tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92059600733586445902024-03-13T09:25:25.821-04:00Zane's Wobbly JourneyThis is the story of the journey towards healing for Zane. It is my personal account of the various treatments sought to bring a halt to the progression of Wobbler's Syndrome, more accurately- cervical vertebral instability- in my Great Dane ~ Zane.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-66708495242881507342011-04-24T08:08:00.000-04:002011-04-24T08:08:38.010-04:00Spring brings a bit of a rebirth for Zane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tfGs4JJhNY0/TbQSMZMsk2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/KYHXVPlVhjQ/s1600/IMG_20110222_154031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tfGs4JJhNY0/TbQSMZMsk2I/AAAAAAAAAIc/KYHXVPlVhjQ/s320/IMG_20110222_154031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Zane has adjusted well as a tripawd. He spends his days on the back deck enjoying the sunshine while being shaded by giant sunbrellas. He rules over his kingdom with a watchful eye.<br />
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Barking has become a favorite activity so we have been piece meal putting up privacy fencing around our backyard. It's been a slow process but we are almost there. Zane's view of our neighbor directly behind us has been fully blocked and now another section where kids play in a pool all day has been blocked. So now we don't have the danes charging the fence so much. <br />
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Cancer sits on the back burner in our house as much as we can keep it there. We have opted out of doing the every 3 month xrays to see if mets are showing in the chest. We can't afford it for 1, and we can't do anything with the information for 2. So we shall remain blissfully ignorant and continue to treat Zane as normally as possible.<br />
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Zane had a small non healing wound on his stump where the skin from his incision has healed by turning in on itself and creating a belly button. It's his stump button. It has been a constant problem area. He's had a track record of being reactive to internal sutures and clearly this has been a problem. He has developed big abscesses in the area where his sutures remain under the skin. His body doesn't break them down as it should and they remain there causing irritation and inflammation. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9eTGxc0ON0/TbQSFZlBpcI/AAAAAAAAAIY/pDSSfGEUr4k/s1600/IMG_20110207_140652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D9eTGxc0ON0/TbQSFZlBpcI/AAAAAAAAAIY/pDSSfGEUr4k/s200/IMG_20110207_140652.jpg" width="200" /></a>As if we haven't had enough to deal with, this stump button has leaked fluids and required a lot of aftercare. We found a wonderful emergency care vet a couple months ago that took great pains to help get this problem under control. She works an over night urgent care program at a regular vet hospital. It has worked out really well to bring Zane in late in the evening during urgent care hours when she is not busy so she can work on flushing out the area. We've all done our share of ewwwing at the yucky stuff that pours out of this wound. Zane takes it all in stride and just enjoys the attention :)<br />
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We feel like we might have finally made a break through with the wound. No yucky drainage stuff for about 2 weeks now! That frees us up to deal more with Daizy Lu who just had her first acl surgery 2 weeks ago. Oye vey! That makes for our 9th acl surgery. I think Daizy will need a post of her own. <br />
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Happy Easter all!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-11649006953210082282011-03-30T18:03:00.001-04:002011-04-24T09:38:15.557-04:00Time to let go of the spare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Dogs are born with 3 legs and a spare... Well, it's now or nothing we decided. With the infection in Zane's leg, the odds of getting it cleared up were pretty slim. Often amputation is the route to go with severe bone infections. We didn't know exactly what was going on and our doctors were not clear either. So we had two situations that both called for an amputation.<br />
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We were money poor at that point. Kayla Lily and Zeke both had acl surgeries in August and September respectively. Then in November we did the hardware removal on Zane. First estimate that came in for the amputation was over $2400 at a specialty 24 hr care hospital. Holy cow! We were panicked.<br />
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I started shopping around- awful to think that you have to "shop" for reasonably priced surgery but we did. We were unwilling to use a general vet that could not offer overnight care. We knew that due to Zane's poor healing track record, he would need 24 hr supervision and damn good pain drugs. We found a 24 hr vet hospital that offered us the surgery for $1700 with 24 hr care and constant pain management via IV. We scheduled the surgery. <br />
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Upon meeting the surgeon, we soon realized he was not too optimistic about the outcome of an amputation for Zane and our ability to care for him afterward. His demeanor was a bit unsettling and we left with an uneasy feeling that morning. Greg headed out of town once again for work and I spent the day alternatively fretting and praying that God would lead the way, whatever He chose. That evening, the surgeon called. He had problems during surgery and Zane lost blood pressure. They were able to get things back under control and he was awake now and in recovery.<br />
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I visited the following morning and Zane was awake and in decent spirits all things considered. Geez, that was the hardest post surgery visit I have ever made. The shock of seeing such a giant dog without one of its limbs is something you just can not prepare for. Exactly a year earlier, I had visited my friend Luke the day after his amp. He is a Great Dane who is just a few months younger than Zane. Still, it wasn't enough to ready me for Zane. I sucked it up, held it together, and moved forward. Zane had no choice in the matter so I rallied ahead for him. <br />
