Me @ 15 months

Photos from me @ 15 months. A raccoon came into our yard, and although I was outside for some time, I never saw it. I really have to ramp up my guard dog training...I guess all that water has muddled my brain.

My Kitties

Did I mention that I have 3 kitties? Their names are Baloo, Marge, and Wapiti. My favorite thing to do is chase them. Chasing is not their favorite thing to do. They prefer kisses or for me to ignore them, which I cannot yet do because they are just so darn exciting!

Me @ 14 months

I am 14 months old now and have graduated from my Beginner Obedience class at PetSmart! I also have a new girlfriend named Zoe. She's a Great Dane and she's in my obedience class. We probably have more fun than we're supposed to...

Me @ 13 months

Now that I am a grown-up, I sometimes wear bow ties and fancy tuxedo bibs to show how "adult" I am. Pictures can be found here.

Me @ 12 months (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!)

It's my first birthday!!!!!

The papa had to be out of town, but he Skyped with me so I would still feel special:

The mama made me some delicious cupcakes.

I am waiting patiently to eat the cupcakes.

Here's the recipe for them:

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

Naturally sweet, colorful and flavorful, this cake is simple and easy to make. Great for Fall.

From this website:
http://www.dogbirthdaysandparties.co...cakerecipe.htm

• 1 cup flour
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg

Mix flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8" round cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool. Puree cottage cheese in blender for icing. Decorate with more peanut butter and carrots.
___

Makes 8 cupcakes. Just grease the pan so they come out easily. For my frosting, I mixed about 1.5 cups plain yogurt with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I didn't measure, so I just kept adding to make the right consistency. Then I topped the cupcakes with mini Milk Bones.
 

Me @ 11 months

After my surgery, I had to grow back the fur on my legs. You'll find some snaps of my skinny little arms at this link, as well as Christmas celebrations. I received an awesome gift from my Newf. Net Secret Santa. Newf.Net is a forum where you can learn all kinds of things about Newfoundlands around the world.

 

It may be Christmas, but I'm a bit of a grump. I hate those nasty little Nutcracker men who come into my house uninvited. Hate them.

Elbow Dysplasia

At 10 months old, I have been diagnosed with bilateral elbow dysplasia, with a fragmented coronoid process (FCP). You can read about it here.

I was limping a lot after heavy exercise, so the mama and the papa took me to the vet where they did x-rays. The x-rays of my right elbow looked like this:

It was determined that I would need surgery to remove possible joint mice (pieces of bone floating around in my joint). I went to Englewood, Colorado, to the VRCC and a very smart surgeon explained the options to the mama and the papa. They decided to have arthroscopic surgery done on both elbows. There was only about a 50/50 chance this would make my elbows entirely better, but it was worth a try since my pet insurance (PetPlan) would cover most of the cost.

That's my name in the middle - on the board for operations in the VRCC

So...I had arthroscopic surgery on December 2, 2011. The afternoon after the mama and the papa talked to the VRCC doctor about options, I had my surgery. Although I was knocked out for the surgery itself, the doctor let Mama and Papa watch it.

They were able to make sure I was safe, and they could see the bone fragments being removed on a TV screen.  These are videos of part of my arthroscopy:

Mama and Papa came to visit me in the post-op recovery room. I looked so tiny and frail, but it wouldn't be long before I was starting to feel back to my old self again. Still, I had an intensive, restricted activity period of rest for 3 months after surgery.