Marley, the Graduate

Thank you Dr. Sosna!

The Animal Acupuncture & Rehabilitation Center

Well after 3 1/2 months of Physical Therapy Marley has GRADUATED!!!! Steve and I couldn't me more proud if he were graduating from an Ivy League University - actually we are MORE proud of what he has accomplished.

Tonight was Marley's final walk on the underwater treadmill. Can you believe he does 25 minutes and the resistance is 12 times that of walking without water? Marley's da man!



One trick Marley learned was to put his feet on a non moving part of the treadmill and just move his back legs or sometimes 3 legs and hold on with one. That was super cute.

Here he is holding on with his front and moving the back.

Now you talk about a smart boy!







Marley does a super challenging obstacle course and both Steve and I take turns taking him through. When it is all fun and games he does much better with Dad! But when there is another dog around then he listens to Momma best. Together we make a perfect team.




Just came up the ramp and headed for the stairs.












Marley goes over the speed bumps like a little champ!

















Marley finishes up his final run with Momma with a nice hand shake!








Here you can watch Steve in action taking Marley through the course. You can see just how hard he is working but still having a really good time.

Now you wanna see fun? Take a look at this video clip. Dr. Sosna laughing cracks me up. Can you believe all this fun is actually rehab?

When you realize that Marley took his very first tentative steps on Christmas day and now he is doing all this it is amazing. Steve and I have been consumed with his recovery since December 10 of last year. Every tear, every worry and every minute (and dollar) has been so worth it to see our boy running and playing again.

Congrats for all your hard work and accomplishments little man! We love you tons and tons.

The Two Month Mile Marker!

Thank goodness it wasn't raining tonight and we could do the drive into San Diego for Marley's therapy. He should have gone on Tuesday although it was pouring rain but would you believe in the short walk from the front door to the car door he stepped on a bee! Some days you wonder if life is fair and then you remember that no one ever said it was and you move on.

Marley did his full 25 min in the underwater treadmill but he seemed to struggle more tonight and his gait was really off. Sometimes I find myself looking for him to be the way he was and most likely he won't ever be the same. Yesterday marked 2 months since his paralysis and surgery. Dr. Sosna said he is doing fantastic.

His obstacle course was tougher this week. The ramp was higher and the cushions were thicker. Can you believe Marley went through this course 20 times tonight??? 10 times in each direction.

Up the step, across the cushion and down the ramp. Then over all the logs!

Weaving through all the cones helps him with his flexibility and regaining his agility.

Standing on the blow up dome helps with balance and core strength. Using a treat he has to look up and hold his balance for 5 or more seconds.

Hey! Are those muscles returning to his thighs????

Marley - Wonder Boy

Marley, the Wonder Boy

Marley had his therapy tonight and did an incredible job. He continues to amaze his Dr. and the therapists he works with. Tonight Dr. Sosna called him Wonder Boy!

Elmer was Marley's therapist tonight and he really had Marley giving his all. Not only did he do his standard 25 min on the treadmill but it was also cranked up at a higher speed!

It is amazing how hard a pup will work with a spoon of Peanut Butter dangled in front of them :-)

When it is all over he gets hosed off and dried with towels....and lots of lovin' thrown in for good measure.

Boy were we surprised when we saw that he was promoted to a tougher obstacle course. My first thought was "Marley is gonna love this". And love it he did!

Take a look at how his movement is coming along and he is walking with more confidence and purpose. There is no way we could be more proud of our boy. He has worked very hard at regaining his mobility.

Can you believe that after doing this obstacle course 5 time in each direction he still had floor exercises to do??? Marley will end up better than ever when Dr. Sosna, Elmer and Tara are through with him. What a boy.

Reaching New Heights!

So what is this clock all about??

Well Marley did 20 minutes on his treadmill tonight~ Not only that but he was in the tank alone. No help! He also didn't require as much cheering on and treats either.

Marley did drift off to the side and tried to stand on the edge that doesn't move. But Dr. Sosna has seen it all before and she has a fix for just about everything. A quick toss of a pool noodle in the tank and that problem was solved.

Both Dr. Sosna and his therapist, Elmer, are very pleased with how much he improves from one visit to the next.

I like to say that Marley was the perfect storm. We were monitoring his injury like hawks! Within 12 hours of becoming paralyzed Marley was in surgery with his fantastic Neurologist, Dr. Stevenson. Then his first post surgery TTouch session was while he was still in the hospital hooked up to tubes and it continues daily. Steve and I made sure he had the perfect set up at home - complete with orthopedic "hospital" beds. I even got to borrow the best of crates from my friend, Kerry.

I also found a website called DodgersList.com that is an invaluable resource for downed dogs. With their help we got through those first very tough and frightening days.

