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!!!!

A Happy Dog

I had Riley out for a little fresh air today. It is a BEAUTIFUL day as it should be on March 17th. I took this picture a few minutes ago and thought I would share it. This is one happy dog!!!
All Riley needs is for it to be sunny and warm outside, wear a little bit o' the green, and his tennis ball. LIFE IS GOOD TODAY!!!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day

May your Neighbors Respect you

Troubles Neglect you.

The Angels Protect you

And Heaven Accept you.

Riley's Rollercoaster

Riley has certainly had his share of ups and downs over the past few months. Unfortunately today was one of the down days. I was doing a little training with Riley this morning, things like sit, stay, bow etc and was using a special training treat which he absolutely loves. ( turkey and salmon strips yummm). All of sudden in the middle of it he stopped, sat down and wouldn't move. He started licking his lips which is a sign of pain for him. He wouldn't come when I called him not even for a treat so I knew he was hurt. I couldn't do too much for him since I was not even sure what he hurt. I let him rest for the next few hours and then took him to our scheduled P/T appt. I told Cindy about what happened and she felt around both legs and was able to tell very easily that it was his LEFT knee. It had evidently popped out of place. Cindy indicated that she thought that surgery was most likely the next step. At this point I just kind of lost it. I reminded Cindy what the surgeon had told me, that being if Riley's left knee "went" which it probably would, she would have to repair his hip and knee since he had such sever hip dysplasia in the left hip. I talked to Cindy about other options as I really don't know if I can or would do that, because it is quite extensive and expensive. I have an appt with our regular vet next Monday so I will have alot to discuss with her. The good news is that Riley's right knee has healed so well and is getting so strong that it is now his "good" knee. I am very upset about Riley and all that he has gone through and all that he still faces. So I will continue to keep the blog going for a while longer, and update frequently as to how Riley boy is doing.

Don't Mess with MY Bone

Riley is really doing well. We are now walking 20 minutes each walk. Today we went for 3 walks and did just about 1/2 of our old route. We went all the way to the top of my hill, over down past the high school then down over and back down home. Riley showed no signs of any limping or lameness at any point in the walk. That is a GREAT sign. The P/T is working out so well. Cindy has proposed a great treatment plan for Riley which will include walking on a regular treadmill. We have started to do stair work too. Riley seems to be getting stronger everyday. The muscle strength can only help him whether he has further surgery or not.

Riley loves to be with Ryan while he is home which is so great to see. I think he is pretty sick of me by this point so Ryan is his new best friend.

I took Rags to Greystone today and it was another very rewarding visit. One patient sang to him and Rags just laid at her feet and listened. He played ball with the patients but he is not crazy about giving up the ball unless he gets a treat. SMART DOG!!!

Now I lay Me down to Sleep I Pray.............

I think Riley was saying his prayers before he rested his head for a well deserved nap. We are both very thankful for the wonderful progress he has made. He is doing well on the treadmill and on his "hilly" walks. I am hoping that he will be able to go back to "work" in the next few weeks. I am very thankful to Cindy Farbanish for the awesome work she has been doing with Riley. Since starting P/T, he has made such tremendous progress in his recovery. He is working very hard everyday and I can see that he is feeling so much better.

The Hills Are Alive With ......... Riley

Riley went to P/T on Wed and did 15 minutes on the treadmill at varying speeds and depths of water. Cindy cleared him to start to walk up hills. Most of you know where I live so we pretty much have to go up a hill to get anywhere. I took Riley on 3 walks yesterday, 2 of them up my hill to where it just started to level off. Today again I took him up the hill to where it levels off. Each time I turned around to head home, Riley refused to go. He knows our normal walk was up to the top of my street then down, around and back home so I think he was a little confused. For those of you who didn't know he was petrified of sewers, he is. There are only certain sewers though that he is afraid of. As we passed the "scary" sewer, I have to go very slowly and then give him a treat when he finally walks by it. You never knew he was such a "sissy" boy did you? Back to therapy tomorrow. It is such an awesome experience to go there and watch what Cindy can do for him. Riley is making great progress ( except the sewers) and I anticipate a continual improvement.

A Ray of Sunshine

"Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun. "John Lennon

8 weeks post

Today it is 8 weeks since Riley's first surgery. In some ways it went very fast, in others, it seems like 8 months. I cancelled PT today because of the weather so we will resume on Wed. Riley's doing well today. He loves to be out in the snow. I shovelled out his path and then a big area for him to go. I can't give him any slack on the leash outside because he is just itchin' to go run and jump and make snow angels in the snow. I just took these pictures today. It is almost the same poses as a few days ago. That's because Riley spends a lot of time in his spot when I am sitting with him on the couch. Look how much his hair has grown in on his right leg. He thought the scar might make him look tougher and more manly but I persuaded him to let his hair grow in and cover it up. Can you tell I am going a little stir crazy ???? Have a good day. See ya tomorrow.

Now that I know how to take video with my camera and post it to youtube, there will be no stopping me. Enjoy the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-76_07Tqqo&eurl=http://www.facebook.com/home.php&feature=player_embedded