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No Is When the Negotiation Begins

March 27, 2014 By Jodi

I’ve frequently said Delilah and I are very alike.  We are both determined, stubborn, and persistent, with a desire to please people. These traits can be both a blessing and a curse depending upon the situation.

One of my favorite sayings that I heard from my friend Laura is “No is when the negotiations begin.”  I would say this holds true for both Delilah and myself.  The surest way to get me to do anything is to tell me I can’t do it.

I try something and it doesn’t work so I try it in a different way.  Sometimes though, I have to accept the fact that it’s just not doable.

Thankfully dogs are not capable of understanding can’t. And Delilah NEVER takes no for an answer.

Me: Delilah you aren’t a lap dog.

 

I'm comfy, how about you?

Delilah: How can you say that?  Look I fit.

 

When we got our last big snowstorm, I didn’t get around to shoveling off the back stairs and once the snow starting melting, the stairs got really dangerous.  I took to placing a wicker patio chair upside down at the bottom of the steps to prevent the dogs from going up or down.

Except it didn’t.

What the woof is this chair doing in my way?

What the woof is this chair doing in my way?

Delilah of course,  went off into the snow and jumped off the wall.

These dogs will be the death of me.

Sampson had his ACL surgery on Tuesday.  

The surgeon said it went exactly the way you’d like your dog’s surgery to go.   The procedure used is called TTA.  This required Sampson to spend the night at the vets.  That was super hard for me, as he has never stayed at the vet’s office before.  I checked in on him throughout his stay and he seemed to tolerate it well, although he may have a touch of stress colitis going on, so I’m keeping a close eye on him.

My sister went with me to help me get him in and out of the car and into the house.   While we were waiting we got a bit silly.

3-27-14-2

 

They had this really cool statue in the lobby, I’m not sure you can tell or not, but it’s on a platform with wheels.  After waiting about 10 minutes, my sister said, “Let’s put the cone, collar and leash on the ‘dog’ and I’ll push, you pull and we can take it for a walk.”

We giggled.  Then I handed her my phone and said, “Push this button and take my picture with the dog and the cone.”

Oh yes I did.

3-27-14-4

I’m best not left alone to my own devices when I’m anxious.

Eventually we met with the physical therapist and FINALLY she went and got Sampson.  As soon as he got out of the car, he peed and pooped.   Once in the house he took a big drink of water and finished his breakfast.  About fifteen minutes later,  he threw up.  The next time he went outside and pooped I noticed a little blood on it.  I called the vet’s office and that’s when they said he may have some stress colitis going on.  We both tended to agree the vomiting was due to him drinking so much water. but I was advised to keep an eye on it and call if it continues.

I’m planning a post on Sampson’s recovery and what it entails and that will probably be some time next week, but I did want to update you all and let you know how he was doing and thank you all again for the awesome support.  I couldn’t have gotten through Tuesday without your texts, phone calls, messages and comments.  You are the very best friends a girl could have!!  Please bear with me as we get through the next phase of Sampson’s recovery and I hope to be back visiting and catching up with all of you soon!

Welcome to Thursday’s Barks and Bytes hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog.  Please grab the badge and join the fun!

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Filed Under: Blog Hops Tagged With: ACL Surgery, Delilah, Health, Humor, Life With Sampson And Delilah, Sampson, sampson and delilah, Thursday Barks and Bytes

Chip ‘N Delilah

March 20, 2014 By Jodi

Chip ‘N Delilah

Today is the first day of Spring!!  Yay, I love Spring, it’s one of my favorite seasons.  Despite our weather’s decided lack of cooperation, there’s one sure sign of Spring at our house.

The chipmunks are out.

Yesterday morning found Delilah back to her favorite spot to window watch the chipmunks.  Believe it or not there have been times when I’ve actually caught her sitting there with drool hanging from her mouth.  It’s totally not her fault, the lab up the street told her they taste like chicken.

As I was bustling about in the morning, packing my lunch, washing dishes and my general morning rush, I looked over and found Delilah glued to the window.  Luckily my camera was right on the counter, so I grabbed it and started playing with the settings taking various photos.

Don't ask me what the setting is.  Like I can remember! LOL

Don’t ask me what the setting is. Like I can remember! LOL

It wasn’t until I got right on top of her that I realized there was a chipmunk not more than five feet from her.

I didn't even see the darn thing at first!

I didn’t even see the darn thing at first!

In my best effort to help Delilah realize her wildest dreams, I ever so carefully removed the bell from the door knob and moved it out of the way, when I went back to unlock the door, the chipmunk was gone.

Drats!  Foiled again!  Hang in there Delilah, one of these days you’ll score you a chippie.

It’s Been So Long

It’s been so long since I’ve taken my dogs on a walk that I’ve quite forgotten what goes into it.

Yesterday I went home at lunch to give the dogs a break.  I left Delilah in the yard and walked Sampson down the driveway to the front of the house.  This is a sure way to get him to tinkle.  There is something about tinkling in the front that he absolutely loves.  He really wanted to hobble about so we crossed the street and then looped around and back into the yard.  The whole hobble took less than five minutes, but I hope it gave him a change of scenery.

Delilah was up next.  I grabbed her collar, leashed her up and walked out the door.  (Sampson of course, was ticked off and went to the window to bark his displeasure.)

