Update: Happy 7th Birthday Mr. Taj!

Still doing very well!  Taj just turned 7 years old and is enjoying himself to the max with Brother Rumi.

We'll have to update you all on successful stem cell therapy for one of Taj's shoulders (with excellent outcome!).

Traumataj Update: All is Well!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to send out a quick update.  Taj and Rumi are doing very well and have had no complications or lasting effects from their breaks, for which we are all very thankful.

We swear they do more than just sleep or lay around but these are some recent pics of them.  Enjoy!

If you haven't already, do check out a favorite blog of ours: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/07/dog.html

Rumi At 3 Weeks Post-Op: Simple Dog Healing Powers!

Rumi is doing very well.  So well in fact he thinks he is "all better" now and life is back to normal.  Video to come shortly.

Thanks to Roberta for the great selection!

Deja Roo & Mr. Taj update

Flyin' high on tramadol or just Roo being Roo?

Well you all aren't going to believe this but Taj's brother Rumi broke his front left leg in a freak accident last week.  As much as Heather can tell, Roo probably was trying to get up onto the deck by jumping four steps instead of walking up - typical saluki!  She thinks Roo lost traction on one of the steps and his leg went through the back of the step where there is no riser that would have stopped his leg.  The trajectory of his jump and the momentum he was carrying combined to cleanly snap both bones in his leg.  What unbelievable bad luck for Taj and Roo in less than a year!

ouch!  

Thankfully, after a successful surgery at VOSM (same place where Taj had his), Roo is back home resting comfortably under the watchful eye of mom.  We'll get more into his surgery and progress  in later posts but the clean break meant Roo only needed a plate bone plate to help him heal rather than the complicated fixator rings Taj had to endure.

on the lookout with my awesome leg!

Speaking of Taj, he is doing excellent-yay!  Thanks to Heather's dutiful care of Taj, he is walking normally and has been slowly building up muscle and strength with long walks and, when he can get away with it, zoomies in the back yard.  He is not allowed to run flat out yet, partially due to the weather and finding an appropriate location nearby to let him loose (not in the woods!); probably a beach.
-Rich

Ride time with Richie

Something is Missing!

Can you spot what is missing?!
Sorry for the no-posts: everyone here is transitioning.

These pics are of Taj at rehab!

quit measuring me!

quit bending me!

quit stroking me!

What's this kid stuff?  I used to be able to jump onto counter tops standing still!

how did you know I just *love* water

mommy you will pay for this

...plotting... scheming...

Taj Gets Around!

Taj walking 4-weeks post fixator surgery!

Tajs First Field Trip: Part 2

Taj at the Penn State Creamery

After walking through the Botanic Gardens at the Arboretum, at my friend Roberta's suggestion, Taj's first adventure continued....

Taj got pulled all the way down to the Penn State Creamery for a special treat! Taj had a very small dish of Peachy Paterno ice cream and a big water break. 

Taj enjoying Peachy Paterno

All Refreshed and Ready to Roll!

Taj enjoyed all the people watching for the day. He was very well-behaved in the car too - although of course he tried to use it as an opportunity to lick his leg!

Hopefully Taj will be able to start to take longer little walks around the neighborhood soon, but until then, the wagon adventures continue... 










A little video of Taj enjoying his dish of creamery ice cream:

Video: That's How We Roll

Week 3 Recheck Appointment

Taj on his way to the vet in style!

So far so good! Dr. Rider said the leg looks as it should from visual inspection. The pin sites look great. There is still slight discharge now from 3 of the 16 pin sites (these are the pins on the top 2 rings that go through more muscle mass). Taj licks this pin site especially; we need to re-engineer the comfy cone a bit since Taj has mastered the art of licking around it.

