# Bad news, I don't know what to do :'(



## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

As you guys may know T-Sha has had a really bumpy road lately and mamas taking it pretty hard as well. She has a torn ACL and luxating patellas are grade 3 and the leg with the torn acl she can not even walk on. I have her on Tramadol and Metacam (for a week now) faithfully to keep her out of pain because I can see it in her, shes definitely not her self. She doesn't eat, occasionally goes pee, hasn't moved her bowels in 3 days..I have to squirt syringes of water in her mouth just to keep her hydrated ...she just stays on her bed all day.

Vet doesn't recommend surgery because of her SEVERE heart disease but I cannot stand to see her like is, I am totally heart broken :'(...I don't know if I should just "try" the surgery and pray pray pray she comes out of it okay or make that decision I NEVER thought I would have to do at only 7 years old

She looks so sad, Mama just keeps crying


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I'm so sorry you are both going through this.
If it were me, I think I would try the surgery if the only other option is having her put to sleep. You don't have anything to lose, and you will know you tried everything you possibly could. If she passes during surgery, for her it will feel the same, she will just go to sleep.
Does the vet think she will improve at all without the surgery?


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

I've been thinking the same thing myself however the surgery is $4,000 and that's without complications..And no they said she won't improve, just go down hill because one all the meds are doing a number on her already bad heart and two her other leg that doesn't have the torn ACL is constantly popping in and out and she said putting all the weight on that leg she could end up tearing that one as well. So sucks!!!! I don't know, it's not an easy decision.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

So sorry that your baby is still in pain. Since she cannot improve on her own and the pain killers themselves are dangerous for her heart, if it were me, I would go ahead with the surgery. 


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## BlueJax (Jun 25, 2012)

What is the prognosis on her heart disease? Say, if she does pull through surgery, will she be able to have a quality life in regards to her heart problems?


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

So sorry about T-Shay. I don't know what to say. $4000 is a alot of money, especially since she has so many other problems. I know they make 'splints' for AC tears, but I don't know whether or not it would help her. Sometimes you have to look at the dog and make that terrible dicision. If she is not living a life that she had been, then sometimes it is a good thing to euthanize.


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## Lisa T (Sep 3, 2010)

This is so hard for you, choosing surgery for a healthy dog is a massive decision so I really feel for you. My Bella has had LP surgery this year and her life has improved dramatically. Is there any way you can get another opinion ? I sought 3 before I decided and each one offered something different, you never know someone may give you a more positive prognosis and options for your girl. Good Luck, you are in my thoughts.


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

Well if she does happen to make it out of surgery and after the long road of recovery both her legs will be 100% better. However, she is not expected to live a normal long life because the heart disease is extremely severe at such a young age as well as an enlarged heart and murmur. Plus the pain medications after surgery are not good for her heart. (She also has severe allergies & gastro problems) But I just want her around as long as possible even if it's only a few more years, it brings me to tears every time I think about her not being here with me.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Have you thought about Holistic or alternative medicine?

Read these:

Alternatives to Canine Surgeries - Whole Dog Journal Article

ACL

http://www.laughingdoginc.com/wdj_feb10.pdf
(Page 13)

Contact a holistic Vet in your area and get another oppinion


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

Huly said:


> Have you thought about Holistic or alternative medicine?
> 
> Read these:
> 
> ...


I was thinking same thing Christie, Kim has Amberleah on good supplements for her knees.


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

Thanks ladies! That is a great idea but she does have a full tear and the joint is constantly slipping out, sometimes not going back in for hours..she is obviously in pain and I already have trouble getting several pills in her a day :/

She isn't herself..don't eat, drink, walk, play ball, stand up on her hind legs.....nothing that she used to do and I honestly believe the vet is right with surgery is the only fix...Maybe if she was her normal awesome self and just babying that leg then I would look into it but I truly believe it wouldn't help


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## BlueJax (Jun 25, 2012)

Laura56083 said:


> Well if she does happen to make it out of surgery and after the long road of recovery both her legs will be 100% better. However, she is not expected to live a normal long life because the heart disease is extremely severe at such a young age as well as an enlarged heart and murmur. Plus the pain medications after surgery are not good for her heart. (She also has severe allergies & gastro problems) But I just want her around as long as possible even if it's only a few more years, it brings me to tears every time I think about her not being here with me.


