ROUND TWO!

History:  After her first TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) procedure in 2014, the orthopedic vet said that the chances were 50-50 that K-Lee might need a future TPLO on the other leg.  Since then, I kept her "in shape" and at a correct weight hoping she'd be able to avoid the trauma.  She had the desired "hour glass" figure.

K-Lee in the "snow fort" she made.

This fall, K-Lee went lame.  After a few hours of hunting, she favored her right leg and limped along.  After a brief rest, she wouldn't put any weight on it.  I had seen similar symptoms in 2014 when she had problems with her left rear leg. (See further information on the June 29, 2014 post about "TPLO".)

I took K-Lee to her "primary" vet.  He did x-rays and felt that her problem was arthritis.  He shared with me the results of his x-rays.  We decided to treat her with rest, "carprofin", and "keep an eye on it".  I tried that for a while, but up to the last bird of the season (see December 22 post), she continued to exhibit the same symptoms.  My instincts were telling me that it wasn't arthritis.   So, I took her to the orthopedic vet in Norway Maine who performed a very extensive examination.

Conclusion: She was now having the same problem in the right rear leg and the ligament was wearing out.  It would probably be a big problem in a few months.  He showed me the (very High Resolution) X-rays and pointed out the problem and how he would repair it. 

He said, "It's really about expectations. If you want to hunt with her, she would require  surgery.  If you want her to be simply a pet, she could probably last a long time without surgery--although she'd become increasingly lame each year."  

We chose the procedure.  (If K-Lee couldn't hunt and run in the woods, she'd be miserable.  She lives for that --even more than I do.)

Round Two:  The operation was performed December first, and K-Lee is healing magnificently.    She is now at the point where she can take take 10 minute walks--three times a day.  In another 3-4 weeks, she'll be taking 20 minute walks, then 40 minute walks.  We will be exercising and getting ready for spring "runs" in April. 


Musings:  There seems to be two schools of thought on this particular problem.  One is that an athletic dog that is spayed 'too young' (less than eighteen months) is prone to developing these ailments because the joint tissue and bone "growth plates" don't develop adequately.  The other is that the problem is genetic and spaying has no identifiable affect--and that the study samples regarding spaying are narrow and assumptive, thus not giving a complete story.

You're gonna WHAT ???........You're kidding!  ...right????

An objective reading of the veterinarian medical reports provides positive and negative findings for either option.   I couldn't tell anyone which "school of thought" is correct....perhaps both!

I do know that if I didn't have "pet" insurance, it may have been much more difficult to make a decision.  Such operations go for about $3,500 or more.  Without pet insurance, the temptation to take a financial "short cut" may have affected our decision-making.  However, with the coverage of our (major medical) insurance policy, we comfortably made what my wife and I felt was the right decision.  What we paid for out-of-pocket was a mere pittance to what we would have paid if we were without insurance.  

The pain of a small monthly premium doesn't seem that bad. 

 

"PRESSURE"

The lead trainer moved deeply into my "personal space"-- much like my US Army drill instructor did so many years ago.  It confused me a little, but I knew and trusted him.  He was clearly pushing me.  He was saying, "You can falsetto can't you?  Let me hear you falsetto.  C'mon, falsetto!  You can do it!  Give me a falsetto!"  It was amazing to me.  I was almost having an out-of-body experience. 

Ah, summer fun!

I was thinking,  "So this is how the dogs feel when they are being trained!"   

It was June 2017 and I was attending a NAVHDA chapter's training session in Maine.  It was a "train the trainer" exercise, focused on helping a handler identify his/her weak (handling) points.   It was very, very good "medicine"! 

The lead trainer was trying to pull me out of my low-energy, "mono-tone-ous" behavior--for K-Lee's sake as well as my own.  He was also trying to get me to exhibit energy that would "help" the dog's and my relationship.

Cognitively, I understood what he was doing.  I probably looked dumbfounded, but internally, I was  marveling at the emotions I felt under his "pressure". 

1. I clearly understood what he wanted.
2. I wasn't afraid of being hurt by him but felt "pressured".
3. I wanted to do it.
4. I wasn't sure if I could do it..

To be on the receiving end of that "pressure" was amazing!  We talked afterwards and I told him that "I'll have to ask my doctor turn up the pacemaker."  We both  chuckled at the thought.

Besides the fact that K-Lee has an emotional side that can go from zero to a hundred in a heartbeat;  physically, I have slowed down considerably.  (The falsetto would have been an equivalent to the squeaky voice that people use when talking to babies, puppies and kittens.)  If I had wound her up, I wouldn't have been able to keep up.  Therein was the dilemma.

I spent the next several weeks thinking through the event--doing mental replays of each station and how I was handling.  I wondered if dogs do that after training sessions.  ...I'll bet they do.

K-Lee contemplating pressure

When K-Lee and I are in the woods and "on our game",  I'm generally satisfied that we work well enough together.  I decided to focus and build on that.

I'm thankful for the "pressure" experience.  It helped me to come to a better understanding of my expectations and goals.  

When I think on it, I realize that training "pressure" is good--not only for dogs, but people too.