Bianco's Update from Home - June 29 till 30

Bianco's been home 3 days now, today inclusive.

His appetite has improved quite a bit and hes drinking more water when we feed him from the bowl. Tats also a reason why he has been peeing a lot these few days. We have also started feeding him calcium pills and done a stew and blend of chicken necks as Concordia told us that the bones from the chicken necks are good natural source of calcium... but it has to be boiled really long to soften the bones.

Eating twice a day, he has yet to pass any motion as yet since he came back from the hospital. The last time he poo was last Friday evening when we went to see him. We stopped the calcium pills and chicken neck mix yesterday as we were concern that it might cause constipation. We were a little worried and called Concordia to check with her how can we help him to pass motion. She told us to add some olive oil to his food to help his bowels.

We did that yesterday evening during his feed and was hoping that at night, he would poo.. but he didnt... today morning, I was thinking that by noon if he does not poo, I'll have to call Concordia for further advise. My last 7 mins before I leave home, was spending some time with him and he poo-ed!!! It's amazing when he does little wonders like this to just ease my worry. The first was before his surgery and now this. Its funny how this little guy reassures just when it was at the height of a worry.

It was nice of Concordia to call today to check on Bianco and she was glad that everything is alright. At the mention of 'Aunty' referring to Concordia, Bianco will raise his ears and look around for her.....

We have also been doing his routine rotation of his joints on all 4 legs once every 2.5hrs.......hopefully it will help to strengthen his muscles especially on his hind legs. Today, as I was doing some stretching on his hinds, I spread open his paws wide and tickled him .... his muscles flex a little and there was some real slight resistance trying to pull back..... hopefully its a good sign

Everyday during his feed, we will support him to stand up on all fours while eating. Hopefully it will help on his digestion and also help strengthen his muscles everyday.

Will try to take some videos during his feed tomorrow as my leave will start Tuesday PM till Friday. Hopefully during tis week, there'll be more improvements before seeing Dr Tan on Saturday.

Bianco's Home - June 28

1st Picture: Taken while he was sleeping on my lap, on the way back home
2nd and 3rd Picture: Bianco and Tequila on Bianco's new mattress
4th Picture: Taken when they were taking a snooze at night

It was great to have Bianco home finally....

We went to see Dr Tan at 10.30am to speak to him and at the same time have Bianco discharged.

Bianco's temperature was back to normal but there was no session for hydrotherapy just to be safe and keep his temprature at check. When speaking to Dr Tan, he told us that he has spoken to a Neuro Surgeon who treats humans and he told him that it'll take about 2-6mths to see any improvements. In the meanwhile, he feels that Bianco, coming back home to us, with lots of TLC, would recover faster. We too hope so that he would as we will try to get him back on his feet ASAP (of course allowing him to take him time to do so too).

Dr Tan told us to come back a week later for a review and he will speak to us on the possibility of starting accupuncture for Bianco.

Bianco can eat normal food and recommended would be a mix of proteins, carbohydrates and vegs........and of course with his dosage of medication including all the vitamins, liver pills and anti-biotics.

We have to also incorporate the flexing of his muscles and joints from time to time as he can't use his hind legs as yet. So looks like we have to go trigger happy on his joints and muscles....

On our way back home, we had to get meat, fish, carrots and broccoli for him so that we can cook for him the next couple of days.

The moment Tequila saw Bianco, he can't wait to be let out of the kitchen. We settled Bianco on his new mattress and he was just feeling so tired.

It sure wasn't easy looking after him. There were a lot of washings to be done on the towels, a lot of changing of the pee pads from time to time so that his skin would be always kept dry.... and also a lot of cleaning him up after each pee.

As he is drinking a lot of water since he got back, directly from the bowl, he has been peeing quite a lot. Each time when he pees, we would have to stand him out to help him express out any urine that might still in his bladder. Otherwise it will cause bladder infection. However, he has not pass any motion yet.

His appetite is still good.. so for that we are not concerned about it.

A day's of taking care of him really left me dead tired at the end of the day. He slept in our room on the flr and I heard from Davion that he has been whining quite a lot during the night. But I guess I was so tired that I didn't hear any of it, considering that I was a light sleeper.

Looking at the amount of care he needs, its is definitely going to be trying and challenging.. but with the help of my love ones.. I'm sure that we can rough it out with Bianco......

