Update on Q's Suspensory

I dropped Q off Thursday morning last week for her 120-day ultrasound appointment to wrap up our monitoring of her suspensory injury.

To recap in the most concise way possible: Q came up lame at the end of August and was diagnosed with lesions near the origin of her suspensory in her left hind on September 19. (Due to a wicked year of repeated abscesses in 2 out of 3 of my horses, I had suspected it was an abscess at first. But after she didn't regain soundness after blowing a massive abscess on her RF, off to the vet we went!)

The 60-day ultrasound appointment showed improvements though there was still disorganization in the pattern of fibers.

This most recent ultrasound however showed huge improvements!

Q was very alarmed by the AllEarsApp

When I picked Q up, the vet was out to lunch, so I didn't get a complete download of information beyond the techs telling me, "We can't tell you much other than it's definitely looking better." And hey, that's all I needed to hear at the time! Trending toward "better" is all I care about. I don't mind it taking awhile so long as it is *improving*.

Due to some turnover at my vet's practice (her second vet is leaving/has been working at another job), they've been outstandingly busy for a few months as is wont to happen with these kinds of things. I didn't anticipate dropping by to get a download on information until Monday afternoon. However, to my surprise, my vet took a few minutes Sunday morning to call me and give me an update! She reported that Q looked a LOT better this time around and that it was very hard to see any disorganization in the fibers at all on this round of ultrasounds. HURRAH! She also told me she'd be attending a specialized lameness workshop in Lexington in coming weeks that was centered around suspensory injuries. She's got me and Q in mind as she plans to attend and I'm looking forward to hearing more about the latest and greatest in the realm of suspensory research.

I'm psyched to hear that Q's doing so well and hope she continues to heal and get stronger in coming months. So far she's had four complete months off due to this injury.

She'll get a year off from true work, but we'll be doing some short (5 to 10 minutes) in hand sessions once every week from here on out. These will not be anything exciting or crazy at all, but instead will serve mostly to remind the mare that she is NOT in charge. Her herd status coupled with the time off (read: complete freedom from anything beyond getting her hooves trimmed once every four weeks) has unfortunately resulted some very rude behaviors (e.g., biting me, excessive fidgeting when tied, protest to (read: pinned ears) having her feet handled/certain body parts groomed, and constant wide-eyed and ear-swiveling concern for where her herdmates are at all times) that I absolutely do not tolerate.

I'm so relieved we've had a nice linear healing trend through these first 4+ months following the injury. I hope that this trend will continue into the future.

Kenai Rehab: Complete!

December 2, 2015, was a bit of a monumental day for Kenai --

He met all of the discharge criteria for physical therapy rehab.

Following the surgery saga this year (for those who don't want to click the link, the quick and dirty of it is that he had 3 stifle surgeries in less than a month's time due to a myriad of complications and shitty luck), I sought out physical therapy rehab (referred to as rehab from here on) with a specialist.

Since July, I have traveled to Morgantown (a 3 hour round trip) for rehab sessions. The specialist and I agreed to 10 sessions for the amount of money I had budgeted for the rehab. Both of our schedules were a bit crazy, but we made it work. 

The first visit I learned how I would stretch Kenai and what other homework exercises we would need to work through between our visits. It was a lot of information to take in! But I took photos and notes and all was well. 

I stretched Kenai daily and put him through the list of exercises. The degree of difficulty for the exercises changed with time as Kenai improved and progressed. 

In addition to our stretches and exercises, each rehab session also included cold laser therapy and time on the underwater treadmill. I took videos of every session he had in the aquatread (we didn't use it on our first session due to concerns that he wasn't quite ready for that step nor one of the November sessions due to my late arrival because of traffic).

Now, before I launch into the myriad of gifs from aquatread sessions below, I think it is worthwhile to share the following two for baseline comparison.

This video was taken summer of 2011 before any of the chaos with Kenai's multiple stifle surgeries began. It's a great baseline video for what his movement (and his coat!) used to look like.

