Riley

New Orleans HERE THEY COME

2011-01-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Riley cannot believe that Ryan is packed and leaving already. Riley will really miss Ryan.

Today is the day Ryan leaves to go to New Orleans with the Bonner students to help out in the rebuilding. Of course this morning it is snowing!!!. The plan for the students was to meet at school by 9 am then head to Philly where they were going to spend the day filling requirements for the grant received to help fund the trip. Well Mother Nature had a different plan in mind. Ryan left here about 7:45 and arrived at school around 10 am which should normally only take about 1 hr 15 minutes, but he arrived safely! I have been sitting on pins and needles until I heard from him. I think this was his first real experience driving in the snow. H just texted and said that they have canceled the Philly excursion and are heading out on their way to New Orleans. The plan now is to drive to NC , stay over night, let everyone get some rest, get up early tomorrow and drive the rest of the way to New Orleans. They expect to arrive there late tomorrow night. So I of course will not be able to function until I know they are safe and sound in New Orleans. Ryan is going as a chaperon again this year and is one of the primary drivers. There are 3 vans going with about 30 kids in all.

Please keep them all in your prayers for a safe trip down, a great experience there, and a safe trip back to school next weekend.

My new Partner Konar

2011-01-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

This beautiful big black lab is Konar. He is my new partner for Pet therapy. We were certified a few weeks ago and did our first visit yesterday. We went to Greystone where Konar was the hit of the day for the patients and staff alike. Konar was originally trained to be a service dog for disabled people so he knows quite a few commands or "tricks" as the patients call them. One of my most favorite things is when you say the word "visit" Konar will lay his head in the patients lap. Yesterday each patient was able to have their own time with Konar which was so awesome. Konar is a big boy, but so gentle, loving and mellow. While Konar was visiting one patient, he is big enough where 2 or 3 other patients sitting in the circle could still pet him and have contact with him. We had more people yesterday for Pet Therapy than I can ever remember, all thanks to Konar. I am looking forward to being able to take him on many more visits. My thanks to Joan and Sandy for allowing me to take their "baby" and do this work. I have to admit, I did miss having Riley with me and many of the patients asked for him but Konar made it a very special visit for me.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Wishing all our friends and family a Very Happy New Year and all the best in 2011

2010-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

Riley and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year!

I hope 2011 will bring good health and happiness to you and your families.

See you in 2011!!!

Riley Retired Today

2010-12-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Today was Riley's last day of Pet Therapy. We visited Greystone today, which was very fitting because that is where he started doing visits over 2 1/2 years ago. Riley is really loved by the staff and patients there. It was very sad to tell them that Riley would not be returning. There were tears shed by alot of people. I told the patients that I would be returning in the New Year and I would be bringing 2 different dogs. I am certified with Rags and just this past week got certified with Konar a big loveable black lab. I told them that Riley has a neurological problem and can't get the necessary vaccines to be allowed to do any visits. I also told them that Riley was doing well and I would be bringing updated pictures in my future visits. I gave out all the picures I had which the patients just love to have. As we were leaving one of the patients, whom I knew would be very upset came over to give Riley a hug and kiss good bye. In true "Riley fashion" Riley returned the love by giving the man a huge lick on the face. Riley has been an awesome Therapy dog and has brought love and smiles to many, many people. He did his job well.

Riley Turns 4 Today 10/28/10

2010-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Riley's 4th Birthday. He doesn't seem to excited about it and was even less excited when I tried his pumpkin costume on him. We are going to Greystone today so I thought it would be good if he went with his costume on.
Hard to believe that Riley is already 4. Last year at this time we didn't know where we would be a year later. Riley is doing ok right now, not great, but not too bad. He has had some very good days in the past few weeks. On those days I was able to take him for some nice walks which we both really enjoy. The cooler weather really does help him. Of course we have had unusually warm weather the past few days. I am not complaining about that though.
Riley has also had some bad days recently. It appears as though his back legs are getting weak. He is reluctant to jump and is having difficulty getting up the stairs. I am not really sure why as it is a symptom of both the SM and hip displaysia which we know he has. I am just going day by day to see if this progresses at all. He doesn't appear to be in any pain and I have enough medication to give him if I do see any symptoms of pain. I would really like to know the cause of the marked weakness to know which road we are going down here. I think we will just have to go day by day.
Riley is getting dressed in his Halloween costume for our visit to Greystone today. I know the patients will really enjoy it. I don't think Riley likes the whole idea but I will take it off after everyone has seen him. I think they are having a costume parade today so maybe they will let Riley join in.
I will be wearing my Witch's hat, how appropriate :)

Before and After

2010-10-01T12:26:00.001-07:00

The picture on the left was taken this morning before Riley's bath and haircut. The pictuure on the right was taken after. He looks like a different dog and not very much like a Cavalier right now. I decided to have him trimmed short becuase his coat is thinning out alot and he doesn't like to be brushed anymore. So rather than having to brush him so much, I decided to get him trimmed short. He really looks like a different dog. I am not crazy about his new look but I know it is better for him.

It was 1 year ago today that Riley was diagnosed with SM. Looking back I had no idea where would be 1 year later. The disease is definitely taking it's toll on Riley. We are managing his pain quite good right now but I do see signs that it is progressing. How fast and how much it will continue to progress is anybody's guess. Riley is still holding his own and still maintains his wonderful loving temperament. He is not able to do some things he could a year ago but he is not in any way suffering. It's just so tough to watch him want to do things but he just can't. With all that being said, Riley is still my best pal. He's gotten me through alot of tough times this past year. I am praying that he will have many more days with me.

End of Summer

2010-09-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

This picture pretty much tells how Riley and I feel about Summer coming to an end. Hard to believe Fall will start next week. Ryan is back at school all settled in. he finally has a nice place to live this year. I'm glad his living space has greatly improved from last year.
Riley is doing about the same. he sleeps most of the time. He has a great appetite which is good and I think generally feels OK. I have walked him a few times since the weather cooled off. he just lights up when we go for a walk. he smells everything and "marks" about 100 different places along our route. Riley has found the little "helicopter" seeds to be somewhat of a delicacy so he tries to eat as many as he can while walking. No exciting news to share which is good for now. Enjoy the fall as winter is not far behind.....yuck.......

