Hanging Out With Diego

Diego is our sweet and humble superstar. We want to share a below-the-radar glimpse of Diego. We invite you to find a cozy spot and settle in for a light read to get to know Diego a little better.

Diego has always been our sleeping bug. When we first brought him home he would sleep all morning if we let him. We would have to carry him out of bed and down the stairs just to get him down to breakfast. He would not get out of bed on his own accord. Fast forward 21 months and Diego can still be the last one out of bed in the morning with one variance. The difference now is when, AND ONLY WHEN, he hears his bowls cling will get up by himself and trot his way downstairs to his food bowl. It has taken a long time for Diego’s personality to show. We got our first glimpse when Sammy went for a 2 week training course, and the house turned into the Diego show. With Sammy not around to demand all the attention, we completely fell in love with Diego’s humble nature. He has continued to shine from that point on; even when Sammy tries to overpower him with her energy.

Only recently (April 2020) has Diego been eager to join walks. Although, we have discovered his eagerness is driven by the want to lizard hunt. Alas, we are happy he is initiating to join on walks. So much so that he pushes himself too hard for Mom’s comfort at times.

We are extra cautious of Diego as he has a bad heart. He has a congenital heart murmur that has progressively gotten worse as he has gotten older. We brought him home on the notion he had a Grade 2 heart murmur. Upon the initial consultation with our local veterinarian when we first brought him home (within 48 hours), Diego was given a Grade 4 murmur (we understand the diagnosis of heart murmurs is subjective). This year we decided to have our yearly checkup with the Cardiology Department at The University of Florida Small Animal Hospital. We came to this decision based on that fact there is a full time anesthesiologist staff and just in case Diego ever has to have surgery, he will already be an established patient. At this year's checkup (March 5, 2020) he was assigned a Grade 5 murmur with, newly developed, decreased pumping function on the left side, and moderate Pulmonary Stenosis. (Compared to his 1 year checkup, with a different cardiology facility, he was assigned a Grade 4 murmur with moderate-severe Pulmonary Stenosis.)

They ran all sorts of blood tests as they had concerns of the fearful DCM (Dilated Cardiomyopathy). As of now he does not have that condition, and his levels of Taurine were sufficient. It was also recommended that we have a checkup with the Internal Medicine Department to help diagnose why he throws up so frequently. Only then are they willing to explore any idea of surgery.

A cardiologist has said that he has seen dogs with Diego’s condition die suddenly at 2 years of age, and he has seen dogs live to 10 years of with Pulmonary Stenosis. Therefore, we do not know how much time we will have with our special boy so in the meantime we enjoy all the snuggles we can get and try to give him the best life possible.

Let’s rewind to the first few months with Diego. There was a time when we thought he was deaf. We would say his name, clap, anything to get his attention and to no success. If he was facing away from us, he would stare into space. If he was facing us, he would stare with his head cocked sideways looking lost with confusion. Diego still does similar things, but we have since come to the conclusion he is very decisive on what he wants to spend his energy on, an old soul at heart.

When we go on walks of any distance, we know Diego wants to come with us, so we put him in his stroller and he rides like the King of the World. We have The Dogger

He loves to be involved in family activities, so anytime we can help him be included we take every measure we know how to.

He also has a family friend who loves and looks forward to having Diego over for the day. He gets to go along on Book Club gatherings, Coffee Dates, Workouts, Acupuncture Appointments, Play Dates and more. They