After two horribly dreadful days of being without him, my little lamb, Henry the Maltese came home today. About nine months ago, Henry underwent luxating patella surgery to correct both his knees. I documented his entire recovery process here in an effort to provide that information to someone who might be as nervous and scared as I was and ended up meeting many dog owners who were going through the same thing, especially Laura and her Maltese Rocky from Florida (Hi Laura!)

I had taken him to the vet on Saturday because I had slowly began noticing that when he was turning sharp corners while running (which was always), he would lift his right foot up, just the way he did before his knee caps were aligned correctly with pins. I would also occasionally catch him licking at his knee, so I knew something wasn’t right. His physical therapist had told me earlier that licking is a sign of pain, so I booked him an appointment at the vet so that they could take a closer look.

They suspected it was the pin that was bothering him and instructed me to bring him in on Monday so the orthopedic surgeon who did his surgery could take a look. On top of that, he had about four baby teeth (which I later found out was six) that needed to be removed and he hadn’t received vaccines in well over a year, so it was decided to kill three birds with one stone and do all procedures in one go. He was meant to come home Monday, but the surgeon had an emergency surgery so Henry ended up staying the night at the hospital, so the surgeon could take a look first thing in the morning.

Monday night was one of the worst nights I had had in a long time. It’s amazing how empty the house becomes when your pets aren’t there. You don’t realize how much you love them and how much of an integral part of your life they are until they’re gone. I didn’t know what to do with myself that night and Jason Mesnick also known as the worst Bachelor of ALL time wasn’t helping things either.

But I digress. I woke up Tuesday excited at the prospect of picking Henry up. I even packed away his toy and a blanket in the car, but as I had left work early and already driven half way there, I got a call from the vet alerting me that the surgeon was going to be late, so he would have to spend another night and he would be ready for pick up the next day.

Needless to say, I was gutted. One day was enough, I didn’t know how I was going to survive one more day without him. I was restless, anxious and over analytical the entire night. If I was getting this worked up over my dog, I thought to myself, I really didn’t want to know what it was like to watch your own children go through such things.

Today, after two hours in traffic from Santa Monica to Pasadena, a lot of stress, six pulled baby teeth, four stitches, a shaved leg and one daunting vet bill later, Henry is home again. He’s a bit drugged out and tired, but doing well all the same. He can walk, which is great and I’m hoping his leg will be as good as new going forward.

When I brought him home and put him down, he drank what seemed like a gallon of water and then went straight to pee. He quenched his thirst, emptied his bladder, ate some boiled and shredded chicken and had a nice rest in my lap the entire night.

If your dog has had luxating patella surgery, and you begin to notice behaviors such as the one Henry had, it’s a good idea to book a follow up appointment with your vet. A simple procedure can make a lot of difference. As far as I can tell, Henry is in minimal pain and he’s taking it quite well. Sometimes, we tend to forget how resilient animals are and how resilient we are when faced with adversity.

Pets not only give us joy on a day to day basis, they teach us so much about ourselves. They teach us to be selfless, to be loving, to be responsible, they teach us the most basic of human emotions: compassion. In many ways, it is the way you treat animals, not humans, that reveals who you are. After all, it was Milan Kundera, one of my favorite authors who said “mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.” Henry has managed to teach me so much about myself. There were times in my life when I cringed at the thought of having to take care of something or someone other than me. Henry has taught me that taking care of either animal or human is a truly rewarding and humbling experience and I couldn’t ask for a better little lamb.

Two nights ago, I gathered my things from the living room, including Henry the Maltese and went to bed, like I do every night. I had just settled in under my sheets and was planning on doing some reading, when I looked over to find that Henry was not on his usual spot on my bed. I looked around the room without getting up and I couldn’t spot him anywhere. I knew he couldn’t have gone out, as the door was locked, so I decided to look under the bed. Even though it’s one of his favorite spots, he wasn’t there either. I started to call out his name and got up, but soon enough my panic had melted into uncontrollable fits of laughter, as I saw that he had climbed into my knitting basket that was full of yarn and decided to perch on it indefinitely.

Naturally, I had to get out the camera and snap a photo of my dog-hen before he decided that nesting time was over.

I couldn’t contain my laughter. I sat there wondering what has possessed him to climb into that basket. He wouldn’t even budge when I tried to move him.

