I'm Back - Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hi my dear human friends,

I haven't written in a while, I apologize for that. I know a lot of you have missed me so here I am, making up for the last couple months.

A lot has happened since my last post. Even though the news of my degenerative spine condition hit me hard, I am trying hard not to be a sad pup and still wag my tail at every opportunity I get.

The biggest news you haven't heard yet is that I am now more mobile, thanks to my new wheels! That's right, I am now 4WD or 2WD or whatever, but we got me a rolling contraption from http://www.handicappedpets.com/! I LOVE it! I even took it to the beach over Thanksgiving weekend and was able to run on the beach - something I haven't done in a really long time!!! I think it might even help me with the LADIES! (Though no dates yet.)

It takes a little while to get me hooked up and I have to wear booties from http://www.ruffwear.com/ as without those my hind toes get raw and bloody. That's extremely painful, so hoping to not have to go through that again. I love my red booties, they look beautiful with my shiny blue wheelchair.

By the way, in case I haven't said it in a while, I love you, my dear human friends for all the love and support you have shown me. The donations helped with getting the wheelchair and this is now adding a huge amount of fun into my otherwise quite mundane life. So from the bottom of my doggie heart, THANK YOU!!!

Whisker tickles and love from Voyager

Really Bad News

My Dearest Human Friends,

My heart is hurting today as I watch my family gathering around me with sad eyes. Dad and I went to Dr. Sanders a few days ago for my pre-surgery prep and another MRI that Dr. Sanders agreed to do for just $200 (instead of $1600). The news we received was not good. In just a few months my condition has gotten significantly worse. In fact it got so bad that surgery is no longer an option for me. The condition is called Degenerative Myelopathy.

I have a few options - Dad and Mom are getting me a wheelchair so I can continue to walk around. Right now, I cannot even walk more than a few steps and to slow this disease down, exercise is crucial. Dad and Dr Sanders talked for a long time - I'm going to get a LOT of vitamins and various medicines - Dad said it doesn't matter, we will try everything to help me!

I'm scared but hope this wheelchair thing is going to help me. We got the one with off-road tires so I can get around the backyard, roll around on a trail and even walk in the water with it.

It is from this site: www.handicappedpets.com
I am in a state of shock right now, don't really know what else to write.....love you all, Voyager

Wonderful News from Guide Dogs for the Blind

Dearest Human Friends,

Mom and Dad received the most wonderful news today from our dear friends at Guide Dogs for the Blind! They have reviewed my case and decided that this white dog is worthy of financial support!! We have been granted $3,000 towards my back surgery so that, along with the $700 donated by my other dear human friends is a HUUUUGE step towards getting me fixed.

On the other hand....I'm not sure how much money $3,700 is, but I'm sure it would buy a LOT of doggy treats and a very very big sheepie!!! Mom was all teary-eyed when she opened the envelope and I snuggled up to her as she read it to me. I am sure sorry that I didn't become a real guide dog, but it seems that Guide Dogs loves me just the same. Thank you so much!!!!! I will give everyone involved in this decision really big doggy kisses and whisker tickles.

I would also like to dedicate this blog post to my friend, Freddie, a yellow lab like Sadie and I. He was also 6 years old like I am and he worked at the Seattle Police Department as an explosive detecting dog. Freddie died last week unexpectedly. My dad loved Freddie and played with him all the time. Rest in peace Freddie, we love you!

The Seattle Times had an article about Freddie and the incredible work he did. You may read more about Freddie by clicking HERE.

Happy to See the Sunshine

Good Afternoon to all my loving Human Friends!

I just wanted to say for a second that I am a labrador and I enjoy the sunshine. I'm not big on swimming and I've always been on the side where the couch and my sheepie is, I do however, enjoy the sunshine....inside that is.

Why am I such a funny dog? If someone asks me "do you want to go outside" - I bound for the door (well, "bound" is a relative concept given my current condition), but once outside, I just tend to stand around, maybe quickly do what I call my business, then report back to the door for re-admittance.

