick floors. We will construct a "safe" area where we can leave Dot for short periods of time when we have to leave the house. It is very difficult to crate a large dog with leg injuries, so I am envisioning something that can be placed securely around a dog bed, so she cannot attempt to get up and move about on her own without supervision. Even if things go very well, we will have to continue to support Dot using the Help 'Em Up Harness for quite a while.

Our very first Dalmatian had spinal surgery to remove a tumor when he was eight years old. Spot's recovery was difficult for all of us, but he did learn to walk again and continued to live a happy life. I'm hoping that Dot can do the same. Spot's spinal surgery was the first. I'm hoping that Dot's will be the last. After dealing with nine difficult surgeries on five different dogs, I'm not sure I have the stamina to do this again.

Bingo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1893

We have scheduled Dot for surgery. This was and will remain a very tough decision. Dot is an old dog. She doesn't know this however. Her irrepressible spirit has carried her through tough challenges before and I'm hoping it will again. Watching her progress this week, I am convinced that she is determined to walk again. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that prednisolone alone will ever provide a realistic path to recovery. After a week on the drug, she still can't stand on her own. Prednisolone isn't a long-term solution anyway and we have already had to reduce her dosage to avoid risks and complications. The real problem is that her spinal cord is still compressed and pinched by the herniated disc. Until this pressure is released, there is a real danger that she could damage the cord further, eliminating any chance for recovery.

If Dot could continue to make small improvements day after day until she eventually walked on her own again, I probably wouldn't even consider surgery. Both the neurosurgeon and my regular vet have already told me that this outcome is unlikely. The initial improvements we saw from giving her prednisolone have already slowed and we can't continue using steroids forever. I'm becoming more and more convinced that despite the risk, spinal surgery is the only alternative that will give Dot a realistic opportunity of walking again.

I really hate making decisions like this, but avoiding them is even worse.You've got to be able to make decisions to lead a normal life. I have known some genuinely indecisive people in my life and most of them were miserable. You simply can't stay sane if you are continually second guessing every aspect of your life. I know that Dot wants to walk again. I also know that Janet, Dot and I cannot continue living like this forever. Our current routine is unsustainable. When Dot finally realizes that she can no longer move, she will become depressed and lose her will to keep going. Janet and I will simply burn out at some point. The surgeon told me today that in the best of worlds, Dot could be walking again within two weeks after surgery. In the worst of worlds, recovery could take up to three months. I can live with that. Of course there is always the possibility that the surgery will fail completely. Everyone says this possibility is very small, but you've got to be prepared for it.

I'm glad I had an opportunity to go out and have my special breakfast this morning. The rest of the day was extremely busy and stressful. I spent the day trying to anticipate what Dot was going to do next while I was working on completing my writing assignments and fine tuning the new business presentation my friend and I are working on. There were some website revisions as well, but I haven't even had time to get around to them yet. I wish that Dot preferred sleeping right next to my computer, but she usually doesn't. The petcams work pretty well for monitoring Dot's activity in other rooms, but I have to act fast if I sense that she is going to try to get up on her own. We don't want her to do that! Dot needs to go outside and pee a lot more often now as well. That's one of the side effects of the prednisolone. So far, I am juggling all these activities pretty well, but it is exhausting.

I'm glad that Dot is still happy. That helps a lot. I wish I could sleep all day tomorrow, but I suspect that tomorrow will be exactly like today. They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If that's true, I should be pretty strong by Summer.

Odie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1887 - Valentines Day

After viewing Dot's MRI scans with the neurologist this morning, it became painfully clear why she is having problems. Several spinal discs were visibly deformed, but one in particular was pressing directly against the normally round spinal cord, squeezing it into a squashed oval shape. There was a tiny shard or fragment from this damaged disk that looked like it was poking into the spinal cord itself. I was going to show you the image this evening so you could see for yourself, but unfortunately the DVD the hospital burned for me was another damaged disc. When I got home, my computer said the DVD was blank.

