Dog owners: Give your friend a hug tonight...

Man, where to start? My wife and I aquired our female English Mastiff 6 1/2 years ago. A beautiful brindle color which we promptly named Tiger Lily - Lily for short.

Lily has been the most loving and sweet dog I could have ever hoped for. Granted, she is 200 lbs. and can be quite intimidating to the average passerby, but she is really just a princess who thinks she is a lap dog.

All seemed well until January of '07 when I came home one day to find Lily standing on only three legs. She couldn't put any weight on her right hind leg and seemed to be in quite a bit of discomfort. I consulted with her veterinarian the following day, and upon examination he referred me to the Teaching Hospital at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. We took Lily down a couple of days later and were devestated to find out the she had broken her ACL and would require what is called a TPLO surgery.

So, without much choice, we left Lily in Stillwater and she had her surgery the following day. $4,000 and three months of recovery (which is normal) she was fine. We were warned, however, that Lily's left hind leg also showed signs of fatigue and that is was likely that the ACL in that leg would also eventually tear and she would need another TPLO. However, 2 1/2 years had gone by and everything seemed fine. Until two weeks ago.

Last Monday I took Lily back to OSU for an examination of her left hind leg. Sure enough, the ACL was broken and she would need to go through a second TPLO surgery. Once again, I left Lily in Stillwater and she underwent the procedure on Tuesday. The doctor called Tuesday afternoon to say everything went well and that Lily was resting comfortably. We agreed that I would come back down on Friday and bring our 200 lb. baby home. However, at 7:00 on Wednesday evening the surgeon called and said that he was concerned about Lily's right hind leg. Apparently when she stood to walk the right leg essentially "frog legged" out to the side and she was unable to bear any weight on the leg. So basically she couldn't put any weight on either hind leg. The surgeon surmised that during the three hour surgery that the prior-repaired leg had hung to the side and simply stretched out a tendon or nerve but that it should correct itself within a couple of days. But again, he wasn't convinced of this and was very concerned for her long-tern well-being.

At this point (Wednesday evening) it was apparent that Lily wouldn't be well enough to come home on Friday, so I took Thursday afternoon off and made the 1 1/2 drive to Stillwater to spend some time with her. The doctors were still baffled and concerned at this point and didn't have any idea what to expect.

And again today (Saturday), my wife and I made the drive to Stillwater to once again spend time with our "little girl" knowing full well that she wouldn't be coming home yet. We spent only 30 minutes with her today but it was obvious that she very much appreciated the visit and was desperately looking for me to take her home.

So over four days after Lily's surgery the doctors still have no solid answers on what caused this ailment of the right hind leg, nor do they have any ideas on how to fix it. Bear in mind, though, that these people are top-notch and have been nothing but compassionate and helpful during the 2 1/2 years of my dealings with them. I don't blame them in any way for this situation because I know this is a freak injury and one that they haven't seen or had any reason to be prepared for. They understand my frustrations and concerns and are doing everything they can to get Lily back up on her feet.

But here is my biggest concern - what if Lily doesn't recover? Her current state can't become indefinate because she needs to rehab her repaired left hind leg. And as of yet, the only thing they can do with her is under-water treadmill sessions twice a day. But that's not enough.

Sorry for the long and rambling post, but those of you with dogs close to your heart will surely understand my panic and guilt. So give your friend(s) a hug tonight and tell them that you love them, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

Here are a few pics of Lily today:

 

Sorry to hear that they are not just dogs or pets they truly are one of the family.

 

I'll say a little for Lilly's recovery. Don't worry about the long post, it's good to have a place to vent.

 

sorry to hear man. heres hoping for the best

 

sorry to hear about lily. she is a beautiful dog and i wish ily and you the best!

 

Awwww, hope she gets better! I have two dogs and I got ym haircut and they don't recognize me anymore.

 

I hope all goes well for Lilly!

I have a beagle/basset hound mix who at 13 years old, going on 14 pretty soon here, and is still going strong. At 8 years old, he had his left rear ACL surgically reattached. Although he has never fully regained the muscle that was present before the tear, he gets around just fine and seems to be doing well. There weren't many people around that were willing to operate due his past history, but with a little luck we found a wonderful vet who helped us out.

Best of luck on the recovery!

 

Good luck with Lilly. Hopefully they will figure out what it is and help her.

GA

 

Thank you for the kind words everyone. It's true that dogs (at least in our home) are much closer to children than pets. In fact, my wife and I don't have kids (something we agreed on 15 years ago) and consequently our dogs ARE our children.

Thank you again for keeping Lily in your thoughts.

 

Good luck to you and Lily. I hope the best for both of you.

200 pounds!!! dang, she's a big girl.

 

she's a great looking dog! I hope the poor girl gets better soon. Hang in there, I bet it's tough on you, hopefully things will turn out for the best and she will be home soon enough.

 

Hope your baby gets better soon and you can bring her home. for her recovery.

They are members of the family, not just a pet.

 

dont worry lily will be alright, as long as you visit her she will be happy and im pretty damn sure she was super happy to see you guys there. these dogs are not just pets, they are just like family .

 

So sorry about your dog. She looks a lot like my Aslan and I know how much they grow on you. Mastiffs are gentle giants and are truly a pleasure to have.

 

Im sorry to hear what you are going through my two dogs are my life. On the same page of your story my room mate in college had a 6year old boxer who was about 120lbs and he tore his ACL in the hind leg and the vet told my friend that the surgery for his dog in his case would not help, bruno the boxer recovered from it healing on his own every now and again would have a small limp but he lived to be 10 and had to be put down from a brain tumor. Either way I wish your family and lilly the best and Im sure you will have great years to come with your 4 leeged friend.

 

Prayers to you and your Lily, from me and my Lily.

 

I gave my Lily a hug, give your Lily a hug for me too!

 

Best wishes for Lily's recovery. SHe's a beauty! Sorry she had to go through all of this (and you and your wife too!).

 

Thanks so much! I'll be sure to give Lily a big hug for you and yours when I see her again on Wednesday.