Akemi and I came back from visiting the farmer’s market to find Jelly’s water bowl upended and Jelly splayed out on the wet hardwood floor. Her head was completely drenched and I suspect she must have done a face plant into the water before losing her balance and falling…and then not being able to get back on account of her arthritic joints and hip dysplasia. I dried her off and took her out back to see if she was okay. On the one hand, she is still able to squat/support herself and do her business; on the other hand, she can barely walk. So, I whisked her off to the local animal hospital where they did an x-ray and discovered her right hip is dislocated. If she were younger, the vet would recommend surgery but given her advanced age (fifteen and half – which is about 78 in human years) he’s suggested pain management might be the best way to go. She’s already on Metacam and she was on Tramadol, but the vet suggested we try Gabapentin.
So, we’ll see how that works out but I face a bit of a dilemma here. If her hip is dislocated, my initial response would be to curtail her walks and save her the pain of putting pressure on the joint. But if I don’t walk her, I’m afraid her muscles will atrophy. What to do?
While at the farmer’s market, Akemi and I came across a stand for Beyond Bread (http://beyondbread.ca). While waiting to be served, someone stepped up – and got served before us. I waited, impatiently, and then when they had moved on, I started making my order – when the guy redirected his attention to ANOTHER couple. At that point, I was ready to leave – but Akemi desperately wanted a poppyseed bagel. Fortunately, another guy – who apparently WASN’T wearing blinders – noticed us standing there and took our order. Akemi got her bagel and I picked up a couple of amaretti and pistachio-lemon cookies:
Sweet, citrusy, and slightly bitter from the almond…and my customer service experience.
Which reminds me. I watched Elysium yesterday and, after that experience, have decided to start a Worst Recent Watches movie list. You’ll find it in the right sidebar under my Top 20 Recent Reads.
Your little one needs help. Vets are really unable to get in touch with what our sweeties want and need. It’s not what they do. They can cut and rgey can srug but that’s it.
Do you know an acupuncturist who works with pets? That could be helpful. Also, perhaps some Traumeel? It’s homeopathic.
Maybe a chat with Jelly would help direct what she wants. I work with an animal communicator who is excellent: Dr Liz. She can help you and your girl to figure where to go with this. Her email is nrghealer@aol.com. Liz Severino. I think she’s in New Jersey. She was a wonderful resource with my MeiMei when she was sick and with my two kitty girls, 19 year old Maggie and 1 year old Mei Li .
Best to you both. At least your little one is smiling at you!
Can you do water therapy with her? Ask the vet. but basically you put her in a full bath tub and work her legs. Poor little girl, give her hugs from all of us (I feel confident they will agree).
Aw, poor Jelly, bless her heart. How about trying some water exercise, either on an underwater treadmill or just moving through water? She’d wear a flotation vest and be gently assisted in her exercise by trained staff. We are looking into this ourselves, having recently adopted a border collie who ended up needing ACL surgery the third week after we brought her home (previous undetected injury.) I found a couple places locally who specialize in this type of water therapy for horses and dogs. Try a search on “canine hydrotherapy” or “integrative water therapy for dogs” to see what comes up in your area and ask your vet if this might be appropriate. Sending best wishes and warm puppy hugs to sweet Jelly!
Canine Physio..? Some hydro-therapy perhaps? That would exercise the muscles yet not put weight on the injury… You need to get her a lifejacket and some floaties!
Poor sweet baby Jelly. Maybe an exercise less stressful, like swimming, or a daily muscle massage. But whatever your do, I know she is in great hands and getting the best care possible.
I hope the new medication works. Feel better Jelly. *hugs*
I’m sorry that Jelly is having old-age troubles and I hope you find a solution for the dislocated hip. My 11-year-old lab sometimes has her legs go out from under her if she moves too fast on the kitchen floor. I think she needs treads on her feet. Actually I saw something like that advertised in a catalog.
@Joe:
How about a doggy wheelchair?
http://www.handicappedpets.com/dog-wheelchair-mini-adjustable-wheelchairs-for-dogs-with-disabilities
It would keep her moving, while taking the strain off her hip.