Bianco's Update - June 27

Today, when we went to visit him in the evening, we were told that he has a slight temperature.... it could be becoz after the hydrotherapy, they showered him that caused it.

He has been feeling bored the last few days and looking listless..... but hes still eating and drinking well.

Even when we spent time with him tis evening, he was just dozing off. We just let him relax a little as we didn't want to aggravate his temperature to rise.

We checked with Concordia on what should his diet be and she said that Bianco requires the same nutrients as humans. That means rice for carbohydrates, meat, fish, vegs...... am surprised to hear that as I was told by a staff in a pet shop that it is not good to feed them rice.... hhhmmm

After we left the hospital, we went to get a few things for Bianco in preparation for his return tomorrow.. we bought for him a small pillow, a litte mattress and pee pads.... will have to get his diapers for him and calcium pills tomorrow.... and also do some grocery shopping for him.

When we got home, we cleaned the flooring so that it will be clean for his return tomorrow.

We have made an appt to see Dr Tan tomorrow and at the same time discharge Bianco. Dr Tan has informed Concordia that he would like to speak to us about the option of considering accupuncture. Guess, we'll have to see what he has to say on this tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, do keep checking his site as I will continue to update on his progress even when he is back home...

Do keep him in your prayers everytime.... THANKS!

Bianco's Update - June 26

First 2 pictures: Bianco feeling tired and bored

Next 2 pictures: His stitches were all taken off today as his wounds have already healed

Vidoe: Bianco trying to stand on all fours

Concordia called me this morning to inform me that they have been trying to stand Bianco on all fours. Although his hind legs has tighten a little, it is still weak.

The good thing is that he is able to be discharged this Saturday and come back home. They feel that he is getting bored at the hospital and is not making much progress if he continues staying. Therefore, they would rather he comes back home to us and would be more motivated to move more.

Dr Tan has spoken to a spine expert and both feels optimistic abt his condition.

They gave him a hydrotherapy this morning and hes still moving his front legs but not his hind.

We went to see him at night and he does look tired. Perhaps it was because of the hydrotherapy. Concordia thought that he was pretty quiet today, not much response from him till he saw us in the evening. She told me that today they suspended him on all fours for about 30mins. Perhaps that explains his tiredness....

However, we still make sure that he did some exercise with his legs, both front and hind.... just to try to strengthen them overtime. So with my bro's help, we tried to stand him again for about 3 times, each about 3 mins ... in 15mins frequency.....

We left when he was started dozing off.....

We will be seeing him early saturday morning to witness him doing hydrotherapy.. wil ltry to get some snap shots during his session.... ther are also many things to do in preparation for his coming back home. Therefore we will need to check with Dr Tan to see what he needs....

We cant wait for him to come back home.. .and I'll be taking leave to take care of him while his back.. and Dav will take care of him the next 2 wks... hopefully we'll be able to see more improvements during his time with us. I guess he would also need his weekly hydrotherapy..........

Bianco's Update - June 24 till 25

We didn't take any pictures these 2 days as there isn't much improvements on Bianco's condition.

Mt Pleasant have started hydrotherapy yesterday on Bianco for a short while. Initially I was a little concerned as he has never been in a pool before. However, they told me that he wasn't frightened about being in the pool. He managed to waddle a bit using his 2 front legs.. but his hind legs were still...... they also were hoping to see him using his hind legs and they think that perhaps hes still not ready to use them yet.

I have also found ticks on him and been told that its inavoidable since its a pet hospital.. they gave him frontline.. hopefully it will help to control the situation.

Today (June 25), I was told that they will not do hydrotherapy on him today since they applied frontline on him yesterday. At the same time, they didn't want to stress him up too much, in case he rejects the hydrotheraphy sessions. So, hydrotherapy sessions will be done on alternate days instead.

They have also stopped the injecting of medicine and fed him the medicines orally. Bianco is getting to know that each injection will inflict pain and he is trying to snap at them each time they inject him. Since he is eating it orally without much force, I told them to just continue with his oral feeds.

Bianco looked tired today and didn't feel up to doing anything much. We managed to get him standing on fours trying to place his hind legs standing.... his hind legs muscles tightened and he managed to stand up on his hind legs without support for a second or two. We hope that its a good sign..... we'll try to do that with him again tomorrow and will try to take a video/photo on us doing that with him.

