Update from the East Coast

Hi all and Merry day after Christmas. Hope everyone is having a good holiday with friends and family. Just wanted to update you all on Mr. Miles. John and I took him to the vet last week and though he's not cured, the appointment went as well as could be expected. Miles is responding to the heart meds and his heart rate has come down to a semi-acceptable level. We were able to begin him on steroids for his wobblers syndrome and he is getting around much better. He's still slow and wobbly when he gets up from laying down and tends to swing his hind legs to the left, but his mobility is MUCH better. With the good news from the docs we left last week for our travels back East with our families. Man, we sure do miss Mr. Miles, but he is in good hands. We have a vet tech checking in on him twice daily, as well as our friend, Gene who's hanging out with him just to make sure he doesn't get lonely.

John made it up to Richmond last night. We're hanging out here through Saturday and then making our way to Wilkes on Sunday. Sorry for the lack of pics, I'll be sure to download some from my camera in time for the next post.

Meet Ellie

Wanted to share the first pics of my niece, Ellie. Ken and Amber are suppose to get home from the hospital today, so I'm sure I'll have more at home pics to share over the next few weeks. :)

So sleepy....cute rosy face :)

Ellie and her Momma. Wide attentive eyes

Ellie and her daddy...I think Ken's gettin' the hang of it.

Grandma with her first grand baby...exciting!

With her Granddad. She looks so tiny!

Mixed emotions....

Shall I start with the good news or the bad news??? I say good.

Earlier today my brother Kenny and my sister in law, Amber brought a beautiful, healthy baby girl into the world. Elizabeth Grace Sykes was born at 5:32pm via c-section and weighs 6lbs 2oz. Everyone is doing just fine and I can't wait to share some pictures as soon as I get them.

On a heavier note, Mr. Miles isn't doing so hot. Long story short he's developed wobblers syndrome and a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopothy (both common in large breeds). This past weekend he started getting really unsteady on his feet and his hind legs were dragging/uncoordinated. Took him to the vet first thing Monday and they sent us to a specialist b/c they heard something going on in his heart (sounds like a shoe in the dryer). The docs thought the heart was causing the leg problem, but turns out they are un-related. Miles is on a bunch of meds for his heart to help slow it down and get it into a normal rhythm, but unfortunately our treatment options for wobblers are limited. Because of his heart condition they don't think his heart can handle steroids or surgery.

Who's lovin' the couch?

We're hanging in there but are really surprised with how fast things have come on...I mean just a few weeks ago we were hiking in Bishop and now Miles needs a harness to walk. It's a lot to digest. We go back to the doc on the 17th to see how he's responding to the heart meds. We'll keep you posted and until then you can rest assured that the no-couch rule is out the window and Miles has taken couch lounging to a whole new level.