The good news: Buster’s mouth problems are resolving slowly, and last night he seemed like his old self…in really good spirits…so happy to see me when I got home from work and eager to eat his dinner.
The bad news: The vet says he has “elbow dysplasia.” This usually affects larger breeds which is why she didn’t suspect it originally.
The good news: The vet says it is fortunate we figured out early what this is so we can manage it properly. She said sometimes people don’t pay attention to their dog’s limping until it gets really bad, and then it’s a lot harder to treat.
I’d heard of hip dysplasia before, but never heard of elbow dysplasia so (of course) I’ve been doing research. Here are a few excerpts from one of the websites I visited:
Elbow dysplasia refers to the abnormal development of certain parts of the elbow joint during the growing phase of a dog's life. Some areas of the joint may have a disruption of normal cartilage development or failure to fuse during growth resulting in an uneven joint surface, inflammation, joint swelling, lameness and arthritis.
Lameness may recur with hard exercise but often responds to a few weeks of rest and anti-inflammatory medication. Exercise should be modified to be moderate and regular in order to maintain good muscle tone, but not to load the joints excessively.
The bad news: Right now I’m feeling super guilty because since I got him about 4 years ago, our time together has always included LONG power walks on the weekends…sometimes we’d walk 5 miles…maybe I added to the damage and the pain he’s feeling. And I feel sad because our walks were one of the main ways we spent fun time together.
The final good news: Now that we know what is wrong, we can adjust! B and I can still do some walking, and I’ve started him on regular anti-inflammatories, which is no doubt why he’s feeling better. I’m also going to find a naturopathic vet, to see what else might help him. Diana gave me a name of a good one in this area, so I’ll be checking that out. (Thanks so much, Diana...love ya for that)
On another note, tonight I’m taking my mom to the symphony and staying overnight with her in Tacoma. Heavy sigh. At least it appears the weather will be cooperating for the driving I’ll have to do. I hate driving in the rain.
Anyway, I’ll be out of touch for the next day, so I’ll see you all in a day or two. Take care.
So glad to hear you have a diagnosis for Buster.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad for your power walks. You didn't know there was anything wrong with him. You were just spending time with him and he loved it!
I am sure Buster loved the walks just as much as you. Don't let yourself do that. I beat myself up like crazy wondering the many ways I could prevent Sena from getting cancer. In the end, we can only live the life with the instructions we have at the time. Safe travels.
ReplyDeleteglad you have a diagnosis and a plan to adjust!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a relief! And for goodness sakes, don't feel at all guilty about taking B for walks. It sounds like this was something that was going to happen anyway, and you certainly had no idea.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like Dr. Sodhi. I just loved him. He was so concerned over my little mutt cat. He treated her like royalty and spent a lot of time with me, answering all my questions.
I'm glad B is going to be okay. It really was a relief to read this. :)