Poor Buster Bear. Through some act of rambunctiousness, he has pulled a tendon and a small piece of bone off of his left shoulder. He is in pain and has been limping for weeks.
A couple of weeks ago, we had his teeth cleaned. While he was under sedation, the vet took x-rays of the affected shoulder and sent them to a veterinary radiologist and then a veterinary surgeon to have a look. The verdict: Not Good.
We’re going the conservative route first, which is to keep Buster on a lead in the yard, in his kennel, or in the house at all times. Essentially, he is to have as little activity as possible. He is on a reduction diet to try to drop about 10 lbs. In 4 to 6 weeks, we’ll see how he’s doing.
If he limbers up and the limp goes away, then we can gradually increase his activity level while monitoring his shoulder until he is back to normal. However, the fear is that the joint (and the broken piece of bone with now-detached tendon) with begin to calcify as opposed to heal, impairing his movement even further.
That brings us to the big money resolution, which is surgery. He’ll have to have an MRI beforehand and then a long period of recovery afterward, on a lead in the yard, in the kennel, or in the house at all times. It could be a very tough summer for Mr. Buster Bear Cook.
My hope is that he will be able to run with me again by next summer, one way or the other. Until then, I’m giving him all the love I can, sedately.
My poor Pooh Bear. He’s like one of my children, and I so wish I could make it better.
*”Buboose” is how Charles says “Buster.” And lately, Charles adds “too” onto the end of every declarative sentence.
2 comments:
Poor puppers. It's so hard when they can't tell you exactly what's up.
Sorry to hear about your furry baby. What a difficult spot to be in. I hope he heals up and you don't have to do the surgery thing.
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