Boca's Ocular Ordeal...Is Over!

I am thrilled to report that following Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of Boca's non-healing corneal ulcer saga, things are finally getting back to normal at the Ginger Sister residence. My three-day weekend was the perfect time to fade out the cone, and while I watched her like a hawk that first day, Boca is far more interested in chewing all the things, sunbathing and napping than rubbing her eye. 

Her eye looks better every day. There is minimal watering, and she is holding it all the way open full time - something she hasn't been able to do in months. If you are curious what it looks like, the photo is here behind a cut. This was taken Friday - the edges of the graft are still sort of raised but it should continue to thin and smooth out. I think it is so incredible that the veterinary ophthalmologist attached the graft with teeny-tiny micro stitches. Can you imagine the steady hand that must take? 

I hope that chronicling my experience will be helpful to others since I could find very little personal documentation about the surgery online when I was researching. We have a re-check appointment on Thursday and after that it will probably be a month before we need to go back.

Boca has been such a trooper through everything - maintaining her goofy, optimistic spirit - but she was so obviously happy to free of the cone! She can fit in her crate (where she loves to sleep of her own accord), curl up in a ball, gnaw on antlers and most importantly, play biteyface with Ruby every morning again:

A video posted by Lara Elizabeth (@2gingerdogs) on Apr 4, 2015 at 6:55am PDT

Ten Minute Trick Training and Spring Training Giveaway

I'm very excited to be co-hosting this month's Positive Pet Training Week Blog Hop along with Cascadian Nomads and Tenacious Little Terrier. Not only are we talking about how training can be "fun sized" in easy, ten minute increments, but we are giving away an awesome prize package worth $75!

Ruby knows over thirty tricks and I am always trying to come up with new things to teach her and polish existing cues. I would like to apply for a trick title, but aside from that we trick train just for fun. It's a great way to provide mental stimulation during the long winter months, creates a strong bond and improves communication with your dog.

I use clicker training for shaping and capturing new tricks and also for refining known cues. Yesterday I decided we would work on a few of the tricks that have been in progress for a while, and see if we could have any breakthroughs. I set the timer for ten minutes and used Ruby's kibble dinner as treats. Ruby gets so excited when she sees I have the clicker - she really loves trick training and for this reason kibble is high value enough for her.

I actually think ten minutes is too long to work on one single behavior for Ruby. She is a very sensitive dog and if she is not getting something "right," she can get frustrated. I know it's time to move on to something different if she lays down during a session. She also tends to be an overachiever who will offer a lot of her tricks before I even ask. Commonly when I ask for 'down,' she will go ahead and roll over, or when I ask for 'sit' she will go ahead and sit pretty. I have to be fast with the clicking and treating to mark what I've asked for.

Yesterday when working on one of her more challenging tricks, 'march,' in which I want her walk forward while raising her front legs up high, like chorus-line kicks, I realized the importance of breaking things down into smaller steps. I also learned that I needed to increase the rate of reinforcement (delivery of treats). Eventually I want Ruby to take multiple steps on one cue, but my goal yesterday was just to get one step from each foot. If she took more than two steps I would "jackpot" reward her and give her a small handful of kibble.

I think we made a lot of progress in just ten minutes - a wonderful reminder that everyone has time to train! Whether you want to teach a fun trick or work on something practical like loose-leash walking or recall, dedicating ten minutes a day to training is an easy way to positively affect your relationship with your dog.

Enter our giveaway for a chance to win a prize package containing a nosework DVD, puzzle toy and more!

No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and over. Void where prohibited. Giveaway will run from Monday, April 6th, 2015 through Sunday, April 12th, 2015 at 11:59pm PT. One (1) winner will be randomly selected by PromoSimple.com and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to PromoSimple's Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, KONG, Outward Hound, Zuke's, i-Click, Dogwise Publishing and Howln Moon Press do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Prize pack will be shipped separately by participating bloggers who donated prize items. Prize pack may not be as pictured. 

This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop - join us on the first Monday of every month to promote positive pet training and share advice and experiences. The hop is open all week long! The next hop begins May 4th with a review theme - please join us if you have a book, DVD or other positive training aid review to contribute.

Boca's Ocular Ordeal: Part IV

Part I

Part II

Part III

Hopefully, this series will be winding down as Boca's eye improves day by day following her conjunctival graft surgery two weeks ago. We had a recheck appointment last Saturday, and a few days before I was feeling very discouraged as she still wasn't holding her eye open very much. The day before the appointment, she seemed to turn a corner and by the time we saw the ophthalmologist she was very happy with her progress and said we were on the right track. Boca does seem to be a slow healer, something to take note of. 

She is now off all oral medications, with eye drops twice a day, and is doing better little by little. The appearance of the graft changes as time goes on, and I was told that was to be expected. Right now it is in a very red/pink phase but she holds it open more and more. I was surprised that even though the graft covers a good portion of her eye, she still has a swift blink response, which tells me she retained a good deal of vision. The vet said that the graft will smooth out over the next couple of months until it is fully incorporated with the cornea. We have another appointment next week and with supervision, Boca should be able to lose the cone over the weekend - no Easter bonnet for her!

I expected to be alarmed by how Boca's eye looked - especially because her graft is much bigger than most of the photos I found online. Instead, I am just thrilled that she is feeling better, that she got to keep her eye, and that she is the same goofy, loveable girl. One of her nicknames, Bocacabra (a play on "Chupacabra") fits even more perfectly now. I've decided to call it her "supernatural eye" and this has certainly taught me some lessons about inner and outer beauty that I will delve into in a later post. Dogs are the very best teachers of acceptance and adaptability, aren't they?

I continue to be impressed with Boca's insurance company. They issued payment yesterday for her surgical claim and even with my high deductible ended up covering about 75% of the total bills. I've started a pet insurance discussion group on Facebook. Having worked in the insurance industry for fourteen years, six of those in horse insurance, I am comfortable with the jargon and happy to talk about policy wording and comparisons. I hope you'll join, and watch for my pet insurance post coming soon. Meanwhile, Boca, Ruby and I will be getting back to normal at our house with fewer vet visits and no more cone!