Oh dear :( Kirk, you just gotta keep your mommy on her toes, don't you?
My prayers go out to you both, and I hope to hear from you with good news next time!
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Oh dear :( Kirk, you just gotta keep your mommy on her toes, don't you?
My prayers go out to you both, and I hope to hear from you with good news next time!
Now there's something I'm familiar with,cruciate tears. Although probably not as bad as what Kirk has been through with his hips, you didn't need this too. :( I will continue to pray for Kirk that he may get his legs in working order so he can run and play a bit like a puppy should. I will pray for you also, this must be wearing you down terribly. Please don't feel you must wait for good news to update, we all want to know what is going on with Kirk and PT prayers can do wonders.{{{hugs}}}
It is with great RELIEF that I come bearing GOOD NEWS!
Kirkie has been doing very, very well as of late. Most significantly....he is *finally* FULLY WEIGHT-BEARING! :D :D :D However, it's not EQUAL weight bearing, espeically when he stands ---he leans heavily on his right side and his little spine is all crooked :(. Also when he starts going faster than a 4-beat walk, he tends to bunny hop.
However, his left leg muscles are finally growing. His left leg used to be about a third of the size of his right (which was also atrophied to a degree)....and now his musculature on the left side is about half as big as the right, and growing every day!
He's on twice daily walks and we're slowly increasing them. His endurance at weekly hydrotherapy is amazingly increased. He's less painful at acuptuncture and hasn't tweaked his knee in weeks! Lots of good news!!
Now onto some happy pictures of my healing boy :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-21-07025.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07025.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07027.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07033.jpg
More pics coming....and I'm going to upload some videos of him walking so you can see his gait....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07039.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07044.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07036.jpg
Starin' down the hose....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-31-07046.jpg
Videos are up next....
ETA:I have just ordered an 8x10 of the second to last pic for our wonderful hydrotherapy instructor. Kirkie has just two more sessions with her and then I will be taking over with walking and occasional swimming at the ocean and a neighbor's pool. I can't afford the hydrotherapy sessions anymore, but they are a HUGE part of the reason he is weight bearing and better muscled now. :D
Finally, some wonderful news on your boy Kirk. :D I'll bet you're as happy
as he looks in these pictures. Keep on getting better & better little guy. :)
Kirk is adorable. It's so good to hear he's doing better! :)
It is so good to hear this great news for Kirk.
He is such a good looking, and happy puppy. :D :D
Oops, my internet was giving me trouble....Anyway, here are the two videos...
A nice, steady walk.....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-21-07036.jpg
He does a little hopping in this video...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...5-21-07050.jpg
Thanks for reading! And thanks for your prayers and good thoughts.....they seem to be helping!! :D
Yay, Yay, Yay!!! You know that I held my breath when I saw this thread, but I am sooo happy to hear the good news. And what a pleasure to see that handsome smiling boy. Keep up the good work Kirk (and Kate) and we will keep up the prayers.
Excellent news!!! He's looking happy and healthy and it's so great to see him walking. :D
YAY!! Kirk is amazing!! You know what? I think his unique walk gives him a little more character. It looks like a little sashay :p
Keep building those muscles, Kirk. You're making us all so proud!
Kirkie's improvement is awesome news!!! He sure is one handsome boy. And I'll bet he understands all you're doing for him. I know it's been tough, and I'm so happy you've never given up. Bless you and Kirk with good days to come.
Woohooo go Kirkie :D. That is wonderful Kate. You both are often in my thoughts {{Hugs}}.
OMG... I just read this entire thread and I am just so shocked at all this sweet little boy had to endure! What a trooper he is! I kept seeing your siggie on other threads and love that happy face of his, so had to see what the link was about. He's just such a brave boy to have gone through so much and still have such a great personality.
Big hugs to Kirk for all his hard work! I hope he keeps getting better and stronger every day.
Wonderful news for sure!!!!
Keep it up Kirk!!
HIP HIP HOORAY!!!! Great news!! I hope this wonderful boy is getting better and better all the time :) You and Mom have put up such a long hard fight, Kirkie. Please continue to feel great!! :) :) :)
How's the little guy doing???
