Happy Birthday, Turk

Turk, our wonder dog, celebrated his 7th birthday recently, which makes him officially an old man. He got a cookie

which he didn't gobble. Apparently he's learning some manners.

He also got a cow. A couple years ago, he was affectionately named Turk the City Dog by our friend Ellen at Glory Farm. She seemed to think that he was at a loss on the farm, but clearly he was paying attention while he was there.

He immediately decided that any good Holstein should be de-horned.

He worked on one side and then the other.

Within 30 minutes, the cow was de-horned.

Maybe he didn't learn everything he should have. Instead of tagging the cow's ear, he just chewed them off, too. I'm not expecting the cow to last too much longer!

A Quick Break

I took a quick break from boat building to show up for a doctor's appointment at home and check in with BJ and Turk. BJ's getting close to finishing what I would call a frayed edge quilt for Kelli & Bryan. Most of the material was collected along the way on our Alaska trip last summer.

Turk visited with the Vet shortly after I got home yesterday. They confirmed that it was a piece of rib that worked its way through the skin near his incision. Apparently it was missed when originally cleaning up his wounds and again when the thoracic surgeon did the second surgery. Amazingly, he seems to be in good spirits and plenty perky except that he doesn't like wearing the shirt to keep him from licking the wound.

I hit the road headed back to Bullhead after lunch. Apparently everyone was in a hurry, even on the two lane portions. Since I didn't have the trailer, I was running the speed limit and being pushed - the picture's not that good but this is what I saw in my mirror at one point.

In addition to the people in a hurry, someone apparently didn't mind an expensive ride. I spotted this Phoenix taxi just south of I-40, over 150 miles north of where you'd expect to see it. The fare was likely headed to Las Vegas since I could see it in the distance northbound out of Kingman.

Tomorrow I'll be back at work on the hatches, installing latches and the sealing surfaces. Meanwhile, Tony has made progress on lots of stuff including the compartment for the bilge pump under the rower's seat.

Celebration!

It was over 11 weeks and a lifetime ago that Turk became a chew toy for a moment. After two major surgeries, lots of scheduled and emergency vet appointments,

and a minor surgery two weeks ago that resulted in this latest set of stitches, it looks like we have him all closed up. There are some issues that are likely permanent, but the incision is healed for which we are very thankful.

Today was the day to get the stitches out.

The shirt is gone, and he's happy to be chasing the ground squirrel in the wood pile. He has a speed bump because the skin behind the incision doesn't slide like it should, but it doesn't seem to bother him. We're just glad to have our buddy enjoying life with us.

Downs and Ups

One of the several factors getting back to Arizona when we did was that BJ and I had a sorta complex pair of river trips scheduled for early October and although we were both trip leaders, we hadn't done any planning while we were enjoying the Alaska trip. We've done the trip many times before so planning was less of a concern, but this time we were doing separate trips targeting the same jet boat date.

When Turk was scheduled for a third surgery, I read the handwriting on the wall and cancelled my trip so that I could be home to take care of Turk while BJ introduced her two annual hiking odyssey girlfriends to our favorite river. I was bummed, but it was the right thing to do.

Shortly after I shared that I was cancelling my trip, a friend called and asked me to join her trip. We've done a lot of trips with Helen including multiple versions of her Friends of Helen trip in January. This year she was planning a 10 day Green River trip doing both Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons a couple weeks ahead of the dates BJ had selected so now I get to go and will be back in time for dog sitting.

The way the logistics work out, I get to use my solo canoe for the first time in 18 months! So now, with less than two weeks to launch, I've developed a menu and I'm starting to do some trial packing. Meanwhile, Turk seems to be healing very well!

Changes

It's been a bit surprising to see how much has changed around here in the four plus months that we were gone. The Mexican lime tree, although it was pruned before we left, decided to send suckers to the sky. What hasn't changed is the monsoon storms and the Arizona heat! Our daughter and her fiance did a wonderful job keeping the landscaping in check.

I was really surprised to see bumper crops on the lemon, Mexican lime, and orange trees. Still green of course, but looking really good. Usually one or two of the trees decide to bear but it looks like it will be all three this year.

As we drove around town, we were surprised at the number of new businesses that have just opened or that are advertising openings in the near future. You leave town for a while and the world changes.

Turk's situation continues changing. He's scheduled for his third surgery tomorrow although we're hoping that this one will not be as involved as the first two. Still trying to get his incision healed.

Short Timers!

We're getting to be real short-timers now after spending weeks more than we expected in Anchorage. No, we're not going to tow our Scamp with this but it intrigued me, thus the picture.