End of Summer

2010-08-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted. The time just flies by. We have already returned from our vacation with my Mom in Florida. We had a great time as always. It was very different without my Dad there but we enjoyed spending time with my Mom. Riley had a great time too. He gets spoiled rotten by his Grammy and just loved being with her. The heat really bothers him so he was very grateful for the white cool tile in many of the rooms. Riley was the perfect passenger as always. He slept 99% of the time and did everything he needed to do when we stopped.

Riley has been doing pretty well these past couple of months. The heat is really tough on him so he just stays indoors most of the time. I stopped walking him and only do now when it is much cooler out. He still gets excited to go for a walk which is a great sign. He seems happy and is enjoying life at the moment. I am taking Ryan back to school on Saturday. It seems like he just got home. Riley and I will settle back into a routine of some sort. Hope everyone had a good safe healthy summer. Good luck to all of the kids going off to school especially those leaving for college. I will post again soon.

Heatwave July 2010

2010-07-10T11:03:00.001-07:00

As you all know, we have been having a week long heat wave here with temperatures over 100 degrees. Well it has had an effect on Riley so much so that i had to take him to the Vet yesterday. His breathing has been very irregular with him breathing sometimes upwards of 100 breaths per minute. The norm is around 30. The vet checked him over especially his heart to make sure that it wasn't related to any heart problems. Thank goodness his heart sounded normal. The vet contacted Dr. Glass who said he felt it could be from the syringomyelia and the side effects of the prednisone. He didn't want to change any of his medications at thins time. During the exam, the vet also found that Riley has mineral deposits in his eyes. You can clearly see them in his eyes and they loo like white spots on his eyes. They are not painful and there is no treatment. The usual course is that they grow to certain point and then just stop. In some cases they can go away on their own. They won't lead to complete blindness , but may affect his vision. So pretty much if cavaliers can get it, Riley has it!!!!!

This is a picture of a "cooling" bed that we got for Riley. We just filled it with water this morning. It has some type of foam in it that keeps the bed very cool and might help Riley as he really has trouble with the heat. It is very much like a water bed. I wouldn't mind having one myself :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. It is flying by way too fast.

Stay cooooooooool.

Summer Breeze

2010-06-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was sitting out on the porch this evening, watching the Yankees not paying too much attention to anything, when I looked over and caught Riley cooling off in front of an open window. Evidently, he does not recognize chairs from tables and just believes that every piece of furniture in the house is there just for him.

Riley is doing pretty well these past few weeks with more good days than bad. We are enjoying the Spring, the Yankees and Ryan being home!!!!

New Haircut

2010-05-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Riley got a bath and haircut today. His coat is coming back in pretty good but I had him cut fairly short to make him more comfortable. I am not sure what he was doing with his paws but it is really funny.

Ryan arrived safely in Ireland yesterday, unfortunately the friend that he was going to visit is stranded in Spain due to the volcanic ash. He managed to get himself from Dublin Airport by cab, to the campus where she is living and was able to get into her house. Ryan decided not to waste anytime so he found a bus into Dublin and is in the process of taking a hop on, hop off, 24 hour tour. He decided to bring his laptop with him right before he left, so I was able to find out that he got there safely and had a place to stay. He thinks Jaime might be able to fly back to Dublin tomorrow ( Thurs) and then they will be able to do some sight seeing together until he flies home next Tues. It has been quite an adventure for him to say the least. Ryan was very thankful that they speak English. I am glad Ryan has some prior travel experience to be able to navigate all of this on his own.

Riley is holding his own so far. These rainy days do bother him quite a bit though. We are just going day by day and enjoying every minute.

Good News/ Bad News

2010-05-04T16:06:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting very patiently to get the results of the latest blood test to see if Riley has thyroid disease. I was finally able to talk to the vet today. Riley does not have thyroid disease which in itself, is good news. The bad news is that the prednisone is what is causing his thyroid levels to be so low as well as the deterioration of his coat. I asked what we do now and pretty much there is nothing we can do. The side effects of prednisone are bad, but Drs. Glass and Smith feel the benefits outweigh the side effects right now. Dr. Glass feels that Riley's pain is being well managed primarily because of the prednisone and feels that alleviating pain is the most important thing to do. Of course I agree with that, I just wish it did not have so many bad effects on Riley. He has only been on the prednisone for 6 months now so I really worry about the future.

Riley has not been able to walk too far for a while. He is dragging his back paws a little and the last time we walked, it cause one of his toenails to be worn down past the quik which caused it to bleed profusely.

Riley is still the most loving, gentle dog that I have ever owned. I am going to focus on the present, and enjoy the time that we have together.

Need a Break

2010-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I took this picture this morning after we got home from visiting the Crossroads School in Westfield. If looks could kill........
Riley was totally exhausted after a 45 minute visit today. I wanted to take some nice pictures of him near the flowers and this is what I got.
We went to Greystone yesterday and then out early this morning to Crossroads school. Unfortunately Riley did not sleep much during the night so he is especially tired today. If he gets a spurt of energy before the rain comes I will take him for a walk. Otherwise I think he is down for the count for the rest of today.

Happy Anniversary

2010-04-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today, my Mom and Dad would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I have thought about both of them all day. This picture reminds me how much my Dad loved Riley. I know he is smiling down on us today.

Dr. Smith, my regular vet and Dr. Glass finally spoke today about Riley and what is going on with him. The both decided that additional tests on Riley's blood are needed to see if the low thyroid numbers are a result of the prednisone or if in fact he does have hypothyroidism. I will take Riley in early Monday morning to have more blood drawn. It will then be sent to the University of Michigan for more tests. Dr. Glass also told Dr. Smith that we need to keep Riley on prednisone. I had asked Dr Smith to talk to Dr. Glass to see if there were alternatives or different drugs we could try instead of the prednisone as the side effects are bad especially when used long term. Dr. Glass advised keeping Riley on the prednisone despite the side effects as it is helping the pain and he does not want to chnage any of his medications now. He also told Dr. Smith that Riley should not receive ANY vaccinations for the rest of his life. Dr. Smith can write an exception letter to the town so Riley can still be licensed but St. Huberts does require a rabies vaccine to participate in Pet therapy. Riley's rabies vaccine expires in Jan 2011 so we will have to drop out of the program at that time.

