Specialist Vet Visit

Rio saw Dr. Jonathan Anderson, a veterinary surgeon, on Monday afternoon. Dr. Anderson is the vet who diagnosed Rio's lumbar sacral disease back when he was in foster care. It was hard watching Dr. A poke Rio to get him to yelp in order to understand where it hurt. Rio pretty much yelped on each muscle group, which unfortunately gave Dr. A no information on what is really the problem.

He decided to take Rio back for a consult with another surgeon (the owner of the practice) and a neurological expert. Sadly they couldn't figure out why Rio is limping. Dr. A said we could run tests but it would be a "fishing" expedition, looking for anything that might be an issue. He really didn't want to do that, and neither did I want to pay for any unnecessary tests.

We had Rio walk up and down the parking lot to see if he would limp. He did mildly off and on.

At the end the recommendation is to take him off of his gabapentin and see what happens. Dr. A. said he would consult with surgeons from around the country to see if anyone else had any ideas.

For a treat I took Rio to the off leash park by Observatory Hill. He was limping like a champ. Why couldn't he do it at the vet's office? It's like the noise the car makes until the mechanic takes a look at it, then it hums along.

By the way, the vets office is brand new and looks better than my own doctor's office. Rio wanted to visit with everyone and go into every door. He was very tolerant of all of the poking and prodding. At one point he looked at me as if to say "make it stop, please" but we had to continue to see if we could figure this out. My heart was breaking.

So no news, good or bad.

Extreem Shepherding

I'm not sure how much of this is real, but it is a fun video to watch.



Rio sees his specialist vet this afternoon. Will report after we get home.

Boys Bonding Day or How I Abondoned My Family

Grant and Rio had to fend for themselves on Saturday as I had been asked to help out at the renovation of the Assembly Hall in Coraopolis. What that meant for me is I had to be on the road by 6:15 a.m. and I didn't get home until about 6 p.m. What that meant for Grant and Rio is they had to hang with each other.

Grant said all went well as I knew it would. One funny thing happened when I came home. Grant saw me pull up in my car so he sent Rio out to the back yard so I would "magically" appear when Rio came back into the house. I came in and Grant headed out the front to check on the mailbox which is located just below our front porch.

I let Rio in and was a bit disappointed he wasn't too excited to see me. He just got inside when he heard a noise at the front door. He ran to the front door and saw Grant coming back into the house. Then the penny dropped. He figured out it was me who let him back in the house. So he spun around and raced back to me, jumping on me and giving my face a thorough wash. I was also inspected from head to toe. I'm sure I smelled interesting with all of the sawdust I had on me.

Silly puppy.

Just a side note, for some odd reason I can't comment on my own blog. I am reading all of your comments, so keep them coming.

Warhol Rio

Made with the Warholizer.

Foggy Morning Walk

We had thick fog this morning on our walk.

Lake Elizabeth



Still trees



Dogs on a knoll



Pearl fetches a ball

Sphinxing

Greyhounds have a way of lying down so that their butts don't touch the ground. The pose is the same pose that Egypt's famous Sphinx is doing.

Rio doesn't sphinx too much. The only time we see it is when he is playing with his little green monster. I managed to catch Rio sphinxing this afternoon. We are having rain all day so Rio burned off a bit of energy attacking the monster. Afterward he retired to his bed. In a sphinx position.



This is what it looks like from above.



The pose didn't last long. It probably isn't very comfortable.

From the Archives: Dirty Boy

From the summer of 2008 - Rio in the strawberry patch.

Grant & Rio On the Trail

Walking the Trail

Taking the Teepee Trail at Settler's Cabin Park.

Geocaching at Settler's Cabin Park

It was such a lovely afternoon Sunday afternoon that we decided to take Rio someplace we've never been before. We have a book about places to take your dog in Pittsburgh. Grant noticed an entry for Settlers Cabin Park, which is near Bayer where he used to work.

We decided to see if there were any geocaches in the area. We picked one that looked like it was doable. The cache is off a trail loop which is connected to other loops. We missed the right loop and ended up walking a two mile trail just for the pleasure of walking. We lost the blaze markers near the end and decided to go up to the road to walk back to the car.

After a water and snack break we figured out where we went wrong and decided to see if we could get on the correct loop. We managed to find the cache. Grant bushwacked down a steep hill to find it. We tried to continue along the loop but it suddenly went steeply down hill. We decided we would be better off going back from where we came.

All in all we walked about three hours. I think we probably did 6 to 7 miles today. Rio flaked out after we got home. Grant and I took some pain relievers. Rio had a bit of his limp during our outing but he was fine for the duration of the walk.

Rio's in da 'hood

Styling by Lydia. Picture by Grant.

A friend (Waheeda) says he's even wearing some bling.

Yo

He heaved the biggest sigh when we stopped torturing him.

If a Tree Falls in the Forest

Rio and I decided to talk a walk on a lovely Thursday afternoon. After doing half of the loop we decided to go off road on the climb back up the hill. We took the Bob Harvey Trail which undulates its way along the side of the hill, just below the main road.

