Zoee's progress

[Taz_Zoee]

If anyone is interested I had a reading of sorts done on Zoee on Karen's radio show. You can see what I'm talking about in post #47 and a few after in this (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=170143) thread. So I thought I'd start a thread to track her progress.

The weather took a drastic turn here in California. It went from beautiful sunny days to freezing (not literally, but it feels like it), rainy, cloudy days in an instant. So since I can't do the frisbee like I had planned I thought of another activity. She loves to play fetch. We used to play this with her all the time when she was an only dog. Since getting Taggart we have become lazy and just assume they will entertain each other. :o:(

Tonight Taggart wanted to go outside. Since it was not raining at the moment I put him out. Then I got a toy and sat at one end of the hallway. I threw the toy about 5 or 6 times for her making her wait to go get it and praising her soo much. She loved it!! Eventually it seemed like she was looking for Taggart though. So I let him in and played a few times with both of them. Surprisingly Zoee did not give the toy up to him at all. They play growled all the way back to me both not letting go of the toy. Then I made Zoee wait a couple of times so Taggart could have a turn by himself. Although he'd rather play with her than alone.

When they were done I asked them if they wanted a carrot. They both ran full speed to the kitchen to wait by the fridge. :p Silly dogs.

Now they are both zonked out in the hall....snoozing. All is well. :D

This probably seems like such a dumb thing to post about since we should all play with our dogs like this. But I had to be reminded that she wants our attention and interaction more.

I will come back to this thread to update if her mood seems to be changing and how things are going. :)

[Alysser]

Glad to hear Zoee's "depression" is improving. :love: She's too pretty to be sad. Keep it up! :D

[Karen]

Sounds great so far, glad to hear you had two sleepy happy pups! :)

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks guys. :)
Today I am going to the shelter until 5pm, but when I get home I need to brush Zoee. She's going to the groomer tomorrow. I know, its like cleaning your house before the housekeeper comes. But she needs to be brushed to make their job easier. :) So that will be our one-on-one time. Then after I'll reward her with a game.

[Karen]

Does she do a "big shed" this time of year, or just the normal snowdrift? ;) Give her a hug for me, okay?

[Taz_Zoee]

I've never noticed a difference in her shedding. It's bad all the time. LOL

Hugs will be delivered. :D

[Freedom]

Cindy, thanks for the link, I went over and read the 'reading," and then came back here to read about the game in the hall.

It does get tough with multiples! I try to give each of them (dogs AND cats) some one on one time each week. Just not enough of me to go around for a daily thing, lol. And yes the dogs demand and get more, and a few of the cats insist -- usually by waking me up at 2 AM for some stroking.

I am sure Zoe will love having some game time on a regular basis!

Oh, my Willy is like that w/ Tasha, she can do NO wrong. He lets her have toys, each from his food bowl, stuff NO ONE (cat, dog or human) is permitted to do. I love seeing the personalities interact.

[Taz_Zoee]

Ok, so the indoor game is not going so well. First of all Taggart gets in the way and I don't want to stick him outside all the time. So I put him in his crate and was sitting right next to it. He started to whine and groan. :( I had to let him out.
Second of all, I don't think running on the hardwood floors and sliding is such a good idea for Zoee's leg. So I must find another activity. The most difficult part of all this is Taggart. He HAS to be involved in EVERYTHING that goes on in the house. Even if we are paying attention to the cats....he has to stick his nose in.
I'll figure something out! :D

[Karen]

Ok, so the indoor game is not going so well. First of all Taggart gets in the way and I don't want to stick him outside all the time. So I put him in his crate and was sitting right next to it. He started to whine and groan. :( I had to let him out.
Second of all, I don't think running on the hardwood floors and sliding is such a good idea for Zoee's leg. So I must find another activity. The most difficult part of all this is Taggart. He HAS to be involved in EVERYTHING that goes on in the house. Even if we are paying attention to the cats....he has to stick his nose in.
I'll figure something out! :D

Hmmm, maybe the scent training would be good - ask him to find one scent and Zoee the other?

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, all activity is on hold for Miss Zoee. She is just limping too badly and hardly puts weight on that leg. I have been observing her closely the past few weeks and have noticed that when she runs outside she is not even using that leg. She's so darn fast that you almost can't tell. But the limping is becoming more frequent and needs to be addressed. I'm going to see if I can get her to the vet tonight.
We can rub all over the leg and she never flenches, so we have no clue whats going on. I just hope she doesn't have to live on Previcox for the rest of her life......its not cheap!

[Karen]

Awww, poor Zoee - and that's just so like a dog to run anyway - just won't use that leg! I hope the vet can figure out what's up!

[Roxyluvsme13]

Poor Zoee :(. Give her a hug from me!

It's really strange that it doesn't hurt if you touch it, but she limps around on it :confused:. I hope your vet can figure out what's wrong with the pretty girl!

