12.6...

What a magic number that was to see on the scale today at the vet's office!!! Gracie has gained about 2 lbs. in a week! Many of you have said she is looking better but when you see her every day, it's hard to see the difference. We are heading in the right direction with the weight, for sure.
I asked Dr. C about her right ear and explained that she kind of cocks her head towards the right sometimes when she's walking her circles, which incidentally are only clockwise. He watched her walk and gave me the look that says, "You're not going to want to hear this". Basically, Grace more than likely has some neurological damage. He said that her 'high stepping' is a sign of the damage. The vet said it was probably nothing huge and that it would be very livable, but it still stung. And it's not like we weren't expecting this. I'm pretty sure any animal wouldn't be able to survive a strangulation that resulted in a cessation of breathing without some type of brain damage. I just hadn't heard it spoken out loud by a professional. She will be referred to a neurologist at some point down the road for an official assessment. But tonight, I'm not going to linger on that bit of news. There is too much good news!
So, she's put on weight and she is able to stay upright on wood/tile floor more often now. She can kind of catch herself on the slide down to the floor. If she slides to the floor, she still can't get up on her own, though. She is eating great and bowels are on track. Dr. C said to stick to the current feeding plan for now. We got some drops for her right ear, just to be safe. She's been sneezing some in the past couple of days. That concerns me about kennel cough. Even though she was vaccinated last Wednesday, July 1, it can take up to 2 weeks to present symptoms. We will keep a close watch for nasal discharge and coughing (which we haven't seen at all). Kennel cough is treatable (is that a word?) but with Grace's health being in such a delicate balance right now, we can't afford any infections.
Dr. C made a comment about how long her tail was and that it must help her balance. I told him that more often than not, it throws her balance off and sometimes, when she's turning a corner, it can tip her over. David and I kid that we're going to put a tiny orange flag on the end of it so that everyone will know when she's coming through! :o)
She's starting to act more and more like a puppy. She's mouthing more and I had forgotten how needle-like their baby teeth are! Ouch! She was pulling on her blanket today and on the whole, just looks more alert. She is in to EVERYTHING. She wants to explore all the time and gets very frustrated when she doesn't get her way.
On the way home from the vet's, we stopped at Petsmart and were stopped several times by people who wanted to see Grace. I kept feeling like I had to explain her situation so that people wouldn't think I was the one who was starving her. One thing we hear over and over is "It's great that you can do this. I don't think I could." Rescue work is very rewarding but sometimes it is difficult. For every happy ending there are many more that aren't happy. Countless volunteers have lived through heartbreaking experiences and come out of them wondering if they will be able to do it again...only to see another sad gray face with those haunting eyes pop up in their email needing transport, vet care, fostering or just human attention. We wish that there wasn't a need for any animal rescues, but there is. We don't like to see sick dogs but we do enjoy seeing them come to life in our care. We love to see a dog come out of it's shell and learn to trust humans again. We feel a sense of pride and satisfaction when we watch one of our fosters leave our home with their new family. We do this because if we didn't, who would care for the Gracies in the world?

God bless every one of the people in this world who take time to care for something in need, whether it be animal, human or a cause.