Not good news for sure but I will do whatever is necessary to give Riley the best possible life that I can. Riley will always know that he is loved.

More Bad News

2010-04-12T14:24:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I am even writing this but I got a call from our regular vet this morning to tell me she had received Riley's blood work back and that there is a problem. He has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism which we would know as an under active thyroid. She said that his thyroid levels were VERY low. Riley will have be put on a thyroid hormone which he will have to take for the rest of his life. She said that she is going to consult with Dr. Glass to make sure that there will be no drug interactions with the other medications that he is taking. She also said that one of his liver function tests is "borderline" probably from the prednisone. She said right now she is more concerned about his thyroid and we will deal with that immediately.

I am waiting to hear from Dr. Smith as to what to do next. I honestly can't believe that Riley, who is the most special dog I have ever owned, has yet another issue to deal with.

My Mom put it into some perspective for me today when she reminded me that Riley does not know he is sick. She is so right. So we will keep on going do what we can, but I do, and will treasure each moment we have together a little more.

Has Spring Sprung?

2010-04-05T15:35:00.001-07:00

It sure feels like Spring is here to stay. Ibought my first flowers today so we will probably have snow soon!. The lawn already needs to be cut so maybe it really is Spring.
Riley had something going on late last week and didn't sleep for 2 nights. He was up and down all night long and then he sat in the living room barking at 1:00am. I couldn't figure out what was going on but he has been much better for the past 2 nights thanks goodness. We took a nice long walk today which is always good for both me and Riley.
Ryan came home for a very short visit and to celebrate Easter. We had a nice visit even though it was so short. He will be home for the summer in 5 weeks. Boy does time fly.
Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. The Yankees lost their first game against Boston... hope this is not a sign of things to come. GO DUKE!!!!!!

Nina and Riley

2010-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Riley got to have one of his biggest fans down for an overnight visit. Nina just loves Riley and Riley feels the same about Nina. This was a first sleep over for Nina at out house. We had a great time. We had Wendy's for dinner last night, and then we rented a movie about a dog which Nina really liked.

Riley had a very unsettled night last night and was up and down all night long and then so was I. Nina slept all night and got up about 7:30 am, which was not bad. This morning, we took Riley for a short walk around the block. I could tell that Riley was not himself on our walk. He was slow moving and did not really enjoy going out. Once home, Riley just wanted to sleep which is pretty much what he has done all day. Today I took Nina to " Color Me Mine" which is great place where you can pick from hundreds of different ceramic molds and sit and paint them. We were there 2 hours. Nina convinced me to paint with her so I painted a ballerina for her. She made something VERY special for her Mom and one for her brother Dylan. You have to leave the pieces so they can glaze them and fire them in a kiln. We can pick them up next week.

I dropped Nina off after we were finished painting. Nina just loved making the beautiful pieces and she did a wonderful job.

Riley is still the same, extremely lethargic and just wanting to be by himself. I think he must be in alot of discomfort today for some unknown reason. I am just letting him stay quiet now and just gave him a pain pill which I hope might help him.

I had a great time with Nina and look forward to seeing her and the rest of my family on Easter.

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Back Home

2010-03-24T12:39:00.001-07:00

Riley and I are back from Florida. As most of you know I drove down to Florida with Riley at the end of January. Riley was a great passenger on the trip, though I will have to teach him to drive so he can help out a little before we go again..

I got to spend 3 weeks with my Dad while he was in the hospital and then in hospice before he passed away on 2/21/10. During that time and the few weeks since, Riley has worked overtime as a therapy dog, a companion and and a comforter. Riley had to be left alone more than usual while my Mom and I were at the hospital etc. He just kind of rolled with the punches and was happy to see us when we returned. I think he really knew things were not right in the house and did everything he could to be a good boy and sit with us when we needed it most. I was able to bring Riley to see my Dad while he was in hospice. My Dad loved Riley so much and was very glad to see him when I brought him. Riley gave him big wet sloppy kisses all over his face, which my Dad just loved.

Riley was such a comfort to me and my family while we were in Florida. My Mom loves him as much as if he were her own dog and Riley feels the same about my Mom. Every morning Riley would wake up at the crack of dawn, run out and go find my Mom. It was so cute to see.

My Mom drive back with me and Riley and spent a week here before returning to Florida last week. Even here at home, Riley would wake up very early, run out of my room and downstairs, and look all around until he could find my Mom. He did it for 2 days after she left and was clearly sad that she was not here. So Thank You Riley for bringing comfort to me and our whole family, when we most needed it. You spent the last 7 weeks doing God's work.

This morning, I had to take Riley back down to see Dr. Glass at Red Bank Hospital. Some of Riley's symptoms have been getting worse over the past few weeks. Dr. Glass gave him a full exam and said he though he looked pretty well. While in Florida Riley shed almost his entire coat but Dr. Glass did not think it was something to worry about. He thinks it is coming back in nicely and said just to keep an eye on it. He said that he still felt Riley was a good candidate for surgery. I told him that I was not going to go that route and he said not to rule it out, but I don't think that I could or would ever entertain that option. Dr. Glass increased Riley's prednisone, which I am not thrilled about and wants to see him in 1 month. Hopefully there will be a huge change in his symptoms and the prednisone will do the trick. All in all Riley is doing quite well so far. He definitely has good days and bad days ( don't we all ) and I am pretty attuned to how he is feeling. I try to take advantage of every good day he has with a nice walk, lots of hugs and some play. Now that the weather is getting nicer I hope to be out walking more too.

We did a pet therapy visit last week at the Crossroads school in Westfield and we are starting back at Greystone tomorrow. I am looking forward to doing more pet therapy visits in the coming weeks and months. Alot depends on how Riley is doing.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during the very difficult time.