I'd get a second opinion with an orthopedic surgeon/specialist. There are things a vet can do to help a dog with heart problems undergo anesthesia. I can tell how much you love her and I hope you can figure something out, however sometimes letting them go can be the kindest decision.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Laura56083 said:


> Thanks ladies! That is a great idea but she does have a full tear and the joint is constantly slipping out, sometimes not going back in for hours..she is obviously in pain and I already have trouble getting several pills in her a day :/
> 
> She isn't herself..don't eat, drink, walk, play ball, stand up on her hind legs.....nothing that she used to do and I honestly believe the vet is right with surgery is the only fix...Maybe if she was her normal awesome self and just babying that leg then I would look into it but I truly believe it wouldn't help


I have this for pain- Such a small pill it is easy to go down. It is holistic and we even used it for both BG Spay and Sonny's Neuter. 

Arnica Montana > All Pills > Pills > Single Remedies > Main Section > Washington Homeopathic Products

I would honestly ask about acupuncture, and splint (for support) and some of the other options if you are scared of surgery. You can get glucosamine and Chondrtin in powders or liquid or even some treats to help too.


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## ~LS~ (Oct 29, 2011)

Honestly I could not live with myself if I did not try everything out there to 
help my dog. Dogs are much stronger than we give them credit for. No one 
can predict the outcome, she might pull through the surgery well, recover, 
and live a few more years. If I were in your shoes I'd do as the girls suggested
and get a second opinion, look into different options, etc. I know it's a lot of
money, believe me I know, but a life is at stake, so I believe it's worth it. A wise
person once said that when you are not sure what to do regarding your
pet...ask them. Look into her eyes and see what she wants. 


Best of luck to you both. Please keep us posted. Hugs.


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## Mary J (Mar 26, 2012)

I have a yorkie that had a torn ACL and grade 4 luxating patella. (This was 2 yrs ago now) They wanted to do surgery on him. We took him to a orthopedic vet. But, then started researching and changed our minds and went with a holistic approach. I have a wonderful homeopathic vet that worked miracles on Jack! This vet is in CT and I am in FL. We have phone consults and keep in touch through emails. He sends remedies that I give. You of course keep your regular vet for blood work and such. But, homeopathy is an excellent way to treat. It's expensive but well worth it! Here is is website.

HomeVet | Dr Jeff Feinman | integrative vet practice | homeopathic vet Weston Connecticut his name is Dr Jeff Feinman. We was highly recommended to me. My Maltese was recently diagnosed with a heart condition. He is treating her as well. The progress she has made is amazing.


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

Thank you everyone for all the help and support I really appreciate it! I did start looking into other options but in the mean time today baby girls other leg went out as well  she can BARELY WALK AT ALL now :'( I can not see her suffer like this anymore. I feel terrible! All her doctors (their all in the same practice and work together; reg vet, cardiologist, orthopedic etc) were going over her echocardiogram tonight and are going to call me tomorrow with what and how high her risks will be for surgery. Please please pray this is something she can pull through <3 


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Sending good thoughts your way! I really really hope that they are able to do the surgery.


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## BlueJax (Jun 25, 2012)

I'm really sorry to hear her other leg went out. I will be thinking of her and hoping the vet decides she will be stable enough for the surgery.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

So sorry to hear you have to go through this, I can only imagine how much it hurts to see your baby in pain. I do hope that she is a candidate for surgery and that she pulls through. Meanwhile, I'd like to suggest looking into some remedies for her heart condition as well. My Chinese Crested Julian has had multiple heart problems since day one; he had one surgery, and has been on supplements ever since to help battle his remaining issues. Despite the vets originally not thinking he'd live more than a year, he's over a year and a half now and completely symptom free. We follow the regimin suggested by http://caninehearthealth.com/ but other than the heart tonic (only $25 and lasts a while for a tiny dog) we buy everything else from other sources and it's not expensive at all. "Everything else" consists of of L-Carnitine, Taurine, Ginger and Cayenne that he gets 2-4 times daily. We just add it to his food and that's that... I can't rave enough how much it's helped him. He's never coughed, never been lethargic; if you didn't see his vet paperwork you'd never know anything was wrong with him. Just wanted to mention that, since I've heard of quite a few cases of terminal heart complications that have improved, despite all odds, with natural treatment. Do check out that above link if you get a chance, it's very well worth it. I wish you both the best of luck!!! xxx