And get better soon, Jelly!
@JimForJersey:
How did the smoking go?
Have never heard of a vet recommending leaving a dislocated hip, so I am hoping he put it back in but just doesn’t recommend surgery. NOT putting it back in is pain, and the wear from that position will cause more pain/damage. The longer from injury to reduction the worse it gets. I just did a lot of research/vet hospital searches and honestly, none recommend letting the hip stay out. Even at her advanced age, or in fact maybe because of it, the pain it will increasingly cause isn’t good. Here is Wendy’s page on dislocated hips.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hip_dislocation.html
Now I am so sad for Jelly. Give her kisses for me.
I don’t see your worse read yet, will look tomorrow.
Hello
I made the mistake of reading this while at a café having a coffee. Losing the fight with the tear ducts.
Joe, Akemi & Jelly I send you all my love & positive vibes. I like the idea of water therapy, if she’d go for that. Dislocations are tricky. I know from my Mum. Her dislocated elbow kept popping out.
I must send a comic thing I saw recently for Cookie Monster. He will love it. I will do it on Facebook and he can share here next time he reviews.
xoxoxoxox
Chev
aka @imwebgurl
aka bambamfans
aka ivonbartokfans
If her hip is dislocated, my initial response would be to curtail her walks and save her the pain of putting pressure on the joint. But if I don’t walk her, I’m afraid her muscles will atrophy. What to do?
would swimming help?
and i second debra on hoping the vet put the hip back. if not maybe get a second opinion?
I can enthusiastically endorse gabapentin. I hated giving mine tramadol because it didn’t seem to help, just make him sleepy. The gabapentin took a week or so to get into his system, but once it built up it was like having a new dog (who of course did idiotic things like Superman leaping off the couch once he felt better). Getting capsules with the right dosage was a bit of a pain (50 mg maintenance dose for a 15 lb dog), but luckily I have a compound vet pharmacy nearby who makes it into fancy gummies for me. They do mail orders if you are interested.
However, I would get a second opinion on the surgery from your normal vet. It seems weird to leave a hip displaced like that.
I came before to post my wishes that all of your and Akemi’s family and friends are safe in Japan with the typhoon and got caught up in Jelly and forgot.
I like JeffW’s little doggie wheelchair idea. You wouldn’t be able to keep up with Jelly running down the sidewalk on one of those.
Big hugs to you guys and a big fuss to Jelly… and a wheelchair does sound sensible.
Did you see him in Elysium? blink and you missed him but his voice was brilliant in it!… 😀
Whatever you decide to do with your little girl, I know it will be the best decision. No one knows her like you. Best of luck.
Order a lifepresever online and take her swimming. She can still use the muscles but with less stress to the joints. And maybe even cause it to pop back.
So sorry to hear about Jelly’s mishap. I did find a little information about hip dislocation.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=20&A=2210&S=0&EVetID=3001644
http://www.ehow.com/list_6797519_treatments-sudden-hip-dislocation-dogs.html
There is the possibility of a “closed reduction” non-surgical solution, but this is not always successful, and is complicated by her dysplasia. And, it still requires a fair bit of healing time and care.
Anyway, my best thoughts go out to her and hopefully it will work out.
That “customer service” at that place is atrocious. I hate it when that happens!
After reading the comments, I have to say I agree with Debra. Leaving a hip out of joint is escruciatingly painful for your girl. 25 years ago, my sweet little Brigitte (toy poodle) had the hip issue and I learned to pop it back in myself. I know it still hurt her but without it being back into the socket, she was in horrible pain.
I can’t understand what the vet would be thinking.
Also, I noticed in my post above, that it is a bit garbled. I was typing in bed, on the Fire so that’s always a mixed bag when it comes to garble. Apologies to all. I’m a stickler for grammar and sentence structure. I’d meant about vets and doctors, that they can cut and drug but that’s about it. They don’t get into any other modality and quite frankly, they don’t understand it and generally, don’t bother to get into it.
