SSD Winston

May he rest in peace now.

2008-03-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 28th, 2008 around 9:00 pm SSD Winston "Speaker Of The House" was put to rest.

He was battling FCE for a little over a month now. He was responding well to IV prednisone and each time came out of the paralysis quickly. His last week with me he was hospitalized Sunday and although he pulled through he struggled with his balance and seemed a little bit lethargic. By Thursday he seemed to be doing great, and we had an incredible day. We spent the morning at a doctors appointment of mine, where he laid quietly across the room while I spoke to the doctor. All of the nurses and doctors that day mentioned how calm and under control he was. We went from there to run a few errands. We went to Wal-Mart where shopping was the most annoying thing possible, and after three employee's told me to move (out of their way!) my last straw was an employee bending down and calling him to pet him. He had his classic "Uhm, MOM!? Don't you see this woman!?" So, we put everything back, and left for Target! Haha. He played his silly "I can't pee anywhere new" games, until we got to Target, where he pulled to get to his grassy patch! We had so much fun shopping and being silly. Winston was such an angel the entire day. He just seemed to know exactly what to do, and when. While shopping we (his aunt Laura and I) decided that Winston deserved a new toy! We found an incredible plush olive toy
, and a hilarious dog perignon! (only green). Laura and I wanted him to pick, so we dropped them on the ground and I told him "okay!" so that he could pick. He was such a goof, pawed one, and picked up the other! We decided that he definitely wanted the Dog Perignon.

When we got home he was just as delighted to carry his bottle around. He had a nice evening but by dinner time, I knew we were headed back to the vet. It started when I asked him to retrieve the remote for me. Usually, he jumps to do this because it is easily reached and well, he is a labrador! When I gave him the cue, he sighed and walked to his bed where he laid down. He was slowly losing his balance, and acting more and more lethargic. We were at the vet's emergency room by 7pm. By the time we got there, I knew the symptoms differed a little. He was drooling much more and his paralysis was spread throughout his body. Our incredible vet immediately began taking care of him, and allowed me to go back to the procedure room to say goodbye before leaving him. Laura had left to meet us at the vet as soon as she heard the news, and we decided to grab a bite to eat since we thought he was settled in with the vet.

Shortly after we received our drinks, I got a phone call. I tried my best to listen and peel away any sign of hope from the words that were spilling out of the vet's mouth. He was anemic, severely. His CBC was terrible. He had done emergency x-rays, and found a tumor on his spleen. I just kept listening trying to hear hope somewhere in the conversation. By that time, Kara (my coworker) had arrived. She began making calls, and within a few minutes I had Dr. Fierer on the phone. I went through the events and knew when he was silent there was nothing left to do. Winston was too weak to make it through a blood transfusion and his tumor had an 85% of being cancer. Atop of the devastating FCE, Hypo active Thyroid, and IBD, it was just unfair to put him through more. I knew what had to be done.

Winston had us all with him. His grandma, Megan, Laura, Kara and I. I held his paw and talked to him and told him how incredible he was until he could simply not stay awake any longer. It was the hardest choice i've ever made, but he was telling me loud and clear that he was ready.

I am not sure how to end this entry, other than saying that Winston was simply the most charming and joyous dog. He was loyal, and loved being obedient. He had a great sense of humor, but was proud and very classy. He took his job as seriously as a Marine and he will never be forgotten.

May he spend all of his days swimming and lounging in warm sun. May he never forget that he saved my life in so many ways.

I love you, Winston.

June 13th, 1999 - February 28th, 2008.

Events from the summer!

2007-08-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Winston and SSD Ross accompanied Christina and I to a very small local "Dog Day"! It was nice but too hot to stay more than 25 minutes or so. Just long enough for a good shot!

This is a shot while waiting for clients to arrive at SSD's June Team Training!

The Keeper Of All Good Dogs (costco, mid June) SSD Celia, SSD Pike, and Winston

Sit / Stay practice at the SSD Kennel in late June!

One of my favorite pictures ever!! Getting out of the car before teaching my first Puppy Class!!

June 30th demo at Royer Pharmacy! SSD Burke w/ my mom Gail, SSD Lucas w/ my friend Jordan, SSD Winston w/ me and SSD Rossi with our wonderful new Puppy Raisers The Smiths!

Last but certainly not least, SSD Winston comforting our newest puppy in training, SSD Bryce!

Update: Dietary Options

2007-08-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

Winston has been eating Solid Gold Holistique Blendz for three months now and had great results! He has no signs or symptoms of his IBD!

Watchin' Out

2007-05-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Winston, Liberty and Ross keep an eye on things...

Patient Recognition Dinner

2007-05-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last evening, Winston and I attended the Patient Recognition Dinner at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to celebrate a wonderful patient/med student program coming to an end! We were delighted to spend the evening not only with our two assigned first year medical students but also SSD TJ and Mary Alice! Dinner was fantastic, as was the weather! Here is a wonderful shot of some of us and of course, Winston!

Dietary Options

2007-04-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

Winston has been eating Science Diet Prescription i/d for about 10 months now. His vet proclaims that it is the only option because of his IBD (a general term that refers to inflammation of the colon and rectum found in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.) As most of you know, dog food can range from disgusting to wonderful. (kibbles and bits to raw instinct) I had a feeling the food was not that great, simply because of the ingredients but after discussing this with the SSD staff, we knew we had to find out.
Unfortunately, when we graded Winston's dog food (I will post the test in a later entry) it scored a 53%. This is outragious and completely unacceptable especially when the food costs $60 for a 40lb bag! I had originally decided to take the advice of Head Trainer Cindy Williams and started the pursuit of seeing a holistic vet.
I chose to start out with Kutztown Animal Hospital. After speaking with the manager yesterday, I was incredibly disappointed. The manager was not only rude to me but also the staff of SSD. She argued that Winston was a "real" "working" service dog and insisted on checking with her "friends" to see if SSD was "reputable". She did not thank me for any information I provider her with, nor the phone number or web address. She promptly called SSD to ask them to find another holistic vet for me to see. WHAT?
So I began emailing brands that offered holistic foods to ask their opinnion. To my surprise I got the most delightful email from Solid Gold today. They knew exactly what blend of products to offer Winston as an alternative to i/d! And best of all, they are HEALTHY well balanced options! I am incridibly excited.

Clicker Expo

2007-03-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Winston and I spent the weekend (well, thursday - monday) in Cleveland, Ohio at the Clicker Expo. Not only was it incredibly education and innovative but it was simply an all around great time. I learned a lot but the two primary topics were modifier cues and and clicking to calm aggression or anxiety even. I also need to start keeping a much more detailed and structured training journal.
Winston and I were lucky enough to have met wonderful trainers from Service Dogs Of Virgina and Paws With A Cause.
Unfortunately I was too captivated with the experience itself to take any pictures. This may be the first time ever that I haven't even gotten my camera out. Thanks to a ton of our SSD clan I do have at least one photograph. Apparently, there was a wonderful wooded area for the dogs and I was lucky enough to have a few people volunteer to take Winston along down. What I really love about this photograph though is how many emotions Winston is conveying through his body. I've always said he wasn't that into water, but here you can actually see it!

Words of Wisdom!

2007-03-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

"I hope that when a tornado rips the roof off of my aqarium my whales look up and say, 'Huh, look at what those trainers are doing today!'" - Ken Ramirez

The graying of age...

2007-03-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Small Dog's Galore!

2007-03-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

Winston is not too pleased about our new house guest, Ernee. He is a young Jack Russell Terrier and so far Winston has not taken a liking to him yet. We also had the wonderful company of Stella, an 8 month old min Dachshund! Winston definitely favors her ;) As does Liberty and SSD Ross. Winston does NOT share his bed, ever. This is a once in a lifetime sight!

Fun at Molly's

2007-03-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

Winston loves visiting his good friend TDI Molly because she has WONDERFUL toys and best of all a CRATE. Nothing is better than a crate to Winnie. Seriously, he has an obsession with them. Looks like Molly isn't too pleased with her Uncle Winston sharing her space though...

Vday!

2007-02-18T06:33:00.000-08:00

Winston and I went to the Lancaster Arts Hotel for Valentines Day with a few friends. All of the staff welcomed and adored Winston.

Fun, fun fun!

2007-01-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the ambulance to get here because my respiratory infection has taken a bit of a rough turn. Hopefully tomorrow someone will be able to bring Winston in for me. I can't use him in the ambulance and until I know what medications i'll be on I want him safe and sound. He got some Bach's Rescue Remedy w/ his breakfast because he hated me leaving last time.

Cues, Cues everywhere!

