Three Legged Dog - - Milo's Life in NYC

Goodbye Crazybear

2007-06-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

Lost her battle to cancer. To learn more about her and Osteosarcoma:
www.crazybear.org

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y ! ! ! !

2007-04-17T23:02:00.000-04:00

Today Milo is 6 years old... which means he is now older than his parents!!!!! How was that possible. We celebrated with scraps from the table to Milo's plate :) I think he enjoyed it!

I can't believe he did that!

2007-02-23T23:21:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning with a big surprise on my bed: MILO! Today is exactly 7 months, one day since the accident and we thought that Milo would never again jump on the bed. Well, since he could not get to my side of the bed this morning, and he really wanted his breakfast, he decided to reach me by jumping on the bed. And to get down? he just jumped straight on his own bed for a soft landing.
He is proof that everything is possible... with the right incentives

my chihuahueño

2007-02-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

don't let it snow

2007-01-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks we've been expecting snow, but when it does snow, it melts immediately. There is still salt on the sidewalks, but we're able to avoid them, mostly. If things keep like this (no snow), Milo won't have to wear the boots he was not able to manage with 4 legs. Now with 3 legs, Milo with boots would make his walks more challenging and definitely funnier.

Back to square one

2007-01-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

We just came back from a dog run (new to Milo) in the Cloisters. The park is beautiful, and the dog run is big and looks clean. But Milo... he is fat! and out of breath! He pulled me everywhere and by by the time we found the park he was exhausted and his tongue was hanging out like it used to do in the summer when it was hot and he had just had his amputation. It is unusually hot in NY, but that is not the real reason he is so exhausted. He is already in strict diet (2nd day today), but I wonder how long until he is back to the right weight. He is sleeping now after all the excitement.

We're all back plus a few kilos extra

2007-01-05T22:53:00.000-05:00

The over-eating of the holidays is not limited to humans, I found out... Milo came home with more weight than when I dropped him up at the pet camp... so he walks awkward, and gets tired more easily. He has been resting a lot.
There was one time in the past when we left Milo in that camp for 2 weeks, and he came back slimmer, but that was back when he was very chubby and therefore the extra exercise did him some good, but this time he had the perfect weight maintained with diet food and I'm assuming he was fed very well and of course he did not limit himself and therefore gained weight. Back to the diet! all the good treats he got for Christmas will have to be stored away until he reaches his ideal weight again.
I knew it was important to watch his weight, but I did not think I was going to notice such a big difference in his walk in such as short period of time and with just a few extra pounds.

Milo's Santa has a name: Debbie

2006-12-21T20:55:00.000-05:00

Debbie,
thank you! thank you! thank you! Milo loves loves loves the present. He worked on the bone for more than 1/2 hour and he seems very happy and satisfied now.

The blanket is just perfect, exactly what he/we needed ;) We were trying to protect the couch now that Milo spends the whole day there and we were using an old towel. Now he has his own little blanket... too cute!

You are his Santa Claus :)

After the bone

2006-12-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

He seemed pretty satisfied after his bone, but it looks like he's asking for the second one already

Milo celebrating Christmas

2006-12-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

Isn't this Christmas stocking awesome?

Early Christmas for Milo

2006-12-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

Since Milo will be spending Christmas away from us, we opened up his presents from Debbie today. They're just perfect! Milo loves every one of them...

Pet Camp

2006-12-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

We will be flying out for Christmas but Milo will stay behind. I don't feel sad leaving him because he does not seem to mind. We found a great place that takes care of him. It's a former horse stable so the rooms are very big. They let them walk off-leash and swim in a small lake. Milo starts getting excited even miles before we arrive... I wish he would miss me more...

Tyler

2006-12-20T22:14:00.001-05:00

Rest in Peace. You will be missed...

My life is reflected on Milo's

2006-12-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

Lately, nothing exciting with Milo... poor boy! I have been so busy with finals and family matters that he has been a little neglected. But since I know that I have some faithful readers, now that my finals are over (yeah!!!) I will try to post more often.

The only time I ever thought of taking Milo to the airport was when we were living in TX and the first sign I saw on the door was "no dogs allowed". So that was Milo's first and last visit to the airport until last month. I was picking up my husband from and he asked me to bring him along since the weekend traffic after Thanksgiving can be very hectic, he did not want Milo to be alone for a long time while we were stuck in traffic. Since NYC is more pet-friendly, Milo had a good walk inside and outside the airport. It was a busy place, but it seemed like everybody noticed him! He is not a dog that can go unnoticed, specially now with the missing leg.

The weekend after that it was my turn to go fly and Milo joined us again. He had his first encounter with an escalator, but I did not see it. My husband tells me that he was scared and had to pull him to get on it. Milo had never been more still.

Uneventful weeks

2006-11-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

Well, Milo's life is really back to normal, plus his humans are pretty busy lately, which adds up to a boring existence for Milo. The most exciting thing (not in a good way, though) that happened to him yesterday is that he fell from the couch. At the moment it was not funny, but now that I write about, it actually is! He was lying on the couch taking a nap like usual (he does this all day long), and fell straight to the floor when he turned. I guess it shocked him since he stayed off the couch for about 2 hours.
It's getting cold in NY and the days and therefore his walks are getting shorter. He is still pretty excited when he goes out for his walks. He still barks a lot outside.
It's an odd bark. A neighbor pointed out that when you hear him, you expect to see an angry dog (he's bark is very loud and sounds serious), but then you look at him and see his wagging tail. The sound does not match the body language.

More theories

2006-11-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

Here's one theory that explains the "random barking" at any time in any occasion : He just loves the sound of his voice ;)

I also like Tessa's explanation: maybe he is just saying "coming through, coming through" so no one accidentally runs over him again

(he does seem to start barking when he is crossing big intersections)

What is all that barking?!?!?!

2006-11-08T21:11:00.000-05:00

Milo keeps barking and I'm running out of theories to explain it. It's not that he has proved my theories wrong, but rather they just keep adding up.
One thing is for sure, I see a lot of dogs walking in Manhattan and NONE of them bark and walk/hop at the same time without a reason. There are a lot, specially the small ones, that bark AT other dogs, but Milo is not barking at anybody or anything... or so it seems.
There has been only one major change during the time when he began to increase the frequency of his barking... the amputation. And I'm not the only one saying that! And our neighbors from the 8th floor hear him when he starts barking outside!