I typed up a list of questions this morning before we drove up to the hospital to pick up Dot. The neurologist was very patient, answering every question and much more. The only thing that she wasn't able to do was promise me that Dot's problems could be resolved. Could the little shard that had broken off from the disc be successfully removed without damaging the spinal cord? It is very likely that it could. Could something go wrong during surgery, making her condition even worse? Yes that could happen too. Could steroids alone reduce the inflammation around the spinal cord enough to allow Dot to resume a reasonably normal life. Possibly. This appears to be one of those things that you just don't know until you try. One of the keys to non-surgical treatment is 100% bed rest for up to eight weeks. Nerves are very fragile, are easily damaged, and can take a very long time to regenerate.

I felt a little better about the possibility of surgery after talking to the neurologist today. I felt a little worse about the whole recovery process after I read a website that described in great detail the many ways that dogs can screw up their own recovery by just being dogs. Dogs don't understand the concept of 100% bed rest and will do everything they can to resume their old activities. You have to watch them like a hawk at all times to ensure that they don't injure themselves.

As bad as it is, there are small signs of hope. When we took Dot to the specialty hospital her rear legs were completely lifeless. This morning, I could see small signs that she was attempting to move them. As I used the Help 'Em Up Harness throughout the day to get her outside to pee, I would often notice that her legs were attempting to move. Dot is a long, long way from being to support her own weight without assistance, but the fact that there is still a little feedback between the nerves in her legs and her spinal cord was encouraging.

I had to be the legs for my first Dalmatian during the last year of his life and it just about killed me. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is where all my current shoulder problems originated. Spot had a different problem than Dot has now, however. With Spot, a combination of hip dysplasia and a late in life cruciate ligament tear caused most of of the weakness in his rear legs. Spot was very weak but was never completely paralyzed. It was still possible to take him on walks using a supportive harness. Dot's condition is more serious.

Helping Dot recover will test the limits of my housebound lifestyle. Even I need to get out sometime. Janet and I will figure out a way to keep Dot under supervision at all times. It's not going to be easy though. Dot has already tried to get off her dog bed unassisted three times today. She is not a good candidate for being crated though, so I will always keep her nearby and be her legs when it looks like she needs to move. So far there have been no accidents. She is pretty good about letting me know when she needs to pee. She's even better about letting me know when she's hungry, which is almost all the time.

Tonight should be interesting. Dot has always slept in the bed, but the neurologist says that she absolutely must sleep on the floor and not get in the bed with us. There is just too much danger if she inadvertently tried to hop off the bed while we were asleep. I'm such a light sleeper that I almost always wake up whenever either dog moves during the night. I don't want to risk anything though, so maybe I'll sleep on the floor with her. Dot is today's Dalmatian of the day. I took this picture on Valentines Day several years ago when she was feeling much better.

Dot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1713

I highly recommend the occasional lazy day. Today was just what the doctor ordered. We slept in later than usual, but not too late to give the dogs a leisurely early morning walk while it was still cool outside. We had an equally leisurely breakfast and then I watched last night's Dr. Who Season 8 premiere while Janet went to the gym. I didn't realize the show was going to be two hours long when I taped it, but I didn't have anything better to do this morning anyway. Peter Capaldi was actually quite good as the doctor. I enjoyed the show and think I'll enjoy the new season as well.

Dot had a good day. Things aren't progressing in a predictable linear fashion, but it is clear that she is making progress. We almost made it through the night without an accident and probably would have if we hadn't forgotten to take up her water bowl early like we have been doing lately. Considering that she tanked up on water at 11 PM when we got home from the concert last night, she did pretty well.

I'm spending more time outside with the dogs lately. Mostly I go outside to warm up, since it is so cold inside. The temperature isn't that cold in the house, but I think my skin has grown sensitive to the cool air constantly blowing out of the air conditioning vents. It's weird. The temperature is usually 72 degrees when I wake up in the morning, but I feel warm since I've spent the night warming up under blankets. Later in the day, when the indoor temperature has risen to 77 degrees, I'm freezing. I don't think my body retains heat well. Maybe I'm a reptile.

