Mariah took three dogs to the vet today that spanned the range of breeds at the ranch, from smallest to largest. She's holding Oscar the miniature Dachshund, who is going in for dental work and oral surgery. In the crate on the left is little Spirit the paralyzed Yorkie, also due for dental work.
On the right is Claude the blind Great Dane puppy, who was scheduled for an orthopedic and neurological exam by our internal medicine specialist in Helena, Dr. Britt Culver. We've become increasingly concerned as we've watched Claude grow in the past few weeks. Danes can be prone to spinal and orthopedic development issues, and we're worried by how his body is developing.
The rescue group that first pulled him from the Sacramento animal shelter told us that he was very flat-footed when they got him, but he had improved by the time he arrived here thanks to a proper diet. (Some of the orthopedic development problems occur because people feed these giant breed puppies a diet with too much protein, leading to bigger and heavier bodies than their young bones and muscles can support.) Although Claude is still a bit flat-footed, our main concern now is that his spine is becoming more curved, and his shoulders and hips are lower than the center of his back. He was pretty much like this when he came, but not only has he not improved, we think it's becoming a bit more pronounced. Hence the need for a comprehensive exam.
So Mariah drove the gang the 70 miles to Helena and reviewed their issues with the vet staff before making the return trip to the ranch. Brenda Culver, our primary care vet and Britt's wife, will bring Oscar, Spirit and Claude back on Friday when she comes out to do the annual exams on the cats.
(Click on photo for larger image.)
Maria, is so awesome with the animals, you are very blessed to have her on your team.
Posted by: kim | September 14, 2006 at 07:23 PM