Now Marley has the best rehab Dr. and Therapists to help him get to normal......or better. Oh, and you should just SEE all his supplements. Marley is such a good boy he is sharing them all with Pierre and Sammi so they have less risk of this happening to them.

With all this support and the love and prayers from friends across the globe Little Marley Troup has no choice but to have a complete healing.

All of this hard work from so many people would be worthless if not for Marley's determination. Just look how hard he is working out on the treadmill with his little tongue poking out!

Tonight Elmer took Marley through an Obstacle course that helps him with his balance and teaches him to be more agile on his feet. Take a look at this video. Can you believe this little guy could not stand up 3 weeks ago?

1st Hydrotherapy Session

What a big day today was!

Marley went back to Dr. Sosna to have his first underwater treadmill session. Last week the plan was to have him try 5-7 minutes and that would be it for the day. Well Dr. Sosna was so impressed with Marley's improvement since the 30th that she said he could go 7-10 minutes! Walking on an underwater treadmill offers 12x the resistance of regular walking.

Elmer was Marley's therapist today and he was so nice and helpful. Many times a dog will be a bit frightened in the chamber because it is so different! It fills with warm water from the bottom up. Then the belt starts moving and they aren't sure what they are supposed to do. Elmer told us that sometimes it is a struggle to keep them from trying to get out on the first session.

As with everything else, Marley really excelled! Of course he was concerned at first but he never fought the process. When the treadmill started to move Marley started walking. Simple as that. With Momma and Daddy cheering him on, Elmer's expert handling and Daddy passing out liver treats Marley went the distance. He went the entire 10 minutes!

After he was done the water was drained and Marley was hosed down so his pretty white coat doesn't turn chlorine green. A good and proper shake off followed.

Into his Fido Fleece coat given to him by Trish from FBRN and he headed home.

I think he got a good work out, don't you?

The Merriest of Christmases

So much has happened in the last few days.

Christmas Eve Marley had his follow up with the Neurologist. Steve and I were filled with anticipation as we drove him to the Doctor. We brought the wonderful staff a bunch of home made goodies for taking such good care of our boy.

Dr. Stevenson removed all his staples and talked to us about the Seroma. She was very pleased with how he was doing and predicted a full recovery with just the slightest "swagger" to his walk that just Steve and I would notice. Marley was given permission to sleep in bed with us as long as he wore a harness and a lead which would be tied to the headboard or one of us. Dr. Stevenson released Marley from her care and he only needs to come back if things should head South. Oh happy day!

Now Marley spends quite a bit of time up on the couch with us wearing his TTouch step in harness and a lead so we don't have to worry about him trying to leap off the couch. One really nice thing about Marley having couch time is I can to TTouch on him throughout the day.

We are allowed to spend more time outside with Marley too. He has earned more freedom but still cannot spend time outside his crate without one of us right there until he can walk well enough that he doesn't fall down. Time to get working toward that goal.



Christmas day we got the best gift possible. Marley walked on his own! No support and he walked about 12 steps!!

Our next step is to meet with his new Vet, Dr. Claire Sosna www.aarcsd.com
Dr. Sosna will develop a complete rehabilitation plan for Marley. We can't wait! But we do have to wait until the 30th of December.

Marley Stands!

Marley had an interesting day today.

First off he isn't sleeping through the night and gets up to go potty or just because. Last night was one of those nights. Steve stayed up with Marley while I went back to bed since I had to go to work and he was on vacation. When I got up Marley was excited to see me and stood up on his own in his crate for about 30 seconds! I was so excited.

Today when Steve and I got home I noticed a lot of swelling in his spine area! I emailed photos to the hospital and they said it is Seroma which is a fluid build up.



We are to do warm compresses tonight and of course I added in some Raccoon TTouches to reduce the fluid. Right now it is working like a charm.

Here is the HUGE news of the day.....Marley stood for several minutes on his own to eat his dinner!!!

We are so proud of him and I just love the way he stumbled at one point and was quickly able to regain his footing.

Tomorrow we go to his follow up and get his staples out. I won't be sad to see the "zipper" removed from our boy's back one little bit.

Another recent milestone is I've figured out what to do for his rehab. I finally made a decision about his therapy!! I found a holistic Vet with hours I can make that does diet & supplements, physical exercise, weight bearing exercise, Hydrotherapy (deep pool and underwater treadmill) and also acupuncture. She offered large packages of sessions that will make it more affordable for us and you can mix and match services. Marley will go for his initial consultation on 12/30.

Things are really moving along nicely. I'm still holding out for my Christmas wish of Marley taking a couple steps on his own sometime Christmas day. Even if it doesn't happen Christmas day it is okay....it is getting more and more certain that he WILL be taking those steps sometime soon.