Here are the theories:

(before the amputation) We used to think it was funny to ask him "what do you want" and he would start jumping and barking and pointing at his food, he would get food and so we were encouraging his behavior
(before and after) His eyesight might not be very good and he barks at things he does not recognize
(before and after) He barks at big noisy trucks, but that is normal for any dog, right?
(before and after) He does not like to wait, so once he is ready to move on he starts barking
After the amputation it took him a while to bark again so encouraged it a few times, very few times
He starts barking when we arrive to our building after any and all walks, and then expects food, and keeps barking in the apartment. We ignore him and he stops.
He gets happy when somebody pets him and he barks from that moment until we arrive in the apartment
He is just truly happy

I like the last theory best!

Summer Daylight Saving

2006-10-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

Milo might not be able to tell time, but his stomach can! Always, at 5 PM, give or take 10 minutes, he sits next to my chair and stares. If I don't realize it he cries. Yesterday, it was exactly 4:00 PM when he did this. Time for dinner came 1 hour earlier, but exactly on time according to his stomach.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-30T16:18:00.000-05:00

Milo could have scared the children with his loud barking, but since most children in the building know him, and love him, that did not happen.
He did not get the concept of Halloween, though. He tried to take the candy from all the children that came to "trick or treat". He even chased some of them on the hall. It's really not his fault. The children were opening bags full of candy exactly at his nose/mouth level. What was he supposed to do?

For Xena

2006-10-25T15:26:00.000-04:00

Here's a picture of Milo's golden paw, if you need it for comparison purposes.

A better beach

2006-10-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

Long Island is not as "pet-friendly" as we would hope. So Milo gets to be off-leash on the sound and it's not as nice as the beach on the ocean. We still like to wonder over there but Milo is not allowed to go there and much less to be off-leash. He still tries to get there... very unsuccessfully.

The ride

2006-10-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

Milo, very happy on the way to the beach and tired on the way back from the beach.

See... we're learning

2006-10-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

We took Milo to the beach again last Sunday, but this time we did things a little bit differently. He did not swim as much and we carried bottles of water with us for Milo and made him drink. As a result, he was not too tired but he did not get sick. In summary, it was a great day for everybody.

Problems and solutions

2006-10-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

I have figured out a solution to a problem that I encouter everytime I walk Milo. Such a solution has secondary effects, which are positive and negative. Whether I provide the solution to the problem, or I let the solution be a random occurance, there is a negative and a positive secondary effect. The positive effect of the random occurance solution is the abscence of the negative effect when I provide the solution.

It is common knowledge that NYC is not the cleanest city in the world, by any means. When it's "trash day", people, I'm assuming mostly homeless, go through the trash and collect whatever can be exchanged for money at recycling centers. They leave a bigger mess after they go through the trash and the streets become "food heaven" for Milo.

If Milo has a tennis ball in his mouth, he walks very proudly and does not care about the trash. So if I don't want him to eat all that trash... gross!, all I have to do is give him a tennis ball and both of us will be very happy.

The positive secondary effect of this solution is that because his mouth is full, he won't bark and disturb the building where we live, therefore nobody will complain about the noise and we can ensure a roof over our heads. The negative effect, if I give him the balls, is that he might lose some of those balls on the street and we will run out of them eventually.

Another way for Milo to get a ball for his walks is to find them on the street. It's not uncommon to see them, but it's still a random occurance. The positive effect will be, besides the no barking effect, that he will not lose his own tennis balls. The negative effect is that I will have to make him leave the tennis balls outside before we enter our apartment or deal with a very nasty ugly dirty ball in my apartment.

The golden tail, part II

2006-10-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

Here Milo uses his tail to show his disappointment because we came so close to the dog park and then crossed the street in the opposite direction. He pulled as much as he could and then gave up.

The golden tail

2006-10-10T16:41:00.000-04:00

The vet had told us that Milo will learn to compensate for his missing leg... and he has! Thanks to his tail. I never noticed how important a dog's tail is! Now I see Milo using his tail not only to greet or show emotions, but to do other things too. He uses it to swim, he uses it to walk and, most importantly, he uses it for balance.

I noticed a couple of days ago how he uses it when he pees. He points it towards the tree or any other target and moves it to keep his balance. Here's a peak.

I was being faithful to google, just to keep everything together, but now I find that their site for the videos is often down. I love to have alternatives!

paws

2006-10-09T23:14:00.000-04:00

what's missing?

After the fun was over

2006-10-09T22:47:00.000-04:00

Although it was a great day for Milo, it ended up not being his best day. He drank so much salt water at the beach that he vomited a couple of times after we took off from the beach. He also had diarreah. He did not want to go out, even though he was drinking water like I had never seen him before. Everytime we dragged him outside, he was really loaded but as soon as he was done, he would turn around and go back to the apartment.

I was really worried because he did not beg for food when we were having dinner, which is very unusual. This morning we gave him boiled rice and he did not eat it all. He still had diarreah this morning, but he has not done anything since. I gave him more rice but mixed it with his regular food and he ate it.

His appetite is back and so is his barking and joy for walks. He still seems a little stiff, probably sore from all the swimming yesterday. What a relief! We wanted him to have the time of his life and he ended up sick! I hope that he will only remember the good parts from yesterday and not how he felt afterwards.

Digging a hole

2006-10-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Although Xena told us that she was able to dig a hole, I was curious as to how she did it. So I buried Milo's ball (which was acutally found on the beach but Milo took it with him) and made him dig. Now that I've seen it, I think "Of course they can do it! It's not a big deal!" because Milo did it with so much ease that it seemed almost obvious that he was going to be able to dig.

Rowing tail

2006-10-09T22:41:00.000-04:00

Milo showed us that as long as his tail rows with him when he swims, his fourth leg is not missed. Milo got another day at the beach yesterday. Is it global warming? I don't know, but it's warm enough for us to go to the beach in October, even though the trees are losing their leaves already. Whatever it is, we are going to take advantage of it, and I'm sure Milo will be very pleased.

