Griffin's Journey

In my last post, I shared how much Griffin enjoyed visiting my Dad and Donna, and swimming in the pool!  We also spent some time with Jody and her girls, Bethany and Shayna.  We went for a walk in Belmont Lake State Park where Griffin checked out a few swans!

While Griffin and I enjoy celebrating Independence Day, Griffin is not a fan of fireworks.  I purchase a special drug, Sileo, each year which helps to desensitize Griffin to the noise of the fireworks without sedating him.  This year, however, our neighborhood has been rocked by fireworks every night for the past month (sometimes until 3am!), and so while Griffin is still not a fan of fireworks, he has become somewhat desensitized to them, with a lot less shaking, panting, and drooling than in previous years.  We went for a long walk this morning to enjoy the park and show off Griffin’s festive collar.

From our little family to yours, may this Independence Day sparkle with good times!  Stay safe!  xoxo Stacy

And enjoy this moment of Hudson River zen!

As we are now officially in the summer season, the days are growing warmer and in NYC, that means more humidity as well.  On the humid days, Griffin’s energy is sapped much more quickly, so I was especially appreciative of Rene’s post on Tripawds about cooling vests.  I purchased the Ruffwear Jet Stream vest in size medium, which Griffin is proudly modeling below!  I wasn’t sure how the vest would actually cool him off if after soaking it I am supposed to wring it out, but the vest really did hold onto the water in the gray section.  It wasn’t a particularly hot day when he first tried it out, but he seemed to like it.  I like that his back is covered because he has a dark spot where his hair hasn’t grown back all the way (his oncologist said the dark spot can be a side effect of chemo with light colored dogs) and because his regular harness fits easily over the cooling vest.

We traveled to Long Island yesterday to visit my Dad and Donna.  Since the first floor of their house is all hardwood floors, I fitted Griffin with toe caps on all 4 front nails and on the 2 longest back nails on each of his hind legs to help provide grip.  They seem to be working quite well – he is able to get up easily without scrambling.  The toe caps also are good protection for the pool liner!

As soon as we arrived at the house, Griffin made a beeline for the pool!  So, I buckled him into his life jacket, and off he went!  Afterwards, I was able to dry him off using the special, personalized towel that my dear friend Virginia gifted to Griffin!

I hope your summer is off to a fun start like Griffin’s!  xoxo Stacy

Griffin had a physical therapy appointment yesterday, his second at Advanced Canine Rehabilitation in Warren, NJ.  His therapist, David, did a lot of body work on Griffin, which I could tell was uncomfortable for him at times because his muscles were tight.  However, after an hour of stretching and massaging, Griffin was as loose as a limp noodle and happily showed off that he could do his flexibility exercises with ease.  About a week ago, I noticed that Griffin was walking with a different gait on a pretty regular basis – extending his back legs to move them more independently rather than using the quick 1-2 hop that he had adopted since his surgery – so I shared with David the video below.  David said that the new gait actually looked really good and was a positive sign that Griffin was figuring out how to walk a bit more naturally as a tripawd.  Whoo hoo!

The last time I cooked for Griffin, I doubled the recipe and squeezed out 19 portions.  It’s a good thing my freezer is half empty to fit so many containers!

Griffin loves his bolster bed, happily snoozing for hours and occasionally checking that I’m still around!

We have settled into a regular routine with the wagon coming with us on all but the shortest of walks.  In addition to the workout I get from pushing this 60 lb boy around, I’m also building muscles when lifting him into and out of the wagon multiple times on each walk!

My boy sure does keep me laughing with his antics!  We hope you had a great week.  Stay safe and wear a mask!  xoxo Stacy

Griffin had his third round of chemotherapy on Friday and again, thankfully, does not seem to have suffered any side effects.  He was a little tired that day, but his appetite remained normal and he bounced back with energy yesterday.  I’ve started taking the wagon on our morning walks to make sure that Griffin is not overdoing it.  We start with Griffin walking and me pushing the wagon – a bit of a logistical challenge.  Once we arrive at the park, we go back and forth with Griffin riding for a bit and walking for a bit, with a little fetch thrown in, but then he rides back the whole way from the end of the park.  Griffin recently learned he could sit up while I was pushing the wagon (he’s never been one to sit up while riding in the car, either), and that has pretty much been his preferred vantage point since then.  Griffin’s new snuffle mat arrived yesterday and the first test drive was a success (see videos below).  I think it’s a bit difficult for him to sniff out the treats from a standing position because his legs are so long, but he figured out that he could also find them from a laying position, too!  Overall, it’s been a good week and we are looking forward to Griffin’s next rehab appointment (yay for a trip to New Jersey!) on Friday.

Stay safe and wear a mask!  xoxo Stacy

Griffin hanging out at the park and enjoying the river view!

Griffin getting twisty while doing nightly passive range of motion exercises and then taking a snooze with his favorite toy, Eagle!

Griffin enjoys the view from a sitting position in his chariot where he saw people jet skiing in the river!

Griffin checking out his new snuffle mat.  I hope these nose work activities will help keep him entertained and mentally challenged!

It’s been a pretty regular week for Griffin and me.  We had a few hot and humid days, and I saw how much more quickly Griffin became fatigued in that weather, so Griffin’s chariot will be getting a lot more use.  The highlight of our week was a visit today from my friend of 37 years, Jody.  She is the first family we have seen since Griffin’s surgery, and he was so excited that he was pretty much glued to her side for the entire visit!

Griffin and Jody

I’m always amazed at the wildlife that I see in NYC.  This little guy was next to a spot where Griffin pooped, and I’m not sure I would have seen him had I not bent to the ground to clean up.

NYC garter snake

It also amazes me that I can mix 6 capsules of vitamins, colostrum, and mushrooms, plus 20 tea pills of Chinese herbs into one cup of Griffin’s home made meals, and he licks the bowl clean each time!

Griffin’s latest batch of home cooked meals

Enjoy these videos of Griffin playing and exploring!  xoxo Stacy