2007-01-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

Winston has been very bored, and i'm afraid it is going to continue for quite a bit longer. First it was a lot of Paws Abilities work, and now it seems as though i've caught one heck of a respiratory infection. No outings for me means no outings for the Stone. We have however been working more and more on "trash!" which is incredibly exciting. I was having a lot of difficulty but thankfully the head trainer at SSD broke it down into smaller steps to try and vuala! Winston suddenly began catching on. My goal of a new cue each season is coming along quite well!

Over the summer Winston learned "elbow" - the repositional cue for him to push my elbow back onto my wheelchair
Over the fall Winston learned "hug" - the cue for Winston to come up onto my footplates and rest his head on my shoulder

I've also been spending quite a bit of time gathering all of Winston's photographs. I want to finally put together the absolutely amazing scrapbook that our good friends Sam and CPL Ivy started for us!

We'll wrap up with a photo of Winston that although it isn't the best, it show's his wonderful winter collar that I purchased for him at Target!

OH! Welcome SSD's newest litter of pups! Sadie Mae delivered 7 pups on January 25th! Go to the Paws Abilities Blog to view pictures!

Fun fun with no pain!

2007-01-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

Winston and I are enjoying his healthy lifestyle! Lots of new training and fun walks. He and I just stayed in Philly with our good friends Christina and SSD Ross.

We're going to try to post once a week for the new year!

Update (wk 3 + pics!)

2006-10-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well Winston is doing great physically. He seems to be in no pain what so ever and has tolerated his 7 minute daily walks like a champ. I have finally gotten my camera back from Canon so here is his nearly 100% healed incision.

For those of you sicko's that would like to see a more detailed photo, click here

Other than that we are simply kick started his training and trying to get him back into the working mode. (since it's been months)

This weekend we will be going on a DASAF retreat with our friends CPL Ivy and her partner Sam, CPL Lily and her partner Lizz, and of course the infamous SSD Ross and his partner Christina! It should be a great weekend!!!

Week 2 Post Opp Check Up!

2006-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

We have great news! Yesterday Winston saw his surgeon for the first time since his surgery. They took an extensive look at his gate walking, running, and doing steps. The doctor also observed how Winston balanced his wieght while standing still and did a few neurological tests with his back paws. All in all the vet told me yesterday that Winston has made a 100% recovery and that he is able to begin working again! We will avoid all heavy doors and walking long distances. Today we will start at home physical therapy which the vet and I decided I could handle on my own. He will walk a short distance and also walk a flight of stairs two times. Tomorrow we will increase the distance and the ammount of times that he walks the stairs. We will also use a ladder in my back yard (probably starting on Monday) to encourage Winston to pick his legs up extra high, strengthening more muscles in his body. I am looking for a body of water locally as well to take Winston swimming in.
We were at the kennel after his appointment and everyone was blown away at home wonderful Winston looks. Nancy noted that he has a spark in his eyes, while Yvonne couldn't get over how happy he is!
We discussed the issue of Winston working while he has an incision and large bald spot on his back. My initial reaction was that as long as he is given a clean bill of health and is up to working, it is fine. I brought it up to the trainers to make sure that is it not irresponsible of me as a partner. We all agreed that it is guranteed that people will make a very large deal out of it, but that it is not illegial or wrong of me to have him out. I am more than happy to handle all of the publics questions and settle their concerns.
Winston's first day back at work will be at a short conference Saturday. It will be a very relaxing atmosphere with very little walking involved.
Thanks again for all of the support! It means the world to us!

Update from the recovery room!

2006-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, has Winston made large steps in his recovery! The first twenty four hours were absolutely terrible. By the 2nd day though Winston was beginning to have a spark back in his eyes that I have not seen in years. I was given permission to administer his tramadol every 8hrs instead of the originally prescribed 12hrs. He also found much relief taking Bach's Rescue Remedy. His swelling has decreased significantly and he goes days without whimpering! We were given permission to let him out of his crate because his pain increased laying down. Followingn that decision Winston stood for 9 hours. I also took his cone off which helped him relax a great deal. All of this combined with the natural healing power of time and you have one happy Winston.

Honestly, I think this took him back to age 3 or 4. It seems to be a miracle!!!

A soothing voice.

2006-09-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

The hardest sound to hear and sight to see, is your partner in such pain. Although Winston's surgery went very well and just as they hoped it would, his incision is double the length and his pain is much higher than I expected. Since we arrived home he has not stopped crying, whimpering, and howling. I'm doing everything that I possibly can without breaking the Dr.'s orders and he only stops crying when he hears my voice or is being pet by someone. I spent the entire night falling asleep talking to him and then being woken up by his cries reminding me to continue talking. My mom slept half of the night with him so that I could sleep. I had nightmares on and off about his incision opening and finding blood everywhere. I cannot use words to describe how hard it is to see him like this.