It's not unconditional love

2006-10-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, Milo LOVES the water, but not all water! We tried to make him jump into the water, but he whinned and barked and refused to do it. He needs to enter the water from the shore and never from the top!

Based on expert advice* ;) I decided not to post videos on the blog any more, but you can click on the links to see them. I was recently informed that my blog and/or the videos are not always accessible.

*My husband and Tessa

Storm in NYC

2006-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:00

Last night, after we all went to sleep, Milo woke us up by whinning and scratching the bed. I did not know what he wanted, but what he usually wants is an extra walk. I first check his water bowl. He still had water. I grabbed the leash and he ran to his bed... so I figured he does not want a walk. That was good news since it was close to midnight and it was raining hard, and I heard some thunders. I offered him food, and he does not know how to say "no" to food. As soon as he was done eating he sat in front of the couch. I invited him to jump on the couch and we all slept comfortably for the rest of the night.

Maybe he was missing my brother-in-law. He left last night, and Milo always got longer walks, massages, and more food from him than from me. He could have also been scared of the thunders and his bed is right by the window. Since he cannot jump on the bed anymore (too high), I could not invite him to join us there last night. I guess the couch was a good substitute.

This morning, however, since my brother-in-law was not here anymore, he woke ME up VERY early. I'm not a morning person, but Milo does not care about that kind of stuff. He got his first morning walk before 8AM...

On the beach

2006-10-04T21:31:00.000-04:00

This time it did not take that long to upload the video, so I'll share this one too. Here's Milo, with my brother-in-law fetching, "something they found on the beach." This is his favorite game on the lake, but he is not very good at giving the toy back so we need to trick him into leaving it. He knows the game, but he can be very stubborn sometimes.

Milo's tail does not lie

2006-10-04T09:40:00.000-04:00

Here's Milo having the time of his life at the beach. If his face is not enough proof, take a look at his tail ;)
The pictures look better if you double-click on them.

Afer a good run and swim

2006-10-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

If we forget to carry a bowl for Milo, there's always the sink. A well deserved drink.

Nothing better than the beach

2006-10-03T12:12:00.000-04:00

Saturday was probably the best day Milo had in the past 2 months. My husband took him to the beach in Long Island and he had his first chance to swim. No vest, no help. The first few meters don't seem to be too deep and he managed even the deep water very well. My husband made more than one video, but it took me 2 hours to upload this one to google and then 4 more hours until it went "live", so this might be the only one I post and the rest will be pictures.

Maybe Milo is so happy when he swims that he does not use his tail the way the rest of the dogs do. He keeps it almost outside of the water instead of using it to swim. Now that he needs more support for swimming, he tail is just all over the place! It will be a matter of practice, and then he will be again the dog that swims the farthest and for the longest time at the Ramapo lake.

The love for cars

2006-09-27T09:35:00.000-04:00

Milo loves getting on cars. He even likes cabs, even though it was a cab who hit him. When someone calls a cab on the street, Milo is ready to get on it (yes, he recognizes the cabs, it's easy, too yellow). I don't think it is the ride itself so much as it is the possible destination. Maybe he is going to the lake, maybe to a park, maybe to a dog park, maybe to the Pet Camp (Boarding), but he loves, loves, loves getting on the car! even if we end up at the vets or the hospital, he is still happy.

If you want Milo to obey your commands immediately, show him he is going for a ride. And he knows when that's happening. We usually carry something extra, like a towel, a blanket, his bed, or food, and he just knows, and then he starts barking and jumping.

So when my husband and I walk Milo together before he goes to work and my husband then walks to the car, Milo gets very sad and cries. You can see his face of disappoinment and it's very difficult to keep walking him, because he wants to follow my husband or the car, rather ;).

Yesterday he had the same look when my brother-in-law kept on walking towards the bus stop and I turned around the block with Milo. Milo looked sad and disappointed that he was not going with him, but instead with me :(

So happy

2006-09-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

I don't know what is it about Milo lately. He is just a very happy dog. Nothing around us has changed, except one more person is staying in the apartement. But Milo wakes up happy, goes out happy, comes back from his walks very happy. Honestly, I just hope Milo does not get us in trouble with our neighbors with his VERY loud barks, which is the way he expresses excitement. He is barking while he walks... or hops, until he gets to our building and keeps barking until we get to the apartment. But then he calms down, and is very quiet until we take him out again.

I also think Milo is so in love with my brother-in-law. They are bonding through food. Bacon! Bread! Cookies! and tummy rubs.

New best friends

2006-09-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Milo with his new best friend, my brother-in-law

Not related to Milo, at all: Jacob Mincer (1922-2006)

2006-09-22T14:41:00.000-04:00

This has nothing to do with Milo, but I think these sad news deserve to be more widespread than they were. I found out about this weeks after it happened.

Jacob Mincer (1922-2006), died of complications from Parkinson's disease at 84. He was the father of modern labor economics, he was a pioneer in labor economics, the first to quantify the payoff from education and training. Mincer and Nobel Laureate Gary Becker helped to develop the empirical foundations of human capital theory, consequently revolutionizing the field of labor economics. Mincer's ground-breaking work: "Schooling, Experience and Earnings," published in 1974, continues to have profound impact on the field of labor economics.

To read more, click here

Stronger

2006-09-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

Milo's front paw is getting stronger and bigger. How much bigger? I don't know, I don't have the other paw to compare...

Lately Milo seems to fall more often, but I think it's because he is more confident so he is not as careful as he used to be when he stops to smell or grab food from the streets. He does not fall very much, but at least once a day.

