Good Tanker Update

All of Tanker's supporters deserve a good update on him. 

Tanker has been home for two days now and is still seizure free.  He is doing great!  We added the Keppra into his daily meds on Tuesday afternoon.  He has since become pretty weak in his back end.  He is still on the higher doses of Phenobarbital and Zonisimide.  I will lower those doses back to normal tomorrow.  The Keppra needed three days to get into his system before we could lower the other drugs.

Other than being weak in his back end and pretty tired, he has lost his appetite.  The zonisimide can cause that, but the Potassium Bromide causes him to eat more, so they have always balanced each other out.  I don't know if the Keppra causes lack of appetite or not.  I'm hoping that once we decrease his Zonismide tomorrow that his appetite will go back to normal.

Yesterday was a difficult day with him not wanting to eat.  He only ate half his breakfast, he didn't want his dinner, and he didn't want to take his meds wrapped in turkey.  I had to give every one of his pills by shoving them down his throat yesterday afternoon.  That's six pills!  It was a struggle!  I soaked his food in water just like he likes it and let it sog up until late last night.  I then hand fed him piece by piece.  We both enjoyed that.  If you want to bond with your dogs, hand feed them!  It was a really sweet experience.

After all that, it sounds like Tanker is really not doing well, but he really is!  He loves going outside and every time I let the dogs out back, he runs around.  He then goes and sunbathes in his favorite spot where he can look up at the road and see the cars go by.  Yesterday, I did a lot of training with Topher with the "TWO PAWS" command.  Tanker layed and watched us the entire time.  I would walk over and try to give him a treat to make him feel involved.  He didn't want the treat.  He eventually got up and would follow Topher and I around the house as I made Topher "two paws" on everything.  He really wanted to be involved.  I made him sit and down occasionally so that he felt like he was part of the training too.  I wan't going to start him on the "two paws" command yet as weak has he has been in his back end.  He really loves to learn and be involved in our lives.  That's what makes him and Topher GREAT therapy dogs!

Things are calm and life is good here at the Foster Farm. The entire zoo crew is healthy and happy!

This command is called Paws Up. I say "Paws Up" and Topher puts his two front feet on the stool. I taught him this command in only 15 minutes. This command will be used to transition into the Pray command where he will put his two front feet on something and bow his head. As fast as a learner as Topher is, I hope to show that one to you all within a week.

The Topher Diaries: I am practicing the TWO PAWS command with my big cat sister, Sweet Pea, in the chair like she is a patient. Dad says to be prepared in all situations. I could encounter this in the hospital. Fat cat patients, here I come!

I usually lay here and watch my brother, Topher, learn more commands. I am a smart boy. I am learning by watching. Before long, I will be good as new and will be doing them too.

Tanker and Wes are testing for their Delta therapy dog certification on Saturday.  Tomorrow evening, we are going to a reading orientation through Blue Grey Therapy Dogs so that we can take the dogs into the schools to allow kids to read to them.  We are excited about it.  Everything is looking up.  It won't be long before we are going into schools to work with autistic kids, reading with kids in schools, visiting the military hospitals to be with the wounded troops, and volunteering in our local hospitals.  This bump in the road will not stop us from living our dreams of helping others.  Tanker and Topher are ready to make a difference in the world!