Category Archives: All About Max

All About Max

Lazy Sunday

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Max recoversPoor Pam.  Today is her last day of vacation; back to work tomorrow. We’re hoping for a nice sunny day so we can relax in the backyard and a have a nice bbq.

He's got his eye on you!I am going to take Max to the Watershed park today. He seems to be a bit depressed the last little while. I think he needs some stimulation, so we’re going to take him for a walk. His left front paw is still the primary cause for concern. When he “prances” there seems to be no problems. But without the speed, he stumbles.

And that clearly frustrates him, or maybe demoralizes him. Anyway – the poor guy looks bored to me. So hopefully the walk in the park will excite him. When we drive to the park, as soon as we get on the parkway, he sits up, his ears perk, and he “voices” his eagerness. We’ll see if today’s ride produces the same results.

If any of you watch the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, last night he had an episode about a ridgeback cross with 3 legs, and man, he could run – faster than a lot of 4 legged dogs! I know Max could be just like that – but I think he’s not going to need such drastic measures.

Dick suggested we get him a glove – like Micheal Jackson – to help keep the paw straight! Not a bad suggestion.

All About Max

Sept 12 Update for Max

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Last night Dr Shawn called (our Vet) and he was pleased with the improvement Max has been showing and said that as long as things are holding the course and he’s improving, no need to see him yet, that he will call in a weeks time. Up to now the office has been calling every day or two to see how Max has been doing. I can’t tell you how impressed I have been by that. It’s really made me feel like we’ve finally found a vet that cares and goes that extra mile. If you want your pet to have good care, take them to Scottsdale Veterinary Hospital on Scottroad and 70th avenue, across from the Krispy Kreme.

Anyways no major change in Max since the post 2 days ago. He’s still walking now on all 4’s at times, but sometimes he knuckles the front left paw, and sometimes he walks normally. He’s unsteady at times and leans to one side, but he’s mobile and able to get himself in and out of the back patio area up and down one stair. He could not do a whole flight of stairs, but for the one, he’s able to manage. Last night was the first night he has slept without a pain med to settle him and he did ok. I came upstairs to bed at 2:30 and he was panting away , and after I gave him a good long drink of water he settled.

we have been keeping the bedroom window open for fresh air and the fan on oscillate to move the air around at night as it can get stuffy upstairs. and we have to keep the door closed at night so he doesn’t fall down the stairs.  Anyways that’s been more comfortable for Maxie, who is quite sensitive to the heat.

Our company has gone now and the place is quiet, Max was pretty good with having new people in the house, especially good really, considering he’s a barker and growler when “strangers” to him are around.. he did bark a bit at first but then he was pretty good. 🙂 Way to go Maxie!

A huge thanks to Nick for bringing us his gift of the watercolour of Buck. Nick you will never know how much this means to us. We lost Buck not quite a year ago now, and it’s still painful for us, so to have him back with us like this, is a great comfort. A great comfort. Our family is whole again. 🙂 Now when Maurice and I are in the family room with Maxie, we have Buck watching over us 🙂 Our angel Buck. You made that happen Nick, and it is an extremely meaningful gift.

Today is a lovely sunny day and my vacation is coming to an end. I’m back to work in 2 days, but I’m hopeful my brother Peter will be coming out to visit us after this next stretch I have to work…  Come Peter, and you can see Maxie’s recovery and fight to get back on the road to health. 🙂

…Pam…

All About Max

Encouraging words

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Max in the Watershed I feel very good about Max’s prospects for the future. It’s seems clear to me that he is going to battle through this. Max even played with us last night. We sat around and rolled a ball at him. He’d grab it and spit it back to us!

He’s willing to get up by himself and walk a few steps to grab a treat from my hand. His back leg is good, but not great. His front leg he can manage if we walk quickly, but when we slow down, he can’t seem to “throw the leg” far enough forward for the paw to hit flat, and “knuckles over.”

