Updates

June 16, 2000

Hi, everyone,
Just talked to the vets office on Buddy. He is eating more, and he can walk a bit now, they have to use a sling to hold him up to potty,

  The bed I took in to him is a bit too soft for him, He gets caught up  in it, so I am going down to buy a crib mattress for him. It is firm and thick and plastic coated to wipe down, crib sheets to change. I use these for my guys they last forever, and they are about the size of a very large dog bed.  We have them all over.
 Bonnie

Hi again, I talked to the vets about the donations, they are so pleased with the response, I am sure they will take credit card donations, The phone number is
 321-724-0234, 
I don't know what to say to you all for all you are doing. I am crying as I write this, I know this baby has a great family out there.
Sorry I can't write now.
Bonnie

NOTE
Dr Stiener took Buddy home with him for the weekend, in order to monitor his condition and his care.  What a terriffic vet!

Update, June 19, 2000

Good Afternoon everyone.

Just returned from the vets for the third time today.  I picked Gracie up from the emergency  clinic  at 7:30 this morn and transported her to
Dr. Stiener's office, she still had her I-V in.
  She stayed at Stieners until 2:00 then I went back to get her. She is home, she has pneumonia. she is resting good right now,
treating her with amoxicillin 500mg
twice a day for twenty days. 

Buddy has put on 4 lbs this week and is
holding on. Doc says he can see light and dark.  He has attached himself to a vet tech
and he howls when he can't smell her. 
His x-rays  came out good on his leg, no bone
damage, just muscle damage and scar tissue
built up around the muscle. He needs water
therapy to  help build up his muscles.
 She has been taking him to a pool, rats I don't have one.

They think he will be coming here in about 10
days from today.  He has built up to two cups
of food a day, but it has to be spread out,  still using the sling to hold him up to potty,
  He can stand and walk,  but can not squat to go.  When he stands he rocks back and forth on his back legs to support himself. 
 He even got a bath and loved it.

Progress for both, Thanks for Your support.
Bonnie

June 26, 2000

  We have Progress,  We even got a big surprise today. 
 Buddy has some vision.   Not sure how much but can see a little now,
  This is great. He is thesweetest little guy you ever held in your arms. 

I need some fat pills, With all the diet
pills out there ,  surly there are some fat pills, Just Kidding,  We got some work
to do. He has eye meds three times a day, pet tabs,
 I will add some K-Zyme to his food.
  So far all my guys know he is ill and have been very loving.

Bonnie

June 27, 2000

Buddy is doing hydrotherapy to improve his muscles.

Hi all,
Buddy's pool party is over. The pictures are bad, but seeing him in person is
worse. Somehow through all of this his spirit is so strong. When Bonnie and
her daughter Christina lifted the back door of the van, I spoke to him and
offered my hand for a sniff, the tail was just wagging for as weak as he
is, he still has alot of love to give. When he was lifted out of the van like
a piece of crystal only three of his four legs were on the ground. The
back leg that has the atrophied muscles doesn't have enough stretch to reach
the ground. He did manage to walk from the road to my front door. Our kids
were tucked away in various places so he wouldn't get to nervous. He came
into the house like a trooper and went straight out to the pool
enclosure, from there the crystal dog was lowered in. You could see the
concern cross his face, but he didn't struggle or even whine, just accepted
his fate or maybe he trusts the hands he's in now. He flails with his front
legs, Chris is hanging on to him keeping his head above water, if she had let
him go he would have sunk for sure.  After a few seconds the back legs started
to stroke, he had his own cheering section and seemed to stroke a little
harder trying to reach the steps. It was all over in a minute. He
stopped, exhausted his energy burned up, so we let him rest for a few and let
him down in the water again, instincts take over,  only this time all
four legs are going, he has the determination to come back and be the dog he
once was. We did this three times, got him out wrapped in a big towel and put
him on the porch carpet to rest.  I checked his pulse, it was so rapid, I
worried for a few minutes until I felt it start to slow down. We noticed him
starting to shiver ,so Jody (my son) got us the hair dryer, the noise of it
didn't seem to bother him at all and he liked the stream of warm air.  After
we got him dry, his back legs started to spasm, turned the dryer back on and
the heat seemed to soothe them. Everywhere on this boy are pockets of
infection in various stages of healing. The loss of hair around his eyes is
from the infection he had in them according to the vet, little hairs are
starting to fill in, but the skin underneath still looks sore and swollen. He
also has a discharge from his nose. We can't put him on antiboitcs yet, his
digestive system just can't handle them.

More updated photos!