We took Cory in to a Veterinary Neurologist at the beginning of March, and were told that Cory probably has a rotator cuff injury on his right front shoulder (which is causing him to limp) and one or more herniated disks which are causing his hind legs not to function properly. In the short time that has gone by since that visit to the specialist Cory has pretty much lost his ability to go on a walk without a lot of assistance or to go up or down stairs without his life jacket on. The Neurologist said that he believes that whatever Cory has wrong is “fixable” with surgery, but of course we won’t know for sure until Cory undergoes diagnostic testing. We began with having a geriatic work up done on Cory to make sure his kidneys, liver and other vitals are in good order (they are), and we had chest X-rays done to be sure he does not have systemic cancer (he does not), so Cory is going in for an MRI this coming Thursday. He will have to be fully sedated for the procedure, so I am rather nervous but at the same time we realize that if we don’t do this soon Cory may not even be able to walk about in the house for much longer. I would love to hear from anyone who has gone through diagnostic testing (when your dog is under sedation), or about your experiences with surgical repairs on your dogs. Our hope is that we can get Cory fixed and that we have some pain-free seasons to look forward to ahead for him to go camping and swimming with us.
Ever since Cory’s grand maul seizure (which Sandy explains in vivid detail in the upcoming book, Cory’s Story), Cory has had to wear a lifejacket when he swims. Dogs with epilepsy have been known to have seizures in the water, which often result in tragic endings. Cory doesn’t mind his lifejacket at all, but whenever we take Cory to the beach to go swimming, he usually gets some raised eyebrows from people.
“What is that?”
“Does he have to wear that because he gets cold?”
“Dogs can swim just fine you know”
etc…
Cory’s proud of his lifejacket, so here are some stylin’ pictures of him sporting his gear.
Cory wearing his lifejacket
Cory in his lifejacket
Has your dog ever worn a lifejacket? What would you think if you saw a dog wearing one? Leave a comment and let me know!
As most of you know, “Cory’s Story” is the name of a book that I am writing. I have most of it done, and am now in the process of “fine tuning” it. I had lunch today with Shirley Enebrad who recently published her book “Over the Rainbow Bridge” which is one of my favorite books of all time. Shirley shared with me some of her experiences about writing and publishing a book, and she is going to refer me to her publisher. I am hopeful that “Cory’s Story” may be ready by mid to late summer. Coincidentally, Shirley’s story is also about a “Cory,” whose life experiences will positively affect anyone who reads it. Here is a link to her website, and you can purchase her book at amazon.com. Check out the reviews of her book on amazon.com!! While you are waiting for “Cory’s Story” I strongly recommend that you read “Over the Rainbow Bridge”!
www.overtherainbowbridge.com
This is one of my favorite Cory pictures. I sat here for a few minutes trying to think of a good caption for it, when I finally decided that maybe you all could come up with something better. What do you think?
Caption this!
I visited home and Cory this weekend, and it was definitely a mixed bag of good news and bad news. The good news was that Cory was spritely as ever, demanding attention and wanting to play, just like a puppy. The bad news is that his hind legs are becoming weak from what we think could be a herniated disc in his spine. We plan to take him in soon for a full series of diagnostics so we can determine what might be wrong.
What’s really tough here is that Cory’s mental abilities and his senses seem to be outliving his physical abilities by a long shot. His sight, hearing, and sense of smell seem to be completely normal, and he responds readily to his name, or any talk of a walk, chow, or playing toys. We know that as long as Cory is completely there mentally and with his senses, we have plenty more time with him. It’s just a matter of helping him deal with the pain he’s experiencing in his right shoulder and his hind legs.
I’ll keep you all updated. Cory says hi to all his fans =)
Cory on March 6, 2010
As I mentioned in my previous post, we all love to go camping as a family in the Summer. So, I thought it’d be appropriate to share some of our favorite camping activities with Cory!
Can you spot the doggy ready to go camping?
Is this a rabbit or a dog?
Cory has no fear of heights
But mom, I just woke up yesterday!
What are your favorite summer activities with your dog? Leave a comment and tell us!
So we took Cory into the Vet today in search for a remedy for his pain. He’s limping on his front right shoulder and dragging his back feet. We got some uplifting and hopeful news from the Vet, which Sandy will share with you all soon (Or if you’re the impatient type, look at the previous blog post, “Dealing with Pain Management” and go to the comments section, where she has detailed quite a bit of it). In the meantime, I found this picture of Cory in good health, doing one of his favorite pasttimes: chewing a big stick. The Summer is just around the corner and we hope to have Cory’s pain under control before we embark on our many usual Summer camping trips.
Cory helping make firewood at the campsite
Cory is having some pain issues related to inflammation and arthritis. We have tried two different medications, neither of which worked. We took him into his vet on Monday and she has referred him to a neurologist, who we’ll see tomorrow. The vet took a blood draw and had a “geriatric panel” done on it, and the good news is his kidneys have improved quite a bit since his last blood draw, 5 months ago. His creatinine level has dropped from a 2.8 (5 months ago) to a 1.8!!! The normal range is 0.6 to 1.2, so we have made significant progress (thank you Renal Essential supplements!!!) Cory’s vet said we need to keep him moving, so I have started getting up early to take him for a morning walk and of course when I get home he gets an evening walk. He moseys along like an old Grampa, but I now understand that we need to keep his muscles from becoming weak. A shout out of thanks to those of you who have written with interesting suggestions for pain management!
Here’s one that will help melt that snow and get you in the mood (as if you needed any help) for Spring! Cory and I were both puppies in this beach shot.
Two puppies playing in the water on the Washington Coast