This video is from June 2015 prior to any rehab session and about 6 weeks post-op from the last surgery. You can see how incredibly stiff he was and how limited his range of motion was through his hip and knee.

Now, I've made gifs of each of the aquatread sessions and put them in chronological order below for comparison. The hind leg closest to the camera (right hind) is the one that had the surgeries. In addition to the changes in his hair regrowth over time, pay attention to his striding, how he places his weight, his comfort with how long he will bear weight on each hind limb, etc. (I know most of my readers are horse-folk who are very accustomed to looking for subtleties in lameness, so much of this and more will be second nature to look for!)

August 14, 2015

September 2, 2015

October 7, 2015

October 28, 2015

November 18, 2015

December 2, 2015 -- hesitations in his step were because he was distracted watching me

For the observant viewers, yes, the water levels changed with time (decreased) to lower buoyancy and increase difficulty. Additionally, Kenai was introduced to an incline.

Kenai's progress with his stretching and exercises and aquatread, coupled with my comments about his increased appetite (as opposed to being finicky during the two years between surgeries), increased play drive (he prances about the apartment and house with his toys trying to force you to play with him now as he once did when he was a puppy), increased fitness (you'd have to really get your hands on him to note this...or just watch him frolic amok), and general newfound zest for life (you've seen the photos on my blog, instagram, and Facebook -- this dog is HAPPY) led the specialist to tell me he could be discharged from physical therapy as he has met all of the criteria she sets. She deemed him fit to return to nearly anything he wants to do. (The use of "nearly" here is my own as there are numerous things I won't allow him to do again (skijoring or pulling significant amounts of weight and faster, lengthy trail rides) just because I don't want to put any undue stress on the joint.)

However, because Kenai has met these criteria in only 8 sessions (she called this a miracle, by the way -- mostly it is due to my diligence with stretching and exercises), she would be more comfortable with everything if she could see him once in January and once in February, which would allow us to meet the 10 sessions we'd agreed on. She left the decision up to me ultimately, but I didn't need to even think about it, "Of COURSE! I'd feel more comfortable with that, too!" It'll be great for continuing to map his progress.

We will continue to pursue the exercises and stretching for life as they are now a necessary part of keeping Kenai happy and mobile. 

I have learned SO MUCH from this experience. It's been a saga and not the easiest of ones! Despite all of the stress, pain, worry, and tears, I am so pleased to have my adventure buddy back -- and just in time for the snow to fly!

Hopefully this closes this chapter in Kenai's life. I look forward to many more years with my best friend on the snow and off. For now though, we're psyched about a winter of snowy treks through Canaan Valley and beyond!

Transformation Tuesday: Kenai's Hair Regrowth

October 19, 2014 on top
August 14, 2013 on bottom.
A lot of change and a lot of improvement, and yet, over a year later that hair still isn't 100% normal. The undercoat is in, but the guard hairs are struggling to return. I totally understand that shaving him was necessary in order to perform a surgery that increased his quality of life for the rest of his life, but dealing with the hair regrowth has definitely been interesting.

There are bald spots in areas still! He's on fish oil and another supplement that has Omega 3's and various other good things for coat, joint, and digestive health in addition to being on some of the better food on the market. It's just a process it seems. I can only hope that the guard hairs have returned by the time the snow flies as without them he ends up with major ice ball accumulation in his hair that he then pulls out in an attempt to free himself from the ice. If the guard hairs haven't returned by snowfall and we're dealing with ice balls I will be forced to make him wear pants when he's outside in the snow for extended periods until the hairs grow in.

Let Kenai serve as the poster child for reasons why you should not elect to voluntarily have your double-coated dog shaved!!

Back At It

I'm sure many have noticed in random posts lately, but Kenai is 100% back at it.

