A Summer Slow Down...

So many of you visit me on different social media channels and ask about Milo. Firstly, that is so sweet. It’s not lost on me that you care about him enough to ask for updates on his life and happiness. Thank you for that.

Milo in a hammock - Miami Beach

Like many of you, (I seem to have a pretty robust following of fellow animal lovers) your pets are your children. No matter what happens in my life re: human children, I will always think of Milo as my first born. He is the one who transformed my thinking from ME to HIM or US.

I think part of the reason he feels like a baby (well more of a toddler) is because he is just so tiny. He’s 8.5 years old now and he’s holding steady at 7.2lbs so he may be small in stature, but as many of you know, he is BIG in personality and zest for life.

Milo on a hike

It's amazing to me that at his size he likes to play as hard as he does. He swims, runs, fetches, goes fishing with Dad, rides on the boat, loves to stick his head out the window on the drive to work, and takes his job as office greeter very seriously.

He’s always up for a good time and as a stranger (whom he French kissed) once said to me, ‘he’s very good at his job…being a joy spreader.’ That comment stuck with me, because for one, it was such a lovely thing for someone to say to me, and two, she was right. He makes people feel special, happy, welcome and is just simply a joy to be around.

Two Fridays ago, JJ and I were just about to meet friends out for dinner and Milo was begging to go to the backyard and play. I told JJ to take him out really quickly while I finished getting ready. It wasn’t more than 5 minutes later that JJ came in holding Milo and said he was running after the ball, he yelped and now he can’t walk. Immediately, I knew what it was. I’ve done enough research on his breed (he’s a Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie)) to know that it was most likely an ACL tear.

Gutted. Over and over in my head I kept thinking, if we had just left for the dinner and deprived him of that play time, could this have been prevented? Or was it just a matter of time? One doesn’t know, so the circular thinking is not productive. (Update: After speaking with the surgeon, he confirmed that this does not happen from an isolated incident and is usually a long term deterioration based on his genetics)

Milo and Dad right before surgery

We rushed him to the Emergency after-hour vet clinic and they couldn’t confirm what the issue was exactly, but they were able to manage the inflammation and the pain. Our happy go lucky guy was so sad, but at least he was no longer in pain. We were now on a rotation of anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds until further investigation. Pretty standard treatment.

We spent the rest of the weekend snuggled up on the couch together. I didn’t want him putting unnecessary pressure on either of his legs, hurt or healthy.

By Tuesday I was able to get in to see my regular vet who did X-Rays and shared them with the clinic’s orthopedic surgeon who then confirmed that was in fact an ACL tear. As bad as it was, JJ and I were relieved to find out for certain what the issue was and begin discussions of next steps.

The next step was to have a consultation with the surgeon. After meeting and discussing the procedure, etc. we scheduled the surgery.

To say I was a nervous wreck was an understatement. My stomach was in knots and my mind was racing. I called my nearest and dearest dog loving friends and walked through the details with them. Even though anesthesia and surgery was scary, it was the best option in this case.

My anxiety was running at full max load, but luckily, I was recently introduced to a lovely brand called Apothekary. In their words this is how they describe the brand: Apothékary is a leading health and wellness brand dedicated to harnessing the power of plant medicine to make everyday healing second nature.

I’ve been using some of their tonics and they are so lovely. They have a tonic for just about everything, stress, bloating, sleep, etc. In this instance, the perfect tonic for me was their Take the Edge Off tonic. You can find all their beautiful, natural products here and enjoy an automatic 15% off with this link or my code: ELISEIVY.

I just love when I find a brand as special as this one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Due to the amount of animal lovers and questions I receive about the products I use for Milo I thought there's no better time than now (as he and I snuggle while he heals) for me to share them with you.

Our preferred dog shampoo

The shampoo and conditioner I use on him when I wash him at home has been amazing. I love the gentle scent and we both like that it doesn’t burn his eyes. It’s called Pride & Groom and since he doesn’t shed that’s the kind I buy. However, they have a different version for shedding dogs, and another formula for ultra sensitive pups.

