Monday, July 21st --- Snags
Progress in preparing to get on the road is slow. The usual trip-delaying snags are beginning to pop up, a couple of them serious. Three years ago it was the seven visits I had to make to the vets in the two weeks before I was to leave and then the overheating problem with the Defender. Two years ago it was Leben's spine surgery. Last year it was Erde's oral cancer. I'll hold off discussing this year's snags until I get confirmation of their seriousness, but right now it looks like I will not be able to leave until maybe August 11 or 12, the same as last year. That's fine, because one of the things I have come to expect before or on these trips are the snags. I'll just deal with them as I have dealt with them in the past, and then move on.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014, Time out to rethink plans
Last week at this time, I was beginning to make progress with my preparations for this year's trip so we could leave as close to July 15th as possible. Then, on Sunday, Leben showed signs of struggling to get up with his front legs. When Sonntag showed the same signs back in 2001 at 13 years and 9 months, i put him down 5 days later. Since then, I have learned how to manage a large paralyzed dog in that condition and so there is no way I am going to let Leben go as long as I can keep his spirit up, give him a pleasant life, and make sure he is not suffering. Since the thing he enjoys most in life is being with me, the task of keeping him here is made easier. But the same promise I made to Sonntag I am making to Leben, that I am not going to put him down because I cannot manage him. But because he is almost 125 pounds, there are a few things i need to do to accommodate him at this new level. There is no way I can get on the road until I resolve these problems.
The first thing I will do is to postpone the start of the trip till we are ready to go without rushing it. I want to be sure i have learned how to manage Leben without causing him any unnecessary discomfort. This would also have the serendipitous effect of keeping us off the road for a few hot weeks. We will have to scale back our plans somewhat, but that's not a big deal.
The second thing I will do make it easier to physically mange Leben. I am cutting back on his food by about 25% to get him to lose some weight. I am spending more time at the gym to build up my strength. And I am taking him out in the stroller every day which is what I will be doing on the road.
The third thing i am doing is trying to get him in and out of his 3-wheeler stroller better. Until now, to get him into the stroller I had to back him in the front by lifting him over the front wheel. To get him out, I had to drag him from the back, with his landing on his front legs as he crossed over the rear threshold. Both these are no longer possible without subjecting him to additional discomfort. This is one of those instances where I will have to take on the additional discomfort myself because the pain of my having to give up on Leben would be much greater than any discomfort I would incur with this extra management i have to go through. So, after several days of experimenting, to get him into and out of the stroller, I put his blue dog harness on him to lift him both into and out of the front. It also helps by allowing me to help him sit up in the stroller as we move along. But because the front wheel gets in the way and stroller entrance is almost 16 inches off the ground, i now unbolt and remove the front wheel to get him in and out. Why didn't I think of this before?
The fourth thing i am going to do is to figure out a better way to get him into the rear of the Defender. The three problem areas are the wheelchair on the roof ladder getting in the way, the platform step getting in the way, and my not having a firm grasp on this rear. The first problem is easily solved by removing the wheelchair when I go to load him into the Defender. The third problem is easily solved by my securing the sling better or by using the blue dog harness. If these two things don't do the job completely, I'll replace the 19x19 Otto platform step with the shallower 4" one, but if I do that I need to figure out how i will transport the step stool (or stools) which i now store on the Otto platform step.
The fifth problem i have to tackle is how to get Leben into the front seat better. I can try loading him into it from the rear using the blue dog harness, but that might not be the better way. The alternative is to use the step stool to get him by way of the passenger door since the height of the front seat is a problem. Lifting a 125 pound dog four feet off the ground in such a narrow space is not easy. If I can knock off one foot, it might be easier. But I might need two stools to do this. I also need to figure out a way to get the door to stay open, and I need to make sure that nothing is in his way (eg ipad holder) as he goes to get into the front.
The sixth problem is his use of the wheelchair. I will cut back on his using it and moving the wheels forward to take weight off his front legs. And since he seems to be favoring his front left leg, maybe I'll use his brace to give him support.
The seventh problem is getting Leben up to move him around. Instead of calling for him to sit up, I will put the sling under him to help him, or use the blue dog. I will also not move him around as much at home.