2010-01-22T17:38:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not updating this a little sooner but it's been a busy week. Yes, Ryan and his fellow Bonners got back safely to school last Sunday. They drove straight through and drove the whole way in a storm so it was really good to hear that they were back. They had a very good week and got a lot of work done on each of their work sites. Ryan moved back into his "broom closet" ( dorm room) on Monday and started classes on Tuesday. He is coming home tomorrow to get the rest of his stuff for school. It will be nice to see him again.

This is a picture of Riley and his friend Kobe. Kobe is one of Robin's 3 dogs. Kobe spent the day with us on Monday. He is such a great puppy. He is only about 8 months old but he is very well behaved and oh so sweet. Riley immediately told him whose house it was as soon as Kobe came in but from then on the two of them pretty much ignored each other. Both of them were happy as long as they were somewhere near, touching, or on me. I really loved having Kobe here. I think Riley was ok with it as long as he could still have his Mom.

Riley has had a pretty good week. We have been able to walk a few days and that is always a wonderful thing. Today it seemed that Riley had a little "pep in his step". He really is so much happier when he is able to go outside and go for a walk.

We went on a new Pet Therapy visit this week. We went to St. Anne's Villa in Florham Park. It is a home for older nuns all of whom are Sisters of Charity. It was a very rewarding visit for me but it was also a bit difficult. Most of the sisters are in wheelchairs or bedridden. Since they can't reach Riley and Riley can't reach them I had to pick him up and hold him as we visited each room. But I'm not complaining because the Sisters were all so nice and very appreciative.

I can't believe how fast the month of January is going. That's fine with me because we are getting closer to Spring. I hope the weather doesn't get any colder. I hope everyone is well.

Back to Work

2010-01-16T09:05:00.001-08:00

Riley was well enough this week to go "back to work" and resume doing some Pet Therapy visits. We went to Greystone on Thursday and yesterday morning we went to the Crossroads school in Westfield which is a school for autistic kids. Riley did very well with both visits and seemed to really enjoy the petting, hugs, kisses and lots of attention that he received. Riley returned all the love to the patients and the kids. It was so good to see Riley being able to do this again. I don't know for how long we will be able to go in visits so we will go as long as Riley feels well enough .
Ryan and the other 30+ kids will be starting their trip back to New Jersey sometime today. They have not left yet (it's noon time now) and hope they get on the road soon. The weather does not look good for their trip. It looks like they will hit alot of rain all the way home. Hopefully it will be just rain and no no snow or ice. I will feel so much better when they are back at school sometime tomorrow. Classes start on Tuesday so they will not have much time to regroup, catch up on sleep and whatever else. Ryan will have logged alot of miles since he got home on Dec 9th. he made the long trip to Florida and then this longer trip. i am sure he won't want to be doing too much driving for a while.
Glad it's warming up. It looks like a great day for a walk.

They arrived!!!

2010-01-10T09:38:00.001-08:00

Not exactly what I would like to see coming to help me but here is "Ryan the builder" being funny. The 30+ kids arived safely in New Orleans last night around midnight. It was about 22 hours drive time. They had good weather albeit cold, but no storms thank goodness. They are up early today and are out touring the city and tomorrow they start working. Great experience to say the least. I miss him already, but know he is doing what he is meant to do.
Riley is not venturing out in this cold only to do what he absolutely must do, and he does it very quickly. Otherwise he is cuddled up next to me. My parents have ice in Florida and it is almost as cold there as it is here.
Stay warm!!!! will check in again soon.

Bye Ryan

2010-01-08T07:07:00.001-08:00

Well Ryan left about 9:15 am. I have stopped crying which is a good thing. As you can see Riley had to help Ryan with a few last minute packing details. Neither Riley or I was a happy camper as Ryan's car left the driveway and drove away. Ryan is on his way to New Orleans to help in the rebuilding effort. He is going with the Bonners which is what they did last year. Actually if you look back in the blog, I have a few entries about Ryan's trip last year. They had a very bad trip coming home due to an ice storm in TN. It is about a 24 hour trip. There are about 30 kids going in 4 vans. Ryan is considered a "chaperone" this year, since he is all of 19 and a sophomore. Basically what this means is he will be doing much of the for his van. Luckily we only had a dusting of snow overnight so his trip to school should be ok. They are going to Philly for the afternoon to do God knows what and then they will be leaving for N.O. sometime around 5pm. The plan is to drive to North Carolina tonight, stay over and do the second leg of the trip tomorrow. Very poor planning in my opinion but that is how it was planned for them.

Please keep Ryan and all of the kids in your prayers for a safe trip going and coming. They are supposed to return sometime on Sunday January 17th. Ryan will stay down at school and move back into his dorm on the 18th and classes start on the 19th.

Ryan was really excited about going back to New Orleans. He had a great experience last year and is hoping for the same this year.

Riley is laying here next to me and doesn't really want to move. he knew something was up when he saw the sleeping bags and duffel bag etc. Riley will really miss Ryan almost as much as I do. Riley gave him big sloppy kisses before he left. i thought he was going to try to get rolled up in Ryan's sleeping bag but we caught him in time.

I will keep you posted on Ryan''s trip.

Riley's Happy New Year

2010-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

I know that we all celebrated New Year a few days ago, but today is Riley's New Year's Day. Riley was operated on one year ago today Jan 5, 2009. So today is really the start of Riley's New Year. We are leaving 2009 behind and looking forward to many happy, good, healthy days ahead. Riley had alot of obstacles to overcome in the past year but he has persevered and he is doing well. He will have many challenges to face in the future but for today he is doing well and is a happy dog. We just went out for a walk around the block. Boy was it cold!!!!! The amazing thing was, Riley ran for a good part of our walk. I think he was so excited to be outside and in fresh air, so several times he just took off and ran. "Run" is a relative term for Riley since he really can't run all out like before but he sure gives it his best try. It was just awesome to see him so happy.