Some great ideas from the posts! I’d run all of these by your vet. When the vet means rest, he might mean complete “cage rest”. The vet might have put the hip back in the socket but sometimes it pops in/out when the pup moves around. If the vet oks water therapy, he can show you what exercises to do. In any case, I’m glad Jelly is a little dog. If she were a Rottweiler, lifting her would be very difficult for Akemi. (((Hugs))) to Jelly from all of her “fans”.
JeffW: Yes, by your description, I would stay away from chocolate! It’s still sad though. No chocolate….. forever… 🙁
I’ve seen worse movies than “Elysium”! If you were going to watch Sci-fi, why not the new “Star Trek”?
Lots of little squishy,easy hugs for Jelly, and am loving the great ideas on here for you to try,(good work everyone). Go Jelly!!
Much love to Jelly. Seems like there is some very good advice being given.
Ah c’mon, Elysium wasn’t … well, yeah. You’re right.
Worst recent watches can cover waaaaaay too much ground. The girl is elderly. .Pain meds sound like the right way to go.
There are actually little halters or girdles — and different cart stuff as said before —
they can wear to help keep the hips back in place when surgery isn’t an option. After healing they would help her keep active.
http://www.handicappedpets.com/help-pets-walk/dog-harnesses-a-slings.html
*shrugs* oh well..I am in the minority as I really enjoyed Elysium and I was very proud that Michael Shanks got a part, albeit a very small one, in it….
Look like you’re having an awesome Summer over there…I head to New York in 10 days, followed by a short flight over to Toronto for a week’s fun & Fan Expo…then a short road trip to Montreal, Quebec City and back to Toronto via Ottawa….that’s most of Canada’s larger cities done for me then….
Very much looking forward to exploring some good food in both Montreal & Quebec …and am brushing up my French …
My own dog Eddy has arthritis, he still walks, Metacam helps keep the pain down, but I’ve found he does much better swimming. I got him a little pool for the backyard, and I take him to a small local (very warm) lake fairly frequently for some swimming.
He also has a fondness for warm showers and baths.
It’ll be too cold soon, cold water is worse for him and he dislikes it, so we are getting in while the sun shines. Jelly is a lot smaller then Eddy, so she might just be able to swim in the bathtub.
Poor Jelly. 🙁 Perhaps you need to put rugs down for her to walk on so her wittew wegs won’t slip out from under her on the bare floors. Give her hugs and kisses for me, Joe.
Das
Poor puppy 🙁
I think pain management is important right now, but honestly I would get a second opinion. Having a dislocated hip will in time leave her mostly bed bound. At her age her physical strength can’t make up for her problem.
If the hip can’t be fixed, then I’d really look into getting her come kind of physical support for her back end. I have no idea what might be available, but it would take the stress off the hip. Even if that means getting her into a type of wheeled device.
I had another thought. Of course, you need to get that hip back in place if possible first. But for pain management and anti-inflammation issues, you might pick up some 100% moringa capsules. They’re powdered moringa and you can sprinkle on her food. My 19 year old cat was really having trouble moving. Some people I knew raved about what it had done for their elderly dog. I researched and found it was ok for cats, so began to add some to her food. OMG! The difference! It was just days later that she was running through the house and stopped complaining about her pain. She’d not been running in several years! An now she’s far more engaged in family activities – even VERY engaged.
You simply open up the capsule and sprinkle some on the food. (It’s also really great for humans too.)
But again, the cause of the pain needs to go. Can you find a therapist that can do a manipulation of the hip and get it back in? I know how but I ‘m far, far away in Key West, FL.
Poor Jelly, could they do laparoscopic surgery, or use manipulation to fix the dislocation? There’s also something called an Ehmer Sling to support her sore paw while she heals up.
Elysium and Prometheus both got me revved up before they came out then ended up having huge plot holes that I couldn’t get past. I hope Interstellar will be awesome.
As a good steward, taking care of our pets, it can be tough ethically and emotionally. The binding principle is ‘what is in the best interest of _____’. We had a 14 year old Shephard/Chow/Rottweiller mix who had the same symptoms and were treating it with medication.
