We have had a rough (Ruff) few days at our home

When it rains it pours.
Friday started off normal. I saw no problems with Dakota our almost 9 year old golden retriever/lab mix. (He will be 9 in April)
When my husband Harry got home from work around 6pm he noticed Dakota was limping badly and not acting like his usual active self.
When I got home from work at midnight, I noticed he was in pain.
The next morning we were at the vets for an early morning appointment.
The findings: Hip dysplasia, joint pain advancement of lyme (he was dx. in 2000 with lyme disease. and we are now looking at probable surgery for a probable hairline fx. of knee joint. (his knee can blow at any given moment or it may last for a few more years??
We are crushed. We need to bring him back in for x-rays under anesthesia so they can do more accurate dx. on his problems. The problems are multitude.

I don't want to make him suffer with surgery if the prognosise is going to be grim. I also want to help him if it will work. However, He is a biter and will bite if in pain which bothers me too because I don't know how he will be with me after his surgery if he is in pain.
i.e. dressing changes, PT, etc...
To make the story worse, today, our dog Cairo was out in the snow with us in our jeep wrangler. Once we got home, he got out of the jeep and cut his back leg on a piece of metal under the truck somehow. Next thing we know we are off to the emergency vets to get his foot stapled. He is not an invalide for a week or so.

Chripes What a "Ruff" week with our dogs all in two days.

Cairo is resting and doing well as Dakota is too. Dakota is back on a run of Doxycycline and rymadel (spelling on both) we are going to book his x-rays within a month.

Any opinions on this?

I am worried. It shall be costly but I am more worried due to his age and his multitude of other problems if it is worth it to him at this age to put him through painful knee joint surgery?

Its not going to help his other problems and he is getting older.

Advice all?

Thanks,

Sue

 

therapy - you have to do what is best for your particular situation. I believe your heart and gut will tell you what is the best decision for your dear golden.
We had a 12 year old golden who was developing tumors around his anal glands. Our vet offered to biopsy the growths, and other diagnostic tests. He was honest to tell us that he was 99% sure they were cancerous growth. I live a short distance from Pudrue University - they have one of the best vet schools in the country and have an incredible cancer treatment center for dogs. Faced with facts, hopes, and realities - we decided to let nature take its coarse. Our old boy was extremely gentle, he was a therapy dog in his prime, and in all of his years had been away from us only one night.

We found out about the tumors in January and through the winter and spring he was thriving on the extra pampering (which he deserved). I was starting to doubt my vets diagnosis when May arrived. By late May - there was a drastic turn for the worse. My husband and I went back and forth as to whether it was time. One morning in late June, we knew it was time - the creepy thing is that I think our old guy somehow told me that he was ready. We were prepared - and said our good-by. It was peaceful, extremely sad, but peaceful. We let him go without too much suffering.

By the way - me vet told me when our Golden turned 9 that he was surviving beyond the average - that we were on borrowed time. At 12 we felt blessed to have had those extra years with him.

May the good Lord guide you and give you peace with this difficult decision.

 

Oh , what a horrible week-end. For Dakota That is a hard decision. For me, since I have a lab that will be 9 soon also, I woudl do the surgery, but thats just the way I am, but then I would have to hear after the xrays and everything before I could really say. I am lucky I dont have because I run my dogs to the vet for the slightest little things.

now on a different note,
My brother has a 10 year old golden and she was diagnosed almost 2 years ago with a tumor near her heart, The vet said it would not be long and advised surgery, They decided against it, didnt want to put her through that and would let nature takes its course. Well she is still around and has only recently took a turn for the worse

I also have a friend who has a golden with cancer, She is 13 years old. she was diagnosed with cancer almost 4 years ago and had to have her leg amputated and she has been doing great. Another tumor popped up about a year ago, and now its huge, the size of a grapefruit on her abdomen, the chose not to operate because of her age and she is in no pain and doing fairly well so far.


I bring these up becaus ehtey are different scenarios

and only yiou can make that ddecision.

My prayers to Dakota and hope Cairo feels better soon

 

Yes, it is a hard decission. Yes, we love Dakota very much.
We too run to the vets for everything. The second we noticed this he was off to the vets.
My hardest problem is deciding if it is worth it to put him through a lengthy surgery and a long recovery process.

As I said before, he will bite if in pain (thankfully he was muzzled at the vets because he tried to bite the vet) I have had a long two years dealing with his dominance aggression issues. Him and I came to a conclussion that I am master over him. But it wasn't easy on my part. We have to practice daily NILIF.
But, if he was in pain he would bite. That leaves me wondering if I will be able to properly care for his dressings, and properly give him Physical Therapy.
Compile this with his other problems lyme, & hip dysplasia I want to make the proper decission. I don't want to see him suffer and I don't not want to do the surgery if it will be beneficial to him.
Last year, Cairo ate a piece of the kong toy and it cost us $3,600.00. So even though I don't have money coming out of every pocket, if one of my animals needs something, we ALWAYS find a way to get their needs met.
I just want to do the best thing and I am torn in this case.
Sue

 

PS, yes we are going to go with the x-rays under anesthesia. My husband worries that doing all that manilupating under anesthesia will actually make the problem worse with his joints?
I say we need baseline x-rays and this is the only way to know what is going on. I wonder about getting an MRI instead? The did not mention that to me? Maybe I should ask?
Either way, he is in Rimadel (spelling) for now and we won't be getting the x-rays for another few weeks.
He is in great spirits and seems to be doing better for now.

 

I am glad to hear Dakota is feeling better. I think the main thing like you say is the recovery period. Will it just make him worse, and bring out those biting tendeancies even more.

I had to put my cat down this summer due to kidney failure and posssible compilcations of heartworm. People kept telling oh just give him fluids, which would have to been done 2-3 times a week. I have done that before with a mellow cat. Well Midas was a pshyco cat. The vets could never handle him, siaid he would have to be sedated for the littliest procedures. And yet people did not understand that me giving Midas fluids was not an option and he would have been miserable so I made the decision to not left him suffer anymore for my benefit.

I am sure they can do MRI, but that would probably have to be done at a specialty vet.

So they cant jsut put a cast on it??