Oh, thank you for asking, Angie! He is really doing wonderfully. We still haven't done that hike yet, but we're making progress. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by pitc9
I'll have to get back to you with a proper update (need pics!)...so watch this spot. :)
*hugs*
Oh I'm so happy he's doing good! :D
He's such a brave boy for going through everything he has and still being so young!!
Your breeder sounds like a good person. You are lucky in that respect. I wouldn't be so quick to turn down refunds or help with the surgeries. You will be inundated with bills from that and from rehabilitation costs.
My 6 yo collie has bilateral elbow dysplasia. He was diagnosed at 18 mos., too late for surgery because of arthritis that had already set in. Until a year ago, he did pretty well, although had to take some antiinflammatories at times. He always walks funny and limps quite a bit. Six months ago we began swimming and water therapy (treadmill under water). Also, physical therapy with exercises. He's been getting adequan shots also. The expense is enormous just from this and no surgery. But he is really improving and much stronger than he was. His balance is much better and his endurance greatly increased. He takes Previcox much more often now, but I'm happy with the results from the therapy. Definitely try Kirk with these things so his muscles don't atrophy like Bailey's did. We started late to remedy the situation.
It's devastating to have our disabled dogs. My heart breaks when I watch him around other dogs and see what he cannot do. But he's a great dog and has excelled in other areas like pet therapy. He worked with kids who had cancer for 4 years.
My breeder wasn't so nice. She never offered money, and she lied about the sibling not having these issues. In fact a litter brother was even worse off. She will not respond to my emails or calls. I have given up on her. I don't need her anymore. Unfortunately I had done research and was referred to her by reputable breeders. I paid a lot of money for Bailey and even with the problems, I'm so happy to have him.
Here's a video of my other collie in the water tank helping his back arthritis:
Water Therapy
Good luck with Kirk. He is very lucky to have you as his mom to take such good care of him.
My boy is doing well. He has not tweaked the knee ....or given me some form of a heart attack in quite some time!! :D We are having some diarrhea issues....but on the up side, he has had a great appetite lately. I might actually get him up to 39-40 lbs. yet! We're working on those muscles!!
Here are some pics I took today...
Left side...this is the more atrophied side. He most recently had surgery on this side and this knee has the partially torn ligament. He is using it really well and his muscles continue to develop well on this side. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07026.jpg
Right side....his strong side. You can see the size difference by comparing the two pictures, but the difference is somewhat obscured by his fur. Obviously the left side has shorter hair as it was shaved more recently. He still has uneven breeches! ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07033.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07011.jpg
Smiley boy :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07021.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07013.jpg
gardengirl - Thank you for sharing your story, advice and kind words. I am so sorry to hear about your sweet Bailey (and his despicable breeder :( ).
Adequan is very expensive, but I know it helps Kirk tremendously. I give weekly injections at home, and probably will continue to do so for life. If you can stomach giving the injections yourself, then your clinic might allow you to buy the bottle and do it at home (at a tremendous cost savings).
Wishing you and Bailey all the best!!
It's so good to hear Kirk is doing well! He is just gorgeous. :D
Oh Kate, you have managed to make one of my least favorite threads into one of my most favorite threads. :D Yay, Kirkie! You are doing great! You have done wonders with him, Kate, he is so lucky to have a family that just would not give up. Look at those eyes in the last picture *swoon*; what a handsome boy.
ok - give that happy boy a big kiss from me right b/n his beautiful eyes!! :D
glad to hear he's doing better!
I'm so glad to hear that Kirk is feeling better! He's such a beautiful dog! Please give him a hug for me. :)
It's so nice to see Kirk and hear that he's doing so great:D
He looks Marvelous!!!
LOVE this pic, he looks sooo happy!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...8-26-07021.jpg
Thanks for the update!
Whoo Hoo!!! :D Kirk's story moved my heart when I first read about him, and I've been constantly on the lookout for any signs of CHD with Ivy. I can hardly imagine the pain of actually dealing with it. You and Kirk are *amazing*, and you're an absolute inspiration =)