Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and shedding pounds lovers……..

As we approach week six in Emma’s recovery I have noticed a change! Emma was ordered by her physical therapist to shed 8 pounds. Since I don’t have a scale and she has not been weighed I do not know her progress but a picture is worth at least 4 or 5 pounds!!!!!!

Just look at her shapely figure!

This was taken today and I was captivated by her thin waist! Even though she was never too heavy her physical therapist said she needs to be on the thin side now. She seems to be doing fine with our new “cutting back” routine.

Here is an ariel view!

Marilyn Monroe would have had a run for her money!

Hip, Hip Hooray!

More reports on our Emma’s figure later……Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and rehab lovers! Today Emma enters week 5 of rehab from her back surgery. She is doing so good. I know a big problem I am going to have in the future will be Chaps. About every other day he burns bright for about 2 minutes and wants to jump on our Emmers. It is so odd. It always happens after dinner. He will hide behind a corner (which he doesn’t have to because she can’t see a thing) and then he will do his play stance and then he will charge her snorting like a bull. With his pre-game antics I should be able to catch him but I was not quick enough last night and he jumped on her back. OMG I thought I was going to have a heart attack. He has not done this in 5 weeks. She is fine.

High FIVE Emma! FIVE for your age and for the number of weeks rehabbing! We are too clever!

What a pair. Well, Grandma and I are off to do more re-hab work. Emma tries to go flat basset on us. She usually wins. It takes us for every to get it done.

More flat bassets later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and healing from back surgery lovers:

Well, today Emma heads into her 4th week of healing. She is doing so great and the hardest part is keeping her from jumping. She feels much better than she really is. Her back needs to heal all of the way!

Today was the first day she took a sun bath on the back porch. She was only allowed a few minutes because her back is shaved and I did not want her to get burnt. I captured this photo right before she laid down.

(Don’t forget to click the pic)

Who would have thunk that a standing hound would make a Mom so proud? I tease her and tell her that I am going to insure her legs like some famous celebrities do.

More standing proud later…….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and wanting to know the cost of basset hound back surgery lovers! Well, not quite lovers, but you know what I mean.

I am now blogging about the cost of Emma’s back surgery. I had kind of put it off because it is not the most fun posting to do but I want this information to be available to people who need it. I have an entire sub blog devoted to what to expect when your basset hound or any dog for that matter needs back surgery and you choose go forward. The bill is a huge issue to consider. So far I have spent 3,518.00 dollars. Here is a copy of the big bill:

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The remaining 58 dollars was for Emma’s first physical therapy session. She will have about 3 more of these sessions and then it is on to water therapy.

This morning as I was walking Emma down the princess promenade I was just beaming from ear to ear. Emma was walking at about 85%. I could just tell she had an extra special bounce in her step.

This ordeal has been trying, expensive, depressing, uplifting, and down right back breaking for Grandma and myself but that walk we took this morning made it all worth it. It was like she was saying to me, “I knew Mommy could fix me”.

I had an emergency fund for the kids medical needs. That money was the best money I ever saved.

More feeling glad later………Love, Cat, Chaps and little Miss new back Emmers later!

Look at me standing so good!

P.S. Wednesday is week three of the eight week recovery.

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Good Friday Lovers: I never could figure out why they call it Good Friday. So of course I asked the all knowing Google and I found this:

WHY DO THEY CALL IT GOOD FRIDAY

I certainly can figure out why it is Good Friday in Basset Hound Town. Today Emma gets her stitches out! OMG – the past 2 weeks have seemed like 10 years. We have babied that back like no bodies business. Yesterday one of the gals called to confirm her appointment and she was so excited. She said that they could not wait to see Emma and they all missed her. So, it will be a fun time for Emma smelling all of those chins. She is such a little chin nipper!

3 more points of interest –

My Wisenheimer Wisdom is not working again and Chaps has been silenced on the home page. He had such good stuff to say, LOL. The powers that be are “working on it”!

When I was a little girl about this age:

I had a hen named HENNY MARY PENNY who died on Good Friday. I can still remember how sad I was and I did not think there was anything good about that friday.

So in honor of my hen, the newest residents of bassethoundtown now have names:

More good fridays later…….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Milestone Lovers: Today was the first day that Emma has been able to spend most of the working day in my office. It was a real joy for all of us. I know that Grandma is thrilled for her and now she can have some of her day back. Here is Emma resting on a towel that Chaps basically relegated her to. He wants to make sure he can stretch out in a manner fitting to a Mayor.

Heck, Emma could have been laying on a block of ice, she was just thrilled to be in the office. The scene reminded me of my days working for General Electric Aircraft Engines. I had an account in Turkey and I used to love to visit the Turkish rug stores. It was fascinating how everyone in the shop, which was about the size of my office, would throw a plethora of rugs everywhere for my viewing pleasure. It was amazing how many people and rugs would fit in such a small space. Don’t forget the tea/chi, you can’t view rugs without ample amounts of tea. Here is one of the rugs I bought. It was from the Hereke region which was noted to be the best of the best for Turkish rugs. Who new it would comfort a basset hound’s pads recovering from back surgery.

Here I am with my interpreter/driver right inside the Turkish Bizarre. I still thank the heavens that I am alive when I think that he was my “driver”. You have not loved life so much as when you successfully speed past a pickup truck, loaded as tall as a semi, with chicken filled crates. Feathers flying.

