Pupdate through week 3 and more

Welcome back.    It's been a crazy-busy week.  I have much to tell you regarding the pups--especially Volos-- so shall we get to it.

VOLOS
I will preface by saying we haven't gotten the biopsy results back yet. They told us 5-7 days.
Monday was his surgery.  He went with Rich and was dropped off. Rich stated he really did not want Rich to leave him. Was putting up a fight.  It's nice to know he's relying on us..

Never smiles for the camera

His surgery went well.  He had both lumps removed. The one was just a fatty cyst and the other was the smaller mass that we're worried about.  It was sent for biopsy and now it's just waiting.

He has staples in his sides and besides the obviousness of them, they are all that shows he had surgery. The night we brought him home, he was stoned from the anesthesia...and very high strung. The next morning he was back to normal. 

He has adapted to our schedule quite nicely.  He's also much more comfortable in the house. He's ventured into every room on his own at this point. He won't stay in there, but he does enter them on his own. 

He still sleeps between his crate and his room.  It depends on how he's feeling at that time.   He is much more comfortable coming in and demanding affection.   Peryn still "scares" (not even sure if that is the right word) him ...he's leery around Peryn. Peryn is very high strung and can be a lot for someone as timid as Volos.  

Snow lover

We've finally come up with a solution to getting him to go to the bathroom in the yard.  It took careful monitoring, but he now is let outside with the others --off leash.  The first few times we tried this, we were right there with him.   Now he goes out to the front, rolls around in the snow and then does his business.   He'll come right back inside when he's done.   

When he's on leash, he expects a walk to the park a few doors down.   He REFUSES to go on leash. The tie out still freaks him out and when I put it on him, he will not leave my legs.  We can't keep taking him to the park each and every time he needed to go--so I worked on going off leash.  


He's really blooming.  I have to admit I'm a little impatient as he won't stay in any of the rooms long to hang out with us and I so badly want to lay with him and cuddle. He's not there yet.  I have to keep reminding myself 3 weeks of love cannot overcome 5 years of hell.

He still flinches if you surprise him (he runs off) or move too quickly.  However he is gaining confidence each and every day.

Highlights of the week-- we picked up some toys and played with them briefly.  He LOVES car rides. ANYTIME the garage door opens, he's out there by the car hoping to go somewhere.  He loves the PorkChomp rolls and will pick one up whenever abandoned.  He now eats from the community bowl and has no problems letting us know when it's empty.We still have yet to hear him bark or make any real sounds except a burp (which he freely does).   Another thing we'll wait patiently for.

Ahhhhhh

We do know he's happy with us. He gets so excited to see us in the morning or when we come home.  He loves when we're outside with him.   He loves getting hugs and rubs from us.

Hoping he begins to ease up around the others. Peryn desperately wants to play with him and has tried to engage him. Volos is not there yet. 

Volos does have a destructive tail. I have a small bookshelf in my living room with knick knacks on them. His tail --which he wags enthusiastically --knocked down a few of my crystal trinkets and broke them.   Nothing I was extremely sentimental about and I have since rearranged the shelves to put the fragile things lower out of tail range. 

Even though he isn't supposed to--and we didn't realize he would--we have seen him run.  Turns out this dog LOVES snow.  He gets super excited and loves to roll in it and then runs to us when he's done.   He's a big goof ball and even though he's supposed to be taking it easy---it's hard to reign it in when he shows so much enthusiasm.  

I am very happy to share his progress when it's so positive.    Keep your paws and fingers crossed as we'll hopefully be hearing his results in the next 2 days.

ATHENA

At Playcare

It seems no matter what we do, she keeps getting skinnier and bonier.  I have taken to bringing her food and water --directly to her-- 3x/day.   She is more desperate to follow me from room to room than before.
We're trying hard to remember when we leave a room to bring her with us.   She'll let us know otherwise.

There was not much downstairs time this week as in the past.  Well for her at least. Peryn still heads down there on his own.   

She did go to play care all day last Saturday and on Friday. She loves it and does so well.  Saturday we thought she'd be dead to the world, but she wasn't.   We don't take her outside in the cart with all the snow.     I want to buy her ski's for the cart, but with her health--I'm afraid to buy them and then fate stepping in so she'll never use them.

I did buy and should be receiving a drag bag for her. This is a specially designed "bag" that dogs like her can use to drag themselves through the house.  She still can use her legs--

Lada loving on big Sis

with help--but for those times when she can't get help or the legs aren't cooperating, she'll be able to slide around the house without friction burns. 

Speaking of getting help.  The disease is now at the point where she needs help 85% of the time to get up on her feet. The message of straightening out her legs is not getting to them.  We have to pull her feet apart and then place them and her hips in the proper position in order for her to walk. Walking for her isn't like normal walking either.  Most of the time it's dragging her knuckled feet. 
Sometimes if she's lying just right, she can get herself up and move to the room I'm in.   A majority of that time she falls and needs help getting up.   We're going to try and let her use her legs as long as they work to get her around.   No point in helping the disease along any. 

She sleeps most of the time when she's not doing anything.  If the pups aren't playing--she'll sleep. If they are--she's laying there barking as they play.
We look at how frail she is and keep thinking--can't be much longer. Then she spends a day at playcare and we're thrown by just how much energy she still has.   This disease SUCKS.

Resting at home on the new bed

The 3 at Playcare

Cattle dogs are ...normal. Getting a bit jealous that our attention is no longer solely on them.   However, they're adapting and for the most part have been really patient and giving Volos room to become accustomed to his new life.  

Peryn still spends time in the basement alone playing or whatever else he's doing.

Lada won't leave Mommy for long as Mommy is now loving on another dog that ISN'T her.

Same ole same ole.





Training
Still haven't begun any training commands (other than Volos Come) with him. He's still too jumpy and if we become forceful, he retreats to his safe area.   We try to sneak stuff in like when he's about to sit down "Sit" and good boy--but it's really difficult when you have an injured soul like his.   We're patient though.     

I will tell you this, I wasn't a big supporter of getting a BMD when Rich first told me he wanted one.  However, Volos has made me a fan of the breed. Turns out they're big teddy bears as the norm.  I do adore him and he's really been a lot easier than I would have thought.       

Thanks for checking in and update you later!

I could get used to this

EVERY TIME he goes out

Enjoying the scenery

Snow Dog Angels