A little timeline for those new to the blog:

• March 2013: Kenai isn't sound after doing things beyond using the bathroom
• April 2013: Diagnostics show evidence that both cruciate ligaments in his hind legs have partial tears
• August 2013: Dual surgery on both legs to stabilize the ligaments
• Fall and Winter 2013-14: Rehab from dual cruciate ligament surgery
• March 2014: Kenai having soundness issues again; palpation of groin demonstrates a very vocal response from Kenai on multiple occasions and I begin 3 months of rehab for his groin
• Late summer 2014: Kenai is back at it!! *knock on wood*
• August 13, 2014: one year out from surgery and Kenai came along on a 6+ mile training ride with Q and I.
• Sept. 28, 2014: Kenai comes along on a 10 mile Dolly Sods training ride/trek

It's so good to have my trail buddy back. I love it. He loves it. Q loves it.

Q gains SO much confidence on trail when Kenai can lead. She's not as stoic with him as she is when a horse is in the lead, but boy does she relax a significant amount if she's second to the dog! I only wish Kenai were able to keep up a faster pace! The Dolly Sods terrain kept Q and I to a walk 90% of the time, and that was PERFECT for Kenai. Any other training rides though are just a little too much for him if we exceed more than a 5 mph average for greater than 4 miles. Additionally, my cold-loving dog just can't handle (and I refuse to let him attempt) keeping up with us during the summer months. In years to come, I may end up with a third (Wait, what happened to second?! Well, there is a second in the works for spring/summer 2015, but more on that much later...) dog more along the lines of Rhodesian Ridgeback because that breed was born to run and go-go-go in hotter weather.

Future plans aside, I am so please to have Kenai back on the go with me all the time. I missed it. He missed it. Q missed it!

Q and Kenai seem to have quite the relationship of understanding between one another. She trusts him to scope out all the "monsters" on the trail and he trusts her to not step on him in dire times. At home, she allows him to share her mash with her in that he's allowed to clean up all the drippings as she slops about (which leads to drippings in his coat that dry and crust up later, blech).

His gait is still a little irregular, but I think that's the new norm for him. He also chooses to always sit sidesaddle instead of straight down like most dogs since the surgery. Once again, this is just a new norm for him. He'll occasionally sit normally, but it's not common.

It's been a long, long rehab road, but I'm glad we seem to be on the other side of it.

I missed my adventure/trail buddy.

Happy dog in his element.

Leading the way and flushing out the "monsters"

Buds

Kenai likes someone to keep an eye out while he naps

This is trust. Less than a foot apart!

This husky loves water

Q's Scratches II

The Bottom Line

Q's better. Again.

Treatment 

With this bout of scratches I flip-flopped for days about having the vet out. The topical I was applying  this time (4 combined OTC ointments: desitin, clotrimazole/miconazole, triple antibiotic, and an anti-itch with hydrocortizone) were working amazingly for Q. The scabs shriveled to nearly nothing, the bugs didn't get in, the yucky smell associated with fungal/bacterial infections went away, and the inflammation died down and disappeared. SO much improvement in two or three days time!

However, those tight scabs were still ouchy to the touch and with a mare who is the Queen of Anticipation and also the Queen of Overreaction, things quickly boiled into a VERY pissed off horse when you'd try to treat her. Her evasion games escalated to a new level and my relationship handling her rocketed downhill FAST.

So I said bye-bye groceries (for me) and had the vet out so we could sedate her and get those scabs off and maybe take a biopsy. However, after discussing things at length with my vet, we decided to not do a biopsy (yet). Q clearly responds VERY WELL to the topicals I've been using of late, and my vet discussed all of the other skin issues she's seen with horses and other livestock at length with me, too, so I could better grasp what Q didn't have.

We ultimately decided to try out some new supplements into Q's diet (primarily flax/omega 3s; perhaps some other things later as my vet wanted to do some research on her own first to see) to help her through future things, and then we'd sedate and get the scabs off. Vet agreed that the topical ointment combo was doing a really bang-up job of treating Q. She suspected the hydrocortisone was playing a huge part in that, and recommended that I just keep doing my OTC routine instead of purchasing anything extra from her.

