7 Years Later

No news is good news! We are at the 7 year mark. Caine has been doing well and life has been good to him. He turns 11 (!) this April so he's definitely a senior citizen. He likes to eat dinner at 4pm and be in bed by 9! He got in trouble recently for breaking a window (twice) barking at the mail carrier. Needless to say, he may be getting older but he's still a puppy at heart. I don't think that will ever change.

Happy 6th Birthday Caine! Caine has now officially lived half of his life without his tongue. He will know more about not having one than having it! He continues to be fun and energetic and loving life. He is a role model to his little puppy sister and teaches her how to be! He celebrated with birthday hats, songs and doggy ice cream--which he loved.

Almost 3 Years

Caine has been doing well. He has gained 10 pounds, weighing about 75 pounds. He looks good! He still goes to the park to run and plays with Roxie at home. We are approaching 3 years without a tongue come January 1st. This marks half of his life with a tongue and half without (he turns 6 in April). Soon he will have spent more of his life without a tongue! He continues to eat a mixture of Pro Plan (wet food) and Blue Wilderness (not the fish!). His stomach does not do well with fish.

Shout Out

I want to give a shout out to Ms. Rice's class! I'm so glad that she has shared Caine's story with you. Please take a look at the site and see how far Caine has come. He is awesome!

Caine Goes to a Puppy Party

Caine had a great time at Wilson's (little white dog) 1st birthday party. He hung out with all new friends and helped Hank the young yellow lab get some doggy manners. He had water from the hose and ice cream from a spoon. He came home and slept off the festivities!

Food Woes

Caine has been doing great! He has been busy playing in the winter snow and enjoying bananas. Occasionally (maybe once every month) he will vomit 4-5 hours after eating. When he vomits, it's undigested food. It sometimes happens a couple days in a row. This concerns us because the food is undigested and then he potentially misses a meal.

After taking another family dog to a holistic veterinarian, I have been researching how dogs react to the food they eat.

Like humans, dogs react to what they eat. Dogs, as I've been learning, should be on a raw diet. This best suits their evolutionary needs as carnivores. Dr. Karen Becker of Natural Pet Animal Hospital in Bourbonnais, Illinois is a fantastic resource for feeding raw diets. She has various YouTube videos explaining the importance of a healthy diet. You can start by making sure your dog's food is grain free!

Going back to Caine, Dr. Becker suggested in one of her videos a digestive enzyme that is available through Mercola products. She works for Mercola. The digestive enzyme will help Caine's pancreas secrete the necessary fluid to aid in digestion. I can't wait to try it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3wLTlqnMMg

Take a look!

Meeting Dr. Mann

On Friday, Caine, my mom and I were able to meet Dr. Mann, the veterinarian who supported our family through Caine's accident. He was in Chicago for a conference at the end of the week so we drove up to the city to meet him. We had a great time and it was wonderful getting to finally spend time with the vet who kept us going and never had a negative thing to say and who never gave up on Caine. We spent time at Millennium Park and he checked out Caine.

There is definitely a very special place in our hearts (and Caine's too!) for Dr. Mann. I can't even explain those first few weeks and what it would have been like without him. He is truly a hero.

Sunny Day Outside

Caine has had a great spring time relaxing in the sun. He has been keeping cool by going in his pool, resting in the basement on the tile, and having beef broth ice cubes for snacks. He will be jogging alongside my bike as soon as I hook up the springy leash.

It's Been Over a Year!

We can't believe that it has been one year since Caine's accident. January 1 will always be a scary day for the Taylor house. Caine, of course, has been doing very well. He continues to be a big love and eat his food and drink from his fountain. He is goofy and fun loving. He loves to snuggle and sleep late...can't blame him!

He had a bath last week because he felt dirty and his front legs had dry saliva on them. It's hard for a dog to not clean himself, tongue or not! I am still not sure whether he knows he is missing his tongue or not. Sometimes I wonder. He still gives "toothy" kisses....he nibbles on your nose or chin.

He had some trouble with vomiting a month or so ago. He was vomiting more and more, until it was twice a day. We took him to the vet and they performed a blood test. His results were great, and we tried Pepcid. When that didn't work, he was put on an antibiotic and flagyl. This kept his food moving through his GI tract. He was better right away and hasn't gotten sick since. He must have had a bug in his stomach that needed an extra push to get rid of.

We had a big blizzard in the Chicago area not too long ago. Caine LOVES snow! He played in the back yard, leaping through the deep snow. He "helped" shovel out front, but really just played in the snow. Check out the pix below.

Last week, I was informed of 2 dogs that have lost their tongues. One, Cole (Weimaraner), lost his tongue in a paper shredder a week ago. Another dog, Max (boxer), was surrendered to the Memphis Humane Society. Apparently his tongue was somewhere in the owner's backyard. It is suspected that he was used as bait for a dog fighting ring. Some people need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so there is justice for these animals.

Anyhow, they are both in loving homes with their humans who are taking care of them. Caine has been cheering them on. Their owners are learning a lot from Caine. I am glad that Caine can be an inspiration to others even though he had to go through hell himself. Caine never looks back. He lives in the moment and he is the happiest dog I know. Please keep Cole and Maximos in your thoughts as they learn how to eat with their new mouth. I've attached pictures of these dogs. You can also find Maximos on facebook. Just search "Maximos-the Tongueless Boxer". Cole is on there too but I'm not sure his mom, Mary, has anything set up for him yet.

Let's go boys! :)

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.