malleerr Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) Hello again Kelly_Louise, Yeap Mallee is still improving which is excellent, at the moment she seems to have days were you see no improvement and start worrying, and then the next day she will be heaps better!! The things that we have been getting excited over are just stupid, people must think Brock and I are mad. I rang my mum on Saturday screaming down the phone that she had just scratched herself with her back left leg, i was soo happy, as she has not done that since the operation, Mum must have thought i was mad I suppose most people we know are getting used to Mallee being all we talk about, OH's brother jokes around saying we should have called her Elle or Paris cos she is sooo high maintenance, but the poor little girl can't help it!! Mallee actually rolled completly over on Thursday night... freaked me and Brock out to the max...but she seemed really comfortable doing it, lay there with her back legs sticking straight up in the air so she must be feeling really comfy. :cool: She can still only take a few steps at a time by herself, but i think she is aware now that she can't do all that she used to and she seems to be happy taking it slowly, although that being said she drags us around the backyard our neighbours must look over the fence and wonder what the hell we are doing, me trying to stop her at the front end and Brock running around after her at the back with a towel around her waist. It must be such a funny thing to see. She is also trying to run in the sling which we have to stop, but it is so hard..... After all the worry, all the kilos me and hubby have lost , sleepless nights, tears etc it all seems like it is coming together and has been well worth it. I'am actually beggining to think that she may improve more than we had first thought, which would be excellent, but at the same time i don't want to get my hopes up too much. Take care and hopefully will have more news for each other shortly. Anyway here is a pic of Mallee in her cage - i think it says it all.....poor girl Edited December 19, 2005 by malleerr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 19, 2005 Author Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) Oh Antoinette, she is just too cute!!! But don't you just hate those sad "let me out to play" eyes? It gets me every single time... but I keep reminding myself why we are doing it. It's funny you mention Mallee's progress being up and down. I feel exactly the same. Some days Chloe is really good, others she seems a bit slow and wobbly. I start to worry, then think no I shouldn't, but can't help it. I just keep thinking about how the vet said she is doing really well, and the fact that we shouldn't worry too much unless she stops using it or limps badly etc. Still, you just can't help it can you? Just remember that it's been a long road for little Mallee. And although you probably think you could have done a thousand things better in hindsight (shouldn't have let her roll, scratch, jerk, move too much, should not have turned my back for 2 seconds etc etc etc), think of all the hard yards you and your OH have put in and know that you have done the absolute best you could. It's hard to keep a dog, especially a younger one, down for long... so you've done a great job getting her to this stage already. Not so far to go now. So in saying that, you should absolutely be proud of her smallest achievements. Because most won't recognise it, but they are huge leaps towards her recovery. It really does show that she is getting better and more comfortable. I am the same. It's all I talk about and people must think I'm insane, but when you are put in the situation and it's all you think, dream, worry about... it's only natural!!! I can't wait for the day where I can watch her moving around freely without any worries and smile and be glad that I did the right thing for her. After all the worries, I think when that day comes I will cry like a baby. Definitely keep me posted. Any small improvement is exciting for me too!!! Go the little girls!!! :cool: Edited December 19, 2005 by Kelly_Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Glad to hear both Chloe and Mallee are doing well . Trust me ladies it does get better! Cheers, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 (edited) I hope you are right Fido666 Whats that old say "never trust someone who says trust me"....lol Edited December 20, 2005 by malleerr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSammy Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Oh Malleer, what a gorgeous picture. Maybe Santa can bring a playstation or whatever the latest computer game thingy (I'm 2-D atari generation myself ) for Mallee (and for Chloe too). It's hard enough getting the two-legged ones away from them and outside for a bit of activity. Maybe it'll work in the reverse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 Hahahaha, well I have asked Santa for an X-box, so maybe if Chloe is lucky I can let her have a turn!!! Oh if only it was that easy to keep them entertained for hours!!! I have to constantly think of new games to play with Chloe that won't involve her getting up or moving!!! Hey Antoinette, I think it was your thread that someone suggested teaching a dog the "touch" game where you say "touch" followed by an item etc etc etc. Well I started with Chloe just for a bit of fun... and it works!!! She hasn't quite got the names of all the things down yet (and has problems distinguising between bunny and bear!!), but she will touch them if you point out which one it is!!! It's really very funny and gives us all a laugh!!! Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks!!! Thanks for reminding us that there is that light at the end of the tunnel Corine... sometimes I think it's just my imagination!