It's been a litle while since the last Mojo update, and I know she's everyone's favorite three-legged mutt puppy, so sorry to keep you waiting!

Last weekend I was up at the cabin again on a 2-day software retreat (thanks for letting us use it Steve and Karen!). On Saturday, the weather was hot, but the cabin stayed nice and cool (it's very shaded) - still, I thought a hike with Mojo would be nice, so we hiked a trail along the Salmon Creek.

We've never really attempted to see what her endurance is, so I was fully prepared to carry her back if I had to. We brought plenty of water and snacks, and she did pretty well for the first half-mile. The next half-mile she slowed down considerably, and needed a few breaks. The third half mile was really pushing it... we had to stop every 100 yards or so to take a break, she'd lay down in the shade and recover.

But then... the river! When we got there, she flopped down in the sand along the bank, totally exhausted, and the sand (a little wet and shaded) was nice and cool. Then I tried to get her interested in the water... at first she was nervous and skeptical, but then suddenly she remembered (from the treadmill at Back on Track, I think) that she LOVES water, and she FREAKED OUT. I've never seen her go so completely crazy, it was insanity. She was snapping at the water, jumping in then out, then sprinting away from it, then sprinting back at it. She would stop at the shore, dig into the sand with her paw, and when the water started to fill up the hole she'd smash her paw down on it and bite it. At one point she was running on the sand and she sort of flipped over on her side, but like a bug her legs just kept cranking in the air like she was still running.

When she finally calmed down, I found a good spot with some shallow water she could stand in, with a sharp drop-off. I waded out into the deep part (brrr that stuff was SNOW just a few hours earlier) and held onto her harness to pull her out towards me, and she started swimming! Even with just the one front paw (going double-time) and her lean build, she was keeping her head up. Okay I was giving her a *little* bit of lift occasionally, but not much!

Next time we're headed out, we'll have some flotation for her (a little doggy PFD!) to help keep her front end up higher, and I think she'll REALLY love the water.

Unfortunately, I had my hands full, so between her, the water, and the sand, I couldn't really get the camera out for any "crazy dog" shots. Maybe next time.

Oh, and the sad pathetic puppy coming down the trail needing a rest, was magically transformed into a ball of energy on the way back. She was going so fast I was jogging with her, uphill, for about half a mile!
 

I recently wrote the story of Mojo (our 3-legged puppy) for the Animal Rescue and Care Fund Newsletter. I seemed to keep mentioning how much everybody loves Mojo. People stop on the street to pet her. They smile at her while she licks their toes. There is something so resilient and amazing in her demeanor but it turns out she isn't the only one with an amazing story of triumph! A few weeks ago I met Dottie when she came into the clinic with her kitty brother, Pullo for wellness care. She is such a sweet dog - a pit bull no less - and so very happy. She, like Mojo, brings out the best in people as they find this great desire to help her. It's no wonder she wags her tail so much - check out this story written by her mom, Amie:

Dottie

According to the 'Must Love Dogs NW', the rescue group Dottie came from, she had a pretty rough start in life. Apparently she was on her way to the Vancouver H.S. after her family became homeless. For some reason, the family stopped at a used tire yard, where the owner offered to take Dottie to avoid going to the H.S. ( A much worse fate!). For the next 2 and a half years, the owner of the tire lot chained her to a tire with no shelter and very little food. The only shelter Dottie had was to crawl amongst (and in) the tires. In the summer time, she would burn the pads of her paws due to the heat and in the winter time, she would make a bed out of rat carcasses. (I assume she was hunting them)

Dottie in the Tire Yard - what a fierce watch dog!

Eventually, an elderly gentleman took a liking to her and made it his mission to be her caretaker. (It is unclear exactly how he came to know her).  Everyday, the man would take Dottie off of her chain and walk her around the neighborhood and to the local elementary school. Before long he had the entire community rallying around her. People chipped in to buy her a harness, the pizza parlor nearby would give her pizza scraps and the elderly man would scrap together enough money to buy her dog food. (I've been told that she was eating 'Ol Roy'. Yuck!)  Eventually the elderly man, who apparently had beginning alzheimers or dementia, was forced to go into assisted living and could no longer care for Dottie. That is when 'Must Love Dogs NW' became involved and talked the tire lot owner into letting them take Dottie.