Queen of Anticipation and Overreaction was SO worried about us just walking around her and LOOKING at her legs (we hadn't even TOUCHED them yet and she was dancing away from the apparent lasers our eyes were shooting at her), that when Vet went to sedate her she was too tense to be able to inject the solution (Q didn't quake at the needle going in multiple times, just chose to stand with a tense, unmoving neck). Mare, come on. So we coaxed her down enough to finally deliver the sedative.

All in all, it took 3 doses of sedative, a lip twitch, and a blindfold (this was the cherry on the whipped cream because Q is SO visual; she'd worry about me going NEAR her and start reacting before I could even get close; with her vision blocked she just stood quietly) for me to be able to shave off those scabs!! And she would STILL kick out at me some. Elephant in a 14.1hh pony body, I swear.

Getting the scabs off - though painful - results in Q healing within 3 days. Every time we've dealt with scratches this summer, this has been the case. New pink skin within 3 days of scab removal - provided I keep her legs washed daily and reapply some sort of topical to manage whatever stage we're at (may need steroid plus other stuff, or may just need something to help keep that skin soft and healthy and keep the bugs off).

So we're back to healthy looking legs for the most part.

Vet agreed with me that Q likely has always been very prone to scratches and it probably just depends on the pasture she's in (this time it was triggered by the back pasture). Vet noted a few key things from her personal experiences with bad scratches cases like this:

• The worst cases have oddly, been on all Arabian horses, with and without chrome legs/pink skin
• Certain pastures can make flare ups worse, when the horses are kept out of those pastures (usually wetter ones) the flare ups aren't as bad
• Maintaining this kind of sensitivity means shaving legs year round and rinsing daily

Vet also noted that it appears Q may just have some general allergies to the environment overall. I asked, "What does this mean for me managing her?" And Vet laughed and said, "Nothing you want to hear!" But ultimately, Vet recommended getting Q on the flax as she has seen some remarkable differences in animals on it vs. not on it. We may add some other supplements with time (vitamin E and selenium), but Vet wants to see how Q responds to the flax first. Vet seemed all about trying to battle whatever we can with dietary supplements and minerals before we consider medications/steroids, something I'm super on board with, too!

Behavioral Ramifications

In regards to the residual behavioral effects from this bout of scratches, it's been quite a process. We expect Q's issues with having her hind legs handled stems from her sensitive skin that is prone to scratches.

When Mary was here helping me treat Q, she noted that Q is definitely not responding to pain for much of her outbursts. She's clearly anticipating something happening and reacting to try to prevent it. One of our terrific local farriers and another boarder even watched me with Q the day or two prior to Mary coming and were astounded at Q's violent reactions to someone merely approaching her back legs. She's clearly had some really, REALLY horrible trauma with someone handling her hind legs at some point and is having some sort of flashback reaction due to the recent bout of pain.

The big key for regaining Q's trust of late with having her hind legs handled has been a blindfold. That blindfold goes on, her whole body relaxes significantly. While she still may waggle a leg around to try to evade, when you start gently wiping on that cool ointment, she relaxes the leg and rests it on the ground as if to say, "Oh? That's all? Well, that's not so bad." Taking away her visual really helps to dull her acute flight instinct, which is stronger in her than almost any horse I've been around.

Preventative Measures for the Future

For the future, I'll be following a strict protocol of:

• Shaving Q's legs weekly/biweekly as necessary. Keeping that hair short and preventing the ability of moisture to sit prolonged against her skin will help greatly.
• Daily washing of Q's legs with an antifungal-type of shampoo. Often dilute and in a spray bottle, it will be key for me to not only rinse Q's legs, but to rub in an antifungal shampoo to then sit for 10 minutes prior to rinsing. This will help to prevent the nasties from making a home.
• Acute care for small scratches. Shaved legs also means more likelihood of being scratched by things when on trail. Scratches as tiny as those caused by a brier open the door for nasties. By washing these small cuts and treating them preventatively with a topical of some sort (which will be dependent upon degree of scratch and location), I will be able to prevent the nasties from sinking in and drumming up bigger problems.
• Moisturizers? Constant wet-dry cycles can cause sensitive skin to crack and open the door to fungi and bacteria. Keeping Q's skin along her legs healthy will be key. With dry winter weather, I'll be spending some time experimenting with some light moisturizers to help her out. It's hard to tell what will work the best right now, but I'm VERY familiar with the arsenal of moisturizers that is on the market from my years of competitive swimming - a winter sport over here because some crackhead decided long ago that being wet and chlorinated in dry winter air was a good idea. (??!!!) When I was logging 10+ hours in a chlorinated pool each week during winter months, it wasn't rare for me to have no fewer than 3 different moisturizers to combat dry, cracking skin. And I have sensitive skin, so I am really familiar with the mildest of strong moisturizers out there! 

