Chilly Playing

Here is Caine playing outside with Roxie.

Update with SouthTown Star Newspaper

Last Wednesday, Donna and Matt from the SouthTown Star Newspaper came to catch up on Caine's progress. They took video and lots of pictures and had me narrate. Check it out at:

http://player.theplatform.com/ps/player/pds/HIxIG5qjOk?pid=2iJPWZuuBGBST0oAyG8me5PINJyVTyRy

Happy Reading!

Update with SouthTown Star Newspaper

Donna from the SouthTown Star wants to get an update on Caine's progress. I've already given her the interview, but she is sending a photographer and video person out on Wednesday to get Caine in action. She wants him eating, drinking, and playing. That is pretty much all he does! Should be good. Look for pics and more info shortly!

After Helping With Yard Work

Caine was very busy this afternoon helping put old plants in the compost bin. He especially enjoyed stealing tomatoes from the compost bin and making a slimy mess out of them. Here he is sleeping on my bed with his buddy Roxie.

Fall 2010

He looks tired in both pictures!

Caine has been doing well. The weather has been getting cooler, but he still has a chance to get to the park almost every day. He plays with his favorite squeaker and chases Roxie around the park. We use hot dogs as treats and rewards for good puppy behavior. We are concerned that he may be a bit underweight as you can see his ribs when he's running. As a treat, he gets hot dogs and he snacks on raw diet food. He is loving the turkey! He also eats veggies such as carrots, cauliflower, and corn. He really loves bananas! The vet said he can have as many veggies as he wants.

It's almost time to get him a winter sweater!

Stinky

Last week, Caine was sprayed by a skunk! He is (obviously) a very curious dog and had his face where it shouldn't have been. He must have been close to the skunk because he got hit directly in the left eye. He was foaming and dripping when he came in the back door. His poor eye was beat red!

He was bathed with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. Tomato paste is a myth!

The whole house stunk for about 2 days, and when you kiss his face, you can still smell the skunk. I did another dose of the mix today and that has helped.

Caine has been doing a great job. Summer is over and the weather is now cooler. He has been for walks each day and gets to run at the park. He is still goofy as ever, and still being spoon fed. He eats fast though..it only takes him about 30 seconds to eat!

Thank you for following Caine's story.

Bathtub Faucet Drinking

Mom and I took the dogs for a long walk this morning before it got too unbearably hot and muggy outside. We walked in the house and Caine went straight to his fountain. Apparently, the water was not coming out fast enough or it wasn't cold enough. Caine walked away from his water fountain and went straight to the bathroom. He jumped in the tub and stared at me as if to say "Can you please turn on the faucet for me?" It was the cutest thing!

He drank from the cold faucet for a few minutes and let the water rise around his ankles. I am so impressed that he thought about trying the bathtub for a cold drink. This just proves that dogs are forward thinkers and problem solvers.

Dog Beach

Over the weekend, Caine went to the Montrose Dog Beach in Chicago. He was a bit skeptical of the waves and water initially, but soon found his way in. He played fetch and did the doggy paddle off the sand bar. He schmoozed with other fun pups and met huge Great Danes and tiny chihuahuas. He dug holes in the sand and raced labs into the water. He became more confident swimming as the days went on and eventually had no problems (as long as I walked beside him as he swam!).

He was also drinking from Lake Michigan. He would gulp water down. I know he had lots to drink because he couldn't wait to pee when we got out of the car.

If he ever lost sight of me while playing on the beach, I'd just call his name, and you could see him stop and listen until he realized which direction my voice was coming from. He's such a love.

He will be in Modern Dog Magazine's fall issue, to be released shortly.

He is still an inspiration to me!

Summer 2010

Caine has been enjoying his summer. He has been playing with his friend Roxie and Tauri and hanging out in his wading pool. We have noticed that he breathes heavy, but, to be honest, I can't remember how he breathed last summer! I do think he is feeling the heat a bit more though. He makes sure to drink plenty of water; whether it be from the pool, the bowl outside, the hose, or his fountain inside. It has been in the 90's with high humidity today and he definitely was not as spunky during his walk. (Neither was I!)

