Stem Cell Therapy Progress

When our Union Hill Animal Hospital started to offer this procedure for the treatment for osteo-arthritis (and other degenerative diseases), I knew in my heart that this was something we needed to pursue on behalf of Madison.  Dave and I decided to jump on the opportunity to possibly provide her with any level of comfort we could in these geriatric years.

Snoozing in her Vari Kennel some days before her therapy

Dr. Diane Castle gave us the final okay to schedule her just before the new year holiday based on results from testing and her evaluation.  The date was set, January 16, which coincidentally was Madison's 14th birthday.

I am trying to capture before and after videos of her progress in various activity; primarily her ability to get up from a prone/sleeping position comfortably and her ability to lay down comfortably.  The following videos are of her getting up.

This video is of her getting up in her "condo" after having been resting for some time.  It was taken prior to the procedure and was one of the reasons we wanted to pursue stem cell therapy to see if this every day activity could be made more comfortable.  She often would struggle more than this to get up.

The following video was taken on Saturday, 2 days after the procedure on Thursday.  This is her first time to "get up" after having slept overnight (she was heavily sedated after the procedure, so Friday was a day of rest and she was pretty wobbly).  We are pleased because there is much less vocalization involved with her movement.  She doesn't appear to be able to "pop" up much more in this video, but she seems more comfortable with the activity.

This last video was taken today, Sunday, January 19.  The procedure was done on Thursday, so we're now three days post op/procedure.  This is remarkable and we are astounded by the benefit we are already seeing in her.  She literally just sat up, like a youthful, non arthritic dog.  Wow, just wow!!!!!!!!!

I'll continue to document her progress.  It is exciting and I'm so very, very grateful to Dr. Diane Castle and everyone at Union Hill Animal Hospital for bringing this technology to their practice.  What a special, special gift we are receiving from their skills!

Maybe, just maybe, we'll get to take her to the river again for a walk/trot.  My hope has been ignited.

Madison the Surprise Partner

We've been partners in all kinds of adventures these past thirteen years

It was so tempting to stay inside today and not venture out in the wind.   But we bundled up and headed out for a jaunt around the neighborhood anyway.  I decided to take a hard fast walk instead of running today, hoping I could avoid the "frozen to the bone" feeling you get once you've worked up a sweat and then get slapped by a gust of cold wind.  Since we haven't been on the road regularly these past six weeks or so, Stetson and I are playing a little "catch up" in the endurance area, so it seemed like a good opportunity for a little conditioning instead of a hard workout.  It won't take long to get built back up, probably by the end of this week I'll hardly notice the time off. 



He's become an amazing partner and companion in such a short time together!

I planned on doing the typical three miles with Stetson and Dave was going to take Maddie home after a mile and a half.  After we split from Dave and Madison, Stetson kept looking over his shoulder and trying to circle behind me.  I was a little irritated with him as I tried without success to get him refocused.  We were almost to the top of the hill before I turned back to see what he was trying to investigate.  Jogging up the hill behind us was Dave and Maddie.  She was pulling like mad to catch up.  He said after they turned to head home, she stopped in the road and turned around watching us go away.  When given the choice of where to go, she took off up the hill after us.  She had this huge grin on her face that brought tears to my eyes. 

We cut the second lap a little shorter than normal because she looked a little fatigued, but we finished all together today.  My heart always sings when I'm on a hike, or run, or walk with the dogs and Dave, but the song today was filled with a little more gratitude.

She likes her privacy to unwind after a run 



Princess Maddie Rules the Run

Relynka's Maiden Voyage, MX MXJ

She's the biggest thrill I've ever attached to a leash, or turned loose from a leash.  She's the one that caused my heart to pound so hard it felt as though it would explode through my chest when we were competing in Agility.  Just to hear the thunder of her feet as she turned while landing from a jump that I called too late; listening to her "ugh" when she anticipated a call I wasn't yet ready to make; seeing her breath in the frosty morning air - Madison, Princess, Maddie, Sissy, Sis.  She's the one that has always made me know exactly where my moment of total loss of self control happens; it's her, simply being with her, running with her, feeling her energy and her power next to me.  She took me places in Agility that I only thought maybe I'd like to go.  She didn't dance, she thundered.  You knew she was there, vocally and from the energy she created with her movement.



Young Maddie - probably 2002 or 2003

Today she's given me yet another one of those moments.  Another thrill that only someone who is willing to wear their heart on their sleeve when it comes to their dogs is ever going to feel.  She owned the 5k at the Chattahoochee River this morning.  There were times that I didn't even know anyone else was around; and I wasn't the one holding her leash.  She ran with Dave as always, but today was special somehow.  Watching her this morning took me back to days when it was just she and I pounding dirt together.

Sis in her prime - probably 2005 or 2006

The conditions weren't ideal for a Siberian to run today.  It was damp.  The temperature was right at 38 degrees, certainly too warm for much distance with a northern breed.  But she was on task and moving like she was merely 9 or 10 years old.  On the back side of the 5k loop, I looked over to see her loping in sled dog form; with her tongue loosely swinging out of the side of her mouth, a big grin across her lips, trailing tail and her neck lengthened with her head forward.  Damn the inability to wear "runner" clothing and carry a camera/phone to capture a moment.  I pray the visual is burned so deeply into my soul and mind that I'll never forget it.  She looked like a real kennel/sled dog today too; grooming needed, and I mean seriously needed!  Dave hates to see her with tufts of hair waiting to be pulled or brushed away from her coat.  But to me, she looks like the sled dogs I remember from central New York State.  Hanging out on their dog houses in the dog yard/kennel area waiting for the next run - blowing coat with nobody worrying about making them pretty unless they had a conformation show to go to.

She was whelped at our home on January 18, 2000.  She was the first puppy born in our first (and only) litter.  Thus she became our "maiden voyage" and Madison became her call name.  Today, I think my pulse ran as fast as the moment I cut her cord.  I feel so blessed to still be enjoying the ride as much as I did when she was young and all we had were dreams; the memories just keep coming to fill new spots in my heart.

Our girl currently - sweet, sweet Madison