When I'm outside watching the dogs, I usually lay on a bench and stare up at the canopy of trees over my head. It's amazing how much activity there is up in the tree canopy. In addition to the ubiquitous squirrels, there are large butterflies fluttering around, lizards climbing up and down the tree trunks, and at least ten different species of birds. I even saw hummingbirds the other day. There is hidden beauty high up in the trees, while down on the ground there is only the irritating possum, tearing up our lawn.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon. When I only go once a week, I feel like I'm tearing my muscles apart. It is only when I'm able to go at least three times a week that I can establish a rhythm and feel like I'm making serious progress toward building myself up again. Maybe now that both dogs are getting healthier, I might be able to visit the gym several times a week like I used to when I first joined. It's hard to believe I've been going to this gym over a year now. Time flies. I feel like I joined just a few weeks ago.

I wonder if I'm going to be busy next week. I don't get much advance warning about upcoming projects these days, so I never know. I do know that Dot has a birthday this Wednesday. We ought to have a big celebration. You wouldn't know by looking at her today, but just a little more than a month ago we weren't even sure if Dot was going to make it until her birthday. We've really come a long way.

Hero is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1705

Yay! Dot made it all the way through the night without an accident. I think she was as happy as we were to wake up in a dry bed this morning. I'm not sure whether last night was just a happy accident, or whether Dot has finally turned the corner. All I know is that it was sure nice to get a good night's sleep for a change. Hopefully, things are getting back to normal. I'm still going to waterproof the bed tonight though. There's no point in being overconfident.

Getting her incontinence issues under control isn't the only sign that Dot is getting better. She gets stronger every day. Our daily walks continue to get longer and we are beginning to get back to many of our old routines. Dot is eating normally now and gaining weight. The tremor in her left rear leg isn't as pronounced and she can negotiate steps fairly normally now. Considering how old she is and how serious her condition was, it's kind of amazing to watch her make such a full recovery. The tumor must have been bothering her for quite a while, because she acts like a giant burden has been lifted. She's still going to need quite a bit of physical therapy to regain her strength, but she doesn't need to worry about regaining her happiness. It's pretty obvious that she's happy right now.

Both dogs got a bath today, which probably explains why it rained this afternoon. Whenever the dogs are clean, something happens almost immediately to get them dirty again. Dash is worse about getting dirty than Dot, because he loves to dig holes in the dirt. I would have blamed the holes that mysteriously appeared in the yard last night on him, but I knew he was sleeping in the bed with the rest of us. I shouldn't have worried about the dogs getting dirty. Neither of them like to go out in the rain anyway.

The sudden thunderstorm was pretty bad in some parts of the city, but luckily we didn't lose our power like some in other parts of town. By sunset the rainclouds had moved north and I was able to give both dogs their regular evening walk. It was actually a pretty normal day. I went to the grocery store, did a few chores around the house and then we had a nice dinner. The washing machine was quieter than usual today. Hopefully Dot will have another normal night and there will be no need for lots of laundry tomorrow either.

It's looks like I'll have time to go to the gym again tomorrow. I certainly need the exercise, but somehow a long nap sounds a lot better.

Pogo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1699

So much for sleeping in late on the weekend. We're still getting up in the middle of the night to take Dot outside, but we were pleased when we looked at the clock and realized that Dot had made it two hours longer without needing to pee than she did the previous night. There's a learning curve to dealing with incontinence and I think we're all learning. Dot is finally learning to sleep on the waterproof pads. I'm learning how to prepare the bed and do laundry more efficiently. And Janet is learning how to sew larger, custom sized waterproof pads. The best news is that Dot's condition actually seems to be improving. She isn't urinating constantly now, and there are fewer and fewer accidents during the day. The messy nature of incontinence makes it easy to forget that Dot is recovering remarkably well from the surgery itself. She continues to get stronger with each passing day.

My success with the aging locks yesterday emboldened me to try fixing the fence in the back yard today. Ground settling over the years has caused the rear gate to become difficult to open. I though it would be relatively easy to level things up again. As a bonus, if I could get the gate to fit properly, the neighbor's cat wouldn't be able to get in the yard so easily. Well, I made a good effort, but nature won this one. It wasn't just the gate that had shifted. The entire fence had shifted. After adjusting things to no avail for an hour or so, I was happy to just get the gate back to the way it was before.

