Happy New Year

Riley put on his formal wear to help bring in the New year in style.
It has been a good year in so many ways and a difficult year in just as many. With regards to Riley he has endured a year filled with too few "good" days. I am hopeful that 2010 will be a better year for him. I actually have some good news to share about Riley. I took him down to RBVH on Wed. for another re-check with Dr. G. First he weighed the same as he did on Oct. 1, 2009. This is great because he has been eating a ton of green beans every day to help satisfy his insatiable hunger. Dr. Glass gave him a thorough neuro exam and declared that he looked "GREAT". He feels that the medication cocktail that Riley is now taking has really helped him and he is stabilized for the time being. Dr. G decided to keep him on the meds and dosages he is now taking as it is working. He does not need to see Riley for another 6 months unless something changes. It was so nice to hear all of that and know that for now Riley is doing well.
So we are going to start the New Year with a renewed sense of hope for better days ahead for Riley.
I would like to say THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have been there through all of the good days and the very rough ones. Your support meant the world to me. I would like to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year filled with lots of love , laughs, good times and many "good" days.
Until next year..............

Merry Christmas

Ryan, Riley and I want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a very healthy peace-filled New Year. We have so much to be thankful for this year, most of all our wonderful family and awesome friends.

First Taste of Snow

These pictures were taken just 3 days apart. Go figure!! We had a wonderful trip to Florida both going and coming home. We had a great visit with my Mom and Dad. Unfortunately we had to leave earlier than we expected or wanted to due to the impending bad weather on the East Coast. We left early Thurs 12/17/09 to come home. Riley was SO good in the car you would never know he was even there. We drove straight through going and coming . It took 16 hours going down and 17 coming home due to a major tie up in Washington DC. Riley gets out when we stop for gas and does what he needs to do then gets back in the car and goes fast asleep again.

Riley did great in Florida and was really awake and quite lively. My Mom and Dad just love him so much and he just adores them. Of course he is spoiled rotten.

We had 3 nice days of sun and warm temps up in the 80s. Ryan and I actually went to the beach and fished 2 of those days and caught about 9 fish total so it was alot of fun. The ocean was a little cold but the beach was so nice. I tried to soak up the salt air and take a mental picture so I could feel the warmth during our cold weather here.

We did get alot of snow over night. I took Riley out in it twice and each time he had a problem with one of his paws. I really don't know what was going on but i don't think he liked the cold snow on his feet. Ryan shoveled out a path and a big area for him last night and I shoveled another path and big are for him today. Each time he has had to go out, we go out the shoveled path then he tromps into the higher snow to go. So much for our hard work. LOL

Riley has been doing very well and did great on the trip so maybe this new medication protocol is working. We go back to Dr. Glass at the end of the month so we'll see what he has to say.

Stay warm until next time!!!

Picture Perfect

Hi Everone,

This is a painting that a woman who is a graphic design artist did for me. I had planned on having her do a painting for me, but with all going on with Riley right now, I couldn't do it. She does these paintings from photos that people send. I had e-mailed her some pictures of Riley and this is what she created. AWESOME

I took Riley back to Red Bank for a check up last week. We saw a different Dr, who I liked just as much as Dr. Glass. He too sat on the floor and played with Riley and gave him a lengthy neurological exam. He decided that since Riley was stil having symptoms that he would increase one of his medicines, the neurontin. So Riley is now taking it 3 x/day instead of just once a day. He has been tolerating it well and his symptoms seemed to be in check until last night. He (we) had a very bad night with alot of scratching and licking his lips for most of the night. He seems a little better today. As most of you know, it is an ugly day out, cold rainy, snowy so I think maybe this had something to do with Riley's pain. Hopefully better days ahead.

We are taking a road trip to Florida to see my Mom and Dad. Ryan gets home Wed. evening and we are planning on leaving early ( 3-4am) and driving straight through. We are really looking forward to seeing my parents, and I know they are excited about us coming. We plan on coming back around the 17,18, 19th somewhere around there, depending on the weather on the East Coast. I will udate the blog before Christmas but I did want to share this awesome painting.

Until next time, stay safe , warm and healthy!!

Thankful for Green Beans

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reflecting on all the blessings I have in my life. These are 2 of them. I have a wonderful family and phenomenal friends. I have much to be thankful for everyday.

