It was a test...only a test

Thursday was Cleo's last loading Adequan shot. We will go back in about a month to get another, then re-evaluate. Dr. Smith gave her the 'all clear'. Cleo is doing SO well, we are both really pleased with her progress. When she stands, she puts some pressure on her leg. She does three-leg it when running, but full out 'galloping' she does use all four legs! So fun to watch.

The picture on the right is hard to see, but Cougar is laying across Cleo's front legs. The sun was just so bright, and her white feet, just didn't come through very well. She was just sleeping away...

When helping my parents move, I've been taking Cleo with me, and leaving the boys loose in the house - with access to the porch and outside kennel, but not the yard. My lovely Mack is a fence jumper... UGH. Anyway, I decided that both Thursday and Friday were tests...leaving the boys out with Cleo. If these tests worked, I wouldn't have to come home at lunch everyday, since it takes 30 minutes round trip, and is so not fun when it's icy out. Anyway, Thursday afternoon went well. Friday, I didn't make it home for lunch, but am off at 3:00 so was home by 3:30 - so no problem, or so I thought. Stewie met me at the porch door acting quite...submissive is possibly the word I'm looking for. Mack was happy to see me. And it took a minute for Cleo to come around the corner once I got in the house. Poor little Cleo was roughed/beat up. Dried blood in her fur, limping (front and back leg), and looked so pitiful. I gave her a bath to assess the damage (I couldn't find any open wounds or anything). She did have some puncture wounds on her front left leg, and she was squinting her right eye. I did find a couple puncture wounds under her chin later in the evening. I gave her a Tramadol at 4:00, then again at 8:00 (and again this morning). She felt MUCH better this morning, but really avoided Stewie. I believe that Mack (who had what looked like blood on his neck) tried to protect her as she has NO problems with him being by her. So, actually everyone got a bath to get rid of the bloody slobbery stuff on everyone's necks.

So, it looks like I will be taking lunches from now until - who knows when. I don't want to 'test' it with Cleo again. I just don't know. I feel like the world's worst mother... My mom thinks Stewie has ADD or ADHD. I think possibly some form of OCD (he picks, picks, picks - even when my brother was hitting him with his ball cap, if you push him away, etc).

Well, this blog is for Cleo, not Stewie. She got to spend today at my folks old house with their two dogs and was a very good girl - as usual.

Here is another picture that makes me laugh...

Still here...just too much to report

I'm still here, just not a whole lot to report. Cleo had an Adequan shot on Saturday, and again on Tuesday. I haven't been walking her like I should though, as we should be up to 30 minutes a day. I tried walking her on the street Tuesday night, and since we don't have sidewalks and people here drive like it's a raceway, we are sticking to the backyard until it's nice in the mornings.

One other reason I didn't walk Cleo alot was because Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Nikita wasn't doing so good. Couldn't get herself up (back end) and her front seemed painful. I took her to the vet on Tuesday as well. My mom went with me...#1 because I had her and Dad come out on Monday night to let the dogs out since I had a board meeting, #2 because I couldn't get her in the car by myself, and #3 because we were both pretty sure it was 'time' for Nikita. We were at the vets for at least an hour. We all three decided it would probably be best for Nikita to go to the Rainbow Bridge that day. She had a good, long life. I'd had her for almost exactly 15 years - I got her when she was 6 weeks old. After she stopped jumping the fence and running away, she was a pretty good girl. Nikita lost most of her hearing some years back, and a couple of my dogs scared her and she left them with scars on the tops of their heads. Cheyenne needed stitches, Edgar just needed antibiotics. Her last 'hoorah' was helping Cleo (but I'm pretty sure initiating) eating my brother's velvet elk antlers that I accidently left out of my freezer....oops. Doesn't show real clear, but yes, that's the blood from the ONE antler they chewed off the skull cap. So, he's left with one velvetless antler and one that is one inch long. Sorry bro....

Staples are out!

Well the staples are out and I'm back at work. Bummer... But, we are back to sleeping on the actual BED, Cleo gets to sleep on the couch and Stewie gets to sleep in her ex-pen!!

Cleo got her first Adequan shot Tuesday. She'll have to have two per week for three weeks. Dr. Smith wants to re-evaluate at the end of the third week. She'll probably have a shot per month from now on, I would assume. Cleo and I will start walking 15 minutes per day for one week, then 15 minutes twice per day the following two weeks.

So, the day that she had her staples out...Cleo got more freedom and I went back to work that afternoon. I put the cover on the dog door and locked the boys up. Came home at 5:30 and there was little Miss Cleo racing the fence with the neighbor dogs!!!! And she was Oh So Happy to See Me! (that means she was bouncing, running, twirling...) Guess she didn't need to have her exercise the FIRST day. She was limping a bit, but was better this morning and tonight. The dog door cover thankfully stayed on all day today.

Two month anniversary

Sunday, Feb 1, was Cleo's two month anniversary here. But you know, it's like she's been here forever. She has just fit in so well. I know I say that quite often, but it's true!

Yesterday was a strange day. Cleo had this weird 'thing' about 10:30 in the morning, almost like seizures (I suspected petit mal) lots of foaming at the mouth, smacking, some head bobs/jerking motions, looked at her legs like something was crawling on her. I gave her two antacids. Whatever it was, it lasted about 5-10 minutes. Of course, as soon as I got the camera out to record her - she didn't do anything. maybe a side effect of the Rimadyl or antibiotic? I would have thought I would have seen more if so. Anyway, just weird. Keep your fingers crossed this was an isolated incident. It's on my list to talk to the vet about on Tuesday. Later in the day she seemed fine, but a bit of diarrhea this morning. She got some canned pumpkin with breakfast.