Happy birthday to my best pal, Gracie.
Wish we could be at the park today, but it's enough to have you close by.
You make me laugh everyday.
Lava Lamp Stories: It began. Again.
5 days ago
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
TPLO
I work in insurance. This field is replete with acronyms. Every procedure and process is reduced to a TPA (three letter acronym). But today I learned a new one: TPLO. Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. Gracie's local vet confirmed the diagnosis...she has a torn cruciate ligament in her left knee. This morning, we met the surgeon in Beaverton who specializes in the TPLO. In addition to the torn ligament, he also suspects cartilage damage to the meniscus. His plan is to arthroscopically repair the damage and then, via a small incision, insert the stabilizing plate. Surgery is set for Monday, April 27...three days short of Gracie's 4th birthday. She'll spend the night at the hospital and then home to 3 weeks of confinement with breaks for potty time only. The surgeon felt within 3 weeks she would be ready for leash walking only. Within 8 weeks she should be up to 20 minute walks 2 or 3 times a day.
It seems bad news always comes in threes. Today was no different. The surgeon informed me that Gracie will have about a 40% chance of needing the same surgery on her right knee in the next year. In addition, the Xrays show hip displaysia in her right hip. He suspects she has been compensating on the left side put her left knee at greater risk.
But, my goal is to look for the positive. Here's what I've come up with so far:
- I have the money to afford this level of care.
- I have an employer who is supportive of any time off I might need to take.
- I have two possible locations in the house for Gracie to convalesce in.
- Dr. Gustafson seems to be one of the top notch doctors in the Salem-Portland area for TPLOs.
- Gracie is still wagging her tail every day.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Can I still call the blog MintoDog?
Several months ago, Gracie began favoring her left rear leg. Long walks, too many extra ball throws at the park and the like would cause her to limp around for a few hours. Always, though, she would walk it off in a couple of hours and be back to her usual self. In March, I had the vet do some checking. On the Lab Retriever's Chat Board I had been reading about several dogs with knee injuries. Coincidentally, or not, several of my subscription dog magazines and newsletters sported articles about ACL repair in the knee. The vet found no ligament tears but some mild arthritis in her left rear knee. We amped up the glucosamine intake. And the weeks past with nary a limp from her. We continued with our long walks and trips to the dog park.
Until Saturday evening at the dog park. She dropped the ball and I grabbed it. I made her wait for me to throw it. She did. Then she took off at top speed. Three or four steps into her run she let out a loud yelp and then yelped for another few seconds. I've never heard her cry out like this. I dropped the chuck it and ran to her. She held her left rear leg up and looked at me with worried eyes.
She laid down for a few minutes to catch her breath. I was hoping for a sticker or burr in her paw. No such luck. She limped a few steps and laid back down. We struggled along like this for what seemed like forever until we got back to the car.
Once home, she refused to put any weight on her leg. I went through the pet lover's conundrum- emergency vet or wait? We waited. It was a long night. She was clearly uncomfortable. About 3 a.m. I moved to the couch in the living room to be closer to her. I would hear her whine, almost a mutter, shift her weight and try to reposition herself on the floor. At 3:30, I helped her to her kennel in the garage. She curled up on her bed and fell asleep. Back in my bedroom, I did the same.
At 6:30 a.m. I got dressed and struggled to get her in the back of the Escape. We got to the emergency vet. I should've gone the night before. Oh, those "should've, could've, would've" moments.
Dr. Fischer pronounced my worse concern...positive Drawer's sign - probable rupture of the ACL. He gave her some pain meds and we limped back to the Escape to head home. We'll see our vet first thing in the morning for xrays and discussions about treatment.
So it looks like our visits to Minto will be severely curtailed in the coming weeks and months. But Gracie is still Gracie. When the emergency vet came in to examine her, she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye and wagged her tail at him. Restricting activity will be our new normal for now.
Until Saturday evening at the dog park. She dropped the ball and I grabbed it. I made her wait for me to throw it. She did. Then she took off at top speed. Three or four steps into her run she let out a loud yelp and then yelped for another few seconds. I've never heard her cry out like this. I dropped the chuck it and ran to her. She held her left rear leg up and looked at me with worried eyes.