The eighth problem is his pain management. I don't think this new problem is spin as much as weakness, but I will start using the tremadol when I am going to put him through extra stress on his legs.
Hopefully, these steps will help me manage Leben at home, allow us to get on the road soon, make it easier for me to manage him on the road, and most important, let him have a suffering-free pleasant life so he can stay here with us longer.
The first thing I will do is to postpone the start of the trip till we are ready to go without rushing it. I want to be sure i have learned how to manage Leben without causing him any unnecessary discomfort. This would also have the serendipitous effect of keeping us off the road for a few hot weeks. We will have to scale back our plans somewhat, but that's not a big deal.
The second thing I will do make it easier to physically mange Leben. I am cutting back on his food by about 25% to get him to lose some weight. I am spending more time at the gym to build up my strength. And I am taking him out in the stroller every day which is what I will be doing on the road.
The third thing i am doing is trying to get him in and out of his 3-wheeler stroller better. Until now, to get him into the stroller I had to back him in the front by lifting him over the front wheel. To get him out, I had to drag him from the back, with his landing on his front legs as he crossed over the rear threshold. Both these are no longer possible without subjecting him to additional discomfort. This is one of those instances where I will have to take on the additional discomfort myself because the pain of my having to give up on Leben would be much greater than any discomfort I would incur with this extra management i have to go through. So, after several days of experimenting, to get him into and out of the stroller, I put his blue dog harness on him to lift him both into and out of the front. It also helps by allowing me to help him sit up in the stroller as we move along. But because the front wheel gets in the way and stroller entrance is almost 16 inches off the ground, i now unbolt and remove the front wheel to get him in and out. Why didn't I think of this before?
The fourth thing i am going to do is to figure out a better way to get him into the rear of the Defender. The three problem areas are the wheelchair on the roof ladder getting in the way, the platform step getting in the way, and my not having a firm grasp on this rear. The first problem is easily solved by removing the wheelchair when I go to load him into the Defender. The third problem is easily solved by my securing the sling better or by using the blue dog harness. If these two things don't do the job completely, I'll replace the 19x19 Otto platform step with the shallower 4" one, but if I do that I need to figure out how i will transport the step stool (or stools) which i now store on the Otto platform step.
The fifth problem i have to tackle is how to get Leben into the front seat better. I can try loading him into it from the rear using the blue dog harness, but that might not be the better way. The alternative is to use the step stool to get him by way of the passenger door since the height of the front seat is a problem. Lifting a 125 pound dog four feet off the ground in such a narrow space is not easy. If I can knock off one foot, it might be easier. But I might need two stools to do this. I also need to figure out a way to get the door to stay open, and I need to make sure that nothing is in his way (eg ipad holder) as he goes to get into the front.
The sixth problem is his use of the wheelchair. I will cut back on his using it and moving the wheels forward to take weight off his front legs. And since he seems to be favoring his front left leg, maybe I'll use his brace to give him support.
The seventh problem is getting Leben up to move him around. Instead of calling for him to sit up, I will put the sling under him to help him, or use the blue dog. I will also not move him around as much at home.
The eighth problem is his pain management. I don't think this new problem is spin as much as weakness, but I will start using the tremadol when I am going to put him through extra stress on his legs.
Hopefully, these steps will help me manage Leben at home, allow us to get on the road soon, make it easier for me to manage him on the road, and most important, let him have a suffering-free pleasant life so he can stay here with us longer.
Sunday, July 6.....
I started making some headway this week with the planning and preparing for the trip this year. Yesterday, I took Leben swimming in Middleburg after a few hours at Dean and Deluca. After that, we drove a couple of hours out to a camp in West Virginia to see how he would do on the road. He did fine. Unfortunately, today he took a step down when he could not use his wheelchair after a few hours at Dean and Deluca. I'm not sure whether yesterday was too much activity for him and he just needs to rest up or whether what I am seeing in him today is permanent. If it is permanent, I fear that he has lost all he had left of a pleasant life. That dog has been such an important part of my life these last 13 years. The thought of losing him just kills me. I don't know whether taking this trip will be a good thing for him. I will continue to prepare for the trip and then decide the day we have to get on the road. I won't even think about the option of taking the trip without him.
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