Vito

10/26/2021

02/06/2021

😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

10/19/2020

With a heavy heart...
We had to make the difficult decision to let Vito rest and cross over to the Rainbow Bridge. He seemed to be doing slightly better as the evening went on, but then he had a seizure around 9:30pm. Seizures in old dogs typically means there's a brain tumor. With the way his legs have been going out on him and a couple incidences of passing out, he likely had a couple things going on in addition to his kidney failure that he just wasn't going to recover from.
Thank you all for praying for him and us, and cheering him on especially in his last couple years with his major medical crises.
Run free little boy. We love you so so much!!!😘😭😭😭💔💔💔

10/18/2020

Vito is not well at all 😔. He's been having a hard time walking for a couple months but nothing major. He has an appointment for rehabilitation therapy next Sunday and a recheck on his kidneys/internal medicine Tuesday. We're hoping he can make it to Tuesday so we can figure out what's going on with him before we potentially have to make a tough decision. This past week he's been the worst and seems to be getting worse by the day. Please pray for our little old man 😭🙏🙏🙏💔.
In the meantime, Gioia has been watching over him and makes sure she wakes someone up if he's pacing in the kitchen or if she's concerned about him in any way 🥰❤.

10/02/2020

Got a new "My Pillow" dog bed for Vito cuz he kept rolling out of the other bed... now he gets sucked into this one and can't get out 😅.
All 3 dogs take turns with the big bed.

09/26/2020

The specialist requested videos of Vito walking, walking fast, and trotting... then this happened 😂🤣😂

09/18/2020

09/07/2020

Vito with my mom 😂🤣😂.
Every single time.

Ever time... 🙄

holyflaps.co.uk

09/01/2020

Vito made it through his procedure 🥰❤🙏

09/01/2020

Round 3
He was really unhappy with the food and water restrictions this time. Definitely aired his grievances 😅

08/30/2020

2 years ago today, we thought we were going to lose Vito. Almost rushed him to the ER to put him down. 2 years later he's still trucking and doing fairly well 🙏❤❤❤

08/13/2020

Vito is doing well! Bounced back quickly. Appetite fully returned. He got his two injections yesterday and was started on CBD oil for overall body stiffness that he'll be on for the rest of his life. It doesn't impact any organ systems so it's safe for his renal disease. 😍🥰❤

08/12/2020

Vito made it through his procedure! 🙌🙏
Going home at 5

08/12/2020

Injection #2 x2

08/01/2020

🤣🤣🤣

07/24/2020

The boy in action 🥰❤

07/24/2020

Vito's DogLeggs Shoulder Stability Device has arrived! He's doing exceptionally well for the most part. We could tell almost immediately Thursday morning he was already walking better from his first set of injections alone 🙏🙌🙌🙌❤
Another plus he really pulls off the look 😂🥰

07/23/2020

This is what Vito was measured for today! Hopefully he let's me put it on without biting me 😂🤣😂😅😳😬

Medial Shoulder Syndrome (MSS) and Medial Shoulder Instability (MSI) can affect dogs of all breeds and ages. MSS and MSI are typically caused by overuse of the shoulder. However, slips and other trauma might also contribute to discomfort and dysfunction of the joint. Symptoms of MSS and MSI include discomfort, lameness and performance issues. If not properly treated, shoulder instability can lead to osteoarthritis. In all cases of MSS and MSI, use of a shoulder support system is necessary. The DogLeggs’® Shoulder Stabilization System protects and supports the shoulder. It limits movement to allow proper healing of the joint. Our Shoulder Stabilization System is often used and recommended by veterinarians for the management and treatment of MSS or MSI.
http://ow.ly/S8WB50ApXk7

07/23/2020

Vito is home! 🙌🙏
It was a rough drive home... he wouldn't sit, then finally he did and he was very uncomfortable. He whimpered several times on the way home. I drove as cautiously as possible, but I did still have to drive. People were mad and flew around me and cut me off 🤷‍♀️. He's 15 and just had a rough, painful procedure. Sorry, not sorry 💁‍♀️.
He has to have a repeat procedure in 3 weeks and again 3 weeks after that. Next time, someone will be with me when I pick him up so he can be held/stabilized in the car so we don't repeat that. He is on strict rest. Only allowed outside on a leash for 6 weeks after each procedure... so he'll be leashed for several months 😬. He already hates it. He was allowed a small amount of food around 7 but he refused; very atypical for Vito. He's been drinking a lot of water and finally just ate some about a half hour ago after 26 hours of fasting + not eating. He's exhausted, he's painful, but he's in good spirits when he's up. They measured him for his shoulder stability device so I ordered that right away once we got home and upgraded to overnight shipping, so it should arrive Friday since it was after they closed today.
SO glad we brought him in. Many people think at 15 years old there's nothing else to do, but sometimes there's more options than you'd think 🥰❤.

07/22/2020

He's in recovery and ready to be picked up at 5🙌🙌🙏🙏🙏

07/22/2020

Vito is waiting for a surgery ahead of him and then he'll be knocked out for his plasma injections in his shoulders. His left shoulder ligaments are worse than the right, but both are bad so he will be getting injections in both. They're taking measurements for us to order a shoulder stability device to make sure his legs don't splay and keep them in the direction God intended them to be in. He could've done physical therapy/rehabilitation first, but with his much he hates car rides and physical contact, despite the anesthesia risks, this seems like the best option for him. 🤞🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤

07/22/2020

Dropped off the boy this morning for this procedure 😭 🙏🙏🙏
He was not amused.

