15:30

Well, I certainly want to thank the folks who published the URLs in the comments below. Through those links I was able to search Google until I found the ‘Baily Chair.’ I found there are lots of dogs with Buddy’s condition. While vets often recommend they be put down for quality of life issues, it is perfectly possible for such dogs to lead healthy and active lives with the help of the ‘Baily Chair.’ I found a whole bunch of YouTube videos on how to use the chair. I’ll post links to the videos below. You can see that the situation is far from hopeless. I believe Mr. Buddy, when he regains his strength with the help of the feeding tube, will be able to lead a very happy life. Thanks so much for the leads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sidA3-7XezU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjQtYI3q4lc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQF19LR1rRk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5sgQTCI2LA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O31-QxJnMxQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7zd4LbIEjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5CPQEJCjX8

Pavel Nikos tells me Buddy is doing fine today.  He’s sleeping all day while he’s recovering from the operation.

19:20 Saturday

This is probably the last update I’ll do about Mr. Buddy for a few days. Mr. Buddy survived the operation quite well, he was in very good spirits yesterday evening when Pavel Nikos picked him up at the hospital. This morning when I checked in with Pavel he said Mr. Buddy was very tired. I said that’s usual after an operation. Meanwhile, when I took Aida down to the backyard to do her business, she completely searched the offices looking for Buddy. I ran camera on a wrestling shoot at 11:00, the first time I’ve felt up to working in the studio since Buddy’s crisis hit. Afterward, Pavel brought Buddy to the office for a visit. He looked pretty happy, but tired. He certainly looked a lot better than he did just before he went under the knife. Buddy has a light bandage around his torso. Pavel must give him food, water, and antibiotics through a tube inserted directly into his stomach. He is getting a little stronger by the hour. He cannot be allowed to eat, drink or lick anything. The problem is with a valve in his gullet. The purpose of the operation was to give him some pills in his stomach that might sock his gullet into working again where he can keep food down. If he eats something, and vomits, it could give him another infection that might kill him right away. Meanwhile, he is getting a lot of food plus two liters of water daily through the tube. We cannot do any tests to see if he can keep food down until his much stronger. I told folks on chat all of the above and someone said, “so, the operation was successful.” We know the operation didn’t kill him and he is getting stronger because of food inserted by the tube directly to his stomach. We won’t know for several, several more days, unfortunately, whether the operation was successful. I am certainly more optimistic than I was yesterday. I truly thought yesterday morning was the last time I would see Buddy alive. However, the big caution is: If he can’t keep food and water down, then the tube feeding will result in a very poor quality of life. I am really, really hoping that with a lot of tender loving care we can find a way to feed Buddy naturally where he can live a good life for several more years. That’s my hope. He has a great spirit.

Oh, yes, when Aida saw him, she ran over and gave hims lots of kisses and then immediately became jealous because of all the attention Buddy was getting. That’s my Aida. I’ll update the Blog with Buddy’s progress every few days, and I truly, truly hope it will all be uphill from here!

19:20  Pavel has gone to hospital to pick up Buddy.  The doctor will instruct Pavel how to feed Buddy through the tube, give him a little water, and inject antibiotics.  pavel say Buddy’s problem could be megaezofagus myasthenia gratia.  Now we will wait and hope that the operation was successful and Buddy’s gullet will start working again and he’ll be able to keep food and water down.  I’ll update the blog when we know more…..

15:42 Buddy’s operation has finished.  Doctor said it went well, and Buddy has survived.  They will let us know at 19:00 whether he is well enough to leave hospital.  Buddy’s problem is with his gullet.  Several days will be needed before we can tell whether the operation was successful in shocking his nerves into allowing the gullet to work.  I’ll keep updating as we know more.  But at least today, so far, good news.