We walked up the street and straight into the park and then I realized I was still in my work shoes, I had no phone, no camera, and no pepper spray.  And when Delilah responded immediately to me and looked at me for her reward, I realized I had no treats either.

Dog walking = epic fail.

Winter has been too long and too hard and it’s been far too long since I’ve enjoyed some bonding time with my dogs.  I mean to rectify that sooner rather than later.

Unhappy Puppy

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Sampson is learning how to get around on three legs.  When he first hurt himself he was okay with laying on the his bed on the floor for the night.   All of that changed Tuesday morning.  He woke me up about 3:20.  I leashed him up and took him outside where he sat down and stared at the sky.

I took him back inside and into the room that is supposed to be my office.  It is equipped with a futon, which is much lower to the floor than our bed.  I helped him get up on there, then climbed in beside him.  As I lay there unable to fall back asleep, I decided that this is where he and I will be sleeping until he has fully recovered from his surgery.  He’s happier snuggled up with his Mama and truthfully, I’m happier with him beside me.

This weekend Hubby and I will be working on this room to turn it into safe place for him to recover.

But while I was laying there in the quiet of the early morning, I swear I heard a coyote.  It was pretty darn cool, mostly because I was inside and they were not.  I’m pretty sure I’d feel differently if I was sleeping outside.

Have you heard about Thursday’s Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog?  It’s a blog hop for anyone.  All we ask is that you grab a badge from one of our blogs and mention your hosts.  Oh and don’t forget to add your link.

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Filed Under: Blog Hops Tagged With: Delilah, Life With Sampson And Delilah, Sampson, sampson and delilah, Thursday Barks and Bytes

I Jinxed My Dog

March 13, 2014 By Jodi

Tuesday I wrote about the Conservative Management program we had in place to keep Sampson from totally tearing his ACL.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you know that went out the window Tuesday night.  Less than 24 hours after I posted it, Sampson completely tore his ACL.

What happened?

Sampson and Delilah were playing, they were running in the house with a squeaky ball.  I went and started a load of laundry and when I got back, Sampson wouldn’t put any weight on his bad leg.  Less than two minutes.  I was gone less than two minutes and when I walked in and saw him with his leg lifted, I knew he blew it out.

I called the vet and thankfully got the last appointment of the night and brought him in.

The Diagnosis

After checking him out thoroughly the vet looked at me and said, “You’re going to kill me.”

“Why?”

“I think he completely tore his ACL, but I’d like one of my colleagues to check him out as well”

She brought her colleague in and she examined him and agreed he’d fully torn it.

What is it they say about mom’s always knowing?

The Treatment

We added an additional pain pill of Gabapentin to his existing Carprofen and upped his Tramadol (anti-inflammatory) back up to two per day.  I was advised to ice it if possible.  As you can imagine, that didn’t go over really well.

He kept shifting to try and dislodge it.

He kept shifting to try and dislodge it.

After speaking with my vet yesterday afternoon, she is definitely recommending surgery.  I can’t tell you how much this terrifies me, but she really thinks this is his best option to get him mobile once again.  I’ve scheduled a consultation for tomorrow morning at 9:00 am.  Oh and I cancelled his physical therapy appointment.

What we did wrong.

As far as I can tell, nothing.  We knew going in that despite conservative measures there was still a possibility of the ACL tearing.  Dogs will be dogs and there is only so much you can do to keep them quiet.

We kept him from tearing for over two months.  Any dog can tear their ACL, we could have had it heal completely and he could have been running in the field and blew it out.  It happens.

While I was sick to my stomach and a bit shaky and weepy on Tuesday night, I’m better today.  Not much, but talking about it helps me, so thanks to all of you who have engaged me in one way or another.

I really appreciate it.

Regrets, I’ve had a few.

People that say things say that hindsight is better than foresight.  This is probably my one and only regret.  Had I known he would have blown his ACL anyway, I would have gone ahead with the surgery right away.  If we had, we’d be half-way through his recovery period by now.

How we’re managing.

Right now it’s hard.  He’s still trying to figure out how to function with three legs.  Since he refuses to use the stairs to get on and off the bed and I can’t guarantee that Delilah won’t jitterbug all over him, I’m making him sleep on the floor.

That's a sad dog right there.   If looks could kill, I'd have been dead last night because of the daggers he was shooting at me.

If looks could kill, I’d have been dead last night because of the daggers he was shooting at me.

And of course he can’t go outside without being on leash.  Which really pisses him off.  I’m worried about his pooping.  He hasn’t pooped since Tuesday morning.  Any ideas on how to help a dog without use of one of his back legs to poop?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on ACL tears or conservative management, I am not even a vet. I am not advising you as to what will or will not work should your dog have an ACL injury. I am simply sharing our story.  If your dog has an ACL injury, it is important you discuss your dog’s recovery with a vet that you trust.

Oh and please forgive me for not reading blogs yesterday, I just couldn’t concentrate.

And yes, today is Thursday’s Barks and Bytes Blog hop, hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog, feel free to grab the badge and join the fun!

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Filed Under: Blog Hops Tagged With: ACL Tear, Conservative Management, Health, Life With Sampson And Delilah, Sampson, Thursday Barks and Bytes

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About Jodi

jodiHi, my name is Jodi. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog! I have all kinds of fun writing about my two crazy pups, Sampson and Delilah. Find out more!

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Heart Like A Dog by Jodi E. Stone is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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