He still remebers the accident

2006-09-21T14:30:00.000-04:00

A week ago, I was giving Milo his morning walk, and since we (mostly I) get bored of always going around the same block, I thought that this time I will take him around the church, but for that we need to cross Broadway Avenue. This is the same avenue where he had the accident.
The street is divided in the middle by something I call an island (there are benches, trees, flowers, etc).
We crossed to the middle of the street and I approached the edge of the island to check if there were cars coming. Cars passing by very close and very fast scared Milo way more than I expected. He jumped, turned around and wanted to take off running. He seemed VERY scared. I realized that Milo is still traumatized by the accident and that when he was reluctant to walk towards Broadway, it was not because he was tired, but because he was scared.
I feel bad for him. I was scared that he would take off running in the other direction and be hurt again, that I had to be firm with him to stay with me and I did not comfort him at that moment. I keep underestimating him, what he is able to remember, to accomplish, etc.

Milo and his uncle

2006-09-21T14:25:00.000-04:00

So far, it's been better than I expected. Milo and my brother-in-law get along very well. I guess Milo has figured out that the most vulnerable people are the guests. All Milo needs to do to get extra food and treats is look at my brother-in-law with those sad cute eyes, and he gets them. Sometimes he does not wake me up to feed him breakfast, he just goes to my brother-in-law and gets probably more than his regular share.
My brother-in-law has walked Milo only once and he was very happy that he did not have to pick up Milo's "business". I guess that takes either time or love to get used to. I still only tolerate picking up Milo's, Samantha's and Daisy's. I think is very nasty to pick up any other dog's. Maybe if I was getting paid as much as dog-walkers get here in the city... but I don't think so!
Milo has not tried to sleep on the sofa yet (at night, but he sleeps there all day), but I'm sure he will eventually, specially since Milo's bed is really hard.

Weekend without Milo

2006-09-21T14:16:00.000-04:00

Since my brother-in-law is here to visit, we went to Washington DC last weekend and left Milo in NYC with Samantha and Daisy and their 4 humans and a cat. When I dropped him up Thursday morning at their apartment, Milo, who already knows the way there, went straight to their bowl of food and did not realize I had left him :(. But then I was told that he did cried a little for a little while, but then he was ok for the rest of the weekend.
I suppose I should feel bad that Milo cried for me a little bit, but honestly, I am happy he did, since I always assumed that he does not miss me if he is having fun. I'm glad I was a little wrong. I can see that when my husband leaves not for work but for a couple of days, Milo looks for him the first day, but afterwards, he is ok to be just with me.
I'm still waiting for the pictures of Milo on the bed of one of the teenager boys with Samantha and Daisy. What a concha!

Milo's Eyes

2006-09-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

When Milo was hit, he also suffered some trauma on his right eye. His eye was hanging low, but after a week it pulled up. The pupil, on the other hand, was still very small, and a vet told us that it will take a couple of months to almost even out, and the difference might become almost unnoticeable.

This is how Milo's pupils look 47 days after the accident.

Just for being a good sport

2006-09-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

I have so many pictures of Milo now... I need to keep posting ;)

Annoyed

2006-09-08T22:51:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to take a picture of Milo's eyes and it's been difficult because he lies down all day long so all I get are sleepy eyes. I try to excite him with food but once the food is gone, he goes back to sleep. I think he is annoyed from all this picture-taking. I'll give him a break for a day, maybe!

Milo and the couch

2006-09-06T09:46:00.001-04:00

Sometime ago, we stopped allowing Milo to get on the couch, but then we changed our minds, and he was allowed to come up only if there was a towel to protect the couch and if he was invited. Up until a few days ago, he was still asking for permission to get on the couch: he puts his face on the couch and gives me a very special look so that I can not deny his request. I say "come up" and he jumps up, lies down, and falls asleep.

Lately, he is not asking for permission, and if we go to sleep while he is still on the couch, he spends the night there. Yesterday I specifically told him not to get on the couch (he was still a little wet from his last walk), but he did not listen. I had to get him off the couch 2-3 times until he left the room and went to his own bed.

In a few days, my brother-in-law will come to NYC to visit us for about a month, and he will be sleeping on the couch. One of them (Milo or my brother-in-law) will not be very happy with the other one. I predict my brother-in-law will be the unhappy one with this situation. Just imagine, a person who has never lived with a dog will be sharing a very small apartment and maybe even the couch with one!

A better look

2006-09-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

According to my husband, the way I posted the pictures before don't do justice to how handsome Milo looks, so here's one of the pictures, enlarged. You can also see it bigger if you click on the picture, twice. In my husband's words: "I looked at Milo's blog this morning and I have to ask my wife to pick one picture and post a big one, since I love the way this shirt looks on him and feel that the small picture format does not bring out the glory of the shirt :-)"

Thank you Debbie!

2006-09-03T22:42:00.000-04:00

GO YANKEES!

Milo has a new shirt... just in time to go see the Yankees play next week. He also enjoyed his treats. Since we give them to him few pieces at a a time, he still has a little bit left. He loves them! You can see him licking the floors, since in this house no crumbs are ignored by our food-lover.

The shirt makes him look extra handsome ;)

One very wet eye

2006-09-03T16:41:00.000-04:00

In order to confirm that he really exercised, all you have to do is check his right eye, and if indeed he did exercise, it will be totally wet. It comes from the free movement of his tongue, going up and down as he hops, and hitting his eye in the process.

Central Park

2006-09-03T15:18:00.000-04:00

It rained all day yesterday, and we thought it would rain all day today, so we did not make plans to take Milo swimming this weekend. But today is a beautiful day outside, but we woke up too late to go to NJ. Instead we took him to a different dog run, the one at the Museum of Natural History.

My husband said that a three-legged dog does not need a gentle leader, but what a mistake! Milo pulled us everywhere, as if he knew where he was going. After a while at the run, we went to Central Park and Milo kept pulling us. We ended up at the Conservatory Water a model boat pond. Since Milo was very tired (I imagine from all the pulling), we were able to enjoy sitting there and watching all the children (and adults too) playing with the boats.

Milo's bark can become very annoying if you don't love him as much as we do. A war boat disrupted Milo's and our peace and made him bark, but not for long... too tired, I guess. He also barked when people approached him to pet him, since he gets very excited when they do.

He pulled us all the way back to the car, but since we arrived home, he has just been sleeping.

Next week, hopefully, we'll take him to the lake. I think that I've been under-estimating him, but seeing how well he did today, I know he is sooo ready to go up to the lake.

