Sylke's Recovery
Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Sylke is now going for a walk three times a day - four blocks each walk. Its not that far, but gets her execise, allows her to potty outside. She does very well on these strolls and really looks forward to them. She would like to go a lot further, but I won't allow it.

I told one of the nurses at work who had been off for a few days that Sylke was going for walks. Her response? Its a miracle, just a miracle.

I guess she is a miracle girl. A very special miracle girl.
Posted by sylkegirl at 8:19 PM EDT

Sunday, 22 October 2006
Now Playing: Sylke Goes for Walks
Saturday morning Sylke went for a walk to the corner and back. She did very well but I wouldn't let her walk any further, I did not want her to over do.

She is now asking to go outside to go potty all the time - we don't always make it completely outside but she is doing much better.

This morning Sylke again went for a walk - 4 blocks this morning. That is about the maximum for now. I noticed her legs getting a little rubbery on the way home. She sure can move though - she had me walking at a fast walk. It does her good, I hold her with the sling so she can move her legs in a normal stride, helping to strengthen those muscles. The sling also keeps stres off her lower spine so she does not reinjure herself. She is doing remarkably well - better every single day!
12:00 p.m. - Sylke wanted to go out again - we walked up and down the street 3 times!! That is a 6 block walk for her and she only showed signs of tiring when we were walking up the driveway. I notice the neighbors up and down the street standing in their windows watching us, most likely wondering why I've got a sling on Sylke. But going out has benefitted her - no potty boo boo's in the house yet today!

Posted by sylkegirl at 10:53 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 22 October 2006 12:32 PM EDT

Thursday, 19 October 2006
The Blessing of Sylke's Injury
When I first got Sylke she was a rather troubled dog, with food agression, a bit nippy, very dominant and very aloof. She didn't care much for cuddling and hugs, she would tolerate it for a while, but not long.

Now with her injury and the fact I've had to work with her so much she has blossomed. She will put her head in my lap, lean on me, nuzzle my hands to pet her and if I stop, she will paw my hands to continue. She loves to be held and cuddled. Finally, she has let down her guard and become my girl in heart as well as body. She has learned she doesn't have to be guarded anymore and it is very touching to see.
Posted by sylkegirl at 7:52 PM EDT

Wednesday, 18 October 2006
Today was another good one for my girl. She is going outside with a sling to go potty. She is full of vigor and wants to go much further than I think she should. We strolled around the yard tonight for quite a while. She is very happy, has a great attitude. I cannot come home for lunch due to my car being caput at the moment, but she is doing well in her little cubby in the livingroom. I give her a frozen Kong before I leave for work and it keeps her entertained for quite some time.

Hopefully this weekend I can get her outside and get a picture of my girl standing on her own.
Posted by sylkegirl at 8:42 PM EDT

Tuesday, 17 October 2006
Tonight one of the gals I work with brought me home from work, no thanks to my funky car. She is one of the girls that we go to the dogpark with her two boys, Simon and Rio (a handsome yellow Labbie boy). She wanted to see Sylke and I brought her out to see Paula. Sylke was elated to see her and walked like a dream. Stood right up and went right to Paula. I think it did Sylke good to see someone else she knew. She bustled around the yard in her sling, all her legs moving and had me huffing and puffing before I made her go in. Paula was amazed at Sylke's progress.
Posted by sylkegirl at 10:05 PM EDT

Monday, 16 October 2006
Sylke is doing a little better every day. Tonight when I came home from work she went for a walk around the yard. She went potty outside and she can raise her tail to go potty with no problem, though she isn't lifting it high yet. I have every confidence that in time she will be back to her proud self.

I let her walk around the house a little bit, but then she has to be confined because I simply do not want her to over do. She goes to the kitchen for a drink but I think I will need to get her an elevated feeding station and water dish. I do not like seeing her hunching over to drink and for now I hold her dish up to her when she eats her food.

Tonight I went outside to do some chores and when I came in, Sylke was standing there with a toy in her mouth, wanting to play. She has definitely regained her spunk and love of life. It does my heart good to see her back to her old attitude.
Posted by sylkegirl at 7:42 PM EDT

This morning Sylke had an itch, she shook her head then reached up with her left rear leg and scritched her ear herself! That is excellent movement on her part. Not only did she move her leg, but she lifted it up. She ate an excellent breakfast and today she will start spending the day in the livingroom. I made her a cubby in one end, blocking it off with two heavy little dressers. Makes the livingroom look odd, but she will be away from the bed, which she has been sizing up, I believe trying to figure out how she could get on it. She will have a window to peak out of, my windows are low enough for her to sit up and peek out.