Attached are some pictures of Caine in his pool with Roxie. The picture where his mouth is open looks scary, but he's just goofing off! The picture of him on the floor is after his walk this evening.

Memorial Day Sunday

This afternoon, Caine came with to visit my aunt Joy. This was the first time he met Sid, her new 3 legged dog. They met in the backyard. Caine and Sid sniffed noses, and then Caine went straight for the pond. Sid was more interested in the bread I was tossing to the fish. This video is of Caine and Sid in the back yard 'fishing'.

Caine has never had the opportunity to play with fish and a pond like this, and it's very cute!

Vote for Caine at http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/photocontest/dogs/10/05/30/caine !

Getting Warmer

The weather over the past couple of weeks has been very warm in Chicago. We are starting to see how the weather is affecting Caine. It has been well into the 80's here, and he has been hot! I took him for a walk the other morning and when he came home, he first visited the water fountain and then went into his wading pool for a few minutes. He walks around the pool and attempts to drink water from it. I'm sure he is getting some of it. He also walks to the faucet of the hose and I turn it on for him. When he came inside, he went downstairs and laid on the cold floor. He may be crazy, but he's no idiot! He is only allowed to be outside for a few minutes during the hottest part of the day, and the air conditioning has been on for him (and us!)

Boxers are naturally more sensitive to hot weather. This, of course, works against Caine. On the other hand, he is not full boxer, so that is helping him. I came across a collar that he can wear that supposedly helps keep dogs cooler. (http://www.koolcollarstore.com/ ) You add ice to it, and as the ice melts, and the water will run down his chest. Since dogs cannot sweat, this acts as a sort of pseduo-sweating. The dogs chest is a very vascular area, so it helps to cool his body. In addition to that, he also has a cooling vest. The only issue with the cooling vest is that he keeps messing with it!

I have the summer issue of Modern Dog, and Caine is not in that one. Hopefully he will be in the fall issue!

4 Months and Counting

On May 1, it had been exactly 4 months since Caine's horrific accident. I am happy to say that for the first time this spring, he was able to play in his wading pool out back and get some well deserved sunshine. He sniffed noses with the neighbor dogs and played Tag with Roxie.

A few weeks ago we took him to the vet to be weighed and he was at 68 lbs. He looks good, so we are going to try to keep him at this weight for his own benefit. He may have lost some weight because he cannot eat table scraps anymore!

Caine was in the June issue of Dog Fancy, page 8. We are so happy that his story is being told. He will be in Modern Dog Magazine soon I was told.

My aunt has adopted a bull mastiff with three legs. He is a gentle giant (80 lbs!),and as soon as he is feeling comfortable we are going to have him and Caine meet. I know they will just love each other.

Pictures and videos to come. Thank you to everyone who has followed Caine. He is such a love! Please continue to share his story.

Caine in a Box!

I like to have Caine do silly things. We had this box, and I thought it would be amusing if Caine got in it and sat! He's a good sport about everything.

Tug of War anyone? Anyone?

This video is of Caine playing (and drinking!) in the backyard with his friend Roxie. We've encouraged him to play with his rags to help clean and dry his mouth. He really likes to play tug of war with anyone and everyone!

April is Caine's birthday month, so we will be having a little family birthday party for him, probably this weekend. More fun pictures to come!

Caine will be in Dog Fancy Magazine in June, and Modern Dog Magazine! We are so proud. I will let everyone know when the issues come out. A Modern Dog Magazine subscription is only $15 per year, so I went ahead and ordered it just to be safe. I suppose Caine is a modern dog, seeing as other dogs may have never come into contact with paper shredders. Go Caine!

