BEVOLASVEGAS
Posted : 10/29/2008 7:25:26 PM
Cita, just ask the middle aged man if he'd like to set up a play date between your dogs. Tell him that Rascal normally doesn't care to play with other dogs, (I *think* this is true??) but that he seems really comfortable with his dog . That way it doesn't seem as if you are hitting on him.
Ann, you have the patience of a saint!!!! If I had to deal with your boss, I'd probably strangle her!
Sharon, hang in there! We are keeping our fingers & paws crossed that you'll find another job soon.
Paige, thanks for thinking of us.
I am absolutely on top of the world right now! Today, Bev was evaluated by two seperate neurologists. Both agree that his current issues are not a product of Wobblers, but instead some sort of myositis. I was, literally, trying not to do a "happy dance" in the exam room when they told me the news. That's probably a stange reaction to finding out that your dog, most likely, has an autoimmune disease, but ask me if I care?
They think that it is caused by some sort of von Willebrand factor. (They explained it to me, but I was almost bouncing out of my seat at the time.) I had his clotting times tested when he was a puppy, but since I knew that he would never breed, I opted not to deal with DNA testing him to find out if he was a carrier. We are testing him now, though. If he is a carrier, then we can be fairly certain that this is the cause of his lameness/muscle degeneration.
He is on a terribly high dose of prednisone right now, & if he doesn't improve quickly, then we will add other immunosuppressive drugs as well. The doctors did warn me that he may never stride out as pretty as he did before, & that if calcifications form in his leg muscles then he will need surgery to remove them, but, honestly, all of that is of no consequence to me. He can walk with a hitch in his stride if he needs to, & if he has to have surgery, we will do that too. I'll still love him anyway.
We will be going to Houston weekly for the next 6 weeks so that he can be re-checked by the neurologists, & so they can reduce his prednisone dose. They have a physical therapist at this particular clinic, so I've decided that while we are there, he can have a physical therapy session there. I have a whole load of exercises to do at home, but I will feel better if someone else can check on his progress weekly as well. I do have to change his diet, & they recommended that I keep his legs as warm as possible to try to prevent the muscles from contracting any further.
Looks like I'm going to have to do a little shopping for Bev some new clothes!!!