Congenital buckled spine

Neurological Disorders Resources. Treatment and care for pets having pain or trouble walking or standing due to spinal injuries or neurological disorders like IVDD, FCE and DM.
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CarolC
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

Post by CarolC »

Thank goodness for the generator!!! What a picture that paints. :lol: It would be hard enough just to get everybody in the van! Puppies on the way. Snow puppies. I hope you can get everything ready.

It's the same here. We get a dusting maybe every 5 years, and it's only "stuck" so you could take a picture the next morning twice in the 35 years I've lived here. I grew up in snow country and you had to go out and break the ice on the water for the horses. I guess they have warmers for that now. No such thing back then.

This is a small house and I have the 3 bedrooms sealed off, we spend the day in the kitchen/living room, but at night I am sleeping in the bedroom with about 9 layers of blankets and a sleeping bag, and none of that was enough till I figured out I could sleep with my bunny slippers on and finally be warm enough. It's no fun when you have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the ladies, I put it off as long as possible, lol, and it isn't fun getting into the cold bed at bedtime. Makes me appreciate the genius of the old fashioned bed warmers the pioneers had. Must look that up. How did those not set the linens on fire? :?

My gas stove has worked throughout (but not the oven), and we've had hot water, so those have both been a huge mercy. But the 2 news stations I listen to on the radio were both down till last night (one is up, one still off the air) so I couldn't get any news. I don't have a cell phone, and the landline, which is supposed to work in an outage, was also out, so we were isolated. Yesterday the roads were clear and I made it to McDonalds to use their wifi, then in the afternoon the power came on, and shut back off at 10 PM just as I was preparing pet dinners. Of course with blankets over the windows it was really dark. Stupid me, I thought we had power back so I had emptied the lantern, so I had to go around with a flashlight getting the lantern, filling it again, and then we were back to getting dinners. The refrigerator was off for 3 days and I've been putting leftover pet food on the floor of the garage to keep it cold.

I have blankets nailed over the windows and this morning I just left them up. It's hard to keep nailing them up and it's snowing again. But is it 62 in here and the washer is running so I'm happy. I'll be even happier when I can wash my hair again. :lol:

You are going to be doing many loads of laundry. Hope you are not feeling creaky from sleeping on the floor.
Milo's Mom
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Besides the Great Pyrenees litter due in a few days, we birthed four Yorkie-Pom puppies in the kitchen at 4 am this morning. The bedroom hadn't heated up yet so my husband and the animal pack were still sleeping in the kitchen. My sister and I sat with mama Yorkie in the corner, quietly cleaning off puppies by headlamp and hoping none of the other dogs would wake up and come investigate. A pack of barking, nosey dogs wanting to inspect puppies while a mama dog snarls would not have been a good start to our day. :)

Our farm is named Flashlight Farmers because before we retired we had a 3 hour commute to work. All of the chores were done at 4 am or 9 pm by flashlight. We buy headlamps in the sporting goods section for around $10. It leaves both hands free while lighting everywhere you turn your head.

Will continue later. My husband went out to break ice this morning and just came back to say there's a new calf in the field. I am better than he is at figuring out which cow it belongs to and sneaking close enough to see the sex. Inquring minds want to know.
Milo's Mom
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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So besides the Yorkie litter which is now living in the bathroom, one of my Great Pyrenees girls decided to give birth a couple days early. Luckily I woke up at 3:30 this morning, just in time to see her on camera trying to revive a very cold puppy in her kennel yard. Brought her and her puppy indoors and revived the puppy in a sink of warm water. She is now under the kitchen table with eight puppies born and feels like there are two more waiting to come out.

I've managed to wash seven comforters, and the first of those is back in the wash after it became soggy from puppy birthing. Out of towels, so will have to wash those next.
Honey newborns first eight.JPG
They do make tank heaters for livestock water tanks, but it requires that electricity and water lines be run out to the pasture. We operate with hoses run everywhere.

Cell phones are wonderful inventions. I had to buy an iPhone for the last job I had (everyone there were millennials and did all the work electronically). I now rely on it for emails, text messages, Facebook messages, and playing audiobooks while I drive all over the place buying supplies and delivering puppies to new homes.

Hope life is back to normal for you. After the ice storm, when roads were finally somewhat drivable, we had four inches of snow. As soon as the temperatures rise above freezing, that will soon melt.
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CarolC
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Ohmygosh, LOOK! Aren't they precious?! You're thinking there are going to be 10? What a proud Mommy! You must have had ESP or something. This is the second night in a row you got no sleep due to waking up out of a sound sleep for puppies! But thank goodness you were there to rescue that one puppy and bring them all in. I hope you can get a nap this afternoon. Congratulations!

