Garnet--10 days Post Surgery Update

Garnet had her 1st check-up today at Upstate. She was very anxious once I pulled into the parking lot. She had her staples removed. While waiting on Dr. Morrison she used her right back paw 3 different times, lifting it to move so I was in shock! We're all still cautiously optimistic. She did have good leg tone, some hip movement, and she wagged her tail. And the best part was she had some pain sensation today! She whimpered once and looked back but didn't squeal and jerk back as we had hoped. I feel bad getting excited about her being in pain but it means she's hopefully getting it back! Bladder control will probably come back much later. Now we have a couple of new exercises to do in addition to the old ones and we're gonna start taking her outside to try to let her drag herself around so maybe she'll start going to the bathroom on her own. We also are going to start letting her practice standing on carpet so she can get a better grip instead of sliding around so much. And I touched base with our regular vet at Pet Vac. Even though Garnet will require more attention than we had expected, they have agreed to let us still kennel her there for our vacation!! So now we know she'll still be getting the care she needs!

And Riley is doing pretty good. Once I fix Garnet's food bowl I let him carry it to her. Jeremy snuck up on Riley yesterday very hesitantly walking up to Garnet then very gently petting her head and backing away! He's just TOO cute!

A big THANK YOU to those of you reading this for your prayers and concern. Everyone has been so kind to call and check on Garnet and send us encouraging messages, etc. We really appreciate it!

Riley's 1st Prayer

Every morning on the way to drop Riley off at school I say our prayers. Most of the time I do not finish the prayer until we're pulling into Bo Peep and when I say Amen, Riley will say "Mamen!" He does the same thing with the blessing. Well this past week one of the first things I prayed for was for Garnet's healing since she has been in such bad shape. One morning Riley said, "Gah-net, Gah-net, Gahhhh-net, MAMEN!!!" I could've cried. It was so sweet to not only hear his first prayer but that he prayed for Garnet! He is 20 months old and oh how special these little moments are to me!

Garnet Diva Register

Garnet was born on February 23, 2007 to Carter and Foxie Harvey, both owned by Jay and Kelly Harvey. We got to see her on her birth day following my birthday dinner with Jeremy! She fit in Jay's hand that day. Then she got to come home on Jeremy's birthday, April 13, 2007! She is now 3 years old and so loved. We named her Garnet because we are huge Gamecock fans. Her puppy days were trying to say the least. She was so hard to train that we actually paid for a 3 week intensive training program in Easley. Garnet was our baby until Riley came along. When I was pregnant she became so protective of me and would sit above me on the couch or lay her head right on my belly. Garnet is so much more than a best friend. She licks my tears when I cry, greets me with tail wagging after a long day, cuddles with me in the evenings, and patiently waits for me in the mornings. She is loyal, loving, gentle, sweet, patient, and true to her name, a diva. I never realized how much I loved her until a week ago. I cried my eyes out all weekend and have been an emotional wreck all week. I feel so helpless. We have done what we can do the rest is in God's hands. Now I will share with you the journey of Garnet's Surgery:

Telling Garnet "goodbye" Saturday morning

Garnet blew a disc in her back Friday night 7/9/10 at 9 p.m. She screamed the worst howling scary noise I've ever heard and headed for her crate. We got her out as she was just shaking and panting and she could not bare weight on her back feet. I started crying and called my Mom to come stay with Riley as he had just gone to bed. Jeremy and I took Garnet to the emergency vet on Asheville Hwy and it just so happened that our vet, Dr. Cudd was the doctor working there. She gave Garnet an adjustment and a steroid shot. All of this was $110 with it being after hours and an emergency clinic. All night Garnet shook and panted and by morning had lost bladder function and was completely paralyzed.

Saturday morning 7/10/10 we followed up with Dr. Cudd at Pet Vac and she referred us to Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville. Dr. Cudd was kind enough not to charge us for our visit with her. When we got to Upstate it was about lunch time and Dr. Morrison was ready for us and answered a gazillion questions and gave us time to make our decision on surgery verses putting Garnet down. She had a 50/50 shot, we were within 24 hours of her injury, and she is only 3 years old so we ended up deciding to go for surgery. During surgery, which began by 3 p.m., they removed bone to relieve the pressure on the spine. They also removed a lot of debris from the disk as well as fluid from where it blew. Dr. Morrison said this was one of the worst spinal injuries he had ever seen; however, the blood flow to the spine was immediate and looked healthy.

Sunday morning, 7/11/10, we were able to visit Garnet. Pictured here you can see where she had her IV in her left arm and the bandage covering her incision on her back. Her back legs flopped like a ragdoll.

Post surgery Garnet had a little tone in her legs and pelvis. We prepared for her homecoming by borrowing a larger crate, buying puppy pads, and rearranging furniture in the breakfast nook to make room for the larger crate.

Riley was extremely excited to see that Garnet was at home!

Garnet has now been home for 2 days and she has had a decreased appetite. I now know it is because at Upstate they were hand feeding her canned dog food instead of dry food. So I had to go out and buy some because she needs to eat to regain her strength. However, it was hard to buy it because we've never ever let her eat canned food! We have not had alot of change. She seems at times to have some type of control going on with her bladder then at other times she doesn't have any. During her daily exercises last night she squeezed back on both back paws when working her toes. She is on 4 medications 4 times a day (Famotidine, Tramadol, Prednisone, and a muscle relaxer). We must express he bladder at least 3 times a day. And she must have exercises done for 15 minutes 4 times a day. As you can imagine between attempting to do all of this for her, keep a 20 month old son away from her but happy, and work full time we are being stretched. We are going to do what we can for her for the next 6 weeks before having to decide whether to put her down or not. I pray that she will come around...slowly but surely!