No Baby Mama Here

My friend Heather was over a couple of weeks ago for dinner, and asked if Hank was practice for a baby, since when many couples get a dog, they then decide they want a real human in their life. And my reaction was NO WAY, he is great birth control! Since Hank's been sick lately he has been up early in the morning and requiring more attention than his usually mellow self does. With 4 AM walks and accidents on the carpet, yeah, this is all I need, you can keep the baby.

Happy Birthday Hank!

On Saturday, April 26th, Hank turned 2! Which means, we've had him for 6 months now, and man is our life so much more exciting with him in it! Hank's best friend Rudy came to visit him this weekend, and they really picked up right where they left off at New Years. In fact on Friday night when dad arrived, they ran around and played, but we ended up leaving them and going out for dinner, and they did JUST FINE!

We had an action packed birthday weekend for Hank. On Friday when Rudy arrived we went to the Vet to get Hank's ankle checked out, and the Vet was AMAZED at how great it looked. I kind of think she didn't think her idea would work based on her reaction. He's on another 10 days of antibiotics just to ensure that the rest of the gunk in his ankle is killed, but they said he's great, and can start going to Marymoor again. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So, Saturday morning we went to Marymoor and ran all over the place. Hank was so happy to swim, and Rudy even got her feet wet a bit. After Marymoor everyone napped in the afternoon, and then we had dinner and birthday dessert! Hank and Rudy had Kong's while we had dinner, and then the best part..."pupcakes." They are too cute as you can see. We sang Happy Birthday to Hank and Rudy & Hank both devoured their cakes, it was so cute. Then more treats and snuggling.

This morning Hank and Rudy have continued to wrestle and play together, which is so fun to watch. Hank has that usual "end my life now" face going on while Rudy is pining away after him, it's too funny. But they enjoy playing together. We're going to head over to Robinswood Park here shortly to let them run around and then dad & I are going to the Mariner game while Jeremiah watches the dogs and Talladega, oh boy.

Stir Crazy!

Jeremiah's mom is in town for the weekend. Friday night she stayed with his brother and wife, and last night she stayed with us. Last night all 5 of us went out to dinner at Palisades in Magnolia for a DELICIOUS meal, great view, and next to Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch. Oh yeah, and Nate McMillan was there too.

ANYWAY, we came home about 10, and Hank was very excited to see us. He ran all over the place, including out the back door and out to pee, which was fine. Then we heard the doorbell...It was James, our next door neighbor with a beautiful Akita, Ronin, who is OBSESSED with Hank. Anyway, James said his wife had heard Hank BARKING and howling for about the last hour...GREAT! James works from home, so we confirmed that he doesn't usually do this (right?) and apologized. James said he popped over to make sure that we were okay, since it was so unusual. He could see Hank and thought everything was fine, but did come over to give us a heads up.

Since Hank's been sick, he hasn't been to day camp in 3 weeks, and we haven't been exercising him as rigorously because of the ankle and everything. Today we're off to Robinswood with Grandma Paula, oh boy! Hopefully day camp helps, we'll get him in a couple of times this week which should help. Poor Hank is getting BORED.

Lookin' good Mr. Hank!

Well, the new antibiotics seem to be working for Hank, along with the "milking it out" regiment. I've had a chaotic work week, so Jeremiah's had to do the majority of the milking, but his ankle looks a LOT better already! We wanted to wait a couple of days to make sure the antibiotics were working for him, and they are doing fine, but now he is BORED and ready to start going to Day Camp again! He'll get in a couple of times next week, PLUS, Rudy is coming to visit him next weekend, and he's VERY excited for some time to reconnect with his girlfriend.

Lovely, I know. The swelling seems to be significantly smaller, and hair is growing back, which is a good sign. He has his energy back and we are just waiting to hear that he can start going to Marymoor again, YAY!

You know it's a good sign...

...when your Vet doesn't have a clue what it is...

