Champion of My HeartA real-time memoir about life with a fearful border collie, by Roxanne Hawn

Oh, the fun with adverse vaccine reactions and treatment side-effects continues. Poor Lilly. Always the dainty thing, while still being a rough-and-tumble mountain girl, Lilly now drools like you would NOT believe. Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time, Lilly was a delicate, agile, sure-footed border collie with amazing balance and strength. She could jump greats heights, seemingly without trying. She could land with grace and nary a sound. These days, she moves more like a little, black-and-white Frankenstein.

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GOOD news, fans and friends. Our veterinary neurologist is quite pleased with Lilly’s progress — totebag eating and dog conflict aside. We’ll know blood test results later in the week, but we don’t have to go back for a recheck for 2-3 months. Can I have a whoohoo?

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One of the weird outcomes from Lilly’s ill-fated rabies vaccine that resulted in meningoencephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and lining of the brain and spinal cord) is that Lilly now makes CRAZY, new noises. Observe.

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Remember, my sad bloody Valentine? We’re happy to report that Lilly’s nose now looks like this:

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Cue the sports-training-montage music from the movie Rocky. In recent days, Lilly has shown marked improvement in her strength and body control. We still remind her to be “careful” or to “go slow” on stairs, but as you can see in this new video update, Lilly is getting stronger.

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We’re really trying to get back on a normal blog schedule, but it has been tougher than expected to balance our must-do list with everything else. Plus, as Lilly starts feeling better, she wants more Mommy time … and in a world where the choice is spending time with my girl and writing a post … well, no offense. ;o)

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Here is the latest video update on Lilly’s remaining neurological problems from meningoencephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and lining of the brain and spinal cord) after an adverse reaction to a rabies vaccine given January 23, 2012. While her symptoms are improving, many remain … including continuous body swaying and head wobbling.
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Lilly had a rough, rough Friday in her recovery from meningoencephalo- myelitis (inflammation of the brain and lining of the brain and spinal cord) after having an adverse rabies vaccine reaction. The diarrhea continues, and her originally minor nosebleeds hit the big time. I spent hours and hours and hours trying to stem the tide each time her nose broke loose.

Our clothes, the dog beds, our floors, and (alas) part of the loveseat look like a crime scene.

Long story short … we ended up in the ER (again).

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It’s December 22! We made it. That days now get LONGER again. In celebration of Yule, two videos from years past of Lilly showing happiness knows no single season. Read the rest of this entry »

Our decision to return Lilly to the full dose of her anxiety medications came in part from her escalated treatment of Ginko. Lately, she has been acting like Gandolf.

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After a few too many days of sub-zero temperatures on the mountain, I found myself desperate to do some bigger laundry — think sheets. Hearty girl that I am, I went out in 25-degree weather to hang out the sheets. Lilly came along and decided to play fetch, with this …

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Taking a week “off” is relative, of course, meaning mostly not owing drafts to clients. Other demands of life continue. HOWEVER, Lilly and I ventured to Boulder for dog training class with our dog trainer Gigi Moss … for the first time this year. I’ll tell you how it went tomorrow. Today? A video showing just how much Lilly loves her dog trainer.

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It took four years and innumerable tries before we FINALLY got a new avatar photo of me and Lilly. I cannot tell you how many attempts to replace our favorite photo from December 2007 resulted in me sobbing. I’m not the most photogenic person, and I take bad photos personally. Here, then, is our new favorite picture … along with a few outtakes … because I really did NOT want to be that girl who uses a terribly outdated photo online.

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The day after Thanksgiving, when many still have pots and pans soaking, is a good time to share this video of Lilly putting away her dog toys. You’ll notice that she holds them down with her foot. That’s because she often puts her toys away with such enthusiasm that they fly out of the basket. No reward for that, so Lilly learned to make sure they stay put. Therefore, the foot bonus action became part of the dog trick.

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