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.

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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.