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I had him stay one more night at the hospital for monitoring and then came back the following morning to bring him home. He greeted me outside and made it into the van easily enough with 2 doctors assisting. I wondered the whole way home how I would get him out on my own and up the 3 steps to the house. I called on my super hero powers. Between using the ruffwear harness and a sling, we inched our way toward the house. Once in, he flopped down on the nearest bed and I breathed a sigh of relief.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5wq7vLlWIhc/TZOnr5utW-I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/PJxiRlUgoY8/s1600/DSCF3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5wq7vLlWIhc/TZOnr5utW-I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/PJxiRlUgoY8/s320/DSCF3680.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>His recovery was complicated by a lot of drainage, bruising and after effects from the anesthesia. He had considerable trouble walking for the first week to 10 days. He just seemed to be so uncoordinated all of a sudden. We wondered if we had made a bad decision. True to his nature, though, Zane figured it all out and started hopping around better day by day. By Christmas, he was showing off in the backyard and attempting play with his pack mates.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-5512033988892700412011-02-24T08:43:00.000-05:002011-02-24T08:43:42.690-05:00Another bump in the road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oOi8e78Mi7A/TWZaMaieBKI/AAAAAAAAAIE/3GKmCEQ-Cv8/s1600/DSCF3114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oOi8e78Mi7A/TWZaMaieBKI/AAAAAAAAAIE/3GKmCEQ-Cv8/s320/DSCF3114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7L6jNiCAgk/TWZaQUh03kI/AAAAAAAAAII/zsDFBwU1V_k/s1600/DSCF3137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7L6jNiCAgk/TWZaQUh03kI/AAAAAAAAAII/zsDFBwU1V_k/s320/DSCF3137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSganG2xJq8/TWZaUC15dmI/AAAAAAAAAIM/hBad8cofKhQ/s1600/DSCF3162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSganG2xJq8/TWZaUC15dmI/AAAAAAAAAIM/hBad8cofKhQ/s320/DSCF3162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Another winter is drawing to a close and Zane is quite happy to see moderate temperatures return. He spends as much of his day laying out on the deck as he is comfortable. We just built a new deck out in the woods for the dogs to lay out on once the temperatures get too warm so we hope he will switch over soon.<br />
Last summer progressed nicely as Zane enjoyed his first non surgery and non recovery summer in a long time. He still battled a slight limp in his right leg and had sutures that were slowly working their way out from under his skin. We kept them clipped back as they poked out. His body has never been fond of suture material and doesn't break it down as it should.<br />
By fall, I was fed up with it all and asked for the remaining hardware to be removed from his knee. I felt that it was contributing to the chronic irritation in the area. A couple other vets confirmed that it could be an inflammatory response so we scheduled surgery for my birthday, November 9th. <br />
My surgeon checked the joint at my request and when he noticed the area around the joint looking a little odd, he took a biopsy. A week later, I had the shocking results. <i>Cancer</i><br />
A likely result of chronic inflammation, cancer set up camp in Zane's knee. He has histiocytic sarcoma. It's a more unusual cancer and not nearly as common as osteosarcoma is in Danes. The general protocol is full leg amputation. No big deal for your average dog. After all, they say dogs are born with 3 legs and a spare. We didn't feel that Zane had a leg to spare. As a wobbler, he still has compromised balance. He has ataxia in his front right shoulder that causes his foot to sometimes knuckle under when walking and when bending down to sniff the ground. So amputation was out.<br />
We met with an oncologist and did all the standard staging tests. We expected the worst since the problem had been going on for quite some time. Surely the cancer must have spread. Much to our astonishment, he was free of cancer in his major organs.<br />
When Zane came home from 2 days of hospital testing, he suddenly went lame in his right leg. It had only been about 2 weeks since his surgery but he had been getting around quite well. The leg swelled and swelled. He stopped walking entirely. Greg was out of town and for 4 of the longest days of my life, I struggled to get 135 lb Zane to eat and to move enough to potty outside. He resorted to holding his urine for 12 hour stretches. He was developing a massive infection in his leg.<br />
After 2 weeks of not walking, Zane surprised me in the kitchen one night by hobbling out on 3 legs. The next morning I called the oncologist and said that I wanted to do the amputation.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-70356163868333711802010-04-28T09:54:00.000-04:002010-04-28T09:54:22.688-04:00Zane's recovery from June 09 - April 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g7_oYdI8I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/HBS8J09eNeY/s1600/DSCF1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g7_oYdI8I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/HBS8J09eNeY/s320/DSCF1588.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g8mGW2LyI/AAAAAAAAAHs/YLqlCLkfmbg/s1600/DSCF2262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g8mGW2LyI/AAAAAAAAAHs/YLqlCLkfmbg/s320/DSCF2262.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g8rvD5YzI/AAAAAAAAAHw/fJlS3DPf9ZE/s1600/DSCF2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g8rvD5YzI/AAAAAAAAAHw/fJlS3DPf9ZE/s320/DSCF2634.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-63438030168143983722010-04-28T09:39:00.001-04:002010-04-28T09:57:12.678-04:00Zane's spring updateZane is doing well. He is loving the cool mornings of Spring. He will spend as much time as I allow him to hanging out in the backyard. He loves to wander through his "jungle" where he can nibble on the leaves of his favorite trees- the white ash tree. He loves to lay on the deck on one of his soft deck beds and enjoy the shade under one of his big sunbrellas. He won't have much longer before the heat of the day takes over and forces him back inside with the air conditioning. He gets very weak in the heat and certainly prefers these more moderate temperatures.<br />
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The winter passed uneventfully for Zane. That's a first for him so a welcome reprieve for all of us! After the events of last year, we all needed a break. We are so thankful that Zane continues to do well. <br />
