Scully tore her CCL at the IFD tournament in Amana on Sunday, the 29th.


She knocked over the second jump, crashed into the third and got her
right hind foot pinned between the top slat and the base as she tumbled,
taking the entire jump with her. Then she just layed there, made no
effort to free herself or get up. My daughter was the first one to her
side, shoving aside a judge who outmassed her by at least 100 lbs to get
to her dog.

A vet who was racing in the next ring grabbed her kit and ran over and
did a quick assessment, concluding that she had only deep pain responses
and faulty proception in her hind legs, probably indicating a spinal injury.

We rushed her to the emergency clinic in Cedar Rapids and that vet felt
that the injury was probably orthopedic and just hurt so goddamn bad
that Scully, an extremely stoic dog, was only willing to react to the
most painful of stimuli.

We packed up and drove straight home and saw our own vet first thing
Monday morning. She assessed Scully and looked as worried as I've ever
seen her in the 22 years she's cared for my dogs. She felt that the
injury was neurological and told us she'd call ahead to Columbia and let
them know we were en route with an emergency spinal injury admission.

I whiteknuckled it the 90 miles to Columbia with my daughter riding
shotgun, wondering if the window of opportunity had closed for the
administration of steroids to prevent the cascade of neurological damage
from a spinal injury, trying not to imagine her incontinent, with her
hind end in a cart.

At Columbia a resident assessed her, and is par for the course, they
took her away. We were not allowed to accompany her. After the better
part of two hours, the resident reappeared and said that the neurology
department felt that her injury was orthopedic; something wrong with her
right stifle. Her spinal radiographs were unremarkable and they were
calling in ortho for a consult.

A couple of hour more and they called us back in. Scully's x-rays
showed fluid build-up in the right knee consistent with a tear of the
cranial cruciate ligament. As I was phoning to update family and
friends, a woman in the waiting room turned around, tapped me on the
shoulder and handed me an agility magazine folded open to an article on
tears of the CCL - the most common injury among performance dogs.

We are seeing an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. From what i have heard
from other flyball and agility people, the procedure she will most
likely undergo is called a TPLO - tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. 6
weeks of strict crate rest and months of slow rehab after that.

I wouldn't care if Scully never raced again but she *would*. No matter
how discreetly we try to sneak off, hiding the harnesses, taking the
other dogs out the back door, she still knows what's up and it breaks my
heart to see her sitting in her crate. Now that the acute pain of the
initial injury has faded, she doesn't understand why she can't go. And
so we're going to do everything we can to bring her back, if not 100%,
then as far as we possibly can.

Advice, anecdotes and positive thoughts are most welcome.

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
Scully tore her CCL at the IFD tournament in Amana on Sunday, the 29th.


She knocked over the second jump, crashed into the third and got her
right hind foot pinned between the top slat and the base as she tumbled,
taking the entire jump with her. Then she just layed there, made no
effort to free herself or get up. My daughter was the first one to her
side, shoving aside a judge who outmassed her by at least 100 lbs to get
to her dog.

A vet who was racing in the next ring grabbed her kit and ran over and
did a quick assessment, concluding that she had only deep pain responses
and faulty proception in her hind legs, probably indicating a spinal
injury.

We rushed her to the emergency clinic in Cedar Rapids and that vet felt
that the injury was probably orthopedic and just hurt so goddamn bad
that Scully, an extremely stoic dog, was only willing to react to the
most painful of stimuli.

We packed up and drove straight home and saw our own vet first thing
Monday morning. She assessed Scully and looked as worried as I've ever
seen her in the 22 years she's cared for my dogs. She felt that the
injury was neurological and told us she'd call ahead to Columbia and let
them know we were en route with an emergency spinal injury admission.

I whiteknuckled it the 90 miles to Columbia with my daughter riding
shotgun, wondering if the window of opportunity had closed for the
administration of steroids to prevent the cascade of neurological damage
from a spinal injury, trying not to imagine her incontinent, with her
hind end in a cart.