Marley "walkin" in his sling

Steve and I are so happy that Marley's personality is coming back and he seems more and more like our little boy.

He is eating his meals out of his regular bowl all by himself. His potty habits are almost back to normal schedule and he is getting stronger with more leg mobility. Even his constant licking has returned.

Marley gets Passive Range of Motion exercises up to 3 times a day. I say "up to" because we aim for 3 times but right now we won't fight with him to get him into the proper position. We're afraid of him resisting so we do our best and try to catch him lying on his side.


I continue the TTouch on him but I haven't been as good about wraps as I should. As he gets stronger in back I'll be more comfortable putting the wrap on him. Right now I have to balance him, keep his back straight and supported and then have at least one hand left to put the wrap on.

Today we got some video of Mar outside in his sling. It also shows how we keep repositioning his feet and shifting weight to the back so he gets used to the pressure on his feet.

We have a tentative appointment to start his swimming & hydrotherapy for December 26. I'm really looking forward to it on several levels. I'm excited to see what it can do for Marley, I think he will absolutely love the water, and I'm curious for myself too.

In the meantime Marley has been most patient with his required crate rest and his brothers are always near by keeping a close eye on him.

Something New Every Day!

Sooo, everyday "something" has improved.

• Sunday he finally ate;
  
  
• Monday we figured out how to make it easy for him to drink;
  
  
• Today.........he poooooooooooo'd!!!!
  Not only did he poo but Steve was upstairs changing clothes and heard a whimper downstairs and thought it was Pierre complaining about having to stay downstairs. But NO it was Marley whimpering. Steve took him out and he wanted to go to his "poo spot" and the rest is history!
  
  
• Tonight he got so excited when I came in the front door he stood up and moved in his pen! Keep in mind that is on a foam mattress!!!!
  
  
• He ate his dinner from a bowl all by himself. No hand feeding :-)
  

I have decided where I want to take him for hydrotherapy. Through all my local doggie contacts I keep getting pointed to one location about 30 min from our house. As soon as we get the "okay" from his surgeon Marley will begin 6 weeks of hydrotherapy!!! Swimming and under water treadmill. :-) He is gonna love it.

Steve and I decided Marley needed some cuddle time outside his pen. I turned on the fireplace in the bedroom and laid out a quilt on the floor.

We had a TTouch session that included some additional touches that Robyn suggested to me. We did Tarantula Pulling the Plow. I loved seeing his skin react and him turn to look what I was doing. I also tried to "candy cane" his legs with a 1" wrap but I don't know I did it right. He wore his scrunchies on his feet a bit too. Another thing I did that felt good to him was brush him with my Jelly Scrubber. We did touches with the big bumpy side and lots of strokes with the little bumpy side.

I don't know if it makes sense but I keep having a vision of actually moving the feeling and responsive areas into less responsive areas with touches and stimulating strokes. Kinda how people pass a cold or H1N1 I think I can "spread feeling". It is something I keep seeing in my mind so I'm going with it.

After our TTouch session I put him on the bed with me, pillows surrounding all the edges, and we "spooned" and cuddled for a long time. Each time he would snore or stretch his back legs I would smile.

Earlier today I had a talk with Marley and explained his pain and the surgery. I talked about how good he is being and all the fun he will have at water therapy. I reminded him he is perfect how he is and always will be our Perfect Marley Man regardless of how this walking thing turns out. But I know he is gonna walk again. Marley won't have it any other way....neither will we.

Go Marley, go.

Yeah! We have the Water figured out!

Our biggest concern (other than the obvious) was finding a way to make it easier for Marley to drink water. Today my friend, and breeder of my other two Frenchies, Joyce came up with a perfect solution. Back to the crocks that screw on the side of the crate but she found ones that are big enough for a flat face dog!



We also started a little Passive Range of Motion exercises for his legs. His big, strong, beefy legs are already starting to atrophy. Amazing! Just a week ago he was running and playing.....now we are dealing with helping him drink water and atrophy muscle.

One one of his potty breaks I put the terry cloth scrunchies on his ankles. I don't think he noticed. I put them on again tonight during his TTouch session and his exercises. You never know when these nerves are gonna kick in and he will notice. He watched me as I moved his legs. Wonder what he thinks of all this.

I continue doing zig zags while crossing over his top line. I'm trying to "connect the dots" for him because I know he has feeling in some areas and I'm not sure about some of the other areas. I guess I think I can move the feeling from one area to another or that the area with limited feeling will "accidentally" feel something in the process. I do Python lifts on his legs and Abalone lifts on areas I feel may be tense. He enjoys the special attention from Momma but we keep the sessions short.