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Following the knee surgeries of last year, Zane developed more neuro issues. It was said that the additional strain on his neck came as a result of coping with the gait issues that were a result of the knee issues. Zane had an emergency myelogram to determine his sudden problems last June. He ended up needing another decompression surgery. That surgery took so long that Zane's surgeon had to do it in 2 stages. Zane stayed in the ICU for a week while he recovered from the surgeries. We visited daily and brought him his favorite foods to keep him eating. As soon as they could get him off his pain drip meds, we brought him home. <br />
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He could not sit up sternally or hold up any of his body weight. He was essentially non functional from the neck down. We knew his chances of improving would only come if he were at home where he was most comfortable.<br />
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Days went by with no improvements. After 2 weeks, we constructed a stretcher and brought him into the city for acupuncture. That evening, he was able to start lifting the front of his body upright so that he could sit up sternally with support. It was amazing. We continued with flipping him every 4 hours on his aerobed and lots of PROM. I used a couple of types of horse brushes to massage him throughout the day. He was fork-fed chicken and beef throughout the day and drank his water from a syringe. He continued to make slow progress. We followed up with more acupuncture sessions and saw improvements following each one. At 3 1/2 weeks post surgery, Zane was able to stand upright with assistance. He was slowly walking again by 4 weeks post op. <br />
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Zane was the perfect patient throughout the whole ordeal. Never one to complain, he just rolled with things. He was perfectly happy to allow us to slide him onto a blanket so that we could carry him to the bedroom at night to sleep close to us. He would even help us by edging his body on to the blanket as he grew stronger. He would give us fair warning by howling when he needed to potty so that we could get the pee pads ready for him. We never doubted that we were doing right by him. Enjoy the pictures.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-16079994337315267452010-04-28T09:18:00.001-04:002010-04-28T09:18:56.941-04:00Zane and the giant rope toy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g1ZhiDpFI/AAAAAAAAAHE/V6F72Aaqc5A/s1600/DSCF2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/S9g1ZhiDpFI/AAAAAAAAAHE/V6F72Aaqc5A/s320/DSCF2934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-76988740001968289182009-11-19T11:29:00.000-05:002009-11-19T11:29:43.455-05:00Pretty girl Zala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SwVyFte2LXI/AAAAAAAAAG8/HZsWzC1ae2Y/s1600/DSCF1712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SwVyFte2LXI/AAAAAAAAAG8/HZsWzC1ae2Y/s320/DSCF1712.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-387492882023194362009-11-19T11:25:00.000-05:002009-11-19T11:25:54.864-05:00Zala Bu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SwVwXICIQ3I/AAAAAAAAAG0/8mRKM_WJOt0/s1600/DSCF1889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SwVwXICIQ3I/AAAAAAAAAG0/8mRKM_WJOt0/s320/DSCF1889.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Zala Bu is missing one of her big lower molars on each side of her mouth. They never came in. So sometimes her tongue falls out when she is sleeping. Charming example of poor genetics, huh? She has Addison's Disease and came to live with us as a foster in August of 2008. She never left and is a permanent member of the Z pack now.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-24998153642300388412009-09-13T07:40:00.004-04:002009-09-13T08:16:20.207-04:00Zane's summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SqzgMznk5MI/AAAAAAAAAGs/bYLFDnePgcA/s1600-h/zdog10.08+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SqzgMznk5MI/AAAAAAAAAGs/bYLFDnePgcA/s320/zdog10.08+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380922165420156098" border="0" /></a><br />Well, where did we leave off? Oh, yes, Zane was having some "issues" with his knee....<br />From the beginning of Zane's issues with his left knee, I was concerned that he could be having some additional neuro issues. We always kept tabs on that but let the blame fall on his knee for everything. In the beginning of June, I was again seeing more neuro issues. He was often knuckling on his front right leg and would actually support himself on his wrist when bending down to sniff something on the ground. Occasionally he would trip or stumble when walking. Again, the vets said it was probably the unsteadiness of his back leg and to have patience. In the middle of June, I made an emergency trip in to our rehab vet office for another set of knee xrays. We could see swelling around his knee. A quick email of the xrays to our knee vet and we had a diagnosis..patella tendonitis. More pain meds and rest for Zane. Oh, and a new offer for a treatment to help Zane's slowly healing knee.<br />One of the vets at the office where we do rehab has started doing stem cell treatments. They harvest stem cells from the dog to put back into an area of poor healing. It has a really great success rate and they offer to do this for Zane at a much reduced rate of $1700. Greg and I talk it over for a couple of days and decide that this is a really good opportunity for Zane. All the doctors on Team Zane think this is a really good option for him. We schedule the surgery for 2 weeks out and allow his knee some more quiet time.<br />The neuro issues continue to increase and I keep a checklist to discuss with the vet. In my head, I can't sort out which problems are due to the knee and which are due to neck issues. I go over the list with Zane's knee surgeon and he recommends that I go over the same list with the neurologist and get another check up. If all is clear in the neck, then come out with Zane to see him for a check up. Ahh...if only I could get these 2 wonderful surgeons in the same city!<br />Neurologist says to bring him in the following day, no appointment necessary. Zane is now barely walking and trips outside to potty take 15 minutes at a time because he has to rest before walking back in. Meanwhile I have my mom staying with us for the week. So on a Thursday, I drop her off at the airport and then make a beeline to the vets with Zane.