Marlin's turn to the vet. Status #9

[pomtzu]

Sandie - how is my Marlin Darlin doing? And Sugar?

Still sending lots of prayers and good vibes to both.

[Freedom]

Sugar is making progress - slow but steady. I am so glad she has a positive prognosis!

Marlin is hanging in there. I decided not to do the x rays for now. I hate making decisions in a rush, and realized that there was no need to this time around.

We know he has bad hips, from x rays 3 years back (or maybe it was 4 years?) The socket of the ball and socket joint is not deep enough. We know he has major arthritis in those joints. The vet said, if we assume that is all (no tumor, no cancer, the only other 2 possibilities), then we just treat the pain. At some point, the pain will be too great, and we won't be able to keep him comfortable. She tried to extend his leg back, as it should move in a normal walking movement, and it won't go. The night he couldn't put it down, she surmises the ball came out of the socket completely, which will also happen with time as the socket continues to deteriorate. So he had a dislocated hip, until it shifted back. And this would explain his squealing in pain.

I can no longer walk him down the street, he is only allowed in the back yard. It is too much for him. (I had stopped taking him to the Farm and on the other 2 mile walks back in June, he couldn't do those any longer.)

You can read about hip dysplasi, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia_%28canine%29

When he was first diagnosed, he was already beyond surgical repair. Now, he is older and has other issues, so he is not a candidate for complete hip replacement.