Dog ACL Surgery

We got the x-ray results, and Binsey has totally ripped her ACL!  It's a ligament that normally holds the thigh bone to the calf bone (or whatever they called are in dogs) and if it breaks, the bones rub on each other and it's really painful.  You wouldn't know it from the way she only slightly limps, and even the vet said she was jumping around trying to play with him in the exam room!  She's one tough cookie.

Apparently they get at least one of these cases a week at our vet's, which is surprising, but it's also a bit of a relief to know he does this kind of surgery a lot.  There's a 93% success rate, and half the time they still have a limp afterwards.

Right now I'm just glad we still have pet insurance on her!  She goes under the knife in a few days for the 2.5 hour surgery, and they might keep her for two nights.

The Dog's Football Injury

Seeing your pet feeling uncomfortably really stinks.

We were playing fetch with Binsey in the back yard, and while she was racing for the ball, like she's done thousands of times, she squeeked loudly (which she's only ever done a handful of times) and laid down.  We ran up to her and found a sharp rock wedged between her paw pads. She wasn't bleeding but she also didn't want to walk on it, so we took her to the vet.  He didn't find any broken bones, but gave her some arthritis drugs just in case and said she should stay off it for 5 days.  Fast forward to now and she's still limping.  So back to the vet.  This time, he thinks it might actually be her knee, and she might have the doggy equivalent of a torn ACL.  There's a surgery they can do for that, but she's back on the arthritis drugs for a bit longer to see if that might help make it better.  Surgery is always a last resort, and there's no guarantee it'll completely fix the problem.

And did you know that dogs can get seasonal allergies?  This year, and the same time last year, Binsey started scratching and nibbling at herself a ton.  Last year she got an allergy shot and that fixed it, but this year she can't get it until she's done with the arthritis drugs and some stomach drugs she's on too (yeah, that started the same time - and just know that a limpy dog with digestive problems is not something you want to deal with).  Poor thing is falling apart and she's only 3!

On the fun side, I just entered Binsey in a "Laziest Dog" photo contest on Dogbook (it's on Facebook).  You can see her entry and vote for it here.  If we win, we get a $250 gift certificate to LeLePets that I can use to buy a fancy new dog bed to replace the one she chewed up in the picture!

Rewley Day 2

Rewley had a big day today. It started off with a lot of tail chasing. In fact, he hasn't quite realized that his tail is actually his. While we were all in the kitchen, he started really going after his tail, and when he caught it, he bit it so hard he whimpered - and this went on for a good minute, biting and whimpering! He hasn't done it since, so it seem he's learned that when he bites the "mystery tail", it hurts. We've also made sure he has a Nylabone to chew on, which he seems to enjoy.

From Rewley

After lunch, we took him to the local vet. Our friend Nicole recommended the place, and we really liked it. Of course, it's all expensive right now because he was due for his second round of vaccinations, but altogether, we were happy with Canine Companions. He was such a good boy despite being poked, prodded and stuck with needles. He even had to have one vaccine given by drops into his nose! Here he is relaxing on Paul's lap at the vet's.

From Rewley

But, we have had a little trouble, which is our fault. Last night we had him in a cardboard box with some old towels and a blanket, which seeemd like a pretty nice and safe dog bed to us. But, Rewley prefered to chew the cardboard rather than sleep in it, and then figured out he could just fit under our king size bed. So, my wonderful husband took him into the penned in kitchen, cuddled him to sleep on the kitchen floor and then slept on the couch next to the kitchen so Rewley wouldn't be lonely.

This morning I bought him a crate, so he should be safe sleeping in our bedroom. So far, he loves to jump right into his new den, and settles down quickly if we close the gate. Fingers crossed that it will be a quiet night!