Today Riley wants to send his best wishes to all of his canine friends and their owners so here it goes: Happy New Year to his Cavalier friends, Charlie, Darby, Reggie, Murphy D. and Joanna's Murphy. To all his other good friends: Sophie, Leo, Brasco, The Catesby Cavaliers, Max Johnny, Tillie, Ginger, Bruno and Heidi, Honey, Monk, and Kobe, Rosie, Rags, Channing, and Freddy ( not a real dog). To his relatives at the Rainbow Bridge: Pokey, Cindy, Shroeder and Shannon run free and we will all be together one day. So from Riley to all his doggy friends wishing you nice weather for long walks, green grass for pee, a bag of delicious treats, belly rubs on demand, lots of hugs, a few scraps from the table, not too many baths, a few new friends to play with, and happy good days with your families.

Love,

Riley

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T10:13:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-23T13:38:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T16:09:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-11-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-31T08:19:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer 2009

A New Visitor to our house

2009-07-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Say What?????

2009-07-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

The blog continues

2009-07-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

Riley and Reggie saying hello

Going to School is VERY hard work!!

2009-05-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

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????

2009-04-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

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!!!!!

2009-04-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-03-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

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!!!!!

2009-03-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-17T05:50:00.001-07:00

May your Neighbors Respect you

Troubles Neglect you.

The Angels Protect you

And Heaven Accept you.

Riley's Rollercoaster

2009-03-16T14:54:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

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.............

2009-03-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

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

2009-03-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

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

8 weeks post

2009-03-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-03-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

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

Therapy day

2009-02-28T11:03:00.001-08:00

I took Riley for therapy today and he did very well. He went 15 minutes in the treadmill which was great. Cindy was trying to get him to stretch his legs out on the ball but he was very reluctant, so she had Riley lay in my arm on his side and she gently started to stretch his leg. She did this for a few minutes when I looked down his eyes were closed. As Cindy said, it must have felt so good to have his leg finally relaxed, not hurting and all stretched out. It was very cute to see. He slept the whole way home, and has been fast asleep for about an hour. I will give him a little more time then take him out for a short walk. All of this will help strengthen his muscles in both legs which he really needs. I do think that he is smiling just a little in the first picture. When we get home from therapy all he wants to do is get up on the couch and lay on "his" pillow.

Rags

2009-02-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

Rags and I visited Greystone today. I was met outside by one of the patients who walked with me into the hospital, waited while I was checked in, and then walked with me down to our room. I told him how nice it was to see him and he said he had been waiting for me outside because he knew that today was pet therapy day. That little incident sort of explains what pet therapy is all about. It is the highlight of many people's week especially at Greystone. The patients that I have met there are some of the most gentle, kind-hearted individuals you would ever want to meet. I got to see some patients that I hadn't seen in a while and it was really nice.
Rags' favorite trick today was to lay down and roll on his back so everyone could scratch his belly. Some of the patients walked Rags around the room which is always a huge accomplishment for them. Rags wears a gentle leader which makes walking him a little easier. He is such a funny dog. Rags knows that I am the one with the treats so I become his best friend whenever we go on visits. I will be taking him to visit 2 schools next week as part of the Humane Education program that St. Hubert's runs. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I really missed Riley being with me today, but hopefully that day is not too far off. Please keep all of the patients at Greystone in your prayers tonight.

Physical Therapy

2009-02-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here is Riley on the exercise balls. He's not crazy about doing them but after he relaxes, then he can do the exercises. While working on his left leg today, Cindy noticed that Riley's left hock (ankle) pops in and out when he stands on it. It hyper-extends and then pops forward. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. Riley's left leg is pretty bad from his hip to his ankle. He is now known as a "candidate for further surgery". Cindy hopes that with the therapy that she will strengthen both his legs which he really needs. Riley is doing well with the therapy and cooperative most of the time. See ya tomorrow.

The Underwater Treadmill

2009-02-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

Riley did his workout today on the treadmill and went for 12 minutes. I took some movies of him actually walking but I am having trouble uploading them I will keep trying. Here are the links to watch it on youtube. Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa3OMqH9Q78&layer_token=359462abd35c803

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19qSeLQ6f9E&layer_token=5b0aea5f6b7c1042

More Pictures of the New Doo

2009-02-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

Riley's New Look

2009-02-24T11:21:00.001-08:00

Today was bath and haircut day for Riley. I realized yesterday after Riley coming out of the underwater treadmill that he was going to need to get his haircut. His hair takes forever to dry. I called the groomer, Joanne Christmas and she said she could squeeze Riley in today. It was extremely nice of her to do as I know she has a very busy schedule. She came today and we discussed how to cut him, long short, etc. We both decided to go fairly short right now while he is going to physical therapy for the next few weeks. This is a little shorter than normal but it will grow in. The first picture is the look I got when Joanne brought him into the house. Not too happy!! Riley is in great shape today after his workout yesterday. I knew today would be somewhat telling as to how much therapy he can tolerate. He has no signs of any lameness, limping or pain which is wonderful. Here are just a few funny pictures from today. Hope you enjoy.

Awesome Day

2009-02-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

We just got home from Riley's first physical therapy session. It was GREAT. Cindy did another complete evaluation to see where Riley was at right now and she felt he doing really well. She did some stretching exercises to see where his range of motion is and it is really good for how far he is since the surgery. Then came the big moment......... The Underwater Treadmill. Riley is not a water lover even though he is a spaniel, so I didn't know what to expect. This thing is SO cool. It's a big plexi glass enclosed treadmill. She put Riley in it and gave him lots of treats. As he got more comfortable she started to fill it up with water. She filled it to just below his shoulders. I sat on a small bench in the front so he was facing me. Then she turned on the treadmill and he started walking. It was pretty funny because he really didn't have a clue as to what was happening. He walked at different speeds and with more water for a total of 10 minutes. I sat and encouraged him to keep going. It was AWESOME to see him do it. After the treadmill, Cindy dried him off then iced his leg to reduce any inflammation. Then she used a big rubber ball and positioned Riley on it so that he would stretch his legs down around the ball. He was pretty hesitant at first but then started to relax and did the stretching.
I asked Cindy about how long her treatment plan would last and she said from everything she could see he would only need about 4 weeks of therapy going 3 times per week. I thought that was the best news I had heard in a long time. Of course alot will depend on how Riley responds to the exercise etc but barring any unforeseen setbacks, she said Riley should be able to return to doing Pet Therapy in another month. WOW!!! I never really let myself think that this would all come to a happy ending , but I am starting to believe it now. I am going to bring my camera next time we go so I can post some pictures of Riley on the treadmill. Riley curled up in a ball and slept the whole way home. He is sound asleep now and I am sure will be pretty knocked out for the rest of the day. I am so glad that I could share this great news with everyone. See ya tomorrow!!