Look out for that :)

Bianco's Update - June 23

Top Picture: Bianco's left hind leg with stitches and some bruises

Lower Picture: Stitches on the body where the insertion of the metal plate took place and bruises on the body caused by the accident

Today we spent time with Bianco, out on the hospital flr where he can shift his upper body left and right.

From the video, we can also see distinctive wagging of the tail that was not so apparent the last few days.

There's still no improvement on his hind legs. We tried standing him up but his hind legs were just limp and touching the flr like a puppet on strings.

Concordia told us that Bianco is not drinking water from the bowl. We tried to get him to drink water from the bowl and he did. I think he was just being selective on whos feeding him. We left him on the flr to just explore his suroundings. However, he did not managed to move much. It was still the left and right movements that we usually get from him. But what we observed was that he was able to bend more side by side then he did previously.

We are still trying to encourage him to use his hind legs. We will always try to stand him up so that he can feel the flr using his hind legs and hopefully see some improvements overtime.

Bianco's Update - June 22

1st and 2nd Picture: Bianco's cardboard taken off him
3rd Picture: Bianco eating some chicken meat off a plate

Bianco's cardboard has been removed today. This allows him better movements and he is able to explore his surroundings better.

He had also been rejecting water from the bowl. Therefore, Concordia suggested water to be added to his chicken, to entice him to drink some water. As seen in the 3rd picture, it worked! He was slurping it up and we just topped the water up for him before allowing him to eat the chicken.

We are still looking for signs on his hind legs movements, but still nothing as yet. However, we are quite please with his front legs movements tho he is not able to push his upper half body up with his front legs... guess we have to take it slow and see his progress.

Each time when we visit him, we will massage his legs and do simple joint rotation for all legs.

Bianco's drip and pee tube have been removed. Tho he is able to pee on his own, he still requires help to express his pee as the accident may have damaged some nerves or otherwise, his nerves around his bladder may still be sore/bruised. Hopefully overtime, he would be able to pee on his own.. but right now, he'll require the use of diapers and pee pads to keep him dry.

His wound is healing well and in about 3 days time, they may remove some of his stitches and try to get him to try hydrotherapy.

Today, we are encouraged to carry him out of his cage and seat him on our lap. We were advised to carefully support his body as it is still quite sore after the surgery and fragile.

Finally, hes able to feel our body warmth next to him and he was just feeling so relaxed.

Bianco's Update - June 21

Top 4 pictures: Taken at Bianco's recuperating area 4 days after surgery

1st Video: Bianco yapping away and drinking from a bowl

2nd Video: Bianco snoozing away after a long day.....

It's 4 days since his surgery and hes recuperating better. He's more alert now as they have taken the morphine off him.

He has also started drinking water on his own off the plate and his appetite is better compared to the last few days.

Bianco has been trying to move his two front paws, shifting himself from left - right - left. Although his hind legs still have deep pain sensation present after the surgery, his hind legs are still limp and unable to move, always being pressed down by the back weight of his body. At times, he'll just fall over on his side because the hind legs are not strong enough to support the lower half of his body.

They have changed to a better cardboard, wrapping around his body and have decided to not use a cast. Reason being is that with a cardboard, Dr Tan is able to check on his wound and stitches as and when required. His wound and stitches are recovering well and the cardboard may soon be removed.

His yapping has intensified and calls out to us more, whenever we visit and we have been informed that he is starting to get defensive and growling at nurses whom he is unfamiliar with.

But right now, he will still need to stay in the cage and not be handled too often so that the metal plate on his vertebrae can set in better.

Recovery at Mt Pleasant - June 18 till 20

Top 2 pictures: 2 days after the surgery (They had to partially shave Bianco as he was still panting heavily)
Last picture: 3 days after the surgery (They shaved him clean so that he'll feel more comfortable by keeping him cool)

After the surgery, Bianco was moved to Mt Pleasant at the Referral Centre as only Dr Tan's patients are kept there for recovery. They told us that Bianco will need to stay at the Referral Centre for 2 wks.... besides monitoring his condition, they will also need to access how much he can recover during these 2 wks.....

He started eating (some digestible chicken meat) on the 2nd day after surgery. His appetite is somewhat mild compared to his usual self but that is to be expected since after that horrific incident. However, he still have not started much water. Besides the drip that was on him, the water he drinks is given only through a syringe.