We need to say thank you to Dr. Kira Zerkel and the staff at PET Emergency Treatment as well as Dr. Nelson Priddy of Alaska Mobile Veterinary Surgery who went out of their way to help us understand the issues and implications related to Turk's significant injuries and multiple surgeries. Our confidence in them (and Turk's slow healing) was why we spent the extra time in the Anchorage area.


We've been thankful that the other party's insurance company has been responsive thus far. We trust that will continue when they see the doctor's statement that Turk's healing and resolution of infections may take many months!

The time has come for us to leave town for the last time on this trip. There are lots of places we'd hoped to see and things we'd hoped to do on this trip that have been sidelined to deal with Turk's medical needs. Perhaps that means another trip in the future - it's too soon to tell.

Saturday will see us heading down the road. We'll try to keep the blog current, but expect to be into Canada by mid-day on Sunday where updates will be dependent on finding good wireless access. We're expecting to travel the Cassiar Highway south and head directly to Wenatchee hoping to keep on schedule for the commitments we have with other family members.

What Now?

It was an interesting conversation with the Vet yesterday - not necessarily good, but interesting.

They aren't positive what is causing the drainage from the center of his incision. It seems most likely that this infection is a reaction to the suture material used internally. The specialist cautioned us "that drainage may persist or recur until all suture material is removed or absorbed. That may take many months." That depends on if the infection is a reaction to the absorbable material used to suture the lung and chest cavity or the permanent material used to suture the ribs. If the latter, he could need yet another major surgery 6 months from now to remove those sutures once the remaining ribs have completely healed.

Meanwhile, they want to keep the incision open until it stops draining. Turk is now on his fourth course (and fourth type) of antibiotic, this time for 3-4 weeks.

Right now, the earliest we could leave the Anchorage area would be August 10th which would still allow us to make family commitments in Wenatchee later in August, but cuts out nearly all sight seeing. One day at a time!

Stitches Are Out, But ...

We're please that Turk seems to be making progress with his internal healing. Temps are normal, he wants to be more active than the Doctor wants him to be, and he's now sleeping occasionally on the side with the incision and missing ribs. All good news.

We were supposed to get the stitches out of the incision from his second surgery on Tuesday but ended up taking him back to the Vet on Sunday when his incision started to weep and open within a day of coming off antibiotics. That vet said to leave the stitches in for another week and put him onto a new course of a different antibiotic, but the center of the incision continued to deteriorate. She also recommended onesies to try to keep a bandage in place.

Yesterday we went back to the hospital where they have reevaluated his incision. They decided that there is subcutaneous infection below the area in the center of his incision that has reopened and they've scheduled him to meet with the thoracic specialist tomorrow just in case the infection is coming from the chest cavity. Meanwhile, they have removed all of the stitches from his second surgery.

Given the issues we've experienced with his healing, we're not willing to leave town until all the stitches are out and the incision is healed. Originally, we expected to leave on tomorrow which then slipped to the 9th which could become the 19th or so depending on what they do with him tomorrow. Slow going, but we did get some salmon smoked last night.

We've Been Blessed

When we started our Alaska trip, I certainly didn't expect to spend as much time as we have in our son and his family's driveway, but we've been blessed to spend time with them while still dealing with Turk issues. In fact, our departure has been pushed back at least one more week. It's nice that they have a nearly level driveway and they haven't kicked us out yet!

We've been blessed to meet a number of their neighbors and friends including the annual cul-de-sac potluck party.

We've been blessed to be in the area when some long time friends came to visit Alaska and we had the opportunity to see a friend I hadn't seen since high school a couple times now.

We've been blessed to have a washer and dryer just steps away and a son and grandson who insisted on changing the oil in the truck.

We've been blessed to watch our grandson develop new skills

resulting in a pretty tight pattern, even if a little bit south of the target.

We're both looking forward to the dog's incision healing (he's on yet another different course of antibiotics) so we can get back on the road. It's not all what I anticipated, but we've been blessed.

Best Laid Plans

When we first arrived in Eagle River this summer, I spotted a derelict wooden boat hiding in the trees north of town. At the time, I told BJ that I wanted to come back for pictures. A couple weeks later, the boat was featured in a Saturday issue of the Anchorage Daily News, providing more background.

Built in 1912, the 82' Chacon worked in Alaska for most of its life before being left on the beach in Homer.

The current owner purchased it in 1984 and had it moved to the current location with the intent of repairing it and then using it to sail around the world.

It appears that little has been accomplished in the ensuing 40 years, although the trees have grown.

Lots of character to the boat, but it doesn't look like the owner's dreams will be realized.

