Welcome to the family!

I saw a picture of a cute doggy at the SPCA last night... (I'd been checking a lot since my Khloe passed away ... Miss him a ton) This morning, we got there right at 10 am, just as they opened, and not an hour later we were coming home with our new pup, Kail.
Welcome to the family, sweetie.

Poor girl...

We went to the vet today for her first visit (with me, anyway). I had some concerns about her back legs, as she slips and slides around on them and walks / stands a bit funny ... Well, the vet agreed that there was some issue with her back end and recommended we do x-rays. So... my poor girl has hip dysplasia. :(

They said it wasn't the worse case they've seen, but sent us home with some pain pills and the recommendation that we keep her active but pay attention to how she feels.

Poor girl.. but you're home now, Kail, and I'm gonna take care of you.

Update

Kail is doing well! I think the joint supplements are helping. She doesn't slip and slide around the house as much anymore, and even the "bunny hop" kind of run she does has improved. She had needed pain medicine for a few days when she was getting used to going out and exercising, but she hasn't needed any for a while.
:)

Woohoo!

Kail graduated last night! She passed her beginner obedience class with a score of 187 out of 200 on her last test (it was scored like a novice obedience trial, I guess? I don't know much about these things, haha.) I'm very proud of her! She's come a very long way :)
I think we're going to work toward getting her CGC now!

Update

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while.
Kail is doing well. She has been diagnosed with discoid lupus, nothing too serious; she just needs to have ointment put on her nose every other day for the rest of her life, easy fix! I am taking her to see a specialist on Friday to find out what needs to be done for her hip dysplasia. So, maybe I'll have something more to post then!

Saw the specialist!

Diary of the day? Yay! Thanks, Dogster!

We just got back from seeing the specialist. As it turns out, Kail's problem, though she does have hip dysplasia, is not her hips. The major problem is her knees. The cranial cruciate ligament, what would be called the ACL in humans according to the vet, in both her knees are torn.

The vet believes, because of her age, that she was born with them defective and that they weren't torn through exercise or something like that. Kail has discoid lupus, which can cause joint pain, and because of this, the veterinarian does not want to do surgery on her right now - she'll still have trouble. He wants me to watch for her lifting one leg. If/when that happens, he wants to see her again and surgery may be an option then.

For now, she needs to be kept thin, and be kept from running (she can walk as much as she wants). She's a hyper pup, I'm not sure how she's going to handle this!

Second opinion

Hi everyone. I took Kail to see another orthopedic specialist today for a second opinion. I expressed my concerns about her suddenly being afraid of other dogs, bumping into things, and having trouble finding treats on the floor. He took a look at her x-rays, examined her eyes and legs, and watched her walk. He thinks that the problem may be neurological, and suspects a disease of the cerebellum. He would like us to go see a neurologist, unfortunately the nearest one is a three hour drive from here. As soon as I can I do plan to take her and see what the neurologist thinks..

Doing well.

Hi. Just a quick update!

It turns out the neurologist we were referred to sometimes takes appointments at an office only an hour away, so we were placed on a waiting list. They said that we would probably be able to see him in a month or so. This is great news - Kailie hates car rides! She still isn't going to be happy, but this is much better than three hours!

Recently, when she doesn't want to go for a walk she has started to absolutely freak out and nearly choke herself on her leash. Dunno what that is about. Usually when she doesn't want to walk, she simply lays down. She's also suddenly terrified of other dogs. :( I almost got her to go for a walk with me this evening when another dog walked by. Kail dragged me home. It's so weird, she used to be soo happy to see another dog, she'd bounce around and try to get them to play (even if the other dog clearly wanted nothing to do with her, lol). The vet did say this might be because she can't see the other dogs as well anymore.

Otherwise, Kail is doing well. We took a trip to the family cabin last weekend. She got into lots of trouble and had plenty of fun, playing in the mud and going fishing (she tried to bite one of the fish!) and stealing beer and relaxing in the sun. At home she's been running around in the yard, seems perfectly happy and normal except the problems with walks and other dogs I mentioned earlier. I bought her some new kongs - she destroyed the two I first bought her months ago (one large red one and one of the black extreme kongs - we've now upgraded to two XXL extremes). She's very happy to have new ones. They're her favorite toys!

Battan's

Hi. First of all, thank you for all the birthday wishes! Kail got lots of cookies and walks and tons of playtime yesterday.

We saw the neurologist today. He thinks Kail has Battan's disease. She had blood drawn and sent out and we will know for sure in a week or two. Unfortunately, if this is what she has, it is degenerative and there is no treatment...

...

I spoke with Kail's vet a few minutes ago. We had been trying Xanax to help calm her down and steroids to try and help her (for example if what she has was something like meningitis). Nothing is helping. A few nights ago she did nothing but pace for hours and hours and nothing could get her to calm down. I've had to pick her up and carry her to get her outside to potty, then carry her back in. Trying to get her to go for a walk has just resulted in her freaking out so badly that her paw has started bleeding. She doesn't play with the other dogs anymore. Mostly, when she isn't pacing and running into things, she's sleeping. Anyway, the vet thinks the best thing to do for her now is have her put to sleep.

I haven't made an appointment yet. I still have to think about this. But I don't think she's happy anymore. She's not the dog I brought home almost a year ago. I feel so horrible. My poor baby...