Around the 'hood

Me and Stella went to the dog park yesterday for a while. There was only one two-and-a-half year old English Bulldog there. Very fat. Her owner came there to have lunch and to let her "run around for a while". The two of them shared a good many saltine crackers, some cheese and a couple of Smokey Joe beef sticks. The Bulldog paid no attention to Stella. She sat at her owner's feet waiting patiently for handouts.
Stella (oddly) sat at my feet (sans leash) and watched them. When the Bulldog waddled away, Stella ventured over to try her hand at the begging. This was a new experience for her as she doesn't ever beg at home (I know, sounds crazy right?) So there she was and I knew the guy was going to give her something without so much as a glance in my direction. After a minute more of reading his book, he reached over, petted her head and handed her a saltine cracker, which - God bless her - she dropped on the ground and left there. It was all I could do not to stand up and cheer. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd have let her have the cracker. Some of you may recall she was brought up on pizza. I was just happy he hadn't offered her that shrink wrapped heart attack they call a beef stick.

There's a new dog that moved into the house that joins our back yard. I don't know it's name yet but it barks a lot. The new owners put up a privacy fence but since their yard is on a hill and my yard is on an opposing hill, the only real view the dog has - is my yard. We don't have a fence but I do some gardening and Stella is usually out there with me, rolling around in the grass, which drives the cooped up neighbor dog insane. Maybe we'll take them a basket of muffins and talk about a play date.

Speaking of insane, last night there was a female fox in our neighborhood who was out trolling for men. These critters make a noise not easily forgotten by humans and other animals. It's an understatement to say that it sounds like someone is murdering puppies and the screaming seems to go on forever. Knowing what it is doesn't make it any easier to hear it either. I'd be surprised if nobody on the street behind me called the cops. When it first started, Stella jumped up out of a deep sleep and started trotting through the house hyperventilating and occasionally crying out into the darkened windows. Before long all the dogs in the neighborhood were barking and it went on for ten or fifteen minutes. I hope she got got lucky so we don't have to go through that again.

A year ago today, Stella was coming home from her first knee surgery. I hope we don't have to go through that again either but I'm looking forward to us finally getting to walk in some decent weather for a change.

Shopping Tip
I want to mention a couple of dog-friendly antique shops I found in Nolensville, TN on Friday. The Roost and Three French Hens are side by side and owned by the same pair of women. These ladies did not hesitate for a single second to invite me and the Pit Bull into their shop. I was pretty impressed. Next Saturday is the Buttercup Festival in Nolensville so be sure to stop in and see them if you go. Here's a link to their blog and a map to get you there.

The Final Countdown

I didn't get nervous until the girl reached for Stella's leash. She completely locked her legs and gave me a terrified look I hadn't seen before. The one that said:

"Aren't you going to do something? I thought you were my friend."

I don't mind saying, it rattled me a little. I didn't blame her. Fifty percent of the times we've been in this room, Stella's woken up the next day with staples in her leg. Reluctantly, she gave up and went on for what would hopefully be her final x-ray. I meanwhile, stared a hole through that framed poster on the wall. You know the one. It's a long raggedy couch with nine golden retriever puppies sitting on it. Almost all of them are looking into the camera. Some variation of it is in every doctor's office. Had I been to see my own doctor, it would've been a row of babies sitting in goofy-ass flower pots with sunflowers on their heads. Same picture.

The longer I sat there the less cute they got. My eyes moved to a different wall where there was a poster of internal details of the canine skeleton. I tried to see the dog's kneecaps without getting up. I could hear Stella's surgeon talking to a woman in the next room about the exact same operation. The clock ticked on and I began to wonder if they were having trouble getting her to hold still, if they'd eventually come back to tell me she had to be sedated, or if the pins escaped without my knowing it. Finally, as I was deep off into the daymare of lost pins, bone fragments, and eight to twelve more weeks of recovery, the door opened. Her doctor entered the room and happily announced that her x-ray was perfect. It had taken a few minutes longer because it looked so good he'd shown it off to his other patient who was about to undergo the whole experience with her own big dog.

While we were talking, Stella was delivered (with treats) back into the exam room, a different look on her face this time. She laid down comfortably on the floor, totally relaxed. He said there wouldn't be any reason for us to return, unless we had a problem. Walk, play, live. No horse racing off-leash for four more weeks :)
We'll take it.