That's right folks, Hank had his 2 week check up tonight! YAY, finally time to figure out what this was all about and where to go from here. Over the past few days Hank's ankle has been swollen still, and isn't "draining" as much. Good for the carpets, bad for the dog. So, at our check up tonight, the doctor came out and said she doesn't really know what it is. She said it's abscess like, but not just a solid knot that they can just cut it out. OH, and because it's in the WORST POSSIBLE SPOT on his body, they can't really go in and investigate because he doesn't have much extra skin to help cover it up. SO...

Time to try a new antibiotic! Yup, good times. The Vet actually said she has no clue "what the hell it is." She said if Hank was 10 and this was really hurting him, she'd know what it is, and it wouldn't be good. But even as she poked at it tonight, he wasn't bothered by it at all, which has been our case as well. So, she asked us to do a few things:

1. put a heat pack on his ankle for 10 minutes each day, and then "milk" the gunk, out of his ankle manually. Jeremiah was really looking for a new bonding experience with Hank, and I am SURE this will only bring them closer together.

2. try a NEW course of antibiotics, 2 pills once a day. No problem. We have been doing 2 twice a day, so this will be cinch!

3. try and figure this out on our own. Clearly she's the one with the med school degree, but then again, what's a WSU education REALLY going to get you in life? Trust me, I work with a few of these people...

Alright, so we're going to try the draining and the meds. We'll go back in 10 days (April 24th) and move forward from there. She did say if it's still the same, then they'll have to go in and open it up to check it out. She said she doesn't know what it is, the closest thing she's seen to it before was a dog that got a seed stuck in his ankle that just got it all irritated. The thing with the knot on his ankle is that part of it is soft and can be pushed around, and part of it is hard scar tissue that will (hopefully) go away in time. We sure hope this new course of antibiotics works for him, AND we hope that the forced draining each day will help too.

The good news is that he's doing really well and the Vet said he can start going to Day Camp again, HOORAY! He can NOT go to Marymoor yet, he needs to stay out of the water till we get his ankle figured out. But, at least we can get him some exercise, praise the Lord! Hank's been pretty excited the past few days when we get home from work with lots of energy to run off, so hopefully the weather drys up and we can take him to Robinswood and on good walks around the neighborhood.

One Day at a Time

The weekend went pretty well with Hank finally (except for the ripped open tub of treats incident). He slept through the night last night, HOORAY! He went out at 8:30 with Jeremiah and then slept till this morning, and didn't race down to the door like he has been doing. AND, I was gone all day at work, and he didn't have an accident, HOORAY!

He did however have his chair all messed up and the magazine basket knocked over, BUT, not stinky urine smell! I got home tonight about 5 and he was JUMPING up and down, it was ridiculous, he wanted OUT and had to GO! Hank had a lot of energy tonight, I think he's getting better. He ran all over the house after we went out initially. And he drug me down the hill on his walk. But as soon as we got to the secret off leash area, he ran and ran, which was GREAT. I sure wish we had a dog park in the neighborhood for days like this. Walking just wasn't going to cut it today, he needed to RUN!

Yesterday after church we took Hank to a NEW dog park. He loves going to Marymoor, but with his ankle we just haven't been able to take him, especially with the water, he'll do ANYTHING to get in the water. So, we found Robinswood Park in Bellevue. They have a nice off leash area that is fenced in and is really just a big corral, which is GREAT for running around. There's enough dogs that they chase each other and we didn't even need the tennis balls much. This is a great cold-day alternative and not quite healthy enough for the river park. Plus, it's closer and there's no parking fee. Hooray!

Hank is currently laying on the floor with Jeremiah watching Ask This Old House. A family favorite.

Master of the Universe

Hank's had a pretty good week this week. He finished his pain medication on Monday, so he's sleeping a little longer through the night, and he's holding his pee a little longer. He's still had about an accident a day while we're gone, but part of that has just been that we can't be around all the time.

Today however...Jeremiah & I had some plans to go to Bellevue, do some shopping, get some errands done, and be gone for about 3-4 hours. We took Hank out before we left and all seemed okay. It is a BEAUTIFUL day today, mid-70's it would have been a PERFECT day for Marymoor. Man, I can't wait to go again!