Before she left

2006-08-30T17:48:00.000-04:00

Daisy Sings

Too quiet

2006-08-30T16:53:00.000-04:00

Daisy and Samantha left today... 20 min. ago... and I miss them already.
Samantha and Milo started to compete for my husband's attention yesterday. It seemed weird to me since Milo had never had to compete for attention and whenever we gave it to some other pet, he seemed ok with it. Now that Samantha and Daisy were here for more than a week, he probably thought it's time to take his place in the family back.
Daisy eventually got comfortable around Milo. So much that they took the same spot on the couch and none of them seemed bothered by the other one. Daisy's space was under the nightstand, but then she found a better hiding place under the bed. I couldn't believe that I could lose a dog in such a small apartment.
The apartment is too quiet... and full of blond, white and brown hair.

Slippery floors

2006-08-27T15:28:00.000-04:00

It is recommended that if you have slippery floors, they should be covered with mats when the dog arrives from surgery.

Milo is slipping a lot, and that's probably why he does not play for too long. But he was always slipping. It's not a big difference now.

The three-leg advantage: In order to avoid slipping in the tub when given a bath, he lies down. It is much easier to give him a bath now.

I forget

2006-08-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

We only have one dog and since we don't always have another dog to compare him to, I forget he only has 3 legs. I don't remember how he used to walk, all I see is that the hops and it now seems normal.

He walks ahead of me in the long leash because it's easier for him to go faster, so I only see his two hind legs, so I forget he is missing one in the front.

We've had Daisy and Samantha in our apartment for about a week now, and when we take the 3 dogs together for a walk, Milo walks faster and looks more energetic than the other 2, so I forget.

There is always someone who stares at Milo on the streets, since I don't notice he's missing a leg anymore, I always think "they're looking at him because he is gorgeous."

Rosie

2006-08-25T09:37:00.000-04:00

Latest addition to Debbie's Family: Rosie

Rosie has arrived in Old Bridge!!!! Debbie picked her up from Diane’s home about 10 days ago. According to Debbie, Rosie is an absolute sweetheart.

The poodles were curious when Rosie first arrived and treated her very well… Debbie is convinced they are aware of their own breed and perhaps that she is an older poochie. She is 14 years old!

Dr. Barry checked her out thoroughly……..He was amazed how energetic she was for a poodle her age…..also, her heart is fine… she had heartworm test done and bloodwork to check her organ functions…….Dr. Barry called a few hours later to report all her bloodwork was normal (thank God!).

Her teeth will be cleaned in about 2 weeks and she will have the tumor on her eyelid removed.

She loves the deck and running around the backyard…

Debbie has such a big heart with enough space for a 12th poodle!

28 days after = progress

2006-08-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

While peeing, Milo is not falling anymore!!!!!
and he lifts his hind leg very high!!!!

He used to interrupt his business whenever he lost his balance, but now he just puts his hind leg back down if he looses his balance without interruption.

If he lifts his right hind leg (same side as the amputation), he uses it to lean it on the tree.
If he lifts his left hind leg, he needs no support!

Today's Challenge

2006-08-22T10:57:00.000-04:00

Milo's challenge for today: NONE

My challenge: Feed Samantha and Daisy while keeping Milo on a diet... for a week. I walk Milo while I leave Samantha and Daisy alone with the food, but as soon as Milo enters the apartment I have to take their food away.

One more video

2006-08-20T13:09:00.000-04:00

If you want to touch the hose when Milo is there, you better realize that Milo won't leave you alone.

Today's Challenge: Stopping

2006-08-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

I've heard from other three-legged dog owners that the dog forgets or does not know that they are missing a leg. Today, for the first time, I forgot Milo was missing a leg. From the car to the dog park, there are a few steps and Milo knows the way. He was so excited pulling me towards the dog park, that he seemed to be walking like a regular dog.

Click here to see in a larger screen
I guess Milo's next challenge will be to learn how to stop when fetching for a ball. The first time I threw the ball, while trying to stop and catch the ball, he rolled over but it did not seem to bother him at all. Me, on the other hand, that's a different story :(

We threw a couple of balls and sometimes he fell and some other he didn't but no more roll-overs.

water, water, water

2006-08-20T12:21:00.000-04:00

When we got to the dog park, he immediately tried to jump into the itsy-bitsy pool they have there, he stumbled, but he got in. Too bad that the pool got damaged and was not holding water anymore.

It did not matter to Milo, there were still 3 hoses to play with. When Milo is there, Milo does not let anybody get close to the hoses without getting them wet. He assumes they are there to play with him and that's what he does, and today was no different.

We were not able to make him fetch too much, since the water always seems more interesting.

Milo's first day in the dog park

2006-08-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

Finally, we made it to the park. We took Milo's friends and Milo to the dog park by car. We were not sure if Milo could walk all the way to the park and have energy left to run and Daisy does not like to walk too much, so we drove them to the park. Milo and Samantha had a blast. Daisy seemed a little bit lost so I just kept her on my lap.
,
The beagle in the video stuck to Milo all the time he was there. Milo seemed a little bit bothered, but I think Milo was more focused on the water than on the dog. The way I see it, it's payback for all the other dogs Milo bothered before he was neutered.

Breakfast

2006-08-20T08:50:00.000-04:00

Milo's not too happy sharing his food with Daisy and Samantha... so he sneaks after Samantha and takes what's left. Too bad for him, it's not too much.

Thank you, Dakota

2006-08-18T23:42:00.000-04:00

Here's the latest present Milo received from Dakota... her human is a friend of my husband. Milo loves this type of toys that make squeeky noises.

Welcome to the club

2006-08-18T20:03:00.000-04:00

Milo has just become member of Cassie's Three Legged Dog Club.

No outfit is complete without my Milo's hair

2006-08-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

When we picked up Milo from the hospital, half of his body was shaved, plus some other squares on the legs and other parts of his body. Because of the missing leg and his shield of fat all around him, he used to look like a seal. His hair seems to be growing faster than we expected.

Last year, when he had surgery on the leg that is now gone, they shaved a square of hair off his butt (for the patches) and it took 2 months for the hair to grow back and it was blond!!! It was not a pretty blond either. It was a bright yellow ugly patch on his butt! It took a total of 6 months for his hair to be even.

