Blankets and Pillows

I am very thankful for blankets and pillows.  There's no place that I feel more safe and warm than under a blanket or pillow.  (It's even better if I'm on a lap under a blanket.)

Five years ago, when I arrived at my new home, one of the first things I did was jump on the couch, knock a pillow over, and slip under it.  I looked so young back then!

Safe and warm in my new home

Soon afterwards, I found that it also felt nice to be under a blanket.

Under a blanket - so comfortable

After much experimentation, I found that I could combine pillows with blankets for an amazing level of comfort.

Does it get better than this?My people are well aware of my love for pillows and blankets, so they've given me a variety of blankets over the years.  One of my favorite is my dachshund blanket.

Doxie wrapped in a doxie :-)I know that I couldn't have made it through my kennel rest without the comfort of my favorite blankie.

My comforting blankie

There wasn't much good about kennel rest, but I did get to combine two of my favorite things while on rest: eating and blankets!

Sorry for droning on and on about pillows and blankets.  When I get on a topic that I love, it's difficult for me to stop.  I have a lot more to say on the topic, but I'll save that for later!  Let me know if you need any advice on how to best use blankets and pillows.

Rehab - Yes, Yes, Yes!

After my IVDD surgery and 6 weeks of kennel rest, I was able to move my back legs.  I couldn't control them well, and I got tired quickly, but they worked! The told me that if I went to rehab I could walk better, so I said yes, yes, yes!

I don't have any pictures or videos of myself in rehab, but I went once a week for 6 weeks.  We did a number of things, but the strangest thing was a machine for walking in the water.  They would put me in a glass box, and then water would start coming in from the floor.  This scared me at first, but a person named Thai made me feel more comfortable.  Thai said everything would be OK, and I believed it.

Then, the floor started moving, and I started walking.  It was very strange, but it felt like my legs didn't have to carry my weight.  It felt like I was flying or something.  It felt great and strange.

Here's a video showing something like what I did:

The rehab helped me walk at home as well.  As part of my therapy, I got to finally go on short walks again.  Here's a video of my walking.  You can see that all my fur didn't grow back yet.  I am limping a bit and having trouble lifting my toes, but you can't tell much in the video.

After months of rehab and hard work, I am back to being healthy and active!  I'm also looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

Looking good

Having IVDD was a scary experience for sure.  However, if any other puppies out there get IVDD, please know that it can be overcome.  I hope that my story helps some other pups get better and not give up hope.  There were times when I almost did, but I pushed myself, and it all paid off.

I heard that some person with a strange name of Winston once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going."  I agree, but I like the musical version better.

Puppy New Year!

Happy 2013 everybody!  I've been doing a lot of thinking about 2012 and what, if anything, I want to change for 2013.

In deep thought

I'm very grateful that I've recovered so well from my IVDD surgery.  That was scary, but it taught me that some scary things can be overcome even if there's a lot of hardship.  I'm very grateful for my home and my family.

However, I have been having trouble with one new family member.  I have alluded to her in the past, but since she is the focus of my 2013 goal, I will finally write about her.  A tiny human moved into my house quite a while ago.  

First, I was very protective of her.  She was so helpless (and noisy).

Checking on the little one

However, as time has passed, this tiny human has gotten bigger and moves around without help.  She seems to like me... a lot... a little too much.  I want to sleep under my blanket, but she pulls the covers off of me and pats me on the head... a little too hard sometimes.  One minute, I want to love and protect her, but the next minute she's bothering me or chasing me!

So, for 2013, I will try to be nice to this little, important pack member as much as I can.  I think I expressed my feelings best in this card that I gave to her for Christmas.

Christmas card to littlest pack memberInside, I wrote:

What a year!

Some days, I didn't know what to think.

Other days, I just needed a drink.

It helps when I have my morning jog,

To deal with the fact that I'm no longer top dog.

Most days, I love that little girl.

I'll try to treat her like a precious pearl.

I do have to say that there are some new fringe benefits.  This little person has been eating real food, and unlike the big people, she throws some food to the floor for me.  (I had some roasted pork on Christmas thanks to this sweetie!)

AnticipationHave a Puppy New Year everyone!

Kennel Rest - BORING!

I have heard that some of my fans are worried about me.  I want to assure y'all that I'm doing great now!  This post is about my recovery from IVDD, but this part happened back in April and May 2012.  I've recovered very well since then.

After my surgery, I needed 6 weeks of strict kenel rest.  This meant that I had to be in my kennel all of the time except for going to the bathroom.  I have to say that this was quite boring.  At first, I was pretty sad about it.

BoredHowever, I eventually figured out how to have a little fun.

Hide and SeekAs the first 6 weeks progressed, I was able to stand on my own for short periods of time outside during pee-time.  I got to the point where I could even take a step or two!  That was a big relief since I couldn't walk at all after the surgery.  

I had to wear my stupid harness even in the backyard, though.  Despite the fact that I could barely stand, my instincts to protect the yard are very strong.  I would try to chase intruders who walked near our fence and hurt myself without the leash.

My times outside were very enjoyable as the 6 weeks went on.  I took full advantage of my time outside, and made sure to spend time doing one of my favorite activities.

Sunning myselfMy next post will describe my rehab over the next few months.  It was a great experience that helped me get to the great health that I'm in today!

Home at Last

Shortly after leaving the hospital, I arrived home.  Like I said in my previous post, I could not move my back legs at all.  However, I could wag my tail.  At least I was able to show my people that I was happy.

I found out that 6 weeks of strict kennel rest meant that I had to be in my kennel all of the time except when I was going to the bathroom and doing my physical therapy.  It was good that I liked being in my kennel already.  I slept in my kennel every night since I met my people, and I also have gone there when I wanted some quite time during the day.

My people changed my kennel a little bit so that they could put me in and take me out through the top.  They learned how do to this at a great IVDD website called Dodger's List.

Looking up through my new convertible

As you can see, I had some strange strings on my back.  I tried to pull them out, but I couldn't reach them.

 At first, I thought I'd be very lonely.  Normally, if I'm in my crate and the door is closed, I can't always get to my people.  I'm very sad when I know they're in the house but I can't get to the same room.  However, I was surprised to find that my crate now had wheels, and my people took me from room to room with them!  I was able to rest peacefully knowing that they were nearby.

Resting peacefully

My people also got the idea for putting my crate on wheels from that great Dodger's List site!  However, instead of using crate casters, they used something called a "car creeper" that is used to work under cars.

My people didn't take any pictures of how they helped me go to the bathroom.  It was awkward and embarassing.  However, just in case anyone reading my blog needs to help their pup go to the bathroom after surgery, I want to include a link with instructions.  It wasn't easy for them or me, but it was important to do several times a day.

Also, my people did some physical therapy for me after every bathroom break.  They moved every joint in my back legs as far as they could 10 times.  They started with my hip, then the knee, then the ankle, then the toes.  It was annoying, but in the end, it seems to have helped my overall recovery.

This video my people found online was very helpful.  Also, Dodger's List has a lot of good information.

It took a while before I could walk.  In my next blog post, I'll talk about how my recovery progressed over the first 6 weeks.