Friday, September 08, 2006

What is it with me and dogs?

Little Macy Mae has got some shoulder problems. It is now past the stage of just ignoring it and hoping it will get better...this is obviously something more serious.

Macy has had an intermittent limp in her left front leg for quite some time now. It never puts her down, but it's noticeable. Lately whenever she starts off on a walk, she pulls up lame after about 5 minutes. Worse than before, she really gimps when this happens.

A trip to the vet yesterday pretty much confirmed our diagnosis of Osteochondritis dessicans. How are we familiar with something so strange? Our chocolate lab had the same affliction for nearly her entire life. It's a condition affecting the ball joint of the shoulder, or more rarely, the elbow joint, which can produce debris in the joint area. New growth sometimes is deposited in the wrong area adding to the problem. Macy's X-rays were somewhat inconclusive, but do show a prominence where one should not be.

So, we now have to crate-rest and generally subdue the crazy little bitch in the hopes that she might heal without surgery. Surgery is indicated if this does not work, so then it would be back up to the U of M Vet hospital for a consult and the procedure. Trying to make a 1 year old Lab sit still for even 10 seconds requires considerable effort and training. This is going to be a chore, and we only have 4-6 weeks of it left.

No comments: