Oreo doesn't want to walk = update #7 5/15/10

[Scooter's Mom]

I watched my vet fix a lot of torn cruciates this week. They are rather easy to fix. They are fixed with a big stitch that will do the work of the cruciate. She said she's seen dogs get 90-95% normal function in their legs after the surgery. She also said agility and frisbee dogs get it a lot, but little dogs that are overweight can get it... and little dogs can get it by landing wrong. She said if they just tore one, they will have a very high chance of tearing the other one while they are healing from the original torn cruciate because they overcompensate.

I know it could be fixable - but how expensive is it? Have to take into consideration that in the last year and a half, I've earned about 1/3 my normal salary b/c of my own illness - and the fact that my husbands office could potentially close their doors at any given time.

Finances just may not allow it.

[Scooter's Mom]

Valley Fever test came back negative.
Starting him on a new medicine tomorrow after we run pick it up at the vets office. I can't remember the name right now, but will post it when we get it.

[MonicanHonda]

That I don't know. I hope you can find out what's wrong with your little guy.

[Catty1]

You know...I wonder if it COULD be related to not being neutered?...I mean, the genitals are at the same 'end'. But the vets would have checked that, right?

[pomtzu]

Valley Fever test came back negative.
Starting him on a new medicine tomorrow after we run pick it up at the vets office. I can't remember the name right now, but will post it when we get it.

I don't place a whole lot of faith in positive/negative testing anymore, after what I went thru with Sparky last year.

He started limping and didn't want to walk much - had difficulty with going up and down stairs, generally lethargic for the most part, etc. I took him to the vet, and she said it sounded like Lyme's Disease, so tested him and the results were negative, and I have the pups vaccinated every year for it too. So she put him on a pain reliever and told me to not let him do any running around and such - as if he was going to since he could barely walk at times anyway. After a couple of weeks he was no better, so it was back to the vet - she's shaking her head in disbelief, and still saying it was classic Lyme's symptoms with the way he was acting. She also said that the vaccine is not 100% effective, and false negative testing is uncommon, but not unheard of. So on a hunch, she put him on the 30 day antibiotic treatment for Lymes - and that straightened Sparky up in no time.

So even tho he got his vaccine, and the test reported negative, he still had it! Perhaps something like that could be happening with Oreo - poor little guy! Hope you get to the bottom of the problem soon, and he's back to his old self in no time!

[Scooter's Mom]

Weird, since sparky is a ShihTzu too!
off we go to pick up the medicine... i'll post what it is when we get home.