Riley Update 2/17/09

Oh, Mr. Riley :) Adrian and I found out this past Friday that Riley has severe heartworms. Adrian thankfully, has a great relationship with his vet, so we're thankful. From start to finish, the bills are probably going to run $1500, which just a week after having him, we've both fallen in love. Of course, the first thing I asked was, "Are we going to fall in love with him and he's not going to make it??" The vet said there's a 2% chance that he won't survive, so I think we're in the clear.

The heartworm treatment started on Friday. He's got plugs in his ears for both earaches. His eyes are a ton better, and the bad news is that while he's on the heartworm treatment, he's not allowed to go out :( No walks, no dog park, no trails. We need to keep him as calm as possible. Adrian felt awful when the vet told him this, because the day before he had taken the three boys to the park and made him run. He didn't know, but with the way the treatment goes, the more active and riled up he gets, the more of a chance he has of the dead worms filtering into his lungs, and this could be fatal. So, as much as it breaks our hearts, he's had to stay home while the other boys do their daily walk. It's just a month, and we're almost a week into it.

He's adorable and we love him so much already. Adrian gave him his first haircut. Yes, a mohawk. Will post those pics later :) Oh, and at the vet, he weighed in at a whopping 104! Holy moly. We can't wait to get him active. He's only 4, and not the assumed 7-8, so he's got lots of puppy to go. Maybe he can be my trail dog :) The Pomeranian can keep up with fast dad, and I can take the big boys since I'm slower. Finally, a benefit to being the slower athlete in the family!!