I made it back to the gym this afternoon, but it is becoming clear that once a week isn't enough. Just like last week, my regular workout left me winded and tired. Part of the problem is that I'm not walking the dogs as long as I used to. Dot takes tiny, short little walks and Dash is smart enough to realize that it's much better to stay inside in August. It's just too hot to take long walks these days.

I went to Whole Foods instead of Central Market on the way home from the gym today. You'd think these two upscale grocery stores would be identical, but they're not. They're both good, but if you're a vegan, I'd go to Whole Foods and if you're looking for a nice cut of meat or interesting sausages, I'd go to Central Market. I'm not very picky. I think I like Central Market better because it's easier to find a parking place and the checkout lines are quicker.

The Buttonbush plants near the shoreline are starting to flower. Bees seem to love these things. I snapped a close up of one of the small flowers with my phone this morning and the hungry bee sucking nectar out of the thing didn't even move. Usually I like to use a telephoto lens when I'm around bees, but this bee had other things on its mind.

I wonder if Dot will be able to make it all the way through the night tonight? That would definitely be a cause for celebration.

J-Lo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1696

Dot resumed her physical therapy today. She was only in the underwater treadmill tank for about eight minutes, but it was another big step toward her recovery. It's going to take a while for Dot to get her strength back since she's lost over six pounds, but she seemed eager to get started. We'll start going for short physical therapy sessions twice a week now until she gets stronger. Dot had acupuncture today as well, but we'll only do that once a week.

Today was a good day. We're still waterproofing the bed and taking Dot out in the middle of the night to pee, but once she had her breakfast this morning, there were no further accidents for the rest of the day. Our vet said that if the incontinence still hasn't diminished within several weeks, we might want to consider giving her Incurin. This drug is basically a natural estrogen hormone and has proved effective in treating incontinence in older female dogs. All drugs have side effects though, so we're going to be patient and let nature take its course first. If Dot can continue to improve without hormones or additional meds, it would be much better.

Out of necessity, I've turned into a morning person. I walk Dash before sunrise now, so Janet can stay with Dot until I get back. It is surprising nice outside this early in the morning. Considering that it was only in the mid-seventies when we took our sunrise walk, it was hard to believe that it got all the way up to 103 later in the afternoon. Needless to say, our afternoon walks are much, much shorter. Dot gets a walk too, but hers are measured in feet instead of miles. The vet says this exercise is very good for her, as long as we do everything in moderation. Each day we go a little further, but Dot still tires easily and we don't want to overdo it.

I joined another stock photography site today. This one was different than the others. Instead of uploading tons of photos to an online stock catalog, potential photo buyers post their photo requirements and budget on the site and members can look through their own image libraries to see if they have an image that comes close. If you think you have what the buyer need, you upload the image to the site. If the art director or photo buyer likes your image, you can then negotiate your own terms. The concept is more like having an online photo rep than a traditional stock house. I like this concept a lot more than uploading tons of images to a stock photography site that ultimately sells your images for pennies. Maybe I won't make a dime with this new venture, but the allure of passive income remains strong. What have I got to lose? I have thousands and thousands of images just sitting on hard drives. I've got to believe that some of them might be exactly what someone is looking for. It's worth a shot anyway.

I'm trying to decide whether to go out for breakfast tomorrow morning. Dot certainly did well when I went to the bank and post office yesterday. It doesn't take me long to eat breakfast anyway and I sure am hungry.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1694

It has become clear that instead of training our dogs, they have trained us instead. Both dogs are so stubborn that it is almost impossible to get them to adapt to different sleeping arrangements. Since we are going to have to live with Dot's incontinence for the next month or so, it is important to come up with a plan to keep our sanity. Doggie diapers didn't work. Neither has sleeping on the floor. Dot and Dash are convinced that the big king sized bed in the bedroom is theirs and they just allow us to sleep with them. It has become easier to turn the bed into a waterproof fortress each night than deal with the other alternatives.

