Todays the day!

After 2 and a half years of grief I will formally make a claim against the surgeon who caused this heartache for Mr Beebs and myself since 2006.I will file a formal complaint and notify the Director of grievances at the Ct medical association. I can't wait to nail this guy and the filthy hospital where this nightmare began. I'm ready now. I'm also going to start a web sight called "Companion or property, Guardian or owner".I need to recruit voters in Ct so that my bill for legislation will have backbone and bite. I'm excited and can't wait to protect animals and their people from abusive situations! Here's to a banner 2009 for all the animal lovers and thier friends.

Sydneys operation and the complications

Well Sydney went into surgery just 10 days ago and the tumor in his testicle was removed along with his testicles. The growth under his chin came back benign thank God. However several days after his neutering his scrotum sack began swelling and swelling to the point it looked as though his testicles had magically grown back by themselves. The area was warm and the sack became more expanded and very hard to the touch. I called the vet on Friday 4 days after the operation and was told its normal its post op bruising. I didn't feel this was correct but respect the doctors advice. Come Saturday I'm so worried how hot and hard this is getting I ask my husband to take Sydney to Central in New Haven. They tell him its normal sometimes it happens.In fact they kind of snickered at him like he was over reacting. Put cold compresses on it I am told.His entire groin area is hot and tight to the touch. He is acting lethargic and finding it difficult to walk. On Tuesday one week after the operation I am back at the doctors office after I notice puss coming out of his sutures. She looks at him and suggest more compresses and antibiotics to fight the pus in there. I am shocked that no one has suggested lancing the tissue and relieving the awful pressure building in there. On Tuesday the doctor who did the operation was back at the office and told me to meet him at Central right away he didn't like the idea of puss in the area. So I met him and his assistant at the hospital. Poor Sydney was in so much pain and discomfort now I was mentally tormented by it all. The vet gave him a fast acting narcotic that last 10 minutes before they wake back up. My job was pulling his tongue out and keeping his jaw open so he could breath while the vet lanced the scrotum and putrid sludge poured out of the poor dog. He used a tool like a screw driver and really pushed on the area almost like a liposuction procedure.Sydney's jaw was starting to clamp down and I was afraid he'd bite his own tongue off when he awoke or break my fingers. The vet quickly passed a rubber tube through the scrotum and stapled it in place/. He was then given morphine.The doctor put a mouth guard on Sydney because he could feel how powerful his jaws are and the poor guy was capable of biting the vet without intention.I kept blotting and coaxing the infection out .The doctor was shocked at the amount of infection and I could have wrung everyone of their necks. There was no need for this suffering...the skin all the way up towards his anus was hot and tight and full of fluid. So Sydney and Beebs are living in the basement right now until his wound stops dripping.I have tons of towels and blankets that I keep changing he is also on cephalexin again.the photo's are gruesome and the sound affects as the doctor manipulated the wound were horrible.I swear the dog could feel the lancing the way his voice changed.Anyway..he is acting better and more chipper at present. The big lesson or one of many...NOT having a temperature does NOT mean you don't have an infection. Also if the animals owner says over and over somethings wrong you can bet..they know better than anyone that something is wrong. We spend hours and days, weeks and years with these family members and I know when I see a change for the worse.I'm exhausted. Beebs is fine the old gladiator. I know the doctors meant well but they really screwed up on this one.

After the surgeries not good news..

Well me and my husband came back for the UK and were taking both dogs to surgery within days of our return. I am not sure what to think at this moment because my younger boxer Sydney had a tumor in his testicle which was making his nipples change shape which is how I recognised a problem. But what i didn't figure on was the strange bump about the size of a thumbnail that appeared under his chin. It was hard as a rock and did not move. It bleed all over my shirt one night when he leaned up and hug me. The vet said it was cancerous and so the sample was sent to a pathology lab. I hope to God it is not something rampaging through his entire body. I've spent so much time trying to save beebers my little guy has taken a back seat and I feel horrible with guilt. I assumed...a dangerous thing to do. That Sydney would be around years after Beebs had passed away. I never counted on a cancer diagnosis especially in such a young (9) gorgeous dog. Oh boy...I am so mad at myself. I'm now giving him the full treatment and Mr Beebs is getting pissed off and acting like a spoiled child ramming into poor Sydney. Too bad.For 2 and 1/2 years I've pulled out all the stops for the beebs and now his son may be very ill. I hope I don't have any tough decisions ahead of me...although denial suits me very well at this moment. My only sister was just told her cancer is back and its in her liver. I'm going to go kiss my dogs and go take a walk to the beach and try and draw some peace from nature.