On the way out the door I made her sit on the scale one last time. Sixty one pounds, two ounces.

"We better get walking right now, Stella," I said.

You know that noise that's somewhere between a howl and a growl? I don't know if she knew she was free or what but she sang that tune all the way to the car. It was hilarious. Half an hour later, after four long months, we headed off around the block in the hot rain without an umbrella.
It was grand.

The Happy Dance

Those of you who stop by the blog regularly may already be aware that this afternoon Stella's surgery fund met and exceeded its goal. Again, I want to thank all of you who helped and especially my friend Barney who talked me into doing it in the first place. Together you have purchased an entire canine orthopedic surgery, including medication and follow-up x-rays and as I have told many of you in e-mails over the last few weeks, you are now welcome to claim a little part of this dog as your own. I am inspired by your generosity and overwhelmed by the number of people who stepped forward to help us, some of whom I've never met. I wish you all the best and will of course, keep you posted on Stella's escapades long after her recovery is complete.

Please visit these websites. While the list isn't all-inclusive, each of those listed had a role (either directly or indirectly) in Stella's future happiness and I don't mind saying they are an exceptionally bright and talented bunch of people. If I've overlooked anyone, or am unaware of your website, please mail me or put a note in the comments.

Switched at Birth
Blue Ridge Blog
A Fistful of Science
Michael Sloan Art
Naturally
SkateTruck
Mary Claire Studio
This Just In
Princess the Pitbull
Lake Lizard Music
Tennessee Rep
Dog Days of Painting
Brown Dog Foundation
a moon worn as if it were a shell
Helen Burrus Photography
Franklin, TN Vacation blog
Coyote Awareness in Nashville

Headshots

Funnel Cake or Elephant Ears..

Hey if you haven't seen the super nice comments on Stella's donation page, go over and have a look before the page disappears. There are two hours left to make $630. Not sure that's going to happen but it isn't all bad in fact, it might turn out just fine. We'll be back to thank you all shortly.

Update: The donation page extended this collection for two more days (and there I was ready to give up). Someone suggested that I lower the goal to collect what's already been pledged but that option was only available during the first five days. So we press on. Thanks everyone, for hanging in there. I'll keep you posted.

Stella, by the way is doing great. I haven't had to give her any drugs to keep her calm. Could be that collar. Personally, I can't believe she hasn't had a big fit over it.

Canine Patellar Luxation

Patellar luxation is foreign to most people. When Stella was diagnosed with it I went highballing around the internet looking for information. There were definitions of it everywhere but very little from the general public about the reality of the condition. The after effects, as it were. I found more than one discussion group with people asking questions and some who occasionally answered but always it seemed, with the same lifeless information. "Get the surgery. asap", "It's expensive." etc. Few offered any results or follow-up which is part of why I chose to detail her experience here. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place so if you have your own experience, please feel free to speak up or put a link in the comments below.

Stella stayed two days in the hospital and came home yesterday morning. She slept most of the day. Her entire leg is shaved high enough and in such a way, that it looks like she's wearing half a thong; I so meant to ask them to shave her a whole one this time and forgot all about it. I just thought what with sixteen staples in your leg, you should at least get to be ridiculously cute in the short-term. But I digress (wildly).

Yesterday, two days after the surgery, her leg was puffy and looks like it's been insulted. It has been. Today it is less so, by half. Same as last time. She's putting regular weight on it just not in every situation (obviously, it's still sore) She's eating, drinking and using the bathroom outside on a short leash. The staples look like a long zipper on the front of her knee. They'll be taken out in two weeks whereupon the funnel collar will be removed. Five minutes from then she will have licked at it until it threatens to bleed and I in turn, will lecture her on the importance of the Leave it command.

It's been nine weeks since her first surgery, the scar from it is hardly noticeable. Her movement is restricted, as it was last time, for the next eight weeks, the first three being the most critical. Any jumping running or playing could muck up the repair or loosen the pins. Keeping a sixty pound, eleven-and-a-half month old dog still is a challenge I wouldn't wish on anyone. The better she feels the harder it gets. It's set up so that seven weeks and six days from right now, one or both of us will be certifiably insane.

(Note: Anyone looking for more information on the subject of tricky dog knees, is invited to begin here. Definitely worth reading but certainly a much pithier version, can be found here. As I said earlier, I welcome your experience, links, or advice in the comments section below.