Marley sleeps a lot which is so healing for his body. Steve and I are so thankful that he is not in pain and is so calm and peaceful.

Next hurdle to jump is getting Marley to have a bowel movement. The doc said it is not a concern unless he still hasn't "gone" 5 days after he started eating normally. The clock started last night as Marley is eating like a champ...and as of tonight he can drink water at will.



Hopefully both those things will help us jump that next hurdle.

My next steps are to research where we can take him for Hydrotherapy and Acupuncture.

Home from the Hospital

WELCOME HOME MARLEY!!!

Today our little guy came home from the hospital!

Marley has taken up residence in his hospital bed that I built last night. He is quite comfortable.

We had a couple great things happen today. The first was when Marley "walked" out to see us at the hospital. His surgeon, Dr. Stevenson, had him in a figure 8 sling and his little hind legs just went to town.

The other good thing is we've had trouble getting him to eat anything but baby food licked from fingers. Tonight we tried a little can of Wellness Puppy food and he ate about 5 ounces!


We are still struggling with getting water into him since he can't stand and drink. His posture options are laying down or sitting on his bottom with his feet outstretched in front and his back hunched over. None of these are conducive to drinking water.

We have added a water bottle to the side of his crate and he has drank a little this way. Problem is that the darned thing drips! It is also very slow to produce any significant amount of water when he licks. But it is something until we come up with a better resolution.


We had an idea to buy a cement cinder block and put it in his crate with a bowl on top. That will be a chore for tomorrow.

Today Marley had several short TTouch sessions. Lots of Raccoons, Abalone Lifts and Python Lifts on his legs.

He is able to lay down and rest more comfortably.

Tomorrow I'll try some scrunchies on his ankles.

December 12 - Marley Update

This morning we visited Marley and were so happy to hear that he pee'd on his own! He is not yet standing but with support he is starting to put a little weight on his feet and getting a little stronger.

It was really nice that we were able to visit in a exam room rather than in ICU.

Since he hasn't been eating I did some gentle Belly Lifts to see if that would stimulate his appetite a bit.

We offered him food and he ended up eating a small jar of chicken baby food by licking it off my fingers.

I do different touches all over him. Raccoons close to the incision, Abalone touches with a lift to relax the body, snail tails to help with pain, and python lifts on his legs. I don't know what he feels on his legs by my intention is to focus the body's healing energies on the damaged nerves and I'm also asking any dormant nerves and his healthy ones to take over and do the job of the broken ones. Right now I'm just letting my hands move on their own accord and with love all over him.

We spend a lot of time talking with him and telling him how proud of him we are. WE can't wait to get him back home with us.


Soon Marley is tired and we kiss him good-bye and promise that we'll be back later.

Today was spent figuring out how we will house him when he gets home. We created one scenario after another. Just as we got one idea perfected we found a major flaw and had to start over. We want everything perfect and don't want any mistakes.

I think we pretty much have it set now.

When we visited again tonight Marley looked fantastic.



He was spunkier but we were unable to get him to eat. This concerns me but the doctor said it isn't a big deal unless they go 5 days without eating. 1-3/4 small jars of baby food don't sound like much to me.

We did more touches,



more talking and lots of cuddling.


Then Marley was tired again and it was best to let him go back and sleep some more.

Marley's First TTouch Session Post Surgery

Tonight Steve and I visited Marley in the hospital. He looked really good for all he has been through the past couple days.

He was taken outside today to see if he could stand on his own and if he could urinate by himself. So far he cannot stand on his own. The staff supported him and started putting some weight on his feet. They did have to use a little bit of pressure to get him to start emptying his bladder but once things started he was able to finish on his own. We are encouraged that he is close to being able to go potty by himself!

At this point he has no interest in food. He has not eaten in the last two days at all. The doctor says they don't even start to get concerned about not eating until after 5 days. Thankfully he is getting nutrition via an IV.

Steve offered Marley licks of baby food from his finger and he did take a tiny amount.

Then it was time for some TTouch. Marley will be getting many short sessions a day. Tonight was the first.

We did some Abalone touches...

....Some Raccoons to try to bring about the body's healing fluids...

...and some Ear work to help regulate his breathing.

When I first started working with Sam from the shelter I used distance work ("Phantom Touches") since I couldn't touch his wounds. I used that technique on Marley tonight since I was unable to actually touch his incision area.

It was when I reached this point on his back that he twitched.

The plan is for me to split my time between working in the office and working at home next week so I can give Marley TTouch throughout the day. Steve already had Christmas & New Years week off so he will be he primary care giver then.

So Steve needs to be comfortable doing TTouch on Marley also.

Judging by how relaxed Marley looks I'd say Steve is doing a great job!