August 21, 2012

White Dog and all of the White Dog Army, especially Quinn, want to thank you for your positive thoughts, healing vibes, and loving concern. Somehow it is easier to be brave and patient when there are paws and arms wrapped around you in support.

The Other White Dog's visit to Dr. Julia today resulted in his return with bandages on BOTH back legs...the sugar wrap on the right and a shin guard of sorts on the left.

The vet and Steve in discussing the strategy to heal the wound and get Quinn walking again determined that a big part of the slow healing is because the wounded leg is the one that TOWD sleeps on and that it is the leg that he drags through the dog door or falls on. So the wound is constantly being stressed. Their thinking is to keep sugaring and rebandaging daily to promote healing and prevent further damage.

Since Quinn's back leg issue still causes him to fall over or slide slowly until he is splayed the additional thought is to provide a padding for the other leg as a preventative...sort of like goalie gear in human hockey. Even if he does fall the leg is less likely to be scraped or cut. Kind of a far reach but we are trying to make sure "little" daily life stuff like getting bumped or scraped doesn't hinder or setback the progress of the big picture treatment, which is neurologically getting his legs to function properly.

Quinn is not sure he likes his athletic wear but understands that this is an experiment that might help...or that we might discontinue in a week or so. He is a patient boy. The rest of the White Ones have examined the purple stripes on TOWD's legs with curiosity but from afar knowing not to frighten their already confused brother. So they give him space but check in often and wait to see what tomorrow holds...as do I.

As a happier FYI, Steve and YoYoMa are up to running a bit over 3 miles every morning. It is doing wonders for both of them in terms of stress release. Additionally, both boys are proud of their weight loss as a result of the increased exercise. Dr. Julia will be very proud of our YAWD (and probably of Steve, too). This morning, just to keep them honest, White Dog joined the run. She reports that they could have kept going, it was SHE that wanted to come home and put her paws up!