Ramsey

Well my boy is home Hes all sleepy now and a little bit wobbly but does seem to be more aware of his surroundings than last time. The x-rays showed nothing at all of concern, they looked at his shoulders, back, hips and leg. The vet did say that it could still be a disk problem that didnt show up but even if it was there wouldnt be a lot they would do unless it was causing major problems. Mich was a lot more wary on this visit and was apparently pretty grumbly when the staff tried to check him or move him but thats understandable really. So, hes on another type of anti inflammatory to target any soft tissue damage there may be and weve been given some Flexadin tablets to help his joints. He can have controlled exercise but no bundling or running around like a wally. Were due to go back in 3 weeks for a check up and a more positive visit and hopefully regain some trust but other than that as long as nothing gets drastically worse thats it. Im glad its nothing really terrible and on the whole its good news but I cant help wanting to know what the problem is incase were making it worse for his future

Well it was definitly the pills making him subdued and feel awful. He got better and better after I took him off them and hes back to trying to trick us all into giving him 2 dinners and driving us round the bend again Im inclined to say not Luxating Patella from what Ive read, too many things dont marry up there and vet did say last time there were no real signs of arthritus in the xrays. His front paw seems to be all better Id say, hes now in the vets today having 6 spinal x-rays and possibly another angle on his leg. Hes definitly starting to stand with his back legs further apart and his front paws together in a tripod fashion and not putting as much weight on the original bad leg so something is unstable somewhere and Im determined to make him feel better I managed to leave him today without upsetting myself too much, they let me stay with him while they sedated him, i think because he was such a monster on Monday when they took his blood Cant wait to see him later

Mich ate half his dinner last night only because it had gravy in it and he ate a little this morning but nothing like his normal enthusiasm. We went to the vets first thing and they took blood to run some tests just in case. - Mich is now learning that the vets isnt so fun and was a little nasty monster The vet suggested more x-rays on the leg but I asked for spinal xrays too and said that Ive know several people to have dogs where the initial thought was cruciate ligament and its turned out to be spinal related so Michigan is booked to go back Wednesday morning to be sedated and have full spinal x-rays Thankfully AxA insurance have been very good so far they recieved the payment instructions on the 27th and a week later when I spoke to them the money was leaving their account to pay my vet and they should have it cleared in their account by the end of this week so a 2 week turn overs not bad at all and the Vet is happy to continue on that basis. *phew!*

Were still not allowed out yet

Well im taking Michigan back to the vets early, first thing tomorrow morning. This morning he wouldnt eat his breakfast at all. If anyone knows Mich theyd know that was very very unusual for him! In all the time ive known him no matter how stressed, hyper or poorly hes felt hes ALWAYS happy for the opportunity to eat pretty much anything. Ive stopped the pills, I really dont think theyre doing him any good at all. Hes so subdued, hes flinching at the slightest thing, hes drinking and peeing a heck of a lot and now off his food. His front paw does seem to be fine again but his back leg doesnt seem to be any different. Watching him today hes walking slightly kind of john wayne style and not putting his weight on it properly. Weve had a bit of a cuddle and a Reiki session this evening which in general hes moved away from in the past but tonight he slept for a little while and seemed to be relaxed. Im going to take a urine sample into the vets with us tomorrow and if he has no good ideas ill be asking to see a specialist or physio that can give us some better answers, this has been going on too long now and Im convinced hes starting to loose weight especially in his face. I just want my boy back

Is allie still looking?

