What Have You, Murdoch?

The blog of a special lady in Toronto, Canada

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Stopping to smell the flowers

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The past couple days I've been bringing her to the park near the train tracks, because she's still afraid of the train. I hope it will be like street cars, where being exposed while being given treats helped her reach a point where now she doesn't care about them at all.

Today we had a bit of bad luck, where the first train showed up and she ran away to the car for safety, but then came back running and happy to play more. And then a second train immediately came, and she ran back to the car. But, we ended it on a good note, where I stayed parked near the train tracks and fed her treats as the train came by, and she didn't find it nearly as scary inside the car. We're going to have to keep at it! But she does get in some great running around in the time before the trains arrive.

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Someone's tuckered out

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I brought her to Cherry beach, and she was amazing? She stayed close, never got out of sight, came when she was called, and fetched in the water and played with dogs. A nice vision of things to come!

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Water dog status : confirmed

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back in the park after three weeks and it feels so good!

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No more bandages!

After three weeks that included medical treatment, stitches, sedation, regular bandage changes, and more - Murdoch has FINALLY been given the all-clear for her wounded paw.  She still has to wear a bootie outside for the next 5 days, but WHEW!  It'll be really nice to go to parks again and play with other dogs :)

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SOMEONE just had her very first birthday today!  52 weeks on the world, and 20 of them with us <3

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Went for a big long walk and did some "sit on a bench and watch people and dogs go by without reacting" training! And reflected how we couldn't have done this 3 months ago because she was terrified of the streetcars she now ignores. She did good!

She's got one more bandage change at the vet probably and then we can take her out without her bootie on. ❤️ And last Monday we DID get a medication that chills her out, so she hasn't had to be medicated for her last two visits! Hooray

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Got her home in a new bandage. We're going to try giving her some anti-anxiety medication a few hours before her visit, which will hopefully avoid the need for sedation. We will see! Right now she is snoozing on the couch and seems none the worst for wear ♥️

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We took the bandages off, but the next day she lost a stitch - and so to be safe we brought her to the vet.  They don’t think a new stitch would help, but they are re-bandaging her paw every two days for a bit to help induce healing. And since she doesn’t like this process, they also have to sedate her to do the bandaging.  Murdoch you are so EXPENSIVE :0

(but also cute so it works out)

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Surgery complete and she's back home with medications! We bought an Elizabethan Collar for her so she won't worry the stitches when the bandage comes off, or the bandage beforehand. She was really loggy on the rise home but in the last hour or so back to her normal self, which is nice to see! Still grumbling a lot more than usual though. Poor doggie!

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She's getting stitches :(

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She cut her paw pad on something (zebra mussel?) deep enough to need stitches. :( We're at the emergency vet now!

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bone time

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it's SNOWING in APRIL >:|

(but Murdoch doesn't mind one bit)

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Murdoch swimming for the first (well, second) time. I wasn't filming the first time :0