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks! Our appointment is 7pm PST. I will update after. I just hope they can figure out what is wrong. Nothing worse then them not finding anything wrong when I can SEE there is something wrong.
I need to jot down some notes to tell the vet. Better do that now while I'm thinking of it.

[Taz_Zoee]

Zoee was so scared at the vets. :( But she got xrays done and the vet thinks it is arthritis in her knee. The radiologist will review the pictures a week from next Tuesday. So I will know in a couple weeks. For now she is on Previcox.
Does anyone know if I can buy Previcox cheaper somewhere other than the vet? At the vet it is just over $70/month. If she has to stay on this long term I'd like to find it cheaper.

It was so sad....the family in the room next to me was having their dog PTS. :( And what was worse was I was in the same room where I said my goodbyes to Taz. :( Good thing they have tissues in there.

[Taz_Zoee]

The vet called me back Tuesday after the radiologist reviewed the xrays. He said she needs surgery. :( I told the doctor that just is not possible right now. She said it's not an emergency surgery need. Since she is staying off her leg on her own (when she runs she doesn't use that leg) she should be okay. So I said I would just keep an eye on it.
So of course that night I get home and she won't even put that leg down at all. And she did the same last night. I just can't do her surgery right now. It will cost about $3000 and I have to make arrangements with my mom to keep her during recovery. Bruce can't take care of her when he's trying to work at home (unless he changes his mind).
She honestly doesn't seem to be in too much pain. She is still her happy wiggly self. She still jumps up on the bed, couch and chair. She still runs full speed out the door each time we let them out.

The doctor mentioned putting her on tramadol in addition to the previcox she is already on. Does anyone have experience with either or both of these meds??

[dab_20]

The vet called me back Tuesday after the radiologist reviewed the xrays. He said she needs surgery. :( I told the doctor that just is not possible right now. She said it's not an emergency surgery need. Since she is staying off her leg on her own (when she runs she doesn't use that leg) she should be okay. So I said I would just keep an eye on it.
So of course that night I get home and she won't even put that leg down at all. And she did the same last night. I just can't do her surgery right now. It will cost about $3000 and I have to make arrangements with my mom to keep her during recovery. Bruce can't take care of her when he's trying to work at home (unless he changes his mind).
She honestly doesn't seem to be in too much pain. She is still her happy wiggly self. She still jumps up on the bed, couch and chair. She still runs full speed out the door each time we let them out.

The doctor mentioned putting her on tramadol in addition to the previcox she is already on. Does anyone have experience with either or both of these meds??

So sorry to hear she needs surgery. It's expensive, but you want to do whats best for your fur butt. Puts you in a hard place!

Pervicox is more of an anti inflammatory medication and Tramadol is a pain medication. I don't know a whole bunch about Pervicox, seeing as I work with people, but a lot of my patients are on Tramadol.
Tramadol is an opioid like hydrocodone (loratab) or morphine, but meant for more moderate pain. Although it's a narcotic it doesn't make them as out of it or groggy as other opioids. The major side effect of Tramadol is an upsetting of the GI tract (diarrhea or constipation), but I do think it a good option for pain control.
If she seems she's in pain at all it might be a good idea to put her on Tramadol.

Hope you can figure something out! Poor Zoee!

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you so much for your response. :)
She doesn't seem to be in pain aside from her not using that leg. THAT is a sign of pain. :( My sister brought up a good point. She could blow out her good leg since she's using that one all the time instead of the bad one. Then I'd have to deal with both ACL's. I'm so stressed! I don't know what (or how) to do!

[Alysser]

Poor Zoe :( I hope she feels better soon, whether she has the surgery or not. Doesn't sound like a fun situation to be in at all Cindy. I'm so sorry:love: I wish there was something I could do for you both.

[Taz_Zoee]

Poor Zoe :( I hope she feels better soon, whether she has the surgery or not. Doesn't sound like a fun situation to be in at all Cindy. I'm so sorry:love: I wish there was something I could do for you both.

Thank you. It brings tears to my eyes every time I see her limping. :( Maybe she just needs a vacation again. Back in April she spent three weeks at my moms so she wasn't running around as much. Maybe I can leave her there at Christmas and pick her up after our vacation in January. I'll have to talk to my mom about that.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I'm so sorry Cindy. My son has the exact same issue with his oldest Aussie(he's only 5 and has had the problem almost since he was one). He limps all the time. My son gives him glucosamine and it helps only slightly. The vet tells him to make him stay down--yea right!! Are you kidding, Mr. Vet? Believe me, my son is always upset about it. So far he hasn't had to have surgery but it could happen any day.
Also: My son started to take them to the groomers last year about every 3-4 months and get a close haircut. Not shaved but close. It has completely ended the 24/7 brushing, excessive vacuuming, allergies, etc. It's the best thing he's ever done. I'll ask if he has him on meds. I don't think he's giving him anything right now but he may have in the past.