We are hoping that his hair grows back brown. Although it will be amusing to see if his hair grows yellow again. So far, it seems to be blending pretty well. If he gets a different color, I will definitely post a picture.

About Milo

2006-08-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

Milo's birth date: April 2001, in Texas

Milo's pet peeve: He does not like it when other dogs smell his butt... That's the only reason he would growl at another dog. Wouldn't that be the equivalent of a person getting upset when somebody shakes his or her hand?

Milo's nicknames:

Miloshko (a friend from Romania started calling him that and we just loved it!)
Milo miloshko
Gorgeous
Conchovita (I don't know how to explain this one, but if you know what concha means... he is a big one!)
Chocolatito
Chifladoshko (Chiflado=spoiled)
Goldito (Gordo=fat, I'm not using this one too much, since he went on a diet)

Favorite Treats:
He would take anything, but we can tell some are more precious than others

Marshmallows
Salami
Sausage
everthing else

Favorite Toys:

Chill Pill (a gift from Debbie)
My house shoes to greet whoever comes in through the door
All the tennis balls he picks up from the streets (how nasty! those don't come in the apartment)

Before & After Pictures

2006-08-16T20:55:00.000-04:00

Before
... a four legged dog taking a nap

After
... a three legged dog taking a nap

Some things never change!

The Golden Leg

2006-08-16T20:36:00.000-04:00

Wow! What we used to take for granted! Milo's front leg is so precious to us right now. I worry that he would get hurt, or something else will come up. When he falls, his front leg bends and I'm always watching out for it
He, on the other hand, sleeps on it, maybe to have some even support under his chest.

Off-track

2006-08-16T19:04:00.000-04:00

Given the chance, or the food, Milo will break his diet. If you give him food 10 times a day, he will eat 10 times a day... I'm not sure if he would know when to stop. I decided today that since he probably ate more than he should have this morning (hopefully not Samantha's ration for the day!) I will not keep him in his diet... just for today, and I would give him food only if he really asked.

Yesterday, we felt bad because we left him by himself, even though we knew that he was going to be well-taken care of. So well that they took him to their apartment to sleep there overnight because we came home late last night. Before we left, just to make ourselves feel better, we gave him a bone ... I'm not sure what they're called... those white ones you buy at the pet store. That's what he had for lunch/dinner today... and he has not asked for more food. I hope he doesn't.

And tomorrow, we start his diet again and get back on track. Hopefully, I will join him soon.

Sleepover

2006-08-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

Last night we slept by ourselves, without Milo. He had a sleepover with his friends Samantha and Daisy. I really don't think he missed us, specially since the food over there is probably not diet food and it is not as limited (as it is for him in our apartment), plus he gets attention from humans and dogs. The humans of Sam and Daisy also have a cat, and Milo had never had any good experiences with cats. This cat, however, ignored Milo all the time he was there, and Milo did the same thing with her.
The stairs in the apartment where he spent the night are very narrow and he managed to go up and down without problems!
His place for the night was set up upstairs, but Milo decided to join Samantha downstairs and Samantha shared her big bone with Milo... do I smell romance here?

An offline club?

2006-08-15T00:24:00.000-04:00

We met another three-legged labrador this afternoon. The 3-yr old lab lost his hind leg when he was a pup, and according to the owner, the dog has no idea he's missing his leg. While talking to him, he and my husband, jokingly, said that they should form a three-legged club and we should have meetings in the dog parks... Then, it seemed, my husband took the idea seriously and we think it wouldn't be such a bad idea. We'll see!

happy three-week anniversary, Milo!

2006-08-14T18:42:00.000-04:00

Although the recovery period is a give or take a couple of days, I've been counting the days until the three weeks of recovery have passed and I get my normal back!
We were invited to a bbq on Saturday and Milo was especially asked to join. Once we know he is good (balance-wise) to go for walks on uneven grounds we will take him to Ramapo to a lake so that he can swim.

Milo's online friends

2006-08-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

dog-blog: mussings of a three-legged dog

Here's the blog for another dog, Xena, who had surgery around the same time as Milo did, but she is probably more clever than Milo, since Xena is doing all the writing, and with only one paw ;) I haven't given Milo the chance to destroy sticks, but I guess he will learn eventually, like Xena.

****

Tyler is a beautiful dog who just had surgery 2 days ago. Her mom, Amy, keep us updated about his progress and he seems to be doing very well.

***
Xena and Amy: I hope you don't mind I copied your pictures. Let me know!

Couch Carrot

2006-08-14T00:55:00.000-04:00

Since Milo came back from the hospital up until last week, I got it the habit of bringing Milo's bed from the bedroom to the livingroom (even though it's just a couple of steps since we have a very small NYC apartment) so that he could join me during the day. Last week I stopped and just put an extra mat in the living room for Milo and he seems to enjoy having a place just for him.

Before the accident, he would "ask" to be invited to the couch. I had not invited him, because, embarrassed to admit, Milo has not taken a shower for a while now. But today, I couldn't resist. I wanted Milo on the couch probably more that he wanted to be on it.

More pictures

2006-08-14T00:42:00.000-04:00

Since we're so proud of how well Milo is walking, actually hopping around, we took a lot of pictures of him today, and we would like to share them. His head, ears, AND tongue are jumping up and down all the way from the apartment to the park and then back. I wonder if he gets dizzy...

Steps

2006-08-14T00:38:00.000-04:00

Milo took the steps from the park and he managed them like any 4-legged dog. The sun is strong in NY these days, so he was hot but really happy.

A day in the park

2006-08-14T00:12:00.000-04:00

Milo went to the park today and was very well behaved. We usually cannot stay at the park for very long because he starts barking. And once he starts, he can go forever. It's always because he either does not like to be tied up to a tree or he does not like to wait for anything (red lights, when we stop to have a conversation, etc). Since Milo gets more tired now, we were able to enjoy the park for about one hour.