Riley has been doing really well for the past few days. He had a few bad days a week ago so I put him back on the pain meds and after 3 days I could see that he was doing much better. We have been going for nice long walks everyday. The weather has been really nice this past week so I had to take advantage. Riley goes back to see Dr. Glass in another 10 days so we'll see what he says. Riley is still scratching but not nearly as bad as he was before being put on the medicine. His appetite is still insatiable. I feel bad for him because he is always looking for food. I know that he will be like this as long as he is on the prednisone. He is going to turn into a green bean for the amount that he eats each day.

I want to wish everyone who is reading this a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Hope you have a wonderful day.

It's been a while since I've posted so I will try to update. I had to bring Riley back to Dr. Glass last Tues as his scratching was getting bad. The Dr. put him on gabapentin in addition to the steroids, tramadol and pepcid. He thought that this may help relieve some of the symptoms and make Riley more comfortable. Riley seems to be doing pretty well. I don't know if it is the new medication but Riley seems to be a little more awake. He is still scratching and that does not seem to be getting any better. We go back in 1 month for a check up.
I think the nice weather has made Riley feel better these past few days. We have been able to walk and enjoy being outside. I have not given Riley any Tramadol for 3 days and he does not seem to be in any pain. Ryan was home for the weekend and Riley just loves being with him when he's here. He definitely perked up when Ryan was here. Riley had a great time walking with his friends Reggie and Tillie and we also stopped to play with Darby for a while. It is so cute to see them all together. Enjoy these nice days while we have them!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!!! Riley decided to be a WATCH DOG for Halloween just in case you couldn't tell. It's not a very nice day out so far but hopefully that will improve. We have ALOT of candy to give out so I hope the skies clear and the kids come.

PS Doesn't he looked thrilled???

Happy Birthday Riley

Riley turns 3 years old today!!!! I am trying to stay very positive under the circumstances especially today! Unfortunately today is one of the worst days he has had since being on the medicine. Riley woke up around 7 am and started scratching uncontrollably for a few minutes which is a long time. then he stopped and tried to lie back down and started scratching again. Finally he stopped and went back to sleep. He got up at 7:45 am and started the scratching again. There is really nothing I can do for him when he is doing this. He can't be distracted or stopped. I gave him a pain pill this morning after these two episodes and he is fast asleep.

I bought him several new toys for his Birthday hoping that he might actually want to play with 1 of them but he doesn't play at all anymore. He really just eats and sleeps and goes out occasionally. I do think the weather plays a large part in Riley's discomfort. This is the second straight day of rain so maybe that is the reason for his pain right now. We go back to the Dr. in another 10 days but will call him before if this continues.

We will celebrate Riley's day today. I am so thankful that he is my puppy and that he is here with me.

How Do I Look?

We had places to go and people to meet so Riley wanted to dress up a little. Actually he wanted to wear his Halloween costume but I told him it was too early for that.

We went to Greystone for our pet therapy visit. Dr. Glass said he could continue as long as he was having a "good day". He managed to get all the way down to the room where we visit but then the bow tie had to come off, more for his safety than anything. We had a really good visit and he made alot of people very happy today. It is always so overwhelming to see what effect a little dog can have on people. Riley has really taken a liking to a male patient and just wants to be with him the whole time. I have to be careful as the other patients can get quite jealous but it is very interesting to watch Riley and this man. It is a mutual love affair and the man is just beaming by the time he leaves. Many patients make sure they give Riley big hugs and kisses before they leave. It is very touching. I feel so fortunate to be able to do this.

It has been just 3 weeks since Riley was diagnosed. I have spent hours trying to learn all that I can about syringomyelia. I also have spent alot of time watching Riley. He has responded very well to the medication although he has had a few rough days along the way. It seems the weather has a definite effect on him. We had the cold rainy spell for a few days and Riley was in some pain for that time. I can and did give him pain medication for that time which does help. It seems like he is stating to scratch again but not nearly like he was doing before he was put on the medication. He has had more good days than bad so I am very thankful for that. He still sleeps most of the time and has all but stopped any running. He will walk fast but he will not run. I am not sure why but it is a change for him. I am keeping a daily diary of his activity or lack of , to bring to Dr. Glass in 2 weeks.. His appetite is almost insatiable. I am trying to give him more veggies and such to fill him up but he is still VERY hungry. His latest thing is to eat the maple seeds that are all over the ground. They are those little whirly bird things with a little seed at the bottom. He goes crazy for them on our walks and it is hard to keep him away from them . I am hoping that they are not harmful.