The humans in the house try to encourage "being outside", "getting a little exercise" and other nonsense like that, but personally, I just like to enjoy the outdoors from indoors. Kinda makes you wonder what kind of a guide dog I would have made, huh?

At any rate, hope everyone is having a wonderful day and is out and about getting some sun. My legs still hurt...a LOT....but the good news is that Mommy is awaiting response from Guide Dogs re: some assistance for me. Once the cooler weather rolls around, then we will be looking into the S.U.R.G.E.R.Y again. As mentioned before, not sure what this is, but it kind of sounds like a chewy, or food, so I'm not worried.

Lots of love and whisker tickles,
Voyager

Who Missed ME???

Hi dear Human Friends,

Wow, I cannot believe how fast summer is flying by, especially in doggy weeks. I just realized that I haven't posted any updates in quite a while, so here we go!

First off, how am I doing? Some of you have been so sweet and asked my mom via Facebook, and she mentioned to you that I am kind of "status quo". Not better but not worse either. I continue to be in great spirits, you guys know me, I've always been a happy-go-lucky kind of a dog. My legs hurt, buckle under me, etc., but I bumble around the yard just the same. Even I need exercise!

Here's a picture of what I call my "junk sling" that my Dad got so he can help me get around. I wouldn't say it's the MOST dignified way of being carried around as I do feel like a purse, but at least I can pretend I can walk like a normal dog. Now I also have to wear ONE shoe as this past weekend I broke a toe nail that caused a lot of bleeding. See, I drag my toe on in both of my hind legs and the nail got caught in something.

We went camping this weekend to Westport. By camping I mean I got lifted in and out of the Tahoe, got my sheepie relocated from the back of the Tahoe to the camper, got lifted in and out of the camper and briefly walked on the beach with my junk sling on. It was fun though. I sat next to my boy by the campfire, got to sniff new grass, and even ate Sadie's food several times when nobody was looking. It was a good weekend.

Drop me a line when you can, I would love to hear from you!

Much love and sniffs, Voyager

Reminescing

Today I'm not having a great day. It's semi-nice outside, it would be a great to sniff around in the yard, but my heart is not in it. I'm left inside, just grateful that the window is low enough so I can see outside and try to make friends with the birds and squirrels around the bird feeder.

Just a few months ago Sadie and I were at Ocean Shores running on the beach. I am posting some pictures so you can see how fast I went downhill. These were taken in February. Look how happy I am in the back of the Tahoe and just hauling ass on the beach. I don't think I will ever be able to do that again. The waiting is the worst part.....sigh..

Sorry to bring you down my friends, it's been a difficult day for this white dog. Mom said that she met another little baby guide dog at her new office. I miss going to places with her - it was so much fun to go to Expedia and go to all the meetings. Now I'm stuck inside all the time - spending my short life waiting.

This is Sadie and I - I love her - she's my best friend. I think she's confused about what's going on with me too. She's used to seeing me frolic and now I am more of a sleeping companion.

Love to all, Voyager

Voyager Checking In

Hello Dear Human Friends,

I don't have anything new to report, but thought I'd say hi! Mom faxed my paperwork to Mary at Guide Dogs and we haven't heard back yet. Dad is going to see our favorite Dr Paik at Aerowood for a second opinion. Dad really likes him because he's very honest and straight forward. When Sadie had to have her F.A.T. bumps checked (I spelled it out as she hates it when we call her "fat"), and pretty much saved Dad a couple of thousand dollars by telling him he didn't have to have those removed. I'm sure Sadie was happy about that too.

We had a good weekend, though I tripped on my own back foot several times - talk about embarrassing. On the plus side, Mom did poop patrol in the yard. I like a clean grass as my canvas, so thank you Mom! Another good news is that we had BBQ flank steak for dinner last night and yes, that's right, there's always enough left over for the doggies. I don't understand how I could be allergic to grass and stuff, but do just fine on flank steak.

