The Senakams | Corgi + 3

Bryson's Thanksgiving Update

Happy Thanksgiving! Want to spend more time with the fam than on the computer, but I'll be remiss if I don't mention how thankful we are this Thanksgiving...

I have to admit I was skeptical if Bryson will respond to any of the meds and therapies we've thrown at him. He is almost 10 after all, and with his Addison's Disease, he always seem to be a bit fragile, teetering on the finest balance where the slightest shove might send him down the drain... 

I do believe in the power of healing beyond what we can scientifically "prove", but even then I was surprised at how much he has responded to his laser therapy. It could be coincidence or placebo effect, but we can't deny the fact that after his first treatment, he was so frisky he busted out of his tent for the first time since he was sentenced to confinement and started walking all over the deck (something I wasn't too happy with at the time, and has been remedied since).

Look at him at his first treatment, which is a Class IV laser beam shone over his injured vertebral disc (we all have to wear sunglasses), just a few minutes at each session. We have 3 treatments this week, 2 the next, then weekly afterwards. If nothing else he does look pretty relaxed, doesn't he?

It probably helps too that they give our liver treats to bribe their patients. That makes one happy corgi who's very hungry on steroids :) For that alone he'll be going back faithfully.

Speaking of feeding the hungry, we're excited to embark on our yearly Thanksgiving meal delivery with Salvation Army this morning. 

We were lucky this year we got a route consisting of apartments in one elderly housing complex (no driving around/ getting lost/ getting tickets for double parking). Most recipients are these sweet grandparent types (all Chinese and Russian), who love having young visitors and freely handed out candies, little trinkets and hugs (you can probably guess which one Eva likes most and least)... 

Even Fufu the Bunny came to help out this year. 

Hoping this little bit of good deed helped earn some karma points that can be deposited into Bryson's health bank, so he doesn't have to spend his day staring longingly outside...

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The day every corgi owner dreads

All you corgi peeps out there know this from Day 1- paralyzing back problem is your dog's #1 health nemesis.

We foolishly hoped that when Bryson was diagnosed with Addison's Disease, he wouldn't be so lucky to be dealt another debilitating illness, right?

Well, this week proved us wrong. Just a little over a week ago, we enjoyed our road trip to LA, where Bryson and Eva trotted all over town- the Getty, the Old LA Zoo (super cool), having so much fun, little did we know...

...this is how he's gonna look in a few short days, all wobbly in his hind legs and having trouble even standing at times, and so exquisitely painful he'd yelp at the lightest touch around his belly.

 

2 visits with his regular vet and an emergency one with a neurologist later, we received the diagnosis of intervertebral disc disease, or IVDD, which depending on his ongoing symptoms and diagnostic tests (like a $2000 MRI which we opted out of, at least for now), may necessitate surgery so he won't be paralyzed from waist down...

We were instructed to put him on strict crate rest to let the inflammation around his spinal cord subside, which explains this indoor camping outfit (it's actually Eva's travel sleeping tent, which comes in very handy now).

He's in there pretty much 24/7, except when we carry him out to do his business. Yeah, it's pretty depressing, for us and him I'm sure, but I guess better be depressed than paralyzed.

At least we were able to find a bit of advice on the internet, we even joined a yahoo group for wheeled corgis (don't want to think about it, but good to see there is life after wheels, just like in the movies...)

And one thing we learned online is how to set up his "recovery suite", complete with elevated water bowl, comfortable bedding, enough but not too much space, and proximity to sights and smells he's comfortable with (mostly stinky things).

Looking longingly at the "outside" world, during one of the regularly-scheduled petting breaks...

The hope is with strict confinement and the right combination of medicines (and supportive treatment like acupuncture and laser therapy), that his body will heal in time to the point where he can walk and function independently again.

Please send Bryson your healing thoughts! We're looking forward to more moments like this with the kids...