Riley is still very lethargic and spends most of his time sleeping. He has no desire to play at all. I have spent a fortune buying new toys hoping to get him interested in something but he has no interest at all. He still loves his bully sticks though.

Hard to believe we already had snow and it is only Oct. 15th. Way too cold, way too soon.

Riley is doing ok. His symptoms seem to be gone for the most part. I bought him a new toy and gave it to him tonight. He played with it for about 2 minutes and stopped. He jumped up on the chair and went back to sleep. I feel so bad that he can't/won't play. He sleeps most of the day and night. He has developed a "steroid appetite". Dr. Glass had warned me about it, but I hadn't noticed until the past few days. He licks everything to see if there are any crumbs, and lets me know when it is dinner time. Yesterday I took him to Summit Hospital for a pet therapy visit, and he spent most of the time licking God knows what off the floors. I am now mixing in raw carrots and cut up green beans hoping to fill his tummy without having him gain weight. He loves the new veggies so that is helping. All in all, Riley is doing well. It is a little stressful watching him so closely for any signs of pain or symptoms returning. I guess this will just get to be a way of life.

Riley plays ball

This may not seem like a big deal but Riley NEVER plays anymore. Tonight, Ryan got him to play ball for about 5 minutes. Not much, but really good to see. Riley had a good day today. I took him for a long walk and he had a little more energy .

Good Report

I took Riley down to RBVH and we met with Dr. Glass. I LOVE this DR. He walked in with his 2 assistants, he's got a huge smile on his face and he got on the floor and calls Riley over and gave him some treats. First thing he said is "Boy he looks GREAT! The whole time on the floor he is giving Riley an exam but Riley had no idea. Dr. Glass asked how he was and how the meds worked. I told him he was totally free of symptoms. He said he is doing really good. He cut the prednisone in half so he only get 2.5 mg 1x day and he said to use the pain meds on an as needed basis. He said he was not going to put him on anything else right now because he wanted to see how he did with just these 2 meds in reduced amount. He said Riley can resume all his activities including Pet Therapy. That really made my day.

I asked about the prognosis and Dr. Glass said "honestly I don't know". He said we were very early into this and it is a progressive disease. But he said there is no way of telling on any dog how fast it will progress or how much it will progress. He said we are just going to treat the symptoms if and when they appear.

We couldn't have had a better visit. Now we don't have to go back for 1 month so it is very good news. Will keep posting so keep checking in.

Breathing Easier

Riley seems to be responding very well to the medicine. Now that I know for sure that Riley has SM, I know what symptoms are directly related and what to watch for. Riley has had only 1 scratching episode, he has not done any of the excessive lip licking during the night, he is able to go up stairs with very little problem and this morning he jumped up on the couch to sit next to me. I really don't want to encourage his jumping but it was really nice to see. I think it is a great sign that he is responding so well, so quickly. He is still sleeping most of the time but that also could be from the medicine. I am hoping that right now things are under control for the time being. I am going to continue to walk him on his good days as I want him to be a dog as much as possible and he does love his walks.

A Very Sad Day for Riley

This is Riley recovering from his ordeal today. He is still groggy from the anesthesia

