Champion of My Heart

Recovery from Meningoencephalomyelitis – Finally Some Good News

Roxanne Hawn — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:38:44 +0000

As of 12:30 pm or so mountain time, Saturday, February 4, 2012, Lilly had been seizure free since around 4:30 pm Friday (2/3). I'm happy to report a few other pieces of good news ... finally. The post includes the latest video of Lilly's recovery from vaccine-induced meningoencephalomyelitis.

Recovery from Meningoencephalomyelitis – Finally Some Good News is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Lilly News: Slight Diagnosis Shift, More Seizure Activity

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:53 +0000

Words cannot convey the exhaustion all of us feel as Lilly remains hospitalized, with new symptoms cropping up each day this week (so far). Thursday (2/2) was another long day, so just a few pix and notes and another video ... before we tackle whatever comes up today (Friday 2/3).

Lilly News: Slight Diagnosis Shift, More Seizure Activity is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Lilly Update from Friday, Feb 3, 2012

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:45:44 +0000

A massive snowstorm kept us pinned on the mountain Friday. We had about 20 inches of snow when we awoke, and the local weather folks are saying we might get another 20 inches of snow before this storm is over Saturday morning. As much as it broke my heart, we did not risk making the drive down the canyon and over to the veterinary hospital. So, this update comes from phone chats with her neurology team. Not great news.

Lilly Update from Friday, Feb 3, 2012 is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Lilly Setbacks: Meningoencephalitis, Vomiting, and Seizures

Roxanne Hawn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:43:21 +0000

We were prepared to share moderate news (not worse, not better) about Lilly from Wednesday afternoon (and we will below), but a crushing early morning call brought a report that Lilly began having seizures overnight. Our neurologist called about 6:20 am with the news. He was en route to the hospital. While it wasn't unexpected, we're still devastated and worried 10 x more Thursday morning than we were Wednesday afternoon. Photos and video below from that visit. We won't be able to see Lilly until about 1 pm today.

Lilly Setbacks: Meningoencephalitis, Vomiting, and Seizures is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Lilly Update: What Meningoencephalitis Looks Like

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:04:51 +0000

We have a diagnosis: meningoencephalitis. That simply means inflammation of Lilly's brain and the lining around the brain. We do not, however, know (yet) the root cause of Lilly's rapid decline over the last week or so. Here are some pictures and a short video from our visit with her Tuesday (1/31) afternoon and more details that we can share.

Lilly Update: What Meningoencephalitis Looks Like is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Lilly Hospitalized, Big Tests Pending

Roxanne Hawn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:37:26 +0000

We've had a tough, tough, tough week. Look for short updates posted on our Champion of My Heart Facebook Fan Page, but the headline is that Lilly has gotten increasingly sicker since her rabies vaccine given January 23. Over the weekend, she developed all sorts of scary symptoms

Lilly Hospitalized, Big Tests Pending is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Ocupado – Backstory Behind Champion of My Heart Absence

Roxanne Hawn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:30 +0000

best dog blog, champion of my heart, traffic sign graphicLilly and I apologize for the sudden, unexplained absence from blogging these last two weeks. Due to a new and difficult stage in our eldercare responsibilities, we cannot promise it won't happen again, but we'll do our best to keep afloat and provide some entertainment.

Ocupado – Backstory Behind Champion of My Heart Absence is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Web Goes On Strike – Champion of My Heart Joins Protest

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

I’ve censored the following, in protest of a bill that gives any corporation and the US government the power to censor the internet–a bill that could pass THIS WEEK. To see the uncensored text, and to stop internet censorship, visit ...

Web Goes On Strike – Champion of My Heart Joins Protest is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Dog Product Review: ThunderShirt, Part One

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:55 +0000

Rather than write a single comprehensive dog product review of the ThunderShirt, I'm going to write a series of reports over time so that, together, we can work through the ups and downs for our fearful canine heroine. I alluded to the fact that our real-world test of the ThunderShirt wasn't going well. Here are some additional, early, details.

Dog Product Review: ThunderShirt, Part One is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Dog Training Regrets, Not Resolutions

Roxanne Hawn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:57 +0000

The whole New Year thing bugs me. I'm not big on resolutions because the truth is that every day could be considered an important threshold -- not just December 31. So, this little reflection takes root in one dramatic realization that came with the onset of truly cold temperatures. Here's how it went down.

Dog Training Regrets, Not Resolutions is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Hoping for Hearty Goldfish

Roxanne Hawn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:06 +0000

In spring 2011, I bought Tom 19 goldfish for our pond out front. Their numbers quickly dwindled to 6, maybe 8. Our best guess is that birds or maybe a raccoon got them since we never found floating bodies. Due to wild moss overgrowth in late summer, we haven't seen the little sweeties since August. Then, the pond froze.

Hoping for Hearty Goldfish is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Border Collie Hunts Critters: Winter and Summer Editions

Roxanne Hawn — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:22 +0000

Lilly, our intrepid canine heroine, is an avid hunter of small game. Mice and voles, mostly. In spring 2009, we posted an hunting instructional video -- master class, if you will -- of Lilly at work. Today, we share the winter edition of Lilly hunting. Her initial pounce alone is worth a chuckle. (Don't worry. She doesn't catch anything.)

Border Collie Hunts Critters: Winter and Summer Editions is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Newsworthy: Good Dog by Steve Dale

Roxanne Hawn — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:00:52 +0000

Longtime syndicated columnist and dog writer Steve Dale recently published a new eBook through Tribune Media Services -- Good Dog. Since I don't have a Kindle, I've not had the chance to read it. However, when I asked Dale about the history of dog training -- going back to before I was born -- he shared some interesting insights.

Newsworthy: Good Dog by Steve Dale is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Anxious Dog Update

Roxanne Hawn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:50:30 +0000

I could use some help establishing expectations about Lilly's ongoing struggle with anxiety. Living with a fearful dog can be a day-to-day, minute-by-minute thing, and I'm used to that. However, I'm trying to get a grip on what I can and cannot expect going forward as well as what shifts in dog behavior matter at this point.

Anxious Dog Update is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!

Was That You? Living With Dogs

Roxanne Hawn — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:50:41 +0000

Living in a relatively remote area and working from home (13 years now) means I enjoy the luxury of being with my dogs nearly 24/7. That doesn't mean I'm mentally present for them all the time, but I am around for them. I do get to say, "Hey, buddy." or "Who wants a snack?" throughout the day.

Was That You? Living With Dogs is a post from: Champion of My Heart. To read the entire post, see photos, view any videos, or comment, please click through these links. Thanks so much!