Awww happy birthday Akita

I know were not vets and shouldnt really speculate but I really could do with some suggestions from your own experiences to give me a clue about whats wrong with Michigan. I admit I am getting worried now Basically to cut a long story short he does like a good rough and tumble with his lady riend at the park, after a particularly mad run about on wasteland where the ground was soft and caving in a little Mich was acting a little stiff the next day. It seemed to wear off and he seemed ok again, then one morning out of the blue (no mad walks or playing) he woke up and couldnt put any weight on his back leg. It was bank holiday monday unfortunately so I didnt rush him to the vets but during the day it seemed to just be stiffness that wore off. I wasnt convinced he was putting proper weight on it after that but kept a close eye on it. Then about 2 weeks after that we had a walk for about an hour and a half and he was limping again and not really putting his weight on it so I got him straigh to the vet this time. The vet checked him over and checked for movement in his knee and said at the time 'yep, cruciate ligament knee injury' He was booked in for sedation and x-rays for the day and when I picked him up I was told it was good news, not cruciate ligament and no sign or arthritus in the xrays. We were sent home with 2 weeks of anti inflamatories. However 3 days before we were due back Mich woke up unable to put any weight at all on his front paw?! I rushed him back to the vet that morning and with a muzzle we ascertained that the pain was in his foot/toes and the vet is sure its unrelated to the back leg. Now Mich had been licking his front 2 paws a lot lately until they were soggy and I just assumed it was a bad habit from boredom because he hasnt been allowed to go out much. The vet suggested it could be something like an infection in the nail bed that hed irritated by licking which made it sore by morning but to be honest he was a little puzzled. So, we were sent home with new pills, 7 days of Medrone and 3 days of Zitac. Being the worried mum I am i googled these. Medrone makes sense being a type of anti inflammatory and used for immune system disorders but the only thing i can find for Zitac is that its for symptomatic treatment for the reduction of vomiting associated with chronic gastritis in dogs. .. Why is that helpful for his foot? Perhaps one of the side effects of Medrone is nausia but I havent read anything to this effect. So anyway his front foot does seem to be getting better, hes standing on it and letting me touch and apply pressure to it so thats good but im not convinced that his back leg is any better. Hes standing on it but he still does those little skips when he turns to avoid putting too much weight on it and still turns to lift that leg when he pees etc. Also after the back leg he was cut down to 15min onlead walks to rest, admittedly he drove us up the wall at home was very restless and kept trying to tear about round the garden which is completly normal for him. But this week after starting these pills hes not himself at all. Hes very subdued, lies down a lot rather than standing which is what hed normally do to watch you. Hes not asking for a bum scratch, not trying to run about, hes looking rather fed up and vacant and generally not Mich at all. Im convinced this evening that his face is looking more gaunt too Does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong? Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you? Can anyone point me in the right direction to read up on possibilities? Were due back at the vets on Tuesday and im worried that either A hes going to 'look' better but not be or that B the vet just wont know what to try next. Id rather know what were dealing with and get him on his way to feeling better whatever the cost, not having any ideas is torture and I hate to see him so unlike himself!

Lead, spare leads Bowl, spare bowl Harness, spare harness Food, extra food just incase Dog bed, spare blanket, Millions of poop bags Towels, more towels Doggy coat, spare coat Wet wipes Liver treats Large bottle of water Balls, toys Spare Collar and ID tags We take little clip on keyring torches that clip onto the dogs harness / collar so they can be seen in the dark Torch for yourself, even better a head torch for free hands pickin up poop in the dark Mich says - Sausages, camping stove oh and something i should do but dont always remember is a list and maps to the nearest vet practices in case of emergency and phone numbers of the local authorities in case of a lost dog so you can call them without a paniced search for contact details!

Looks like we will be getting our replacement van tomorrow and although it need a little work to get it as we need Im dying to make it mine again and would like to replace my oldies club window sticker esp as I transport a few dogs through the eleanor foundation. Are there any stickers available to buy at the moment?

Hope you guys have a good time today. We'd have liked to come but have no car or money and Mich has to rest his knee for at least 2 weeks. We woud like to meet up another day sometime though, Mich may have to stay onlead depending on his knee but it'd be nice to meet up again

In all seriousness is throwing a bucket of water over a 109 degree farenheit dog the best move? I dont know but I would have thought a damp blanket or something would be better wouldnt it?

Awwwwwwwwww That face! Id feel so guilty!