At Columbia a resident assessed her, and is par for the course, they
took her away. We were not allowed to accompany her. After the better
part of two hours, the resident reappeared and said that the neurology
department felt that her injury was orthopedic; something wrong with her
right stifle. Her spinal radiographs were unremarkable and they were
calling in ortho for a consult.

A couple of hour more and they called us back in. Scully's x-rays
showed fluid build-up in the right knee consistent with a tear of the
cranial cruciate ligament. As I was phoning to update family and
friends, a woman in the waiting room turned around, tapped me on the
shoulder and handed me an agility magazine folded open to an article on
tears of the CCL - the most common injury among performance dogs.

We are seeing an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. From what i have heard
from other flyball and agility people, the procedure she will most
likely undergo is called a TPLO - tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. 6
weeks of strict crate rest and months of slow rehab after that.

I wouldn't care if Scully never raced again but she *would*. No matter
how discreetly we try to sneak off, hiding the harnesses, taking the
other dogs out the back door, she still knows what's up and it breaks my
heart to see her sitting in her crate. Now that the acute pain of the
initial injury has faded, she doesn't understand why she can't go. And
so we're going to do everything we can to bring her back, if not 100%,
then as far as we possibly can.

Advice, anecdotes and positive thoughts are most welcome.

Of course I am deeply saddened to hear this news, but grateful that it is
treatable.

My Hadji (now deceased) blew out his ACL at about six. It, too, was a long
recovery, six weeks of total rest in the crate, only out to eliminate.
After that, very limited time on a leash. It actually took about nine
months from him to "completely" recover.

The hardest part of course, was the "why can't I go"? look on his face. that
was just for walks, he was just a big husky/chow mix. And why couldn't he
sleep in bed with us? Carrying him up and down stairs wasn't a picnic - he
weighed 65 pounds.

I used to comfort myself thinking that it was only because we loved each
other fiercely - he was MY dog - that it carried us both through.

Please keep us updated. Best of luck for a complete recoevery.

Kind regards,
(the)duckster

In article ,
Kathleen wrote:

Advice, anecdotes and positive thoughts are most welcome.

I have no advice or anecdotes, but believe me, there are a lot of
positive thoughts being sent your way.
--
Kevin Michael Vail | Dogbert: That's circular reasoning.
| Dilbert: I prefer to think of it as no loose ends.

Kathleen wrote:

Scully tore her CCL at the IFD tournament in Amana on Sunday, the 29th.


Or so we were told by two of the four vets who had evaluated her to date.

The orthopedic surgeon we saw today believes that Scully suffered a
spinal stroke that was the cause of her crash and subsequent symptoms -
not a consequence of the crash.

And, oh hey, by the way, her left hip is B*A*D in spite of clear X-rays
done at age 2 1/2 and a complete lack of symptoms.

But, good news, no problem with her right knee, no surgery necessary.

She has begun Adequan injections and a course of doxycycline (sp?) due
to my daughter having found and removed a large albeit dead tick from
her right hip immediately prior to the race when she crashed - she'd
been treated with Frontline less than 2 weeks A tick panel done in
Columbia was totally negative but her symptoms, diagnoses and history
were bizarre enough that this vet and I were happier covering all bases.

Needless to say, I am reeling. I am grateful that I didn't take her
back to Columbia and let them saw a wedge off of her tibia, as they had
advised and planned. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, like a
near miss at a railroad crossing. Dear god, what if...

5 vets, all competent, highly recommended... 2 votes for traumatic
spinal injury, 2 votes for torn knee ligament, 1 vote for spinal stroke
(which, I guess, counts as a spinal injury).

But, but, but.... Goddamn it all to hell! Where is my consensus of
authoritative opinions? Where are my definitive answers?

On 2008-07-15 21:10:21 -0400, Kathleen said:

Where is my consensus of authoritative opinions? Where are my
definitive answers?

I'm so sorry that you all have to go through this. I wish things were
clearer and you had answers instead of questions...

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
Kathleen wrote:

Scully tore her CCL at the IFD tournament in Amana on Sunday, the 29th.


