Halfway There

We are now about 7 weeks into the 12 week rehabilitation process. Tinker is now walking 14 minutes at .4 MPH on the underwater treadmill. He had been up to 20 minutes at .2 MPH, when they decided to increase the speed and start back at 10 minutes.

Tink's been having a blast in his cart; he absolutely loves the freedom it gives him. We still keep a harness and leash on him, but he can move much more freely than with the sling. The sling has also become a bit of a problem. It's been rubbing the insides of his legs to the point where they have gotten quite pink. We've been using Gold Bond powder to help keep the area dry and it has improved. C spoke with a rep from Doggon' Wheels, the sling manufacturer. They had us take pictures of Tinker in the sling to determine if it was the right fit--they felt it was. Back to the drawing board- we may need to find a sling with a different design.

Tinker's also been doing some climbing. It's good and it's bad. It's good that he's on his back feet, climbing up the crib and it's bad that he's climbing up the crib! He also goes absolutely nuts waiting for his food. Crying, barking, squealing, and JUMPING. Yes, jumping and pushing off all four feet. He throws himself around the crib as if it was a professional wrestling ring. We're really worried he's going to hurt himself.

Since he has been doing all this activity in a short amount of time, we have set up an appointment for tomorrow with Dr. Christiane Massicotte, the new neurologist at the AERA. We have concerns about the next steps, pun intended. We know he can't be in the crib forever. We also want to know what she thinks of his progress towards regaining the ability to walk. Additionally, we would like to know if she feels he will eventually regain the ability to completely empty his bladder on his own. For some reason Tinker has been urinating on his own less often. We've been expressing him every 3 or 4 hours, and it seems to be getting more difficult. This could be because his bladder has become more toned.

We're looking forward to speaking with her since we have not consulted with a neurologist other than the initial second opinion on the MRI from Dr. Glass of Red Bank Hospital. One thing is for sure, Tinker will be glad to go there, and Virginia will whine until we leave. :)