I'm utterly amazed to come back to our blog here 3 years later. So much has happened since then; mostly good stuff, only a few challenges. It is so much fun to read the Lilly Birthday post from 2008, we've had 3 birthdays since then and our little hyper puppy has been a full-grown dog for a long time now.

I originally wrote this blog as a way to express and exhaust our feelings in having a megaesophagus dog. Neither Marilyn nor I expected this when we took Lilly home, but we never waivered once we knew the diagnosis. In the three years that have gone by since my last post we have settled into a standard routine, thankfully eliminating the mid-day meal, and watched as Lilly absorbed her training in becoming a highly intelligent and hugely loved member of our family.

To catch it all up, Lilly began to calm down from the typical American Field Lab craziness at about 18 months. A year after that we suddenly realized she was a full grown dog instead of a wacky spazzy puppy! Thank goodness, we never thought that day would come. She stopped chewing up the sprinklers, eating everything that could be consumed, and waking up at 5:30 in the morning. Instead, her current routine is getting up when mommy does, then after a brief check of the yard outside promptly falls back asleep until it's time for either the morning walk or breakfast. Her morning meal is consumed on the same step stool after small doses of Sucralfate (1.5ml) and Cisapride (1.0ml). Spit ups are relatively rare now, and she is able to eat small dry treats.

She's no wallflower this little girl, her best friend is a wolf/husky male that outweighs her by 40lbs. Her social skills are wonderful, with dogs and especially humans. Mare and I have some terrific friends and family who know how to care for her special needs, and of course Lilly is always on extra good behavior when they take care of her. C'mon dog, mix a little of that in when it's just mommy and daddy huh?

Perhaps our greatest gift and resource is our veterinarian Jeff. He is the one who diagnosed and helped us come to grips with Lilly's condition, and his staff at the clinic adores our affectionate little Labbo. They've helped us with challenges from limber tail to thunder freakouts to boarding her when no-one else will. Mare and I consider ourselves some of the luckiest dog owners in the world because our doggy utterly LOVES going to the vet. We're barely in the parking lot when she starts squeaking and doing the front paw "dance". When the door opens, she charges in and immediately puts paws on the counter to say hello. It is such a relief to be able to leave her for days at a time with an entire staff that loves her.

I'll post some pictures here, of Lilly swimming, being naughty and whatnot. In retrospect, it is such a joy to be able to come back here 3 years later with nothing but good news. I'm lucky.

-Rob

Happy Birthday Lilly!

Little Lilly had her first birthday in June. OK, ok, so animal birthdays are definitely more for the owners than the creature itself; but in Lilly's case its a true accomplishment. Megaesophagus dogs have big question marks in the column of predicted lifespan, and despite her progress Lilly is no different. Marilyn and I decided to have a little party for us and Lilly, complete with birthday card for Lilly-boo to thrash on and tear up. We wouldn't have it any other way.

We've also come up with a good way for her to enjoy some extra treats. We can't feed her anything solid, like meat scraps or real bones. One day we suddenly realized that treats in liquid form are perfect; a saucer of milk, a bit of juice from steak or roast beef, even a dab of whipped cream all are perfect for little miss special-needs.

There are serious bonuses to this, she will never get fat from being overfed on human food, and she genuinely appreciates getting little extras every now and then.

Durable nylabones are the only ones she can't destroy within 3 minutes.

Opening the birthday card.


Ready to carry the birthday card off to the great unknown.


Lilly in the outdoor dog kennel.

Part VII - The feeding regimen

(Click on the pictures to see them full size)
As noted in the posts below, Lilly is a dog with a condition called megaesophagus. That means she has a modified feeding regimen that we must adhere to....every single day. She eats three meals a day, prepared in a particular way to make them easy to eat. Our Vet instructed us on this, giving us a procedure with medicines and food preparation that has been highly successful. Lilly spits up much less than she did when we first got her, and as far as we can tell she is getting all her nutrients. Her condition also seems to be getting better; she now makes audible gulping sounds when she eats (which she never did before), and she spits up fairly rarely at this stage. Goodness, what a relief! She is happy and healthy and a normal dog right now.

Below is a photo essay of her daily feeding procedure.


