Happy Anniversary Odie

It has been 3 month over a year since I adopted Odie from Thee Fishbowl in Evanston IL. And what a year it has been!

Odie came to me tired and worn. He slept for the first week and was very docile in the beginning. We had our challenges as to who was in charge. We both had our meltdowns. I was helped tremendously by Marlene from Bark Busters.

Odie has traveled with me to Cleveland, North Carolina and New Mexico. He loves to be in the car and sees traveling as a great partnership…even when I steer him into a pole on occasion (by accident!).

One of the things I learned early on with him is that he is an agent of change. Who knows in how many homes he has lived. He is so well trained and understands the nuances of a house (furniture, cats, stairs, treats). 

Odie came in at a time when I was working for myself, having just moved to Evanston and spending a lot of time at home. He seemed to take it upon himself to get me out of the house. Sometimes with him, but more importantly, for longer periods of time! And lo, come October, just 5 short months into our relationship, I had a new full time job at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. And away I go, off to work. Odie enjoys the routine of morning and evening walks and is so much more attached to the routine of the activity instead of the time of the activity. Phew! He lets me sleep in on the weekends.

After another couple of months he made it clear that he was uncomfortable due to the severe glaucoma he was suffering from. He and I made a plan to raise the money for his surgery. I told him that if he really wanted this to happen he needed to spend those long leisurely naps talking to people and telling them what he needed. With great enthusiasm he agreed and within a month we had raised enough money to cover the cost of his surgery (double eye enucleation).

Odie’s surgery was an adventure in and of itself. The poor boy struggled with tremendous pain but came through it like a champ. Every day he still continues to improve and now his fur is growing back so beautifully making him the lion head dog he truly is!

Odie has opened up so many doors to me in one short year. I wonder what other amazing adventures he will take me on. I hope that I can bring as much joy to his life as he has brought me as we continue to grow and change together discovering everything we cannot see come manifest. I believe that we fulfill each other’s dreams, with an occasional meltdown in between.

Join me in toasting my favorite Ph.D. program as I welcome Odie to his first year anniversary with me.

Odie's Eyes Update

Two weeks ago Odie had his surgery. It was a whirlwind few days. We returned from New Mexico on Thursday afternoon and went straight to the groomer where all of

Odie's sweet fluff was shorn away. He was given a surgical shave from his head to shoulders (to prevent any matting from wearing a cone) and a "skirt" was left around his belly and legs to keep him warm.
During the groom Odie would not let his chin be trimmed leaving him with a little Foo Man Chu beard. I also requested a heart shaved on his back so the vet would remember how loved he was (thank you Dave @ Kriser's for such a great job!).

We came home and had a quiet night in anticipation for an early morning. Up, out and at the vet by 8 AM. After I dropped Odie off I came home and brought Ralfie (my blind girl cat) to be groomed. It seems she has quit that job for herself. She has been shaved into a lion cut. She looks like a 90-year-old, chain smoking super model; wrinkly, cranky but so full of style (it was a rough day to be blind in my house!). After that I waited for news from the vet. He called and said Odie went through the surgery very well and had no swelling. He was awake and recovering well. The Doctor was amazed at the size of his eyes. He prepared me for Odie being in pain due to his optic nerve being moved about and all. (Ack) I was scheduled to pick him up at 4:30 PM.

When I picked him up he was very groggy but happy to see me, tail wagging, happy sniffs. I had a down blanket for him and set him up in the car. The vet tech brought him out and we were on our way home. He looked bad. Well, I guess he looked like he just had surgery. I wrapped him in his blanket and put him on the couch where he slept for most of the evening. Francy, my amazing healer spent a lot of time nuzzled next to him on his blanket. He was on a lot of drugs and really out of it. I gave him an injection before bed and it was a quiet night with a 4 AM walk. Saturday he came to a little bit more but still spent most of the day on the couch. Sunday morning he seemed to be coming out of it all, but as the day progressed he was in increasing pain, whimpering and shaky. I found that I didn't have enough pain medication to last until the vet reopened on Tuesday (New Year Holiday) so that evening we found ourselves at the Vet ER for more pain meds. That was the worst night. He was only pain free for about 3 hours at a time so there was a lot of up and down giving more meds and trying to keep him warm and comfortable. He had great improvement on Monday and by the evening was functioning with very little pain meds. Tuesday I went back to work and by the time I got home he was doing very well. Unhappy to wear the cone, but resting. My friend Patricia came by and they had a great cuddle session! He lay next to her and snored away. Ahhh, the other side!

Since then he has progressively improved. He has his stitches removed 3 days ago and is looking really good. Soon, the scabs will be gone and his fur will have grown back. By the summer it will be hard to see that he doesn't have eyes.

Behaviorally, I can see that he is so much more comfortable. He walks with more confidence and is less skittish. The other day he came and nuzzled his little face with mine. He has never done that before. So, this is a VAST improvement from where he was when he had eyes. I have taken him out on some errands and all who know him have seen the incredible difference. He will only continue to improve and get more comfortable. 

Odie has a new lease on life. Thanks to all of your donations I was able to pay for the surgery with the money raised. AND thank you for all of your support. Knowing that Odie and I were in your thoughts and prayers throughout this time gave great comfort to us both. We are definitely on the other side of the surgery but there is still recovery happening. Odie is learining to live his life pain free. We are getting to know each other again in a new way. Trusting each other on a whole new level. I am so happy that I adopted this little guy. He is amazing and will continue to teach me how to be in the moment and keep moving forward even if you can't see what is ahead.

Thank you again and Happy New Year to You! May this year be bright, beautiful and divinely guided!
Love,
Alicia & Odie
(and Francy, Ralfie, Five, Hazel (cats), Fermi and Agape (guinea pigs), and the fish!)