December 29, 2008

A Little Limping = A Big Problem

Wrigley had a doctors appointment this morning and I asked the doctor to check out her back and hips. Lately she seems to be sore after a big play session, and has been slowing down a bit here and there. Sure enough, she has hip dysplasia and arthritis. The doctor believe she has quite a severe case and we have been referred to an orthopaedic surgeon which we will be heading to on Friday. We won't know for sure what the future treatment will be for her, but her vet seems to think a total hip replacement might be necessary.

Wrigley has always been a tough cookie and it appears that her hips have been worsening over time but she has just simply endured any sort of inconvenience and/or pain. We only notice the real issue after a day at daycare. We know she plays hard ... enough so that the employees (kindly) refer to her as "crazy" or "psycho" and as she gets older we just thought that her body wasnt as strong as it used to be. She gets home and she is in a great mood, but she is tired. And she has had difficulty walking a bit, and a lot of difficulty getting up and down. Now we know why :(

Hopefully we can get moving on any process to help her a.s.a.p., but I'm most worried about the liklihood that we will need to restrict her activity. If you know Wrigley, you know why!

3 comments:

Aron said...

oh no!!! i hope she is ok :( how old is she?? its so hard that animals get older so much faster than humans. hope the dr appt goes well.

lifestudent said...

She's only 5. Getting up there in years, but by no means "old" ... and she has the heart of a puppy :)

Aron said...

oh she isnt old at all :( i have a lab who will be 3 in march so i definitely know the heart of a puppy. well i hope she is ok!