Finally groomed again!

Kingsley was finally able to go get groomed again, and of course it was smack in the middle of Hurricane/Storm Sandy!!  Luckily the worst of the rain had passed, so we were able to get in and out without getting drenched!  Kingsley LOVES his groomer so much!  He just watches her talk and wags his tail!  She did a great job, and his injury blends in now so well!  She said he was a bit more fidgety than normal, but that she expected that with his long break from grooming.  His top knot had to be cut down a bit from a spot the cone matted, but otherwise my mom kept him brushed great!

On the recovery front i've been letting him play as he wishes and over all he's walking the same.  Barring weight but his gaits still a bit off.  I've also noticed him arch his back, so i'm keeping a close eye on that incase it isn't just from using the muscles again.

Discharged from Weekly Check Ups!

Kingsley's wounds are healed nicely and he has been released from his weekly veterinary appointments!  He is also barring enough weight evenly on his paw that they are confident his toe healed!  He has lost a great deal of muscle tone though, so his gait will be off until he strengthens it back up.  He is to be eased slowly back into real life.  I am so relieved he is doing so well!  On another positive note, through all of this, he has steadily LOVED the vet.  He actually leads up from the car to the clinic and once inside is eager to go back to the waiting rooms.  He also tried to leave the exam room with the vet like he used to for k-laser treatments!  He seems to have no negative memories of the clinic at all :)

Recovery - Full Speed Ahead!

Waiting To Help!

Kingsley is doing fantastic!  I have a great feeling about his bone healing (middle toe, back right paw) and the wounds look spectacular!  He's baring weight nicely, but still walking with a limp.  I'm hoping that his next check up he is at LEAST permitted to get a full grooming if not more!  :) He goes back on the 25th, so i'll update more then!

A Helper in Training :)

Today, Kingsley brought a smile to my face when he (cone, wound and all) stopped playing to practice a very simple task we've been introducing this week. Every morning after I wash my face, he takes my face towelette or washcloth from my hand, and trades it for a low value treat with my mom. Today was the first time he made a routine connection between my steps and what he's asked to do. Meaning he saw that I was washing my face and stopped playing to come work! 

To my surprise though, the next step, which my current service dog has to do, he quickly hopped over and did! It's a little confusing if you don't know me well physically, but i'll try to explain it best I can. In order to use my right arm for brushing my teeth, etc, I use a squishy bean pillow, stuffed between my torso, armrest and elbow. The downside is that I can't drive my chair or use my phone from that position! So it was imperative that my dog learn to tug it out and either place it on my lap or deliver it to my mom. Kingsley traded the towelette for his kibble, and before anyone could do anything, pranced to my other side, tugged out the pillow and handed it to my mom. Good boy Kingsley, good boy!!

Moving Forward in Recovery

Sir Kingsley's ankle wounds looked good enough that -as long as we can keep him away from them - the bandage is off! He'll go back in a week for another check up! As far as the toe goes, if he continues to bare weight this well they will not need to resplint the paw, either! All in all they feel another 4-6 weeks before full recovery.

At the vet, my gorgeous boy

Cone's back for now to keep him away from the open but healing wounds.  Gave him a PRN tramadol to help him relax and allow it to heal!

Happy 7 Months, Kingsley!

7 Unforgettable Moments With Kingsley

1. The first time he woke up from a sound sleep because he heard me exclaim in pain

2. The first time he snubbed someone off in public because he was working

3. The first night he slept in my bed

4. This day I met him (obiv!) 

5. The way he takes a treat so quickly from me, but has to sniff it and decide if he wants it from someone else

6. The first time he was naughty (unrolled a roll of toilet paper)

7. The first time he chose to come back into my room instead of play in the morning after he gets breakfast, while i'm still on bi-pap

Patient Boy.

Kingsley is doing so well with allowing his leg to be monitored, and we have been able to leave the cones off when we're with him and even over night!  Here he is laying with me while my mom works on fixing my hospital bed mattress.  He is a dream come true :)

A huge set back in recovery

Well, I called the vet for an emergency appointment today, technically about 5 days before his 2 week check up for putting the cast on.  I called because he seemed too lethargic and wasn't his usual loving self.  He was otherwise fine though, eating, drinking, eliminating on schedule etc.  The vet kept him again over night because apparently the cast rubbed his ankle in a few spots. They needed to sedate him again and clean it, check it for damage, then re X-ray his toe.  They found that on either side it rubbed so deep it needed stitches, but only one side was able to be stitched (6 stitches).  The other side will require k-laser treatments on a weekly basis to speed up healthy healing.  They said as of now, his bone isn't healed but until his wounds are we can't address what to do for the break.   He has double cones on now because he REALLY wants to lick that ankle.  Otherwise though he's doing really well.  They did add an antibiotic incase of infection and he will go in weekly from now on for re-bandaging.  I'll update soon!