Pets n Vets

Ok, so my little bubba Sasha had knee surgery a year ago because her knee-cap kept popping out of place, due to her genetic predisposition to having a shallow groove where it's supposed to sit, as well as the fact that she's a little bow-legged in her hind legs. She was only 2 years old at that point so it wasn't really bothering her, but she'd have to sort of kick her leg back increasingly to get the knee-cap back into place. Not wanting her to develop arthritis over the years due to the abrasion this would cause, I shelled out the $2k required to surgically correct this.

Now, a few months ago, I noticed that she'd started limping on that same leg. This worried me, because it had only been about 6 months since the surgery and I had a strong feeling that something was not right. So I took her back to the vet, who said that she may have jarred it and caused some soft-tissue damage, gave us some anti-inflammatories and told me to keep an eye on her. Things didn't change, although she limped more one some days than others, and the vet maintained that everything was in place and that she probably just needed some time to recover.

Fast forward to 2 days ago, when I finally had enough of the situation and demanded that the vet take the case a little more seriously. I felt that he'd thought that Sash was just a whiny dog and me an overzealous owner, which I can understand from his point of view considering the types of young owners he often sees. However, he should have believed me when I'd said that she's a very bright, cheerful girl who never complains about anything, and we're so close that we know what the other's going to do before either one even moves a muscle. My fears were confirmed when he finally admitted that the best shot would be to have the pins and wire removed from her knee since they'd already served their purpose, and see how she goes. He admitted her immediately and performed the surgery the same afternoon. I should also add that he quickly got me to sign the waiver including a paragraph at the bottom stating that I would pay about 800 bucks for the surgery.

I called in in the late afternoon and asked how it went - the guy left another vet to handle the call (there are 3 vets there, all of whom I'm familiar with and 2 of whom I'm not-so-fond of. Unfortunately, the same 2 vets are the most senior and very experiences vets) and she told me that the tension band in her knee would definitely have been causing her discomfort because it was too tight and had started CUTTING INTO the bone! She recovered quickly from the aenesthetic, so we got to pick her up before closing time. The poor girl was so happy to see us despite her bald leg (which looked really funny since she's a little shaggy dog) and we had to be really careful to get her not to jump around on her leg.

Anyway, she's been so active these last 2 days it's not funny. I'd thought that she'd gotten lazy in the recent months, as she'd been a little less eager for her walks, and had gotten tired a lot quicker on our daily jaunts. I'd tease her about struggling to get her fat bottom (which really wasn't fat at all) up the stairs, and now I feel HORRIBLE about not having pressured the vet to do this sooner. The poor dear's been so frisky and playful since coming home, it warms my heart to see her back to her familiar self, yet I'm heartbroken to think that she'd been suffering all this time while keeping a brave face.

So anyway, today's little Sasha's birthday, and her $800 birthday present is her poor little leg working all better again. Now if only my wallet felt a little better...

The tribe: Sasha (left) and Nikki

Posted in the-tribe, rant