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-2153740366724145382009-08-04T15:08:00.003-04:002009-08-04T15:13:08.189-04:00Zane and Zala waiting for the pool to fill up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniHoEELLlI/AAAAAAAAAGk/6CjfmQlEPz0/s1600-h/Mother%27s+Day+2009+and+the+water+babies+038.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniHoEELLlI/AAAAAAAAAGk/6CjfmQlEPz0/s320/Mother%27s+Day+2009+and+the+water+babies+038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366188078367714898" border="0" /></a>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-83300290649741651402009-08-04T15:06:00.003-04:002009-08-15T14:35:58.606-04:00Rehabbing the knee and enjoying those bubbly water jets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniHAbYa56I/AAAAAAAAAGc/LAFMOLl-Dm0/s1600-h/Zane%27s+first+day+back+on+treadmill+May+2+2009+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniHAbYa56I/AAAAAAAAAGc/LAFMOLl-Dm0/s320/Zane%27s+first+day+back+on+treadmill+May+2+2009+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366187397431879586" border="0" /></a>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-18799077363356854392009-08-04T15:00:00.005-04:002009-08-04T15:06:08.105-04:00Zane's twin peaks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniFudHs8jI/AAAAAAAAAGU/94X0zzhEKow/s1600-h/Zane%27s-knee+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SniFudHs8jI/AAAAAAAAAGU/94X0zzhEKow/s320/Zane%27s-knee+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366185989149356594" border="0" /></a>Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-23913479981282231862009-05-21T13:37:00.005-04:002009-08-04T14:36:24.544-04:00Spring 2009 brought more surgeries for Zane....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SnhxpmVRcNI/AAAAAAAAAGM/31YiPDOUgGg/s1600-h/Zane%27s-2nd-cast+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SnhxpmVRcNI/AAAAAAAAAGM/31YiPDOUgGg/s200/Zane%27s-2nd-cast+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366163915490291922" border="0" /></a><br />You would think by now we would have had enough with surgeries for Zane. Unfortunately, his body said otherwise. In February, he suffered a partial tear of the ccl in his right knee. Right on schedule, since about half of the dogs with ccl ruptures will tear the other ccl within a year. Rather than wait for the tear to get worse and start causing Zane more pain, we opted to go ahead with surgery quickly and try to head off any additional problems. Seemed like a good enough plan.<br /><br />Zane had another TTA surgery on February 12th. The surgery went well and he was able to come home again on the same day. He took all his pills on schedule and easily resigned himself to being leashed for potty time out back. He had a much easier time getting around than last year and didn't seem to have as much pain. He was recovering well aside from a lot of seepage from his incision. We kept that in check as best we could by applying pressure bandages.<br /><br />Ten days later, disaster struck. I noticed Zane toe touching more than usual with his right leg and not putting much weight on it. By the following morning, he was having a really hard time walking. I took him out back to potty and he stopped walking. I couldn't get him to move. After about 5 minutes I bribed him with a ride in the van. He limped off to the van and we headed to the ER for xrays.<br /><br />More bad news for Zane as something went wrong and he had a tibial crest failure. On the xrays, it looked like a broken leg to me. His surgeon took the weekend to figure out how he would like to repair the broken Zane and order a bone block for grafting. By Tuesday the cadaver bone was in and I drove Zane back out for another surgery. This time he spent the night. He came home wearing a huge "Carolina Blue" cast to further protect his leg.<br /><br />Ten days later, stitches were removed and we tried going cast- less. A few days later and I was in with a local surgeon to wrap Zane in another cast for stability. This one we did in bright green since St Patrick's Day was quickly approaching. That lasted about a week. In general, he continued to do well even though he was much more cautious about using the leg.<br /><br />Another week or so later and Zane was suddenly coming up lame... again. Through the course of a day, his knee cap developed some twin peaks. Off to the ER for more xrays. The pins that were used in his revision surgery were backing out. So the following day we scheduled surgery with a doctor we didn't know to go in and get the pins out before they broke through the skin. Another new incision and more healing to follow. Oh, and another $1000 bill.<br /><br />Certainly not the way we envisioned this knee repair to go. We thought this one would be so much easier since we were <span style="font-style: italic;">just</span> dealing with a partial tear.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-35659024335368581092009-01-02T07:31:00.005-05:002009-09-01T22:26:36.083-04:007 Months later and what has Zane been up to?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SWOhjVOXYrI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Jpnqk7gA3Bk/s1600-h/DSCF0359.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SWOhjVOXYrI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Jpnqk7gA3Bk/s200/DSCF0359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288248015827985074" border="0" /></a><br />I know, I know...way over due on the updates!<br /><br />Zane has been doing very well since surgery back in May. His rehab was coming along nicely but something was still off with Zane. I was sure of it but just couldn't put a finger on it. Everybody suggested that I be patient, after all the poor dog had just been through 3 major surgeries in only eight weeks time. It was his personality that seemed down. He wasn't eating well and his weight was starting to drop. He was occasionally vomiting in the morning after getting up. My intuition is good so when I had finally convinced myself that he wasn't right, I took him into my regular vet and asked to run a full blood panel and fecal. I asked for everything to be sent to an outside lab. I was a little suspicious of whipworms since I had a foster dog last summer that had them. They can hatch in your soil and stick around for a long time to reinfect your unsuspecting dog. We were pretty surprised with the results.