2009-02-22T13:05:00.001-08:00

Riley was finally able to get back to his favorite spot, on top of the pillow on the living room couch. Riley maneuvers the pillow till it is laying flat, and then makes himself very comfy on top of it. Riley has his own stairway to the couch now. i am trying to train him to use the steps to go up and down. He readily uses the steps to go up but jumps down instead of walking down the steps. He really should never jump again so I will continue to teach him to use the stairs. I also have a set of steps downstairs and will move them to whatever room we are occupying.

I am taking Riley for physical therapy tomorrow and I can't wait. Cindy Farbanish, who owns Canine Aquatics in Randolph, is so knowledgeable about dogs and rehab that I know that Riley will be in very good hands. No walk today as Riley is pretty tired and I don't want to overdue anything especially in this cold, damp weather. Have fun watching the Oscars tonight. See ya tomorrow

Freedom

2009-02-21T08:47:00.001-08:00

I took Riley out for a nice walk this morning. it was fairly short, but the longest he has gone in 3 months. He loved being outside and being able to walk and even run a little. He is definitely running with the " bunny hop" gait but hopefully this will improve with physical therapy. He in sound asleep now as that was alot of activity for him. It is so nice to have my old Riley back!!!!

The Stick

2009-02-21T08:41:00.001-08:00

YEAHHHHHH

2009-02-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

I finally have some good news to report. Riley got his stitches out today. the Vet drained the lump on his leg but it already is coming back. Riley has been cleared to start taking walks and to start physical therapy. I brought Riley home from the Vet, let him walk up the front steps brought him in and went to hang up my coat. By the time I had turned around, he had jumped up on the couch and was sitting on top of the pillow. Not the best thing he should have done only being home 45 seconds, but Riley has not jumped since before Thanksgiving. So I would say that he is feeling better!!!!!! I will call the therapist and see if i can get him started on physical therapy sometime next week. The vet said he had good range of motion and was moving his leg well. I really feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I will keep a close eye on Riley and not let him do anything crazy. I bought some pet steps so he can walk up to the couch and walk down to teach him not to jump. I am SO HAPPY and SO EXCITED. I will continue to blog and share Riley's rehab. I want to thank everyone for all of your prayers, cards, treats and concern for Riley. I could never have gone through all this without all of your love and support. Thank you from me and Riley!!!!

2009-02-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

This is Riley's knee as it looks today. It still has the large lump on it but it doesn't seem to bother him. I just took him outside and it's cold and very windy. After he was done, he took off running trying to get inside away from that "scary" wind. I didn't let him run too far but it was pretty great to see. Enough of the cold weather now. We know it's still winter but enough is enough!! Have a good night. See Ya Tomorrow.

You Lookin' at Me???

2009-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

Riley is doing VERY well today. It seems like he may have turned the corner, as they say. He is more awake than he has been and much more playful yesterday and today. I am feeling very positive for a good recovery. Even his scratching seems to have lessened a little. I think he needs alot of therapy to get full use of his leg but he is walking on it seemingly with full weight. It has been almost 7 weeks though with very little movement or exercise. He will need to build his muscles back which will help his hips as well as his knees. I can't believe it is snowing. I know it's not going to last or amount to anything but I have seen enough of the white stuff. See Ya Tomorrow.

No News is Good News

2009-02-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing of great interest to report. I am looking forward to Fri. when Riley should get his stitches out. He seems to be coming along very well. I took him for a very short walk, just up one house and back down one house. Riley was so happy to be out. I think he thought we were going on our old route up the street and did no want to turn and go back home. We will both be happy when we can start walking outside even a little at a time. Hope everyone is well. See Ya Tomorrow.

2009-02-15T14:37:00.001-08:00

No that's not Riley. We had 13 large wild turkeys walking all around this afternoon so I decided to take a picture of them. A little change of pace. Riley had a pretty good day today. I attribute alot of that to the fact that he got to spend some time with Ryan. Riley is so happy when he is home. Ryan just left, and Riley is going a little crazy trying to figure out where he is. We both are pretty sad that his weekend home is over. It's always good when Ryan is home. Riley seems to coming along. He is in no pain as far as I can see. I was a little worried after he stopped taking the Rimadyl, if there would be any more pain or discomfort. Riley hasn't given any sign of pain at all. Tomorrow it will be 6 weeks since Riley's first surgery. It seems like a long 6 weeks to me, but I am hopeful that we are through the worst of it and Riley will continue to improve each day. See Ya Tomorrow.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T11:25:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! Riley is doing about the same. Today is the first day he has been off the Rimadyl ( anti-inflammatory/pain) and so far so good. He is just sleeping alot but he did play with his toys for a while. We are both very happy that Ryan is home for the weekend. Unfortunately he is not feeling well. Hope everyone has a nice day!! See Ya Tomorrow

2009-02-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Positive things for today FRIDAY THE 13TH:

1. Ryan is coming home YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2. We didn't get blown off the face of the earth yet

3. It's Val's Birthday Happy Birthday VAL

Riley is about the same, the itching and scratching seems to be a little worse, His leg is about the same. The swelling looks to be a little bigger today than yesterday. It is not painful to the touch.

Happy Friday the 13th!!!!! See Ya Tomorrow!!!

