Mazz

Oh my gosh, he is adorable.  Congrats.

From this point forward, Rob will be known to all, as THE COOKIE MONSTER!

Zoya weighs about 60 pounds.  The vet that did the surgery, does seminars for the Veterinary College at Iowa State, on the traditional procedure.  So he's considered one of the best at performing this type of surgery in our area.  That is why I felt confident in going this route.  If it were some other vet, I probably would have gone with the TPLO  procedure.

Please keep us updated on Ciba if you don't mind.  It must really pull at your heartstrings to see him like this.  Brighter days are ahead, however.

Run free Rex.  RIP

Some dogs, even some Huskies, are like that.  We had three this past year, one was aloof towards other dogs and other people.  One was interested and wanted to meet other dogs and people.  And the third, he just want to hide and bark at other dogs and other people.

5 hours ago, Andy said:

Mine updated with no hitches about 4 days ago.

Yeah, but you're special.

1.Do huskies get matted hair for not being groomed or is that more of a problem in longer haired dogs?  Some can.  Those that are woolies can get matted fur.  Some Huskies have longer hair, and they too can become matted.  Both of ours are short hair Huskies, so it's not an issue.

2. Is it bad that people don't brush their huskies?  I know a lot of people in Houston that don't ever brush their huskies and it looks pretty gross that their hair is sticking out in so many places. I've had so many people tell me they never brush their huskies so I'm just curious what is your view on that?  (Usually those people have shorter haired huskies than the norm but still -- I've had some medium coated husky owners tell me they don't groom their dogs except for before bathing) To each their own.  When Huskies are blowing their coats, you can brush them and an hour later, they look like they've never seen a brush.  

3. And Last Question -- If I see a husky with tufts all over, is that poor grooming or just s/he is blowing the coat so much the handler can't keep up?  (Jelly has never blown her coat with tufts so I don't know what to think! And on top of that, I brush her daily which led me to the possible wrong assumption that huskies with so many tufts showing aren't groomed that often (?) )  Tufts are usually from coat blowing.  At least with ours that has been my experience.

Oh how I feel your pain Justin.  Welcome to the forum by the way.  Our Zoya tore (ruptured) her cruciate ligament in her right leg, last December 31st.  Our vet did the exam a few hours later and confirmed the injury.  We kept Zoya, who was 6-1/2 years old at the time, on Rimadyl for ten days, along with a pain medication that we gave to her three times daily. The vet wanted her to get accustomed to maneuvering on three legs, and to let the pain from the injury subside.  Following the initial exam, he gave me information on the three types of surgery they do in our area. After ten days, he re-examined the knee, and we scheduled surgery.

 Of the three types of surgery, not sure of the names, two of them involved cutting the bone, screwing either a plate or a wedge, and have a recovery time of about 4 - 6 weeks.  The other method, which is what we opted for, is much less expensive because there is not a patent fee involved, and involves wrapping the joint with a high-strength suture material.  This third, less expensive procedure, has a 4 - 6 month full recovery period. I spoke to our vet and several other vets in our area.  (Our vet does not do surgery on this type of injury.)  Our vet and several others said the surgery that involves the plate, they use an arced saw and cut the top of the lower bone off, rotate the top forward, and screw the plate to both parts to secure.  The surgery that involves the wedge, they cut vertically down through the lower leg bone, insert the wedge, and secure with two screws.  The traditional method, using the high-strength suture works well for dogs that are small to medium size.  Huskies fall into the medium size arena.  Both our vet and the vet that did the surgery on Zoya, indicated the other two methods, while more expensive, have about the same success rate as the traditional method.  Both also told me, that 50% of the dogs who tear one cruciate ligament, eventually tear the other.

So, like I stated, we opted for the less expensive, high-strength suture surgery.  Our cost was $1400.  The other two methods ranged from $2800 for the wedge to $3400 for the plate.  Zoya was back to using all four legs by about two and a half months, except when running.  At about four months, she was back to her normal active lifestyle.  I spoke with several people I know that had the plate type surgery done on their dogs, and they both indicated the winter time was a bit uncomfortable for their dogs, and that they could not let them be out in the cold for very long.  They also said that at times, the screws or plate, seems to bother their dogs.

It is a traumatic event for both you and your dog.  But, after the surgery, you just have to take things slow, and let the healing take affect.  We used cold packs on the surgery area, followed by warm packs.  That helps draw the blood to the area.  The vet that performed the surgery, also did after surgery laser therapy on Zoya's knee to help promote quicker healing.

I'm not saying that the type of surgery we opted for, is better than the alternatives, or that you should go with the procedure we chose.  That decision is between you and your vet.  I just hope that I've given you helpful information so you can make the best decision for Ciba.  If you have other questions or concerns, please post in this thread, and I or someone will try to address those questions or concerns.  Good luck on everything.  

Does not matter what they call it. The important thing is what you have accomplished.  

I thought the wide part was where you sit at when taking a bath.  

He is one lucky dog.  You can just see the difference in his body language.  He seems so much more at ease now.  Good for you Jos.  

If one is fixed and the other not, that could be the cause, or if both are not fixed, that could also be the cause.  UTI as Tina indicated.  If one has it and pees, the other will pee even if he's not suffering from UTI.  If a dog from a previous resident had peed in the general area, and the odor is still availing itself to your dogs, that could be the cause.  Just some other ideas.  Best to eliminate one at a time til hopefully, you'll come to the underlying cause.

We have a unit like that.  Not to dry them off so much, but to strip out the fur that has let go when they blow their coats.

Looks like it may be a wolf.  Or a wolf hybrid.

RIP Diesel.  Never easy to see them suffer. Never easy to let them go. Always near to the heart. Always a part of your soul.

Sorry for your loss Krystal.  

Sorry for your loss Jenn.  Sometimes, people are not very understanding.  Sure, they seem the kind of person you want for a friend, on the outside, but it's what is on the inside that really matters.  I certainly am in no position to give advice, other than to say, sometimes you simply have to move on and leave those type of friends in your past.

And I thought I was the nutcase. Looks like it's the dawg.

Wow!  She looks to be a real sweetheart. Welcome.  Love the pics.  By the way, she's not spoiled by any chance?  Just asking.

Allergy meds.

Congratulations on getting Dex.  What a handsome lad.

Moving is hard work.

Congratulations.  Getting a new puppy is pretty exciting. Also pretty challenging. But oh so worth the effort.

The bath is going to be neat when YOU get it all finished.  

Gas for my 2015 Ford F150.

Boddington's, 4 bags of frozen bangers (linconshire, cumberland and pork), salt & Vinegar crisps and some other English stuff...

Salt & Vinegar Crisps (aka Chips in the US) are my favorite.