I had another post-op check-up with my veterinary surgeon Russ Gurevitch, DVM (Veterinary Referral Surgical Services in Petaluma, California).

I'm so happy that Dr. Gurevitch says he sees progress. He was pleased at how I could run along pretty steadily as he watched me outside the clinic. Dr. G told my dog-ma that I'll get even better.

My back muscles and legs are definitely stronger. I can play with the ball and roll around in the dirt. But I tire quickly. Well, whaddya expect after a vertebral spine hemilaminectomy and multiple disc fenestration?

Dog-ma sez I look and act like my old self, except that I'm faking the finer points of back leg coordination. That's why I skid around corners and, though I hate to admit it, I kinda fall over easily. But I get back right up!

I probably have only one more follow-up visit with Dr. Gurevitch. I'll keep you posted.

Kudos to UkiahDailyJournal.com for doing a good job of keeping up with wildfire news in the Mendocino County area of northern California. In their Fire Updates sidebar for today is a link to DIY Smoke Filter from Ukiah Valley TV.

What a great YouTube video showing you how to make your own simple smoke filter for under $30. We all ought to have one of these in every room for the duration of the fires.

Buy more than one filter, if you can, because it needs to be replaced after it becomes clogged with particulate matter and other stuff in the air. The DIY video shows how much stuff their filter collected in 2 hours. Yuck, I hate to think what we dogs and people have been breathing in!

Just tape the filter to the BACK of the fan, making sure that the air-flow directional arrows on the filter face toward the fan — in the direction that the air moves.

It's hard to judge how much protection you can get from the DIY smoke filter, but it's better than nothing. I've been so wheezy that I wish we had one right here in our home office right now.

"Portable smoke filter" : Here's a trick that dog-ma saw for breathing more safely while getting from place to place outdoors in the smoke. Wet a washcloth or small towel, even a shirt. Wring it out a bit and wrap it around so it covers your nose and mouth. You can use a wet cloth to help someone else, too — like a pet, or a young child or baby — but make sure the cloth is loose enough to allow them to breathe.

Ozzy corgi wasn't quite 9 months old when he broke his leg. Playing ball on the stairs, his Wichita, Kansas, guardian/owners told the vet.

Adorable Pembroke Welsh corgi Ozzy came close to not being in Kansas anymore.

In the words of his rescuer, who got help from CorgiAid: "Ozzy [had been] brought in to a vet clinic with a badly broken front leg. His owners were unable to afford the surgery necessary to help him so opted to euthanize. Thanks to two caring vet techs who were able to convince the owners to sign over custody, Ozzy's life was spared. They contacted me and I agreed to help out. He has now had his surgery which was successful. We are on the long road to recovery of 3 to 6 weeks of cage rest. . . ."

Fast forward several weeks: X-rays showed that the surgical pins are doing their job and the leg is mending. Ozzy gets to have short, calm walks on leash several times a day. Poor Ozzy has probably been going bonkers being crated. His rescuer says, "He has gotten really good at unstuffing Kongs and treat toys. He has also started hydro-therapy and is quite a good swimmer and it wears him out. He feels great and would like to run and play but is still not allowed. He will go in for another set of x-rays in three more weeks and if he continues to progress as he has then he can resume normal activity at that time.

"I am looking forward to hearing that he is allowed to play like a puppy again. . . . Ozzy has a sweet temperament. He is just a goofy pup. . . . I suspect he is a dog that loves to fetch as he drops a ball and assumes to 'ready to fetch' position, but we are not allowed yet."

Thanks to his kind rescuer, Ozzy corgi will be available for adoption once his orthopedic vet releases him from care. He'll be available through ForPaws rescue.

Pawnotes: A rather long time ago, I too was a rescue corgi. And like Ozzy, I recently needed emergency surgery. . . . I wonder how many dogs and cats go through similar experiences.

Visit these websites:

* CorgiAid ~ www.CorgiAid.org ~ a small volunteer-run operation that depends on donations to help fund rescuers like Ozzy's who provide wonderful care to dogs in need.

* ForPaws Corgi and Corgi Mix Rescue ~ http://www.forpaws.org/ ~ a small, ethical rescue organization run by knowledgeable volunteers.

I've been whining about protecting little ears again since dog-ma said she'd seen puppies and human babies at last weekend's music concerts. I asked the wonderful vet Jona Sun Jordan, DVM, to offer us some advice. Thank you, Dr. J!

"Young pet and human ears are especially sensitive to intense sound," Dr. Jordan says. "Exposure to continued or impulse noise above a certain level — about 100 decibels — can cause pain to little ones and even instantaneous hearing damage. Sound level at a concert can reach 115 to 120 decibels, the pain threshold for the average human adult."

I ask, how can a human stand sound this loud at a concert? Dr. Jordan explains, "When a person has been enjoying alcohol or other substances, their sense of hearing is dulled. This means that dangerously loud music may not sound all that loud to them. To be safe, little ones should have the appropriate protection at a concert even if the adults don't think the music sounds all that loud."

Grrr. This is serious. When pets, kids, and babies, are near big stage speakers, it's like they're standing next to someone firing a rifle — only it's worse, because speakers get louder with sudden feedback blasts or when accidentally turned up.

Dr. Jordan adds, "I know of one case where a boy lost his hearing during a loud concert. He was lucky and most of his hearing returned after a few months, but it was a scary time for him and his family."

Here are 5 simplified points for ear protection:

(1) If it sounds loud to you, it's too loud for pets and children, and damaging to ears of human babies and animal babies.

(2) All concerts are too loud, period. There's no "safe" concert for pets and little ones to attend. Not unless they remain way in the back of the audience and also far away from any back speakers.

(3) Little ones need earplugs to be safe around any potential loudness. You can make or buy earplugs for pets and kids. Get them to practice wearing new earplugs before they need to.

(4) Consult health professionals. It takes skill to plug little ears effectively and safely, especially tiny baby ears. Your veterinary and pediatric humans would be pawsitively pleased to help protect little ears!

(5) Make sure earplugs are effectively muffling sound. Keep little ones away from intensely loud sound anyway.

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Dr. Jona Sun Jordan and her caring staff are at Coddingtown Veterinary Clinic, Santa Rosa, California. She practices Eastern holistic medicine, including TCM and nutritional and herbal therapy, as well as Western medicine. She sees "all furry pets (except tarantulas), including but not limited to cats, dogs, ferrets, rats, mice, guinea pigs, chinchillas, gerbils, hamsters, hedgehogs, ocelots, servals, margays, and even coatimundis."