126 Dog Days

ago, Hope came to stay with us for home care. That's about 18 human days and in reality, seems a lot longer. It's hard to imagine another dimension of time superimposed on our dimension of time. As it is, so many people pack more than they can in a 24-hour day. What is it like to have 7 dog hours in 1 human hour??!!

Hope was lightly sedated for her transfer and delivered in a HUGE box. Here's the kicker- pets are not allowed in our condominium! but as it were, Hope has the perfect profile (at least for this situation)- she makes no noise and doesn't run around! Nonetheless those were some nervous moments!

Hope where she can see me most of the time. Rearranging furniture for Hope's space

I was fortunate that her caregivers before me had already worked out a daily routine which I could more or less follow and it looked easy enough from what they had shared with me. Of course it's easy to think you know everything just with knowledge and forget that it's experience that really counts in the end! I quickly found out that though I had the strength to lift Hope to take her for the 5-a-day pit stops, I didn't have the fitness required to lift her weight. By the end of the first week I felt like I had been moving house, shifting countless boxes!! Other things we do a lot more of include mopping and laundry!

It was time to institute some discipline or suffer more! And Discipline's not my personal favourite challenge. Learning to lift Hope the correct way and getting back to a routine with yoga for stretches and strengthening the muscles. I also reckon that if you're trying to do some good for a cause but don't do any good for the self then there's something here that's amiss and in the longer run, doesn't work out to be very constructive.

Hope in her morning sun spot by the balcony

why do you have to do what you do?
Hope's thinking, watching me do the yoga routine

Treats to keep her stimulated and occupied and just enjoying Life -
one milk ice treat each afternoon to beat the sweltering heat

I make her a frozen milk treat which she gets each day. Just simple enjoyment and stimulation.

Surely the soul can hardly heal the body if it does not taste the joy of Life.

Today I baked liver biscuits. Hard ones to keep the teeth clean, burn some time and also a new treat to reward her for her exercise routine which is gradually being stepped up. Only they look like brown hershey kisses thingees and not really the best subject for a photo! But Hope only cares about the important details.

I'm done with the milk ice, now what? - taking comfort in her favourite Grumpy cushion

the wheelbarrow walk using a towel sling 4 times a day
(to the duration of 2 Barry White songs!) to maintain forelegs flexibility and strength

We do a half hour of PROM (Passive Range of Motion) exercises twice a day for all four legs. This involves passive flexion, extension and light massage of the muscles to enhance blood circulation, prevent muscle contracture and maintain flexibility. We do daily sit-to-stand exercises and her hind legs seem to be getting stronger, where previously her hind leg muscles had severely atrophied and were totally limp. Now Hope is able to bear her own weight on her hind legs for a tiny little 8 seconds each time. I know it's really little but it means a lot right now from what we first began with. Hope is also getting more active as I get her to scoot on her butt to get to her food dish. It's sometimes difficult and pulls at the heart strings watching her do it, like watching a stroke patient learning to walk, but I'm hoping it will unwire any learned helplessness she might have acquired. She shows interest in trying to move around but sometimes gets overwhelmed by the effort required.

In a couple of days when her pressure sores have just about shrunk to a smaller spot, we'll be trying on her baby plastic pants which will help protect her bony butt and cut the friction so she can scoot around on her butt.

the similarity amuses us!

A well-wisher brought Hope her favourite Grumpy cushion which has proven most useful and comfortable, much like a travel wraparound-the-neck cushion. Hope spends hours hugging it in some kind of affiliation.