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

Update: After looking over her echocardiogram her cardiologist does NOT recommend she go under for surgery :'( I kind of had that crappy feeling....I've decided to try my best to keep her pain free with the meds and at least let her stay with me for the holidays...I'm not really sure when I can let her go just yet, she still seems to act like she has a lot of life left in her just a different type of life; sleeping in mama's bed thats now on the floor lol, no jumping, running etc. ::tears::

Today she finally started eating her kibble, urinating and moving her bowels..tried to play with her toys..snuck up the stairs on me..actually moved around a good part of the day with slight use of her leg I was completely shocked but I'm kind of thinking maybe she just needed to get used to the meds and now has? I don't think she has anything torn on the other leg, just the patella acting up from putting more weight on it. (I hope that's only the case)

I'm sure she will still enjoy opening her Christmas present next week! 


Thank you for all your kind words and support!! <3


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## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

Hang in there...I would call a different vet and talk to them.

My ferret, Thatcher, was diagnosed with lymphoma a couple of months ago. Juvenile lymphoma is an unpredictable disease with no cure. Rarely do patients live more than a month or two after diagnosis.

I insisted on trying antibiotics along with the steroid treatments. Despite the diagnosis his lymph nodes went down. He is back to normal. I believe he had an infection that presented as swelling all over. We are weaning off of the steroid now.

Even the most unlikely thing can be an option. Think positive for your girl. Maybe she will pull through the surgery the same way my boy did this awful, overwhelming infection. (think lymph nodes the size of gum balls all over...horrible)


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## Hollyg123 (Oct 30, 2012)

Prayers and good thoughts for you and T-shay. 


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

Thinking of you and your little one....


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

I just wanted to say that I hope you find a solution. I think the change in your baby is a sign that she's not ready to give up yet. If they don't want to do the surgery perhaps now is the time to look into these holistic treatments? If they're not expensive and you have time and nothing else to lose then I'd give it a try. Good luck.


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

I have a suggestion, maybe a dog cart, like a doggy wheelchair? She could still get around, still use her legs, but the cart takes most of the weight and strain off her legs.


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## Laura56083 (Sep 2, 2012)

I was thinking of a wheel chair myself and asked the vet about it but she didn't recommend it and it totally made sense why...there's a lot of dogs out there that only have 3 legs and walk/run fine everyday of their lives, they use them more for when their paralyzed I guess. 

And on a good note T-Sha has been doing very well! She's even started walking on all 4s again. (Kind of like tip toes on the bad leg) but its totally an improvement from before, yay!! She'll even run when mama isn't looking! I've got her to lose a little weight as well and I think that has helped tremendously with the LP. 


Merry Christmas everyone!!! 


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

So happy to hear she is feeling a bit better, hope she continues to feel less pain. We just had one ours put down a few weeks ago, it was very hard to do, but she was screaming in pain and would bite when we tried to help her. She was 16 almost 17 years old. Your percious one is so young. Hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas.


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## EickaSullivan (Nov 26, 2012)

So sorry to hear! Hang in there! I would def get a second opinion, that is a lot of money. Could you possibly do glucosamine and con. Supplements?


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Laura56083 said:


> I was thinking of a wheel chair myself and asked the vet about it but she didn't recommend it and it totally made sense why...there's a lot of dogs out there that only have 3 legs and walk/run fine everyday of their lives, they use them more for when their paralyzed I guess.
> 
> And on a good note T-Sha has been doing very well! She's even started walking on all 4s again. (Kind of like tip toes on the bad leg) but its totally an improvement from before, yay!! She'll even run when mama isn't looking! I've got her to lose a little weight as well and I think that has helped tremendously with the LP.
> 
> ...


I see you are in MA, are you going to Angell Animal Medical Center or Tufts University? If not I would check them out for a second opinion, I personally love Angell myself. If you are already going to one you could check the other one out for a second opinion. There is also a few great support groups and resources on the internet for orthopedic issues in dogs. If you are interested message me for the info so I remember! I went through some ortho issues with one of my dogs (not nearly as severe) so I have quite the list of resources on my computer but I'm on a different one right now so I don't have the word file with all my research.


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## LittleLily (Dec 17, 2012)

Oh I am so so sorry!


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