Before we got Dottie she spent 3 months in a fabulous foster home with 4 other dogs. The first time we met her at an outreach event, we knelt down and she was so sweet, she just melted right into us. Even though we had another dog to see that day, we pretty much knew that Dottie was our girl right then.

Dottie relaxing with her dad

 

 

Dottie now lives in a loving home with Amie and Mark (who are getting married next week!) and her kitty brother, Pullo. She loves to snuggle under the covers when it's cold and eagerly awaits her regular run with her mom. She loves cats, kids and most dogs. Dottie's favorite things include running long distances or curling up and watching t.v., as long as it includes hanging out with her people.

  

Mojo had her 4th physical therapy appointment at Back on Track yesterday. She has definitely gotten used to the idea of going there and looks for new friends to meet (both human and dog) and loves Dr. Shaw. Dr. Shaw works with Mojo, giving her treats and teaching her new "tricks" (they are really new exercises). She also works on limb and spine manipulation which Mojo believes is her massage time. Sometimes Mojo gets fussy with the range of motion palpation that Dr. Shaw does, but with some petting distraction from one of the techs she settles right down. This time Alicia helped out and did a great job keeping Mojo focused.

We learned some new exercises that Mojo, of course, is picking up quickly. We are now working on strengthening and providing flexibility to her hocks (ankles). She has to do a complicated sit pretty to stand (balanced - no cheating) and then down to a sit. The Cheez Whiz works great at home! She is also learning to back up, stepping one leg at a time. This often times turns into a couple of sits but she is getting it. She's got her ramp exercises down and even the uphill sit is good with minimal spotting from us. Michael does the best with her with her obstacle course. We are using the frame from our bed (did I tell you we took it out so she could get up on her own?) and it's the perfect height for her. I usually just have her walk through, which she does quite well, but Michael has her turning and going over one foot at a time. She's a star and will be ready for agility any day now!

The last part of physical therapy is the underwater treadmill. The first time she did it she really didn't get it (or like it) and by the last time she was having fun playing in the water. She'll walk on the treadmill (without cheating) as long as there are treats in front of her. The funniest thing is that she'll walk, take the treat and ride the treadmill while she chews and then walk forward again (double time) to get the next treat. During breaktime it was attack the water playtime again and she was having a blast. Michael was there to document the event and Mojo was glad to show off. We even got pictures of her playing with a squeaky fish which was pretty funny. She did get some exercise and found some time to workout a little. If only we could have so much fun at the gym!

Next appointment August 18th.

   

Mojo had her 3rd physical therapy appointment with Dr. Shaw last week at Back on Track. She really is improving well and we've given up the funny orange band for her legs and are now focusing on her core strength. She had her third round in the underwater treadmill which is always an adventure. This time she was not terrified. In fact, in her I-love-life kind of way, she decided it was actually really fun (but she was not really into the walking part). You see, we discovered on our trip to Northern California that Mojo loves tiny movements. In fact they make her crazy! On the beach she would watch the little rocks (sand) move when she jumped forward and she would try to "get" it. And then she'd jump again and more sand would move and again and again until she was running like a crazy dog! The water wasn't much different. One splash and water droplets and bubbles would appear and she would try to "get" them. Then she would splash more and there would be more to get until soon she is living it up in the water completely ignoring the fact that she is supposed to be walking. Well, at least she wasn't bored and trying to ride the treadmill backwards instead.

sitting pretty, to develop her back legs

sitting downhill on her ramp

Her new exercises are more of a challenge for her. We have an obstacle course and she plays "bull in the china shop" and knocks stuff over but she tries. If things are spaced out far enough she does better. She also has to do inclined sit-stands which she is more than happy to do facing downhill but uphill she has trouble. All of the sit commands in the world just can't convince her that she's supposed to really sit! She does better with some spotting and I think we are getting somewhere on that front.