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Orange Sammy - Geez i wish it was that easy if Mallee could play a playstation I'am sure she would, she has been getting quite restless lately, but i suppose that is a good sign as it means she is getting better. Hey Kelly - we have been playing the touch game also, and have just started teaching Mallee to "high 5", she is getting there but since being in the cage her attention span has somewhat demised.!!...........Mallee is turning into quite a character since she has been in the cage, has always had a good personality but its seems to have developed more since being confined, which is good, at least she is not getting snappy or anything like that, as we were a bit worried about that happening. Its been 6 weeks now that she has been in a cage, i don't really know how she copes!! Her latest thing at the moment is to grap you when you open the door to pat her and try to drag you in.....lol......I think she has got to the stage were she is thinking - if i have to be in this bloody cage you can come in to!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 Hmmm high 5ing.... I don't think Chloe would go for that one. She can be somewhat selective in what she will or won't do - being the defiant redhead she is - not that I can talk!!!! Shaking hands and the touch game are done under extreme sufferance (basically she does it a few times to shut me up hoping I'll go away)!!!! My sisters little staffy does the high 5 and also 10. She can actually distinguish between hearing 5 and 10 and will give either one or two paws. It's amazing what they know!!! But with our girls bung legs I'm not sure if "giving 10" would ever be quite possible It's great that Mallee is not becoming moody from being in the cage. I also worried about that, but with Mallee being younger it would be more of a concern. But you guys seem to spend so much time with her that it shouldn't be a problem anyway. It's uncanny how adaptable they can be. And just think of all the animals that are locked up and ill treated from cruelty... and if they are rescued most of them have the sweetest natures... I meant to ask you Antoinette, I seem to remember you mentioning that Mallee also had operations on her front legs as well (I may be wrong?? not sure). I was thinking about it the other day, so I just wanted to ask you exactly what the problem with her legs was originally - I don't think I've ever asked you the nitty gritty of it? All I can think is gee, how lucky she was to have ended up with a mum and dad like you guys. Otherwise her fate could have been much different. My girl is going great guns today. She seems to have lifted from the little cloud she was under the last couple of days. She seemed a bit stiff, but is much better now. I think she's also more perky because my mum is home from work. She absolutely adores my mum (probably because dad and I are left to do all the hard work and vet visits etc - mum gets to feed and cuddle only!). Hope everyone is well... only a few days until Chrissy now!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Hey Kell - Yeap Mallee sure did have operations on both her front legs also. The poor little thing has been through so much in her first 8mts - 4 of those 8mths have now been spent recovering from opertations. Its all quite a long story, but, when she was around 3.5 - 4 mths we noticed her limping alot on her front legs, and then it got to the point that she would just cry all night and have heaps of trouble getting up and down so we took her to our local vets, and had hip, shoulder and elbow x-rays done, and were told that hips and shoulders were fine but she had bad elbow dysplasia - so the first op she had was bilateral ulna osteotomy - where the cut the ulna bones right through and push it out of the way so the elbow joint eventually sits back in the correct spot (ulna bone is only suppose to take around 15% of body weight and hers were taking up 70-80%). I recently put a post in the photo section that shows all her scars from both ops. She recovered so well from that operation, and had 2 weeks of freedom before she went lame again this time on the back legs. The whole situation was a shamble!! We rang the vet back and were told "Oh yes Mallee does have bad hips", of course you can imagine i went of the deep end at this stupid woman vet, as she knew right from the start that her hips were bad, and having the elbow op probably made them worse, if we had know all of it from the start (hip & elbow dysplasia) we may have made different decisions! So thats pretty much the jist of what happen with poor Mallee - dysplasia in both the front and the back legs, such bad breeding and genetics i suppose! We learnt our lesson the hard way, but as you said Mallee was suppose to come to us for a reason and i am gald she did, could not bear to think what may have happened to her if someone else picked her and not us!!! So you can see why we are so amazed that all of this has just seemed to make her stronger in personality and that she is still happy!!!! Hope you have a great X-mas - not sure if i will get back on before christmas as i do all my posting from work - argghhh they will catch me one day i am sure, but then again i probably will - i think i may be getting addicted to DOL. But will definatley keep checking for your updates on Chloe. Give her a big pat from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Wow she has been through alot in such a short life span... but just think of the long and healthy life she will have in her future!!! I suspected it was something like that, but wasn't too sure. They suspect that Chloe may have had elbow dysplasia when she was younger which is why she has DJD in her front legs now, but she never, ever showed any signs at all... sooooooo? Who knows? I hope you guys have a great Chrissy too... when you do come back on I hope to hear that Mallee has improved alot!