His shenanigans were just another reminder of how much he brightens my day and brings the utmost joy to my life. There are days when I can’t remember what life was like before him. How on Earth did I live for 22 years and not have him with me? It’s inconceivable.

The way he goes mental when I come home, how he licks my tears when I cry, the invisible intruders he barks at on his nightly patrol of the house and the persistent way he scratches at my legs, as if to say “lift me in your arms, now,” these are all moments that I am always going to remember. I can’t bear to think of my life without him, even though the reality is, that that time will come.

But let’s not talk about that now.

Today, Henry the Maltese turns 2-years-old. Two years ago, I drove out to Hemet, Calif., to see a litter of Maltese puppies. It was just him and his brother left. They were both placed in my arms. His brother was sweet yet docile. Henry began to gnaw at my fingers immediately. That’s when I knew that it was meant to be. I drove back two months later and brought him home, where he proceeded to take a nice long piss on my mother’s treasured Persian rug. Oh well.

There is so much to say about Henry. He’s only 6 lbs, but he has more heart than I ever could have imagined. He is fiercely protective of his toys and nothing makes him happier than getting a new one. He loves eating pepper and blueberries and runs circles around the dining room table when he’s excited. When you’re sad, he’s sad. When you’re happy, he’s happy. He wont even think about leaving your side if you’re having a bad day, sacrificing food and water to keep you company.

Last summer, Henry had to have surgery for luxated patellas on both of his knees, which I documented on this site. For such a little dog, he’s been through a lot. He spent almost two months holed up in his crate, with wrappings and stitches and an Elizabethan collar which I detest so much. But he pulled through and although it was difficult for him, it was one of the hardest experiences I went through in my life. It was in those moments of his pain, that I realized what it was like to have and care for children.

Henry is everything I’ve ever wanted and more. I hope you have a good birthday King Henry, I’ll have new toys and a tea saucer full of green bell peppers waiting for you.

It’s not 2009 yet, but I’d like to take a moment here and highlight the roller coaster of a year I’ve been through, so that in a future entry, I can highlight the steady ground I’m hoping to be on. I thought about the best way of writing all of it down, and although I’d love to write a long-winded and perhaps boring to some essay on my 2008 adventures, I think a list is in order.

This year I…

-Spent the early hours of New Year’s Day at Disneyland, despite tickets being sold out. We managed to get in to the park because of the good graces of a stranger with extra tickets. That day will never be forgotten.

- Was hired as a full-time editor for a social media company

-Began doing freelance work as a journalist, which led me to write about some incredible and some not so incredible films, interview Ben Kingsley and a bunch of others and meet a lot of other great writers.

-Accidentally deleted this blog, which caused me to lose almost two years worth of entries

- Went to Montreal with my boyfriend, had great food, did great shopping and met Charles Aznavour

-Co-hosted an edible gardening internet radio show

- Saw Adele perform at The Roxy

-Took sessions with a personal trainer and enrolled at a new gym

-Watched my sister graduate high school and enroll at my alma mater

-Went through a luxating patella surgery with Henry and nursed him back to health for about five months

-Witnessed the incredible and miraculous election of 2008 and cried when Obama won

- Became a member of the Society of Professional Journalists

-Revisited the Magic Castle after my initial outing there to interview a magician

-Dyed my full head a single color for the first time ever

-Started to regularly attend the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market

-Wasted so many hours of my life sitting in the horrendous traffic of Los Angeles

-Made some amazing online friends through this blog

-Broke my camera, fixed it only to have it break again

-Tried to resist the phenomenon that is “Twilight,” but fell victim to the dazzling story of Edward and Bella, which marked my regression into adolescence.

-Worked my first red carpet, where I met Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Julie Benz

-Took my obsession with Bollywood to a whole other level by managing to watch at least one film almost every weekend for the better part of the year

-Went to work on developing a new online publication gear towards the Armenian community (still working)

-Found amazing online tools such as Twitter and StumbleUpon, which I now use daily

-Became progressively more obsessed with Anthropologie

-Prayed for snow that never came

-Didn’t spend enough time in bookstores

-Took the GRE, a rather painful experience that I will most likely repeat again sometime in the future

-Did a lot of baking and found some recipes I really loved

I woke up with a terrible headache this morning and when I took one look at Henry and saw how peacefully asleep he was, I knew I couldn’t get up, get dressed and fight the traffic to get to work. So I ended up staying home, nursing my head (and Henry) and cleaning my room up a bit. By the end of the day, I was feeling much better. It’s so nice to be home once in a while. My mind was so at ease. It was so nice being able to look outside at my garden, instead of the walls of the cubicle I sit in. It was so nice, that I decided to play photographer and took some photos of my usual subject, Henry.