She laid down for a few minutes to catch her breath. I was hoping for a sticker or burr in her paw. No such luck. She limped a few steps and laid back down. We struggled along like this for what seemed like forever until we got back to the car.
Once home, she refused to put any weight on her leg. I went through the pet lover's conundrum- emergency vet or wait? We waited. It was a long night. She was clearly uncomfortable. About 3 a.m. I moved to the couch in the living room to be closer to her. I would hear her whine, almost a mutter, shift her weight and try to reposition herself on the floor. At 3:30, I helped her to her kennel in the garage. She curled up on her bed and fell asleep. Back in my bedroom, I did the same.
At 6:30 a.m. I got dressed and struggled to get her in the back of the Escape. We got to the emergency vet. I should've gone the night before. Oh, those "should've, could've, would've" moments.
Dr. Fischer pronounced my worse concern...positive Drawer's sign - probable rupture of the ACL. He gave her some pain meds and we limped back to the Escape to head home. We'll see our vet first thing in the morning for xrays and discussions about treatment.
So it looks like our visits to Minto will be severely curtailed in the coming weeks and months. But Gracie is still Gracie. When the emergency vet came in to examine her, she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye and wagged her tail at him. Restricting activity will be our new normal for now.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
A helping paw
My dad was in the hospital last week. As the paramedics were taking him out of his house last Tuesday night, my parent's cat, Nick, started yowling. Dad's main concern at that point was Nick's welfare. Never mind his own medical crisis that was brewing. I had to make sure Nick was OK before we left the house.
We are a family of animal lovers. My sister has two Chihuahuas - Pelli and Chisum. Mom and Dad have Nick the cat. And, of course, there is Gracie and Mungo. Our animals give us peace amid a world that is often chaotic and where unexpected events throw us into a tail-spin. Thank God for our faithful animal companions who remind us that there is a little a good belly rub won't cure.
On Saturday I was returning to Dad's hospital room when I saw one of my coworkers and her golden retriever walking the hallway. I called her over and she brought Isabella into the room to see Dad. He had been pretty tired, but perked up (a little bit) at the sight of Isabella. For the next 10 minutes, Colleen regaled us with stories of Isabella's upbringing which all led to her becoming a hospital volunteer. Both Colleen and Isabella sported name badges. Isabella is smiling in her picture.
Later that day, as we were taking Dad home, a woman entered the hospital with her Cocker Spaniel. We inquired - are dogs allowed? The CNA nodded yes, that family pets were permitted to visit. This, to me, is a miracle of modern medicine. It speaks well of our area hospital that it acknowledges the healing powers and comfort our pet companions can bring during challenging times.
Dad is home now. Nick is on his lap. We take our next cue from our animal companions - one day at the time, and, when possible, find a nice sunbeam to lie in.
We are a family of animal lovers. My sister has two Chihuahuas - Pelli and Chisum. Mom and Dad have Nick the cat. And, of course, there is Gracie and Mungo. Our animals give us peace amid a world that is often chaotic and where unexpected events throw us into a tail-spin. Thank God for our faithful animal companions who remind us that there is a little a good belly rub won't cure.
On Saturday I was returning to Dad's hospital room when I saw one of my coworkers and her golden retriever walking the hallway. I called her over and she brought Isabella into the room to see Dad. He had been pretty tired, but perked up (a little bit) at the sight of Isabella. For the next 10 minutes, Colleen regaled us with stories of Isabella's upbringing which all led to her becoming a hospital volunteer. Both Colleen and Isabella sported name badges. Isabella is smiling in her picture.
Later that day, as we were taking Dad home, a woman entered the hospital with her Cocker Spaniel. We inquired - are dogs allowed? The CNA nodded yes, that family pets were permitted to visit. This, to me, is a miracle of modern medicine. It speaks well of our area hospital that it acknowledges the healing powers and comfort our pet companions can bring during challenging times.
Dad is home now. Nick is on his lap. We take our next cue from our animal companions - one day at the time, and, when possible, find a nice sunbeam to lie in.
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