Today’s post is going to be a little mish mash of a lot of things and some updates.
I could have broken them down into a whole bunch of small posts but I thought it would be easier for everyone, including myself, if I just combined it all together.
Leroy Update.
Leroy continues to slowly improve and is doing better than we could have suspected. I absolutely believe that he is getting better because of all your prayers and good vibes so thank you! He started the new medication on Tuesday and seems to be handling it well although I have read that it can take some time to get into his system.
He’s continuing to eat well and his poops are still good! I’ve been watching his bowel movements carefully because of the combination of the new medication and the antibiotics. I hold my breath until the first solid poop falls!
He seems to be getting a little stronger each day and he is more stable in his back-end. He’s walking on his own most of the time and he’s gone to the bathroom without support for the past 3 days which is awesome. He still needs help getting up and sometimes he does wipe out but those instances are getting few and far between.
This week we walked to the end of the driveway and he stared across the street longing to go for a walk but crossing the street and walking long distances are not an option for now. He also came upstairs Friday which was an amazing accomplishment. He needed help in the back but he safely made it up and I loved seeing him in the kitchen begging from everyone who walked in.
We were going to take back downstairs using our ramp off the front porch that was built specifically for the dogs but he insisted on going down the stairs so my husband and I assisted him and he did great. He still can’t do the steps on his own but the fact that he wanted to come upstairs is a big step.
He is still knuckling with his left rear paw. It’s not as consistent as it was but it’s definitely still there. At our next visit with the vet we will be addressing this issue more in-depth if it’s still there. Until then, on Friday I received a product from HandicappedPets.com which I’m really excited to share with you.
My biggest concern with this product was that it wasn’t going to fit a Newfie but it does! I’ve been talking back and forth with the girls from HandicappedPets.com and they forewarned me that it might not fit so as soon as it came I ripped open the package and put it on Leroy. I was so excited that it fit!
It’s called the No-Knuckling Training Sock and after we’ve tried it out for a few days I will give you more information. This is one of those products that blows my mind and could benefit so many pets so I’m over the moon excited about it.
My Brown Newfies Gives Back!
As some of you may remember, back in April we won two blogging awards from BlogPaws. Not only did we get 2 pretty trophies for our achievements but we also were given the opportunity to make a $400 food donation to a nonprofit shelter/rescue of our choice.
Since we won 2 awards we were able to donate to 2 rescues. The rescues we chose were Colonial Newfoundland Rescue and Big Fluffy Dog Rescue. Each rescue has received their food donation from Chewy.com.
Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions of what group to donate to. While I would have loved to of donated to every group that was mentioned, the rescue had to be willing to accept a specific brand of food that was being donated.
Some rescue groups list specific foods that they use so that cut the list down to who could use the donation. Also, some of the groups that were mentioned we have already donated to and I like to spread it around so that we are donating to a different group.
I still have the list of groups that were given by those of you who made suggestions so I will do my best to try to get some donations made to them sometime in the future.
That is one of the things that I love so much about blogging. It gives me the opportunity to give to those that need it when I otherwise could not. This blog has been providing donations for over 5 years now. Organizations that we have donated over the years include Wags for Warriors, Medina Country Animal Shelter, Newfoundland Club of America Rescue and Gentle Ben’s Giant Breed Rescue. Hopefully there will be many more to come.
It’s Almost Fourth Of July!
I have a confession, I love the Fourth of July! It might be due to the fact that my birthday is the 2nd but I also love everything that goes along with the holiday including the red, white and blue decorations, fireworks and cook outs with family and friends.
The problem is that Sherman isn’t a fan of fireworks so I always worry about him. Last year he was fine with the loud booms but the year before he was a mess. Since I can’t predict how he’s going to this year we’ve already got the bathroom cleared out for him to go to if he needs, we’ve got him use to wearing the Thundershirt and we’re stocked up on Edibites and Pet Releaf CBD/Hemp Oil to help ease his anxiety if there is any.
Leroy’s Birthday!
Leroy turns 10 next Saturday and I’ve been really struggling with what to do for him. We obviously can’t get him any special treats or a birthday cake so I was going to make him some pumpkin ice cream but I’m not sure about that. A friend reached out to me and gave me a great idea about making his dog food into treats and maybe giving them a little pumpkin spread soooooo…….that’s why I did all day Saturday.
Let me tell you, it’s not easy to make dog treats out of dog food but I tried and they’re not pretty but Leroy says they’re delicious. I’m sorry to my family who had to endure the smell of the treats baking in the oven all day.
In celebration of Leroy’s birthday I’ve set up a Facebook fundraiser. It’s for the Newfoundland Club of America Charitable Trust. This nonprofit has a mission of providing a safe and healthy future for Newfoundland dogs by funding health research and providing resources to Newfies in rescue.
Health research for the breed is something that I’m very passionate about it and I’ll share more about that in a future post. While we’ve already well exceeded our goal for the fundraiser you can visit our Facebook Page if you would like to donate. Thank you to everyone who has donated and if you can’t, no worries at all!
So that’s a little of this and some of that. Be sure to watch this week for more information on knuckling and Leroy’s new training sock!
Cathy Armato
Tuesday 26th of June 2018
Happy Birthday to both you & Leroy! I'm so happy to hear that Leroy is doing better, my thoughts & prayers remain with him. He's amazing, he had rallied so many times, I've no doubt he will do so again! I am not looking forward to the fireworks and neither is my poor Husky, Icy. Love & Biscuits, Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Tails Around the Ranch
Monday 25th of June 2018
Thanks for sharing the good news about Leroy. We are firm believes that POTP really can help and we'll continue to keep your big boy in our thoughts.
Debbie Tiefenbacher
Sunday 24th of June 2018
So happy for the update on Leroy! That’s such good news. I hope the sock works!
My Golden Life
Sunday 24th of June 2018
First, YOU GO LEROY!
Looking forward to your post about the sock! Shadow has been in good shape these last few months - minus the little mishap a week or so ago - but it might be something to consider in the future.
I like 4th of July, too. I just don't like the disrespectful morons who seem to make it their mission to add to other people's/animals' distress and anxiety.