Willow Weekend

This weekend was very low-key and almost entirely focused on Willow. On Saturday we drove back to Orange County for a check-up with the vet. The rest of the time, we were either running errands or lounging around the house keeping an eye on Willow's progress.

Fortunately, Willow has made quite an improvement. Two days ago, she had zero movement in her back legs and was only standing (with a little support) for a few minutes at a time. Yesterday she was standing on her own for brief periods, but falling over after a few steps. Today she's walking all the way across the room. She's still very wobbly and isn't placing her feet exactly right....she looks drunk...but she's dramatically better than just a few days ago. The vet was very happy with her progress and thinks she'll get even better over the next couple of weeks.

We've stopped confining her to her cage at all times; instead, we've widened her area to just the living room. We're preventing her from getting on the couch or bed and putting her back in the cage at night, but a bit of walking practice will be good for her. It's pitiful to watch her stumble over her own legs, step on the tops of her feet, and occasionally drag a leg behind her, but it's wonderful to see signs of recovery. Hopefully it will progress at the same pace, and she'll be walking normally in a few days. Maybe I'll shoot a video while she's still swerving like a drunken debutante.

The vet also took out her staples, so her back looks a little better. The incision is still surrounded by holes where the staples were, but as the tiny bits of dried blood come off it will start looking much better. It'll take a while for her hair to grow back and cover the scar, but our little football welcomes any improvement.