I still take pain pills twice a day. They are "cleverly" disguised in my dish - I see them, of course, but humor the humans by pretending not to so they don't have to be jammed down my throat. I guess everyone wins this way. Mom looks really worried all the time and spends extra time on the floor with me looking all lovey. I will have to remember what face I make that gets her going as it is nice to get all the love.

The boy is almost out of school - Wednesday is his last day so that means he'll be home more. Yay, I love him!
I'm getting tired, so I'll wrap this up. Will write soon when there's more to report.

Whisker tickles to all - Voyager

MRI and other unpleasant things

Dear Friends,

I'm sore and still dopey from yesterday. I had a long day without any food or drink and was probed, touched, tested and examined pretty much all day. The worst part is that they are still not 100% sure what is wrong with me.

In the morning Dad took me to a neurologist, Dr Sanders in Kirkland. He was very nice and I was very excited to meet him - of course WHEN am I not excited to meet someone. I was wiggly and happy as he examined me and did some initial tests. There were some embarrassing conversations between the doc and Dad, stuff about me having difficulty keeping my balance and posture when going potty. I mean, they don't need to be talking about THAT....sigh.

I was a little alarmed to see my Dad depart and leaving me behind, but I was quickly distracted by cookies. I don't really remember the details of the day, but I had a really long nap, during which I had something called an MRI and also a spinal tap. The good news is that I'm really smart but the bad news is that I have something called the Hansen's Type II intervertebral disk disease on L6-L7 and L7-S1. The MRI showed that at least two of my vertebraes have compression, causing the pain and immobility. The vet said that surgical decompression would be the next logical step. Which means.....surgery....then 3 days at the vet hospital...followed by at least 6 weeks of recovery at home. This means no running around, no walking around, no doing anything really.

Here's a couple of pictures of me all dopey and showing the spot where they did the final tap. I am sore today and I'm going to sleep most of the day, so please no phone calls. Mom said she'll fax these results to Guide Dogs as well, as more and more it's looking like we need to spend close to $6,000 on the surgery (not including the $1,600 we spent today on the MRI and friends). How much is that again in doggy dollars? Oh they will help me, I know they will, but everyone is very stressed. I'll go sniff them.

Much love and whisker tickles, Voyager

New Developments

Hi my dear human friends!

It's been a busy week since I last took the time to blog. I'm sorry I don't get around to doing this every few days, but since I have no thumbs, I'm not exactly "50 words a minute"!

I was kind of upset the last time I wrote since the WSU story broke, but now I'm hopeful again. Several things are happening. First news, I have an MRI appointment on Monday in Kirkland. This will really tell what is going on with my painful doggy back. I'm really not getting any better and this is the next logical step. After the MRI, a neurologist will review the results and we'll regroup after that. I'm not sure what "neurologist" is, but I sure hope it has something to do with food.

Second piece of news is that my old stomping grounds, where I was born with my brothers and sisters, Guide Dogs for the Blind is considering me for financial assistance. It's not a guaranteed thing by any means, but mommy was asked to fax my vet records to them for their review board to review. Again, I'm sure hoping "review board" has something to do with food. Probably not but a dog can hope, right?

I also got a play pen from one of mom's friends at Microsoft. This will be for after the S-U-R-G-E-R-Y, if I have one. So the adults in my house are spelling things when they don't want me to understand, but I still do. I'm worried but trust these people who feed me. I love them very much and they sure seem to adore me!!!

I will have more to report next week after my MRI and the review board (please be food!!!).
Lots of love and whisker tickles from Voyager

PS - If you'd like to donate to help with my vet bills, please send it to mom's Paypal account. She promises not to spend it on dog food (though I'm still hoping).

Bad New re: WSU

Well, I have some good news and some kinda bad news.

The good news is that I had my third acupuncture appointment on Thursday and in addition to the needles and adjustment, my nice lady friend also injected me with some anti-inflammatory medicine in my back. However, she did say that we can stop playing now, it's really time for an MRI. Further good news was at the time that she is actually a WSU alumni, so the idea was that she could make some calls and try to get an appointment for me sooner.