Milo's surgical history

2006-08-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

I've known dogs who hate going to the vet. Milo loves going to the vet. I thought that after this accident, he would definitely hate cars, specially taxi cabs, and hospitals. But he doesn't. So he either makes no correlations, loves being in new places with new smells o he's soul is just too good to hate.

During the past 3 years, Milo has had 5 surgeries, for only 3 different problems... poor guy!

One testicle

If you come from a small town in Texas, chances are you're dog won't be neutered. I actually felt like an irresponsible owner when we moved to NY/NJ because ours was one of the few dogs that was not neutered. Milo had a very nice older vet in NJ, and when we found out he had an infection there, he did not recommend us to neuter him because according to him, only dogs with aggressive personalities needed to be. He also told us that since Milo was a lab, equivalent to food lover, he would gain a lot of weight and cause him heart problems if we did. So he took off the one with the infection.

Neuter

When we moved to the city we changed vets and when Milo's infection came back in the other testicle, the vet did not hesitate to neuter my baby. His personality changed a lot, he was calmer, but eventually we all adapted and were kind of happy he was not as hyper as before. He became extremely hungry.

Infection

Since we moved from TX to NY, Milo had something in his leg that came and went, but nobody was able to tell us what exactly it was and how to treat it. When Milo started limping, it was time to take a closer look. Our vet took all the x-rays, gave him anesthesia, opened him up, saw the infection and decided that she needed a specialist to do this type of job. She closed him up and sent him home.

Fungal infection- 2nd try

The following week we took him to a specialist and told us that he did not know what it was, but that he would open him up clean it and hope it would never come back. It turned out to be a fungal infection that he probably caught in TX or Mexico. He was taking pills for the following 6 months. 6 months after he as off medication and 1 year after surgery, the fungus came back but we did not want to opearate again, and decided to treat it with just the pills.

Amputation :(

One month later, Milo got hit by a car and lost his fungus-infected leg. No more infections!

19 days after surgery

2006-08-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

Walks

Today Milo had his longest walk since the surgery. We walked to Riverside Park and then to Starbucks and then back to the apartment. I guess that would be about 24 blocks. He was exhausted!

He seems very happy. He is picking up branches along the way. He pulled us towards the dog park, but we had to say no because 1) it was kind of late already to be inside the park, and 2) he would be so tired by the time we get there that he would just have to lie down.

We might end up driving him there so that he keeps his energy for the park.

Balance

It seems to be getting easier for Milo to pee on 2 legs, although sometimes he needs to interrupt it to avoid falling. Other than that, he has not lost his balance or fallen today.

It is easier for him to hold his balance when he lifts his left hind leg, so he has support in the front with the left leg and in the back with the right leg. I hope he is making a note of that.

Barking

No concerns here. Milo is barking again. Milo does not bark too much in general. Not even when someone knocks on the door. He only barks when he is happy, excited, or wants food.

18 days after surgery

2006-08-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

He did it!!!

It might not be a big deal to Milo, but to me it definitely is. Milo was able to pee on 2 legs today, for about 10-15 seconds, but only once. The rest of the times he either did it on 3 legs, or for just 3-5 seconds. I'm a proud mom :)

Stairs

We tried 2 steps today and he slipped going up. Did it fine going down.

Then we tried 5 steps and he went up and down without a problem.

The way to the closest dog park from our apartment has many many steps, so I hope that Milo learns to take them.

It seems that it will be easier for him to run than to walk.

Next step: The couch

The perfect leash

2006-08-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

I know that the best solution for a dog who is always pulling is training. But let's be honest. Not all dogs are well trained. Not all humans are good trainers or consistent with the training. So what's the next best solution?

Here's what we've tried:

Short leash: Not meant to prevent pulling
Chocker: Milo did not stop pulling but developed a cough because the chocker hurt his throat
Harness: Milo kept pulling, but it was easier to hold him. He learned to take it off.
Gentle leader: The best solution we ever found, BUT...

It broke once and Milo ran to the streets. He was lucky that no car hit him

He does not like it, so he got in the habit of walking between my legs or going between stranger's legs to take it off... that could be embarrasing

He does not learn to not pull. It's not good for training

We're still looking...

Live and learn?

2006-08-10T10:56:00.000-04:00

Not Milo!

Lucky to be alive, no need to learn. Aren't labs supposed to be smart? Milo understands a lot of things, but he only listens when he gets a treat in exchange or any other benefit, such as a nap on the couch. Milo keeps pulling towards the park in such a way that he could get loose again. Is he suicidal?

Counting the days...

2006-08-10T10:36:00.000-04:00

Walks

I've been giving Milo longer walks, but it takes us forever to go around the block since he requests 2 or 3 breakes along the way. I think that eventually this will pass, once he gets used to it and loses more weight.

Balance

He is falling more often. It does not seem like he is getting the hang of it (to pee on 2 legs). He, more often than not, does not lift his hind leg; but whenever he does it, he falls on his right shoulder.

Dado de Alta!!! Staples are out :)

2006-08-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

The staples are out; the limited-excercise period is over; the happy dog is back!

The vet said that Milo's incision healed beautifully and that since Milo seems to want to run around, he should! He confirmed that Milo's eye will slowly go back to normal. Our major concern now is his golden leg. The vet told us that since the growth that he removed was in a place with very thick skin, it takes a while to heal. He also said that since Milo is not putting any weight on it, we should not worry too much about it, but to keep it clean and prevent him from licking it. He did not put a bandage on it since it is the one good leg and he did not want to make Milo uncomfortable.

We went to the Animal Medical Center with a van service, and the driver, un paisano, had to lift Milo to help him inside the van. On the way back, I took a regular yellow cab and Milo had absolutely no problem getting on or off the cab. Yeah!!!! I guess it's a good thing we don't own an SUV or a mini van.

Milo seems happier now that the staples are out. In a few minutes, we will go out for a full round around the block... for the first time in 2 weeks!

Getting lighter

2006-08-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

Milo now weights 67 lbs. The vet told us that he looks very good, but we know Milo's tendency to gain weight, specially in the winter. So we will keep him on a diet, and hope he will lose 7 pounds. Ideally he should weight 60 pounds.

He seems hungry. He eats a lot of grass when we are outside. He eats carrots as treats.