Our plans have changed some as well, but not as drastically. Turk is scheduled to get his stitches out on the 30th after his second surgery. Assuming all is well, we'll leave Eagle River on August 2nd to start working our way south. Valdez, Haines, and Skagway are off the list for this trip, but I'm hoping we'll be able to do Chicken, Dawson, and Hyder on our way.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back - Updated

Regular readers know that our Turk was attacked by a Bullmastiff while BJ was at the Chena River State Recreation Area Campground in Fairbanks on the evening of July 2nd.  The vet at the emergency clinic did surgery to repair five broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a flail chest wound and kept him overnight before returning him with instructions to follow up with a regular vet on Friday following the holiday.

The regular Fairbanks vet checked his wound and confirmed his medication and care regiment, removed his drain tube and his IV port, and agreed to see him again on Monday morning before we left town. With his approval on Monday we rolled south.

We continued to experience episodes of significant serum seepage from the incision although a phone consultation with yet another vet concurred that this was normal and that we should leave the incision exposed to the air to facilitate healing.

Yesterday morning we had an appointment with the vet our son uses in Eagle River and went through our concerns with continued episodes of serum leakage, typically from one of three places along the incision. After a close inspection, the vet removed all the stitches and we took Turk back to the trailer with a smile on our face.

Within a couple hours, Turk once again expelled serum from the center of the incision, followed by the realization that I could hear him breathing through the small gap in his incision, aka a sucking chest wound. A phone call to the vet led to chest x-rays where it was obvious that his left lung was collapsed although his pulse ox was reasonably good.

Consultation suggested our best option was to transfer him to Pet Emergency Treatment in Anchorage where they put him in an oxygen cage and arranged a consult with a thoracic specialist, followed by a surgery to figure out what wasn't holding and healing.

This morning we went back to visit him and were able to take him for a walk outside although he was still a bit groggy.  The surgeon trimmed some rib ends that weren't healing, flushed his chest, and did some new internal stitches to replace those that had been originally placed in tissue that then died - apparently common in dog bite cases.

He'll be staying at the hospital until they confirm the lung is fully inflated, that drainage is within normal parameters, and remove his chest tap - likely a couple more days. They're pleased with how he's responding - he even cleaned up his plate!

7/17 - Turk continues to improve but they want to hold him in the hospital until Friday afternoon. Given that, BJ is going to stay in Eagle River and I'm going to take the truck for a long but quick trip to McCarthy. Should be back by noon on Friday. Don't expect any blog updates until Saturday :-)

Rain

We spent three days at Riley Creek Campground in Denali National Park. We'd made reservations initially with the idea that we would board Turk for a day while we did the bus tour to the Eielson Visitor Center, but with Turk slowly recovering from his injuries, it made more sense to just relax in the campground so we didn't see anything of the Park other than the two entrance signs.

We've been extremely fortunate to experience very good weather throughout our trip but we were reminded that it can and does rain here during the summer. The three days at the park were grey and drippy, but it's much nicer to hear the rain on a molded fiberglass trailer than it is on a tent.

We were very pleased to have a chance to meet Lynne, the author of the Casita in the Desert, Casita in the Mountains blog. They've had their own challenges with their Alaska trip.

Turk's incision, although not infected, continues to drain serum occasionally so I made a day trip back to Fairbanks for more supplies to keep him clean and dry. When you see his incision, it's pretty amazing he survived!

Pioneer Park - Fairbanks

While we spent the better part of a week in Fairbanks, there's not much blog to show for it since we had our hands full with an injured dog. We had a chance individually to visit Pioneer Park and found it to be well worth the time.

The Park (no entrance fee) has a collection of log cabins and other structures that house period businesses or museums. Depending on how you count them, there are three or four museums on the grounds.

The Pioneer Museum (free) houses many artifacts as well as some wonderfully detailed dioramas such as this one depicting a gold dredge.

Here's a close-up of part of the dredge model. It was hard to shoot through the glass without flash.

The small railroad museum ($2 adults, $1 senior) had an original Porter in their shop and a few other things. They operated a new Porter look-alike pulling passengers around the park.

The Aviation Museum ($3 adults) had several historic bush planes including a Norseman that had once been owned by Alaska Airlines. The museum was full of bits and pieces especially interesting to an aircraft mechanic or aviation historian but was challenging to photograph.

The paddlewheeler Nenana (free) was full of dioramas on the first deck of almost all of the villages and towns that were served by the boat.

Once again the dioramas were star of the show.

This post was written and uploaded via our Millenicom hotspot using our Wilson Sleek amplifier at Denali National Park. There seems to be one 3G tower that gets badly overloaded in the afternoons and evenings.

For those wanting a dog update, Turk is slowly healing, but continues to drain serum from one location on his incision. Travel seems to make it worse so we'll be moving very slowly and likly out of cell range for much of the next week.