Joey, Baby

Joey staring in his Dad's eyes, August 18, 2010 (photo by a friend)

We wish we had better news to report about your 'Long and Short of it All' host Joey - everything was going so well with his surgery and then postoperatively, all things considered, but later this morning he was throwing up, and the thing that we didn't want to happen during recovery has happened - he threw a blood clot which has lodged itself in his lungs - a pulmonary embolism.  The internal medicine vet suggested that we visit him as soon as possible, and we were out the door and at his side in record time (we were planning on a visit a few hours later).  At this point, the clot may dissolve and he'll get better, or it may build up and he'll get worse. His breathing is labored.

He seemed very happy to see Dad and one of his good friends.   He didn't wag his tail, but he perked up and enjoyed being talked to and stroked and massaged and kissed on.   We told him that great things await his return home:  car rides, walks in the park, laps, all his favorite food and treats, and that Maggie is lonely without him.  We told him about all the love and support that his friends from all over the world are sending him.

Heading back out to visit him again tonight.  He'll be able to eat tonight for the first time, and hopefully we'll be able to get some food down him, but when he was on a fentanyl patch before for back pain several years ago, he refused to eat, and we don't think he'll want to eat tonight with his fentanyl IV.  But we're hoping.  The vet tech did take him outside for a while about an hour ago.  He enjoyed basking in the sun with her - like most Dachshunds, his most favorite thing to do in all the world.