Last night, I was cleaning up Hank's dog treat jar on the kitchen counter, and put some treats from his "stash" in the garage in there. I was too lazy to take the Tupperware sealed tub back downstairs, so it sat by the door last night. Hank had noticed what it was, but did OK with it, and I noticed it before we left, but didn't grab it on my way out the door.

4 hours later...Jeremiah came home and I ran to Safeway. I come in the door, and Jeremiah says "before you come up, nothing is broken, it'll be OK" So, I'm thinking that Hank had a big accident or knocked the pillows off the couch or something.

OH NO. He drug the treat tub from over by the front door to the couch area, GOT IT OPEN, ripped open the chicken strip bag, ripped open the dog biscuit bag, ON THE CARPET and proceeded to eat about half the bag of dog biscuits. The good news however is that they were breath fresh biscuits! So, there was a nice big mess to pick up and vacuum up crumbs. BUT, at least we know Hank kept himself entertained. OH, and he took a pee on the carpet upstairs by our bedroom (but not in our room thank goodness!)

Tonight we had my friend Heather over who just moved back from North Carolina. She's allergic to dogs, but did OK with Hank till I closed the window tonight and she was forced to inhale dog scent at her feet. Like most people who meet Hank for the first time, they can't believe how HUGE he is. AND what a sweet guy he is. If only she'd been here at 4 today...

Dontcha wish your dog was hot like mine?

Evidently my time in Vegas has left me wishing I HAD gone to see Audrina at the Pussycat Dolls. BUT, I didn't. However, upon return, my brother Jake informed me of a Snapfish (online picture) competition for your pets.

Who has a cuter dog than me? That's right, no one. So, I took my most recent favorite picture and posted it. Beginning April 7th, you have a week to vote for YOUR favorite Yellow lab as well! Let the world know what an adorable dog I have! And don't forget...he's sick and could use the sympathy votes these days...

Click HERE to vote

He's going to make it!

What a weekend! Hank is doing pretty well, better than Tuesday anyway! Friday afternoon I came home at lunch to take Hank out on a break. He was doing much better and I was able to go back to work for the afternoon. On Saturday morning Hank woke up about 7 and jumped up on the bed. We took him out about 11 pm to pee Friday night, so figured he'd be OK for another hour or so till we got up. About 7:30, Jeremiah starts to TALK. If you know me, you know that 7:30 on a Saturday morning is NOT going to be a good time to start a big conversation with me. But evidently, our pride and joy had an ACCIDENT on our bed. He peed through the comforter, sheets, mattress pad, and onto the mattress...GOOD MORNING! Welcome to the weekend...

So, we spent Saturday doing laundry, and spraying up urine spots on the carpet behind Hank. He's had all 5 of his pain pills, and we're hoping that he'll be OK now. But, it's very possible that it's the antibiotics that he's on for 2 weeks...so another week and a half. Oh boy! Jeremiah and I just finished the schedule for the week so that he's only home alone a long day tomorrow
(9 hours, a typical day is about 10).

We had our friends Mike & Grace over last night. Grace is REALLY excited that Hank has completed his basic manners class, because now he can go on long runs with her, and we're all excited for that! But, he was pretty lazy last night, which is nice when there's people over. Mike's mom Debi was in town from DC for the week, and she was VERY excited to meet Hank. She even brought him some cookies, a cute latte cookie and a carrot cookie. Both of which he DEVOURED! HE loves his Auntie Debi!

Today he did more sleeping, he didn't pee on our bed, but he did have a wet spot on his bed, so hopefully we got that all cleaned up. I'm just hoping that the pain pills being done with will help him to stop peeing so much, but it's probably the Antibiotics. April 15th can't get here soon enough!

His leg is still draining a bit, but he seems to be doing alright and last night he even slept without his ecollar on!

Hank the Magician...

The fun never ends in casa de Case! Today, we had to leave Hank home alone while we were at work. Jeremiah was in the Seattle office this morning, and then was going to stop by home around noon, to take Hank out for a potty break, then off to Boeing.

