Nemo - service dog #4

Post-Surgery Pictures (November's surgery)

Update!

2008 - Nemo has rully recovered from all his surgeries and looks to be fungus-free! We had a rough time right after the surgery in December when Nemo had a tough time breathing. After a trans-tracheal wash, it was discovered that Nemo had a bacteria in his lungs that was common to a slug parasite. Who knew slugs even had parasites?! With some more meds, he recovered from that and a tricky period of low albumin in his blood... He still has his happy-go-lucky attitude and continues to make us laugh every day. He's my "easy dog" and I love him to pieces.

December 13 - Nemo's sleeping on the couch as I type this, knocked out on painkillers. He's covered with a blanket, the cat is asleep on top of him, and Lily is curled around his feet. He's always freezing cold after surgery, so I'm sure he's happy with the blanket, the cat, Lily, and me keeping him warm!

Our stellar veterinarians at Kingsbrook Animal Hospital took great care of him today. Our vet took as much tissue as possible, without rendering Nemo's leg useless. It's a deep incision, one that will take some time to heal and will most likely be painful for a few days. We're well armed with painkillers for the poor boy and are not afraid to use them!

November - If you're a regular subscriber to Your Smart Dog, SDU's free monthly newsletter, you know that Nemo has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal fungus. He's had two surgeries so far and our veterinarians at Kingsbrook Animal Hospital tell us this brave boy will probably have to have another one in the coming months. We don't really know a whole lot about the fungus except these two things: (1) it's extremely rare and (2) it can be fatal. Yuck - we hate it! Our most recent setback has been a nasty bacteria that has taken up residence in the incision-site. The vets say that while it's a bad bacteria, some strong antibiotics ought to put us on top of that pretty quickly. Hopefully we'll pick up a little luck (no pun intended!) and he'll be able to throw that bacteria pretty quickly.

Nemo's a really good patient. He's super-friendly with all the folks at Kingsbrook and always whacks them with his always-wagging tail. We have to change his bandages at home every two days and he reclines on the bed as if he's getting a massage (which he does get!). Only time will tell if we've got this fungus beat. We have to watch and wait, probably have another surgery to try to cut away any remaining fungus and keep him on (very expensive!) anti-fungal medication for four months or so. This boy means the world to us and we'll do whatever it takes to keep him with us for a very long time.

More pictures in the Photo Album

Nemo was rescued from a shelter at eight weeks. He came to Laurie in March 2006 and just never left. It was clear at nine months, Nemo wasn't service dog material. The "lab mix" that was adopted from the shelter looks more like a hound and Great Dane cross. He also had quite a few health problems as a young dog and was too expensive to continue in the program. They think they have his problems solved -- most likely allergies to wheat and corn. A diet modification has solved the problem, thankfully.

The goofiest dog in the pack, Nemo makes Laurie and her husband laugh out loud at least once each day. He's finally stopped growing (they think!) and is the tallest dog they've ever owned. He's also a bed hog and must sleep as close as possible to any human. Not so bad in the winter, but it gets a little uncomfortable in the heat of the summer.

Laurie wrote a newsletter article about Nemo and his interactions with Lily, Tango, and Lucky. It's fun to watch him grow and mature. He's adjusted into the pack nicely and really enjoys the company of other dogs and people.

Baby Nemo

Puppy Nemo


Growing up ( 10 months)