So we picked a puppy that looked like a Rotti but I’m pretty confident that she has a good amount of Shepherd in her. I was hoping staying away from purebred lines would lessen the chance of genetic defects etc…. well apparently that was not to be the case. Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with purebreds or Rotti’s or anything like that, but I am saying that genetically speaking having a bigger gene pool to pick from does increase your odds of getting better genes …. sometimes! Survival of the fittest and all that business, anyway …
As it turns out our little baby has great hips and shoulders but her knees and elbows are shot!!! She does in fact have a torn ACL in both knees and her first surgery is now scheduled for the 7th of July! The total for just 1 knee is $3200 and that does not include any of the tests so far and pain/anti inflammatory meds to date. Fortunately the surgeon does travel to our city once per month and we don’t need to travel with her (Rotti) to get it done. Because she works closely with the vet here in town we also have a place to go to for checkups and should anything happen that requires attention. Our home vet has very graciously offered to comp any future x-rays and such to keep up on the recovery. (I guess we do get lucky some times.)
The second surgery, assuming all goes well should be done around 12 weeks after the first … This will mean the kids are back to school and I will have minimal help getting the poor thing in and out of the house on my own to potty. I might suggest waiting til next summer for that surgery, that might just have to be a conversation for our next vet visit. At this time she is able to walk on the second leg with no visible pain or issue …. I guess we’ll see.
The irony in all of this is that I have knee, hip and back issues myself and haven’t taken any time off to take care of my own doctor’s appointments or to make a plan for whatever it is they will find with me. And I’m not talking minor issues, I mean at least two injuries and 1 mal formed disk in my back, I believe an injury on my hip from an unfortunate chiropractor appointment 13 years ago and my knees, well I have no idea what happened there …. Some days I can barely walk! LOL Priorities I guess …..
Oh well, think that’s it for now on that regard – on a good note my youngest graduates tomorrow from public school and will be setting off for high school in the fall. I still can’t believe I have two teens in high school come next September – time flies they say!
It’s been a rough day and I’m ready for a glass of vino and a cuddle with my man!
Cheers!
~n
nijntje's Babadook 