I prepared the bed well last night and we remembered to set the alarm for 2:30 AM, so we had a relatively trouble free evening. It takes forever to get everything ready. There's the long ramp at the end of the bed so Dot won't try to hop up and hurt herself. There's the fail-safe rubber sheet on top of the people's bedding, but under all the dog blankets. There are strategically placed pee pads for Dot to sleep on and Dash's favorite blanket at the foot of the bed, so he won't try to steal Dot's place in the middle of the night. Occasionally, this Rube Goldberg arrangement actually works.

I used to think that Dot woke up and moved about when she wanted to go outside and pee. I've been watching her behavior during the day and it has become clear that she only get's up after she's peed on something. She isn't trying to give me a warning signal. She's just trying to get out of the wet spot. I need to remember that dogs live in the moment. Dot has no idea why all this is happening to her.

I had quite a bit of website work to complete today. It was good to be busy, because without the work, I'd probably go stark raving mad. I've already got a long list of errands to do on Saturday when I can finally get out of the house again.

Actually, I'll be getting out of the house on Thursday, but I'll be taking Dot with me. We got the green light from the cancer center doctors to resume Dot's physical therapy. Hopefully, some gentle workouts in the underwater treadmill will help her regain some of the muscle tone she's lost in her rear legs. Dot is certainly doing her part to get stronger. She doesn't stumble as much now, and we are able to walk a little further each morning. As hard as it seems now, we are definitely making progress.

When I got my website revisions done today, I decided to relearn how to operate one of my cameras remotely using WiFi. I've had to learn this three times already, because I never use the feature. In theory, it seems really cool to be able to control every aspect of the camera remotely using my iPhone, but in practice I still prefer looking through the viewfinder. Maybe I'll use this fancy feature some day, but it won't be tomorrow. I'm sure when I find a reason to control my camera using my phone, I'll have to look up the instructions all over again.

It's raining now and both dogs are huddled under my desk. Life has almost returned to normal.

Morgan is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1693

I got up even earlier than usual this morning so I could walk Dash before taking Dot to the cancer center for her first re-check since the surgery. The doctors were really pleased with Dot's progress, but offered no easy solution to our current problems with incontinence and muscle weakness. It's going to take time for Dot's kidneys to start concentrating urine normally again and we should expect the weakness in her rear legs to gradually improve when she resumes her physical therapy. The good news is that Dot is recovering remarkable well from the surgery itself. After leaving Dot at the cancer center for for the day to get some additional tests, we got a green light to resume water therapy and we don't need to return for another recheck until early October.

I'm delighted at how well Dot is doing, but sure wish we could resolve her incontinence problems a little faster. I'm beyond tired now. Last night was exhausting. We had another major accident in the bed. It wasn't Dot's fault. We didn't waterproof the bed properly and forgot to take up her water bowl after 10 PM. After changing all the sheets in the middle of the night, I just gave up and slept on the floor with the dogs for the rest of the night. I'm thinking that it might be easier to just continue sleeping on the floor until Dot's condition improves. Sleeping on two dog beds pushed together isn't great, but it sure beats pulling all the bedding off the bed in the middle of the night while I'm still half asleep. So far, the mattress hasn't gotten wet, but it's only a matter of time if we let Dot continue sleeping on the bed at night.

I'm so compulsive that I kept waking up and throwing another load of laundry in the washer every hour or so for the rest of the night. The dogs were surprisingly good through all this. Dash curled up on one of the dog beds with me, while Dot lay by my side on a pile of blankets. It was a lot easier to get her out to pee this way, since we were already halfway to the back door. By morning I had all the laundry done and there were no further bed wetting incidents. I'm still not sure where I'll sleep tonight, but the floor is looking better and better.

While Dot was at the cancer center getting tested this morning, I had a chance to get out of the house and run a few necessary errands. I'm going to try to make an appointment to resume some gentle water therapy later this week. When Dot gets a little stronger and can dependably get up and down again, I'll feel a lot better about leaving her alone with Dash for a few hours.

