Sweet Mr. Ozzie has had a busy week. His SO provided us with Ozzie's health records and between those and his visit to the vet, there's a lot to report. Ozzie's records reflect that he had surgery on his right and left rear knees (ie, anterior cruciate ligaments and meniscal repair) in, respectively, November 2007 and September 2011. These surgeries do not affect his daily activities (navigating his FM's one level house with wood floors, trotting around the back yard and/or walking briskly - estimated pace at about 3 mph - when we go out. He's enthusiastic about his walks!) He followed me downstairs this week to explore the basement and just as nimbly returned to the first floor after satisfying his curiosity. The surgeries do mean, however, that Ozzie's days of Agility and jumping are over. So, he's not a bed hog or couch potato! Getting into the car is not a problem: he gets his front legs in and gets a quick "assist" from me for the back legs. This is not difficult as the Ozzie carries most of his bulk and weight in his head/shoulders/chest. He gets out of the car independently.
Our vet visit reflects the Ozzie is UTD on all vaccines. He is now micro chipped. His heart worm test was negative as was his fecal test. His blood work is within normal limits. Is this guy amazing or what! As an expected result of his surgeries, Ozzie has arthritis in his back legs. To ease this discomfort, he is on Meloxicam, a prescription medication, which is supplemented with glucosamine/chondroitin and fish oil tablets. The other necessary aspect of Ozzie's arthritis treatment program is regular exercise. The cold temperatures have challenged this requirement, as do Ozzie's tender feet, which make long walks impossible right now. So, we have opted for frequent short walks! Ozzie is currently on a small dosage of thyroid medication which the lab results indicate should be continued. The vet suggested we tinker with whether Ozzie should continue on medication for anxiety. (Ozzie's SO indicated that Ozzie slept in the garage and, over time, started to bark at night. The vet at the time suggested an anxiety med. As Ozzie does not appear to be particularly anxious since his arrival, we'll test whether we can discontinue or further reduce the dosage on this med.) A preliminary cost estimate for Ozzie's meds and supplements is about $50.00/month. We celebrated the positive results of Ozzie's vet visit and lab findings with extra biscuits for everyone!
On the fun side of the ledger, Ozzie went to his first Meet and Greet in Richfield, MN this past Saturday. He thoroughly enjoyed his car ride and, after "snooting" the back windows for about two minutes, settled down for a snooze both going to and returning from his outing. It was busy! Many dogs, people, Santa Claus, photographer and a table of treats! Ozzie was both the sniffer and sniffee on countless occasions, which included myriad Goldens, Great Danes, some Labs, Hannah the bulldog, two Frenchies and so on. We looked in vain for the partridge. Throughout, Ozzie was unflappable. He cordially mixed and mingled but displayed his usual good manners and handled the hubbub with aplomb. After about an hour and a half, Ozzie needed a break and calmly lay down in the middle of it all to rest.
Ozzie's own dear self is starting to emerge more and more with us. He has settled in to our routine seamlessly and is starting to seek out pats and love. He shares his bed with the resident Maine Coon cat upon request and snuggles happily with one of the canine residents. He's also getting ready Christmas!