Life is not quite back to normal yet. Like you, they finally got the roads cleared enough to drive on Wednesday afternoon, then it snowed all day Thursday so we are stuck again. It is going to be 40 today so some of it will melt. Even though they have the power back on, they sent automated calls telling everyone to conserve or we could have blackouts again so I have it set 13 degrees lower than normal. My hands are so cold I have to apologize when I change Dolly's diaper or pet anyone. :cold: We lost everything in the fridge and freezer, except a few things like flour and soy sauce. We still have a boil water notice but we do have water.

I love your idea of a headlamp. That would have come in very handy a couple of nights ago. If they are only $10 I will have to look at them.

I looked up your farm and your website. What a wonderful story about how you met your husband and his goats. :D I'm so glad you found someone who shares the same lifestyle you do!
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critters
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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What a zoo!!! :mrgreen: :wub:
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critters
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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I HIGHLY recommend this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J3 ... UTF8&psc=1 It has a hood, too.
Milo's Mom
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Yes, I do live in a zoo! Never a dull moment here.
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critters
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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:lol: :hysterical:
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critters
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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CarolC wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:57 am
I love your idea of a headlamp. That would have come in very handy a couple of nights ago. If they are only $10 I will have to look at them.

I especially like rechargeable headlamps. Some use type C and others micro USB, but most of them are incredibly bright, and I like that they essentially look where you do. I suggest one with a strap across the top of the head as well as the circular one; otherwise, the lamp tends to fall down your forehead.
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CarolC
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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:thankyou:
Milo's Mom
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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I have a kid-sized head and when my husband adjusts the band over the top of the head, I put it on next and it falls down and bonks my nose.
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CarolC
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Ouch! :lol:
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critters
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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:lol: Been there, done that!!
Milo's Mom
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Milo continues to thrive. He can travel quickly in his wheelchair when he wants to catch up with the cat and sniff its butt, but has no concept of running. Since he's been impaired since birth, he has no idea running is possible. He is six months old now and barks like a big boy. After his wheelchair rides, I let him lie naked on a puppy pad in the kitchen. A few days ago he gave me a scare when his kicky leg went way up in the air and he jerked it like he was having a seizure. I ran over and dropped to my knees beside him, only to be caught in the stream of urine he was merrily spraying in a wide swath. My little boy has grown up and wants to lift his leg to pee! Milo also learned a new trick this week when I tossed one of his toys in his direction. He stretched up with his adult sized mouth gaping and snatched it neatly out of the air. Surprising since every other Pyr on the farm will let a tossed object bounce off their nose and give me a quizzical look.

I was the most physically fit elderly person on the farm until I upset that apple cart this weekend. I took my sister's granddaughter to the creek below the dam this weekend where everyone goes to wade and fish. I taught her how to skip rocks over the water and it was a wonderful afternoon until my sister, her daughter and granddaughter used rocks as stepping stones to reach a graveled spit in the middle of the creek. I got bored watching them rock hunt from the bank and finally decided to join them. Everything was fine and dandy until I reached that last stepping stone and slid off the rock, breaking my arm. No way could I climb back up the rock piled embankment, so the park ranger had to back his 4 wheel drive pickup down the creek bed to load me and take me up to the ambulance. Everyone here is stepping up to do all the things I usually take care of and I am finally forced to rest, have food delivered to me, and watch Netflix movies all day. All is good.
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CarolC
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Re: Congenital buckled spine

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Oh, no! You poor thing! :shock: :( Never mind everything else, does it hurt? A lot? I haven't broken an arm but I've broken an ankle and last year I broke a rib. Worst pain I've ever had in my life. :shock: Took Aleve for maybe 10 days and was still in agony every time I moved wrong. Then I tried Tylenol 8-Hr (I never take Tylenol, I had to go buy some) and it worked! What difference. The bone itself can feel pain, and I guess Tylenol works for deep bone pain. I hope you don't have a really bad break. So there you were at the bottom of a slope, wet, in pain, and had to wait for the ranger. Bet you wound up in the emergency room soaked from the creek, too. Oh, man!

Well, congratulations to Milo lifting his leg. That was another drenching you got, huh? :rain: Ohmygosh! :haha: :hysterical: (Sorry!)

I wonder why the other dogs don't catch things. It's cool that he does. My nondisabled dog doesn't catch and my disabled one does, but I never thought about it. This is making me think.

How much does Milo weigh now? I'm so glad everyone is chipping in. No doubt you deserve some Netflix and down time anyway, but what a way to get it! Which arm did you break...your dominant arm or the other one? I guess I'm a little surprised you didn't break your wrist, but maybe you have really strong wrists! :lift:

I thought of you back at the time of the storm. Hope you all recovered from that, I know you were up to your ears in puppies at the time. Here was a video that I wanted to share but I figured you might too busy to watch it. Guess you have time now... :D

Very best wishes for a speedy recovery!!!!

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