It's A Lot of Work

But by keeping up with the routine I will hopefully prevent future bouts of scratches that require veterinary intervention and harm the level of trust I build with this horse.And besides, if you keep up with a routine for long enough, it becomes pretty easy!

Beyond the monetary expense of having the vet out to help with treatments is the trust expense that happens when Q has to deal with that level of pain. Her trust in me was at its highest ever before this recent bout of scratches. So far, fortunately, that trust is only impacted in our ground handling and not our under saddle work. I'm thankful for this because I've been working really hard to get to a higher level of trust with US work. However, lack of trust with ground things is a huge inconvenience because Q had just reached a very high level of trust for me and things we'd do from the ground. Having the slate wiped nearly clean is hard! We're starting to gain it back, but it will be some time before I can handle her legs - especially the hinds - without her worrying excessively.

We'll get there though. Time and patience.

Continued improvement to Q's legs

I forgot to snag photos on day 4 post-vet visit, but did remember last night when I went out to give both horses trims.

It is easy to tell where the vet's trimmers clipped her legs vs. my trimmer - so much closer a shave!
Inside of her right hind hasn't been shaved at all around the fetlock area.
I plan to keep a shorter shave (the shortest my clippers will go) on her legs year round. This will leave
sufficient hair for protection while removing enough that her legs won't stay damp from the hair being water-logged.

Not as clear a shot due to lighting and Q pawing her left front as she deterred flies.

 Q was better for her trim than she's EVER been in regard to me handling her hind legs last night. Since I got this little girl two years ago she's been fiesty at best when you request her to let you handle her hind legs. Until this recent bout of scratches, she always got them the worst on her hinds. The pain associated with that has left her very distrusting of any kind of handling of her hind legs.

Not any more! She was SO so good; she even predicted when I was going to need her next leg and had it resting and ready for me to request.

She continues to be great about letting me clean her legs up and apply salve. When she dances now, it's half-hearted and completely a game. When I finally reprimand her for it, she glares at me, then faces forward again motionless.

Her new acceptance of letting her legs and feet be handled in these past few days is REMARKABLE. This alone speaks volumes.

I haven't completely ruled out the potential for a later diagnosis of a more serious condition as the cause to what I'm currently referring to as extreme scratches, but until the time that there is a re-occurrence, I'm not going to worry. I feel that if she'd had some autoimmune issue as the cause of this outbreak, then the round of treatment we have followed wouldn't have had such a drastic effect so fast.

I'm keeping a more diligent watch on her legs and keeping even the tiniest and superficial of scratches clean and salved. Additionally, I'm using the open front boots on her forelegs for every ride to provide protection. So far, so good!

Standing square after a maintenance trim.

Update on Q's legs

The following photos are from two and three days post-vet visit.You'll see how dramatically her legs are improving. I am SO happy. Q is SO happy.

She's been letting me wash them and scrub them daily with the medicated shampoo. This is HUGE. Prior to shaving those scabs off, she'd dance around and do everything in her power to get the hell away from anything or anyone trying to touch her legs. She'd roll her eyes and threaten to kick you. 