Yesterday was pretty hectic! My sister is here and I’m helping her get up to speed writing her own blog. As we were going over a few things, the coffee pot spilled all over the joint! We’ve got a finicky coffee pot, and we’d just put on a new pot, but the filter basket wasn’t seated properly and the whole pot is over the counter! lol Coffee not confined by a cup, tends to run everywhere! As soon as we got that mess done, Max leaves us a nice present in the family room! lol

At least he’s not constipated!

But seriously, Max really seems to be recovering nicely. I’m pretty much over the idea that this was a stroke. Of the three possibilities, (stroke, myeo-something, or the degenerative disc) I’m thinking it’s this myeo-whatever. His mind is clearly not affected. No facial paralysis either. So this “thing” seems to be that a piece of cartilage has broken off his spine, and lodged in a most unfortunate place. But dogs do recover from this. Doc M has spoken.

He sometimes staggers a bit when he gets up, trying to find a tripod balance, like maybe he had a couple too many beer, which is kind of comical, if it weren’t so serious. But he’s making the effort to get up and drink his water and eat normally too.

Have a happy Thursday, people!

All About Max

Max Update Sept 8th 2009

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Max slept upstairs with us again, and did pretty well. No diarrhea last night. He got up with Maurice this AM around 6:30 and Maurice carried Max downstairs and out and he peed. His appetite continues to be good, and we are encouraged by the occasional correct usage of his left front paw. (usually he’s got it curled though and not walking on it, but the few good steps shows us that he is correcting it and knows he has a foot there at least. I’ve not done a pain test to see if he reacts to pain on the foot, but should do. I’ll try it when I do his range of motion exercises. Well, I may as well do those right now so I can let you know the results ! Be right back.Max hurting

Ok… well his range of motion was good. I did not get a response when I pinched his paw but I was not pinching too hard, Maurice said he did get a response this morning so that’s great. As I was on the floor doing Max’s range of motion exercises and massaging his legs and shoulder the Vet called (Shawn) and he wanted a progress report. He was pleased with what I told him regarding the walking. He said that sounded really hopeful, and he decreased his prednisone to one tab per day now instead of one tab 2x a day. He asked if there was still blood in the stool and I told him no, none that we saw. He was happy with that. He asked about the diarrhea and I told him last night was good, but night before was 3x… he’s asked that we monitor it and if he continues to have diarrhea by the weekend when he will call for his next report, that he will add a medication.

So the short of it is: vet is happy, prednisone decreased, all other meds the same. We’ll continue to do range of motion and massage on the limbs.

All About Max

Max update Sept 7th 10:35 AM

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Well yesterday was a good day for Max in regard to his walking. We are definately seeing him use is front left paw correctly for some steps. Usually about 3 steps and then he knuckles (walks on top of foot, foot curled under). It’s much better than the constant dragging he’s been doing with it.

Yesterday he had some diarrhea and was incontinent x 3. He really tried to let us know, when he looks like he wants to get up and walks towards us, we need to remind ourselves that it’s not necessarily a warm glow feeling that he wants to be with us.. it’s usually a signal that he wants to go out and that it’s urgent and if we don’t move it, we’ll be in cleaning mode!

He slept upstairs with us last night and had one accident at 3 AM. M and I were sleeping and we woke to see him walking in the room, and we flicked he light on to find he had been trying to get to the bedroom door (which we close at night so he can’t fall down the stairs). Anyways we were able to clean him and the room up pretty fast (we are getting to be pro’s! We had the windows wide open and the fan going and this morning the room smells pretty good 🙂 It’s all good. We are just so happy to see him using that front left paw some… it’s hopeful.

