A couple days ago Sam sent out a large letter detailing her ordeal to the EAC's legal department.  She still hasn't heard back from them.

I texted her today just to see how Thor was doing and everything.  She said there wasn't much to report.  He's just a silly puppy that is being very stubborn and doesn't want to listen right now.

Well it's good to hear that things are getting a little bit more back to normal!

Keep spreading the website around guys and sign the guestbook!
 
Today the doctor called Samantha with the results of Thor's pathology workup.  It came back as a benign cyst (thank goodness!) more than likely from a hair follicle.  She's supposed to keep an eye on it to see if it grows/shrinks rapidly or changes shape or color.  If it does it may have to be surgically removed so they can really dissect it and run more tests to see better what i
 
Despite the recent toe development, Sam was willing to bring Thor to his Intermediate class today.  Everyone in the store and class was so happy and excited to see him.  He was the center of attention.
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Kyli & Thor
Even though he was slightly sedated in order to protect him from hurting himself in his excitement he did so well in class.  You wouldn't even know that he's missed the last 3 weeks of lessons!
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Slightly sedated-Notice his 3rd eyelids creeping into his eyeline
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Practicing 'stand'
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Thor making his famous 'chewbacca noise'
His 2 sisters, Pickles and Minnie wanted to love all over him so much!  I wish I had gotten pictures of their reunion.  What a spoiled and loved boy.
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Thor and his classmate/buddy : Penny
It's hard to believe it's been 17 days since Thor's surgery.  But it's also hard to believe how fast and well he has healed in those 17 days.  He has been missed by all the people that love him.
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Thor's tummy 17 days post-op
We (Carissa, Thor, and Samantha) would like to thank everyone for their continued support, thoughts, prayers, well wishes, donations, etc.  We can't say how much we appreciate it enough!
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Email from Samantha:
Today we went back to the vet for our second attempt at aspirating Thor's toe. About an hour prior to leaving I gave him some left over Teamadol and Aceopromazine [pain killer/sedative] from his surgery to help sedate him for the procedure And to avoid paying for sedation/hospitalization at the vet's office. I wasn't sure if the meds were going to work or keep him calm enough but it was worth a shot.

I could tell the meds were kicking in when Thor stumbled down the stairs. Poor guy. The vet was able to aspirate his toe and get a sample off to the pathologist; we should be getting the results back mid-week.

The doctor also said that histiocytomas [red, hairless benign tumors] are common in younger dogs and can eventually regress on their own. In some instances they can/need to be surgically removed, but they are common and easy to treat if they are monitored and kept clean. Hopefully that is what the test results come back as, if they don't come back as a bug bite allergy. Until then he'll be on antibiotics and I'll be keeping a watchful eye.

 
This morning Thor came in the house from his potty break and was tracking poop in the house.  So Samantha went to wipe off his feet when she noticed a huge growth on his foot.
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It popped up over night, and it was bleeding a little bit.  Well she put his inflatable collar on him to keep him from licking it and she went to work.

Well, apparently he could still lick it with his collar on.  So once again she found herself with Thor in tow trudging to the vet.  The vet tried to drain it, but they couldn't because Thor was in too much pain from it and could not stay still.

Sam has to take Thor back to the vet first thing tomorrow morning so they can sedate him and drain the sore.  From there they will send a sample to a pathologist to see what it is.

"I feel like I'm never going to catch a break  :(" she texted me today.

$250 so far, and it may end up being more is they have to hospitalize him after sedating him.  She's gonna keep me posted tomorrow morning.
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Email from Samantha:

Yesterday I called the “EAC Legal Dept” which ended up just being the facility in Phoenix.  I explained to one of the staff members there what had happened at the Gilbert office and they said that they would be sending me something in the mail [Complaint Form?] to fill out and return back. She assured me that an investigating doctor would be calling me back to ask me questions about the incident. I received that phone call today from another doctor at the Phoenix office, tried to explain my case without having a breakdown, and was told to start writing down in a few paragraphs the incident that took place. In the meantime, he said he was going to contact the doctors under investigation to hear their side of the story. He asked how Thor was doing and how his incision was healing and I told him that despite doing well under the circumstances, he’s an overly-active puppy and because of the [hindering] surgery, he isn’t able to burn the amount of energy that’s needed to keep him from becoming bored, aggressive, or destructive. Not to mention the emotional and financial burden this avoidable situation has caused…

TO BE CONTINUED…
 
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Heading to the doctor for our follow-up appointment!
Today we went to our follow up appointment with the vet to see how Thor's incision was healing. On our way in we were stopped by a lot of people who were curious to hear about Thor's story and why he had an inflatable tube around his neck. Everyone was amazed when I showed them which toy he had swallowed and gave us their best wishes for a speedy recovery. They couldn't get over how handsome my boy is :)

He weighed in at 47.6 lbs which is .6 lbs heavier than what he weighed the first night we took him to the EAC.  Which puts into perspective how much he'd lost during the days prior his return home from the hospital. He's got the appetite of a growing boy so he's starting to fill out again and his ribs are becoming less noticeable.

The nurse took his temperature, checked his gums, and listened to his heartbeat and everything checked out normal. The doctor came in after that and confirmed that despite the silly inner-tube around his neck, he was a really healthy boy. She checked the incision and said it was healing extremely well and that he should be able to keep the tube off his neck while were at home, only wearing it to bed and when I'm away at work to prevent him from licking the forming scabs. If he starts licking with it off, it has to go back on again.

She said it would be a couple weeks before Thor can get back into any extensive exercise routine or roughhouse with his friends. In the next 6-8 months he should be COMPLETELY healed/back to "normal".  Until then he can still play but he has to take it easy. After we got home, I took his tube off and he went crazy with excitement!

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Waiting patiently for the doctor.
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Feeling his stomach, checking for tender spots to see if he's in any pain or discomfort.
 
Well, today Thor learned how to undo the velcro strip that holds his inflatable collar on tight, even AFTER putting him in his smaller kennel...that little bugger. It's a good thing it's connected to his regular collar though so he wasn't able to get it completely off and devour it.

After work we went for a short walk around the block just to get him out of the house. At first, he was a little hesitant; almost as if he thought I was taking him to the hospital again. Then again that was the last time he wore his Gentle Leader and had been outside [with the exception of the backyard]. For the most part he did pretty well, occasionally pulling me and walking into my feet.

I can't wait to get him back in training classes and I know he misses his friends. Since we got home from the walk he's been a ball of energy-running around in circles outside and chasing his tennis ball around the house. He keeps bringing me toys so I will play with him too.

Tomorrow is his follow up appt with the vet; hopefully it will be the last day for the inflatable collar. YES!

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I talked to Sam on the phone today to see how Thor was doing since his incident of eating his cone. This is what she said:

"He's doing well.  I think he's starting to get frustrated with being locked up in his kennel all the time so he can't run around/play.  He was being kind'ove aggressive this morning and he was nipping at me and growling and boxing at me.  The sedative just don't seem to be keeping him sedated anymore.  I need to call the vet and see if I can get him a higher dosage.  I went and bought him the inflatable collar that you recommended after he chewed up the last one.  It seems to be working really well, but I can tell he is still annoyed with it.  Only 3 more days and it should be able to come off!"


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Can you believe how fast his incision is healing?!
 
So much for the 10 days of wearing the cone.  I don't know how the crafty little bugger managed this one in his crate.
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The remains of his E-Collar