Yeah, so, long time; no "see"?

We've had a crazy 6 months around the Otis household. My mom-in-law moved in with us not long after my last post. Then Butchie the cat got sick (that's a whole other blog, apparently...GI Lymphoma, anyone?) and we got pregnant. Then mom moved out and the semester started back up again. Whew...just now catching my breath!

But in the meantime, the most consistent thing has been Otis. Our man is amazing! Our vet tells us that she's super impressed with his progress (he's stronger, faster and more beautiful than ever). He's taken to liking golf. Daddy set up a golf course out back, and he chases and retrieves the balls.

He also likes making silly faces, like the curly lips. I think this will make our daughter-to-be laugh for sure. It always makes me laugh.

He still enjoys the lake--but now he can go for hours and hours--and he romps, jumps, etc. He can get so high off the ground now! The other day he almost caught a baby fawn--he can really get moving when he wants to. I'm glad he didn't catch it, though. It might have shattered my image of my precious, sweet baby!

Ultimately, do I dare consider that hip dysplasia is behind us? I certainly hope so. I think he's about as normal as he can get. But then again, he's only gotten stronger since last time I thought that! I hope that he lives an amazing life from here on out--and that he becomes our daughter's best friend. I hope he loves her and watches over her and makes her smile. He's already taken to sleeping on the rug in her nursery.

Butchie the cat, on the other hand, likes sleeping in her crib. That should make for an interesting interaction when she gets here. I hope that he's still around in four months. *fingers crossed that the steroids work*

Hope all is well with the goldens out there...

So, how's he doing?

Well, it's now April--spring is creeping up on us up here in the north. Took Otis to the dog park today and he's really gaining confidence among his "peers". The past couple of visits he has been gregarious and independent--though he's still submissive when surrounded by more than one dog, especially dogs his own size. Funny thing--today there were about 5 other golden retrievers there, so we got a great chance to compare Otis physically to the other dogs.

Good news is that he's cuter than all the other dogs. (hehehe, mommy may be biased...) Bad news is that he's still got a smaller rear end and a shorter gait than the other goldens. Gotta keep on working on that. So that's our summer goal--keep up with the stretches. Keep up with the exercises. Keep up with the glucosamine supplements.

So now we just need the weather to cooperate with us and we'll get to it--I have to admit that we've been bringing him to the lake already to swim, even if we are in coats and gloves while we watch him! So we're ready, Otis is ready, and Butchie is ready to sit jealously by the door and watch our exercises commence. Let's get it on!

One year anniversary of "the news" is coming up.

I've been thinking about this a lot as the anniversary of the day approaches when we found out about Otis's hip dysplasia. I started this blog on February 11th, 2010, in the midst of confusion and frustration about our fate. Otis was then just a relatively new addition to our young family.

The past year has been the craziest year ever. Otis has bilateral hip dysplasia surgery. We buy our first house...et cetera. But I've also learned a lot about what it means to love someone/thing so much that it hurts. I don't think I've ever had that feeling before. I imagine that's what new parents say when they have a baby for the first time...

So, to Otis--I love you, my little golden bear.

Histiocytoma fading...

Great news. Cytology came back as a benign tumor, even if especially active. It's now almost gone! Thank goodness. The vet said that surgery would have been difficult and required a skin graft (omg). So another drama checked off the list, I suppose!

It's coming up on a year since we got the dreaded diagnosis re: otis's hips. I hope that we'll continue to see him improve as year two begins. He's such a trooper. We're still doing massages and stretches, and though we've seen some major leaps, he's still tight on that right leg and his range of motion is still restricted. More goals to set in 2011, I suppose.

The snow is some of his favorite stuff to play in--and I've posted my case-in-point below. What a dog...we're so lucky. :-)