Young Puppy, New Tricks

After re-intubation, they always turn up Andrew's settings on the vent, mostly to recover from whatever episode caused the failure and let him relax for a few days. He came off last night at 30 breaths per minute and high oxygen content...after only a day, he's at 16 breaths per minute and 29% oxygen. He definitely seems to like the ventilator, perhaps a little too much, and he's very comfortable as-is.

We still have to have a long chat with one of the doctors about his next steps, but all his gases are looking good and he's in no current danger....just the opposite. They've increased his feeds to 3cc per hour, and though he spit up a couple of times today, the nurse said it was mainly mucous, saliva, and other secretions that he needed to get up.

Being off the vent for two and a half days gave Andrew the opportunity to test out his unencumbered mouth and learn some new tricks. In the last three days he learned to yawn, to cough, and to smile...all of which are incredibly cute. He's still able to do them with the tube in, so he's continuing to demonstrate his new tricks.