So, Jeremiah calls me around 11:30 to say he's home, AND, well...new adventures. Hank is still wearing the cone, he was laying on the floor looking out the window towards the street. Oh yeah...and he had magically ripped out the tube that was helping his ankle DRAIN. Great! We were going to pay the vet good money (yeah, not really an assumption when you're 99% sure) to take OUT the tube and the stitches on Saturday, but Hank just went ahead and took care of that for us. He's clearly Jeremiah's.

So, I called the nurse at the vet's office, poor Megan HAS to hate me, I've called every day since Tuesday. But, that's her fault for offering. Anyway, at first she thought we'd be OK, then as we discussed a little more, she decided to ask the Vet, and he said yeah, come on in.

So, I leave work, run home, grab Jeremiah & Hank (yes it IS a two person job, especially with that damn cone on his head!) and go to the vet. They were kind of amazed that he had the eCollar (cone thing) on his head AND still got the tube out. Yup, our dog does have para-normal powers. So, they took out the stitches, and gave us some cleaning solution. $15 later and we're on the road...

Jeremiah was able to work from home this afternoon (I am SO glad he's been able to do this,(he'd like me to add that he's AMAZING) my week was nuts since I was sick on Monday-thanks Rio). Tomorrow WILL be crazy, since Jeremiah actually has to show his face in the office at least once or twice this week. I'll take a LONG lunch and come home to check on Hank. We have to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not licking at the now-open wound. It's lovely by the way...

Oh yeah, speaking of his magical powers....

1. he's decided to stop controlling his urinary tract, oh boy. Again, Jeremiah is THE BEST for taking him out at 4 AM today...

2. We stopped at Subway on the way back home. We left him in the BACK of the car. We have a Honda CRV, so he's usually pretty safe. We go inside, grab sandwiches and are back out within MAYBE 5 minutes...I turn around to walk out the door, and Hank is standing between the two front seats WITH THE CONE ON! We're beyond speculating how he does this...Jeremiah decided to go with this scenario:

Hank got bored of us, opened up the back trunk, got out, walked around, opened the back door, jumped in, locked the door and waited. It's actually a legit options since he HAS opened the door from our garage, broke out of a gate, and broken free from a kennel if you recall from our first week of ownership...

Anyway, Hank's a magician, there's no caging him, and hopefully he doesn't gnaw off his leg tomorrow while we're at work...

Someone stole Hank!

Dad sent this to me tonight...he does look a little happier than he has over the past 24 hours...

The morning after...

Hank's doing OK this morning. He's still pretty lazy, which is what the nurse said. He does keep laying ON his leg with the drain in it, which is a pain. Hopefully when I head to work here in a bit, he'll jump up in his chair and look out the window. The way it faces, he shouldn't be on his leg while we're gone. Jeremiah will come work from home this afternoon to be with him. Hank's not really eating either. I just made him some rice and he's just not in the mood for food...

I also posted a few more pictures (including some of the wound) on the Picasa page, check it out here if you want to look:

http://picasaweb.google.com/HankandElizabeth/HankSSurgery

This is your dog on drugs. Any questions?

Ummm...yes.

So, I take Hank to Marymoor every weekend for his run around the park and time to swim. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed that Hank had a knot on his back ankle, and I figured he bumped it when we were at the park. He wasn't nursing it, and he wasn't limping, so I figured it was a little swollen but would go away in a while. Two weeks later, we're off to Vegas. I noticed before we left that it was still swollen. The knot wasn't something we thought about much because it wasn't bothering him, so only if we were snuggling on the couch would I notice it sometimes.

When we dropped Hank off at the Pets Hotel before we left, I did mention the knot, and asked them to keep an eye on it, and said we'd take him to the vet when we get back. Jeremiah picked him up on Thursday, no problems. I took Hank to Day Camp this morning. The first thing Rob (the manager) asked me was how his ankle was. I said it was fine and I was going to call the vet this week to get it checked out.