Which brings me to the bad news. Dad got a call from WSU this morning and though we could be seen relatively soon, WSU changed its policy around how much things should cost. Now, I'm a dog and don't know much about money, but $1,600 for an MRI sounds like a lot, even in doggie dollars. Dad said that is pretty much how much it costs here too so we will go to someone local.

I was really looking forward to a roadtrip with Dad but it's probably best not to go if it's not going to save us any money.

Mom and Dad need to figure out how to pay for stuff so I can get fixed up. I was a tiny bit more rambunctious today as the medicine still held from tomorrow, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. I am still dragging my toe and stand funny and walk funny. What? Leave me alone!

Hugs for now from Voyager

More Accupuncture

Hello Human Friends,

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. What a gorgeous, sunny weekend to be a dog - it's too bad I can't run around and chase a ball or go for a swim! Every time I try to romp and play with something, I get told to stop and not do it. I am really confused, but piecing together from conversations I overhear, I think I'm not supposed to be moving much at all. Dad even mentioned that the accupuncture vet wanted him to crate me! Whoa! That would be bad!!!

Anyway...since the last time, I had another appointment of adjustments and acupuncture. Here's a picture of me with some needles poking me. It really doesn't hurt at all, just relaxes me. We will try it one more time but if we don't see any improvements, it's not worth trying it further. Mom's friend Tracy sent an article about the veterinary school at WSU. I can't read, but I have heard from other dogs about this place that helps doggies like me. Appointments are hard to come by but dad would take time off from his work to take me to Eastern Washington.

Have I mentioned how much I love these people?
Hugs from Voyager

PS - Sadie got new food to try and we were accidentally fed dinner TWICE last night. It was the BEST day ever!

Pins and Adjustments

Hi Human Friends,

Last week Dad took me to a wonderful vet who now specializes in accupuncture and chiropractic care for dogs. She examined me and said that I should hopefully start feeling better after 3 visits. I was quite a bit wiggly during the adjustments and I heard her say that she is not touching the part of my spine where the painful bit is.

Accupuncture was weird but good. I first got a needle on top of my head which made me calm down immediately and made me relax. There were then needles in my paws, my back and other spots. I was so relaxed, I actually went to sleep. I felt a little better afterwards, seemed more cheerful, so that's good.

Mom got me more muscle relaxant drugs so now I'm really groovy again. Still not allowed to run around AT ALL and I'm just told to stay a potato for a while. NO problem ;-)

Thank you for your continued support and donations - I am so touched that so many humans love and care about me!!!

Lots of love, Voyager

Chiropractor Today

Hello Everyone - it's me, Voyager!

I'm happy to report that I have my first chiropractor appointment this afternoon. As a sidebar, mom wanted me to mention that she thinks she should change careers and learn about doggie chiropractic. She said it's insanely difficult to get an appointment since these guys work 2 or maybe 3 times a week, a couple hours each time, and it is $45 for every 15 minutes they spend with us doggies.

So advice here: learn to talk fast. My mood has not been very good lately. I am told I appear to be in a lot of pain, lose my "rear end" and fall down from time to time and just look sad.

It was Kristof's 16th birthday yesterday - he's my boy. Every dog needs a boy and I love him. He shared some of his cake with me, which is a big no-no since I'm allergic to everything, but it was the boy's birthday, so I had to.

Will report back after my appointment.
Love and whisker tickles - Voyager

Happy Mothers Day

I woke my mom up this morning with a whisker tickle to wish her Happy Mothers Day and thank her for everything she does for me. She does have wonderful friends that love and care about me and I'm very very grateful for that.

We have enough in the bank account for several doggie chiropractor visits, so I'm looking forward to those. We selected a lady on Mercer Island to go to. My muscle relaxer medicine is all used up now and I don't notice any difference for the better, so I'm hoping this next step will help.

Those of you who know me know that I'm more of a "spa dog" and not a jock (Sadie is the jock). I prefer to lounge on the couch or on my sheepie and yesterday I was appaled by the suggestion that I spend the day outside in the backyard. Ok, so it WAS a beautiful day and everyone was outside gardening, but still, the idea didn't appeal to me. Finally, someone dragged my carpet (what I call my "island") outside so I could lay on the deck on a soft spot.