07/19/2020

So they ended up having some emergencies today and were not able to fit in Vito's procedures so he will be getting done Wednesday. His kidneys are worse and they noticed how much older he's looking... since they saw him in February; we see it too. Just gotta keep him as comfortable as possible for whatever time he has left.
Now we have to starve him again Tuesday into Wednesday so he's ready to go for his anesthesia.

07/18/2020

Vito is hanging out at VSC. He had his typical internal medicine recheck with blood and urine checks, but he has severe muscle atrophy which is causing the lameness in the left front leg. They're going to sedate him and give him a plasma injection in the shoulder and take xrays and measurements for a brace to give him more stability. Dr. Robbins will call with an update when he's done. ❤
Grateful there's still options to help our 15+ year old man feel more comfortable at his age 🥰 ...he may hate me for a few days first though 😬

07/18/2020

🥰❤

07/18/2020

😩 Only been cut off of food for 3 hours... been begging for about 1.5 hours... it's going to be a rough night for all. Water gets cut at 3am.
Check up tomorrow with internal medicine and an orthopedic consult.

07/01/2020

😬✌🏼

06/13/2020

Vito still isn't doing super great with his legs. He starts improving, but then gets in a tizzy and paces and circles the house and he reverts. He's been resting pretty well so far today and yesterday because Thursday was his overactive day and that really took a toll on him. His appetite has never wavered; in fact it has increased 😅. I bought 10 runners to make him a path in the kitchen and to the dining room rug so he has traction throughout. They were "assorted" and you didn't get a choice of patterns. There were at least 5 options. I planned on it being super ugly and a hodgepodge of random patterns. So grateful Menards in Glendale Heights had all 10 in one pattern when I arrived for my order pickup, and they're not hideous!
I don't have to pick him up and carry him in or out unless he's really bad and he really prefers I don't 😅. He literally runs away from me in the yard to I can't grab him 😂😭. I had been feeding him on the dog bed while holding the bowl if he resting there, or in Gioia's house, which he loves to be in. He also runs in there to get away from me so I don't pick him up 😆.
Last night I had his food bowl in my hand and opened Gioia's house door to feed him and he blew past me and ran to the kitchen for his normal feeding station. Faster than lightening! 😂
I guess similar to selective hearing, it's selective running 🤣.

06/09/2020

It's been a rough weekend for Vito... he's doing pretty poorly, actually. His kidneys are pretty stable, but my parental units went out of town for the weekend and Vito either stood at the front door, in the kitchen, or was constantly circling the house looking for my mom until the next morning when he couldn't walk. It hurt him so badly that he was screaming in pain when he just went to move or adjust to a more comfortable position. I increased his pain medications to 3 times a day and added on a NSAID. He was doing a little better Sunday morning, but then my parents came home and Vito kept trying to chase my mom every time she left his sight line. Needless to say he was back to square one and maybe even worse. He's mostly choosing to cage rest himself in Gioia's house (they all love each other's houses 🤷‍♀️; Vito loves Gioia's, Gioia loves Georgia's, and Georgia loves Vito's 💁‍♀️). If he has been too active, we close the door so he has to rest, but for the most part, they've been coexisting pretty well with all 3 loose. I was doing to post sometime this weekend, but I'm completely exhausted from having to pick him up and carry him outside (I'm not supposed to lift more than 10lbs but he literally cannot walk more than 10 feet without near collapsing so there's really no option), plus bringing his food and water to him and holding it up so he can eat and drink without having to get up and cause more pain, plus a baby opossum rescue mission. I touched near the painful area to see if I could feel an obvious fracture and he flinched in pain with barely any touching. Since he can't hardly walk, there was pretty much no way I could bring him to the vet (work) myself because he will not lay down in the car and he's too weak to sit up on his own so my mom held him on her lap both ways. I was extremely nervous he had osteosarcoma. That would've been an instant death sentence. If the leg wasn't already broken, it would've snapped at any time. Amputation would not have been an option as he is 15+ years old, already has hip dysplasia (we have known this since he was a puppy and had left hip surgery at 9 months old), and usually osteosarcoma is already spread elsewhere by the time it is caught. Brought him in bawling, knowing it was possible we'd have to make a decision today.
Thank God his xray was clear of cancer! 🙏🙏🙏🙌 No bone fractures or abnormalities were observed on the xray, so it could be soft tissue, muscular, or nerve injury.
For now the plan is to keep going on current meds and try to keep him as quiet and confined as possible. Most of his toe grips have been removed as they work well in the kitchen on the laminate, but they keep getting caught on fabric, like the dog beds, and potentially causing further injury. Every leg now except his right front is very weak and he is still very painful. We're hoping with time he will heal, as he was doing fantastic Friday before my mom left, but he is also geriatric, so we'll have to see how things go and take it one day at a time. 🥰😔😭❤

06/03/2020

There was a struggle... but Vito has had his Dr. Buzby's nail grips on for a full 24 hours!
Definitely easier for him to navigate the kitchen with less slipping! 🙏
He's got his fancy nails on! 🤭😆