Walking to work has been a bit of a challenge as well. It's a little embarrassing to be seen "dragging" my poor 3-legged puppy down the street. (Yeah, these people didn't see her running crazy on the beach!) We live on a busy street and starting off is tough for her. I think she may be really worried about the cars judging by her injuries and her being found running down 82nd Avenue. So it goes like this. We get down the driveway and she sees the first car. She sits and watches it go by. She gets praise and asked to walk again which she does and then the next car comes (after a few steps) which she has to stop and watch. Sigh...it can take awhile to walk a block. Once we get into the neighborhood things are good and she moves more freely as long as there are no people. Even if she sees people on the opposite side of the street she is convinced that they want to come see her so we must wait and watch them until they pass!

She is a lot of fun and even DeeDee is starting to like playing with her sometimes. DeeDee certainly does enjoy it when Mojo has to do exercises because she also participates in the cookie handouts. Mojo is also an Olympic snuggler. Her favorite thing to do is sleep and she is even starting to respect personal space just a little bit and keep her nose out of my eye but lounging across my body is still fair game. Her latest schedule is: Wake up. Go outside to potty. Do exercises. Eat breakfast. Go potty and then it's back to bed for a snuggle with Michael until he gets up. She does have it rough.

Last week Michael and his friend Dragan were riding home from work when they found a large yellow lab sauntering down the middle of Glisan St. Quick thinking they stopped and called him over, and being a friendly yellow lab he was happy to say hi. They called Sarah, Dragan's wife to come pick up the lab, named Framus to come give him a ride to the clinic. Michael called the number on the tag but there was no answer so he left a message.

Framus arrived at the clinic and was greeted with cookies and a cool bowl of water. He thought we were pretty cool. We pulled out our microchip scanner and got started on the phone calls. First we called the microchip company to give them the number and get Framus's family's information. The phone number from the tag was the primary contact so Katie left a message there and called the alternate contact number. It was Framus' aunt. She told us the story of her brother being new in town and living near where Framus was found. She was really nice and told us to call if we didn't hear from Framus' dad.

So, we took turns petting him and hanging out with Framus until the phone rang - it was Framus' dad! He got our address and came on down. Seems that someone left the gate open and Framus decided to take himself on an adventure. Framus was happy to see him and got a ride back home.

Microchipping is done by placing a small readable chip (the size of a grain of rice) under the skin. The chip is scanned and a number comes up on the reader. The person scanning calls the company that made the chip, gives the number and gets the information. The needle for microchipping is rather large so we prefer to microchip under anesthesia or sedation but many pets do well awake. We typically microchip pets when they are under anesthesia for their spay or neuter surgeries. We  did just microchip two cats heading to Amsterdam while they were awake. The brother cat did well but the sister had a difficult time. We had to use a Feliway covered towel to wrap her up in and microchip her quickly after a failed attempt. It was difficult for all involved but it was so fast.

The microchips we use are made by HomeAgain. They are a great microchip manufacturer that uses a patented technology so the microchips are less likely to migrate from where they are placed. They also have a wonderful program that gives a central place to call if your pet is lost. When you call, HomeAgain will blanket a 25 mile radius faxing the lost pet poster to all veterinary hospitals, shelters and pet stores in the area. The registration also includes $3000 in insurance that covers injuries while the pet is lost, calls to the ASPCA Poison Control, and a way to make lost pet posters to hang in the area. The program is free for the first year when your pet is microchipped at our practice and then is $14.95 a year. The fee for microchipping is $50.

 

Mojo's car seat... watching the redwoods go by

I suppose technically this has nothing to do with the clinic, but since it involved Mojo travelling I thought some of you might be interested.

We drove down to Westport, CA in Mendocino County last weekend to meet Kristin's family, and took the dogs. DeeDee is a veteran traveller and camper, but this was Mojo's first road trip, and first night spent in the great outdoors. We only camped one night, but it was in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and it was really beautiful there.