2009-02-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here are the positives for today:

1. It was 65 degrees outside today

2. It was sunny

3. Riley and I sat out on the front porch for over an hour

4. Riley smiled....... Look at the picture

5. another day closer to Riley feeling better

See Ya tomorrow

Are you sitting down????

2009-02-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

I am pretty sure that I must own at least half of the vet hospital by now. Without boring everyone with the details, I had to bring Riley back to the vet for 2 different reason. First he has been scratching his chin more and more over the past few months. This morning ,he scratched himself so much that he drew blood, and in the process of using his "surgically repaired leg" to scratch his chin, he hurt his leg. I know you think this is all must be a joke but unfortunately it's not. The vet thinks Riley has an allergy, but to what is anyone's guess. It could be food or environmental. So we are going down the road of trial and error. Riley was put on new antibiotics to treat the infection in his chin, and antihistamines, to help alleviate the itchiness.
The swelling on Riley's knee was getting big so the vet drained it again. This continual build up of fluid is called a seroma. Why he has it, I don't know. I have to apply warm compresses several times a day which might help. Riley has really about had it. He won't voluntarily walk and has just been sleeping most of the day. He has been very uncomfortable since this morning. He is so used to the vet's office now, that he didn't even shake today. He just laid on floor and waited his turn.
We are both pretty exhausted from everything and I only pray that by a miracle Riley will continue to endure and start to heal and feel better soon. He has been a real trooper through this whole thing. I will write again when I have something positive to report.

Monday Monday

2009-02-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

Another nice day, not as warm as yesterday, but still a keeper. Riley is doing ok. He has had a few bouts of pain which I think is just healing. It seems when he was trying to lie down and chew his bone it got painful for him. This happened a few times today. He just stops what he's doing and his tail goes between his legs and he comes over to wherever I am. He loves to sit in the leather chair so I will lift him up and let him lay there for a while until he feels better. It so so weird but he will immediately go to sleep. That's how he has dealt with his pain for quite a while now. It's only been 3 days since the last surgery so I think he is doing well all things considered. Riley keeps looking for the snow when we go out now. He loved to go in it whenever we went out despite the nice big area that was all shoveled out. I keep telling him no snow is a good thing!!!!! See Ya Tomorrow

Spring is in the Air

2009-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Riley is doing very well today. He had a good night and I actually had to wake him up this morning. It seems like in every picture, Riley has that knee sitting up there. It must be a comfortable position for him. It is almost like he is saying " Here look at my knee" every time he sees me taking a picture. HAHA Riley was walking very well today and seems to be in little or no pain. All positive things today. I went for a nice long walk on this very welcome warm day. Everyone was out walking so it was nice to see neighbors and friends that I haven't seen in a long time. Riley wants to thank Ethan and Griffin and their Mom and Dad for the nice card and gift of yummy treats. He loved them. Hopefully we will see you on a walk real soon.

So onward and upward we go. Enjoy the nice weather. See Ya tomorrow!

Homecoming 2 Year Anniversary

2009-02-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Riley joined our family 2 years ago today. Ryan and I drove to PA where we picked him up and drove home. What a great day it was!! Here are some pictures of that day and Riley as a little pup.

I am going to re-focus on the positive, and look forward to Riley healing and getting back to a normal life. He will have to heal from yesterday's surgery but I am confident that he will with no complications. I look forward to when we will start physical therapy and start to build Riley's muscles back up so he can do all the normal "doggy" things and live life.

The weather is warming up which is such a welcome change. Have a good weekend everyone.

My Poor Riley Boy

2009-02-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

A Painful Day

2009-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

As you all knew, today was the big day when Riley was going to have the pin removed from his knee. It didn't quite go the way we planned. I dropped Riley off at 8:15 am. Riley was the first stop for the surgeon who travels to different Vet Hospitals to perform some surgeries. It was supposed to be somewhat of an easy procedure. I guess I should have expected the unexpected with the way this whole thing has played out. Riley was supposed to be given just sedation. At around 10:30 am the Vet's office called to see if Riley had fasted this morning. Normally you don't have to fast for sedation but for some reason this morning I decided to withhold food and water and thought that then there would be no chance of him getting sick. Little did I know at the time, but they had to put Riley under general anesthesia. I got a call around noon from the surgeon. She told me that she had been working on Riley for the past 40 minutes trying to get the pin out and she COULDN'T! She said she cut the end off of the pin but it wasn't the pin that was causing the problem and she really didn't know what the cause was. They brought Riley out with a huge e-collar on . I took the collar off in the office so I could hug him and he gave my lots of kisses. He really looked like a wounded warrior. He has been in considerable pain since he got home. I gave him some pain meds and iced it for a little. I got him to go out twice and he did pretty good. I got him to eat a little chicken I made too so that was good. So it was a VERY frustrating, upsetting day to say the least. I know that Riley will improve each day but he is so pathetic looking tonight and I feel so terrible having him have to go through all this. I am going to talk to my Vet on Monday to try to get a better understanding of everything and what happens now. So we'll see.

Guess who went to the pet store today??

2009-02-04T16:14:00.001-08:00

No Comment needed!!

2009-02-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too."

Samuel Butler

Another snowy day!

We are biding our time until Friday, when hopefully all will go well, and the surgeon will successfully remove the pin from Riley's knee. Despite the look on Riley's face, he loves the snow. He tried so hard to jump and catch the huge snowflakes when we were out earlier today. Unfortunately I had to hold him back and get inside quickly. Although I dislike the snow ALOT, I hope Riley will get the chance to jump, chase and catch a few snowflakes this winter. The cardinals finally came back to the bird feeder so that makes the snow much more palatable to me.

Have a good day, see ya tomorrow.