I took several short cat naps during the day, but I feel like I could easily sleep for 12 hours straight if I was given the opportunity. The house is a mess, but I'm still getting my work done and Dot continues to get better with each passing day. I didn't really realize that the baby steps we're taking included cleaning up pee every night, but I'm trying to take it all in stride. Here's hoping that everything is peaceful, calm and completely uneventful tomorrow.

Pebbles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1692

The dogs love our unseasonably cool August weather and enjoyed being out in the yard today. There was a nice breeze that blew away most of the mosquitoes, so we were able to enjoy the outdoors longer than I expected. While I kept an eye on Dot to make sure she didn't fall down or get herself in trouble, I managed to get a bit of gardening done. As the dogs sniffed the air for new scents, I pulled weeds and tidied up the yard. It's nice to see Dot enjoying herself again. She still moving around very slowly and her rear legs are a bit shaky, but there's a look in her eyes that tells me that a burden has been lifted. I think that the intestinal tumor had been bothering her for a lot longer than we knew.

I'm out of shape. It's amazing how quickly things can go downhill without exercise. A week in the hospital on IV fluids erased almost an entire year of rehab work with Dot. Several weeks away from the gym has erased a bit of my own progress was well. I was winded after today's workout, even though it was no different than any other. My goal for the rest of the year will be to help Dot get strong again while doing my best to stay strong and fit myself. Neither of us are getting any younger, so it is important to keep moving. If I can emulate Dot's determination and tenacity, we should both be fine.

Tomorrow we go back to the cancer center for Dot's first post-surgery evaluation. I hope the doctors are as impressed with Dot's progress as we are. Considering the seriousness of her situation a few weeks ago, she is doing amazingly well. Hopefully, if her doctors think she making good progress, Dot may soon be able to resume her water therapy and acupuncture. Her rear legs have been weak before and the physical therapy she's been receiving this year has really helped.

We almost made it through the night last night. Dot didn't need to go outside to pee until almost 4 AM, instead of the 2 AM wake up call we have been getting used to lately. With any luck, her incontinence will continue to diminish and we'll all be able to get back to enjoying a good night's sleep in the near future. You can't rush recovery though. Getting better has its own time schedule and you have to be patient.

With Dot's recent emergency, it's easy to forget that Dash is still being treated for cancer as well. Today I noticed for the first time that his hair is finally starting to regrow in the smooth bald area on his neck where he received the radiation treatments. If Dot continues to do as well as Dash has been doing this Summer, we'll have two healthy, cancer free dogs again before Christmas. I'm hoping for the best when Dot's oncologist examines her tomorrow.

Becker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1690

This continues to be one of the mildest Summers on record. I don't think I can remember a time when it was 69 degrees on the first of August in Dallas. I even put on a light jacket when I walked Dash early this morning. There was a light mist, but it was nice. Maybe my electric bill won't be quite as horrendous this month.

Today was more or less a repeat of yesterday. Dot slept well last night and appeared a little stronger today. Her rear legs are still shaky, but she didn't stumble and fall today, and that's a good thing. I didn't stumble either, but I'm real glad it's Friday. I was on the phone with a new set of tech support people, trying to resolve a client's website problems. I'm inching my way toward completion on my latest design project, but my primary job is still babysitting sick dogs.

Dalmatians can be incredibly stubborn. Even though Dot can barely move, she still wants to take her regular walks in the morning. She is always disappointed when I leave the house with Dash while Janet is getting ready for work. Then when I return to take her on a much shorter walk, she doesn't like the baby steps we're taking toward recovery. We walk a little bit longer each day, but we're still only going several hundred yards, instead of the several miles she is used to. She's happy to be outside though, so we walked very slowly this morning, both enjoying the cooler than normal August air.

We had a small accident in the bed again last night, but it was our fault and not Dot's. We both overslept and missed our 2 AM time slot for getting her up and outside to pee. If the doctors are correct about the possibility that it could take up to six weeks before her incontinence goes away, the month of August is going to be very long and arduous. Dot didn't pee in the house during the day, but she doesn't like the waterproof crib pads I've strategically placed around the house for her to sleep on. The lightweight polyester pads are too flimsy and when Dot starts the characteristic circling motion that dogs do before they lie down, the pads get tangled up in her feet and she gets frustrated and just lies down on the carpet instead. I have three older "made in America" waterproof pads that are sturdier and more substantial, but these are constantly in the washing machine being cleaned.

