Day 4 - Continued Improvement

After Winston moved to the couch last night he slept soundly. Around midnight I decided to keep him there, put the baby gate in front of the couch and move my sleeping bag and pillow to the floor next to the couch. He slept through the night until 445am.

He yelped as I slid my hand under his belly to pick him up. That concerned me. His belly seemed "full", kinda hard. Bloated?? He did pee outside.

I tried putting him in bed once we got back inside but he was restless. I then put him in the gated closet area. We slept until 715am when all the other hounds woke us up. He yelped again when I slid my hand under his belly. He did NOT pee outside, just sat there enjoying the warmer weather.

Last Night

Back inside as I was filling the dog bowls of food, he walked dragging his legs very very fast from the living room blanket to his food dish and ate his food faster than I had ever seen. Out of curiosity I let him sit there without any gate to see where he would go. He moved over to the dog food container as if he wanted more. Then he took off for the living room blanket.

Refused the water I sat in front of him, laid down and slept. Sadie slide in between Winston and the wall and slept beside him.

A short time later he started whining so outside we went. He sat for a second, started moving to his spot and had a large amount of pee come out of him. He did NOT yelp when I picked him up to take him back to the house. I put him in the chair, gated the front of it and he slept until 10am ... when he started whining.

I moved him to the blanket and gated it ... he has been whining a lot ... I think he needs to poop.

I thought instead of using a towel that was too bulky, a long sleeve t-shirt, wrapped in the middle with the sleeves behind my handles would work better. I had just ONE of them from 1977. It worked great,  he walked down the steps out of the house and to the carport. The sleeves were long enough I did not have to bend over while I pulled his rear paws off the ground. He sat and peed. He may not have been strong enough to keep walking, so I carried him to the yard where he had 2 firm stools.

Before using the shirt harness, I called the Linton vet and asked if it was okay to use the harness and let him walk if he wanted to instead of carrying him. They said a "definitely yes". They also suggested getting one of those fitted harness that fit around his legs and hips for "different pressure points".

I feel so much better now than I did at 7am when he just didn't feel the same. I thought something was wrong when he yelped.

Sadie is playing "nurse" today.

I have changed my mind and will be doing multiple postings per day. I just received two more emails about opening my blog back up for all to read. I might do that but under current circumstances it will have a different feel to it. It will be more like I am talking to myself, because basically I am while it's closed.

Day 3 - More Improvement

It's a cold, dark overcast, windy and rainy day. At least each time I have taken Winston outside it was not raining and he could pee without getting wet. Progress is slow as expected but I do see a little more improvement.

He was restless on the floor blankets last night and I couldn't figure out what he wanted about 8pm. Found out he wanted on the couch next to me. He slept there until we went to bed at 10:30pm. For the night I put him in the temporary closet crate and he went right back to sleep. 

A little after 3am, I hear him whining a little, not really loud but enough for me to hear. Took him outside and he peed immediately. High winds, very dark at 3am. I put him back in bed with me and we slept until the other hounds woke up a little after 7am.

We all went outside like normal, then breakfast. I had sat him on the living room blanket and told him to stay. Of course the bloodhounds are excited to eat as always. That got Winston excited so he "sprints" to his food dish, while dragging his back legs. I stopped him and got him to eat his food right there. He has a great appetite for food and water, like normal.

He slept all morning in the big chair with the baby gate in front of the chair to keep him from getting down. Slept more this morning than he had based the times in my spreadsheet for him.

I heard slight light whining around 1pm ... took him outside near his pee spot that he smells. Well he walked out into the field dragging his hind legs and took another crap (that's good) and a firm stool but not as brown in color. That color change could be the Ritalin. 

Back inside I put him on the blanket and while I was doing something he "walked" into the bathroom to his water bowl to drink his normal amount of water. Back in the chair to sleep and a baby gate in front of it to keep him in the chair.

I believe I need to get the hindquarter harness so I can help get him outside instead of trying to carry him all the time. That will relieve my back but also keep his spine straight when we go outside. He is so long that its hard to keep his spine straight and parallel to the ground when I carry him. 

