Update on Jenna

As we told you last week, Jenna had surgery on her left knee on Wednesday.  The poor girl is such a foodie.  It was ruff for her to go without a meal the morning of surgery.  I felt bad for her, but Dixie didn't!

Jenna is a good car rider, but she wasn't sure about the destination until Mommy pulled into the parking lot.  She got a bit whiny at that point. 

She stayed two nights in the hospital.  The first time she had this surgery, the vet kept her a whole week!  Don't tell Jenna, but Mommy was hoping for the same thing this time.  It's less stressful for Mommy when someone else is taking care of the patient! 

The night before Jenna came home, Mommy moved Jenna's crate into the main part of the living room so Jenna would have prime viewing of all the activity going on around her.  I decided to check it out and make sure Jenna would approve.

This new location is lab tested and lab approved! 

When Jenna came home, we both gave her a whole lotta love!  Sniffs all around!  

Lucky for us, Mommy picked up Valentine's treats for all three of us at the Barkery while picking up Jenna.  Jenna says these cookies are good, but they don't make up for the pain and suffering she's going through!

Jenna got to wear her own Valentine's bandana once she was back home.  She said she felt like she was in her very own kissing booth!  She has to stay in her crate for most of the the next few weeks, especially when our parents aren't home.  It's going to be tuff!

Jenna will probably kill me for showing you this, but here's how she looks half naked!  Poor girl looks pitiful with her leg shaved.  Mommy keeps reminding Jenna (and herself) that this too shall pass.  It's only hair; it will grow back!

We'll keep you updated on Jenna's progress.  She returns on the 25th to have her stitches removed.  

Please keep your paws crossed that there are no issues before then!

Dutiful Little Brother, 

Ruger

Prayer Request Please

Our Jenna is having surgery tomorrow.  She needs her left hind leg operated on.  It's her knee again.  Two years ago in May, she had her right knee operated on.  This is the equivalent of a person having his ACL repaired.  In dawgs, once a knee has had this operation, there's a fifty percent chance the other knee will be operated on too!  At our house, this percentage climbs to 100!  Our big brother, Hunter, had both legs operated on; the second was almost a year to the day exactly! 

We'd appreciate you keeping our vet, Dr. Clary, in your prayers as his skilled hands perform this needed surgery.  We think he's a fabulous man and he's the same vet who performed Jenna's first surgery.  Please keep Jenna in your prayers that she does well and is patient in her recovery while at the vet (about a week).  Pray that Mommy and Daddy are calm during this time period too.  The recovery period is about eight weeks!  That's a LOOOOOOOONG time in dawg years!!

Mommy's mantra "This too shall pass" is about to make a comeback!  On the bright side, this surgery is taking place in the winter instead of the kick off week to summer.  Trying to look for a silver lining here . . .

Crossing our paws for our sister,
Dixie and Ruger

Labsolutely Pawfect

Recently Mommy became paranoid again and took me to the vet.  (Hopefully this is the last time for a while since it seems she's been doing this regularly lately!)  She thought I was drinking a lot of water.  It's kind of hard for her to tell which of us is drinking more since there are three of us, but in her heart she seemed to know it was me.  I could have told her it was me if she'd only asked!  Silly Mommy.

Mommy suspected a urinary tract infection and took a urine sample with us to the vet so we wouldn't have to waste time waiting on me to feel the urge to potty.  We saw a new vet at our usual animal hospital who seemed impressed with Mommy's preparedness.  This vet was new to us, but who knows, she seemed much younger than Mommy so maybe she actually is a new vet!?!?  The urine sample showed I did not have a UTI, but it did indicate I was drinking an awful lot of water.

I made friends with Snowy while waiting to see the vet.

To be on the safe side, the vet wanted to run a full bloodwork panel to make sure there was nothing wrong with my kidneys.  Mommy agreed immediately, but it put her on edge.  Her first dawg, Charlie died at the age of eight (my age) from kidney failure.  Mommy and Poppa learned how to give Charlie fluids through an IV and it was very disturbing for both of them and for Charlie.  Apparently Grandma used to go take a shower when it was time for fluids so she didn't have to hear any of this process. Mommy swore she would never, ever do that to a dawg again no matter how much she loved the dawg.  There is a fine line between being selfish and being helpful when it comes to healthcare for dawgs.

Mommy said some serious prayers while waiting for the test results.  She was so worried that my kidneys were failing and she was going to have to tell Daddy that his Number One was in trouble.  I spent this time chilling on the floor, looking out the window, and hoping the door would open to aid me in my escape!

Thankfully, the lab results proved I was labsolutely pawfect.  (Was there any doubt?)  Technically, my thyroid is a tiny bit low, but I'm not showing any signs of that disease.  Mommy has been instructed to keep an eye out for any symptoms of hypothyroidism.  Since she's personally had experience with both hypo- and hyperthyroidism, that shouldn't be difficult!

We also learned there's a weird disease called psychogenic polydipsia that causes dawgs to drink lots of water for no apparent reason.  The only cure for that is to remove access to water during the night and while the humans are away from home to prevent accidents.  Mommy doesn't really think this fits me either.

The bottom line from our visit was summed up pawfectly by the vet tech who said: 

Jenna is best dawg I've ever seen! 

Yes, I completely concur!

Once my appointment was over, I rode with Mommy to the pharmacy to pick up her prescriptions.  The line was long and one of the medications was not quite ready for pick up.

I was a little bit impatient in the car.  Probably because we finally had to get out of line and just park and wait. While waiting, my nose got the best of me.  Look at what was just sitting next door . . .