Part of the trail had been washed out but the park maintenance staff set up a few little bridges for us to cross. All was well until we met up with this.



Rio couldn't crawl under it. He wouldn't go over it, although at one point I picked up his front end and put his paws on top. There was no way to get around the lower side because of the steep drop off. Rio refused to go off trail. We had no choice but to go back from where we came.

About 1/3 of the way back we came to a short but steep trail that led to the main road. That joined up with Old Barn Road which took us to the park office. We went in and reported the fallen tree. We also managed to score a map of the park.

This is definitely not a rugged dog. He's more aristocratic than that. His idea of camping is a bed and breakfast.

Inconsistent

You never know from moment to moment how Rio will feel. On Monday and Tuesday mornings he was droopy. On Wednesday morning he was pulling me down the street. Today he's back to being droopy and shortened his walk himself.

It makes planning difficult.

Speaking of planning, Rio has an appointment with the surgical specialist he saw when he was in foster care on Monday, March 30. I was hoping we could see him sooner but that was the first available appointment.

The practice is really really modern with high end diagnostic equipment. You can see for yourself here.

Self Portrait

I took this photo on our walk last Saturday. We are reflected in the window of a river boat.

Next: See a Specialist

On Monday I took Rio's x-rays to Dr. Butler's office. While we were there we got a urine sample to see if he had a bladder infection. After I retrieved said specimen Rio must have twisted his left leg. He was crying for about 30 seconds. I felt so helpless. I called into the office and a vet tech came out to see if she could see why Rio was crying.

We didn't see anything. Another vet gave Rio a quick once over. By that point he was his self again.

Today (Tuesday) Rio was low energy again. Dr. Butler called to say she didn't see anything in the x-rays either. She recommends Rio see a specialist so she is going to write up a referral to the practice where Rio had a MRI when he was in foster care. She said that if it were a sprain he should have/or be on the way to mending. She's suggesting an orthopedic specialist with a possible neuro consult.

Sigh.

When Walks and Technology Converge

Grant got a Blackberry from work. He's able to check his e-mail from anywhere now. Like on walks with Rio.



It was a warm afternoon so we took Rio to Riverview Park on Sunday. I spotted a few interesting things on our walk.

Like this mostly decomposed deer carcass.



It is cool to see how Jehovah recycles materials.

Also spotted on our walk were some early wildflowers like this one nestled in some rocks.


It is the size of a nickle.

Rio was mostly low energy on Sunday but he did the whole Riverview Park loop which is about 2.5 miles. We walked it in about an hour.

Afterwards Rio and I took a nap. What else?

Long Walk on Saturday

Rio seemed to be feeling better Saturday morning. So much so that we decided to walk to Heinz Field and PNC Park by the river.



Our walks at lunch time and at dinner time were much slower. He's still excited to get out the door, but once out he doesn't have much energy.

One day at a time, I guess.

Still No Answers

Rio saw Dr. Doug yesterday for his acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. Dr. Doug re x-rayed his shoulder. Still nothing appeared on the film, so my guess is that his problem is a soft tissue problem.

Dr. Doug readjusted the acupuncture sites to accommodate the shoulder. Rio reacted on the left side of his head behind his left ear. He also reacted when Dr. Doug worked on his neck. We decided to x-ray his neck to see if there was a herniated disc or anything that might be causing the pain.



Nothing appeared on the second film. We have them to take to Dr. Butler to see if she can think of what is causing Rio pain.

After our appointment we went for a walk near the office. We met some sisters in the ministry and had a nice chat.


Rio flaked out on the way home and spent most of the day sleeping. We took him for a walk after dinner. We stopped by Rita's Italian Ice and Rio got his treat too.



Nom nom nom



That was mighty fine custard.



Not a bad day, all in all.

Vet Visits for the Limp

Rio's limp has gotten worse this past week. By Monday he was lifting his front left paw quite a bit. His energy is down and our walks are getting shorter and shorter. He's also not been eating very well. He's only eating in the evenings now. He can stand to loose some weight, so this is not too bad.

Here's a video of him limping at the dog park on Monday.






We went to see his vet from when he was with the adoption group, Dr. Carol Butler of Tender Touch. She was the vet who got him off the Prednizone and into see a specialist who diagnosed the lumbar sacral disease. She suggested we do a thyroid test as well as a metabolic panel. The thyroid test was sent to Michigan State University as it is very thorough. Greyhounds have unique thyroid ranges and are often mis-diagnosed with thyroid problems. The Michigan State test looks at a variety of indicators for a more accurate diagnosis. I spoke with Dr. Butler and his platelet and metabolic results look within normal range.

Rio's back right leg has swollen up from the veinipuncture. The vet thinks it is because she had him walking right after drawing blood. We're to keep an eye on it to make sure his leg doesn't look more swollen.

We see Dr. Doug today for a scheduled acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. We are going to have him re-x-ray the right shoulder to see if we can see anything new. We decided to have him do it because his first x-ray was done there.