<br /><br />Zane had a major coccidia infection brewing in his gut. Generally, this is a puppy parasite problem and healthy adult dogs can keep this parasite in check. However, it can present a problem for dogs with weakened immune systems (thanks to the prednisone) and dogs that are under stress ( 3 surgeries) and are in otherwise poor health. Zane stayed on antibiotics for another 3 weeks and showed a gradual improvement after about 10 days. He started to eat again and his energy level perked back up. We did a follow up fecal check a month later and all came up clear.<br /><br />I learned 2 things from this experience. First, do fecals more often than at the yearly check up. We now run them 3 times a year. Second, only do fecal checks by centrifuge. Fecal floats don't show everything and if I had relied on that method, as I had in the past, the coccidia would not have been detected.<br /><br />The summer resumed and Zane enjoyed hanging out on the back deck under his giant umbrella with the misting fan blowing cool water his direction. My pack loves to play in the doggie pools so every day we would refill with fresh water. I know, a bit of a no- no in a drought but the other neighbors do it with their kids so why not with mine?<br /><br />I started back up with another dane rescue after taking a bit of a hiatus from the rescue I had been with previously. This group promised more organization and an active volunteer group. I had been sending them Danes in need of rescue for months now so I finally jumped on board mid summer. I agreed to help out at meet and greets (adoption events) and was up to doing short term foster for special needs Danes.<br /><br />I'll save that whole story for another post but know for now that the pack has grown!<br /><br />Zane has had several follow up visits with his neurologist and all is healing well. He runs and plays with the other dogs. When he has had enough I tell him so or he just heads off on his own to my bed for a little rest time. He looks great and is enjoying life. We are enjoying it right along with him!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-90252276805857348672008-06-26T14:39:00.005-04:002008-12-08T23:25:36.524-05:00Happy Birthday Zane<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9oIb1MOI/AAAAAAAAAEA/5SJox2dwRD4/s1600-h/DSCF0192.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9oIb1MOI/AAAAAAAAAEA/5SJox2dwRD4/s200/DSCF0192.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223328533743743202" border="0" /></a><br />It's birthday number 2 for Zane. It's hard to believe all that he has been through in a years time but he is a healthier and stronger dog for all of it.<br />Zane has now been to 2 underwater treadmill sessions. He has taken to it pretty well and has a nice smooth gait when he is being buoyed by the water. The tank gets filled almost to hip height. Since Zane holds his head lower than normal, they have to be careful to not get the water too high or his nose might dip down into it. He walked for 2 separate 2 minute sessions on Tuesday. We are working up to 3, 3 minute walks per session. It doesn't seem like much but walking in water is hard work. Five minutes in the water is equal to 40 minutes on land.<br />At home, Zane is taking one 8-10 minute walk daily. We will slowly increase the time walking as he is able to tolerate it. I allow him to wander the backyard freely as long as someone is there to stop him in case he tries to play. He has demonstrated that he can run quite smoothly now too. We keep that to a minimum though! He is building up his stamina by trotting through our small wooded area. When he is tired he comes up to the deck to lay on one of his mats under the umbrella.<br />Zane's progress is great. At his 4 week post surgery check up, his Dr stated that he is doing great neurologically. When you flip his paws over to check for ataxia, he flips them right back where they belong. Way to go Zane!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-15024762951279790212008-06-02T18:56:00.002-04:002008-06-02T19:18:18.931-04:00Nearly 2 weeks since the latest surgeryZane is doing very well. He has resumed eating and drinking but still hates taking all his medicines. He so hates his painkiller, Tramadol, that we have stopped giving it to him since he seems fine without it. The antibiotics are still a challenge to get into him. For a while, I was able to mix them in a little soft butter and then slap them on his tongue with a tiny spatula, clamp shut his mouth and blow a little air in his nose. They would slide right down his throat. One day however, he got his mouth back open just long enough to spit them back out. To show me just how much he hated the whole procedure, he spit them directly at me and nailed my whole side. I had Dane slobber mixed with (now)liquid butter and pills sliding all down my arm and leg. It was pretty nasty getting hacked on by my dog. He seemed rather amused as he ran off to the other room. I swear he acts like we are trying to poison him.<br />Zane's gait has been improving as well. It seems that his bionic knee is healing nicely and he doesn't limp on it anymore. He has returned to his favorite sleeping grounds, formerly known as my bed, and gets up and down on his own. We still keep him confined to "his" room (formerly known as the spare room) when we have to be out of the house. He even knows what it means when I tell him to go to his room and heads right in. He has a special Winnie the Pooh comforter that we got after the last surgery and he just loves to bury his face in it. He is also back to drinking out of the bathroom sink faucet. He just stands in front of it until someone gets up and turns it on. Sometimes he even does this in the middle of the night. Today he practiced climbing in and out of the tub (with my assistance and watchful eye) while Zoe and Zeke drank from opposite sides of the tub faucet. I have no idea where Daizy Lu was as she certainly missed out on all the tub fun. Had she known, she would have been right in the tub with Zane! I can't wait to get out the kiddie pool after Zane gets his staples removed. I bet Daizy will just love it!<br />Speaking of staple removal...tomorrow is Zane's 2 week checkup. He should be getting his staples removed as we find out what the next steps are in his recovery process. Hopefully, we will get to start doing rehab soon....keep those fingers crossed.