Post Op

We stopped at the bank on the way home from the hospital. Stella always gets a treat from the nice man in the drive through window. She sat in the back seat, looking hopeful at the camera where he greets us, a canine satellite dish, twenty-five inches wide on her head. He must have felt sorry for her because when the tube arrived with my receipt, there were two treats in it this time. I turned to give her one and she was drooling a river into that thing. Stoned, but not so much that she didn't know where we were. When we got into the house, she kissed the cat and went to bed. So far, so good.

Note: Blog friend Beth Westmark (who has already donated twice to Stella's Patellas) is willing to match the next thirty dollar donation that comes in. Woo hoo!! Thanks Beth and thanks also to Princess' mom who gave us a shout on her blog a couple of days ago. Princess was cool dog pic of the day on Twitter yesterday. She and Stella would be fast friends, I can can tell.

Good News is Good News

I dropped Stella off at the hospital at 7:30 this morning (still no Xanax). Her surgeon called me at 2:30 to say that she was doing fine. I can pick her up on Friday. Thanks to everyone, for the kind thoughts sent her way from every direction.

(Note: Welcome those tweeters who searched for "Xanax" and ended up falling for my dog(s). We love that. bienvenidos.)

Drop-Off Information (revised)

What to do before surgery...

Please make sure that your pet does not eat anything after midnight the night before you bring him or her in for surgery....You may bring a small blanket, one small pillow, or one toy to give to your pet while in the hospital. Please mark each item carefully before you come into the office. You may use a piece of masking tape to identify each item...When you drop off your pet for a procedure, the receptionist who admits your pet will be the only one you see at the time of drop off. You will not see the doctor at that time no matter how much you beg or manipulate our vet techs. No crying. We do not supply Xanax to pet owners (again) no matter how much you beg. Try to control yourself without the use of alcohol or drugs.

Our office will call you after your pet's surgery. Do not call us and beg. You cannot see your pet, pet your pet or speak to your pet over the phone. All clients are required to pay a deposit of 80% of the total estimated cost of treatment with the remaining balance to be paid upon discharge. We take all major credit cards. We do not accept young children, used books, remodeling services or chickens as payment, no matter how much you beg.

I've told Stella she's going to get her nails done in the morning but I think she might be on to me. Could be it's the Elizabethan collar we saved from last time, perched on the table by the door.

You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out..

Last night sitting at the computer a musical reminder jumped up on the screen. It read: Stella is free in 9 hrs. 29 mins. It wasn't something we didn't already know. Eight weeks this dog has been recovering from knee surgery in my office floor. Eight weeks she's had nothing but me and a cat with no tail to entertain her; poor dog. Short leash, outdoor breaks. No excitement whatsoever. No visitors. We knew.

We also knew that the freedom part of that reminder had shifted significantly since I wrote the thing and that this would now be not the end, but the halfway point. We rallied. Stella went for the x-ray this morning and the new knee looks very good. The pins are in place and the wire hasn't moved or broken... eek (saving that picture for the future) The bone is healed.

Surgery on the other knee is scheduled for next Wednesday (thanks to a group of cyber-friends and family, some of whom I've never met, one of them a "Stella" herself, if you can think of anything nicer than that - I can't) and the prognosis is good. I think Stella knew that today was some kind of milestone. I haven't told her about it being the halfway point, thought I'd give her a week to party and then tell her.

A Little Fundraising Update

I found this on Stella's donation page when I got up this morning and couldn't resist passing it along:

For your Stella, in memory of mine...

One snowy Kansas City night about 25 years ago, I pulled into an old truck stop to get some gas, and noticed an emaciated, shivering young dog licking a spot of grease off the ground next to a dumpster. I ran inside to pay for the gas, leaving my car running & the door wide open. When I got back to the car, the dog was curled up on the floorboard under the heater shivering. I looked at the dog and knew that I didn't have the heart to put her out. That night, I named her Stella, and she was the most devoted, loving animal I'd ever seen. They know when you've saved them, Susan, and I know there are many strays, both four- and two-legged, who are indebted to you. I only hope that you don't miss out on the fun of stepping outside and calling the dog at the top of your lungs, "STELLA! STELLA!"

