Update March 31 2006
Brian and I are "foster failures". We fostered Dino (then "Riley") after he was rescued from a terrible, neglectful situation. We watched him grow from a mange-ridden rack of bones to an almost normal looking dog! We just couldn't let him go...so we adopted.
We have had Dino for a little over a year now. We fight over the spelling of his name (Brian insists it is "Deano"...but I say "Dino" after the dog on the Flintstones). You can see who won that fight.
Because Dino was starved during his first few months of life, he has severe musculoskeletal abnormalities. He is severely bow-legged and pigeon-toed in the back...while his front legs point outward and have awkward bends at the wrists.
Dino is our "Tiny Tim". He cannot run or jump like the other dogs. But, he certainly has learned to live with his disability. We pick him up to put him on the couch or the bed and we help him when he needs to get back down.
Dino compensates for his disabilities by showing his teeth to the other dogs when it's not really necessary to do so. So far, his scare tactics have worked! The other dogs don't dare mess with him.
Dino is mostly normal and it was only about 6 months ago that he started to get an occasional limp. We did x-rays and a consult with Dr. Shealy, who wasn't sure Dino's condition could be helped, but suggested two surgeries. I just didn't feel good about the prognosis and Dr. Shealy was honest in telling me that he didn't know that he could help Dino...but if we didn't do surgery, Dino could "blow out his knee".
I recently decided to take Dino to a highly recommended veterinary orthopedic surgeon--Dr. Robert L. Goring--for a second opinion. (Ironically, our cat vet, Dr. Liller, referred me!) I took Dino to Orange Park, FL last week and he spent the day at Dr. Goring's clinic where new x-rays were taken and he was given a thorough evaluation. Dr. Goring's assessment was slightly different. He says that all 4 of Dino's legs are in very bad shape.
HOWEVER....he is confident that he can repair his hind legs and give Dino 75% functionality in those limbs. Like Dr. Shealy, he recommends 2 different surgeries (one for each leg), spaced several months apart. Dr. Goring said that it would be nice to give this dog at least one good weight-bearing limb, and for that reason, he does recommend surgery on at least one hind leg, if not both.
Dr. Goring says Dino's condition is most definitely caused by his puppyhood nutritional deficiencies. Dino has grade IV (the worst) medial patella luxation in both hind legs. In other words, his knee caps are off to the side when they should be in front. That is the same thing Dr. Shealy said, but Dr. Goring simply gave me more hope in his ability to repair it. Dr. Goring also found issues in Dino's front legs. Unforunately, those issues cannot be repaired and dogs put 60% of their weight on their front legs. Again, this just makes getting Dino's hind legs working more important!
We plan to schedule Dino's first surgery in May.
Wish us luck!
Mandy |
|
Reader Discussion