Due to the amount of time Lilly spends doing this, she is always hungry. No surprise for a puppy.




So here's how it goes. First thing in the morning, we draw 2ml of a medicine called Sucralfate. This is given to Lilly once a day, one hour before breakfast. This is to help with the irritation in her esophogas that stomach acid and food can cause. We are going to discontinue this medicine for a while, as our Vet says it probably isn't necessary at this stage.



To help the Sucralfate go down, I typically draw an extra 2ml of water into the syringe.



And down the hatch. Lilly is really good about taking these medicines, she never balks or tries to avoid them.



Here's all the equipment needed to make a 2 day batch of food for Lilly. 5 cans of Natural Choice Lamb and Rice puppy food, a big giant bowl, and the electric mixer with beaters. You will also need 6 reusable containers (we use the 1 3/4 cups size), a serving spoon and a ladle. The amounts of food and measurements are particular to Lilly's age and size (36lbs.). Owners will need to adjust the amounts to fit their particular dog's needs.





Open up those cans and dump the food into the bowl.



Next, mash that stuff up with a big serving spoon.



Then dump in two cans of water. This is to thin out the food and get it to a pea-soup consistency. That's important for getting it to slide down into her tummy. Mix up the food and water a little bit before proceeding to the blending step.



After a little mixing with the serving spoon, then we blend it up with the mixer. Keeping it on the lowest setting works best, any higher and you will decorate your kitchen with dog food. Trust me.



Once its nice and smooth, grab a ladle and start putting it into the containers.



The 1 3/4 cup reusable containers are perfect for Lilly, as the amount of food for her size works out perfectly in this size. Your mileage may vary, larger dogs will need larger containers, smaller dogs won't require ones this large, etc.



All done! Food is in the containers, ready to go into the 'fridge for future use.



Next up is 1ml of a medicine called Cisapride. This is a medicine that has shown benefits in increasing the motility of the esophagus......enabling it to work better in its already compromised state. We need to have this specially made by a local pharmacy, and they flavor it with beef. Lilly loves it. God bless her.



Hey, this is a dog that will eat matchsticks, dirt, cat poo and pine needles all day long if we let her. This beef flavored medicine juice is like French Onion soup compared to all that, so she gulps it right down every time. We give her this medicine 15 minutes before she eats every meal.



If the food has been in the 'fridge, it needs warming up. Marilyn discovered that if its too cold, it congeals and Lilly spits it up much more frequently. Warming it up eliminates this. 40 seconds on high, stir, then another 20 seconds.



Hurry up, moron. I'm hungry.



Here's the warmed up meal, ready to go. Notice in the bowl on the left there is a small pill in the food. This is a 10mg Pepsid antacid pill, to help keep her stomach irritation down. Also, its on the left side for a reason; that's the exact spot where Lilly begins eating, every single time.





Yum! Feeding commences. Lilly laps it up in no time flat, as you can imagine. We hold the bowl up for her to keep her elevated as you can see in the picture, and she stands on a step stool to help elevate her body further. This is a crucial factor in getting her to eat properly. Notice the food on her nose.....



Yes, this is Lilly's favorite time of day. The pleasure and sheer focus in clearly evident.



Once she is done its time to lick the cabinet wall to make sure any food that splattered there gets attended to.




Same thing with the floor.....




And the step ladder.

There we go! At first this whole procedure seemed like a lot of work, now we barely notice it. Making a bunch of food in advance makes a huge difference, we used to do it one meal at a time and that was a pain in the butt. Advance preparation makes all the difference.

Next time: TRAINING.

Part VI - Christmas at Mom's house

(Click on the pictures to see them full size)
OK, so this post is 3 weeks late. Whatever, the photos are cute.

Christmas time was spent down at my mom's house. It was the first foray for Lilly to the house I grew up in. My mom and sister are both die-hard doggie lovers, so having hyper-spastic Lilly along for the ride wasn't too much of a stretch. We spent an action-packed 2 full days there, bringing along Lilly's full compliment of utilities: toys, crate, crate pad, food, bowls, step stool for feeding, etc. etc. Things went very well! Lilly was her usual cute, endearing and devilish self, she didn't destroy anything truly meaningful, and didn't pee on the carpet. Victory. We set up the crate in my old bedroom with Marilyn, so she got to sleep near mommy for the first time. Lots of pictures below of the fun and good times.

