Happy Birthday Vinny

Happy Birthday to my Vinny the Pooh. He's 5 months today. I've been having trouble with blogger lately as it seems many times I can't sign in or my posts don't seem to get posted. I have to keep saving drafts now lately so that when that happens I don't feel frustrated and forget about putting up pictures. This picture was taken at the beginning of the month. Click on it for a larget view. He's even bigger now! Look how regal he looks. I'm going to try again to get some up here and hopefully it will work. If not, you can always visit my flickr photo page for pictures. I haven't been able to take any the last couple of weeks since my camera died, but Christmas is coming soon so that should change. :o) I wanted to write some of what the vet said the last few visits and one of the things she types in his report is that he has a 2/5 lameness in the leg. I don't always go to the appointments as it is often easier for Richard to take him in before work since we have one car. The vet says in his report though that he's always bright, alert, responsive, his parameters are normal and that he uses the limb with a grade 2/5 lameness. It would be nice to know what that means. She also says there's a decreased range of motion in the flexion. I don't even know what a flexion is. All I know is that I expected some lameness and decreased range of motion. She says the exercises are really helping though. He still hasn't had any pins removed, the little bones weren't healing nicely enough, although the big bone looks good. She wants to take that screw out sometime this year and I'm sure she's trying to avoid too much decrepancy in the length of the limbs since the fracture was on the growth plate. He needs to go in next week and so far the vet has only been charging us for the xrays which is very nice. It has been around $70 each time, for awhile it was weekly, but lately she only sees him once every two weeks. We're getting some glucasomine tablets this weekend so he should start on those. He's such a little sweetie still and a little chow hound. I never knew how fast he could grow, I can't believe how big he is now. He's bigger then his big sister, but she's also a little peanut. He just loves to eat and lately his favorite treat is chicken flavored rawhides. He goes at them until all the flavor is on his paws and face. His little baby teeth are so adorable. So far they are coming in straight and we just keep asking him to show us his "teef" because they are so darned cute. He's become Richard's little baby more and more. He can't wait for Richard to come home and he watches him intently when he is home and he's doing stuff in the house. He loves it when Richard lets him put Jake to sleep. Richard will hold Vinny's harness and let Vinny sleep on the bed and put Jake to sleep like he did when he was a little puppy. It's the sweetest thing and after puppy kisses the other night, Jake said, "I am the luckiest boy in the world." That says it all. We ARE so lucky and we take nothing for granted. I'm working now and slowly things are improving for us. I missed 3 days last week when I had a wicked case of the stomach flu. It was a nightmare. Blech. Ali is going to try and get the picture of all Vinny's friends up this week, I just have to foward her the photos again. Oh, and I got to meet her in labor day weekend! I posted about it, but apparently internet trolls ate it, so I have to dig it up again. That was really trippy and a lot of fun. She's as sweet in person is she is online and even prettier! We're so thankful for all the help Vinny has been given and for the help he'll still get in the future. He's getting big, he's healthy, he's doing well and I am still hopeful that he can start getting pins out soon and will one day be running about again. Until then, he's still on crate rest and it's really hard. Basically the poor guy will have spent all his puppyhood in a box and that breaks my heart, but he's going to have a full life to run about so all we can do is stay positive and look forward to that day. We let him out all the time for cuddles and as long as we hold his harness and stay right next to him he be out. Once he starts getting too playful he has to go back to his little bed. Most of the time he is really good when she's out with the family as I think he's been conditioned to stay right with us. I joke that when he is allowed to walk freely he won't know how to do anything other then stay right next to us, especualy his buddy, Richard. I'll work on keeping his page updated more often and hopefully I can get a camera so I can show you all just how BIG he really is. He's becoming rather handsome if I may say so myself.