Spring Time at the Park

Caine has been to the park a few times since the weather has improved. It was 77 here in Chicago today, so for the first time, we were a bit concerned about overheating. Caine went to the park this morning with Ryan and then again when I got home from work. He didn't run around a lot, but he was panting the whole time. We were there for about 45 minutes when I could tell he wanted to head home. We will continue to monitor him as the weather improves.

I keep a towel and alcohol pads with me when we are out. This way, I can wipe his mouth when he gets hot and frothy and if he does overheat, I can use the alcohol pads to cool his body. We will try the cooling vest Amanda bought for him when it's hotter outside.

He had fun playing with neighborhood dogs today!

Stitches

Caine has been doing very well. Recently I was in his mouth cleaning it out, and I noticed that there are 3 stitches left. I looked over his discharge papers from the emergency vet and found that they are dissolvable. I called my family vet and asked the about it. They informed me that it can take months for those to dissolve! He's had those stitches for almost 4 months, and it can't feel good to still have them in.

One of the areas where there is a stitch looks a bit pink and swollen and we were worried that it may be painful or become infected. The vets told us to just wait it out.

Thanks for following!

Keep on keepin on

Caine is doing fantastic! He is back to his new 'normal' self. He is playing hard again with Roxie and hyper as ever. You cannot tell he's had an accident until you see the drool or when he pants and there is no pink tongue poking out of his mouth. The patch that was shaved on his side for the feeding tube is also growing back, but we can still see the outline of the shave. He eats dry food soaked in water and then mixed with wet food. He (and the other dogs) love this mix! He gets no more table scraps and we have to be very careful as far as treats. As rewards and treats now he receives organic dog food that comes in the tube form. We just slice it and he can get those down with minimal problems, just a lot of slobber!

He continues to be a love of a dog and has not let this horrible accident get the best of him. We cannot wait until he is in Dog Fancy! We are very proud of how far Caine has come...if he only knew how special he was. Thank you once again for your thoughts and donations!

Running at Horner Park, Chicago

Caine had a great time running at the park near our place. This was the first time he's been there since his accident. It was more difficult running through the deep snow, but he had a blast! Check out his video and pictures.

Moving Right Along

Caine has been back to his happy, fun-loving self. He is running around and goofing off with his dog friends. His fur is growing in again where it was shaved for the feeding tube and various IVs. The new fur is very soft! He is not drooling as much, at least I don't think. He drools right before he eats and when his food is being prepared. Right now, he gets wet food mixed with dry food that has been soaked in water. My mom mixes this by hand and he salivates like crazy!

Every now and then he will grab a piece of Roxie's dry food, just one piece, and then it just gets stuck in his mouth. He will slobber and chew but it just seems to fuse to the roof or bottom of his mouth. We usually have to go in with a wet paper towel and wipe it out. We do this anyway after he eats to get out the pieces and make sure his mouth is clean. Then we go over his teeth and gums with the wipes.

He has a new routine now. Instead of eating first and going outside, he will eat then come back to bed with me. He's too cute. Then he'll get up with me and start his day. It's amazing what a little ball he can curl up into.

We are going to take Caine to get weighed again because he's been eating really well. He will eat 4 cups of dog food (wet and dry mixed) and then sometimes I'll give him an extra half can of Evangers dog food, which he likes, and is all organic.

We are so proud! He also came to visit my work (a school) and met some teachers. They've heard all about him but finally got a chance to see him and give him some loving. He tried to kiss them and hug them. They all thought that he was just beautiful and so gentle. I really am fortunate that he is such a good natured dog. If he weren't, I'm not sure he would have had such a successful story.

Last night I was checking my e-mail and I had a message from a freelance writer. She writes for DogFancy, and would like to have a story about Caine in their June issue! We are so excited for him. The more people who know about this, the better. The interview is tomorrow and then we'll just have to wait.

