No surgery for Shadow!!!

The orthopedic surgeon said if Shadow were her dog she would not put
her through surgery. That Shadow's left knee is actually worse than
her right and we never knew it because the vet said Shadow has learned
to pop her own knees back in place. She said as long as Shadow was
running, jumping, and especially standing on two legs without favoring
one that nothing need be done. She also said a study showed that dogs
who had the surgery had more arthritis in that knee than dogs who
never had the surgery. If it gets to the point where her knee won't
pop back in and she is in pain, then that's the time for surgery. The
vet said 90% of Yorkies have this problem and most are better off
without the surgery. Yippeeeeee!

Chakolate...

I *love* your vet! That is most excellent news, and since giving it
means that the vet makes less money, the vet deserves kudos!

Anne Jackson...

Good news, Dalin!

Jean B....

What wonderful news! The thought of surgery for Shadow was
just awful, and I'm glad it is not in her future--at least for
a good long while.

Annie-SF...

*******
That is so cool...have been wondering about her of late...hope she
never needs surgery...
Annie

**Dalin**...

I hope so too, but if she does, I want this vet! I've never met a
more caring, honest one.

I'm just so happy that you found a surgeon who is more interested
in Shadow's well-being than her own bank account...!

**Dalin**...

She was so nice Anne. She spent about a half hour just crawling
around on the floor with Shadow watching her gait etc. She was giving
her treats, the vet tech gave her treats, the receptionist gave her
treats and she is supposed to be on a diet. My vet said she would be
honest with us and she was. :-)

Huguette...

It's a god news for your little pet. I like to watch is little face on the
picture you sent on the blog, she is so cute
Huguette

**Dalin**...

Geez...

I'm so glad to hear this news, Dalin. I worried that Shadow would go
through the surgery and still have a problem.

My Fox Terrier in bow legged and has this knee problem. I wonder if
these thing commonly go togeather?

Good luck to your little dog!

mmj1...

Oh that's good news. So glad it worked out for Shadow and her parents. Now
she can take the rest of her classes. I know she'll be thrilled about that.
:-)

Norma...

Wow - what great news! And what is mind-blowing is coming across a vet
or any kind of doctor these days who isn't out to make money at the
patient's expense, so to speak. ;)
Norma

Geez...

**Dalin**...

I don't really know. But Shadow is a toy breed and they breed them
even smaller and call them teacup Yorkies. The vet said the smaller
they breed dogs the more genetic problems they have and the less
healthy they are. However she judged Shadow to be very healthy and
said she was a nice size. Even the standard sized terriers seem to
have this knee problem.

I was hoping you would see my post Geez, as you were kind enough to
comment before against surgery and I hadn't captured your e-mail
address.

I hope you'll consider joining our little group. :-) We are all
animal lovers here.

david...

hmmm... some might say we're all animals here... :)

I agree with you Norma.

Perhaps a little caution is in order with Dalins regular vet who, if I
remember correctly, said the dog WOULD develop arthritis if the surgery

**Dalin**...

That's true, but at least she had the foresight to send us to a
specialist. :-) And a good one who wasn't in it for the money. She
told us this woman would really be honest with us.

The study is new that shows they don't get arthritis if things are
left alone, but my vet doesn't do that surgery so she probably doesn't
keep up on the new studies. She should though I think. If she had
know that dogs can learn to pop in their own knee and most don't get
arthritis then it might have saved the additional expense of seeing
the specialist.

I am now beginning to think because the place is called a clinic it
might be sort of a well animal clinic where they are neutered, spayed,
shots given, exams given etc. but maybe major ops are just not done
there.

was not performed.

mmj1...

**Dalin**...

We sure are glad! I had no idea two knees were popping out. Just in
case she can't get one back the vet showed me how to do it. I was
really impressed with her since she lost a surgical fee.

Do you know she said my Shadow was bow-legged? The nerve! I think
she is, she has very short legs.

Dalin

I felt confidant with Cowboy's vet even though the surgery was recommended.
He knew Cowboy from the very beginning to the end and many times over the
years he left his fee out of the billing because he knew I didn't have the
money. Cowboy had a lot of health problems so his kindness was very much
appreciated.

Joy...

Isn't it wonderful to have an expert confirm your gut feeling? I'm so glad
for Shadow, and for you.

**Dalin**...

I will rest easy tonight. :-) Joy I've wanted to ask you, will there
be services for your Mom and can you be there? I know it's a long way
for you.

Dalin

Joy...

She didn't want a service, and neither does my sister, so there won't be any
service in Alaska. However, there will be a small service at my church in a
couple of weeks. My kids and I will be there, and anyone else who wants to
come. I've already asked a man in our church to sing a spiritual. He has a
wonderful voice, and does especially well on spirituals. Naturally, it will
be an upbeat one, to match my Mom's personality. I'm writing out a short
bio of my mother for the minister to read. I'm also going to give my
humorous speech about her that I used in our recent Toastmasters contest. I
think she'd like that. She had a great sense of humor.

Incidentally, my daughter Irene said something happened at work that she
thinks my mother would find amusing (and I agree). She took the day off on
Tuesday, and explained why to her secretary and one or two other people.
Yesterday a man from another department came up to her and said, "I am *so*
sorry about your house." Naturally, Irene was taken aback and said, "My
what?" He said, "Your house. I heard it burned down." The poor man was so
embarrassed when she straightened him out. She was having a hard time
keeping from laughing.

That's one thing that runs in our family - a sense of humor, sometimes a bit
warped. It has gotten us through hard times before this.

Geez...

**Dalin**...

She did say that and the specialist said that is a common
misconception. However the study is new that says they usually
develop it IF the knee has been operated on. She was going to give me
a copy of it, but we both forgot.

mj if you see this did Cowboy develop arthritis in his leg that was
operated on? Tt doesn't always happen, it's just more so after
surgery when the dog gets older.

Norma...

Currently, I have what I consider to be a 'good' doctor. One who
listens and believes a patient knows how she/he feels on certain meds
and is willing to adjust rather than adding more. I quit going to the
cardiologist who was anxious to do open heart surgery for a sticky
valve and whose nurse practitioner thought immediate surgery should be
done for medium carotid blockage. Hey, at my age if it's functioning
well enough for daily living, leave it alone. LOL
Norma

That's one thing that runs in our family - a sense of humor, sometimes
a bit
warped. It has gotten us through hard times before this.

Joy

mmj1...

**Dalin**...

And they did used to operate when the dogs had this problem. It was
standard procedure my vet said, and some still do. I guess it's old
school versus new school. Sounds like you had a very caring vet too,
one who cared more about Cowboy than his fee. :-)

Dalin

mmj1...

How dare she!! I hope Shadow didn't hear that or if she did she may be
embarrassed at her classes.

That is a funny story and I am sure the man was horrified. Your planned
service sounds caring and right for you and your family. I don't want a
service myself so understand her choice.

You are a joy, Joy! Hope this sadness in your life is shot lived.

You said something in another posting to one in this group that your
mother had said (please forgive me if this is not exactly as you wrote)
that she was ready to go. My mother, as she lay in her final days, said
much the same thing. I got comfort from this. Hope you did too.

Wishing you much joy, Joy. (forgive but I like saying this)

Joy...

Thank you, Geez. I don't mind you saying it. ;-)

Yes, she did say she was ready to go, and I do take comfort from it.

Thank you Hugette. You should put up another picture of your
beautiful dog. I think his name is Jerry?

Dalin