Trials and Tribulations

Oh boy...it just seems like every holiday season one of the dogs develops a problem .Well this year both dogs have unexpectedly developed a problem which needs surgical attention asap. I just brought both dogs in for surgery this morning and feel bummed out.Mr Beebs has been acting and eating very strangely lately. It looked like his face was drooping and his mouth hung open.When he was eating it seemed like he was slinging food back into his throat and not chewing it at all. The vet said it was nausea related to the cephalexin...I pulled way back on that and the mouth remained hung and eating and drinking were sloppy and ineffective events. After 3 days of this I insisted he look again.Beebs lower jaw is without power whats so ever which means it could be a muscle disease.I mentioned how his left eye had been pussy of late and wondered what was happening.The vet looked in the eye lid and spotted a tumor which was causing the irritation. I had also brought Sydney in that day for moral support and in [passing asked the doctor why Sydneys nipples would be getting bigger and changing shape. He asked "Is he neutered" I said no. Well this must have happened suddenly because one of his testicles is the size of a grape the other a lemon.It has a tumor in it which is estrogen driven. Oh boy...the poor pups.So today If we are lucky Sydneys testicles will be cancer free and not metastasized and Mr Beebs tumor and jaw problem can also be overcome and corrected. I felt horrible leaving them there today and asked that they be put in the same dog run with blankets from home. I put on my Saint Frances medal which I do when I'm scared and pray for the boys. I heard on the radio today that saint frances can be credited for the creation of the manger scene which we see all over the world.My poor sister and brother in law just had to put down their 13 year old pup Duncan who was like my nephew and spent many good times with the boys and I. The same vet who is attending my guys today went to their home and ended his suffering in a place he knew and loved. This vet is a man I trust with all my heart.
Loving a dog is easy but letting them go is never.

I never realized the power of bacteria before

Here we are almost a year past the prostate infection , the amputation and all the other assorted medical issues. Once again I tried to take Mr Beebs off anti biotics and see if he would be okay.Well five days in and he was sleeping all the time, very lethargic and having a really hard time walking without falling down.I put him back on and literally within hours I saw improvement.The infection that is trapped somewhere (prostate) will not be killed.Last Thanksgiving he began bleeding out of his penis and that was the start of this new infection.For all I know its the same infection that took his leg that has colonized elsewhere. In reading my earth science book I have come to find out that bacteria are the creators of earths early atmosphere so it should not shock me to find that these formidable creatures have staying power. We could certainmly learn a few tricks from them So Beebs is back to anti biotics and adequan shots every 5-8 days which help alot.
The sad news is that Tyler our newest dog had to be put down last week.He had such severe leg problems that he could no longer stand, walk or get around.It was horrible to watch and we tried cortisone shots, $4,000. worth of MRI's and spinal taps all to no avail.The poor guy was helpless and now he is reunited with old Harvey his owner who passed away back in June. We keep fighting the good fight and the boys are still enjoying life so I'm happy to have them with me.I just turned 50 and I have so much to do yet I hope I can last alongtime and help animals the way I want to so badly.

oh boy more challenges ahead

Well Mr Beebs has been iffy for a while.Kind of down in the dumps and sleeping alot.Sydney also started sniffing his penis again which was a red flag for me.Back on ab's he's coming back to life.I have no idea nor do the vets what is roaming around the poor dogs body but just like the enterobacter it waits or backs down and as soon as I stop attacking it it makes a comeback.Very scary stuff ...His eyes keep getting mucous and slim in them...so I've put eye drops in that are part ab and part steroid and he felt and looked alot better.He is eating well, playing with toys anfd enjoying brief jaunts in the park.I usually have to drive the car onto the grass and go get him when he gets too tired to walk back.His and Sydney just wait there while I get the car and then I lift him in.
Now we have an even bigger problem.Tyler the golden has gone full blown lame.He went from walking to not being able to get up at all.I mean paralyzed. He had an MRI, blood work, a spinal tap and no one can figure it out.If we don't get to the bottom of this there isn't mush hope for the poor guy.I can't life an other...85 pound dog up and down to go potty.He can't even stand to pee and is falling down and peeing while lying down.Maybe instead of law school I should go to vet school...God knows I could have used that knowledge after these trying past few years

I just found this pic of Beebs

Well our fight continues unfortunately.