Coming up in Part 7, special little Lilly's daily feeding procedure.


Here, my sister discovers how much Lilly likes to sit on people.

Every dog deserves a stocking full of goodies, right?


Sorry Lilly, you don't get to consume the bag or wrapping the treats come in. Note the defiant look she is giving the camera.


Dig in dog!


Lilly begins to disassemble the packaging for her presents. Notice how this particular present is a "Calming Capsule". She destroyed it within hours. :) That's our girl.


I don't know about you, but that look says to me "I'm really enjoying myself"


Enjoying the afternoon sun looking out on the backyard. My boyhood golden retriever used to do this just about every day, in this exact spot.



Asleep in the afternoon sun. Who says cats have the market cornered on this?



OK, naptime is over. I feel like being naughty again.



OK, now I REALLY feel like being naughty. Let's go! Party time!

Part V - Doggie made of rubber

(Click on the pictures to see them full size)
Marilyn and I are becoming more convinced that Lilly is not actually made of flesh and bone....she is more likely made of rubber. She stretches herself out like she has no joints at all, like its the most natural thing in the world. I've seen a few really young puppies do this once or twice, but she is now 7 months old and does this every day! Amazing. See photos below:

Part IV - SKUNK!

December 6, 2007. Marilyn and I have spent a large amount of the day preparing food and decorations for our Performing Arts of Roseville Christmas Party. Its just after 4:00pm, and the party starts at 6:00. My phone rings.....

The voice is Marilyn's, shaky and very distressed. She tells me; "Pack everything up and come over RIGHT NOW. Lilly and I just got sprayed by a skunk!"

Oh no. Please no. Not now, anytime but NOW! I turned around in circles, threw everything together, and sped over to the house. Once I got there, I went in through the garage and smelled SKUNK. Not good. Inside the house, it wasn't as bad, but still got close to gag level. Marilyn had opened all the doors and windows, which helped a lot. She also lit a bunch of incense, which was a brilliant move and the smell started to dissipate.

Problem was, we didn't know whether to proceed with the party or not. After initially getting the word out that it was cancelled, we decided to make it happen. Everyone came over, had a great time, and no-one complained of skunk.

What happened was this. Marilyn was in the backyard with Lilly for a 'potty' break. Mare noticed that Lilly had cornered a black cat by the rose bushes. Then she saw the white striped tail and started hollering at Lilly to come. Lilly did move away some, but then back towards the skunky. It was a baby skunk, and it let go with a blast at the dog and Marilyn. Lilly got a little on her face and chest. Marilyn dragged her into the house, pulled her into the shower, and scrubbed the both of them with Dawn detergent. It worked, and Lilly only had a little residual smell for the next several days.

All in all, it could have been a LOT worse. Only one portion of curtains and some clothes were lost. Marilyn's neighborhood is overrun with skunks, and animal control is constantly catching them there.

So we've had the dog a little over a week, and its already been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and been sprayed by a skunk.

Smooth sailing, no?

Coming up in Part V - Dog made of rubber.

Part III - New experiences, and everything MUST be tasted.

(Click on the pictures to see them full size)
@ December 1-6, 2007

With Lilly's diagnosis in the bag, and Marilyn and I coping with the adjustment, life moved on. Much of this life involved walking Lilly in various places; Marilyn's neighborhood, my apartment complex, and exploring Marilyn's backyard. A 1/2 hour session with Matt at the SPCA showed us the merits of using a gentle leader to walk Lilly. Gentle leaders are all the rage these days, as they offer the training benefits of a choke collar without the pressure on the neck. This was especially important in Lilly's case, as any constrictive pressure on her neck can send her into spit-up spasms that can be pretty stressful. The Gentle Leader avoids that, if a dog strains against the leash their head is drawn downward, something dogs just don't like. Lilly grudgingly accepted the gentle leader in exchange for being able to go on walks, but its clear that she doesn't care for it. Tough bounce, doggy. Deal with it.