So, about 10:30 this morning...I have a voicemail from Rob. Hank's knot has finally broken open, it's bleeding and oozing. The beauty of having your day camp/kennel/vet all in the same building is that when Rob called, he asked if I wanted HIM to take Hank over to the vet, across the store. SURE, that'd be great. They'll bandage him up, he'll be back at Day camp after lunch. Thanks so much, you guys are THE BEST! I call Jeremiah to give him a heads up. That's great, what a handy place for Hank to be!

The vet calls me...yeah, it's abscessed, and needs to be drained and looked at. They're pretty sure that Hank isn't going sit still through it, so they need to put him under. They also noticed as they examined him, that he's starting to get an ear infection, and they need to clean out his ears (which did smell pretty bad I noticed on Sunday), sure, go ahead. Oh yeah, and he had broken a tooth that was becoming abscessed (Hank's new favorite thing to do evidently) and they need to pull it. Since he's already going under, they could do it now. Ummm...sure go ahead.

So, I'm starting to freak out. I call Jeremiah, let him know what's going on. Oh yeah, I forgot. The Vet put me on with the nurse to talk about more logistics. Megan is going to be with Hank today as his nurse and take GREAT care of him. She explains in a little more detail what's going on. Oh yeah...for all 3 things (ankle, tooth, ears) it's going to cost over $1300. If they JUST do the ankle today it's going to be just over $1000. Yeah, just get it all done. Luckily we wo...lost big in Vegas so no problem. Megan says she'll call between 4 and 5 once they're out of surgery to let us know how it's going and when we can come pick him up.

I called about 4:45, because I couldn't take it any more! They just got out of surgery and he did great. He's not really awake yet, he's still pretty groggy. The doctor needs to keep some dressing on him for a little bit longer so he can analyze it and then make his antibiotic suggestions for us. We can come get him in an hour. YAY! As I'm driving home, the doctor calls and says that he's doing OK, and that because he's still so out so out of it, he'll be tough to maneuver. He needs to stay a little longer, they close at 7, can we come about 6:45? No problem, we'll be there.

We go to pick up Hank. We pay the bill. We've been talking a lot lately about getting pet insurance, so I asked the front desk nurse what would have been covered if we'd had insurance. We would have gotten the $200 dental cleaning, the $35 vet visit, and 15% of the surgery bill paid for. So, about $400 would have been paid for. And an annual premium? About $400. So, I think that answers that, we're good, no thanks. We paid (and can no longer afford to feed Hank) and gave them the leash. The nurse Megan came out to walk us through everything. He's got 2 antibiotics, an ear cleaner, and ear drops we have to give him twice daily. OH BOY. The next two weeks are going to be a PAIN IN THE ASS, but Hank's worth it.

The nurse walks us through everything. They put a drain in his ankle, so he'll be leaking for a few days. We need to keep it that way so that he can get all the gunk out. They'll take the drain tube out on Saturday at noon. Hooray! He's wearing an eCollar so that he doesn't pick at his stitches. The one he's wearing isn't quite long enough so that he CAN get to his stitches if he really wants to. So far, he's OK. We have to keep the eCollar on for the next TWO WEEKS, uh huh.

The ears. Yup, the pup has a yeast infection! I didn't think boys could even get those. They cleaned out his ears, we have a daily cleanser and some antibiotic drops to put in there twice a day. This DOES explain why he's been rubbing his head against the wall in the morning when he gets up with Jeremiah.

And, they pulled his tooth. They put a couple of sutchers in there, and they'll dissolve in a week or so, but it may bleed a little in the next few days. For now, we have to keep everything clean. We can wipe up his ooze, don't feed him much tonight, and keep him lazy and rested.

He's on so many drugs tonight, he's just fine. I took him on a quick potty break which was pretty entertaining. He's still getting use to the eCollar so he kept walking into plants to sniff them, but would get caught on them with his stupid cone head. Pretty cute. Luckily we didn't run into any other dogs, that'll have to wait a day or two. Now he's passed out watching the Mariners, just waiting for us to put some ear drops in and let him go to bed.