The other hounds know that something is up. Sadie and Stella play but still stay quiet most of the time. Heidi sleeps most of the time. I make it a point to give them a lot of attention while Winston is needing all this assistance. 

Sadie cannot figure out what is going on with Winston.

He moved moved around 3 different times while sleeping this morning, chasing direction on the chair where he was sleeping. That's a good sign I believe. Good appetite for food and water, firm stool again today. It will be a slow process but I think he will recover.

I will only post once per day, so each time I post will be saved until I publish the post later each night.

Winston spent most of the afternoon sleeping. He did eat his afternoon meal without any issues, drank normal amounts of water. I put him in the closet crate since I was headed downtown to buy some dog food.

Stella's separation anxiety returned for my short trip. This time I let Heidi stay in the bedroom unlike in the past when I would leave her in the living room because I had a feeling she and Stella was fighting enough to draw blood the last time they were left together.

Today I guess I had so much on my mind that I left her in the bedroom with the other dogs. BAD MOVE on my part!!!

I open the door when i returned. Winston's baby gate is still up so that is good. I found drops of blood on the floor next to the heater on the north side of the room. Drops of blood on the bed blanket. No blood showing anywhere on any hound.

Although ... Heidi's neck on top was saturated.  Behind her left ear was soaked but no blood and no drool ... just wet. Could that have been Stella's drool??  Did Stella cut herself on the sharp pieces of the baseboard electric heater?  I don't know, can't find any blood drops anywhere but the floor.

I don't know though ... Heidi could have been the aggressor. I have caught her sounding pretty mean when Stella is trying to get her to play while Heidi is laying in the chair or on the couch. They bark back and forth to each other but Heidi is angry, Stella is just playing.

While Winston was "locked up" and didn't seem to mind staying in the closet crate....it has blankets on the floor of the closet and I use a baby gate in the front for the fourth wall. I vacuumed the house and started laundry.

Afterward he came out and stayed on the blanket in the living room location without the gate and never moved. After a couple of hours he turned and stepped toward the chair. So I moved Heidi out of the chair and put him in the chair with the baby gate in front.

I caught Winston scratching his head with his rear right leg !!!!!

Its 5:50pm, all the hounds are sleeping. My back is killing me from lifting him and carrying him in and out to pee. If you didn't know you would not be able to tell Winston is even hurt until he started to walk.

Day 2 - Winston Shows A Little Improvement

Well it's been a little over 24 hours since Winston hurt his back. I feel encouraged for his improvement here on Sunday morning at 11:50am.

HE HAD A NORMAL STOOL !!!

He also controls his bladder and bowels. He will whine when he needs to go outside. I carry him outside, sit him down and he will scoot to a place he smells to piss. It is recommended I clean him afterward with baby wipes to prevent infection from the urine. I have baby wipes.

I made a bed for him last night on the floor of the closet and then used a baby gate to block him inside. He slept there soundly. I was afraid that either I or one of the bloodhounds would roll over on him if he slept in the bed with me.

I heard him whinning at 4:05am. He wanted to go outside. He peed immediately in the sitting position. When we came back inside I put him next to me on the bed and covered him with my sleeping bag. We slept that way until a little after 7am.

Once again I took him outside and he walked dragging his rear legs to a spot he "smelled" to pee. As the normal routine I feed all the hounds when they got back inside. I included the 50mg of Rimadyl with his food and he ate it with no problems.

He drank water after that like normal.

I am seeing a little improvement:

• Urination and bowel movement is normal with control
• He did a full body shake this morning
• He can turn his head far enough to touch and smell his tail  (spine flexibility??)
• He is sleeping well this morning which will be good for his back
• By the time I caught him he walked dragging his legs from the bedroom to the door to go out
• He had to go pee and he never pees inside ... he is trying to be normal!
• SHOWS NO SIGNS OF PAIN

With that I am much more encouraged than I was this time yesterday or even last night. I honestly think he will recover from whatever hurt his back and it might not be as bad as I thought. IF the vet told me to look for improvement by Monday (48 hours), THEN THERE MUST BE A POSSIBILITY FOR HIM TO IMPROVE!!!