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-14034316907026068602008-05-23T21:35:00.002-04:002008-12-08T23:25:36.608-05:00Day 2 & 3 post decompression surgery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9Wv87Y_I/AAAAAAAAAD4/der3oW0sy5U/s1600-h/DSCF0176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9Wv87Y_I/AAAAAAAAAD4/der3oW0sy5U/s200/DSCF0176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223328235113898994" border="0" /></a><br />On Wednesday, Zane had a relatively long night. We were up and down with him all night. He slept off and on most of the following day (Thursday). He made several trips outside for potty breaks but was unable to urinate. He didn't eat or drink all day. By late afternoon, I called our regular vet to see if I should bring him in for fluids. He suggested that might help with the bladder issue. I guess there is concern over bladder infections developing after spinal surgeries. Zane went to the vets and got some sub q fluids and an antibiotic shot. He was able to urinate when he got home...woohoo! The things we get excited over...<br />He even ate a can of food but still wouldn't drink anything. It was another long night for Zane and Greg and me as we all got up and down a few times. Now the whole pack is into this routine and everyone gets up. They all go out for middle of the night potty breaks and then rush back in to see if they can get any of the food that Zane won't eat.<br />Friday morning brought a much perkier Zane. He ate a can of food later in the morning and was much steadier on his feet as he made the rounds outside. He laid out on the deck for a while with his sun umbrella over him. Once he came in he was very sleepy. He slept for a long time and then had trouble walking again. I noticed that he was very warm, like burning hot. I checked his temperature and it was 104.4. I covered him with cold packs and a cool, wet towel. I made arrangements to bring him into the neurologists even though he was off for the day. I checked him 45 minutes later and he was up to 105, even with the cold packs surrounding him.<br />He was barely walking but managed to get in and out of the van for the trip to the vet. His vet, who was off for the day, just happened to stop in at the hospital and was able to check out Zane. He said that Zane was doing well neurologically. He was suspicious of a potential bladder problem and so advised putting him on Cipro and Cephalexin. That brings us up to 26 pills a day now, not including supplements. The vet techs showed me how to do the sub q fluids at home and off we went. Once Zane made it home, he went to sleep for a while. He did manage to potty outside before bed but he still wouldn't eat or drink.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-35809739339328219672008-05-22T07:08:00.005-04:002008-12-08T23:25:36.737-05:00Slightly overdue update...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9F_vs09I/AAAAAAAAADw/nZcf6LSrsWs/s1600-h/DSCF0169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz9F_vs09I/AAAAAAAAADw/nZcf6LSrsWs/s200/DSCF0169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223327947295609810" border="0" /></a><br />So two weeks have passed and no word from me.... lest Zane be alone in his pain, I too have developed my own set of cervical issues. I guess it's the price to pay for getting Zane through all of this. I have a degeneration problem at C4-C7. Sound familiar? Yup, that's Zane's problem area too. So for now, while I get frequent chiropractic adjustments, I avoid the computer since that seems to aggravate my neck pain the most. Before I sign off to wallow in my own self pity, I will post an update on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Zaniac</span>.<br />Backing up to Zane's knee issues....I took Zane out to Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Cary to see Dr. Clark and do a fresh biopsy of the knee. Dr. Clark showed me on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">xrays</span> where Zane's fall on April 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> caused the breakage of two little tines in his implant. His said that this was just a slight set back in healing. Damage to the implants could cause a feeling similar to a deep bruise. Zane took a pretty hard fall to break a titanium implant. He assured me that the implants were still secure and that the bone was healing all around them. Phew! He didn't even need to knock Zane out to do the biopsy. Zane is so good about procedures. He just stood there like no big deal. So pending the results of a bacteria free culture, Zane will be set to go for his final neck surgery.<br />During the time waiting for biopsy results from May 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> until May 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> when we saw Dr. Clark to draw a second <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">biopsy</span>, I saw days when Zane was more wobbly than others. The day we went out to Cary was one of the worst days for Zane. Without a doubt, we all knew that the second surgery would be necessary to relieve the pressure on Zane's spinal cord. I called Dr. Bergman and we scheduled the decompression/ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">laminectomy</span> for Tuesday May 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span>.<br />Over the weekend, Zane's knee continued to improve. Since he is on bed rest from the fusion surgery, we can't let him take any walks. I think this frustrates him a bit because he seems to feel pretty good most of the time. He gets up and down without wincing and seems relatively comfortable.<br />Surgery part 2 day arrived and I dropped Zane off at Carolina Veterinary Specialists at noon to prepare for his surgery. Dr. Bergman called me after surgery to let me know that Zane was in recovery. He said this had been a difficult procedure in that the area of surgery is in the deepest part of the neck. He prepared me for the possibility that this would be a set back for Zane. We would just have to wait until morning to see how much this would affect him and to be prepared as he may not be walking.<br />It was a long edgy night wondering how Zane would pull through this, his 3rd surgery in 2 months. One of Dr. Bergman's techs gave me a call first thing in the morning with a status update. Zane is up and walking! He's doing much better than expected. She said that they would like to keep Zane for one more night so that they could keep him on heavy duty pain <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">meds</span>. I set up an appointment to visit Zane at lunchtime. Two hours later they called back to let me know that Zane kept "breaking out" of his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">x</span> pen in ICU to hang with the techs. Dr. Bergman decided to release Zane to go home since he was so mobile.