Roaring white lion.

Well, I can’t believe it’s been an entire month since Henry had his luxating patella surgery. These 4 weeks not only have been hard on him because he’s been stuck in his crate, they have been incredibly hard on me as well. I haven’t gotten a decent night’s sleep, but this week has gotten better.

Henry was dropped off at the vet yesterday morning and I left work early to pick him up. Unfortunately, I was stuck in traffic for an hour and a half before I got to the vet. His x-rays revealed that he’s doing great and the vet even commented on what a great dog he is. His appetite has improved so drastically, you wouldn’t believe. He eats now because he wants to, not because he needs to and loves his dry and wet foods. I always sneak peppers and blueberries in there as treats.

He’s still on cage rest, although he’s allowed short, leashed walks during the day. I plan to do a little water therapy with him by filling up my bathtub and holding him up with a towel so he can exercise his legs. I have heard that water therapy is a great way to rehabilitate muscle, in humans as well. The vet also showed me to do additional therapy by having him lay on his back, while I stretch out his legs. I was also informed I should continue to give him pain medication. He doesn’t seem to be in any kind of pain, but I will comply.

His hair is growing back at a rapid pace, although he has so many knots because he hasn’t been able to be brushed properly for a month now! He’ll probably have a good shave once more of his hair grows in.

I have started him on glucosomine supplements again in pill form. I crush the pill with the back of a spoon or knife, mix it in with his wet food and he doesn’t even know the difference. One of the best treats I’ve ever found that has glucoasmine is by a company called Dogswell. They have these amazing sweet potato pieces wrapped with chicken that Henry loves. LOVES. He will fight you to the death for one. They also have one in their line called “Veggie Life” that contains flaxseed and vitamins A & E.

I haven’t had any time to take photos of his progress, but I will upload some soon.

It has been 3 weeks since Henry had his luxating patella surgery on both knees. His x-ray went very well last Thursday and as you can see a couple posts below, he even had a bath and a cut. The last few days have been very difficult for me as I have become nervous and anxious about his recovery. When I put him down to walk to his pad, he walks fine. I have seen him raise his leg up once and this worries me a lot. I feel like it’s all a part of the recovery process and I don’t want my expectations of him walking perfectly so soon to be unrealistic, but it’s just so hard to know what’s going on. Sometimes I feel very out of the loop about the recovery process. I’ve read different things that mention how some dogs were given physical therapy schedules or other dogs were not even touching the ground until 6 weeks. It’s been 3 weeks and Henry can walk pretty fine, I am just overly worried. I don’t honestly know how people have kids, the amount of worrying that goes into children is in itself worrysome.

Henry does not have another vet appointment until next Thursday. From then on, I am going to confine him to his crate and only let him walk a couple minutes a day, closely supervised. I wish I knew more about this and I sincerely hope I’m doing the right things to aid in his recovery. My mind won’t be at ease until his next x-ray.

I have also scheduled him for a 2 hour examination at the California Animal Rehab Center, a facility which was recommended to me on a forum I visit. They completely assess the state of his legs and send me home with a physical therapy schedule. I’m looking forward to it. Until then, I will keep writing about his progress!

This is a portrait I drew of Henry and I last summer. It’s acrylic on canvas and was finished in one night, although it still needs some touch ups. I put this photo up instead of one of Henry in his current state because he’s sleeping and not only do I not want to bother him, but he looks so scruffy and I’m sure he hates his life at this points, so I’m not going to play intrusive journalist right now, you know?

He’s been holed up in his crate, but he’s doing well. The staples in his legs are getting looser, which is a good sign. He has an x-ray and suture removal scheduled on Thursday and hopefully I can take that horribly annoying Elizabethan collar off his head. I think I hate it more than he does. It’s just awful. It is amazing how well the dog formally known as Mr. Pick. E. Eater is responding to food. He gobbles up his dry and wet food and the chicken and turkey and peppers he’s allowed in between. Because of this, his poop schedule has become so normal – once in the morning, once in the evening.