Or so we were told by two of the four vets who had evaluated her to date.

The orthopedic surgeon we saw today believes that Scully suffered a spinal
stroke that was the cause of her crash and subsequent symptoms - not a
consequence of the crash.

And, oh hey, by the way, her left hip is B*A*D in spite of clear X-rays
done at age 2 1/2 and a complete lack of symptoms.

But, good news, no problem with her right knee, no surgery necessary.

She has begun Adequan injections and a course of doxycycline (sp?) due to
my daughter having found and removed a large albeit dead tick from her
right hip immediately prior to the race when she crashed - she'd been
treated with Frontline less than 2 weeks A tick panel done in Columbia
was totally negative but her symptoms, diagnoses and history were bizarre
enough that this vet and I were happier covering all bases.

Needless to say, I am reeling. I am grateful that I didn't take her back
to Columbia and let them saw a wedge off of her tibia, as they had advised
and planned. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, like a near miss at
a railroad crossing. Dear god, what if...

5 vets, all competent, highly recommended... 2 votes for traumatic spinal
injury, 2 votes for torn knee ligament, 1 vote for spinal stroke (which, I
guess, counts as a spinal injury).

But, but, but.... Goddamn it all to hell! Where is my consensus of
authoritative opinions? Where are my definitive answers?



Wow. Am I correct in that this happened during flyball?
I can't say that I've ever heard of a spinal stroke. I hate when the
professionals all have differing opinions.

Good thoughts coming from our end.

Sue and Atty

Kathleen wrote:
Kathleen wrote:


5 vets, all competent, highly recommended... 2 votes for traumatic
spinal injury, 2 votes for torn knee ligament, 1 vote for spinal stroke
(which, I guess, counts as a spinal injury).

But, but, but.... Goddamn it all to hell! Where is my consensus of
authoritative opinions? Where are my definitive answers?

Ah, man - that really makes it difficult. I can only imagine
what you're going through. I hope the course of treatments works
for her.

Why adequan? It works well for arthritis, but what is it being
used to treat here?

FurPaw

--
The plural of anecdote is not proof.

To reply, unleash the dog.

Sue and Atty wrote:


Wow. Am I correct in that this happened during flyball?

Yeah. First heat of the first race on Sunday morning. She'd run all
day Saturday with no problems; we'd taken first in our division. Scully
has been racing for 6 years and I've never seen a more horrific crash.


I can't say that I've ever heard of a spinal stroke.

I know a man who had one. He went through hell trying to get a
diagnosis. The doctors called it everything from MS to malingering
before figuring it out.

I hate when the
professionals all have differing opinions.

Good thoughts coming from our end.

Thanks.

FurPaw wrote:

Kathleen wrote:

Kathleen wrote:



5 vets, all competent, highly recommended... 2 votes for traumatic
spinal injury, 2 votes for torn knee ligament, 1 vote for spinal
stroke (which, I guess, counts as a spinal injury).

But, but, but.... Goddamn it all to hell! Where is my consensus of
authoritative opinions? Where are my definitive answers?


Ah, man - that really makes it difficult. I can only imagine what
you're going through. I hope the course of treatments works for her.

Why adequan? It works well for arthritis, but what is it being used to
treat here?

The arthritic left hip, diagnosed basically by accident during the
course of her exam today.

"Kathleen" wrote in message
...
Sue and Atty wrote:


Wow. Am I correct in that this happened during flyball?

Yeah. First heat of the first race on Sunday morning. She'd run all day
Saturday with no problems; we'd taken first in our division. Scully has
been racing for 6 years and I've never seen a more horrific crash.

I'm always nervous when Atty runs. Luckily we've (Atty) had nothing more
than a broken top rail. We did have a sliced open pad when one of our dogs
slid her foot under the box (as far as we can figure). Granted, she's not
been running more than about 2 years and has only been in 1 competition.

I don't know if I'd rather the crash be a result of the health issue or the
health issue be a result of the crash - not that either is good, or that it
really matters.

How scarey (gee, is that an understatement or what?)



Sue and Atty