Riley had a Little Lamb

2009-02-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

"A dog wags his tail with his heart."
Author ....Martin Buxbaum

Riley is playing with his new little stuffed lamb, which Philly, the singing Yorkie, sent to him recently. Thank You Philly and Judy for your thoughtfulness. Riley continues to do well. He is playing more and more each day.
Good news.... Tillie is home and recovering, hope she improves each day!!!
Best wishes to Reggie's Mom, Angela. She had foot surgery today so she will be laid up for a long time to come. Hope you will feel better soon. I am available to help with Reggie in any way you need!!!!
More snow on the way tomorrow. It was up to 50 degrees today. Go figure!!! I think the groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter. I am thinking of teaching Riley how to run the snow blower. Not sure if he can reach the controls but we'll see. Have a good rest of the day. See Ya Tomorrow

SUPER SUNDAY

2009-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

"Man, unlike the animals, has never learned that the sole purpose of life is to enjoy it."— Samuel Butler

Well as you can see, Riley is already for the Super Bowl today with his 3D glasses on. I made the mistake of giving them to him this morning and now he won't take them off. ( just kidding ) I will make sure he has them back on for the special commercials they are going to have at half time. It is finally warming up here and it feels so good to go outside. Wish it would stay like this for a while. Alot of the snow is melting so Riley has much more space to sniff and go. I think we are in for more snow this week, so I will try to enjoy this while it lasts. Hope everyone has a Super Sunday. Enjoy the game and GO STEELERS!!!!!

Pre- Game

2009-01-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

"There's just something about dogs that makes you feel good. You come home; they're thrilled to see you. They're good for the ego." Janet Schulman

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Ours has been uneventful so far which is a good thing. Riley is doing well and I am seeing improvement each day. He still has a good amount of swelling on his knee but it really doesn't seem to bother him. It is getting more of a challenge to restrain his activity. I think he would love to run and jump if I would let him. I ddn't think I would be saying that this soon. See Ya Tomorrow.

Rags To Riches

2009-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." Author Unknown

Today was my first opportunity to take Rags on a Therapy visit and it was a HUGE success. Rags is the most gentle, lovable, friendly dog you would ever want to meet. I took Rags to Greystone today where he was the hit of the day. He sat with each patient as long as they wanted. He laid down and let everyone scratch his belly and gave everyone who wanted, a big wet kiss. Everyone got a chance to walk him around the room which is a huge accomplishment for some patients. He willingly let everyone pet him, hug him and make him do tricks.. It is an amazing experience to watch how people change when they are quietly petting a dog. Someone commented on what a blessing it was to have Rags come today, because it had been a really rough week. So Thank You Rags, for letting me borrow you. If I couldn't have Riley with me, you are surely the next best thing!. Thank you so much to Carolyn C. , Rag's Mom ,who entrusted Rags to me, to go on our visit. I am quite sure I got got as much out of our visit today as did any one of the patients.

Riley is doing well today. Only another 8 days until he gets the pin out. I know he will be so happy when he can start to go on some walks. Hopefully we can start some activity after the pin is removed. See Ya tomorrow>

2009-01-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." Martin Buber

Well the snow came. After shovelling out a path and a big area for Riley this morning, he decided he much preferred to go in the snow. Go figure!! I think Riley has become a barometer for the weather. He seems to be a little sore today and is limping a little. I do think it is because of the storm and am not too worried. Riley and I are more than ready for Spring to come.!!!! Please continue to pray for Tillie. She is still in the vet's. We hope she can come home soon. Stay warm. See ya tomorrow.

2009-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

Riley is doing VERY well. He is acting very much like the happy, feisty, lovable Riley. Only 10 more days until he gets the pin out. I think he will make a great recovery after that.

Here is a great quote I saw today:

"When a man's best friend is his dog...that dog has a problem." - Edward Abbey, "The Dog Problem," 2006 That definitely applies to Riley!!

2009-01-26T13:16:00.000-08:00

Riley has done very well these past 2 days. The swelling is getting better every day. I am still doing the heat/ice 3 or 4 times a day. Riley has been more himself each day too. He started to chew the couch last night. Then I knew the "old Riley " was coming back!!!!

Please keep Tillie B. and her family in your in your prayers. She is at the Vet now and they are trying to figure out what is going on. She has been pretty sick so we hope she will feel better real soon. Snow is on the way this week so stay warm. See ya tomorrow!!

2009-01-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of Riley's leg as it looks today. Although it is still swollen it is much improved from last Monday. The scar looks really good and I think he will still be able to wear his Speedo when he goes for his water therapy. Good News.... Rags and I passed our test today and we are now a certified Therapy Team. Rags was really fun to work with and I am looking forward to our first visit to Greystone together on Thursday. A special Thank You to Carolyn, Rags' Mom, for letting me borrow him until Riley is back in action. My fiend Judy also passed her re-test with Philly, the singing Yorkie. Yes she really sings.!! The patients just love Judy and Philly, and they bring a lot of joy to alot of people. I am hoping that things with Riley will continue to remain status quo. I can see that he is feeling a little better each day which makes me very hopeful that he will be able to return to his normal, active life when all is said and done. Have a good day!!!!!!!

2009-01-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday. The blogger and the bloggee don't have much to say today. I would like everyone to know that the breeder has contacted me and is very concerned about Riley. She contacted his littermates and the next group of pups from the same parents to alert them to Riley's condition. She is very concerned about Riley's prognosis. I have sent her all the reports that I have ,per her request. I am sure she would never knowingly breed dogs who would produce puppies with Riley's conditions. She cares enough and is concerned enough to follow up with me. I think she will do whatever she can to try to prevent this from happeneing to any other of her puppies. So maybe all that Riley is going through will prove to be a good thing for some little puppy in the future. Have a good weekend!!!!!

A Better Day

2009-01-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

It's so nice to be able to say we had a good day today!!! We went to the Vet, she took Riley's stitches out and checked his leg. She agreed it was not getting any worse. She advised me to continue with all of the medications, do the heat/ice routine and restrict all activity. So that was all good to hear. Riley has had a few more bursts of energy yesterday and today. He has wanted to play with his toys a little and has been awake a little longer during the day. He appears to be pretty comfortable and not in any pain. So all is well.

I took these pictures of Riley right after I told him him that the yearly list of the 10 most popular dogs was published today and the Cavalier was not on it. He said that didn't matter because on Crescent Drive, The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was by far the most popular. We have 3 Cavaliers on our street alone, Reggie, Darby and Riley. The Cavaliers rule Crescent Dr.