It's pretty frustrating to see Rio in pain and not know what to do about it. The Previcox and the homeopathic remedy don't seem to be helping. Hopefully we can get a better picture after today's visit.

In the mean time Rio has been pretty quiet. He still loves going for walks even those are quite painful for him. He gets distracted from the pain by all of the smells he finds.

Picnic Lunch

Grant has been working hard on getting his product ready for launch. So on Friday, seeing as it was such a lovely day, Rio and I asked him to join us for a walk.

We went to the Carnegie Science Center, where I got Grant some chicken fingers and fries and I got a calzone.

Rio asked for some politely.



Grant said, "of course, since you asked so nicely."



Mmm that was good.



Let's keep walking.

The Road Less Traveled

Saturday was a really really lovely day that got up to 71 degrees. I took Rio up to Riverview Park hoping we'd meet up with Daphne, Casey and Indigo. Sadly they weren't there. Rio didn't seem to be too interested in going into the park so we decided to take the road less traveled.







We took this path down to the main road and then did the loop around the park. First we went down hill and then we went back up.

When we got home Rio was panting quite a bit. Then he had a nap. And so did I.

Bath Day

Since the weather had gotten so lovely I decided it was time to give Rio a bath. Rio hates to get wet so I knew this would not be a good time.

Here Rio is getting lathered up.



He so stoically submits to the torture we bring upon him. Grant gave him a treat while I was doing this and he just held it in his lips like a cigarette hanging. Poor fellow.

Getting a scrub.



We washed him in the back yard using a bucket of warm soapy water (dog shampoo) and then a rinse with a few more buckets of water.

Here's the wet, disgusted, giving me the stink eye Rio, nice and clean.



After he dried he was so soft. He's too much fun to pet, now.

And he smells good.

Shedding

Rio has been shedding like crazy. Especially on my brand new jeans.



Spring must be on the way.

Da Grin

Da Nose

Sniffn

Rio doing one of the things he enjoys doing at the Riverview off-leash park.

Radar Ears

Even when he's asleep, Rio's radar ears are on the alert for sounds of treats.

Supplemental Information

Rio takes a number of medicines and supplements each day.

In the morning he gets gabapentin for his lumbar sacral disease; Tang-kuai, a chinese herb to balance his yin and yang; Glyco-Flex III for his joints.

In the afternoon he gets Previcox for his limp, Tang-kuai, Glyco-Flex and Standard Process Whole Body Support, vitamin supplement powder.





The gabapentin is $4 for 90 pills. The Previcox is $81 for 20 days. The Standard Process Whole Body Support is $51 for a month supply. I get the Tang-Kuai for $60 for 500 tablets (250 day supply). The Glyco-Flex is $57 + shipping for 120 day supply. He also gets 4 squirts of salmon oil which is $32 for 32 oz. That's about $7.03 per day. Or $211 per month. Or $2,532 per year. The cost of being healthy can be high but it's worth it when you see Rio feeling better.

Energy

Rio had a lot more energy on Monday morning which made for a brisk walk on a very very cold day. He had so much energy I thought he was going to explode. He's still limping but he is moving well.

We ordered pizza for dinner and Rio hovered until he got some crusts.

An oldie but a goodie:

Glad that day was over

Grant is down with a sore throat. He doesn't get sick often. That meant I am on walking duty until he feels better.

On Saturday afternoon Rio and I went on a sunny walk. We stopped by to visit with a lady who lives up some stairs. Rio really really didn't want to go up the stairs but he did it. It turned out that she had 10 of her grandchildren with her so Rio had some extra attention. On the way down the stairs Rio decided to jump down the last group and when he stopped he was holding up his back right leg. Yikes! I was worried that he had broken it. I checked it out and nothing seemed to cause him pain. In a minute he was walking down the street.

Then on the way home we were walking up a small alley that runs behind our house on a tiny sidewalk. There was a lady on the sidewalk next to a red Chevy pickup truck. As we were passing her a pit bull type dog bolted out of an open door and ran straight towards Rio.

Rio really really really doesn't like dogs in his face and both were growling and getting quite agitated. Rio was on his leash but the other dog wasn't even wearing a collar. The owner came out and I told him to get his dog off my dog or I would kick his dog. The guy got really ignorant and said he would kick me. He told me to be on my way.

The nerve. That's exactly what I was trying to do, peacefully, when his uncollared vicious dog attacked Rio. I was so tempted to call Animal Control but I think this guy is the kind of jerk who would escalate things.

I hate that I have to be super defensive just walking around my house. I was glad Rio was wearing his coat because it provided him extra protection.

That and Rio's pain is back. I really was glad when this day was over. Rio, who lives in the now, was fine once we were back home.

Still Limping

For a while it looked like the homeopathic remedy was doing the trick. Rio was limping but he didn't appear to be in pain. Until Friday when we went for our afternoon walk. Rio was limping so badly I wanted to go home, but he pressed on, but without his usual energy.

I decided to give the medicine a try. The Dr. prescribed Previcox, which is a canine NSAID to help with arthritis. We'll see if that helps.