Let it Snow

It doesn't often snow in NC so the 5 inches we awoke to this morning was a treat for the dogs.  All the dogs loved being outside, but the laundry they generated was amazing.




Carl continues to do well, but is peeing all over the house .... His skin of his caudal abdomen has lesions on it - looks like pyoderma or a reaction to something. I've gone to using the loose male wrap that catches some, but not all of his urine but allows more airflow than a diaper. A friend sent me a link to a different type of diaper called tinkle trousers and I'm thinking of giving them a go until we can figure out why he's having problems.

Neuro exam is Monday, weather permitting....

Day Two

I adopt special needs dogs and thought I was prepared for a paralyzed dog .... I was wrong.

Things I have learned today:

1) Pee. Carl really has a large bladder.  I lost count of the number of times he peed on my arms this morning.  By this afternoon I had bought a diaper - life is much better.

2) Skin damage.  Carl had some abrasions on his legs where he drags them, that were made worse just on the carpet.  He has a cart for outside, but what about inside?  A bit of lateral thinking and some leg protection materialised in the form of foam pipe insulation and velcro.  It keeps Carl's legs a bit too straight, but has really done the trick both inside and outside (when he really needs to go to the bathroom and there isn't time to get him in his cart).  I have muddy, scraped up insulation but dry, protected legs.

3) Carts.  I've had a dog in a cart before, but she could use her legs and stand for short periods making getting her in and out of a cart relatively easy.  It is so much harder when you have limp back legs with a front end jumping about, just wanting to go.

Carl is a real live wire.  I thought a walk might wear him out - what was I thinking.  Two miles later he is running and I am struggling to keep up.  I was thinking of teaming him up with one of my older Labs for walks but they'd never manage the pace.

Carl

On December 15th 2009 I received an e-mail from a friend about a paralyzed black labrador in need of a new home. My house was full, so initially I did nothing ... but somehow I couldn't get Carl out of my mind. I finally e-mailed his owner, hinting that if there was no one else that I would be happy to help him.

There was no one else ....

Fast forward to January 24th. Through the efforts of some amazing people, Carl arrived at Raleigh Durham airport, three days after leaving Utah, courtesy of PilotsnPaws. So what is so special about Carl? Here is his story:

Carl is a two year old Lab who lived in the mountains of Utah. He loved to go hiking or snowshoeing and play fetch. About a year ago things started to change, Carl favoring a leg. What was initially thought to be something like hip dysplasia turned out to be a spinal tumor. Carl had a surgical biopsy which found he didn't have cancer. Unfortunately after the surgery Carl was paralyzed.

Initially Carl had no control of his bladder or bowels, couldn't feel his legs nor wag his tail. As he healed Carl regained control of his bladder and bowels, started to wag his tail and could feel his feet.

Carl was treated by a pranic healer and went to rehabilitation, working out in an underwater treadmill. The costs of rehabilitation eventually became too much and Carl's family had to travel out of town often. It was with much sadness that they decided to try to find a new home for Carl. Carl has come to North Carolina to be evaluated again by a neurologist and get further rehabilitation. We don't know if Carl will ever walk again. My hope is that he will walk and that he will then be reunited with his family.