I think youre right! I think I may have seperation anxiety too The last time i felt like that was after id worked with him at the rescue trying to get him rehomable and then left without him. I just ached, I was miserable without his company! Im not sure what Id do if he were to go in any longer than that I was really feeling just utterly miserable without him by the end of the afternoon I was so happy to have him back I just blubbed in relief!

Well yesterday Mich went in for his sedation and check over. I managed not to blub leaving him there... well at least until I got to the car without him anyway It felt awful here at home without him, its second nature to have him greet me at the door or to jump in the car with me when we pop out so when he didnt it was so noticable Anyway, I left him with a few notes and some liver treats to try to make the experience as stress free as possible and I have to say the nurses were great and thankfully he showed me up as a paranoid mummy and behaved himself all day! Im so proud of him because its the first time hes been in a kennel since the rescue nearly 3 years ago and the fist time ive left him with anybody (including my family) outside my own house & out of my sight! *wibble* The good news is that the vet doesnt think he has a cruciate ligament, he has inflamation in the knee but the x rays didnt show anything cruciate/arthritic wise. So we have some anti inflammatories for 2 weeks and on lead walks and then back again for a check up to see how he is and re assess. We hope though that its just a sprain and with some rest he will be fine... I hope so but i think im going to be paranoid for a while I have to admit that I blubbed like a wally when I went to pick him up, Id missed him so much and I was just so relieved to have him back safely! He was still a bit dopey and his face hadnt caught up with his brain for a good few hours so he was drooling bootlaces and looking rather vacant but this morning Im pleased to say hes back to his old self again The nurses took the insurance form to send off even though it specificly says that I should but seen as theyre the ones claming the money I doubt it matters much and I doubt they will forget, im sure they'll let me know about it if it doesnt all go smoothly

I think theres probably some truth in that, food vet fees and even doggy toiletries are getting more and more expensive but Id give up everything before I broke up my family.. infact I very nearly have

Well ive just read all of Kylas thread on her diagnosis and op and the symptoms have been the same as others. Hes intermittently limping especially after a good walk / play, hes not putting his full weight on the leg, hes sitting with that leg tucked under which i read is a sign and he sometimes stands with it stretched out behind him with his foot slightly off the floor when he gets up. Hes in for knockin out and see how bad it is but I think if he needs the op were just going to go for it for the best in the long run for him. After reading a few articles Im prefering the TPLO method as this seems to be the better repair and i read that 30% of dogs that get it in one knee get it on the other so the better repaired the first is the more noticable the second would be in the way the dog walks as well as it being more sucessful in the long run.

Aww what great pics! Looks like a fab day out that thanks for sharing, i think i would have blubbed too!!

Thats awful what a theiving scheme! My doesnt like to go through insurance direct, not sure why but he is only a small independent practice so maybe they just like to see the money up front by choice. I think hes much more willing to because we visit a fair bit with Benji having liver disease, Harry was also treated there with his prostate cancer until the end and having so many other animals that pop in and out Ive actually moved the ferrets to a different vet just because Im aware that hes not keen on ferrets and doesnt reeeeallly know a great deal about them so that suits us both

Hmm thanks houndzrus. My info does say sent to US by YOU in bold etc and the form has a box to tick to pay direct to the vet so ill make sure I do that and keep a copy then I know its gone, although apparently its up to the vet whether we do that for each visit/stage or whether we add it all up and send it all at once afterwards. I have to say im very happy that were using this vet, I wondered about moving him to a bigger posher practice but Mich loves him to bits (..so far) hes only a small independent guy so we always see him and he deals with Mich very well so i feel confident that he will be ok in his hands. I think ill make him some liver cake to leave with him for afterwards just in case to make sure he forgives him

Thanks BillyMalc its good to know that youve not had problems so far! I hope we dont have to go down that route even though my vet sounds very confident that he can make it all better but could Kyla please tell Mich and I what its like? I have a couple of pics of mich with his erm lady.. (lady she aint ) and one of their friends. I know it of bums but is this just the best view in the world of relaxed happy dogs running free and playing nicely Theyre both bonkers as each other, dont you think theyre well suited?