Poor Beebs is still having prostate troubles and sure enough when back on ab's he became more alert, playfull and Sydney stopped sniffing his penis constantly.However they make him stomach sick. I guess its cronic protititus. The vet stuck a 10 inch rod up his penis and blewn a solution in to collect cells but nothing grew. However Sydney was sniffing him all day and all night and Sydney is never wrong when something ios changing.He's a good doctor and has helped Mr Beebs before. I'm still fighting for him and with him though.Once the chilly weather comes they will both be happier.More pics that are so cute.

"What was that" Sydnay said

My ring bearers

The wedding was a 10 and Mr Beebs and Sydney were the perfect host. They were so at ease with a big crowd, loud music and all the rest of it.It was just like being at a gig for them. I'll write more later but for now here's how my handsome boys looked!

2 lame dogs and Sydney

Well its a good thing we have customized the house for Mr Beebs lack of leg issue.An old family friend passed away 3 weeks ago and we have inherited his dog Tyler. A 10 year old golden who was born with lame back legs so much so that he was given away instead of destroyed.He hops like a bunny almost as though his legs were fused together. So he gets on the chair climber and him and beebs take turns getting lifted up and down .Eventually if there is any money form the estate I hope we can put in a small elevator. I'm worried that come Winter...sleet and freezing rain and me walking backwards down the stairs with 2 crippled dogs could be dangerous.I'm crossing my fingers we can eventually do that.Getting both guys up to our main part of the house is doable but time consuming and hard on the back.
Beebs is rallying after going back on ciproflaxin.What ever he has in his prostate is not going away.Ever. Its pretty obvious the vets know this too as they re issue more ab's without even seeing the dog. They know from what I describe that it's infection. I hope he'll be well enough to be part of the wedding still.His walking is really painful it appears.I give him adequan shots weekly and it helps his joints.I feel a bit depressed...maybe its wedding jitters or just overwhelmed with the constant stress.I should be excited but I just feel blah and blue.The weather here has been grey and muggy. Not a good Summer so far, it reminds me of one years ago that was rainy and damp from start to finish.Maybe I just need to rest! Take a few days to shore up some energy.The new guy is a good dog but has had 10 years with an elderly man who let him get away with murder.He's a food hound and sneaks food and can't be trusted with food within reach.My guys won't touch anything and are really not that interested in food so dinner time is not relaxing.I stand between them all and make sure the golden doesn't start threatening Beebs and Sydney over food.Eventually he'll understand the rules and realize he's going to eat well and not be such a glutton.Since Beebs won't use his wheelchair we are thinking we should refit it for Tyler.Why not. Thats the latest....

He's really slowing down

Well my ole Bubs is acting very old these days.He sleeps all the time and seems exhausted.I wonder if this has to do with stopping the cipro flaxin once again. I have this feeling that it is related but have no clue as to why this poor dog is still fighting infection .It was 2 years since that awful day we went in for the TPLO.Wow our lives have changed dramatically since then some good but regarding Mr Beebs it has been a constant battle to make his life worth living. He's getting chubby and thats making his leg work harder.I have cut back on carbs and try to give him other things to make him happy.He can't go for walks anymore so chewing on rawhide or something like that is his only amusement outside opf car rides.I will talk to the vet again and ask him about the cipro again and if i should re-start it.He is 11 and if he were any other dog i think he would have been dead by now.But he is a gladiator and always has been since he was a little puppy...a powerhouse of exploding energy.All male and full of testosterone.I hope he will be well enough to be in my wedding in August although at the rate he is fatiguing I'm not sure he will be.Thats it for now...

On my own with a diagnosis

Well,
Mr Beebs has been on ciproflaxin for months and months ...every single time I take him off of it the dog goes down hill fast. He sleeps all the time, looks unhappy, can hardly walk.So this weekend I put him back on it, along with 75mg of deramax and tramadol twice daily for pain. He is like a young dog again. Playing with his ball, acting crazy and smiling. For the life of me I can't understand where this infection is hiding that it manifest over and over again.The only thing I can think of is scar tissue...but how it would enter his blood stream is beyond me. Ever since the initial enterobacter infection he has been hosting some bug or another.My poor neighbor's husband had a few staples left in him and oh course now he has MRSA and a wound vacuum attached to him. The hospitals whether human or animal are in dire need of mandated cleanliness. Most of all the infections are a matter of sloppiness on the part of the staff. Eventually just as human hospitals have patients rights so too will animal guardians.Why shouldn't we expect decent, clean, professional service? Our money is just as green as the next persons and we too are paying for credible services.I'm tired of hearing"Its just a dog".Quite frankly my Mr Beebs has done more for mankind in his 11 years then alot of people I know in a lifetime.Sometimes I think he's more spiritually evolved than I am...his motives are love...always.Everytime I see him suffer I think of that lazy doctor who dismissed our case as frivolous.Well here we are 2 years later...still fighting no thanks to him and that filthy hospital.
I know I sound angry...but its righteous indignation I feel...not anger. It was wrong...and I aim to correct it.Mr Beebs has changed my life and the direction of it and all my energy is now pumped into school, knowledge and the tools I'll need to make a difference. Every time the work gets so hard I feel like crying...I think of him hobbling around unable to take a walk...and I study harder.
He is my inspiration and when he's gone I'll carry him around inside me every single day..and everything I do for animals will be in his honor.For now I'm glad I still have him to cuddle and lie on the floor with.He's doing okay once again...and I'm always searching for a way to keep him happy.