For some physical therapy, we can start to rock Taj back and forth (front and back, side to side) on the leg a little bit to help him to start to put a bit of weight on it. He has been putting some weight on the leg especially on softer surfaces (e.g. carpets, blankets, grass), but he tends to not want to put much weight on the leg on concrete or asphalt surfaces. We can cut back the Tramadol to only as needed for pain management (usually 1 pin every 8-12 hours now). Taj can also go for longer wagon rides now pending he doesn't move too much, walk, or try to jump out - woohoo!

Pathetic saluki gaze waiting for our appointment

Mom writing down her list of questions... she is pretty "thorough"

Dr. Rider inspecting the 16 pin sites for discharge

Dr. Rider inspecting the pins for tightness

Dr. Rider inspecting my joints and flexibility

Dr. Rider showing mom how to rock me back and forth for PT

A clean bill of health - yay!

Taj's First Neighborhood "Walk" Post-Surgery

Go Mr. T!

Curiously intrigued...

Today we went on a big two-block wagon ride around the neighborhood. Taj was a very good boy and didn't try to get out of the wagon at all despite my "Lemuel Gulliver "safety tie-down method (I really wanted to ensure this is a safe experience for my recovering dog - and trust me sight hounds are always on the watch for prey). The ties are give and take, relatively loose, but tight enough that if he attempts to stand, he won't be able to bolt out.

We saw dogs in yards, hundreds of squirrels, and even one c-a-t, but he stayed laying down... until we saw a bunny - thank goodness for the tie-downs. This is his 'mental health' break for the day and he genuinely looks forward to it. He gets tons of stimulation: sights, scents, and sounds. Hopefully we can build up to longer wagon walks with time, but we're playing it safe for now.

Hopefully as he heals and the bone hardens, the wagon rides will be needed less. Eventually he will start to be able to build up some walking capacity on the leg, but not until after the first post-op x-rays (at 4-weeks). 

And they're off!

After the first block Taj kept looking at me and throwing his head up and around a bit. I bent over to check-in with him and he gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Very touching because when we normally go for walks (before the leg break happened), Taj always gives me a "leaping kiss" at the start of the walk as a 'thank you for walking me' gesture. He'll look at me intensely, then randomly jump up in the air - off all fours - and tap me on the cheek with his nose. I think all the head-tossing in the wagon and looking at me was his way of getting my attention so he could give me his modified-version of a leaping saluki kiss.

Very happy dogs

Taj checking out his hood

This would be perfect if only I could pee on the trees!

Success and a tired saluki!

Taj Crate Modifications and the B-Spec Wagon

 Modified crate with quilted bumpers

So I wanted to post a bit about how I modified Taj's old crate (which I first had to go find and pull out of storage). I created "bumpers" around the crate with quilted padding fabric. These are simply held up with string via holes cut in the fabric and tied onto the crate at regular intervals. I attached the bumpers so that his fixator braces can not catch and get caught between the crate bars. Taj also likes to sleep on his back, and again with a leg in the air, the quilting acts as a buffer system. Taj primarily uses the upstairs exercise pen at night, and I typically have the crate in the kitchen so that Taj can watch me while I cook.

I also worked on some minor modifications to the wagon - removing the front panel so that Taj can let his legs out freely. I'm trying to figure out the best way to secure him in the wagon so that if I am walking him myself I won't have any fear that he will jump out. I put Taj in the wagon today and just pulled him up and down the driveway to get him used to the idea of going for a new kind of ride.

Taj being very patient for his seat adjustments

Our installation lap

Woah, way too much mental stimulation for today...

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I am coming for you...

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light..."

- Dylan Thomas

... in my saluki pseudo-rage

"This being {saluki} is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

- The Guest House, Jelaluddin Rumi, (translated by Coleman Barks)

Morning sunbathing in...

"Fall in love in such a way 
that it frees you from any connecting. 

Love is the sou'ls light, the taste of morning, 
no me, no we, no claim of being. 

There words are the smoke the fire gives off 
as it absolves it defects, 
as eyes in silence, tears, face. 
Love cannot be said."

- The Taste of Morning, Jelaluddin Rumi, (translated by Coleman Barks)
 

...the taste of morning