Navy Chief
June 28th, 2010, 11:29
Most of you know about my Rottweiler, "Chief" through pictures I have posted over the years.
What you aren't aware of, however, is what this wonderful companion of mine has endured throughout his life of 8 1/2 years.
When Chief was about 4 months old, we noticed he spent a great deal of time in his bed. Not normal for a puppy, to say the least.
We took him to our vet, but they couldn't find anything wrong, so we were referred to a specialist in Knoxville. It turned out that Chief did not have adequately formed hip sockets. Surgery was performed, called a TPO (Triple Pelvic Osteotomy) This surgery is used in large breed dogs no older than 10 months of age. Candidates for this surgery can only have mild hip dysplasia and no signs of arthritis. During the procedure the pelvis is cut and rotated slightly so that the head of the femur has a tighter fit into the socket. Since the pelvis is being cut it needs to be stabilized with bone plates. The pelvis is cut in 3 locations. The locations of these cuts allows the proper rotation of the hips.
The surgeries were done over a period of 12 weeks, allowing for just under two months for each side to heal. Chief had 3 bolts per hip installed.
About one year later, both of Chief's ACL knee cap muscles ripped simultaneously one Summer night, while we were walking on the driveway. I had never heard such a painful sound from a dog. Awful.
What followed then was two more surgeries to fix those knees. More bolts and screws. Recovery was many more weeks.
All in all, Chief spent 1 1/2years, going through surgeries and recoveries.
Until recently,however, you couldn't tell he had ever gone through surgeries of any kind. I couldn't outrun him.
But about a week ago, I noticed him limping when I returned from a weekend trip to D.C. He was favoring his left rear leg, and I could tell he was hurting.
Xrays were taken, but showed nothing. The local vet called the surgeon up in Knoxville for me, and she thinks the plate on his left rear knee cap may have a surrounding infection, which is apparently common in older dogs.
So I am taking Chief to Knoxville this Friday to hopefully fix whatever is causing his pain.
But this dog is so stoic. He limps, but is tolerating a pain level that would probably make me pass out.
I know the day will come in the not too distant future where I will have to make a very tough decision about Chief. Hopefully I am not to that point yet. He is more than just my dog. He's my brother and closest friend.
NC11478114791148011481
What you aren't aware of, however, is what this wonderful companion of mine has endured throughout his life of 8 1/2 years.
When Chief was about 4 months old, we noticed he spent a great deal of time in his bed. Not normal for a puppy, to say the least.
We took him to our vet, but they couldn't find anything wrong, so we were referred to a specialist in Knoxville. It turned out that Chief did not have adequately formed hip sockets. Surgery was performed, called a TPO (Triple Pelvic Osteotomy) This surgery is used in large breed dogs no older than 10 months of age. Candidates for this surgery can only have mild hip dysplasia and no signs of arthritis. During the procedure the pelvis is cut and rotated slightly so that the head of the femur has a tighter fit into the socket. Since the pelvis is being cut it needs to be stabilized with bone plates. The pelvis is cut in 3 locations. The locations of these cuts allows the proper rotation of the hips.
The surgeries were done over a period of 12 weeks, allowing for just under two months for each side to heal. Chief had 3 bolts per hip installed.
About one year later, both of Chief's ACL knee cap muscles ripped simultaneously one Summer night, while we were walking on the driveway. I had never heard such a painful sound from a dog. Awful.
What followed then was two more surgeries to fix those knees. More bolts and screws. Recovery was many more weeks.
All in all, Chief spent 1 1/2years, going through surgeries and recoveries.
Until recently,however, you couldn't tell he had ever gone through surgeries of any kind. I couldn't outrun him.
But about a week ago, I noticed him limping when I returned from a weekend trip to D.C. He was favoring his left rear leg, and I could tell he was hurting.
Xrays were taken, but showed nothing. The local vet called the surgeon up in Knoxville for me, and she thinks the plate on his left rear knee cap may have a surrounding infection, which is apparently common in older dogs.
So I am taking Chief to Knoxville this Friday to hopefully fix whatever is causing his pain.
But this dog is so stoic. He limps, but is tolerating a pain level that would probably make me pass out.
I know the day will come in the not too distant future where I will have to make a very tough decision about Chief. Hopefully I am not to that point yet. He is more than just my dog. He's my brother and closest friend.
NC11478114791148011481