Not anymore! Now she stands idly while I wash them and treat them. She'll raise a leg in the air or maybe take a step or two away, but she totally doesn't mean it. It's completely a game. I snap at her and slap her with an open hand on her neck or flank depending on where I am and she stops. She even goes so far as to turn around and look at me with the calmest, albeit sassy expression. She KNOWS it doesn't hurt and she KNOWS she's just fuckin' with me. Irritating? Yes, but I'll SO take it over her being a royal pill because of the pain.

The shampoo is medicated. I have it in a spray bottle (thanks for that recent idea, Gail!) and just spritz it on her legs in the hot spot areas. I then take a medical scrub (sponge on one side soft scrub brush on the other) and scrub each spot good. Then I spritz a little more medicated shampoo and let it sit for about 10 minutes. When that time is up, I get a clean bucket of water and sponge and rinse her legs. 

Once they're dry (air dry or towel), I've been alternating (depending upon the day) a topical steroid (entederm) or the CK shield balm on the hot spots. She's had two rounds of the steroid cream and two rounds of the balm so far. Tomorrow will be the (hopeful) last blast with the steroid, and then we'll just do the balm and some other over the counter meds/ointments I have access to. These OTC ointments will be used in conjunction with the balm as needed to maintain her legs. Once they've healed up, I'll continue to make sure they are washed and clean multiple times a week, but likely not EVERY day.

Between routine washing and keeping her legs shaved forever more, I hope to beat this thing and keep it away! Additionally, as I did on our ride today, I will probably continue to put the open front boots on her front legs when we do trail rides. This will help prevent the small knicks and cuts that inevitably occur from rocks and thorns we encounter. (These small cuts were very likely the catalyst for this entire breakout as prior to receiving some cuts she had NO issues. Those healing cuts coupled with legs that weren't freshly shaved were too tempting for the scratches to resist.)

I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who offered up information to me on the photosensitivity, as well. I took that information, looked up a lot in multiple places on the internet, talked with several of you at length, and then asked my vet more about it, too (we had dinner last night and went riding this morning). She said that it could certainly have played a role in reaching the level of severity that Q's legs were at, but she didn't think it was the main culprit. She shared an anecdote about a horse who I used to train in this area who does have the photosensitivity. While I recognize that each animal will react differently to things, the symptoms he presented were drastically different than what's going on with Q. That he lives so near to us and is in the same kind of climate (though his field is definitely FAR more clover-ridden than Q's! His pastures are clover, timothy, and buttercup. LUSH.), I would expect Q to show similarity in symptoms - though probably varied intensity of said symptoms - if she had that issue. All the same, thank you to everyone who plugged my ear with that; I took it and ran with it and learned a lot!

Two days post vet visit; right after shampoo and rinse.

Two days post vet visit; right after shampoo and rinse.

Two days post vet visit; right after shampoo and rinse.

Two days post vet visit; right after shampoo and rinse.

Two days post vet visit; steroid had been applied and she was back in field.

Two days post vet visit; steroid had been applied and she was back in field.

Three days post vet visit; after wash and right before balm application

Three days post vet visit; after wash and right before balm application

Three days post vet visit; after wash and right before balm application

Three days post vet visit; after wash and right before balm application

Q was waving her foot around and holding it up here; she's being a dork.
Clearly photos don't hurt at all! You see how she's being a goof about the
whole thing!

Three days post vet visit; after wash and right before balm application

Update on Kenai: 5 Months Post-Op

If you remember (or if you don't here's an update anyway), Kenai had surgery on the cruciate ligament in both of his knees in August. It seemed surprising at the time - such a young dog (3) needing surgery like this. But we'll just have to chalk it up to genetics and make the best of what's happened. (While unaware at the time of purchase, Kenai has some of the TOP Siberian show lines in the country. His close cousins - his father's brother's pups - were featured in Snow Dogs. He's got > 50 champions on his mother's side alone. I think all of these generations of Siberians in the show ring have weakened tendons and ligaments because they're no longer working dogs. Their bone structure - and Kenai's - is near perfect, but the other supporting structures of their skeleton are lacking due to years without a true job. I know none of this for certain, but its the best hypothesis I can come up with re: what happened to his knees. He has a VERY active lifestyle with me. He's a husky that can be off-leash and recalls 99% of the time. He trail rides with me!)