Feel better Zoee!!!:(

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Terry. The strangest thing is she started limping back in February so we put her on the glucosamine and chondriotin (sp?) and also previcox for a month or so. Then she had "vacation" at my moms for three weeks before Easter and she was fine. She would occassionally limp when she first stood up, but not too bad.
Then the limping became more often so I took her in for Xrays. Now since Tuesday she is hardly applying pressure to that leg at all. She still runs and plays, she just doesn't use that leg. We have begun calling her hop-a-long. She still has her spirit and waggly butt too. :D
My sister is a vet tech and she said the best picture (xray) of a dogs leg is when they are sedated so the muscles are not tensed up. We didn't get xrays of her while sedated. So before any surgery is even discussed I will request xrays while under sedation and on BOTH legs. My sister told me to get that done. So they can check both knees.
I might leave Zo at my moms when we go on the 10th for Xmas with my friends. Then see how she is at Xmas and go from there. She is not as active while she's there because she doesn't really play with my moms dogs and my mom can monitor her better since she doesn't work.

Oh, I called the vet this morning to ask about the pain meds I picked up Thursday night. She told me to start with the lower dose. Well that's not working. So she said to up the dose and call her back on Monday and we'll go from there on how she is doing. The lady that I talked to asked me if I was keeping her confined or restricting her activity. I laughed and said...as much as possible. Yeah, she's an Aussie......not an easy task. But we are limiting her outside time just long enough to do her business.

Oh, I've begun keeping Zoee's coat very short too. I love it!

Wow, I'm sorry. I could sit here and type a novel on this. Ok, I'll stop now. :)

[Daisy and Delilah]

No need to apologize. We are obsessed with our babies:)

My son says he has only given him Rimadyl when he was so bad it couldn't be avoided. I think Delilah took Tramadol when she had a tooth pulled. It was only two days but I didn't notice any problems.
It's almost impossible keeping those dogs quiet. They are constantly horsing around with each other. They're brothers and 11 months apart. They're inseparable. It's a constant "toothfest" at his house. Playing like puppies around the clock. He had to start letting them go out at different times and almost carried the injured one into the house himself. As I said, my son gets no rest when Pistol limps. Energy times 10!

I hope you can get to the bottom of it and find out what's going on. It seems to me that Aussies may be prone to this type of injury. I know how it makes you feel to see them suffering. I would jump in front of a bus if it would take their pain away. I'll keep sending out thoughts and prayers and hope Zoee gets better. Keep me posted!! Kudos on the haircut:) It's a life changer!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear about Zoe.:( Hopefully she won't need to have surgery and if she does I sure hope that everything will go smoothly. Prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Terry and Tracey. :)
Well I didn't notice until I fed them tonight that she didn't eat one of the pills from this morning. So she only had a half pill of the Tramadol. Tonight she ate both whole pills and we left for about 4 hours. When I let them out after we got home she actually was putting that foot down when she ran outside. So I think the rest and the meds help.
But, here's something else to think about. Bruce brought up the point that taking the medicine is taking the pain away, but couldn't that just lead to more severe damage of the ligament? Since she can't feel pain she'll run hard and mess it up even more. I mean, the ligament can't heal itself....can it? I guess I need to do more research on this. This is also why I need her to go to my moms to rest. Sigh.....

[Bonny]

Years ago I had an Australian shepherd & he ended up taking Rimadyl. The pill was broken in half & inserted in cheese to make sure he took it & given to him morning & evening. He was an old dog & instead of laying down he would plop himself down so the problem was pain in his joints. The Rimadyl made a new dog out of him.

I hope Zoee gets to feeling better soon & with rest at your folks it may help her leg heal on its own.

[Taz_Zoee]

So we left Zoee with my mom yesterday. :( Taggart is sooo depressed. He did NOTHING all afternoon and evening. He literally just slept the entire time. I took him to PetSmart with me to exchange some sweaters I got for my moms dog. And I played with him for a while with one of his toys, but he just didn't seem that interested. Then I gave him a toy that dispenses treats, so he worked at that for a while. (I had to keep Jax from eating the pieces of kibble that fell out before Taggart did)

My mom said Zoee stayed right by the door waiting for us to come back. :( I know she will get over it, but it still makes me sad. I said I didn't want to leave her and Bruce said "then don't". But it is in her best interest. Just in the short time we were there she was not limping. She is just so much calmer there. Which is strange since they live in the country and she has acres to explore. But my mom won't let her run around (which will be easy because she just doesn't when she's there).

And I also had a thought..........she will not be with us for her birthday. :( So we will just have to celebrate her birthday a week or so later. I'm sure my mom will spoil her just fine. :p

[Karen]

Awww, I am sure she will appreciate her birthday celebration whenever it happens!