Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A reallly bad day

I think that today has been the worst day in the history of Sam- I have finally gathered my thoughts enough to put into words what I learned today and where we go from here.

I went to calgary today to the western specialist veterinary clinic where I saw Dr. Fowler. His initial exam made him doubt that it was a cruciate, and later after xrays he says that it is very unlikely that it indeed a cruciate. He asked his colleague- Dr. Romedious for her opinion and she agreed with him that it is not a cruciate problem. So I ask myself what would have happened had I gone ahead last thursday with the cruciate surgery the vet here wanted to do??? I am going to call him tomorrow and ask just that.
So now on to the bad news,
Instead of a cruciate he thinks that Sam has a herniated disc in his lower spine. When the disc is out of place it causes nerve damage which can show up in lameness. He has advised that I get a spinal CT done (for the fabulous cost of 3000) and if it is indeed a herniated disc there will be surgery to repair it. For the lovely cost of 2000. I was too stunned to ask many questions, but have a list a mile long now, so will be calling tomorrow. I have googled herniated discs in dogs and have found many, many sites to sift through. The ones that I browsed through quickly do not leave me feeling very well. Dr.Fowler said that the surgery is risky as the nerve damage could be permanent, and when they are removing the disc there is a risk of further damage to the nerve ending. And then there is the whole "how did it happen" Sam has been a hopper always- and has had a roached back- always. So it could very well be just him- a conformational defect. In which case this could recurr again and again and again. I am devastated. I can't even think straight and I really need to get this figured out. My poor boy is in rough shape tonite due to the anesthetic which makes me feel even worse for him. Why do I put myself through this. I really love him and just want him to be okay. But I fear that isn't going to be possible, or at least not for a long time. This is the saga that seems like it will never end. All because I saw past the funny looking white headed dog and saw only his spirit and smile- I couldn't say no.

I will post more as I find out. Hopefully it is not as bad as it sounds. Maybe I am over-reacting. I can hope can't I?


~Amanda Labadie
Kate (retired)
Wicca CD SADC SHD AgNJS
Sam CGN ADC and Baby Vito
http://www.geocities.com/manymuddypaws


Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us.

4 comments:

Randi said...

Hey..Randi's mom here..I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles & Sam's stuggles...its never easy & knowing that you are doing all you can sometimes still isn't enough to give you peace of mind. The agony of knowing you hold the decision making power is such a weight on your shoulders...surgery? no surgery? more pills? more specialists? it goes on & on...just know that you & your doggies & family are in our thoughts & prayers & we are sending good vibes your way. Give Sam a big kiss for us...he is very very very loved.
Love & Licks from Randi & big hugs from me.

Jennifer said...

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. You and Sam will be in my thoughts an prayers. It's just so hard to have one of the four leggers hurting, and so much more awful to not know what the future holds. As my mom reminded my when my girl was diagnosed with dysplasia, the dogs don't worry about the future, they just enjoy each day as it comes. Hang in there! Wish I could do something to help!!!

manymuddypaws said...

thanks guys,

we are doing okay, I will keep posting the more I find out!

tsroxx said...

Amanda I'm so sorry to hear about Sam :( He's a great dog and I really hope he makes it through it.