I always second guessed myself when I euthanized Harry a few weeks after his surgery. His condition was a little worse than Winston's. From what I have read, this condition CAN improve but it might take up to 6-8 weeks of confinement. To me, as long as I see life in his eyes, (that Winston look) normal appetite and no signs of pain ... I will keep working on his recovery.

The vet said yesterday after Monday we would know if there "wasn't any improvement". He is already showing slight improvement within 24 hours.

This morning instead of the bloodhounds playing, chewing their bones and begging attention from me ... they jumped on the bed and slept next to Winston. The whole house has been kinda quiet since yesterday ... all the hounds know something is up with Winston. Even Heidi last night jumped up in the same chair to sit with him instead of staying in bed.

I guess it's good I pulled the down comforter off the bed every morning.

I think he can and will pull out of this and even get back to standing and walking on all 4 legs.

These are from yesterday afternoon after seeing the vet.

Last night Heidi decided to jump on the chair to stay next to Winston. Normally at this time of night she would be in the bedroom on the bed off to herself.

This morning after they had eaten their breakfast, instead of playing and chewing bones or begging for my attention ... they climbed up on the bed to sleep next to Winston.

Stella and Sadie went out side but was not enthused to do too much but dump their tanks and sniff around.

Winston had his first crap and it was a normal stool ... very encouraging I think.

This is my temporary 'kennel' that seems to be working to keep him isolated and confined. I still want to get 2-4 portable panels to use as we move around the house during the day and night.

I feel encouraged about the little improvements I've seen so soon, within or a little after 24 hours after treatment.

Day 1 - I'm Crushed - Winston May Have To Be Put Down

I might have to euthanize Winston. I will have a better idea what happens by Monday.

Resting Before The Vet Visit

About the time we normally wake up I hear Winston crying out like he is hurt. It's dark, I'm about half asleep. He had been sleeping next to me in bed. Stella was in her normal spot at the foot of the bed during the night. Normal routine has Winston jumping off the bed on his own, along with Stella if the hounds wake up at the same time. They like to go outside as soon as they get up so they head to the door.

By the time I woke up, Winston was in the hallway along the wall STANDING ON ALL FOUR LEGS. He wasn't crying nonstop but he did yell out a couple of times. My first thought was that Stella had jumped down on top of him when she jumped out of bed. (That might be what happened ... hard to say) Sadie had just woke up so I knew it was not her. Stella is clumsy, walks on me at times and over the bassets like she is not paying attention ... at times.

Anyway Winston could stand but could not walk. He would have had to walk from the bed to the first part of the hallway outside the bedroom. So I am confused what had happened. By the time I had a clear mind from waking up, getting some jeans on to take them outside ... Winston was walking dragging his rear legs on the floor. He could NOT even stand up.

Scott (vet) was open in Worthington 10-2 from what their hand out showed. I get over there and Scott doesn't come in until 2pm and they are open until 4pm. He was aware of Winston's 'old age' back from past examinations. I didn't want to come home and then go back at 2pm, I wanted to get Winston a shot for pain and some anti-inflammatory meds as soon as possible.

I called the vet in Odon (my neighbor). We had a bad cell phone connection but he said his office closed at 10:30am and by this time it was 10:39pm. He sounded ALOOF and said he would NOT be going back to the office. Because of his tone of voice, I will NOT be taking Heidi back to him for her skin exams.

I decided to drive back home and stop at the Bloomfield Vet since I had seen cars on the parking lot on the way to Worthington. I walk in and there are SIX vet techs standing behind the desk but the vet had left for the day.

I seriously thought of just driving home and give him the NonBuffered Aspirin I had given him, thinking it might just be a pulled muscle or inflamed disc. Rest and aspirin would work.

Still I wanted a vet to take a look at him, check his back and give some powerful meds ... ASAP.

I then drove to Lueking's Vet in Linton. Winston had not visited that vet in NINE years. Mr Whittman was still working there. We brought Winston from the FJ to the lab table on a gurney with wheels. He did the following tests:

• Folded rear paws to see - NO RESPONSE  (it's been that way for the last 3 years)
• Ran his fingers along the spine and pressed hard on each side - NO RESPONSE
• Strange that Winston was able to wag his tail coming into the building and on the table.
• Laid him on each side while pinching his toes with a caliper - NO RESPONSE
• Inserted a needle along each side of his spine about a 1/3 up - NO RESPONSE

WINSTON IS PARALYZED

Mr Whittman said Winston was showing no signs of pain. He gave him a shot of cortisone and a shot of some high powered anti-inflammatory meds. Also prescribed a 100mg of Rimedyl, cut in half, fed with food 2x day. He didn't suggest x-rays and did not even talk or suggest possible surgery. 

He said there is not much you can do for this condition in basset hounds. I always knew it might come to this. Harry had the same issues after his bladder stone surgery. He could not walk etc. Yet, he was recovering from surgery.

Mr Whitman said that if Winston did not improve on these shots and meds by Monday or Tuesday then his condition is pretty bad. 

I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO EUTHANIZE HIM.

Just like that a life is changed ... perfect health for 11+ years ... just like that in bad shape

It's hard to believe. 

When I asked Mr Whittman about using the two wheeled cart for his rear legs ... He replied ... "Would you really want to do that??"  I answered "no". He then said "I've never thought that was fair to the dog and putting him down would be the best option".

IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR ... he is right about that. It was that exact reason that I put Harry down in October of 2000. 

So as I sit here on the couch typing this, Winston is next to me sleeping soundly. He ate his food when we got back from the vet so there is no loss of appetite. Still, will he be able to poop? He has peed but did it while his hips and rear legs were laying in the yard.

He will lose his ability to control his bowls and urinary functions. 

So I will have a better idea by Monday what Winston's future will be. Mr Whittman didn't sound very confident. 

I am NOT confident either. 

The problem is, for years I thought I put Harry down too soon and didn't give him enough time to recuperate. But they are different. Winston didn't have surgery. Winston's lower back and hind legs are paralyzed. It is just so hard to imagine how quick life can change ... IT SUCKS!!

Maybe with Winston wagging his tail while waiting to be examined and during the exam is a good sign. The vet was surprised he was able to still use his tail for anything. 

I physically hurt thinking about this ... really knowing that it's probably the end for Winston.

How long should I wait to see if Winston regains use of his back legs if he shows no improvement by Monday?????

A Freezing Sunny Friday

It was really quite boring and I didn't do a damn thing today. I spent a lot of time online reading, took a mid day nap for three hours, more internet, a dog walk that was too cold and some photos taken in the afternoon ... nice light.








Heidi's skin looks the best it has been in a long time ... she still needs a bath.

Last day for Winston's antibiotics. He doesn't seem to be in any pain after losing two more teeth. He is also not leaving any signs of blood in his drinking water.

You can tell it's winter though. Very dark early in the morning. I sure don't miss driving to work that early but at the time it seemed normal. After the hounds come back inside Stella and Sadie have decided that blanket on the bed I use for a sheet is warm. Since Stella has decided this is her home ... she and Sadie go to the bed after they eat for a nap the rest of the morning on the cold days.

I take off the down comforter every morning in case the hounds decide the bed is the place to sleep. i don't need to come in and find a destroyed down comforter and feathers all over the place.

Heidi takes over the living room chair and Winston heads for the couch.

I am getting more and more emails asking either for "invite" to read the blog or that they miss seeing the hounds and reading about them. Even one reader mentioned she missed reading about "the tropics".

It will be a great thing to look back and read ten years from now or even longer. Much like looking through an old photo album that I have never kept.

Here are some hound photos from this after noon, 38° and felt much colder.

I am seriously considering making the blog public again even if some of the photos are a little gross.