Friday 15:00

As I write this, Mr. Buddy is probably under the knife for his ‘last chance’ operation.  This morning, Pavel, Aida, and I went back to the hospital to tell him a proper ‘goodbye.’  There were lots of tears.  It was snowing of all things.  We took Buddy for a walk, much shorter this morning as he didn’t want to walk very far.  His spirits seemed if anything a little brighter than yesterday.  Then when we arrived back at the hospital door, both Pavel and I gave him tearful ‘goodbyes.’

In her own way, Aida was also crying.

Buddy’s problem is the gullet.  It is no longer working.  About half an hour ago, the doctor called Pavel and said he felt Buddy was strong enough to survive the operation.  He also said the operation is the only chance to save him.  There are no other possibilities.

The operation should be underway now.  I’ll post more when I know more…..

At 14:00 Pavel Nikos, Aida, and I drove out to the small veterinary hospital on the outskirts of Prague to visit Buddy. Aida and I stayed outside while Pavel went inside to fetch Buddy for a visit. Buddy came out, looking a little dazed, but not wobbly at all. He didn’t seem especially to recognize Aida and me. Buddy, Pavel, Aida and I went for a very pleasant 30 minute walk in the fields behind the hospital. Buddy did his business, both numbers one and two. He certainly didn’t chase any rabbits, but he walked along. After awhile, he seemed to want to turn around and go back. When we arrived back at Pavel’s utility vehicle, Buddy upchucked. We put Aida in the boot, and Pavel said, ’say goodbye.’ I didn’t think much of that at the time.

Then he and Buddy went back in the hospital. I stayed outside to read a book. After about 15 minutes, it got too chilly for me and I went inside the waiting room. I sat there for another 15 minutes when Pavel came out. I said, “How does it look?” I asked because Buddy didn’t look that bad during the walk.

Pavel said, “The nerves than enable him to swallow food and get it into his stomach have quite working. There are several things they can try. The one they are going to try is pills. They will have to make a hole in his side and feed him the pills through the hole, as he would not be able to keep them down if taken orally. If the operation works, we can take him home tomorrow. Buddy is very weak and they will have to give him a general anesthetic, so he might not make it off the table. It is not very likely that the pills will work. So, he cannot live forever by taking his food through a tube in his stomach.”

I said, “So, he might not make it off the table tomorrow?” Pavel answered, “That’s right.” I asked him to go back and take a photo of Buddy with my mobile phone. He said, “No, he is not in good shape and we have lots of pictures.”

On the drive back home, I asked, “Can we come back tomorrow and see him before he goes in for the operation?” Pavel didn’t answer. So, I said, “Think about it.”

I didn’t think when he had earlier said, “Say ‘goodbye,’” that he had really meant, “Say, ‘goodbye.’”

I am sure all his fans will wish Buddy the best. We are all hoping for him to pull through tomorrow. April 1st is Buddy’s 10th birthday.

Updated at 18:00.  I now have more information.  There is always a problem with translations.  Pavel Nikos gave me a more full explanation while we were walking Aida just now.  There are three things that could be causing the problem (not three possible cures).  They don’t know which of the three is causing the problem.  There is the possibility to treat only one of those causes.  That is what they will do with the operation tomorrow.  If Buddy survives the operation well, tomorrow, then we will take him home tomorrow night.  They will not give him such a heavy general anesthetic tomorrow as they did before.

Then if the operation is successful, it will take effect slowly over a week.  So, we won’t know tomorrow whether or not it has been successful.  We will have to feed him through the tube to his stomach during this week.  Plus, it will be necessary to put him in a chair as upright as possible to feed him water.  The food alone won’t work.  He must be as near vertical as possible, so the water will make as direct a path as possible to his gut so he won’t vomit it up.

Pavel, Aida, and I will go back in the morning at 9:00 for one more walk and ‘goodbyes’ before the operation.  We cannot be there during the prep or operation.

Here is a link to a post I did on Wednesday with the most recent pictures taken of Buddy:

Wednesday’s Post on Mr. Buddy