ROCKY'S CLEAN-UP 6 MAY 2010

Debbie writes: Rocky is such a ladies' man. He wasn't going to move a muscle as he was having his pins scrubbed, medicated & rebandaged today by his FAVE, Dr. Amy Nunemacher at Cobb Animal Clinic. Rocky knows that with all the poking & prodding comes tons of belly rubs & ear scratches. Not to mention the yummy cookies when it's all over. All in all, I believe Rocky is progressing nicely. Dr. Whitley stopped by to see Rocky's bionic leg & titanium rods. The vets & staff at our local clinic love seeing Rocky and doing their part in seeing him be all that he can be. Rocky has lost a bit more weight; that is a concern and something I'm going to work hard to turn around. I started with a nice little plate of wet food when we got home because he was so good. The one area that is troublesome to the vets coordinating Rocky's care is that he is still not using that leg as they would like. I will be more diligent in taping a bottle cap to the bottom of his 'good' foot in hopes that he won't like it, which in theory will force him to put the weight on the 'bad' leg. He is such a stoic dog and handles discomfort like a champ, so when I've tried the bottle cap method, it hasn't fazed him much. We have some new ideas on how to make it a little more uncomfortable for him. It goes against everything that I believe in to cause any dog physical pain, so I'm going to have to force myself to do this. Rocky is on the mend. He's about a quarter of the way up that long flight of stairs that we all remember from the movie. There is still a long way to go for this brave dog. Thanks to all of you who have donated to offset the cost of his medical care. I think of each one of you daily as I scroll through the list of donors. I whisper your names into Rocky's ears and we look at his webpage together every day. If you've been thinking of donating but haven't gotten around to it yet, we still need a lot of money. Rocky's expenses are almost up to $6,000.00, if we haven't already gotten there already. Please consider making a donation. I promise you won't regret helping this guy. He's a champ and he won't let you down. Wet beard kisses from Rocky. SALLY SCHNELLMANN: Knowing that Rocky is in the caring & experienced hands of you & Lee is so reassuring. Please express our thanks your wonderful husband, too. Before his illness, my husband was so often my right hand in rescue work, so I know what a blessing it is when our mate is so supportive in this mission. Airedale Rescue is so lucky to have you & Lee! BOB ANDERSON: Still putting up the good fight! Atta boy, Rocky!

ROCKY'S PT BEGINS HERE