Its been a long road to recovery since then. I'm fortunate that he was a really phenomenal patient, taking it easy most of the time, and pushing through rehab exercises as they were provided.

In November and December he was considered "healed" as far as paperwork on rehab goes. However, he was still not 100%. He wouldn't limp after a day of movement, but he would rise very stiff-legged. It would take several minutes of stilt-legged movement before he was loosened up and moving forward. He'd still favor a 3-beat gait over his old favorite, that lilting jog that floated him over the ground that is so specific to all spitz breeds.

This worried me for a time. A friend had consoled me, noting that his broken ankle (that had to be put back together with metal it was so badly broken) was stiff like that, too, for awhile. He assured that Kenai's stiffness would go away with time. I had to trust this. It was all I had.

With the advent of winter weather, consistently lower temperatures, and being a lot more active, Kenai has really shown huge improvement in the past month insofar as stiffness goes. I rarely, if ever, note the stiffness in his movements now.

He's quick and agile again. He has zero issues bounding into my car - whereas before it was hit or miss if he'd ask me to pick him up. (And yes, he would ask! He'd stop, turn, look at me, look at the car, and repeat until I helped him out. He's conservative about things when uncertain.) He chooses the 2-beat gait over the 3-beat more and more often. His movement during his jog isn't quite as light and free as it once was, but there is improvement every day.

His hair is far from normal though, 5 months post-op. I had originally guesstimated that March would bring about "normal" appearance for his coat, but I'm now fearing that this may not come to fruition. He's got all of his undercoat - it gets thicker by the day. But his guard hairs are still struggling to come in. And he has bald patches in a few places! There is a reason people advocate against shaving double-coated dogs! There is no guarantee the coat will grow back the way it originally was. If you have a working dog, or a dog with a job who is often exposed to the elements, having an ill-functioning coat could seriously limit the animal over time. I've found some opinions online that say that a Siberian's coat will take 2 years - 2 years! - to be 100% normal again. From my experience with Kenai so far, I believe it!

But overall, if you were to ask me if I thought the surgery was worth it, would I do it again, my answer would be a resounding: yes. Kenai is feeling so much better than he was before I opted to do surgery. He moves better and doesn't favor his legs at all after a long day of running or hiking or exploring. He's happy. He plays more. And his life through the future will be so much better for it. I'll have my fuzzy partner in crime, happy and healthy and able to keep up with my shenanigans far into the future. And this makes us both happy.

Kenai: Surgery

Day of surgery: I'm so fortunate. I know my vet as a friend and several of the techs involved I know even better. Kenai knows them, too. Having these folks involved in this surgery helped keep me at ease and helped Kenai to hopefully not feel so alone and abandoned.

 

One of the techs sent me updates and photos throughout the day.

 

"Pre surgery blood work was normal. We're prepping him now."

"Just prepped and sedated him for surgery. He was very good and lay down to help us out."

"Starting surgery on the right knee now."

"First knee done, starting on the left."

"He's out. He did very well."

 

And then the vet called me. These are the notes I took from that call:

 

his right knee was worse when joint was open; partial tear on right

left side had more complete tear with more arthritis

clinically both knees were about the same; good that we caught it early

trouble eating lately? jaw is very stiff; muscle myositis disorder: immune system attacks muscles of jaw and face; causes atrophy; a lot of muscle loss across top of head; couldnt get jaw open under anesthesia; drooling, change in voice; $300 more dollars (two $150 tests though only one will need to be done initially); treatable with steroids and immuno suppressants $4 perscription treat; initial testing is expensive

 

I was elated the surgery was over and went well. I was crushed that something else was wrong. I was hopeful that if tests were positive that it was treatable. I was a rollercoaster of emotions. 

 

The vet and I talked about options and facts. I said to send off the first blood test. We'll move forward from there. 

 

I could have worried excessively at this point, but I did my best to push it from my mind and distracted myself with the 6 mile ride on Q. 