During the first few days, it became quite apparent that Lilly had never experienced some basic things; namely stairs, swimming pools, and rain. My apartment is on the second floor of my complex, and the first time I tried to jog little Lilly up the flight of stairs, she slammed on all four brakes and skidded to a stop dead in her tracks. She looked at me as if to say, "I have no idea where those stairs go cowboy, and there's no damn way I'm going to find out." OK fair enough, it was pretty obvious that she had never seen stairs before, so I initially took the gentle route and tried to coax her up. "Come, Lilly. Come. Come. Come. Come. C'mon. Come. Lilly, COME. Let's GO. You can do it Lilly, lets GO. COME. COME." Etc., etc. I managed to get her halfway up, then she simply decided to become 35 pounds of dead weight and would go no further. I had no choice, I just snatched her up and carried her up the stairs. Once up to my apartment door she was fine, its just the stairs that were freaky. Same thing going down stairs. No amount of coaxing would get her to waddle her little self down the stairs to the bottom. After lots of encouragement, I just had to snatch her up again and carry her down.

Cesar Milan may be a controversial character in the dog training world, but I've definitely learned a few things from the Dog Whisperer. One of them is when you need a dog to cross a fear threshold, don't give them any time to think about it. Just lead them quickly into the goal and they will oftentimes run right past it. Worked like a charm with Lilly. After a few carry-ups and downs, I just ran her towards the stairs one day and she rocketed right up. Same thing going down the next time, and its been smooth sailing ever since. Whew! One milestone achieved.

Another thing Lilly had obviously never experienced before was rain. It started to rain pretty heavily at my apartment one night, and it was time for our evening walk. Lilly got halfway down the flight of stairs and jammed on the brakes again. She looked, sniffed, looked at me, and sat down. The message was clear; "I'm not going out there. What is all that noise and why is water falling from the sky?"
Thus, we were forced to regress to the carry-down routine again, but I promptly plunked her right into the rain shower and that was that.
Typical dog. A few looks around, some hearty sniffs into the air, and hey! Let's go! New smells! Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff, all is well. Sure was fun watching her try to make sense of it all, though.

Lilly had obviously never seen a swimming pool either. Marilyn has a big one in her backyard, and Lilly is very careful about walking up to the edge, sniffing it, but never getting herself into a position where she could fall in. This dog is one of the more careful I've seen; she is wary (but not scared) of new things and approaches them cautiously.....but with marked curiosity. She's only fallen in once (when I accidentially bumped her in during a horse-around session), and that was just on the first step, yet it freaked her out pretty good. She has a healthy respect for the pool, which is good. When the weather warms up, she can expect to be thrown in and we'll see all the retriever-lab instincts kick in. After all, if I had webbed feet like this pup, I'd want to swim every single day.

Lilly likes to put things in her mouth. Everything. Absolutely everything. So far to this date (Dec. 28), here are the things we've had to extract from her little mug: Bark, leaves, orange peels, apple cores, poop of all kinds, sticks, cyprus berries, acorns, Q-tips, plastic wrap, numerous types of fabric, paper tags, fabric tags, chunks of plastic from dog toys, rocks, a disposable razor handle, pine needles, etc. etc. etc. Normally, this wouldn't be that much of a problem with a dog; whatever they manage to chew up and swallow, they just poop out. Not Lilly. Anything she swallows makes her cough, hack, and eventually throw up if the irritation is bad enough. Therefore, our hands spend an inordinate amount of time doing this,
Because she spends so much time doing this:

Sooo....My apartment complex is full of pigeons, or 'rock doves' for you bird geeks out there. Not a big deal for the dog, except that the local compliment of Red Tail and Red Shoulder hawks make a very convenient killing field out of my complex. They just lazily soar around above the rooftops, and then swoop down and pin a pigeon to the ground for lunch or din-din. Marilyn and I have both caught a red shouldered hawk ripping a pigeon apart outside my front door in broad daylight.
When we're on walks, this of course results in Lilly trying to consume whatever is left of the carcass and feather explosion left behind. I'll go ahead and attest at this time that extracting gritty pigeon body parts out of a puppy's mouth kinda sucks.

OK, so here we are after a week or so: we have a dog that we can generally control, but it eats everything when it should be the one dog that eats nothing. Glass half full, glass half full.....

Coming up in Part IV - SKUNK!