mkirby Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Well my dog nelly whos a 3 year old boxer dog is falling apart the poor thing So far in her life shes shattered her jaw so its wired up with plates Swallowed a ball and had to be cut open to get it out Shes having tests with suspected cushions disease and last weekend she screamed with pain on sunday night out of nowhere and then she couldnt get up or anything so we rushed her to the vets who thought it was her hips, anyway after lots of tests and x-rays shes got hip dispasia and really bad arthritis in her hip and spine!! Shes on pain relief but shes only 3 and its only going to get worse with age so we dont know what to do, its cost us £1000 so far this week, shes insured but you still have to pay it upfront!! shes just not the same dog, she went from a fun loving dog who was just stupid to a dog who just wonders around and sleeps Were seeing a specialist next week about possibly having a hip replacement done but its a 50/50 op and she could end up losing her leg if it doesnt work. We have also talked about having her put down as shes in alot of pain but shes part of the family so shouldnt we do everything we can to try to make life better for her?? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian W Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I'm all for doing everything you can to keep her alive and improve her life but it just sounds like its one thing after another which irrespective of the cost to yourself is going to be making her life dull and painful. It's a hard decision and its only really you who can make it but in this instance I think I know what I'd do. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcol Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I feel for you mate, our boxer lost her front leg (before we rescued her) bus she manages ok and she is 9, she also has mild arthritus and cracks and creaks when she gets up etc etc, if the arthritus is in the spine then a hip replacement isnt going to cure it 100% but may help ease the pain you will just have to wait for the specialists opinion, it sounds harsh but only you will know what is best for your dog, if you feel that she is really suffering and there is no way of easing it then the kindest thing to do is put her to sleep (obvious last resort). When we had our king charles put to sleep it was one of the hardest things i have had to do because they are part of the family, but we knew how much she was suffering and it was just the kindest thing to do, I think the worst thing is yours is only 3 years old and would still have a lot of life left if it didnt have all these problems, at least you do have insurance i know its not easy having to pay everything up front but you will get it back, if you want my advice, listen to the specialist and make sure you try and get a long term outlook on her and check your insurance will continue to cover her, but when the time comes for a "big" decision only you will know what to do. If you want to come round and see how my boxer copes with 3 legs then im not far away (if it comes down to losing a leg) What pain relief is she on? also try glucosamine and msm as that is for joints and really does help ours, you dont need to pay mega bucks for these you can get them from the local health food shop it is exactly the same as the dog form thats what ours takes, keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcol Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 another good drug to use is seriquin but thats from the vets only i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 another good drug to use is seriquin but thats from the vets only i think yeh ive been reading about that as you can use it with pain relief as its just a supliment, it costs about £1 a day and all the reports are it gives amazing results but as you say its all down to the specialist and what her long term future is, if it means she will stay as she is ie just wondering around then its no life and we will have to have her put to sleep but if we can get her 50% of what she was then it would be worth it. fingers crossed for tuesday Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Fingers crossed for you mate, mind meeting her when I came down, fantastic dug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Fingers crossed for you mate, mind meeting her when I came down, fantastic dug cheers todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviekid Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Were seeing a specialist next week about possibly having a hip replacement done but its a 50/50 op and she could end up losing her leg if it doesnt work. Depending how bad the arthritis in the spine is I personally wouldn't go down that route. During the (long) recovery from the op the spine will be under even more strain as she'll be walking unevenly. I would guess the spine probably has more to do with her signs than the hips anyway unless the changes are only minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Depending how bad the arthritis in the spine is I personally wouldn't go down that route. During the (long) recovery from the op the spine will be under even more strain as she'll be walking unevenly. I would guess the spine probably has more to do with her signs than the hips anyway unless the changes are only minor. her spine has overly large bones which they said is very common in boxers and a few other breeds, tbh they couldnt tell if there was any arthritis in her spine as the x-ray was fuzzy around the spine joints but they said its very possible due to its oversized. the other thing they said is to remove the hip joint completely and the leg will just sit in the muscle, they said its not usual in bigger dogs but its a last resort op and would again leave her pain free but they wouldnt be as active or mobile? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steviekid Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 the other thing they said is to remove the hip joint completely and the leg will just sit in the muscle, they said its not usual in bigger dogs but its a last resort op and would again leave her pain free but they wouldnt be as active or mobile? If there were major problems with the spine they should be able to tell so that's good. If hip replacement is an option that's your best bet, especially if the insurance will cover it. As you've been told femoral head removal is more of a salvage procedure, usually when the hip has been dislocated and won't stay in again. You're relying on scar tissue holding the joint together which can work well, but inevitably results in a slight restriction in movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 a quick update. the vet is 99% sure its the spine thats causing the problems not the hips, she does have bad hips but thats not whats causing this, anyway he is sending her for a mri scan next thursday so make sure and then start the treatment, the goodnews is he says in most cases its treatable by medication but he can operate if needed. so he has put her on the same pain killers and a human drug for epilepsy which will help but he says theres lots of different combinations to try to get the best result and give her quality of life so £1700 lighter!! but happy at the moment but will know more when we get the scan results Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Amazing what they can do with meds now, our wee dug has cancer, arthiritis,partly blind and is 17yrs old but She is full of life and that's due to the meds she's been on for the past 7 years, lots of great advice from our vet and of course love from us Fingers crossed for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkirby Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 just thought i would update the thread. the mri scan showed a mass in her spine so our specialist had to send the scans to mri specialists who analise mri scans and even they couldnt tell if it was a tumour or an infection so we had a choice of either having her operated on and taking a sample of the mass or try her on anti biotics and do blood and urine cultures so the vet advised that even if it is a tumour it could never be removed due to its position so we opted for the anti biotics. Anyway last week they got the results back from the blood culture and they did manage to grow an infection so they have increased the anti biotics and as from next week we are cutting down her pain killers etc to see if it makes any difference!! So fingers crossed but the good thing is the drugs we have her on do give her a good quality of life and i would say she is back upto 95% of what she was before, only downside is its costing us around £150 a month in tablets :blink:thank god for pet insurance Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Step in the right direction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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