Thanks to Mike, and all of you who have been so generous over the last week. Stella's knee surgery fund is at twenty-five percent and still growing. I have two hundred dollars I haven't added yet, which brings the total up to $790. Thanks from the bottom of our water bowl.

Uptown Girl

If I had known that yesterday, I and a remarkable woman I've never met in Illinois, would inadvertently drive a hundred people over to this blog, I might have planned to tell you this a little sooner. I was hoping for exactly that sort of traffic when I began lobbying my friends and co-workers, some twenty hours ago, to donate money (for Stella's second surgery).

It was originally Barney's idea (same guy we visit - from the previous post) that I should have a fundraiser for a dog. The conversation started a few weeks ago with him wanting to give me money from his Social Security check. Man lives on eight hundred dollars a month, he's wanting to pay my vet bills with it. Yeah, okay Barney, I hear you. I politely refuse his money. The trouble is, he drinks, so if I try to argue with him, he just digs in and gets in the zone. The only way to win is to hope he forgets, which happens, but it's temporary. I was over there recently tending to (what I call) his junkyard garden and he launched off about how we were going to pay for Stella's (first) surgery.

"How many people have you met in this town over the last twenty years?" he demanded to know.

"Many", I said, rearranging his flower pots and trying to figure a way out.

"So, if everybody you know and all them people you talk to on the computer was to pitch in ten dollars, how much would it be?"

"Barney," I said, "if everybody I know pitched in ten dollars, I could pay for both surgeries and get Stella her very own inflatable swimming pool to do water therapy in this summer."

There was a pause while he took a long draw from his cigarette. Then he stood up, tossed what was left of the butt in a coffee can and shook his cane at me for effect.

"I'm gonna' need a pitcher of that", he announced, "so get busy and you're takin' the money 'cause I love her too you know."

For reasons I'll explain another time, his words made it much easier for me to sit down and create a donation page. It is for anyone who might see fit to invest in the future happiness of a dog. You can pledge as little as ten dollars. Those pledging twenty-five dollars or more should send along their snail-mail address (she is a carny dog so naturally, we've got prizes). There's a link in the sidebar too, in case you get lost. I might add that I am terribly impressed by the number of people who have already made a contribution to her cause, whether online or in person. I'll be sure to let you know if we get anywhere near that inflatable swimming pool.

Barney's garden, May 2009)

Pit bull, viciously attacked by purple wiener dog

Thanks so much to those who responded (not only with photos of their carny/road dogs but also with directions on how to get there to meet them in person). I managed to make a little collection in the last couple of days as a result. The rest of you (if you're out there) get busy and send us a good picture. There's a site I saw recently where people can send pictures of what's left of their annihilated dog toys too. It was pretty hysterical and of course, I forgot to save the link but I'll keep looking.

I do have one bit of bad news where Stella's surgery is concerned and that is that a few days ago, she managed to blow out her other knee. When she was diagnosed with luxating patellas, I was told by my vet that she had it in both knees. The right one was the more severe (grade3 of 4). In small dogs, both knees can be operated on at the same time but for big dogs it isn't a good idea because of their weight. Now that she's favored her left leg for the last five weeks, the strain has caused her originally grade 1 condition in that knee, to progress to a grade 2, leaving the kneecap to slip each time she fully extends her back leg, which is - regularly. This probably means another surgery and another eight weeks of rehab. Her surgeon said: "You must tie this dog to the coffee table and not let her walk for the next three weeks."

I have no idea what insurance costs for a dog but I'm sorry I didn't sign her up for some last September. Oh, wait - I haven't done any research on it but I bet you can't buy insurance for a semi-stray pit bull. Especially not if they've been attacked by stuffed purple wiener dogs.

On the more positive side, I put an ad on craigslist.org a couple of weeks ago, asking for the use of someone's swimming pool (for her impending physical therapy) and some nice person answered it with an invitation. She said she has another dog that comes over too, a Lab that had spinal meningitis last year, which caused him to lose the use of his back legs. Swimming two or three times a week reversed it.

Out of the Gate

She runs. From the very beginning she wants nothing more than to run like a race horse. Once in Edwin Warner Park I changed out her collar and forgot to switch the leash so when I dropped the harness from her body, the leash fell to the ground with it. She was off like a bolt of lightning. When she looked back after what seemed like ages, I was holding her tennis ball. I bounced it once on the ground and she ran to me with exactly the same enthusiasm.