It is with a very sad heart that I want to tell you that my sweet little Riley has been diagnosed with a very serious, very painful, neurological disease called syringomyelia. It is a found primarily in the cavalier king Charles spaniel. . We just had the diagnosis made today so it is all very confusing at the moment.
It was a very strange way that we got to this point. Riley has had some weird sometimes quirky things going on for a while. These include scratching ALOT. I had taken him to the vet several times and have tried several different things but the scratching only seemed to get worse. Recently he started licking his lips for long periods of time usually at night. He has been sleeping for most of the day and all night for several months now. He always sleeps with his head up on something. Last Thursday Riley couldn't walk up any stairs and couldn't jump. When I picked him up a few times he would yelp in pain. I had been doing research about the varied symptoms all of which , individually could mean nothing but all together led me to a disease called syringomyelia.( SM ) It is caused by an obstruction of the spinal fluid somewhere in the brain or spinal cord. The symptoms can come and go, or worsen, or stay the same, but it usually is a progressive disease. Unfortunately the only way to definitely diagnose this is with an MRI.
I have lived with this knowledge and a real gut feeling that Riley may have it but never wanted to hear that he did. After seeing the pain that he was in last week I finally got the courage to find out. I didn't go my regular vet because I really only wanted to see a neurologist. I did some more research and found that there was a neurologist who was very familiar with this disease and with Cavaliers. His name is Dr. Eric Glass and he practices at Red Bank Vet Hospital. I called on Monday and made an appointment for yesterday.
We met a wonderful caring doctor and were in a state of the art animal hospital. Dr. Glass got on the floor to meet Riley which was so nice to see. We discussed Riley's symptoms and Dr. Glass said that his symptoms were certainly indicative of SM. He also felt that Riley was in substantial pain. He suggested that Riley be admitted and that they do an MRI first thing this morning. I was heartbroken to have to leave him, but knew this was the right thing to do. What a long night last night was. In order to do the MRI, Riley had to go under general anesthesia. They did the MRI at 5:30 this morning. They called at 9:30 am and said Riley had done well with the anesthesia and was doing well. I was asked to come back at 2pm today to discuss the results with Dr. Glass.
I met with Dr. Glass who showed me the MRI and he explained everything to me. Of course he told me my worst fear that Riley did indeed have SM.
After that, my head was spinning. He said we have 2 options right now. One is to do surgery and the other is to try to manage his symptoms with medication. I told him I am not going the surgery route. I did not want to put Riley through what essentially is brain surgery. He said we will work on the medication route. he put Riley on a heavy dose of pain relievers and also prednisone and a 3rd medication for his stomach. I have to go back next week when he will probably add another medication. He said the pain is a neuropathic pain. That is the reason why the dogs scratch so much. It is not because they are itchy but it is due to the pain they feel and they try to relieve it by scratching. Knowing that is so sad because Riley has been scratching excessively for some time now.
So we start a new journey today. I don't know where it will lead or where we will end up. I will give Riley the best care that I possibly can and all the love that he deserves.

I do want to add that SM is a genetically inherited disease. It comes directly from one or both of the parents. I think it is quite obvious that Riley got dealt a pretty awful deal in this life. He will be loved even more for being such a brave little boy.

Our New Visitors

We have 2 deer who have made their home in my yard. I saw one of them about 1 week ago but now there are 2. As you can see they are very unique in that they are 1/2 white. Their heads and necks are brown but they are white from the middle of their backs down. There is no Mama or Papa deer around. They have been eating the crabapples out front. They are not afraid of me at all. I feel so bad for them and hope they survive.

Riley comes to life

Riley was able to go out and run around a little and play fetch. I love to see him run and play because those days are gettig less and less.

Vacation 2009

We went to Florida for our annual vacation to visit my Mom & Dad. Ryan, Riley and I drove down and stayed 8 days and drove back home yesterday. We had a wonderful time as always but way too short as always. Like Ryan, Riley gets very spoiled by his grandparents. Since he doesn't like the heat, Riley stayed home with his Grammy & Pop Pop while Ryan and I went to the beach every day. Riley went swimming in the pool one day and that was enough for him. He avoided it or being lured into it for the remainder of the vacation. Riley was a great passenger in the car. He slept about 99% of the time on the trip down and back. You would never even know he was in the car.

Ryan is having surgery on Wed to remove his tonsils and adenoids. Hopefully this will prevent him from getting the serious bouts of tonsillitis that he has had for the past several months. He is scheduled to return to school on Aug. 15th. This will give him 10 days to recover at home so hopefully it will be a quick easy recovery. We are both anxious to get the surgery over with and start the healing process.

Riley seems to be feeling pretty good these days. He does more sleeping than anything but his schedule will begin to fill up after Ryan leaves for school.

Ryan found Riley sitting in his suitcase as he was starting to pack. We both thought he was trying to tell us that he didn't want to leave sunny Florida yet. I know my Mom and Dad miss him an awful lot. Riley will miss all of the attention and love that they gave him.

