Keeping It In Perspective

Yesterday evening Robert and I paused and wondered, if after nearly two weeks of remarkable recovery on DJ's part, was he backsliding? Was that a limp he's developed today? Did we let him walk or run too much? Should I not have allowed him to go up and down the stairs yet? We fretted and worried. Would we wake up to find him unable to walk well or falling again?

This morning DJ went down the stairs easily and with coordination. He trotted out to the backyard readily. His hind legs still kind of swing from side to side, but they have all along. His back paws don't always land solidly on the ground, but for the most part he seems to find where to put them and moves along. In other words, we didn't need to worry, but we didn't know that. A new day brought reassurance— and some perspective.

Today the dogs also got a special treat: bones. Now, if you have a Yorkshire Terrier or a Jack Russell, or even a Woodle, then you might think the bones we give our dogs are absurd. Even most dogs that are wonderful mixes, as humans are, of various genetic traits might find these bones to be enormous. You might think they're from Tyrannasourous Rex, these bones are so giant. But our dogs are like the NBA players of the dog world—only without the grace and athleticism of professional basketball players. Our dogs are, relatively speaking, huge.

So the bones we give our dogs, are just the right size for them. They can gnaw on the bones and chew to their hearts content; holding them and moving them easily with their gigantic paws. I realized this morning watching them, that they operate so intuitively, not stopping to think, our dogs don't need perspective. They are in the moment. We however, are prone to think about the past, the future, and wonder in the present. Sometimes just a little perspective though, can help us realize that we are what we are, and comparison to others— or worry about the past or the future— just takes us away from the here and now. Perfect or not, that's what we've got, so we're going to try to keep it in perspective and in the present. How's that for something to chew on?

Standing Ovation

Sometimes the successes in your life come from where you least expect them. Last week was a difficult week for the Fursons. Our youngest Furson, DJ Puppy aka Furzee, had spinal surgery. He has a condition called Wobbler's Syndrome, which as you might guess, is indicated by an inability to walk in a stable way: the dog wobbles. DJ first exhibited symptoms around Christmas time, when he fell— down some stairs. Then again on a slippery floor. We first thought he pulled muscles, or that our floors were too slick. Then we thought he might have blown out his knee when he fell the first time. We took him to the vet and they prescribed some pain relief and said to come back in a week or two if he didn't improve. He didn't improve, and in fact started to drag his front paws on walks. Fortunately Robert researched enough to suspect that this indicated a sign of nerve damage. We got him into a neurologist who immediately recommended an MRI. Following the MRI, it was determined that DJ Puppy has Wobbler's—a syndrome where the spinal cord outpaces the growth of the vertabrae, compressing the spinal cord and causing nerve damage and a loss of control of his limbs. It's a condition that causes falls, rather than the falls causing the condition.

After seeing Dr. Sisson at Angell Memorial in Boston, we booked a date for DJ to have surgery. This appeared to instantly improve DJ's condition. His paws started dragging less within two weeks. His mood improved. He fell less frequently. As he seemed to stabilize, we questioned whether or not to even do the surgery. It's an expensive procedure with a small but real chance of catastrophic results. We consulted our neurosurgeon; he wisely reminded us that while we could keep DJ on anti-inflammatory medication, this syndrome is progressive. Which means that if we did not act at some point, it's likely he would become paralyzed. The doctor also advised that the better condition the dog is when he goes into surgery, the better the results.

So we did it. Or rather, the outstanding and wonderful Dr. Sisson did it. It was an 8-hour operation. DJ was in the animal hospital for two nights. Dr. Sisson mixed DJ's dinner by hand and personally took him on the short outings to check his progress. There is a six inch incision on DJ's chest, and another small one on his shoulder where a bone graft was taken. When we went to pick DJ up last Wednesday, he was again falling. It was a difficult, difficult week. The nature of the operation required our 136 pound dog to be in an extended position for a long time; this potentially caused additional pressure on the spine; our doctor thought this would be temporary but our own nerves were tender and we as "dog parents" were worried all over again when we picked him up last week.

But resilience is key to survival. Dr. Sisson was correct in his projection that DJ Puppy would likely continue to improve daily, and over the course of just one week, DJ has gone from post-spinal surgery drunken dog to fast-moving big beast! He's walking (even running at times) well, his mood is getting back to Joyful (his middle name, remember?), and he's as naughty as ever. Just yesterday he started to put his mammoth paws up on the counter at the vet's to reach a treat from a jar at the back of the counter. All of which I take as a good sign.

Here's another good sign, one that the universe is supporting you even when you don't know it. For Christmas I had made a calendar of images of family pets for our niece & nephews. Apparently our nephew Ben, a brave and talented public speaker, brought the calendar to school—and reportedly his middle school class has fallen in love with DJ. They heard about the surgery, and on Tuesday, while DJ was still at the hospital, Ben raised his hand and asked his teacher if he could make an announcement. Of course, she said. Well, he reported, DJ Puppy has come through the surgery and is recovering nicely. The class applauded—and continued on to give him a standing ovation. It might be the equivalent of a middle school urban legend, but I suspect it's all true. While DJ (and we) were struggling, an entire class of young people—the next generation of doctors and presidents and teachers—were showing faith in Furzee's resilience. Well, they were right. He's doing just fine.

Thanks for all the support,
the Fursons

For more information on Dr. Sisson, Angell Memorial Hospital, or Wobbler's Syndrome, see:
www.mspca.org/vet-services/angell-boston/neurology/neurology-casestudy.html