Chick-fil-A!

Unfortunately, Mommy did not pick up dinner or even a little snack for me while we waited.  Instead, we drove home where she fixed me "The Usual."  [sigh]  At least she knows what I like.

Have you noticed what my bandana says?  Blessed Y'all!  That is so true.  I'm blessed to have a paranoid Mommy who just knows when something isn't quite right.  Despite not being treated to Chick-fil-A, I'm blessed in so many ways.

I hope you also have a paranoid Mommy!  ( I know my Mommy does . . . you know who I'm talking about Grandma!  Ha!)

Jenna

Paranoid Mommy and Pawfect Jenna

Mommy has been super paranoid about my knee this summer.  She always watches to see how I'm walking, if I'm putting all my weight on my paw, if  I'm limping or favoring my leg.  It's been over a year since I had my knee surgery and I've technically made a full recovery, but . . .

Mommy still worries!  Don't all Mommies?  

About mid July, I had a fun morning of playing in the water with my siblings and then playing hard with Ruger in the yard.  Later that day when I hopped up from a nap, HOP was the operative word.  I wasn't putting any weight on my leg at all.  It was the same leg I'd had surgery on.  Mommy went back to this photo above to double check.  Dawgs who have knee surgery have a FIFTY percent chance of having the other knee operated on eventually, so she wanted to make sure.  

She watched me for a few days and gave me buffered aspirin in case I was in any pain.  She also restricted me to super short walks and began taking Ruger and Dixie on long walks together (instead of me and Dixie together).  After a week of this, Mommy went on her trip to Santa Fe and so I had a second week of restrictions . . . Daddy doesn't walk us!  Ha!

After Mommy's return, she still wasn't one hundred percent convinced that I was okay.  She had mentioned me to Dr. Clary when she had Ruger at the vet for his check up.  He said if I was improving any at all then it wasn't my knee.  I was definitely improving.  

Mommy started taking me by myself on longer walks and even let me swim one morning.  Here I am showing off my supermodel figure.  You're picturing Bo Derek shaking the water out of her braids here, aren't you??

 I'm Daddy's girl (or so he likes to think), but I can be Mommy's girl too!

After a weekend of swimming in the pond and a trip to the dawg park (I was the last to get to go because of my knee), Mommy took me to see Dr. Clary.  She told our family that she was going to take me to the vet just to double check or to have him tell her she was paranoid.

Dr. Clary couldn't even tell which leg he had operated on without the vet tech reminding him!  I was walking normally and not showing any issues.  The vet checked me out thoroughly and told Mommy to GO HOME!  He didn't even charge her for the visit.  (Apparently she IS paranoid!)  Mommy felt encouraged and relieved.  She still keeps an eye on my leg from time to time, but I've been running and playing with no issues.

I guess I'm still a supermodel!
Jenna

Something's Missing . . .

A couple weeks ago Mommy told me she was taking me to be "fixed."  Seriously?  Am I not perfect already???  Apparently she thought not!  Hmmpff!  This is me protesting my lack of breakfast that morning.  It's ruff not eating when your siblings are pigging out. 

Fast forward eight hours and I was singing a different tune  . . .

My parents have apparently had LOTS of experience with hard plastic cones on my siblings' heads.  Mommy says they are murder on her legs as well as the doorways and furniture.  I guess I'll have to take her word for it.  I don't really think the cones I wore were a walk in the park!  Mommy purchased two different cones in anticipation of my recovery period.  This blue donut was placed around my neck when I first got home. 

It was fine . . . then I woke up and discovered I'd been permanently altered.  No amount of licking was going to bring my body back to its original condition.  So, the donut had to be switched out for the Comfy Cone!

Let me just say in case you're in the market to buy a cone for your own head, the Comfy Cone is a misnomer!  Do I look comfy????  Daddy says I look like a Jawa from the original Star Wars movie.   I don't see it . . .

My sisters were very curious about where I'd been all day and were eager to show how much they cared. 

I moped around for a day and then I was back to my usual self.  If you can call a cone on my head my usual self???

I've spent my days trying to commune with Instagram pals in other states and countries.  I keep hoping for a contact with life on Mars too . . .

Those stitches come out tomorrow and I can't wait!!!
Ruger

Four Month Vet Trip

FINALLY!!!  I've made it to the four month mark.  This is super important in my life as a puppy.  I've now had all of my shots and can go out in public.  Since parvo runs rampant in our city and can be fatal to puppies if not caught early, our vet advised against taking me anywhere but to the vet.  I was super excited for this visit to see my favorite doctor (and it turns out he's the dad of one of Mommy's students!).

I had a room with a view this time at the vet.  The windows have really cool glass that allow me to look out, but no one can see in!  I enjoyed watching the other dawgs come and go.  I tried to be polite and talk to them, but Mommy said they couldn't hear me.  So I tried to talk louder!

Just like Mommy does with my sisters, she tortured me with the camera phone for a while.

I had the feeling I was being watched . . . 

My vet tech had cowboy boots on, so I could easily hear him as he came and went.  

When I'm a good boy (which is always), I'm rewarded by the vet with a bit of canned spray cheese.  He forgot to put the lid back on and I could smell it up on the examining table after he left the room.  I wanted more sooooo badly, but Mommy said I'd had enough!  [sigh]

Two good things came from this visit to the vet (three if you count the spray cheese): I don't have to have any more shots any time soon and I can now go anywhere I want since I've had all my vaccinations!  Yippee!

Free to roam,
Ruger