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koza Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Hi guys... Kelly, hope Chloe is well and careful and you all have nice and happy Christmas! We are off to the surgery tomorrow morning again, Stella did something awfull to her knee, it looks like completely destroyed:( SHe can't move at all. I'll discuss if TPLO wuld be more sensible for her, if she just ruptures the ligament during movement. May be it's another ligament, or bone... don't know, it's just very serious. The problem is I don't really have money for the TPLO straight away, have to invent something. May be she doesn't need TPLO (hopefully). She was doing REALLY well, and vet was very happy with her yesterday. I just can't believe what's happend:( We were advised to keep her inside and calm, what we did. Now we will lock her up in a small crate. Oh god... There's a conference in Sydney in February on vet ortho. Pity I'm not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 (edited) Oh no, that's really terrible news for Stella ... and I can't imagine how distressing for you as well. I'm really sorry to hear that Koza. Is this the knee that originally had the 'string' method? If so, how is the other knee that had TWO? Is it holding up so far? It's just the worst possible scenario isn't it? It's something that I fear very much also. It's just so hard to tell whether you are doing the right thing and they are on the right track, or they are in pain??? Oh it's so much worry. I can understand that many people would struggle with the osteotomy surgeries. I mean, especially around this time of year. I am just so luck that I had been previously saving for a deposit on a house. It's the only way we could afford it to eat into the savings. There was no way my parents could afford it. Does your surgeon have some type of payment plan to take off the load? I know that some do and you can pay it off over time but I'm not sure if it's a usual thing or not. We could just not crate Chloe. She went berserk and even the vet said she would do less damage having a little more room to move than trying desperately to get out. It was really disturbing for me because I know that it is better off to crate them. I feel that if something were to happen that it would be my fault for not forcing her to stay in the crate... Koza, I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for Stella. I'm hoping it's nothing as serious, but it doesn't sound good does it? Please keep me informed and let me know what is going to happen with Stella? I just hate to hear of these operations failing, especially cause it makes me uneasy about Chloe. And if I can be of any help at all, please let me know... Good luck. PS. I hope you also have a great Christmas, but with Stella in such a bad way... well I just don't know what to say. I'm really upset for you both and will send lots of positive thoughts... Edited December 22, 2005 by Kelly_Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koza Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 We are back from the vet. Phew... its some sort of damage to the soft tissues, but the implant and all bones are still there. She has got sedatives and pain-killers, lays quitely on the lounge. I've bougth a nice big cage on e-bay, will keep her in it for a week or two. We still can't understand what she could have done, because inside she always lays down and sleeps. Solly (other dog) is worried about her too, was licking her leg yesterday. Soo.. hopefully she will be OK:) Just shows again how restriction is important:( I'll get a pic of her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 Well, that's some good news hey? Hopefully Stella will mend up again. Gee she is lucky. Wow Koza, I'm really pleased that it is nothing too serious. After all the effort we put into their recovery, it would be such a huge blow for something to go terribly wrong. Some good news for today... Wishing Stella all the best in her recovery... and best wishes to poor you who will slave over her, especially for the next few weeks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koza Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Thanks, Kelly! Wish you and Chloe happy Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koza Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Kelly, how are you going? Stella is a bit better, she was really sick for 4 days, and her knee was hot like an iron, byt now it has settled, and she steps on the leg again. We keep her in cage mostly, which she apparently likes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 Hey all, Happy New Year! Koza that's great news... fingers crossed that it will all be okay from here on in. Lucky she seems to like the cage... Chloe hated it and just went mental. I guess you can only do your best, and luck plays its part too. Fingers crossed. Would you consider having another osteotomy if this ligament replacement one didn't work, or are you confident she will heal fine? Chloe is doing okay. I think her other leg is giving her problems. Sometimes it's so hard to know if she is improving or not. But she is using it okay, so I don't know what the best guage is really. Maybe I will take her back for a check up this week sometime. That may be the best way to tell and ease our minds. She bends and flexes the leg when she has to, but otherwise still sits with both back legs straight out under her. I worry about this but maybe it's just not strong enough yet or maybe just habit because of the other bad leg? Too confusing... Well after yesterdays scorcher we had to make plans to move Chloe up the stairs and inside... she loved it, but was quite happy to go back outside when it cooled down. She's never really been comfortable being inside too much. Here is a pic... 4 weeks post op tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted January 2, 2006 Author Share Posted January 2, 2006 And another one cause it's just too cute... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koza Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 (edited) Thanks guys... Stella is OK now, limping but sort of "right" way. The leg doesn't hurt anymore, the vet recons it was a reaction on the new string material. She flexes it well and sits normally. I'll give it another week or two and then start walking. They are both so lucky to be inside all these hot days As I'm back to work on Thursday, it won't be so nice. Actually, Solly was a bit... hm... he deserves being put outside. He killed one rat and today got out another, I still haven't found the poor thing... Kelly, I would do another op on her, but I would have to borrow the money I still remember about the second knee! Luckily she has insurance now, so it's covered, not so bad, but I still need to pay first Edited January 3, 2006 by Koza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now