His front paws are starting to move a little and he can lift his neck up a little higher than before, to take a better look at us when we visit him. The nurse, Concordia, that looks after Bianco has also placed a fan in front of him to keep him cool so that it will help to regulate his panting. Fortunately, his temperature has remained normal....

Bianco has also started to yap when he sees us.... but his yapping sounded different.... it would be something he would do when he wants to 'talk' to us. I believe more so a complain for now really.... for awhile, Concordia thought that he was yapping in pain. But after awhile, she realized that he only does that when he sees my mum and me.

He has yet to wag his tail..but we are hoping that it will slowly progress and see some improvements over time. Slowly but gradually.......JIA YOU Bianco!

June 17 - Meeting with Bianco's Bone Surgeon

We met Dr Tan whos overseeing the surgery for Bianco.

It was about 10am in the morning as he ran through the x-ray that he had taken, which was clearer than the previous one taken at Sunset Way.

From the x-ray, he explained Bianco's spinal cord is fractured and that a surgery requiring the insertion of a metal plate has to be inserted to hold his vertebrae together. He added that we should make the decision soonest as it involves nerves that are living and any delayed decision may cause these nerves to die. Once the nerves are dead, it is really useless for anything. Besides this, Dr Tan also mentioned that there are other things to consider - the hefty cost of the surgery including the post surgery recuperation. The other thing that we should take note is the amount of care required for Bianco after the surgery.

Putting all these aside, my only concern was if Bianco can survive the surgery - the experience that he has been through since June 14, will it be too much for my little one, to put him through a surgery? Dr Tan said that Bianco has more than 90% chance of surviving the surgery.... the 10% is to consider his bruised liver and whatever complications that may occur during the surgery. With that 90% chance, we told Dr Tan to proceed with the surgery. As far as we are concern, keeping Bianco alive is our utmost priority and at the same time, giving him another chance at possibly being able to stand again.

We were told to go and see Bianco before his surgery took place. This little fighter of ours was calling out to us.... something that we have not seen in days .... sounds like an assurance to us that hes going to be alright.... and its a huge relieve to see a reaction like that from him before his surgery. I can't help it but it did put a smile on my face.

The surgery took about 3.5hrs and at 3.30pm that same day, I received a call from Dr Tan that the surgery was a success. However, the next 3-4 days will be critical, as they will have to monitor Bianco to see if he has any reaction to the post surgery recuperation.

We were allowed to see him that very evening but he was going in and out of consciousness due to the morphine that he was given. He has this cardboard wrapped around his lower body to give some support. There wasn't much response from him that day... but we were just glad that he made it through the surgery. For the recovery, we would have to take it day by day.

June 15-16, 2008

The next two days of wait was excruciating.... every night when I sleep, I pray that I dun get calls during the night. Every call that I receive, my heart skips a beat. The only solace I get is when I see a familiar number on my phone.

Everyday, the vet will be taking Bianco's blood to run tests. Tests on his internal organs to keep a check on it and also making sure that his blood count is within the acceptable range.

As it has been 2 days after the accident, his left hand side of his body started to swell and we can see distinct patches of bruising. There were quite a lot of abrasion on his skin caused by the accident, but that is the last thing on our mind.

His panting got heavier and we were a little concern as we do not know if hes feeling too hot. His temperature during these 2 days were slightly on the high side (approx. 39.5)

Everyday, Dr Goh and the nurses will poke him and press his hind legs and tail to check to see if his pain sensation is still present... and there were good indications that his reaction to these pokes and pinches are more apparent.. which was a positive sign. The only concern is his bruised liver.

On June 16 evening, Dr Goh took Bianco's blood test once again in the evening to check on his internal organs. Results came out good (except the liver which was still bruised). Nevertheless, he suggested that we speak to a bone surgeon soonest to determine the possibility of a surgery as we shouldn't delay it any further.

An appointment was fixed with Dr Tan the next day on June 17.

THE FATEFUL DAY...... Saturday, June 14, 2008

We have read so much articles, stories and reports on negligence by groomers. But never have I imagined that it can happen to my little one.

