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April 2, 2001 – This is one of the very first pictures to appear
on DaDane of DaWeek. I posted it almost four years ago to the day. Jabber
was two years old when one warm spring day he cautiously waded into
our pond. This was new territory for Jabber. (He is not the explorer
type, so this was a big event.) While Jabber was standing there taking
in the scenery, I started feeding the turtles. Within moments Jabber
was completely surrounded by hungry pond turtles, but he hadn't yet
noticed them. Suddenly he was nibbled by a curious fish. He looked down,
saw all the turtles and let out a big whoop. Jabber moved so fast that
he practically "levitated" out of the pond. This illustration
was a spoof of what occurred that afternoon when Jabber discovered wildlife
in the pond.
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Jabber Update
Finally some good news to report! Jabber is doing fine. He has settled into his new surroundings at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine. They have done a battery of blood work on him and everything is coming up normal, including his white count, so the infection is still localized and might even be considered subclinical. Apparently the doctor is not too concerned about the infection right now because he has taken Jabber off all meds except Soloxine for his hypothyroidism. This doesn't mean there aren't "bugs" in his bones – there are – but it means they aren't currently a threat.
When taken outside to do his business, Jabber is now walking around on three legs although he needs assistance in getting up and must be supported when he poops (sorry). He's eating well and he gets lots of visitors because he is in a teaching hospital. He has a nice big bed. It's 6" thick with a comfy quilt on top and he's lodged in a very roomy kennel (way more room than he needs since he isn't ambulatory), so I think he's quite comfortable. He still has both his teddy bears, too.
Radiographs taken a few days ago revealed an area of the bone that may be showing evidence of infection, but it could be new bone growth instead, or perhaps something else. I was told it is inconclusive at this point. Jabber's case is still being evaluated. We are awaiting a formal report which we expect in a few days.
Jabber's Prognosis
Apparently the last surgical reconstruction by Dr. Shealy is still holding
and we are hoping Jabber will eventually regain use of the leg. This
week's x-rays suggest that Jabber's other leg has a damaged cruciate.
This is something Dr. Shealy predicted based on visual examination,
so the news didn't come as a surprise. It's unfortunate that Jabber's
other leg is not as strong as we would like it to be, but for now we
are just grateful that Jabber is holding his own. I want to thank everyone
who has sent prayers and good wishes our way.
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