Happy Birthday, Carmella!

Well, time sure has flown! Carmella is 2 years old today. She still looks and behaves much like a puppy, but sure enough she's all grown up.

I took some more beautiful shots of her.

This dog has a real sense of humor, and a presence which is almost human.

Sometimes I wonder whether she understands alot more about what's going on than I even realize.

On Saturday I went with a friend to Dr. Norwood's office when she was taking her dog in and got a chance to ask him whether he'd put in the referral for Carmella's MRI. He'd been sick with the flu that's been going around this winter, but told me he was going to get on it now and that somebody  at the specialty clinic could help pave the way for the MRI and a full neurological work-up.

Tonight while I was taking pictures of her eating she put her right front leg in that position I sometimes see in which her arch flattens almost all the way to the floor. I snapped a picture just before she moved it.

I hope we can get the right people on this to repair the damage. There are at least a few other dogs who could also benefit from this help if we can identify which of the various techniques will be the most effective.

Over the weekend I was reading alot of journal articles about stem cell transplant techniques, and there seem to be several versions currently being used. Luckily for Carmella, many of these are being done currently in dogs or at least are not illegal for use in dogs right now!

One foundation completely devoted to stem cell techniques and technology has put together a team of the top specialists in the world who are on the cutting edge of research in the field. Each of these specialists have their own sub-specialty and focus within stem cell research. Some of them are physicians for humans, and some are PhD level scientists. I plan on contacting some of them to see whether they can help brainstorm and solve Carmella's problem.

I didn't have a gift to give her today, but if we can restore her to the way she was before Distemper uprooted her life, that will be the best birthday present anyone could wish for.