Gotta stop and smell the flowers

Happy Summer 2009

A New Visitor to our house

Say What?????

The blog continues

Riley and Reggie saying hello

Going to School is VERY hard work!!

Riley went to Central Ave School in Madison today to do his part of a lesson all about pets. We visited two different 1st grade classes. All Riley was required to do was sit and listen to me talk about him, and then let each child come and pet him. I had him all cleaned up, smelling good ( remember we still have Mr. Peebody here) and even gave him a doggy breath mint so his breath would be nice and fresh. Riley did great and the kids loved him. We spent about 45 minutes total in the classes. We got in the car to go home and he immediately curled up in his car seat and fell asleep. When we got home, he jumped up on the couch and passed out. The picture was taken about an hour after we had returned home.

We are going back tomorrow to visit 2 more classes. Riley will need to go to bed early tonight in order to be able to stay awake for his visit. It was a lot of fun though and the kids were great.

Gotta Stop and Smell the Flowers

I got new flowers today and put them out by the gas light. Riley went to look out the front door, saw something different and barked so much that I had to take him out to investigate.

He was so afraid of the flowers, but it was pretty funny. He circled them and then tried to sneak up on them. Finally I got him close enough for him to see that the flowers weren't going to jump out at him or hurt him. Then Riley was kind enough to sit so I could get a picture. So the "scary flowers" will have to go in the same category as the "scary sewer". I had my laugh for the day and hope you did too.

Are you sure it stopped raining????

We finally got out for a walk today. The weather has been miserable to say the least. I think Riley is happiest when he is out for a walk. He approaches each walk as an adventure. He has been doing a little running on the past few walks. He does the " bunny hopping" more than real running but right now it works for him. I am trying to keep him well exercised since we ended therapy last week. I think the weather is supposed to be nice for the next few days so we will get out a little more often. I am not sure why, but apparently Riley has recently discovered that he is a boy and should be lifting his leg to relieve himself. The only problem is that he is not very good at it, so you can imagine the results. I have nicknamed him Mr. PEEBODY because that is what he is. So now we have to do a good rinse off after every walk. It is pretty funny though. Riley gives me much to smile and laugh at every day and I give him much hugs and love in return. It's a good deal!!!!!!

LAST DAY OF THERAPY!!!!!

Riley could not believe that today was his last day of the underwater treadmill. Once he realized, he seemed pretty happy. It is a big step in Riley's rehab. I will miss going with Riley because I have learned so much from Cindy Farbanish, the owner of Canine Aquatics in Randolph. http://www.mydogswims.com/ She is a wealth of knowledge and has helped me out out so much. I will always be very thankful for all of her support and knowledge that she shared with me. If anyone ever wants information on everything she does, please let me know. So we are on our own now and I am hoping that Riley will continue to progress and get stronger as time goes on.

He has a small set back on Tuesday night. We think that his left patella slipped out of place. Riley let me know that he was in a lot of pain. Most times at this stage the dog is able to put it back in place by maneuvering his leg which Riley did, but it is painful and the pain lasts for a while. We had to miss a pet therapy visit on Wed. as a result. I have to get used to the idea that this may happen and I will monitor how often it happens. If it starts happening frequently we will then need to consult the orthopedic surgeon.

For today we are very excited and happy that Riley has come this far. He is a real trooper and has maintained his very sweet disposition and his fun loving spirit through it all.

HAPPY EASTER

By looking at this picture you would think Riley had already had a very long day. Well you would be wrong. This was taken about noon time BEFORE I took him for a walk. Riley's doing pretty well. He has had some difficulty on rainy days or cold days like today. The vet put him back on anti inflammatory medicine for 8 days and that definitely seemed to help. This coming week will be his last 2 sessions of physical therapy. It has helped Riley so much. Cindy has been a god send to me and Riley. She can see where there may be just a slight change in his gait or a sign of pain. It's nice to know that she is there and available should we ever need her help. Ryan is home for the weekend and will go back early this evening. He will be home for the summer in another 4 weeks. I just took Riley for his walk and we almost froze. It is a very cold windy Easter Sunday. Hope everyone is good. I will try to update the blog a little more often hopefully with all good news.

