Christmas is coming and I can't wait
Oct. 14th, 2010 12:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
linda_joyceDo you remember this.
This is Saffron the little 13 week old T. Rex masquerading as a 13 week old Sheltie. Well she is over 6 months old now and is still a cute little dog but with one major problem, She has been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia you can read the the horrible details here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia_(canine)
but the excerpt below will tell you how Sue realised something was wrong with her
A dysplastic animal has probably lived with the condition since it was only a few months old, and has therefore grown up taking the chronic pain for granted and have learned to live with it. Dogs suffering such pain do not usually exhibit acute signs of pain. Sometimes, they will suddenly and abnormally sit down when walking, or refuse to walk or climb objects which they usually would, but this can equally be a symptom of many other things, including a thorn in the paw, or a temporary muscle pain. So pain recognition is less common a means of detection than the visible gait and other abnormalities described above.
Sue realised something was wrong when Saffron stopped standing on her hind legs to watch her take a bath and just sat in front of her instead of jumping up on her lap when she wanted a cuddle.
She is undergoing what little treatment is available to her at the moment which is building up her hind legs muscles by intensive walking and hydrotherapy. She will never be a healthy dog and will not be able to keep up with the pack so Sue was looking for a new home for her, preferably with some one she(Sue) knows. She mailed me about this just before our holiday and I immediately mailed back and said I'll have her. We discussed it thoroughly over our holiday as Sue wanted me to understand what I was taking on. After her spiel about HD and it effects on dogs I told her I understood exactly as she had just described my own problems with arthritis it was decided that providing her other two owners(she cost £700 and it took three of them to afford her she is now worthless, money wise at least) agreed I could have her and they would contribute to the cost of the medication she will need for the rest of her life. She will be ready to come to me in early December and no she isn't my Christmas present it will be all the grooming gear you need for a long haired dog so I will be getting that early. She is a darling little dog who thinks she is a great big dog but like all the Shetland Sheep dogs I have ever met loves people and being fussed. Sue doesn't want to let her go but it is only because she knows keeping her would be a form of cruelty, she would have to walk with the old men(Bas
13 and Elliot
11.5), she couldn't take part in the pack rough and tumble with out pain and she knows if she comes to me she will see her at least twice a year probably more. So when she arrived I am going to inquire into the organisation called Pets as Therapy which organises visits, usually by dogs into long term care homes for adults and children, she will get all the fuss she wants then.
So that is why I am looking forward to Christmas like a 10 year old who has been promised his own wii and a new bike from Santa. I am also worrid to death as to 'Can I cope'. I know I will when it comes to it but I still worry.
This is Saffron the little 13 week old T. Rex masquerading as a 13 week old Sheltie. Well she is over 6 months old now and is still a cute little dog but with one major problem, She has been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia you can read the the horrible details here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia_(canine)
but the excerpt below will tell you how Sue realised something was wrong with her
A dysplastic animal has probably lived with the condition since it was only a few months old, and has therefore grown up taking the chronic pain for granted and have learned to live with it. Dogs suffering such pain do not usually exhibit acute signs of pain. Sometimes, they will suddenly and abnormally sit down when walking, or refuse to walk or climb objects which they usually would, but this can equally be a symptom of many other things, including a thorn in the paw, or a temporary muscle pain. So pain recognition is less common a means of detection than the visible gait and other abnormalities described above.
Sue realised something was wrong when Saffron stopped standing on her hind legs to watch her take a bath and just sat in front of her instead of jumping up on her lap when she wanted a cuddle.
She is undergoing what little treatment is available to her at the moment which is building up her hind legs muscles by intensive walking and hydrotherapy. She will never be a healthy dog and will not be able to keep up with the pack so Sue was looking for a new home for her, preferably with some one she(Sue) knows. She mailed me about this just before our holiday and I immediately mailed back and said I'll have her. We discussed it thoroughly over our holiday as Sue wanted me to understand what I was taking on. After her spiel about HD and it effects on dogs I told her I understood exactly as she had just described my own problems with arthritis it was decided that providing her other two owners(she cost £700 and it took three of them to afford her she is now worthless, money wise at least) agreed I could have her and they would contribute to the cost of the medication she will need for the rest of her life. She will be ready to come to me in early December and no she isn't my Christmas present it will be all the grooming gear you need for a long haired dog so I will be getting that early. She is a darling little dog who thinks she is a great big dog but like all the Shetland Sheep dogs I have ever met loves people and being fussed. Sue doesn't want to let her go but it is only because she knows keeping her would be a form of cruelty, she would have to walk with the old men(Bas
13 and Elliot
11.5), she couldn't take part in the pack rough and tumble with out pain and she knows if she comes to me she will see her at least twice a year probably more. So when she arrived I am going to inquire into the organisation called Pets as Therapy which organises visits, usually by dogs into long term care homes for adults and children, she will get all the fuss she wants then.So that is why I am looking forward to Christmas like a 10 year old who has been promised his own wii and a new bike from Santa. I am also worrid to death as to 'Can I cope'. I know I will when it comes to it but I still worry.