One Month Later

It has been exactly one month since Caine's horrific accident. It is hard to believe that it has been that long because we are still very much feeling the after shock. I still remember the phone call to me and my mom's shaky voice. I remember catching the flight home and driving two hours from Milwaukee because the Chicago flights were full. That first night at the emergency vet where he was groggy but still managed to give us kisses and wag his tail as blood stained saliva dripped from his lips. Even then, he was such a trooper and had come so far! My family was completely shaken during those first 4 days, an emotional roller coaster. Although he is doing great, we still feel so horrible that this happened to him. We wish we could take that moment back, but the past cannot be changed. We must move forward!

To celebrate his one month, he had some extra meatballs. Although he doesn't need the food in meatball form any longer, he still enjoys it. He has vomited twice in the past 3 days. He has no real trouble getting it up, and it was mostly liquid. Earlier today our other dogs also vomited, so we are wondering if their bag of dry food is bad. Caine has been getting some dry food in his wet. We are going to call the company (Purina One) tomorrow to investigate. He also went for a nice long walk tonight around the neighborhood to smell the smells and listen to other dogs. He came in and drank from his fountain for a while and now he's asleep on the couch. He will be going to the dog park again shortly.

I am still going to update his blog although he is better. I want to keep people posted and up to date as to how he is doing. He is drooling a lot (although not as much as when he first came home) but that is to be expected. Just make sure you have a towel handy!

I'm sure that once the Chicago winter passes he will be out in full swing. I'm curious to see how he does when the weather gets warm. I think that he will realize that he can't run around as much as he did (or maybe he can!) and he will naturally slow down a bit. I will make sure to always have a water bottle on hand during our walks/jogs.

I continue to receive donations. Thank you so much! His vet bills have exceeded $3,000, but at least he is still here with us. You cannot put a price tag on the joy that a dog brings day in and day out. At least he doesn't need meatballs anymore!

7am Romp in the Backyard

In this video, Caine and Tauri were outside for their morning romp. It's kind of dark but you can still see them play. Caine also drank alot from his fountain yesterday while they were playing! The other picture is of me spoon feeding him because he does not need meatballs anymore. We have also begun to mix dry food (soaked in water) with his wet food and spooning it to him. We know that he could probably take it from a plate at his eye level as well.

Many people have asked me about grooming. He does try to groom himself. His front legs will be soaked and sometimes he chews on them and tries to lick. We will take a warm, wet face cloth and rub his legs down, or have him hop in the tub for a rinse. We also wash his face, because he'll shake his head from side to side and saliva will be on his nose.

He is very tired after playing all yesterday and came home and fell right asleep. He's still does not have all of the stamina and energy he used to, but he'll get there.

Moving Ahead

Caine has done remarkably well. He is eating on his own now and we have seen him drink water from his fountain. We haven't seen him drink since Monday, but we are confident that he is comfortable with it. The important thing is that he knows he can do it.

At the vet yesterday, he weighed 67.3 pounds. He has gained one more pound this week! In total, he has gained 4 pounds back. Our goal is between 74 and 75 pounds. This is what he weighed before the accident.

Tonight he will go to visit his dog friend Tauri in Orland Park. They haven't seen each other since December and I'm sure they'll have a ball. Caine has been sleeping a lot, and it doesn't take much to tire him, but a bit of fun is in store. I know that he'll get tired, but he'll have fun too. I have to make sure to bring his fountain! Maybe Tauri will have a sip too.

Caine is feeling better all around. He is getting into things and being his nosy old self again. Sometimes he'll start really frothing and that usually means there is something in his mouth or he THINKS there is something there. Yesterday, he had a tiny piece of paper just behind is bottom front teeth. It's amazing that the tongue can do so much, we don't even realize. Each night before bed, we rinse his mouth with water and wipe it clean with a damp paper towel. He also has teeth wipes that we use to freshen up his breath and help keep his teeth and gums healthy.

We are still waiting to hear from the shredder company. I have sent many emails but with no response. I will continue until I do receive some sort of response back.

I am so happy with how the word has spread. I hear all the time of people telling their friends and family about Caine and immediately unplugging their shredder! That is great news. If we can keep this from happening again, that would be wonderful. Caine is adapting well but still is healing.