He finished up his antibiotic medicine today and will be off his pain meds this week. His hair is growing up at an astonishing rate, so we’ll have to even it out in a month or two. He is in dire need of a bath and he knows it. He self-grooms like a cat every chance he gets.

He didn’t make much noise during the earthquake that rocked Los Angeles today, except for letting out a big yelp the minute it was over.

More updates after his next vet appointment!

Today Henry went to the vet to have his bandages removed. It’s been exactly one week since his surgery. He’s doing well, but very anxious to get up out of his crate. When the nurses brought him out, I saw his little pink legs dangling, with a million stitches all over. Fur, dried up blood, metal stitching and pink skin. It was not a pleasant site. I hesitated posting the photo below of his legs and was about to censor myself, but I thought I’d go ahead and do it anyway, because if anyone ever comes across this post and has a dog who will need luxating patella surgery and they want to see photos, it will be here for their reference. I know that before Henry has his surgery, I looked all over the web for photos, so it’s more helpful than hurtful. Plus, I’m not a fan of censorship. That being said, I’m putting the photo behind a cut for the faint of heart.

(more…)

It’s now day 7-post luxating patella surgery, and as far as I can tell, Henry’s doing well for the most part, although he’s completely miserable in his crate. It’s the most time he’s spent in there, ever. He never sleeps in there, but on my bed with me and only goes in to fetch his toys out. He’s having a hard time adjusting, but he has to suffer now for the greater good of the functionality of his legs. When I put him on his pad to pee, he spins around like a banshee until he finally can’t hold it in anymore. I spread his legs, so he doesn’t get any pee on his bandaged feet. He only goes pee once a day and because of all the medicine he’s been given, his urine has a really putrid smell, a bit like asparagus-pee. For the short times that he’s out of his crate, he walks pretty well, although he looks like he’s walking on stilts. For being so small, he’s pretty fearless and seems to have forgotten about the fact that he had major surgery. If I didn’t immediately put him back in his crate after his daily bathroom session, he’d be running a muck in the house, bandaged legs and all.

He was suffering from a bout of constipation, as he hadn’t had a bowel movement since we brought him home on Saturday, so I gave him a teaspoon of pumpkin puree and this did the trick, although he ended up going his crate. I really don’t mind where he goes, as long as he goes. On Thursday he goes in to get his bandages removed I believe and I’m a bit scared of this, because I got a peek at one of the staples in his legs, and it was not a pleasant site.

By the way, if you’re reading this and your dog needs luxating patella surgery, which usually runs in the thousands as far as price is concern, a good option is Care Credit. Care Credit works like a credit card, but with perks such as an extended payment plan and no interest. It’s main purpose is for medical emergencies, such as pet surgery. I used it to cover half the cost of Henry’s surgery. More updates as we go along.

My Sunday was spent as Sundays always should be: doing a whole lotta nothing, a little bit of baking and a good amount of relaxing with Henry, the little heartbeat at my feet. From what I can tell, he’s recovering well from his luxating patella surgery. He takes antibiotic twice a day, and pain medication once a day. He’s eating well and can move around on his bandaged legs. On Thursday, he has an appointment back at the vet to remove his bandages. I’m a bit terrified about that, because of the staples in his legs. I’d rather they just leave the bandages on until he fully recovers, but I know that’s not possible.

I was asked to bake a cake for an office birthday and if you know me, you know that I can never turn down an offer to bake. It took a long time for me to decide on one I liked. Once again, the recipe came from RecipeZaar. I looked at one of my favorite sites, Epicurious first, but they really had nothing I was looking for. The recipes I’ve found there have been disappointing me lately. The recipe, Amazing Solan Family Chocolate Cake, was just what I was looking for. This recipe was particularly unique because it is a Swedish cake recipe that contains no milk or eggs and is low-fat. The recipe did have a warning on it to make bundt pan extra greasy, as it was a sticky cake, and even though I did make sure it was well greased, it was such a delicate cake that a part of it became a bit crumbled.

I put some glaze on top of it and this is how it turned out…

I might garnish it with some strawberries before I take it in. Although I would have liked it to look better, I have a feeling the taste will make up for the looks. This is definitely a recipe I would make again, I’m sure the cake tastes amazing on its own, without the glaze.