It's Not About the Numbers

I think a lot of cachers set goals for themselves if they actively cache.  For years we have played with how many cumulative caches we have found on each of the calendar days of the year.  Before the challenge cache rules changed we placed a challenge we called the Ironcacher Challenge.  It requires ten finds per day for each of the calendar days.  It was fun for us as it forced us to cache on days we might not have chosen.  We decided to continue pushing the days up.  At the end of 2018 we were at 30 finds on each calendar day.  We set a modest goal of 32 by the end of 2019.  We made it to 10 December.  I was in Mexico on business and Ali Skyped to say Phin was having issues moving and a lot of pain.  She asked about the two finds needed.  It was a quick decision that Phin's health mattered so much more than any geocaching goal.  We'll end the year three calendar days short of our goal.

As for Phineas, the pain meds weren't a very effective remedy.  For a week after I returned he spent most of his time shaking in pain under a desk or hiding under a table in the bedroom.  I was fortunate to only twice hear the horrific screams of pain if something triggered the nerve.  It will forever remain one of the worst, prolonged sounds of agony I have ever heard.

Our vet also is a certified animal accupuncture practitioner.  She mentioned that most dogs were able to benefit by the third treatment.  Phin's in great shape other than what happened recently.  We both agreed to move forward with a weekly treatment.  It was amazing how calm he was with thirteen needles stuck in him and responded well to light electrical pulses.  There was a gradual improvement over the first week after the treatment.  When at the doctor's office waiting for his second treatment, he was busy greeting customers and other dogs.  This treatment also went very well.  Phin is walking at a quick pace and resting in comfortable positions again.  His tail wags often when he is with us and outdoors.  He still remains very quiet with little to no baying something for which he has been well known to everyone who meets him.  He has at least one more accupuncture treatment, and we need to wean him off the meds.  He has the okay to walk on flat paved trails.  If luck stays on our side, he will be able to join us on short caching runs in the near future.  Our next step is to determine a way to get him safely in and out of the geomobile.  We have hope...