The tiny rug shop was right around the corner. I think I have pictures of it somewhere in my vast archives of slides.

This is me with Illhami. AKA – bad driver, good interpreter. Great Kabob finder!

It’s funny how just a fleeting look at the kids laying on all of those rugs will bring back such a different memory. Darn……..I miss those Kabobs! I have never had another one like it since then.

More milestone/memories later………..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and wanting to see a YouTube Video Lovers! Come on! Who can resist the Mayor, AKA town crier begging Emma to walk back to my office? Sometimes the planets line up and the video camera is handy. This all happened early this morning prior to setting up all of the rugs. That is why the kids are so anxious. They knew something was going on! hehehehehe

So, without further ramblings, may I present your feature presentation…………

More inspiration later………..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Princess Promenade Lovers: Yes, you heard me right. When Emma takes her exercise we call it the Princess Promenade! It is just so fitting and she is just so proud of herself. First of all, let me tell you something. When you are discussing back surgery certain things may not come up. For instance, do you have hard wood floors? Guess what? Your hound cannot be on hard wood floors for 8 weeks or maybe longer. I found this out on her discharge papers. Hum……..

I have hard wood floors and I took every area rug up when Emma was diagnosed with severe allergies. OK, it was less work for me as well. It cut vacuuming way down. I digress.

Well, I dug up all the rugs and pilfered some from my Mom so we could cover every bit of space for Emma possible. I still need to run to Walmart to get a few more. Here is a shot of the new Promenade area. This was Emma’s first time on this promenade. Usually we just do a short lap around the Norway spruce in the ladies room.

(No, I do not have rats – the gnaw marks are from a certain Miss Emma as a puppy. I had just had all of the walls and base boards painted. Sigh)

If you walk down the hallway, you wind up in my office, a big time goal for Emma.

This is Emma, achieving her goal 14 days after surgery. She promenaded like know one has ever promenaded before. Of course Grandma lead her and I had her in the sling giving her hardly any assistance at all.

Chaps was a big help and he really likes all of the rugs as well. Hi Mommy!

We let Emma rest and then we promenaded back to the living room.

OK, this is kind of funny. When we got back to the living room, Emma went flat basset. She was not about to go back into her luxury recovery room. No way. So of course she got her way and took a nap on the promenade path.

Well, I had to get back to work and Emma could not be left on the promenade path so she had to move!

OK – do you see what just happened? Chaps got up and moved in front of Emma and said if she moves then you have to move me first. He was so thrilled to have her out and about he laid his ground.

Emma was going no where. You can’t fight CITY HALL. The Mayor won and I just had to bring my work out to the promenade area.

More following the Mayor’s edicts later……..

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Nappee Poo lovers!

Wow, It’s Sunday morning and the road in front of us is still very long. I have to give my Mom and I, A+ for our efforts. I am sure we can keep it up. We still have about 6 more weeks of recovery.

This morning when I woke up this is what I saw. I sleep with my camera on the stand next to me.

Look how cute that rear end is standing up. Who knew those short little legs would be so important in making my day! Then she turned around and this is what I saw.

Mommy, I’m hungry! After breakfast and a physical therapy session it was time for our Emma’s Sunday morning nappee poo………

Grandma got her into bed and made sure she had her blankee.

Mr. Duck made sure she had sweet dreams.

More nappee poo news later……….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and time together lovers:

Well, all went without a hitch on this front and once again I was surprised by what happened. Keep in mind that Chaps is watching Emma every step of the way and Emma knows that he is right on the other side of the gate, they kiss many times a day. The purpose of the separation is to keep Emma from not jumping and getting too excited. Also, when Chaps enters the area she is in, he will automatically jumps on the couch which entices her to do the same. Also, Chaps wants to play. Poor boy.

However, what I found interesting, is when he entered her recovery room he was adement to go right into the ladies room.

Look at the concern on his face. He was frantic to protect Emma with his manly smells and once again, I dropped the ball on that one. He wanted his scent all over where she was going potty to ward off any other dogs who might be in the area.

He went potty right by the gate. Chaps never uses the ladies room and I know that he was trying to protect her. He also went poo poo potty in this exact same spot on his way back in. (I refrained from that picture)! LOL

When he entered the recovery room he went straight for her bed and rubbed his scent all over it.

As he was doing this he picked up the toy that Cindy sent and pitched it over to her to play with. It was if he was on a mission. I am still kicking myself for not realizing that Chaps had more purpose and thought in his brain than any human.

Next he focused on Emma. He swooped over to her. This picture is not that good, but we were all frantic thinking he might knock her down. That is me holding her up with her towel sling.

Next he kissed her. I cannot believe my Mom captured it. Those are Grandpa’s legs on the other side of the gate watching and gently talking to them.

Next, Mommy gave them a treat together.

Then another kiss………

Then, just like clock work, Chaps jumped on the couch. We held our breath as Emma tucked into her bed, on her own.

Sometimes you just have to listen to an Alpha male Mayor and not the doctor. Today’s lesson was better than any class I have ever taken. My heart is so full.

OK, Emma got a bit restless and wanted on the couch later, but Chaps was satisfied and left the area. I blockaded the couch and tomorrow he can mark his territory again.

That is just how life goes………one baby marking at a time!

More protecting later………..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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