<br />I picked up a very groggy Zane in the afternoon. He couldn't stay standing for long. I did manage to get him home and in the house on my own. He slept <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">intermittently</span> for most of the evening with one trip outside to go potty. He had a lot of hind end weakness but could get to a standing position with help. He clearly has neck pain. He is wearing a pain patch to give him a nice continuous infusion of pain meds as well as taking Tramadol, Gapapentin, and Metacam. So now we just wait and see....again.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-19566160694585295432008-05-06T10:14:00.003-04:002008-05-06T17:14:28.473-04:00Wobbler's Surgery Part 2Today Zane is scheduled for the second part of his cervical surgery. This procedure is called a lateral laminectomy and involves shaving down a portion of a vertebrae or two to allow easier movement of the spinal cord. The surgeon will go in through the top of the neck for this procedure. The last surgery was done on the underside of the neck.<br /><br />We are back from the vet hospital. Yes, we, meaning Zane and I. I asked the doctor to take an xray of Zane's knee that he recently had surgery on. He has been limping on it more now than he was a couple of weeks ago. They take xrays of his neck after the surgery anyways so I didn't think it would be a big deal to do the knee then as well. Well, apparently Dr. Bergman was concerned about the knee as well and he chose to xray it before doing the spinal surgery. It turns out that Zane still has a lot of fluid in his knee surrounding one of the implants. They think this is a bone infection. So they biopsied the fluid and will culture it to see which antibiotics will be most effective in fighting the infection. Zane was on 3 different antibiotics for 3-4 weeks after his incision had opened up.<br />This is not good news. I will wait to hear from Dr. Clark (ortho surgeon) regarding the next steps in clearing up this lastest development. Dr. Bergman (neuro) noted that the implants sometimes need to be removed to allow the infection to clear. Yikes! Meanwhile, he is back on an antibiotic while we wait for the culture to grow.<br />The spinal surgery has now been postponed. Dr. Bergman did not want to risk having that infection move over to the new surgical site. He was very pleased at how well Zane is doing right now. He thinks that we possibly may not need to do the second surgery. We will wait and see how he does while the knee infection gets treated. So for now, everything is up in the air.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-68515453404906624972008-05-05T16:55:00.004-04:002008-12-08T23:25:36.919-05:00Gearing up for Round 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz8dDZngNI/AAAAAAAAADo/WOgXvNbV0xY/s1600-h/DSCF0283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz8dDZngNI/AAAAAAAAADo/WOgXvNbV0xY/s200/DSCF0283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223327243902091474" border="0" /></a><br />Zane is having a great day. He woke up about 1:30am for some pain pills and breakfast. He then slept the rest of the way through the night. He has had several potty trips outside and is walking better all the time. On his second trip outside he decided to lay out in the grass for a while. I pulled up a chair and enjoyed some quite time in the sun surrounded by the pack.<br />Zane has even figured out how to roll onto his back again. This is his favorite sleeping pose. I can tell that he is really comfortable when he is on his back and his "happy" tail is wagging away.<br />I am hoping that I can get some food in him this evening. He won't be able to eat tomorrow morning since he has surgery in the afternoon. He hasn't eaten all day but I think it is in protest. He hates the taste of the Tramadol pills and I think he thinks I am sneaking them into everything he eats now! If he would just swallow his food whole like Zoe and Daizee he wouldn't have to worry about biting into those bitter pills! Not Zane, though, he has to chew everything thoroughly...so he can spit out those nasty little pills.<br />Tomorrow's surgery is called a lateral laminectomy/decompression. This will involve shaving out the inside of C6-7. It will open up the spinal canal in that area to allow more room for the spinal cord to move without impingement. This surgery could take a little more immediate recovery time for Zane. He may not walk right away if there is a lot of swelling following the surgery. He will still have 2 months of total bed rest ahead of him.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-10604598864920480492008-05-04T22:19:00.000-04:002008-05-05T08:38:15.402-04:00Day 4Zane is quite a bit perkier today. He is occasionally eating canned food and Nature's Balance dog food rolls. He really likes those dog food rolls. They are like a dry summer sausage. They seem to be the easiest for him to chew. He still seems pretty uncoordinated with chewing and getting food out of a bowl. Zane likes for me to spoon feed him his canned food so I willingly oblige him!<br /><br />My biggest concern for him right now is his back left knee. He is favoring it and it creates problems for him when he is turning or getting up from a down position. Just a few days before his surgery, he fell down while barking. When he got back up, he held up his leg. I was concerned and called his surgeon but he was off for the day. The tech recommended upping his tramadol and felt that he was probably just sore from the fall. She reassured me that there is not much he could do to really mess things up from just falling over on his leg.<br /><br />Zane spent a good part of the afternoon laying in the shade on the back deck. Our back deck has all day sun so we bought a huge umbrella to shade part of the deck for the dogs. It's 11 feet across and sways with the breeze. The dogs seem to love it. We throw a few beds out there and close off the gates so everyone can take an afternoon nap.<br /><br />Zane's highlight of the evening was drinking fresh water from the bathroom faucet. I was surprised that he could comfortably move his neck that way but it clearly did not bother him. He was so happy with his fresh water that he repeatedly went to the faucet during the night for us to turn it on!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-16095808978308594182008-05-03T20:46:00.001-04:002008-12-08T23:25:37.131-05:00Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz8H9Ij0YI/AAAAAAAAADg/GVYk5l82-oo/s1600-h/DSCF0285.