Mr Beebs and continueing prostate infection

Ever since the enterobacter clocae infection our lives have been upside down. We removed his testicles hoping the prostate would shrink...it did however an infection keeps rearing its ugly head.I am so worn out by this I can't even put it into words.My other dog Sydney is always smelling his penis as though there is something wrong with it.Beebs is very tired...lethargic, he's also almost 11 years old. I have this terrible suspicion that whatever is in there is not responding to ab's because it's either the wrong ones or its resistant. To get a proper culture a needle would have to be inserted directly into the gland.I think the poor dog has had enough invasive action and I am try9ing my best to give him the best possible life, or quality of life. That means oral meds, deramax, 2 injections a week of adequan, ciproflaxen, car rides, tiny romps in a new location, lots of love.His back leg is really taking a beating and he will not use his wheel chair. I went back up to the place to have it fixed and he is stubborn and refuses to move in it.
I'm getting married this August and want so badly for the boys to be in the wedding party at my home.When i think back to that fateful day 06/06/06 I cringe.However I have been actively pursuing a court case with the surgeon and the dirty hospital that brought this pain upon us.I have done several speeches in college on the subject of which I am told they were very compelling.I intend to fine tune this argument until I can get traction in congress.I don't give up on anything easily especially my beebers.To be honest I spend alot of time trying to diagnose his problems myself using the Merck vet manual and AVMA sources. The GP vet can only know and do so much...and complications are the great teachers of medicine...They see a snapshot and I see a movie.There should be a better way to help the vets, patients and their guardians get to the bottom of the problem.Maybe a software program that adds up symptoms and spits out possibilities, then reduces those to a more finite cause.Well this is the price of love and when I signed on 11 years ago I promised to take good care of him and he held up his end of the deal and so should I.College has me so busy I am not here often enough but will make an effort now that finals are next week.Any prayers for Beebs would be appreciated, I believe our intentions have the power to heal. Lori

Sorry I've been away for awhile

Well Mr Beebs has been neutered and has protititus.After his neutering I expected him to feel better but that has not been the case. His prostate is still infected so after 2 more months I have put him back on cipro.His back leg weakness I attributed to arthritis but it was pain from the swollen prostate that was causing the problem .That could also be why his wheel chair was never used., it probably hurt every time he put pressure on that area. So he's back on adequin and cipro and he's throwing his toys in the air again. I should have know...it was infection when I saw him sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.He has not been able to go for any long walks in a very long time. The amputation has not been as successful as the vets promised. So what we do is go for long car rides, jump out in a park for 10 minutes and let him sniff around.Poor Sydney is so frustrated and I need to address his needs too. All in all I'm just so very happy he's still with me today because in 2006 I came very close to losing him forever. I'll post new photo's soon

He's slowing down alot

Well Mr Beebs seems alot less energetic since his nuetering. At least that's one of the reason's he seems so old all of a sudden.I also wonder if the swollen prostate is shrinking inside him or if there is something hiding in it like a tumor. I am hoping for the best but facing the fact that if it is cancer I have some hard decisions to make. These last 2 years have been nothing but hard decisions for me regarding this poor pup. It's an everyday job keeping him happy, pain free, and doing as much as I can to give him quality of life. I could wring that surgeons neck for what he's done to my guy. My life will never be the same ....this situation has propelled me into an entirely new focus and drive in my life. To think that an ACL surgery could lead to such life altering conditions is beyond anything I could have dreamed up. I'm glad I didn't know what I know now.It would have sent me over the edge along time ago....but I'm grateful my beautiful dog Beebers has redifined my life and my life's purpose .So in a way this hardship has given me new determination and a sense of direction.That in and of itself is a blessing...and leave it to an 80 pound ball of loving fur to provide it.