When I was getting dressed this morning, I saw something on the news about the Department of Homeland Security going to people's homes and confiscating old Land Rover Defenders like the one I used to own. WTF? We've got a border crisis. Terrorists are popping up all over the place, and the government has made it a priority to round up old Land Rover Defenders? I don't get it. I didn't catch the entire story, but maybe we're all supposed to be driving a Prius or something.

Getting old is a bitch. Dot has made an amazing recovery from some very serious surgery and now her old neurological problems are resurfacing. I think if we're patient and take things slowly, we can get back to where we were before by resuming her water therapy and acupuncture. It's an uphill battle though, because age always wins in the end. I remember my Dad seemed like John Wayne until he was in his mid-seventies and then he just fell apart. After quadruple bypass surgery in his early 80's, he never fully recovered. It is sobering to realize that everything that is happening to Dot could easily happen to me in the not too distant future. Time moves on and we all just do the best we can.

Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1688

Janet took Dash to dog training class tonight, while I stayed home with Dot. Our instructor initially thought Dot had made an amazing recovery as he watched Dash sail over some high hurdles. "That's pretty good for an old, sick dog," he told Janet. Hey, it's an honest mistake. They both have spots. Maybe he got the dogs mixed up because Dash behaves better with Janet. She told me that he made it through the entire class without any of his typical annoying barking.

For her part, Dot had a very good day as well. We made it through the night without any accidents. She didn't even leak on the waterproof baby crib liners strewn around the house for her to sleep on during the day. We're all learning our new routines. I take her out every three hours to pee, and once again during the middle of the night. Dot is off pain medication now and her vet says that we can begin transitioning her back to her regular diet. You can tell that Dot is happy to slowly be returning to normal. She is holding her head up high for the first time in weeks, and her tail is starting to wag again. Dot doesn't understand the concept of baby steps. My big concern now is to keep her from overdoing things while her body continues to heal.

As Dot gets off the critical list and continues her recovery, my own life is returning to normal as well. I spent a busy day revising and adding pictures to one website while finalizing the design of another. I still can't leave the house, but that really isn't a serious problem, since I seldom leave the house anyway. It is usually boredom, not necessity that causes me to get in the car and go somewhere. I certainly haven't been bored this year, but I think I would prefer boredom to dealing with a constant barrage of major medical emergencies. This has been a rough year. It would be nice if life would stay in balance, but it seldom does. I'm still hoping for healthy dogs and a little variety in my workload.

Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of July? This year has literally flown by. I'm grateful that so far this has been one of the coolest Summers on record. To be approaching August with only one or two days of triple digit temperatures is almost unheard of in Texas. There have been quite a few mornings where the temperature was in the low 70's while I walked Dash around sunrise. Most of the wildflowers are gone by now, but I did happen to see a few Lanceleaf Coreopsis flowers still blooming this morning. It will be nice when I can walk both dogs again. This is usually my most relaxing time of the day.

We'll waterproof the bed again tonight, but hopefully Dot's incontinence is nearing an end as well. She certainly had a good day today. Tomorrow, I'll continue taking things one day at a time. It's been working so far.

Penny is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1686

We hit a little snag today. Incontinence. Dot began having urinary incontinence when she was hooked up to IV tubes in the ICU. Now that she's recovering from surgery and beginning to eat normally again, we expected the incontinence to stop. She doesn't wake up in a puddle of pee every night, but last night she did. What a mess. Despite the fact that Dot was sleeping on top of three waterproof baby crib liners, all our bed linen got soaked. I'm glad I had the forethought to get a waterproof mattress pad years ago when we bought the bed, or the mattress would have been ruined as well.

