[Adventurous]

For those of you who read about our rescue of Chewie the other day...Sweet Lady Chewie visited the vet today regarding her injured hind leg. Unfortunately, it was bad news. Her pelvis is broken in two places and she needs a massive surgery. Please consider donating to Chewie's surgery fund and share our page with dog lovers far and wide. Any donation helps. Thank you so much guys, it means a lot to us and will help save a good dog in need.

https://www.gofundme.com/chewiesstory

 

[Nick]

Tim, do you guys intend to keep her ?

 

[Adventurous]

Tim, do you guys intend to keep her ?

Short answer yes. Without getting into too many details, it appears that the injuries she sustained were not a result of her time in the woods.

 

[Serial Midget]

• Done.

 

[Adventurous]

• Done.

Thank you very much. We both big time appreciate the help.

 

[StiHacka]

Thank you for doing this @Adventurous. I've chipped in my little part and posted on FB. Best of luck to Chewie!

 

[stevew]

donated.

will revisit.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Done.

 

[Adventurous]

Thank you for doing this @Adventurous. I've chipped in my little part and posted on FB. Best of luck to Chewie!

donated.

will revisit.

Done.

Thank you to you 3 as well. I am humbled thus far by the support Chewie has received, especially from the Ridemonkey community. You guys are the best.

 

[SuboptimusPrime]

Done. Hope she is on the mend soon!

 

[jstuhlman]

yessir. perfect name, btw.

 

[Westy]

Done.

 

[Adventurous]

Done.

Thank you!

 

[jonKranked]

had to

 

[Pesqueeb]

In. You guys are doing a good thing.

 

[stoney]

I missed the beginning of this story. What happened?

edit: nevermind, read the story. And in.

 

[Adventurous]

In. You guys are doing a good thing.

I missed the beginning of this story. What happened?

edit: nevermind, read the story. And in.

Thank you @Pesqueeb and @stoney. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Ridemonkey is the best!

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

I saw Laura's mom donated last night, which is awesome. I'm hoping she spreads the word as well.

 

[Nick]

I kicked and spread the word to a few animal lover types.

 

[stoney]

Thank you @Pesqueeb and @stoney. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Ridemonkey is the best!

@Toshi and @johnbryanpeters A-gamed it. Extra cookies for the next ride.

 

[Adventurous]

I saw Laura's mom donated last night, which is awesome. I'm hoping she spreads the word as well.

You'll have to thank her on our behalf. It's amazing to see the number of people who step up when dogs are involved. I will say that this whole experience has changed my perspective and I'll be earmarking some dollars every month to donate to a good cause.

I kicked and spread the word to a few animal lover types.

Thank you Nick! I appreciate both efforts.

@Toshi and @johnbryanpeters A-gamed it. Extra cookies for the next ride.

I most definitely owe some beers. Whenever I see everyone next I've got the libations.

 

[Adventurous]

And the x-rays! I have no idea how to interpret these, perhaps someone out there does.

 

[stevew]

^

looks like some fuckstick kicked her.....uneducated guess....

 

[Westy]

What's her status

 

[Adventurous]

^

looks like some fuckstick kicked her.....uneducated guess....

Kinda what I was thinking. I suppose she could have received the same injury if she was hit by a car, but an 8 lb Yorkie gets run over, not hit and bounces off.

What's her status

She is in great spirits at the moment actually; runs around on 3 legs and is just enjoying being a dog.

The vet has come back to us with 5 different options. There's the wait and see option, the cut off the head of the femur option, fix one of the breaks and hope the other heals, fix the other break and see if the other one heals, and removal of the leg. There has been no consensus on what the right option for HER is, but they are trying to push us into the expensive, extensive surgery that isn't guaranteed successful.

We are getting a second opinion now. If I had to choose an option right now I would be in favor of the amputation as it's guaranteed successful and I don't believe it will be painful down the road or hamper her ability to move around. None of the other options are presenting themselves right now with a similar outcome.

 

[Pesqueeb]

And the x-rays! I have no idea how to interpret these, perhaps someone out there does.

View attachment 123473 View attachment 123474

@Toshi. Lay it on us doc!

 

[Toshi]

@Toshi. Lay it on us doc!

And the x-rays! I have no idea how to interpret these, perhaps someone out there does.

View attachment 123473 View attachment 123474

What are these, X-rays for ants?

Looks like a bad right pelvic fracture. Given that dogs can't drive and crash cars (which would be typically how we'd see these in people: leg vs dashboard) I'd suspect non-accidental trauma as well.

