When our vet Dr. Brenda Culver came last Friday for our annual "cat day," she also brought three animals back from the clinic: Claude the blind Great Dane puppy, Spirit the paralyzed Yorkie, and Oscar the elderly, deaf miniature Dachshund. We got so caught up with Cinder the pregnant blind cat over the weekend I forgot I hadn't posted medical updates on these three.
Claude
It turns out that Claude has something called carpal laxity syndrome, which is weakness in the carpal ligaments. This is why he is still somewhat flat-footed, which contributes to his hunched appearance. The good news is that he should grow out of it. It certainly doesn't bother him at all, as you can see from these photos Alayne took. The first shot shows him sleeping on the cot by the ramp leading to our back door. (We built the ramp for our geriatric gang who struggled with even the two steps up to the door.)
And here's the close-up photo of that big squishy Dane nose smooshed right up against the post. I don't know about you, but I'd have a hard time sleeping like that! We have several cots with beds on them scattered around the yard, and they are Claude's favorite places to snooze.
Spirit
As for Spirit the little Yorkie with the paralyzed front legs, it turns out that her slurpy, noisy breathing is not from fistulas (or channels) running from her mouth into her nasal cavities. Unfortunately, X-rays showed she had suffered trauma to her face at some point in the past. (Not surprising, given her history of abuse.) The blows broke the catacomb-like (or sponge-like) turbinate bones that divide the nasal airway into separate air passages. The broken turbinates disrupt the airflow, causing the congested sound we hear when she breathes. Brenda says that Spirit will be okay and that surgery is not required, but it's hard to imagine this little thing getting hit in the face that hard. It just makes us cringe.
Oscar
Oscar the mini Doxie's oral surgery went fine, but his echocardiogram revealed a change in his heart rhythm. This means that down the road he will most likely need a pacemaker. Yes, you read that right: a pacemaker. <Sigh> We'll need to recheck his heart every few months to monitor this, but Brenda thought we had a while to go before taking that step.
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As for Cinder ... still only two kittens as of Monday morning! She remains very big, so if there's not another kitten waiting for us Tuesday morning, we're taking her in for X-rays to find out what's going on inside.
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(Click on photos for larger image.)
The moment that I first held Spirit in my arms, I knew that she longed for one human being to love her and take care of her. I had tears of joy and of sadness when I left your Sanctuary. I know, without a doubt that she will be loved for the rest of her days by dedicated , wonderful, loving people like you. Denise, Phyllis and I want to thank you again for being so kind.
Posted by: Phyllis and John | September 14, 2006 at 09:16 PM
claude is the sweetest dog, i fell in love with him, i am glad to hear he willl out grow some of his problems.....sweet dreams
Posted by: kim | September 14, 2006 at 07:21 PM
claude looks beautiful.
i enjoy reading your site, the work you do is awesome.
Posted by: charlie | September 13, 2006 at 02:26 PM
Love the photos of Claude! The close up looks like he's sniffing out termites and fell asleep on the job.
Hearing more stories of Spirit's abuse makes me happier knowing she'll have winged wheels soon so she can litteraly fly around and finally enjoy helself...in safety!
Since oral and heart health are related, perhaps Oscar's oral surgery will positively affect his heart. I'll hope for that anyway.
Hope you find a third kitten Tuesday morning, too.
That would be a great start to the day!
Posted by: Leilani | September 12, 2006 at 09:29 AM