I slept in this morning to almost 10 am, and came down to find him resting in the family room with Maurice, Karen, Dick and Nick.. so he’s not lonely! 🙂 I’ve got his bedding in the wash, but it’s no hardship for him as he has 3 beds.  He ate his morning pills, I had sneakily cut a slice in a piece of sausage and gave it to him, and he spit the pill out, but then when he  realized it still had part of the sausage smell on the pill, he ate the pil! Then he started licking the carpet where the sausage had been briefly when he spit it out with the pill…  I think he likes the sausage! It’s one way to get a clean carpet  lol

All About Max

Max update: Sunday Sept 6th 1:30 pm

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Max had a pretty good night. I didn’t sleep all that well even though I was in my own bed, I ended up drifting but waking every hour or so as he shifted or moved, I was worried he had gotten into an awkward position with his left paw … not to worry, he did great. No pee’s or poops during the night.

M got him up when he got up at 0600 and took him out and he pee’d.  still no poop today so I’m hopeful the diarrhea is slowing or over.. PLEASE let it be done!

Today was M’s day to do the grouse grind and he and Michelle completed it. M left the house to meet Michelle at around 8 AM, and about 8:20 Max tried to get up and come towards me.. I felt a warm glow inside thinking he wanted to be near me…   NOPE… he wanted up the 3 stairs to the kitchen area, and he hung a left and we walked to the door, and he promptly sat down at the top of the stairs, Waiting for Maurice!  I went to the front door and opened it and asked him if he needed to go out? he got up and we made it down 2 stairs and he stood their looking at where the car should be… Maurice wasn’t there.. so there was nothing for it but to wait.. so he plunked his rear down on the cement, and the vigil began… we waited for 3.5 hrs or so.. for the first 2 hrs each car that came by, he would lift his head and look… after 2 hrs, he didn’t lift his head any more.. he seemed sad..   I knew M was on his way home, but Max got up and turned to the house to go back in…  we went inside and to the top of the stairs, and M pulled in the driveway.. we had just gotten inside.  The neighbours were giving Max and me the fisheye as they looked at the pair of us sitting out on the stoop, but to heck with them.. 🙂

When M walked Max back into the family room, we saw him take 3 normal steps with his left front paw.. things ARE looking up, and we continue to marvel and the leaps and bounds our boy is making. GO MAX GO! Many thanks to those who are emailing or phoning to see how Max is doing, and who are reading our blog. We all appreciate your support.

Company is coming in 3 hrs or so, I’ve got a few more things to do around the house, will give another update tomorrow. We will try Maxie in our room again tonight, with the door closed so he can’t wobble out to the stairs and fall.  he was good as gold last night and today. I think he’s depressed when Maurice is not with him… as soon as he came home, all was right in Max’s world.
…Pam…

All About Max

Saturday Sept 5th 10:45 pm Max update

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Well we took him out and he only pee’d.. we are going to try and see how he does tonight sleeping upstairs with us, we gave him his pain med, he settled so well last night we are hoping that tonight he will do the same. We’ve not seen any Bowel movement yet today so hopefully the diarrhea is slowing.. we have pads upstairs in case,  if we catch it in time, fingers crossed! I know.. TMI (to much information) but it’s a part of what we are dealing with here.

Tonight, i broke down when he came back in the house, I saw him use his left front paw for a few steps, so it’s given me the lift I needed. I don’t know if it was sheer coincidence or not, but he looked like he was using it…

Anyways, he’s got his bed upstairs and it’s in the spot he usually sleeps in. I know I’m not really going to get much sleep tonight, but i miss being with Maurice and so we need to try this, it’s too hard the other way. So as a family, we sleep upstairs tonight! Wish us luck.

Tomorrow M and his friend Michelle are tackling the grouse grind, GOOD LUCK YOU TWO!  and I’ll stay home with Maxie. Karen, Dick and Nick arrive later in the day so thats nice we will be able to see them. 🙂 Life can sure change in a heartbeat, and this is one more confirmation that you need to live your life to the fullest because you never know when something like this can strike you…  well, enough of my musings, I’m off to join the guys upstairs.

…Pam…