Her quality of life was going downhill – basically laying down for the entire day, except for a biobreak. This despite a handful of meds to control her pain. Her vet of 14 years since she was a puppy told us we had a hard decision, and not to be selfish. With love, we held her and gently euthanized her. The entire staff of the vets office cried with us.
Looking back now, we realized that we truly had waited too long, as her quality of life quickly diminished around a smaller and smaller finite point. We were too much in love with her to let her go.
Do what is right, only you know what that is. If she has more good than bad days, then you’re OK. If not, you’ve got tough decisions to make.
It is difficult. However it is a decision that I personally do not feel is mine. With the transition of my beloved 20 year old Siamese a year ago, we worked with a very talented animal communicator and we found what our girl wanted and what she was feeling. It wasn’t necessarily the easiest path for us but we wanted to honor what she wanted.
MeiMei was in kidney failure and it happened fairly quickly. She was very, very clear that she wanted to do this on her own if possible. She had seizures, at first one a day, then two, then 3 or 4. Her wish was that we not euthanize unless she had an extended seizure that was visible to us. And by that she meant more than 15 minutes in length. Up to that point they’d only been may 30 or 40 seconds. There was much, much more information that we shared about her wishes and her heart and her direction.
It was very hard for me to watch it, but I stayed by her side for 4 days as it progressed, and held her talked to her, hydrated her (which stopped the pain), kissed her and stroked her. We sent her our total love, which she knew she’d always had anyway.
(I can barely see the screen right now through my tears. I haven’t really talked about this process, since we went through it.)
Bottom line, she was grateful that we had given HER the say in this and had not made decisions with her life and her transition without having the full knowledge that SHE needed and wanted.
What I’m trying to say is that your beloved pet IS your family and deserves the same respect and choices that we give our human family members. And the only way to do that is to learn their choices and wishes and goals. I couldn’t even guess what Mei Mei wanted and it turns out, through this process, we learned that euthanasia is a choice they absolutely do not like, unless the pain is excruciating. And no one can quantify their pain for them. They must do it themselves. They feel euthanasia is disorienting and it can set their spirit back when it comes to future spiritual growth.
There are many talented animal communicators out there who can help. I mentioned one that I trust a great deal, in my first post on this thread. We talk to her now periodically, when we feel there are ‘relationship’ issues that my girls have with each other, or recently, food allergy issues or behavior issues, or if I worry one is not well. It’s a valuable resource and one we will always use to be sure that they are all happy and healthy.
I’m not saying it’s time for Joe’s girl to go. But it is always good to ask her what SHE wants and the direction she wants with her care with this recent injury.
I’m with shinyhula. Why can’t they relocate her hip laparoscopically? Seems very weird to just leave it dislocated. Is this from the regular vet, or from a veterinary orthopedist?
Poor Jelly! That must be so painful and frustrating. And poor Joe and Akemi, having to watch your baby go through that! I hope you can find a way to get Jelly through this setback quickly. Give her lots of pets from me, please.
We have Elysium on the PVR, but haven’t watched it yet. Now I’m very wary.
But then again, we watched Sharknado 2: The Second One last night, and survived the experience, so I guess I can handle Elysium.
At least watching a terrible movie in my living room, I can pause and take a break from the inanity by getting a bowl of ice cream or some other comforting food to help me cope with the stress of terrible plotting, acting, continuity, visual effects, musical scoring, and every other aspect of production. And I can voice my displeasure or snide comments freely. If I saw these things in a movie theatre, I’d be forced to remain silently polite for the benefit of the viewers around me who might actually be enjoying themselves (hard as that may be to believe).
Poor Jelly. I have to say maybe water therapy. Do they have canine chiropractic services up there? They do here. Wonder if that would help. Maybe acupuncture for the pain? I have to take gabapentin for nerve stuff. Patrick takes gabapentin for his seizures — well one of three regular medications for his seizures.
I liked Elysium. However, instead of my eyes being on Matt Damon I was thinking how much Josh Blacker rocked his role.