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz8H9Ij0YI/AAAAAAAAADg/GVYk5l82-oo/s200/DSCF0285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223326881442681218" border="0" /></a><br />This morning Zane had woken up in quite a bit of pain. Since we had to run Zeke into the vets to get his infected anal gland rechecked and drained, we decided to bring Zane in for a help me feel better shot. It wasn't the best day for this, a Saturday, and our vet was swamped. We had to wait an hour for the shot and Zane was totaled drained by the time we got him home. He was so drained that he couldn't even sit up to get out of the van. We got him out of the van and uprighted him, but his feet and brain were not working together. He just couldn't walk. We had to carry all 140 pounds of him into the house. We laid him down on his bed and he didn't even move. We hoped that we hadn't "broken" him carrying him into the house. I spent the next few hours napping on and off while checking to make sure Zane was still breathing. Any time he moved, he would groan and I would immediately wake up.<br /><br />Later in the afternoon, I offered him some food and he ate a little. I was out in the kitchen cleaning up his dishes when he suddenly came charging out of the bedroom. He had to go potty in a big way. We didn't make it outside in time before he released his first #2 since Wednesday. We did make it out in time for #1 thankfully.<br /><br />His energy seems to come in spurts like that. He went straight to his bed as soon as he got back in the house. The rest of the evening passed quietly. Thank goodness we didn't break him!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-15195724692253103002008-05-02T20:28:00.002-04:002008-12-08T23:25:37.319-05:00Day 2 Post Fusion Surgery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz7v7v0GVI/AAAAAAAAADY/36dT5897uho/s1600-h/DSCF0274.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SHz7v7v0GVI/AAAAAAAAADY/36dT5897uho/s200/DSCF0274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223326468753594706" border="0" /></a><br />Zane is hanging in there today. He is tired and sluggish and not overly interested in food. He didn't drink all day until the evening. He has made it outside to pee a few times. He heads outside energetically but runs out of steam very quickly. Twice I ended up sitting in the grass with him while he regained the strength to make it back into the house.<br />The technical name for Zane's surgery (part 1) is cervical distraction/fusion of C4-5, C5-6,and C6-7. He had a diskectomy done at these sites while titanium screws, bone cement and bone grafts from his shoulder were used to put things back together. We paid over $400 for those wonderful titanium screws (all 24 of them). The bone cement was $268. He has a ventral midline incision (underside) of his neck with about 25 staples. He has 4 staples closing the site where the bone grafts were removed from his right shoulder.<br />It is a little challenging to put a harness on Zane since the front straps rest on his incision site but he doesn't seem to mind. Collars are forever off limits with Zane. They could reinjure his neck. Last week Zane's good Ruffwear harness broke so I ordered him two replacements and they just finally arrived today.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-23223181289445895542008-05-01T08:47:00.003-04:002008-12-08T23:25:37.500-05:00Zane is walking!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SBm90TaU_oI/AAAAAAAAAC8/vjIjvCc0tt4/s1600-h/zDogz+055.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SBm90TaU_oI/AAAAAAAAAC8/vjIjvCc0tt4/s200/zDogz+055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195392351410126466" border="0" /></a><br />Good news this morning! Zane is already up and walking. The doctor says that he is doing as well as can be expected. Zane will stay at the hospital until early afternoon so that they can give him a few more doses of the really good pain meds. I am so relieved to know that he is able to get up on his own. I have been cautioned however, that next week's decompression surgery is the one that could set him back for a bit. So we will do a little happy dance for todays success and live in the moment!<br /><br />Zane is home now and resting. He clearly has pain and he holds his head very low and stiff. He has made it outside to potty twice and ate a can of food for dinner. So now he has finally laid down to rest.Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9205960073358644590.post-14659779395897010882008-04-30T14:32:00.005-04:002008-12-08T23:25:37.644-05:00The Big Day, part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SBi9aDaU_nI/AAAAAAAAAC0/q78qAuvYMbk/s1600-h/zDogz+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CwNL3kxl8LQ/SBi9aDaU_nI/AAAAAAAAAC0/q78qAuvYMbk/s200/zDogz+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195110425461849714" border="0" /></a><br />Well today is Zane's big surgery day. I could not be any more nervous about this but I am focusing on staying positive. Zane's surgeon just called to say that he would like to do the surgery in two stages. He will do the fusion today and then next week follow up with the laminectomy. He feels this will be less stressful to Zane as the surgery to do both procedures is over 4 hours long. He would prefer to not keep Zane under anesthesia that long. He also assured me that we would get Zane back home as soon as possible. He appreciates that Danes are a rather sensitive breed and feels that Zane would be less stressed at home. I feel better already....<br /><br />It's 5pm and I just got the call from the doctor that Zane's surgery went well. Zane is awake from the anesthesia and is resting. His xrays show that everything is as the doctor wants it. If he is not too painful tomorrow, he will be able to come home.<br /><br />I can't even begin to say how different the mood of the house is right now. All the other dogs are so quiet. Zoe has been sitting by the front door just watching the world go by. Of all of them, I would think she would appreciate the peace and quiet the most. Zeke and Daizee have been playing together a bit but mostly just sitting out on the deck. This morning, Daizee was so sweet. She knew that Zane was not feeling well and she gently nitched up and down his neck with her teeth. She was giving him a little massage that he was loving. Then she cleaned his ears for him!Greatful Daneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970411322568573897noreply@blogger.com0