Until we can resolve this issue, we need to be a lot more diligent about getting Dot outside in the middle of the night to pee. Three hours seems to be the maximum amount of time she can hold it. Needless to say, we didn't get up last night and I spent most of the day doing laundry. If I didn't need to keep a constant eye on Dot, I would have gone to a commercial laundry. The bulky comforter and mattress pad took forever to dry in our dryer. Everything is fine now, but I must have done ten loads of laundry today. If you think the solution is just to have Dot sleep in a crate or on the kitchen floor until her condition improves, you haven't owned a Dalmatian. They all insist on sleeping in the bed with you. Heaven help you if you try to get them to sleep somewhere else. Dalmatians are very stubborn and tenacious dogs.

When I was throwing away junk mail and trash today, I came across some financial papers I should have signed and returned three weeks ago. That's the trouble with the mail these days. So little of any importance finds it's way to our mailbox anymore that I tend to ignore all the mail. Checking the mail had become just like checking the spam folder on my computer. Mostly it's all junk, but you still have to check, because every now and then something important winds up there by mistake.

I got a call from my hepatologist this morning telling me that the lab results from last week's tests had come back and I was still virus free. This is probably as close as I'm going to get to being declared officially cured of Hepatitis-C. Since I was one of the first to receive the new Sovaldi treatment, I'll probably continue to get tested periodically indefinitely. That's OK by me. With all the advanced testing the dogs and I have been subjected to recently, I've become somewhat addicted to test results.

Sometimes technology is just too complicated. There is no sound on the TV in the bedroom. The sound works fine on the TV in the kitchen though. My deductive mind tells me that either something is wrong with the TV, or something is wrong with U-Verse. Hmm. The TV in the kitchen is receiving the U-Verse channels, so U-Verse is apparently working. The TV in the bedroom gets sound from the Hulu channels, so there's nothing wrong with the TV itself. Why am I getting cable on only one of the two TV's when they are getting the same signal from the router? It's a mystery. I guess I'll just go to bed and hope I remember to get Dot up at 2 AM to pee.

Queenie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1681

Dot started eating solid food again today. She ate a small jar of baby food yesterday, but this was the first time she has been able to hold down solid food since last Thursday. Janet and I fed her some canned chicken when we went to visit this evening and she enthusiastically devoured the entire can. If she doesn't vomit tonight and is able to pass the chicken she ate through her system, we'll finally be able to take the catheter out of her leg and unhook her from all the IV tubes.

Considering that she'd had major surgery less than 24-hours ago, Dot looked great today. Her medical team is very pleased with her progress. We continue to take things one day at a time, but if she continues to improve at this rate, there's a chance she'll be able to come home with us tomorrow evening.

Fifteen years ago, our first Dalmatian had to go through a very similar type of abdominal surgery. Spot survived, but he didn't have the advantage of the advanced medical care Dot is receiving now. I continue to be amazed at the resources veterinarians have at their disposal these days. Getting a CAT scan for Spot in 1999 wasn't even an option. The surgeon just opened him up and started looking around. Surgical techniques and medications are much better now. Actually dogs have more advanced care options than you or I do, since progress isn't hindered as much by government and FDA restrictions. Laser surgery, genetic testing, stem cell transplants, MRI imaging and much more are all commonplace in today's veterinary world.

It is terrible that Dot has to deal with the complications of major surgery and possibly cancer. She is lucky to live here in Dallas though. We have some of the best specialty care facilities in the country right here. I like to think that Dot is in the Mayo Clinic for dogs right now. Her doctors are taking very good care of her.

I'll have to admit that I'm getting some very good care myself. Tomorrow I go for my last regular  visit to the liver clinic. I will repeat all the tests I had at the beginning of my treatment, and if all looks good, I am officially cured of Hepatitis-C. Technically, I've been virus free for several months now, but these doctors are very cautious about over promising things.

We took Dash to dog training class by himself tonight. Janet thought it would be good for him to be around other dogs again. Dash seemed to enjoy himself until a cold front blew through and he sensed a change in the weather. Rain was on the way. I don't think Dot can hear the rain inside the hospital. I hope she can't anyway. She needs to get a good night's rest.

Jewel is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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