Just now, she walked into the kitchen and got a drink, she walks slightly like a drunk but she walked out on all fours. Thankfully her steroid dose has been decreased so her excessive thirst has subsided and hence the excessive peeing. In 8 days she will be done with the steroids - and she will be half way through her recovery. Hopefully she will be recovered by Thanksgiving - boy will we have a lot to be thankful for.
Posted by sylkegirl at 6:44 AM EDT

Sunday, 15 October 2006
SHE STANDS!!
I was in the kitchen this morning getting a cup of coffee and a dog came up and was standing next to me. I was just about ready to say "Ava move" and I looked - and it was Sylke!! Standing on all four - rear legs fully extended!! Now she is still wobbly but every day there is more improvement and this morning when I was cleaning her, I lifted her tail - and I could feel that tail pulling down in my hand!! I look forward to the day when she can stand and hold that tail high like she is in the picture below, and I think we are well on our way. Today I am going to rearrange furniture in the livingroom so she can be out there during the day, blocked in one end with my trunk and cedar chest - she really wants to get on the bed and futon and I am not going to risk her jumping and reinjuring her spine.

10:00 a.m.
Took Sylke outside - she was so insistent. She went out and promptly went potty. I guess she is tired of going on a blue pad. Then she wanted to go up the street - BADLY!!! I had a real wrestle to keep her from heading up the sidewalk. So she got bullheaded and laid down - definitely getting back to her old self with a major tude!! (Never thought I would happy to see her bullheaded attitude again, but I was!) I finally got her to get up and walk around the perimeter of the yard. She laid in the sun for a while and when I decided we should go in, again she wanted to head for the street for a walk. I don't think she realized how much effort she was exerting. When I brought her in she flopped on her bed and was out like a light. I did use a sling on her back end so she wasn't over exerting her back and hips - but boy those rear legs were really going!

Evening:
I rearranged the livingroom so one end is blocked off in a little cubby with two heavy little dressers where Sylke will spend her time while I am at work. I won't have to worry about her trying to try to jump on my bed. We have come this far, I do not want her hurting herself again. The livingroom looks a bit goofy, but it is only for a few weeks and nobody sits in the livingroom anyway. She actually likes her little nest out there and is out there right now snoozing. And of course she has a bed on the floor of my bedroom - so she can sleep near me at night. She wants to be close to me most of the time these days. Everybody say it.....awwwwwwwwwww :)
Posted by sylkegirl at 8:40 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 15 October 2006 7:36 PM EDT

Saturday, 14 October 2006
Sylke is standing - for a few moments at a time. Her legs are wobbly and slightly splayed, but she will stand. She isn't wagging that tail yet, but I suspect that will come in time. How am I going to keep this girl confined and quiet for 4 more weeks at the rate she is going?? I am going to have to figure out a different arrangement for her this weekend, she keeps eyeballing the bed, she really wants to get up on it and that is the last thing she needs to do - crawl up on a bed and jump off. She is one determined girl to get better but I am even more deteremined that she use the full recovery time so she does not reinjure herself!

Oh, and it suddenly clicked this morning "Hey!! There are pills in my food!!" She spat them out as quick as she licked them up!! So now I have to poke them into little hunks of canned dog food to get them to go down. She is quickly turning into her old uppity self!
Posted by sylkegirl at 7:38 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 14 October 2006 8:24 AM EDT

Friday, 13 October 2006
Sylke is still maintaining. She is trying her best to motor around in a 'squat' but I don't allow it much - she can really scoot though. If she keeps this up, she will be running nonstop in a few weeks!!

My friend picked up some prednisone for me from the vet. The vet talked to her and told her that the only true way to get a sterile sample of urine from Sylke was to do a cystocentesis, going through her belly wall into the bladder with a needle. However, in light of the fact Sylke showed no abnormalities with the urine I expressed I see no need to do this. Had the speciemn I took showed gross abnormalities, then this might be needed. It made me feel like the vet was trying to pad her wallet a little bit.

I cannot wait for the weekend so I can spend more time with Sylke and the girls. It is an adventure to watch her progress. What started out as being an experience that I thought was going to end in heartbreak has turned into a fascinating learning experience for both Sylke and I. The bond between us has grown even more. I took her out last night with the girls and she sat next to me while I threw balls for Ava and Trinka. I petted her with one hand and threw with the other and when I stopped petting her she would gently nudge me for more petting. She is a wonderful girl, my black 'pound puppy'. Whoever discarded her is definitely missing out on a wonderful friend and companion.
Posted by sylkegirl at 6:49 AM EDT