Should I be helping him?

2006-08-08T08:22:00.000-04:00

Milo still has a problem with his balance. He insists on lifting one of his hind legs to pee and keeps falling or losing his balance. I try to help him by lifting his neck with the leash or by helping him lean on the tree. Lately his been avoinding the lifting of the leg. Will he ever be able to pee on 2 legs?

With the gang!

2006-08-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

Milo's four-legged friends spent all Sunday afternoon with us. Milo was not very playful, but he usually plays when he wants to play, not when somebody else "asks" him to.

Sam and Daisy are great pets. Daisy is loud and "brave" when she is outside. Once she was in our apartment, she was very shy and hid behind the furniture.

Samantha is all love. Cuera! She demands attention and is very persistent. She made herself comfortable immediately.

They both were smelling Milo's scar. I thought that was odd.

Milo has never been a territorial dog, so having Samantha and Daisy in our apartment is not a big deal. He does seem to want more attention when they are here. I hope he was not insecure, although a little bit of jealousy won't hurt him.

Friends

2006-08-06T22:25:00.000-04:00

Daisy

Samantha

First trip to the park

2006-08-05T17:10:00.000-04:00

We took Milo to the park today for the first time since the accident. He was very excited and very very tired. I feel like I'm disobeying doctor's orders. He wants Milo to be crated. Milo wants to run to the park. We compromise and take a small walk to the park (3 blocks), rest for about 45 minutes, and walk back to the apartment.

Setbacks or just adjusting?

2006-08-04T22:05:00.000-04:00

Milo has fallen a couple of times. He insists on lifting his hind leg to pee. When he lifts the left hind leg, he puts weight on his right shoulder until he reaches the floor.

NYC streets are for Milo what Las Vegas buffets are for humans. He eats anything that is or was at one point edible whenever we go out for walks. I'm trying to keep him away from this nasty habit, but I don't want to pull him as hard as I used to, since he's still learning how to balance, how to turn around and how to walk in reverse. I tried to pull him away from a piece of bread and made him fall. That did not distract him away from the bread. He ate it and now I'm wondering how many extra calories he ate.

Getting better and better...

2006-08-03T19:45:00.000-04:00

It's very hot in NYC today. Milo would love to have longer walks, but I have to pull him to turn him around and go back to the apartment. He is exhausted.

Today I saw Milo trying to put weight on the leg he does not have anymore :(. He lost his balance, but did not fall. We were told that this will happen but that the dog will eventually compensate for the missing leg by putting more weight on the other one.

Like any dog, I would imagine, when Milo wanted food or a walk or just attention he would use his paw to scratch me. Today I saw him moving his right shoulder. I guess he was trying to get my attention by using the leg he no longer has :(.

Some answers to my questions :) Finally!

2006-08-02T22:23:00.000-04:00

Milo is active in the mornings, but starts to get tired by mid-afternoon. He started to make a very weird noise today (high pitch). He wanted to be on my lap. I've always believed that he is unaware of his own size and he might believe he is a Chihuahua. Since the vet told us to keep him off furniture, I had to push him down constantly.

He still ignores us when we call his name, but we don't think he is deaf since he can hear the noises that come from the kitchen. Always food-oriented!

My mom, a doctor for humans, told me that since his head was also hit by the cab and when he landed on the pavement, his head still has an inflamation, and that it might take about 40 days for the inflamation to go down. Since that is the norm for humans, I'm hoping that since Milo's head is smaller it will be back to normal sooner. But now that we know this, we can at least be more patient and understanding with his ups and downs.

Milo, surrounded by presents!

2006-08-02T22:08:00.000-04:00

Milo has definetly been blessed with love. Besides the visitors, who always put a "smile" on Milo's face, he has also received get-well cards and treats from friends.

Yesterday, Milo received a care package from his "cousins" from Texas. They sent him a toy and a hand-made card. He's already greeting us with the toy.

Today, our little neighbors came to see Milo and to give him a bag of treats and a get-well-soon card with a drawing of Milo (check out the 3 legs!!!). The treats seem pretty healthy, so we're hoping we can incorporate them into his diet.

Debbie was very kind and generous with a package full of treats, cards, and other thoughtful details.
Milo sends all of you a lick in the face as a big thank you!

You can tell from the middle picture that he is getting more comfortable ;)

Milo's Eyes

2006-08-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Because of the impact, Milo's pupils are different sizes. The vet told us that it would most likely go back to normal. I guess she was right!
This picture on the left was taken the day after he arrived(07/27). The picture above was taken today. His eyelid looks normal already but the pupils are still different sizes.

Our vet (from the ER) put us in contact with another vet who has a three-legged dog and she told us that the right pupil will adjust eventually (about three months), but it will not be perfect, although almost unnoticeable.

Getting better

2006-08-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

Milo woke me up very early today. He wanted food. Poor guy won't be able to scratch the bed to wake me up... at least not for a while.

He was able to keep one of his back legs up when peeing for a little longer today. I saw a picture of a three-leegged dog that was able to balance himself on two legs while peeing. So we are hopeful.

We are trying to make him bark. "What do you want?" we asked him. He gets very excited, obviously wants food, and tries his luck. He goes first to the fridge, or to the stove to check what's there. If he does not get something from there, then he goes to his bag of food. He makes noises, but not a real bark.

We'll keep trying!

Milo: My heartache, my backache

2006-07-31T19:54:00.000-04:00

What should I expect?
Dogs are supposed to recover "very fast" from an amputation. What is "very fast"? one day? one week? one month? 3 months? Milo does not react instantly when we call his name. But he is pulling me when we go out. He is not as hungry as he used to be. He does not wake me up to feed him breakfast. But he is happy when I get up to feed him.

He shows signs of stress, I think (ears pulled back, fast breathing). He had his leg amputated one week ago. Of course he's under stress! But what does that really mean? How long until he is Milo again? Will I ever get my Milo back?

Before the accident, whenever I asked him "do you want to eat?" he would jump, and bark, and get very excited. Today I asked him. He seemed excited. He made a noise, not a bark, but an attempt to bark. That made me happy ;).