The food I give him is a bit of a splurge but because he’s so small, it’s manageable. I found this company out of Texas called My Perfect Pet, who makes it and then sends it to you frozen on dry ice. I defrost it in the fridge and give it to Milo and he LOVES it. It’s human grade and works perfectly with his sensitive stomach. I will say that when I switched him to this food, I saw a dramatic improvement in the softness and shine of his coat. It was pretty interesting and a wonderful reminder that just like ourselves, we are what we eat.

Milo and Dad on Vacation

Speaking of his sensitive stomach, for that I use two things. Sometimes I’ll mix a little bit of organic pumpkin in his food and he’ll eat it a few times a week (he gets tired of it) so then I sprinkle on a Pro Plan beef flavor probiotic which he likes and works really well for him.

For the pumpkin I usually just use organic pumpkin in a can, but I do end up wasting a lot because he eats such a small amount that I can't get through a can in time. There is a powder version from Native Pet that looks like a nice alternative.

Lastly for supplements, I give him a joint supplement called Movoflex. This has really helped his knee caps over the years, at least I think so. He likes it, thinks it’s a T-R-E-A-T.

So now, as I write this blog, I am sitting on the couch and Milo is sleeping next to me. I have relaxing dog music on in the background (it’s free on YouTube – type relaxing dog music in the search and you’ll find many options)

This is going to be quite the journey for a full recovery. As is turns out he tore both his ACL and his meniscus so the surgery was our only option. His healing protocol is that he can’t play or be unsupervised for 8 full weeks. He has a 2” long incision and it’s healing with 8 staples (we couldn’t use dissolvable stitches, b/c he got a skin irritation from those last time)(I'll spare you any close up photos, as it's very Frankenstein esk). He’ll get the staples removed on July 5th, we’ll be counting down the days. He won’t be back to his normal playing until mid-August so this will be our Summer to slow down.

One Day Post Surgery - Sleeping upright

I think he finds it soothing to sit next to me as I type. It allows him to fully rest knowing that I'm nearby as he can hear the clinking of the keyboard. I always make sure that he's wrapped up in his favorite Lola Blanket. We're both obsessed with how soft these blankets are. They are a bit pricey however, so here's a great dupe from Dennis Basso.

In preparation for his recovery and future health I did get a few more products that I will share with you here:

Bone Broth – there are so many benefits to bone broth for both humans and dogs, but you must be careful when choosing a brand because it really needs to come from quality traceable ingredients. I found this one from Open Farm at my local pet store who does a ton of vetting before carrying a product. I use beef for Milo because it seems to be best for him, but they also have chicken and turkey as an option.

Since Milo only needs 2 tablespoons per day to reap the benefits, I portion it out and freeze the rest so I’m not wasting it. I use these little dividers to divi it up and freeze it. Once opened the bone broth should be consumed within 7 days. This way I don’t waste it.

Keeping him still is probably going to be our biggest challenge these next two months. Since he cannot be left unattended, there are times he will have to be crated. I got him this collapsible travel crate, so it’s easy for me to take it back and forth to the office. I also got him this playpen for when I’m near him and he can have a little more freedom, but still contained and supervised.

He is not restless and looking for things to do yet, but once he’s at that stage I’m prepared with some all natural smoked bones by Barkworthies. He likes these and they keep him busy and I like them because they are made with quality ingredients that I can trust and they are odorless (key to all of our enjoyment). Be careful with cheap rawhides, they can have a lot of chemicals and bad stuff in them. So be sure to know your source and read the labels.

Lastly, no one likes the dreaded cone. So far, he has not licked his incision, so we haven’t had to use it, but just in case I bought him an inflatable donut in lieu of the cone.

Milo on the boat with his life jacket

Once he's past the two week mark and the staples are removed, the surgeon cleared him to do some light swimming to burn off some energy. He's a good swimmer on his own, but for the time being, he'll be sporting his Outward Hound lifejacket for safety and support. Plus it's easy for me to hold him from the top handle and let him paddle to exercise.

I started writing this blog before his surgery and I wanted to send it out, but honestly I was too scared. I couldn’t focus on anything except making sure I made the right decisions for him. I think we did and in time, once he starts walking and eventually playing again, we will know for sure. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Thank you for your care and concern. Be sure to spoil your fur babies - they deserve it.

Milo just being Milo

Ok, back to snuggling with Mr. Milo.

xo,

Elise