Don't hate me because I am beautiful and prefer a soft surface!
Love and whisker tickles from Voyager

By the way....

I'd like to hear what you guys think of my baby picture? Don't I just look adorable?? I mean seriously cute in that green vest!!

Doggie chiropractor

Sorry for not blogging for a few days but my mom has been using the computer a lot. I could only get to it in the evening, and by then, I'm pretty much pooped.

I have been a very good boy. I don't run around much anymore, just lay quietly and observe everything and everyone. The pills are making me sleepy and not very energetic. I still have a few days' worth left, then I'm not sure what I'll be taking next. Mom says we will have to get another blood test done to make sure the pills didn't damage my liver.

I am so very grateful to everyone who has donated money - your support means so much to me, Sadie, mom, dad and Kristof!!! I would big you a big kiss if you were here, but since you are not, I'll chew on a Kong for you....deal?

As for next steps, I already mentioned the blood test, and then we are also looking into some alternate therapy. We will use the donations to try doggie chiropractic and maybe massage before we jump straight into the surgery. I'm not sure what a doggie chiropractor is, none of my other 4-legged friends had that before, but the massage sounds good.

I do feel worse the last few days....mom is even researching whether dogs can get MS as I am losing all the strength in my hind legs. I hate to see her sad so I try to wag my tail, but it's not always easy. Hope I feel better soon.

Love and Kisses from Voyager

My New Routine

We have a BIG backyard. The routine up until last week was to just be let out, "do our business", then report back to the back door where we are let in, praised, given a snack and then lay down for our 20 hours / day snooze.

The new routine is very different. Now I have to wear a collar and be attached to a leash when I go outside. Granted, I usually hole ass at top speed around the yard, which is apparently a no-no with a herniated disk. So we calmly walk outside, my mom or dad watches me do my business then we walk back in. How embarrassing is that? Well, at least there's still praise and snacks, so it's not all bad.

I also seem to be taking a lot of pills which make me feel groovy. Mom tries to hide them in my food, but if I miss them, they either get jammed down my throat or given to me hidden in salami, cheese, etc. I naturally prefer the latter method. I'm told I'm taking something yellow for inflammation, then two tinies for pain and then two round white ones that are muscle relaxants. They COULD make them taste like dog treats, instead they are not that great. Especially the "jamming down the throat method" (see above).

Well, I'm sleepy, plus Maury is on and I can't wait to find out who the baby daddy is for all those puppies. Love and hugs, Voyager

Meet Voyager

Hello Everyone,

Though a lot of you know me already, those of you who don't, here's a quick FAQ on me :o)

• Breed : Labrador Retriever
• Color : Yellow, though almost white
• Birthday : 2/26/03
• Parents : John and Emese
• Siblings : one human, Kristof and one canine, Sadie, also a yellow lab
• Current occupation : couch potato
• Former occupation : Puppy in Training for Guide Dogs for the Blind

Why am I writing this blog? My mom is seeking support from friends to try to cover some of my expenses for my vet bills. Unfortunately, I managed to hurt my back and knee somehow and I'm now in need of some serious body work.

First off, the most important thing is to get an MRI to confirm Dr. Turner's diagnosis. He thinks I have a herniated disk and that's why I walk like a German Shephard - no offense to those guys, but when I walk with a slant in my back, it really hurts. The MRI alone is $1,500 and then the surgery is thousands more.

I also have a torn ACL in my left knee. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, you know it HURTS. However, as much as it hurts, the back is still more important to fix.

My mom says she's extremely grateful for anyone who is interested in contributing to my cause. She even set up a PAYPAL account under the ID eatuza@gmail.com . If you'd like to help, you can do it directly there.

Warm hugs and sniffs to faces (I don't like to lick faces, but will sniff you from 1/4" away and tickle you with my whiskers). - Voyager