 

[Toshi]

Also, if this were a person this would not be an injury that'd require amputation. They'd fix the pelvis with plates and screws and if the femoral head is messed up (can't tell from the tiny photos, honestly) then possibly address that as well so as to stave off the inevitable arthritis.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Also, if this were a person this would not be an injury that'd require amputation. They'd fix the pelvis with plates and screws and if the femoral head is messed up (can't tell from the tiny photos, honestly) then possibly address that as well so as to stave off the inevitable arthritis.

I have enough titanium in my pelvis and leg to build a bike. Though my leg break wasn't so close to the pelvis/femoral head.

I know it's not your "area", but I wonder if maybe such surgery just isn't possible in such a small dog?

 

[jonKranked]

Also, if this were a person this would not be an injury that'd require amputation. They'd fix the pelvis with plates and screws and if the femoral head is messed up (can't tell from the tiny photos, honestly) then possibly address that as well so as to stave off the inevitable arthritis.

my company makes said hardware. just reading about those procedures....

 

[Adventurous]

I have enough titanium in my pelvis and leg to build a bike. Though my leg break wasn't so close to the pelvis/femoral head.

I know it's not your "area", but I wonder if maybe such surgery just isn't possible in such a small dog?

@Toshi is correct. One of the options they gave us was to plate the pelvis and then remove the head of the femur so it wouldn't put any pressure on the pelvis on that side. Apparently then the end of the femur grows scar tissue around it and I guess just sort of floats there? They did say they couldn't be 100% sure that the procedure wouldn't require them to go in a second time afterwards.

I guess the only reason I was thinking amputation was because it was an almost near guarantee that she wouldn't have pain or discomfort beyond the healing process and that it would be best for her long term prospects. Then again I haven't been to med school so what do I know.

 

[stevew]

if a dog that small were hit by a car...the xrays generally look like a dropped bottle..

 

[Toshi]

@Toshi is correct. One of the options they gave us was to plate the pelvis and then remove the head of the femur so it wouldn't put any pressure on the pelvis on that side. Apparently then the end of the femur grows scar tissue around it and I guess just sort of floats there? They did say they couldn't be 100% sure that the procedure wouldn't require them to go in a second time afterwards.

I guess the only reason I was thinking amputation was because it was an almost near guarantee that she wouldn't have pain or discomfort beyond the healing process and that it would be best for her long term prospects. Then again I haven't been to med school so what do I know.

The femoral head removal is the equivalent of a Girdlestone procedure for humans: https://radiopaedia.org/articles/girdlestone-procedure . Still done these days, usually for infected hip replacements. Some people with it can be remarkably functional.

If I were in that position I'd give that a try before lopping it all off, but then again I'm not a dog so don't know what I'd value in terms of quality of life.

 

[4130biker]

Done! Wishing your family and your new pup the best.

 

[Adventurous]

Done! Wishing your family and your new pup the best.

Thank you!

 

[jstuhlman]

new chewie update ftw!

 

[stoney]

We have a good, cheap vet in Golden. I'm getting info from Wifey for you.

 

[stoney]

Red Rocks animal center in lakewood
www.redrocksanimal.com

 

[Adventurous]

Red Rocks animal center in lakewood
www.redrocksanimal.com

Thanks!

We are seeking additional opinions now as the expense (both $$$ and impact to current and future quality of life) on her behalf outweigh the benefits of having them plate the hip at this time. The guy we spoke to yesterday, who is a friend of the wife's employer and was not being compensated for his opinion, said that at this time she should just rest up for a few weeks and we'll address it after that. Chances are the pelvis will heal up fine and they'll just do the girdlestone surgery Toshi was talking about. She may have a funny gait after that, but in his opinion plating the hip was completely unnecessary and would have dubious benefits.

Right now she's doing great and is hobbling around enjoying life. Much better than the woods I'm sure.

 

[stoney]

Thanks!

We are seeking additional opinions now as the expense (both $$$ and impact to current and future quality of life) on her behalf outweigh the benefits of having them plate the hip at this time. The guy we spoke to yesterday, who is a friend of the wife's employer and was not being compensated for his opinion, said that at this time she should just rest up for a few weeks and we'll address it after that. Chances are the pelvis will heal up fine and they'll just do the girdlestone surgery Toshi was talking about. She may have a funny gait after that, but in his opinion plating the hip was completely unnecessary and would have dubious benefits.

Right now she's doing great and is hobbling around enjoying life. Much better than the woods I'm sure.

The cost there vs. the place we go to in HR is drastically different. We had a growth removed and the did it for $125. The HR vet was quoting $400. Anything beyond basic, we drive up to see the Lakewood vet.