I wont go into it but weve had a very difficult time lately with one thing after another and finances being non existent never helps but it seems things arent getting any better just yet A good month ago Michigan was playing with his giiiirl friend down at the river on wasteland where the ground was very soft. Now these two love to play rough and jump on each other and are always rolling over etc etc However it seemed that mich had strained something after that particular day and was limping that evening on his back leg. Next day was sunday and he seemed slightly better, by Monday he was walking on it, not quite putting all his weight on it but thought it was just a sprain so kept an eye on it. Then a couple of weeks ago on bank holiday monday he wakes up and he'll only walk on 3 legs. He hadnt played with his girly friend that weekend and hadnt had a particularly long walk so i was a bit worried that it was still affecting him and so suddenly. Being bank holiday i decided to take him to the vet first thing next morning to get checked out. However it wore off during the day and tuesday he was fine again. I thought i cant take him in when nothing is visibly wrong ill look like a right wally so I kept a close eye on him and how he was putting his weight down etc Anyway hes been fine for weeks and seemed to be putting weight on it ok but yesterday Chris and I took him for an hour and a half calm walk which is normally nothin for Michigan but he was limping within half hour of being home again So this morning he was still slightly limping, sort of skipping when he turned to miss out putting weight on the leg etc so off we went to the nice Mr vets 'house'. (He loves the vet... so far) The vet thinks that he has a cruciate liament knee injury in that leg and that there is slight muscle wastage compared to the other leg Hes going in thursday to be knocked out to see just how much movement there is in the knee and have x rays. We feel that it may well be an old injury thats got damaged again when playing rough. Obviously being totaly skint and my vans blown up etc, I was worried. ive always always had full insurance with life cover, saved up and paid it in full at the beginning of each year just incase somethin like this happened. Until this year we were with Marks and Spencer but with the price hikes and loss of the no excess we moved to Axa Direct which I know quite a few of you did too this year. I spoke to my vet who normally wants money up front and he agreed he would go through the insurance direct bless him! Got home and rang AXA and they said thats no problem at all so so far so good! So, I just thought id let you know that im about to test the system and update you guys on how Mich does and how AXA do during this difficult time and ask if anyone else has had experiences claiming through AxA yet?

I also think dogs understand a lot more than theyre given credit for but I also think it depends on how much of a communicator you are. I constantly talk to my dog, i mutter away to him about not being able to find my keys, about the washing needing to be put on, I ask him what I should have for my tea and even let him choose by pointing to one with his nose or paw He can read every little detail from me from individual words to body language to the way i move my eyes or flick my hair and even the way i smell no doubt. He knows when im having a bad day and agitated, he knows when ive got pmt, he knows when im really happy and he knows when i just need quiet time. Its not just words but the whole way you as an individual react to them and the rest of your family that they learn. Obviously they learn words by association but they also learn other signals you give off without even knowing it to let them know what mood youre in. I think its important as an animal owner to espress yourself openly and not bottle things up because then your pet, and not just dogs cant read you and can become nervous, at least when youre cross they know youre cross and can choose to stay out the way and where they feel safe. For me being a dog owner is like therapy I never bottle things up anymore, i dont care whos watching or listening I always talk to my dog and I know him as well as he knows me just by the look in his eye or the way he is standing. It works both ways, were both unpredictable but we both communicate, he can be a pita some days but at least i see it and know when not perhaps let him offlead in a group etc and that helps us to get into stressful situations very very rarely.

Just wondering.. could the rescue give details of another family with similar dog (who were in agreement) and then say 'oh thats not your dog? well we cant help you then' Ok so probably not but really i dont see how the original owners could prove it was their dog in the first place a reciept doesnt prove to the police which particular dog it is does it? The dogs now microchipped to the new owners and if the rescue can string it out the dog will grow up and hopefully not look too much like any puppy pics they may have. It wouldnt be worth the original owners while i shouldnt think from people that wanted to pts.

I was hoping you would put pics up of the transformation! It looks brilliant, much much better and seems to have been completed so quickly! Well done you two!