7.25.2006

Stupid blogger

Blogger won't let me post photos, so my marijuana lookalike plant and Barney the Wonder Toad will have to wait.

Instead, I'll talk about my dogs and their various medical problems, which I think will soon cost me much $$:

Monster has hip dysplasia. Over the last 3-4 months, he has degenerated to where he is completely unable to jump on beds or couches, and has a lot of trouble going up stairs. He takes one step at a time and frequently makes the most pitiful crying noises. And since we live in a hilly neighborhood, in a multi-story house where you have to climb a flight of stairs to even get to the front door, he has to use them. Right now, we are giving him glucosamine supplements and an anti-inflammatory drug called Rimadyl. The problem is that this condition will not go away, and it is unlikely to get better. The medicine is bad for his liver, and we can't keep him on it forever. Our other options include anti-inflammatory injections that he would get once ever four days for awhile, and then once a month probably for the rest of his life, or surgery. Surgery would be either a procedure where they cut off the top of his hip bones, or total hip replacements. In either case, it would be an enormous amount of pain and physical therapy for Monster, and an enormous vet bill for us. We haven't gotten as far as considering those options yet. We're hoping that a combination of the Rimadyl, glucosamine, and gentle exercises will get him to the point where he can live a mostly pain-free life. We're also trying to figure out how to make ramps for our four flights of stairs.

Sebastian has always been healthy. He is just very anxious and over-protective of me. But yesterday evening while we were all watching a movie, he suddenly attacked Monster for no reason. With his hip, poor Monster couldn't really do anything but squeal and pee on himself (which he did). We pulled Sebastian off of him, and he almost immediately calmed down and became his usual self. We locked him in the bathroom for awhile, then took them on their nightly walk and went to bed. In the middle of the night, we woke up to the sound of him throwing up. Brandon got up to clean it up, and discovered that he was throwing up bloody mucus. Eventually, he got some milk down and went back to sleep. I'm not sure if that is connected to the fight with Monster, but you never know. He has an appointment at the vet this afternoon. Brandon thinks he has an ulcer, and I hope he's right, considering the alternatives.

5 comments:

Stinkydog said...

My oldster had the FHO surgery where they take the hip joint out. It is *hellacious* to get them through it and yes, very expensive. But she doesn't have arthritis or hip displasia on that side any more. We had actually had it done b/c she was attacked by our other dog. A whole 'nother long story, but the behaviorist we subsequently went to told me that it is not unheard of for a younger dog to attack another dog they have known for years because they are sensing the older dog getting weaker. (harkening back to wolf days where the pack would drive out the weakest). One theory, anyway.

And I promise I will stop dispensing with the doggie advice, but be sure to have your vet check Sebastian for giardia. Especially if he has had some bad gas lately. It's really common and not usually checked for in regular fecal tests.

Felix said...

Giardia? That's the one that's spread through water from outdoor streams, right?

Stinkydog said...

Yep. And it's zoonotic (meaning people can get it too). Lovely.

Steph said...

Thankfully, I don't think we have to worry about that. The current diagnosis is an ulcer. He has some stomach coating meds, and the doctor prescribed some doggie prozac while she was at it. "To take the edge off."

Felix said...

When people see Sebastian being mellow, they'll think he's been chewing on your front porch plant.