We also stopped at Navarro Vineyards and Anderson Valley Brewery while we were there, and since the tasting area at Navarro had some outdoor seating we were able to hang out with the dogs. They both did a little wine tasting - many of you may not realize just how much of a palate DeeDee has. We all thought the wine was great, but she said she's tasted better liquid in a toilet bowl - maybe this is a species thing?

taking in the bouquet...	tasting like a pro...	uh, not very impressed...

 

They both did great in the car, and Mojo helped to further prove our favorite axiom... "All Dogs Love the Beach!" Overall it was a great weekend, nice to get away and see family, and spend some time tidepooling and hiking in the redwoods.

Mojo and DeeDee tearing it up on the beach!

Once again, I took LOTS of pictures, and I've posted the ones from this trip on my flickr account if you're interested.

 

 

 

 

EDIT (MJS 7/7/08) I wrote this early *last* week, but never got around to publishing or announcing it. So, it's a week out of date. We've just returned from the trip mentioned at the bottom of the article, so I'll post about that in a couple days.

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Last weekend some friends let us use their cabin up near Rhododendron for the weekend. I left early, Thursday night, and brought all my computer gear - the whole system! Two monitors, keyboard, surge protector, etc. I've found that I can really produce a staggering amount of work if I'm alone with no distractions.

Kristin didn't get up there until Saturday evening, so for the first couple days it was just me and Mojo. It was her first time experiencing nature!

We hiked to the Salmon river, chased squirrels, chewed up a lot of douglas fir cones, and split firewood. Overall, I'd say I was better at splitting firewood, but she beat me at chewing up douglas fir cones. But I gave it my best effort!

As you might expect, she did a couple of faceplants trying to navigate the irregularity of the natural world, but she's unstoppable! She can plow face-first into the dirt and shake it off while she's moving, like nothing ever happened. The excercises and therapy we've been doing under the direction of Dr. Shaw from Back on Track seem to be helping a lot - Mojo's looking a little more surefooted, and a little less bent and bowed. It looks like at the very least we've avoided the need for an immediate surgery (hooray!) although someday as she ages she still may end up needing surgery for her hips. But, we'll take it as it comes - and for now, she's one happy puppy!

I also managed to complete the first (alpha) release of our clinic's custom software , which we'll use for client and patient tracking, appointment scheduling, exams, invoicing, reports, etc. (for those of you who don't know, my "real job" is developing and integrating computer systems) Kristin and I both have been pretty unimpressed with vet software we've seen in the past, so we're making our own. More on that next week.

This weekend we'll be travelling with the dogs, so we'll keep you posted on Mojo's outdoor adventures.  Since I take a lot of pictures, I decided to post a bunch from last weekend on my flickr account, so feel free to browse them there.

Last night I heard, off in the distance, the unmistakable sound of firecrackers being set off in some kind of 10:32pm celebration. My first urge was to yell out the word "cookieworks"! You see, our old dog Seso (who passed away at 15 in October) had noise phobia and this time of year was difficult for her (until she started to lose her hearing). We tried various medications throughout the years but what seemed to work the best for her (and her cookie motivation) was treats whenever fireworks were let off. We would be out in the yard and firecrackers would boom - we'd yell "cookieworks" and hand her a tasty treat. It got to the point where she'd flinch at the noise, and then immediately look at one of us with her tail wagging - suddenly not so worried and definitely looking for her reward.

Fireworks - fun for people, scary for dogs

Noise phobia makes the 4th of July and the surrounding weekends (or weeks in our neighborhood) difficult for pets and pet owners alike. The panting, shaking, hiding, trying to climb on top of your head or hiding under the toilet makes us feel terrible for our best friends. And with hearing more acute than ours, they usually detect the issue long before we notice. The very best treatment for noise phobia is behavioral training. We're a little late in the year with the 4th only a few days away but we can consider this for next year. Please email me or comment if you'd like more information.

This year it is important to do what works best for your pet. If you can take a trip and camp or travel with your dog during the 4th of July weekend to somewhere quiet and fireworks free we can practice avoidance. If you and your dog will be staying in town there are some mild interventions to consider. DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheramone) collars and plug ins are a nice mild way to calm nervous dogs. This pheramone is the same one the nursing mother dog releases and it serves to give comfort. The collars are nice because your dog can wear it wherever they go - you never know when mid day firecrackers are going to go off. These collars and plug ins should be started now (or ideally 2 weeks before) for the best effects. Daily exercise can also help, tired dogs often times have less energy to be worried. For those loud and bright nights your pet should be placed in an interior room with no windows. Turn on the radio, but instead of soothing music, try some dance or rap music with a heavy baseline. This will cover the sound of the fireworks.

D.A.P. Collar

A few very important things to avoid with your noise phobic dog are:

1. Leaving them outside during the next few weeks - very fearful dogs can dig or climb fences and run away. 

2. Try to calm or soothe your dog while it is frightened. This actually rewards the unwanted behavior. The best thing is to talk in a quiet but confident voice and ignore the unwanted behavior.

If you know your dog is noise phobic, antianxiety medication or sedatives can be very helpful during this time of year. These need to be requested before the fearful event because prescriptions require a recent exam for dispensing. Alprazolam works great for phobic dogs and can really take away their anxiety. I have had reports from clients that it takes away some of their inhibitions as well. For example, closet counter surfers suddenly practice their craft out in the open. Acepromazine is a classic sedative used for 4th of July. Both medications need to be given an hour before desired effects and both have a pretty good dosage range. It's best to know your dog's ideal dose before the frightening event.

Seso loves her cookies

If you think your pet needs medication for the holiday, please call and schedule an appointment right away. Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care will be closing for the Independence Day Holiday. Our hours this week are: 

Monday - closed (as usual)

Tuesday - 10am - 8pm

Wednesday - 10am - 8pm

Thursday - closing EARLY 10am - 2pm

Friday (July 4th) - closed

Saturday - closed

Have a great holiday weekend! Enjoy friends, family, and fuzzy companions in celebration of this patriotic day.

 

 

 

Mojo prepares for the treadmill

Michael and I took Mojo to Back on Track this morning for her recheck with Dr. Shaw. Turns out things are going pretty well. She stands more normally on her rear legs and her exercises that we are doing appear to be working. Dr. Shaw's evaluation showed that she has more movement in her hips and more flexion in her toes than she had 2 weeks ago.  She even did a couple of really nice sits in the office - squared off instead of sitting on her left hip and sticking out her right leg (like she still does sometimes!). We learned some new exercises to help build up her gluteal muscles and her core strength - there are these cute "sit pretty" exercises that she started doing on her own anyway so those should be pretty easy to do and I think she's going to like them. We also have some new hind leg stretches that involve picking her up and putting her tippy toes on the ground for her to stretch and then square off her legs properly. She's 23 lbs now so I think Michael will be in charge of those! We'll continue with her various other exercises but Dr. Shaw says we can stop the one she really hates which are the right leg rotations - she's thrilled and so are we!

Getting into the treadmill

We also reviewed her x rays and her left hip is seated well and her right appears to be as well. This means that the JPS pelvic surgery we were considering in the next 2 weeks won't need to be done - whew! The poor thing has already had 2 surgeries in her short 4 month lifespan (her amputation and her spay surgery) that thinking about one more so soon was a little stressful. The bad news on her x rays is that her right hip is smaller than her left and it appears that the right growth plate in the proximal femur (ball joint) is damaged. We aren't sure exactly what that will mean for her but we'll continue to monitor her progress and recheck x rays in another 6 weeks. If we have to she'll have orthopedic surgery to remove the femoral head on her right side but in the mean time we are working on  building up her thigh muscles to prepare her if she's needs the surgery.

Waiting for the water

She also had another exciting underwater treadmill experience. She doesn't seem to enjoy it much and she cheats at every chance she can. For awhile she would put her front leg off the treadmill and saunter with her back legs or she'd turn around and ride the treadmill backwards - so much easier that way! She crashed out pretty good for the ride home from all of her exercise.

So the plan is to continue her exercises, slow her growth, keep her lean and recheck in 3 weeks. We will keep you posted!