Dr. King has said that Caine has made it this far because of his dedicated owners, but Dr. King has also helped tremendously. He's worked with us very closely this past month (it's been 30 days!), calling almost daily to check on Caine and give us ideas. I think Caine has taught Dr. King a lot, but we have also learned so much from this situation. Caine has also become close to the staff at the Chicago Heights Animal Hospital, giving out kisses and hugs. It is so nice to see that there are so many people rooting for our Caine Boy.

I think it's a lot to take on, mentally and physically, and that is another reason why he gets so tired. Thank you to everyone who keeps him in their thoughts. I really appreciate all of the kind words and donations. I hope to put some pictures of Caine and Tauri up later.

Water Fountain and dry food SUCCESS!

After romping outside, Caine just came in and drank from his fountain!! We are SO EXCITED! We did lower it so it is a bit below his eye level, and he drank a lot because we could hear the reservoir bubble with the decrease in water level. We gave him lots of hugs and kisses to praise him and encourage the drinking from the fountain. He tilted his head to the right and just drank like he's been doing it his whole life.

This evening we also had Caine try some dry dog food. This was recommended by Dr. Mann at the University of Missouri. He said that I will not have to make meatballs for the rest of my life (yay!). Hunger will drive him. We put about a cup of dry food on a plate to make it easier for him to get into his mouth. I dribbled some water on it just to make it a bit less crunchy. He was definitely motivated to eat that. I did open up a can of Evanger's all natural wet dog food and he also ate that from the plate. I gave him the food off of a spoon too, which he took with no problem.

He probably ate about a 1/4 of the dry food cup. I gave him the entire Evanger's food, and then about 30 meatballs. For dessert, he had a ball of cream cheese and a piece of strawberry.

Earlier today my mom gave him a couple jello balls. He didn't care for the cherry chicken flavor, but did take them if tossed. He ate about 7 or 8. He did drop one on the floor and then stepped on it. He didn't like the feel of jello between his toes.

Later tonight I'm going to try the dry food again. He wont be that hungry, but I think he'll be hungry enough to try to eat it. By the time he was done with the plate of dry food, it was full of slobber!

Caine is really adapting well to his new way to eat and drink.

Bath Time

Caine has been feeling great since his feeding tube was removed. He is perky and is getting more like his old self. He's starting to be more care free and play with Roxie a bit rougher. We're not so worried anymore because the tube is out.

His wound is healing well. You can barely see it anymore! He had his first bath since the accident today. Usually he would try to lick his legs to help me 'rinse' him off, but today, he didn't even try. I'm beginning to wonder if he is realizing that he does not have a tongue. I'm not sure what the intelligence level of a dog is! He just stood in the tub and let us suds him up and then he sat under the blow dryer. He is a good groomee!

We've made him some Jello. Initially we were told to give him sugar free jello, but Dr. King said not to. There is some chemical that is in the sugar free jello that can cause a drop in blood sugar and then liver toxicity. That is a no go, but we bought regular jello. Instead of boiling water, we added boiling chicken broth! He hasn't tried it yet. Cherry chicken jello.

Tomorrow is going to be the first day he is home alone since the accident. We have less to worry about since the tube is out, and we have picked up everything that may be some sort of choking hazard. The other dogs make sure there is no food on the ground, so we are thankful for that!

Caine did vomit this evening. He came in from outside. He must have gotten into something out there, because Roxie also vomited. We watched him carefully, because that was one thing that all the vets are worried about. We do not want him aspirating. He was able to get it all up though, with the help of his saliva! He didn't seem to have any problem though, so that is comforting.

This Saturday, if he is feeling well, Caine may go visit his friend in Orland Park, Tauri. He has not seen her since his accident and I'm sure he would like to get out and play with his old friend for a while.

We are so proud of Caine!

Caine in the Yard

Caine is just walking around the yard in this video. I was hoping he would play a bit with Roxie, but today is not the day! He is feeling well, getting back to his old self. A bath is planned for tonight!