 

Post-Op Day 1: I leave work a little early to go pick Kenai up. The vet said she could drop him off at my work, but as she's a traveling equine vet the majority of the time and only performs these surgeries a couple days a week, she was out and about and wouldn't be back until 6 or so this day. I just wanted my boy back at this point.

 

There was an older gentleman and an older couple when I arrived. The older couple was dropping one of their dogs off for some sort of "more advanced" surgery, knee or otherwise, I don't know. The other gentleman looked very distraught, but reserved. The other vet - strictly "small" animal (as opposed to my vet's equine and livestock practices) - called the gentleman into a room. 

 

As the receptionist and I talked through stuff with Kenai, his release, and his bill, she let on that the distraught gentleman was here for "an emergency with his dog". Oh. :-\

 

A tech came out to discuss Kenai's rehab with me. I nodded and confirmed that I understood everything. And I did. I've been reading up a lot about it online and have found rehab programs a lot more conservative that I plan to incorporate into the one they gave me.

 

The tech passed me back off to the receptionist who told me the damage (which was $500 cheaper than if I'd had both legs done at separate times. And that was including the extra test for the myositis!). I paid and waited for the tech to bring Kenai out. And waited. And waited. Finally the receptionist told me that she was sorry, but it would be a moment or two more. That distraught gentleman? His dog had to be put down.

 

I was already a basket of nerves, scared and upset because I knew Kenai was likely confused and in pain and it was because of me. Hearing this? Now I just wanted to cry for like a month. So, so, so awful.

 

A few minutes more passed. They asked me to pull my car around. I did. The tech brought Kenai out. 

 

My poor, poor naked butt dog. So sad. So hurt. So pathetic.

 

We got him loaded up and I headed to the barn with him. The temps were in the upper 60s and I would be able to park in the shade. He would be very comfortable while I rode the horses.

 

After futzing around at the barn for an hour or so, I headed home. 

 

I wasn't sure how I'd get Kenai out of the car without help, but I figured we'd get it done somehow.

 

Ha. Haha. No.

 

In my efforts to help him out, he started whining and whimpering. I tried to alter what I was doing. His protests increased. I decided to just get it over with as quick and safely as I could, hips under towel, one of my hands on that and another on his collar.

 

He screamed.

 

He screamed the worst scream I've EVER heard him scream. I helped him flop in the grass, apologizing to him again and again and again. I sat down beside him and just sobbed.

 

With some time, I was able to get up and help him inside without issue. I got him to lie down, eat a meal of his food piece by piece from my hand. He even drank some water! But then he wanted up again. Bathroom? Well, okay.

 

I assisted him outside - always with the towel under his hips to support his back end - and we hobbled in tandem for awhile. He would gaze off at the horses, sniff the air, sniff the ground, big doggie smile on his face.

 

Pee? Poop? No. Not with me beside him at any rate. He doesn't usually like to go on a leash either. So I took a leap of faith, figuring it would be quicker and easier to let him do it on his own. 

 

I dropped the towel to the ground. "Go pee!" I encouraged. 

 

Lo and behold, he hobbled off on his own and took a nice poo. When he finished he hobbled right back to me, I replaced the towel sling, and we went inside. Good boy!

 

The rest of the evening went without great issue. He can't stand up on his own. He has trouble lying down. We did the assist then independent hobble routine once more for him to pee. Good boy!

 

He slept through the night relatively well, though he did wake up in surprise from the pain and cried a few times. I comforted him, and we went back to sleep.

 

We're not out of the woods yet, but definitely moving in a great direction.

 

Dogs are survivors. Dogs are survivors. Dogs are survivors.This is my new mantra. We (he) can do this.

 

(Follow up [because I drafted this awhile ago]: Kenai is doing great almost a week out of surgery. He's perkier and happier by the day. Seeing people he knows and enjoys has been the best for pulling him out of his post-op depression of sorts. His tail wags more and more each day, his eyes are brighter, he's moving more, and his appetite is slowly returning. <3 my puppy.)