READ DOC'S DAILY PROGRESS REPORT:

January 15, 2010 -

A new year, a new decade...Doc is doing great and has grown quite a bit!  He still thinks he can do anything even though his leg tells him otherwise.  We can tell that the cold weather causes him some discomfort, but he refuses to let that slow him down.  He is always a busy boy - people to see, things to do!  His girlfriend and best buddy, Bianca, passed away last night due to a car that was probably going to fast and didn't bother to break or swerve...certainly didn't bother to stop and see if the baby was ok.  Anyway, Doc is looking for her this morning, and we hope he will be ok without her.  Extra special attention will be given to him in the coming weeks!  And Griffey, Jr. is happy to substitute for Doc's wrestling partner!

July 30, 2009 - Doc has started to use his leg a lot, although he only uses it as a "peg leg" at this point.  He saw Dr. Libby again for a checkup, and the Dr. was very pleased with his progress.  Doc will probably have a little "hitch" in his step all of his life, but he won't let it hold him back!  He tries to climb trees, but can't get too far...he tumbles with all of his friends, and is more playful than anyone!  He acts as though every day is worth celebrating!

July 13, 2009 - Dr. Libby looked at Doc's leg today and decided it was time to take off the KE Apparatus!  Doc's leg is healing well, and the apparatus is now causing him more discomfort than anything else.  Now we must watch how Doc is using his leg - does he put weight on it or not?  Also, his right leg is clearly not developed liked his left left - his muscles and his bones - but we'll see if his leg starts to grow and catch up to his other leg!  Pictures to come...

July 10, 2009 - Doc goes to the hospital to have his leg checked out.  The top pin of his KE Apparatus has come loose, and the doctors must decide what to do for him.  Do they replace it, repair it or remove it?  Dr. Libby is out of town and will look at Doc on Monday to decide.  For now, we keep the wrap on his leg to protect not only his injury but also the apparatus!

July 5, 2009 - Doc is such a good boy about having his leg cleaned and dressed!  He gets a little bored with it and starts to squirm after a while, but he doesn't complain at all!  His wounds look so much better than they did - lots of nice, pink flesh, although you can still see a little bone.  Here is what the KE Apparatus looks like on the inner part of his right hind leg:

July 3 & 4, 2009 - Doc is climbing and jumping and playing as much as he possibly can!  He pretends he doesn't have a broken leg at all!  However, we can tell by the end of the day that his leg is soar and bothering him as he chooses to use it less and not put weight on it.  Hopefully he will figure out he needs to rest!

July 2, 2009 - DOC COMES HOME! 

Doc Wastes No Time...It's Time To PLAY!

Doc In Mid-Leap Attacking An Unsuspecting Bianca...

July 1, 2009 - Doc will come home tomorrow evening after his leg has been cleaned and dressed.  The team at the clinic have agreed to coach us through the process when we pick up Doc.  Say your prayers that he will continue to improve after coming home.  His brother and sisters will surely give him a warm welcome! 

June 30, 2009 - We went into the clinic tonight to see Doc's leg get cleaned and dressed...it was truly worse than imagined.  We were going to take pictures, but we helped with the procedure instead.  If Doc is to come home soon, we will need to know how to care for him.  Because of the infection, it looks as though his flesh has literally melted away from his bones...the bone is clearly visable.  But there is pink flesh growing around it, so things are moving in the right direction!

Doc's Last Visit Before Coming Home:

June 29, 2209 - Good news from Dr. Nixon this morning:  Doc's dead tissue on his leg seems to have subsided, and new, fresh, pink tissue can be seen!  That means there is viable tissue that remains to rebuild the part of the leg that was eaten away by the infection!  The cut is still down to the bone, and it is very wide, but Doc doesn't mind it being cleaned and wrapped twice a day.  He feels special when they give him this attention!  He isn't going home today, and he will probably be cared for by the team through Thursday.  Tomorrow, we will go in and take more pictures as well as learn how to clean and dress his leg. Today we had a fun romp at the clinic, and Doc put a little weight on his foot!

June 28, 2009 - The team continues to work with Doc - they walk around the office holding him because he doesn't like being in his cage when people are around...he is very social, and let's them know that they shouldn't ignore him!  Everyone is praying for him and giving him the best care possible!

June 27,2009 - The team working with Doc removed a lot of dead tissue around Doc's large cut.  Dr. Nixon said it "looks pretty scary right now" because with the dead tissue removed, the gash is larger and deeper.  Because they are trying to save the good tissue (hoping more doesn't keep dying) they have wrapped his leg with a special bandage that will help with the healing.  They change this twice a day.  Doc can wiggle his toes and actually put weight on his foot!  However, Dr. Nixon warned that this weekend is make-or-break...if the tissue begins to heal, we may see a full recovery.  If the tissue continues to die, they may have to amputate.  Keep Doc in your prayers!

June 26, 2009 - The infection reared it's ugly head...Doc's open wound (where Dr. Libby cut open to operate) had become infected which was to be expected since his whole leg was so infected.  The cut went all the way down to the bone.  The team cleaned the wound twice a day with anti-biotics.  Dr. Nixon described the leg bone (yes, you can see it!) as being white - not gray or pink - which means the bone is not dead.  Good sign.  Doc still may lose his leg if this infection reaches the bone.