Another Work Day

Riley went to "work" today at Summit Oaks Hospital. It was a much more physically demanding visit for Riley. We visit with teenagers for 1/2 hour and adults for the last half hour. There was another team with us today. There was Sue and her beautiful yellow lab, Riley. Well the Rileys loved each other and got along so well. It was nice for the patients too, as some people love big dogs and others like smaller dogs so everyone was happy today. Riley was absolutely knocked out after our visit. He slept most of the afternoon. Tonight I gave him his new favorite thing to chew. It's called a bully stick. It's not rawhide but it does look like it. Someone had recommended that I try it for Riley as most dogs love to chew on them. You don't want to know what they really are!!!! Well stay dry and let's hope Spring comes and stays VERY soon.

Winding Down

Things with Riley are slowly winding down. He went to therapy today and did 22 minutes on the underwater treadmill and then about 15 minutes of supervised play. I can't tell you how good it was to watch him run and chase a ball, run through a maze of cones, step his way through each rung of a ladder on the floor and just have fun. We are cutting down to 2 times per week for the next 3 weeks and then he will be done with therapy. Cindy has given me many tools and ideas that I can do with Riley at home to maintain his muscles strength. I am looking forward to playing fetch out on the side yard like we used to do almost every day.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's off to work we go!!!

Riely went back to work today at Greystone. He had a great time seeing many of his old friends. There were a lot of activities going on at the hospital today so we had a small turnout for Pet Therapy. Riley was able to sit on some laps, do some tricks, and give lots of love. His leg never bothered him and you would never know what he has been through. He did tire out and fell asleep in one patient's lap which was nice for both of them. It's great to be able to take Riley on visits once again.

I don't think Riley was too crazy about his new tee shirt !!!!

THE BEST NEWS!!!!!

Hi Everyone, I have heard from a few people recently asking why there have not been many new blogs posted. The reason was that I was waiting until today to see what the vet what going to tell me about Riley's present condition and the prognosis for his future regarding surgery. I got to the vet 10 minutes early because I was so anxious ( the anxiety kind of anxious). Dr. Smith was in the waiting room. She said let's go outside and have Riley walk in the parking lot and see how he's doing. She knows he slips all over on the tile floors. She had me walk him up and back several times. She said "WOW, Riley looks really good." We went back in and she took a call from Cindy, the therapist. They talked for quite a while on the phone and I could hear Dr. Smith's side of the conversation. Then I heard her say, "I am glad we are all on the same page and we both agree that RILEY IS NOT A CANDIDATE FOR SURGERY AT THIS TIME". I couldn't believe it. Dr. Smith explained that his left leg was definitely a mess from the hip to the ankle but she wanted to do everything possible to avoid having to do another surgery. She said his knee problem is most likely a result of a bad hip. Right now his knee was not bad enough to warrant surgery. I was SO HAPPY. Dr. Smith advised me to keep doing as much therapy as I could financially handle especially the underwater treadmill. She was VERY happy with his progress.

Then I took Riley to therapy and Riley did so good. Cindy worked on his left leg today which she will continue to do for a while. The theory is that if we strengthen his left hip and knee as much as possible then we reduce the risk of injury and surgery.

I can't thank everyone who has followed the blog enough for all of your concern, prayers, good thoughts, etc. and most of all for all the support that you gave me for the past few months. It was very reassuring to know that there were a lot of people around to help at a minutes notice. Thanks for letting me complain and whine and cry. I did enough of it for sure. I will continue to post for a little while longer. I will miss doing the blog but I won't miss the stress. In the next few months, you will be able to find Riley and me outside walking , training or playing. We are starting back to Pet therapy on Thursday. I can't wait!!!! See you all soon. Pat & Riley

The Three Faces of Riley

Riley went to therapy today and did 20 minutes on the underwater treadmill and then 3 minutes on a regular treadmill so he had quite a workout. Riley and I have been outside for almost 3 hours working in the yard, picking up (or eating) sticks. Then our neighbors came over for a visit so we sat out on the front porch together. I think Riley has about had it. He has done very well so far today so it's another good day for us.

I love his look on the middle picture. Boy if looks could kill!!!!