P.S. Mojo and DeeDee appear to be getting along better and DeeDee is actually PLAYING with Mojo sometimes! And will even lie down next to her!

Water in, ready to start the treadmill

P.P.S. Mojo had many real play dates last week. On Monday she went and played with Champ Conrad at his house and had a ball. He is such a good boy and really got her to come out and play chase. Then, of course, they did some rough housing and he knocked her down at every turn - it was on the grass and she didn't mind. They also had a nice rest on the grass in the sun. On Saturday she had a fun time in the yard at the clinic playing with Raisin, a 5 month old Boston that is tough as nails from living with her big brother Takai the Pit Bull. The two of them were so cute together and Raisin kept rolling Mojo and standing on top of her. They are sure to be best friends and we'll look forward to more play dates in the future! (Michael will have to get some pictures!)

   

Michael's Eco Signs and Barb's brownies

Our Open House last Saturday was a smashing success. We were busy all day with tours and conversation and the best part was that people started hanging out and talking to each other. Oh and all of the cute dogs coming through the clinic was great too. It was fun to point out all of the green aspects of the practice - Michael made signs highlighting each part and it was definitely a hit. Everyone enjoyed the tours and some people even made appointments to come back with their pets!

Yummy food trays from Zupan's

We had excellent appetizers from Zupan's courtesy of Pfizer and Abbott and my Mother-In-Law, Barb Sulis, made delicious brownies that were gobbled up quickly. My friend Tara from Sweet Treat Company came by unexpectedly with a surprise dessert - her famous cheesecake kabobs with heavenly lavender caramel syrup, cookie crumbs and strawberries - those were gone in a flash leaving only lots of mmmmmmms and ahhhhhs and the lavender caramel is now legendary! Thank you Tara! (If anyone needs the perfect party food - contact her!)

Michael hanging pictures in the hall

We started pretty early that day, and my parents, in town for the event, were lifesavers once again helping to clean and set up. DeeDee held down the fort at home because seeing so many people in her clinic upsets her and she insists on barking so much. Mojo was there to entertain guests and meet the crowds. I think she picked up a few fans.

Crowd having fun in the treatment room

The industry party from 6-8pm was so much fun. I met a lot of new people and watched connections being made between people that haven't seen each other in awhile and I even saw some new introductions. The mix was wonderful. Dr. Shaw from Back on Track came and gave a quick assessment that Mojo looked like she was walking a little more normal! Yay those exercises that Dr. Shaw prescribed and Mojo's hard work is paying off. Dr. Laird Goodman and his wife Pam came to show their support. I worked for the Goodman's at Murrayhill and it was so nice to see them and give them a tour of the clinic. Dr. Don McCoy was there as well, owner of North Portland Veterinary Hospital. He is the surgeon that skillfully amputated Mojo's leg! He is also the owner of Mt. Tabor's Grandfather clinic. You see, I opened Mt. Tabor after working at Murrayhill and Dr. Goodman opened Murrayhill after working at North Portland. We are like a clinic family and it only seemed fitting to take a picture! There were so many other people there as well - too many to name specifically but we are so grateful to all of you for coming. And thank you for all of the nice gifts, flowers and cards full of well wishes! Our friend Linda brought an excellent bottle of wine - 3-Legged Red and she didn't even know about our recent adoption!

Clinic Family Portrait: Dr. McCoy, me, & Dr. Goodman

Daniela and Katie also did a great job setting up, giving tours and essentially working all day. It was a great success and we couldn't have done it without you guys, thank you for your amazing effort and genuine dedication to the clinic.

Mojo helping Daniela get ready for the Open House

We held a party after the event at the Backstage. What a fun time and finally a chance to relax with friends. It was the perfect venue. Michael and I spent every Sunday night there eating and playing pool throughout the buildout of the clinic. It's where we had the famous competition playing to keep Mojo (read more here). And it was the place we went to relax for an hour or two, talk business, drink beer and listen to our favorite songs on the Juke Box. It was nice to share that with friends and celebrate our opening.

Gift from Linda

If you missed the Open House don't despair, you can come in for a tour anytime and we'd be happy to show you around.