That fateful day happened when I left Bianco with the groomer on Saturday, June 14 at about 11.30am. All it took was just 45mins after I left, to receive a call from the petshop that Bianco was involved in an accident as he ran out of the door when a customer walked in. I was told that the driver who knocked him down took him to the clinic at Sunset Way. The moment I heard about the accident, my body turned cold and all I could think was the worst. The only thing that I was grateful for, was that it wasn't a hit and run situation.

I rushed down to Mt Pleasant on Sunset Way, preparing for the worst. There laid Bianco unable to move and he was wet. The vet at the clinic spoke to me as they have gotten his x-ray done immediately when he was admitted. She told me that the accident fractured his spinal cord and the damage of it is unknown. At the time, the only information that I knew were the followings:

- brought in collapsed, panting, cyanotic with large bruise on his LHS body
- open wound on left lateral tarsal region, able to visualize ligaments and hyperthermic
- was advised that condition is not stable and might have internal organ damage due to the heat stroke that he suffered which brought his temperature to about 41degree celcius. Temperature was brought down to normal using cold shower and drip
- was advised that heat stroke is life threatening and condition might deteriorate in the next 1-2 days if internal organs were damaged

We were asked to send Bianco to Mt Pleasant on Whitley as there is 24hrs nursing care who can take care of him. We admitted him and he was immediately cared for coz his temperature went below the normal temperature and they took over from there.

Dr Goh told us that the next 2-3 days will be critical for him as they have found that his liver was bruised due to the accident and his other concern was his internal organs which they had no idea at then if it was alright. So they'll be looking out for signs like blood in his urine/stool and his bloodcount.

The other concern that they had was that he may lose his deep sensation as no one knew what extent the damage of the accident did to his nerves.

They placed him on a high dosage of pain relief and he was just in and out of consciousness. Throughout he can still recognize us as the only thing that he can move are his eyes..... and all we hope is that he can go through a surgery that will help to improve his life and also give him that chance to continue living.

At the moment, their main concern is to stabilize his condition before even deciding if hes fit to proceed with the surgery. Its that anxious two days wait that we live each day not knowing how his condition is going to be and with each day.. our prayers went out to him.

**Please note that this incident shared, is NOT with any intent to pin point the fault of anyone or even the mention of names.

Some pictures of Bianco before the Accident

Bianco Sleeping

Bianco wearing Shrek's ears

Introduction of Bianco

Top Picture: Tequila (9mths old) and Bianco (3mths old)

Bottom Picture: Bianco at 3mths old

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Just an introduction of my little one.

This was Bianco when he was 3 mths old. I got him in Melbourne, Australia, as a companion for Tequila, when I was there for studies. His birthdate is on the 17th July 2001.

Since the day he was with me, he became a part of me and Tequila. And when I brought him and Tequila back home to Singapore in 2002, they became a part of my family, the TAN family.

Bianco has always had a different character from Tequila. He is very antisocial, afraid of strangers and never feel safe to be alone. I think the only thing that keeps him safe, was to have Tequila with him during the day while we are all at work.

Otherwise, most often, he will either tag along with me or my mum, feeling the safe haven.

To think that my mum never liked animals. Guess they changed her school of thoughts for the time that they have both been with us (till now, it is approximately 6.5yrs).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Previously, the dogs that I have kept, were never a part of the family for long. It was due to me being young to understand the responsibility of keeping a pet. I have always love dogs and wanted to keep them to call them my own. That day came when I took responsibility for not one but two. Two lives in my hands that I have to answer for if anything happens to them.

At the back of my mind.. I have always been thinking about the lifespan of a dog. How they differ from one breed to another. 12-16yrs seem like a long time.... but its never too long when something eventful takes place. Yes.... something happened to Bianco when we left him with a groomer on June 14, 2008. Since then, every second, minute and hour counts. Every breath he takes count and every day he lives..... a blessing. Spend time with your little one(s) and love them like you would a child as they too deserve compassion and humanity.

No matter what, for both Tequila and Bianco, each has a special place in our hearts.........

Apologize for the delay... will start bloggin soon....

Dear all,
I do apologize for not blogging this site as yet.

I am currently in the midst of getting some pictures of Bianco, previous and current to load them up. Do be assured that I'll update all of you on his condition and progress....

Thank you all once again for your kind patience, well-wishes.. support and prayers.....

Thank you!!! From the bottom of my heart!!