On Friday I was espousing the fact that every one of the last three weekends has been filled with some kind of Ellie issue. I thought we were safe but Friday afternoon provided an episode of barfing for Ellie after I had updated her Blog. Shandra got to witness the episode and she called Dr. Ahmsberry at West Hills rather quickly. The mutt had not yuked in several days so we were surprised when she walked out in the yard, grazed on some grass, and launched a pre-emptive strike in the mulch. Dr. Ahmsberry suggested we give Ellie some Gastricalm to settle down her upset stomach. I hopped out to West Hills and picked up the beef flavored chewable and started Ellie on them that night. One pill every 12 hours until she goes two consecutive days without barfing. I guess her stomach lining is still a tad irritated from the Colitis and these should help keep it calm. I think we should rename her “Gastro” after “Astro” the Jetsons family dog.
Ellie managed to not barf over the weekend and in all actuality her spirits were fantastic. We took her berry picking on a nice flat trail, she got several walks to the park, had some off leash time, and also a ride in the back of the Jeep with Shandra as I chased them on my bicycle. Ellie seemed to enjoy this game of cat and mouse and she barked at me from the back of the Jeep as we slalomed through the streets. I felt like Lance Armstrong in the Tour de Ellie and she and Shandra played the part of the support vehicle. I don’t know if Ellie was cheering for me or telling me to “speed it up ya loser.”
Today Ellie and I had a fabulous walk at 5:00 am and we did a little recon on three fig trees that we stumbled upon over the weekend. In about five days they should be perfectly ripe and I will dine on figs as if I were the Maharishi. This is week 16 of Ellie’s recovery and by all accounts she is doing well after nearly four months of recovery from the TPLO procedure. At this point the bones should be nearly filled in and the bionic attachments should be permanently affixed. We have not seen any signs of the urinary tract infection reoccurring and our hope is that it stays down. At least the Gastricalm is kind of like a canine Pepto Bismol so it is not as if she is taking another vicious medication that will pillage her insides. This morning at the coffee shop the Hairy Democrat noticed how well Ellie was feeling and she mobbed and mopped his leg when he greeted her. I know that most likely forever and ever the rest of Ellie’s life will be salted with stiffness in the leg and a little hitch in her gait but to have her once again start to experience some normalcy on a daily basis is gratifying for me as well as Ellie.
