Life after living on the streets

One unexpected thing about the heart worm treatments...I know EVERYTHING Nelson does when he's outside.  :)  

I've learned that he can't ignore crickets...they are his obsession.  He pounces on them like they were t-bone steaks.  I realized this evening that they may have been his t-bone steaks while he was living on the streets. 

Update - Day 7

Nelson is doing great.  He's a little bit tired of being on restricted duty but...overall he's doing well.  Every step he takes when outside is on a leash.  The hardest part of this is that he seems to feel fine.  He doesn't understand why he isn't being allowed to run with the other dogs.

7 days down...53 more to go. 

Day 3

Nelson is doing so good!  He doesn't seem to feel bad at all.  The hard part is keeping him in slow motion.  Especially in the mornings.  He loves to kick up his heels when he wakes up.  These days he has to go slow on a leash.  He doesn't complain but you can tell that he is wondering why he is being restricted.

We went out to water the yard this evening and he BEGGED me to go for our long walk.  I told him that we woudl go tomorrow.  (His memory isn't good, so I can tell him the same story again tomorrow.)  :)

We are working on some basic commands (requests) that don't require much effort every evening in the cool of the house.  He has "sit" perfected.  Tomorrow we will start on "down".  That shouldn't take very long.  I'm also going to start working on "bow" as it is a natural thing that he does.  I want to put it on cue so that he will do it when I ask it from him.

Fun times with a fun guy.  He's so sweet.   I want each of you who read this to have the opportunity to meet him.  You will love him as much as I do.  :)

1st Treatment...Day 2

Nelson is doing great!  He didn't eat breakfast this morning but ate a full dinner this evening...with the help of a hamburger patty crumbled over his kibble.  :)

Dr. Rocky warned us that he might feel ok for the first day or two and then take a bit of a down turn.  I'm hoping that won't be severe.

We walked around the yard a little bit this evening.   We have to take it slow...but that's ok with this heat.  By the time he is released for full activity I'm hoping it will be cooling down a little bit. 

The good news is that we can do basic obedience training in the air conditioned house.  :)  So far he has learned to sit.  Next we will work on down.  Then we will learn stay.  We might even throw a few tricks in just for fun.

Heart Worm Treatment #1

The day that I've dreaded for a month.  Nelson's first heart worm treatment.  Injecting poison into this sweet boy's body to kill worms in his heart.  Dead worms will then be released to flow through his body....finding a spot to clog his heart...his lungs...his brain.  NOT good.  : (

BUT...I completely trust Dr. Rocky and his staff at Turtle Creek Veterinary Medical Clinic (TCVMC) in Greenville.  Completely.  My daughter worked for him and his wife.  His beautiful twin girls were flower girls at my daughter's wedding.  I trust him...and I trust his wife, Laurie (PhD) to make sure he is "the best of the best."    :)  His staff is wonderful too.  Nice and caring people.

Ok, enough of the advertisements for TCVMC... : P

I dropped Nelson off this morning on the way to work.  I cried as I drove to work.  Shocking for those of you who think of me as a "man's man" I know.  Sorry you had to learn that about me.

I called at noon to check on Nelson.  Dr. Rocky gave me the good news that Nelson was doing well.  No obvious damage to his lungs.  His heart looked good.  Prognosis....Great!

I picked Nelson up at 5:00 PM.  I was AMAZED at how good he looked.  Of course, he is on pain medication so he was a little sedated...but he looked GREAT!

We have some things to watch for in the next few days....every step he takes for the next 60 days will be at the end of a leash to ensure that he doesn't start running and get his heart rate elevated. 

I'm so very happy that Ann found Nelson in time for us to save him.  I'm so glad that the initial heart worm test was negative...we would have never considered him had we known...but now...Worth every bit of the money and the trouble to give this sweet boy a healthy life.

2 July 11

Nelson has such a sweet soul.  He's obviously been through a lot of bad things....I read the vet report from the original "in processing" at the pound.  His coat condition was described as "dirty."  My heart hurts to think about what he has been through in the last two years.  He has a few things to overcome but I hope to help him through them.

We only have a few days before he starts heart worm treatments.  I'm SO dreading that.  I hate to see him sick.  PLEASE pray for him.   He will need your prayers for the next 60 days.