As long as I keep talking to him, using his name and "good boy" he is quiet...

In the car!

2006-09-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well i got word around 3pm that winston was recovering great and that i could pick him up after 5! So im grabbing dinner after work and going straight to the hospital! I miss my baby! Ill update tonight when i get home. Thanks so much for all of the support!

The day before his surgery...

2006-09-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't help but spoil Winston today. Tomorrow at this time he'll be under and having his spine cut open. I've been pretty sick all week so it worked out to his advantage - mom is home with him. He's been curled up on his bed watching tv while I knit and retrieving the needle every time that it falls. I think we'll take a short walk in a little while and maybe do one nice grooming session too. I'm very nervous and very upset that my digital camera is broken because I WANT new pictures of him. Anyway, just updating to update. He'll have his last meal this afternoon and then water will be taken at midnight. Thanks for all of your support.

More Illness Discoveries

2006-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Bad News: It has been discovered through lumbar x-rays that Winston has severe spinal inflamation. He requires a surgery called a Dorsal Laminectomy in order to reduce this inflamation. He is scheduled to have the surgery done at Palmyra Animal Clinic on September 27th. The recovery is projected to be anywhere from 6 to 12 wks and he will have physical therapy starting in the 2nd week of recovery. The Dorsal Laminectomy has roughly a 65% success rate.

The Good News: There is a great chance that Winston, pending the success of the surgery, Winston might be able to go back to work! We have put my placement with a new dog on hold until we see how Winston's recovery goes. Hopefully Winston's IBD is directly related to the stress of his spinal inflamation.

Winnie is resting on his new Urban Sprawl.

Winston continues to eat Hill's Prescription Diet i/d along with Tagamet twice a day and Prednisone once every other day.

We'll try to update more often, thanks for being patient!

We've been tagged!

2006-08-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well, the old man and I have been tagged by our favorite dog guide teamand especially since this blog needs a little bit of an upper, we're going to play along!

Here's how the game works:
When you are tagged, you must list 5 weird things/habits about yourself. Then you tag 5 friends and list their names. The furries (or people) who get tagged need to write on their blogs about their 5 weird things/habits, as well as state the rules of the game clearly there too, then tag 5 more victims. Don't forget to leave your victim a comment that says "you're tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

5 Weird Things/Habits about SSD Winston:

1. In training I won the "Best Backer Upper" Award (for backing up until i'm blue in the face)
2. I have to find the absolute PERFECT spot to go "potty" even if that means not going for 24 hours!
3. I honor thy Father, Christ.
4. I'm more snuggly than you can imagine, but only with my plush toys.
5. I not only fall asleep with these plush toys in my mouth, but I try to bark at cars driving by, with the toys still in my mouth.

I don't have five other partners but i'll tag two! Rockwell and his foster mom have been tagged along with my good friend Sam and CPL Ivy.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

2006-08-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

After talking with the vet and the other trainers at SSD I've come to understand IBD much more. Winston will have reoccuring pain and discomfort but on the contrary he will have really good times. This most likely has been going on since his urinary track issues back in '02 and simply gone into remission until now. Winston's entire intestines are affected by the IBD. Pet Education has supplied me with the wonderful infromation about IBD that I encourage anyone that is interested to read, again the information is here.

The past few months have been incredibly difficult and trying for Winston and I. I think constantly about whether or not he should continue working and everyone continues to say "You'll know when it is time." and most of the days he looks at me like he just wants to sleep and play. I'm waiting for Cindy and Nancy to call back to have one last discussion about what to do before I decide.

All advice, thoughts, comments would be greatly appreciated right now.

Vomiting and polyp update

2006-08-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Winston didn't get to finish his week of thorough journaling before we had a terrifying incident. He woke up 7/26 vomitting old foul blood. He was immediately rushed into the animal hospital at Palymra and admitted for an endoscope study as well as a series of other tests. Winston was discharged friday night on ID and two medications. He had moderate vomitting for 24hrs and then seemed to return to his normal (as of late) self.

As I was writing this the vet called. It seems as though he has finally been diagnosed!!

Winston has Inflammatory Bowel Disease

I will update after I google it :)