Our dear friend Bullit

Earlier this week, Bullit went in for surgery to remove his left eye that no longer worked. He made it through surgery, but didn't make it through recovery. We woke up early on Wednesday morning to find out that he died during the night. We were surprised and so, so saddened. He had been our family dog since before the kids were born and before Jason & I were "The Terreris." He was going to be 10 years old in just a few months. Bullit was a regular, albeit sometimes cranky, fixture in our lives. He was comical, sweet, noisy, stinky, quirky, and grumpy. We just can't believe that he will no longer be asleep in his bed in our room at night or greeting us at the door or howling in the back yard. Bullit will be so missed.

The original "baby" meets the newest

Bullit loves his new sister. Unfortunately that means a dog-breath-bath every once in a while. 

Heartwarming, hound-worthy

And despite the fact that he's every bit neurotic, Bullit's a good dog. I couldn't pass up this picture.

To the victor go the spoils

Bullit is recovering quite well. He's about 80% back to normal movement in his hind legs. We are continuing a steroid treatment, weaning it over the next few weeks. He will be on "cage rest" for one more week and then slowly getting back to a normal routine, albeit without stairs or jumping for quite a while.

Bullit at home, recuperating

After picking up Bullit from the emergency vet and making a stop at the regular vet, I brought him home today. Even in the few hours since I visited him yesterday afternoon, his walking had improved. He is still wobbly and walks a little drunk, but he's no longer knuckling his paws. The doctor said today that his injury is either related to a disc in his spine or it could be a spinal stroke. We can't know unless we get an MRI (to the tune of $1500!). So, he's being treated as if it's a disc injury (to be on the safe side), which means several weeks of very limited activity and some more steroid pills for now. For now, we are cautiously optimistic, as the saying goes, and hope that his recovery continues in the right direction.

I know it looks like he's in doggy jail in this picture, but really, he's enjoying quiet and comfortable rest, and lots of yummy food for sick dogs (Gerber chicken sticks, rice with cheese and lots of dog treats).

Hopeful for Bullit

I visited Bullit at the vet this afternoon and the outlook is better and we are hopeful for recovery. He has shown some improvement with the steroid treatment, can walk on his own and go to the bathroom. He still is very wobbly in the hind legs and pretty weak. He can't, for instance, maneuver his hind legs to get into a dog bed that sits about 2" off the ground. But he is walking around and that is a good sign. By best assessment, the vet believes he has a bulging disc. She said that 80% of dogs recover from that type of injury. We will be taking Bullit from the emergency vet's office tomorrow morning to stop in at our regular vet, and then most likely will take him home where he will need to recover for about 8 weeks--crated for most of the day, only very light activity, absolutely no jumping or steps or anything of the sort.

So, we're not completely out of the woods, but the outlook is hopeful. Hopefully Santa will be extra good to Bullit this year and bring him speedy recovery.

A little prayer, please

We had to take Bullit into the emergency vet around 4:30 a.m. this morning. We thought at first it might be a case of bloat, but it turns out that it's either a bulging or herniated disc in his lower spine. Early this morning, Bullit (out of the blue) started showing the early signs of what--if left untreated--could lead to paralysis in his lower half. He had limited ability to walk, little/no awareness of paws ("knuckling"), but he could feel deep pain sensation and has control of his bladder & bowel. The latter two are the most serious signs of nerve/spine damage. The vet is treating him round the clock with injections of steroids to hopefully reduce the inflammation and return complete function to his lower half. We were told this afternoon that he was showing some improvement and was able to walk without assistance. However, we won't know for 24-48 more hours how he will improve.

With that being said, please include Bullit in your thoughts, prayers and wishes over the next few days. We'll keep you posted on his progress.

Accidental photography

So many pictures, so little time

Grant spends a lot of time these days on his play mat, batting toys, cooing and squealing, and playing on his tummy. Can you believe he is 12 weeks old already?




This picture reminds me of a similar picture of Evan.

Evan likes to join him on the mat.


Here we have a picture of the infamous "suckers for poo poo." We've gone through a lot of suckers lately. Evan is doing so well with potty training.


And I leave you with a picture of Bullit--up close and personal.

Are you my mother?