When we go to the dog park, or rather when we did go to the dog park, she goes around and asks all the dogs - starting with the largest ones, if they want to chase her and if none of them accept her offer well, she runs without them. She runs so fast and with so much conviction that everyone, humans and dogs, do what I like to call the dog park pirouette. They can't take their eyes off of her. I remember watching a Jack Russell Terrier run the middle school soccer field once. I'd seen these dogs race, jumping hay bales along the way but I hadn't seen one run full out. It was incredible much the same way it is when Stella does it. She's focused, on what I'm not quite sure. Maybe it's the turbo power of her own physique.

Having not been on a walk for close to four weeks now, for the first time ever, Stella bolted out the front door today (no jumping or running says the doctor; she could easily injure the newly minted knee). She made two laps around the front yard, one around the patio and one last one around the yard. Both of us got a free shot of adrenaline. I skinned my knee but hers seems to be working beautifully.

This shot was taken the last of September, on the farm where my friend Beverly lives. She did a little cow-inspired running that day.

House Arrest

Stella got the staples removed from her knee a couple of days ago. And the big satellite dish collar came off. The surgeon said she's doing great but can't go for a real walk for six more weeks. That means she's going to miss the carnival that's coming to town next week. Shame. It also means she'll be insane, with a capital "I", by the time we finally do go. Eight weeks is an eternity for a teenager (and sometimes for the parent of a teenager too) so we're ticking off the days already.

Several people have asked (as I did) what does knee surgery for a dog cost? There are some shifting variables of course, like the size of the dog, where you live, how experienced the surgeon is and which procedure is necessary (there are two, I think). I was given an estimate of somewhere between $1650. and $1850. Add a pre-op visit, and two post-op visits with x-rays and the total with tax, came to about twenty three hundred dollars. Strangely, once the bill was itemized, it all seemed really reasonable. For example, the surgery itself, was only $500. I don't mind saying that I wouldn't think of doing major surgery on someone's dog for less than a thousand dollars. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't paid a penny of this bill yet (I was forced to charge it) but I have entertained countless funny ideas about how to raise the money and get it paid. Most of them were even legal.

Give and Take

Tomorrow, will be two weeks since Stella's surgery. Not positive but I think when we revisit the surgeon, also tomorrow, he'll remove the staples and the Elizabethan collar we've come to love so much. Stella, in her teenaged grace, has bashed that thing on every stationary object in the building, including every door frame, every stick of furniture, the cat and my calves. It's difficult to say who'll be happier to see that thing go. To my knowledge, she's only actually jumped off the floor once although there have been a lot of sassy threats over the last week or so. It's hard not to laugh at a dog that's growling at you through fish lips and making facial expressions. One raised eyebrow from me and she'd be leaping through the house like a deer. Ordinarily that's not the case but as I said, we're low in the exercise department. Two days ago, I extended her post op walk to include a grassy plot of land two doors down, owned by the electric company. That same day, she managed to round up a tennis ball, showing up at my desk to rock it back and forth on my knee, again with the growl added for effect. She's been a good sport, I have to say. Her immobility has forced us to visit some of the more finite details of canine English language skills. Give it - Take it - Drop it - Open. She's clear on all of those now.

Get your ass in that dog house and LAY DOWN... not so much. Too many words maybe.

(Note: Thanks for all the kind notes and phone calls from readers and friends. I appreciate it very much. So far, everything has gone along as we hoped it would.)

This (little bit scary) shot was taken the day I brought Stella home. I am including it mostly for those who are headed in the direction of such surgery with their own dogs. After a couple of days, the inflammation subsided and it became much less disturbing.

Stella's patellas

For those just joining us, which is pretty much everyone, it's important to note that several months have passed since I began this page and Stella is a teenager now nine and a half months old. She has become a muscular, 54 lb. fireball of lovable, boundless energy. I have every intention of finishing her story from the last post forward but I want to interrupt along the way to basically keep track of some of the more current events in her life. Bear with me.

About a month ago, she was diagnosed with a right medial luxating patella. That's a trick knee to you and me. For a kneecap, it's a little like when your kitchen drawer jumps the track. It can simply slip off an be replaced manually or it can splinter the wood, damage the drawer and the track, and never work again. It occurs most often in little tiny dogs. If you've ever seen a little dog running full blast on three legs, there's a good chance it's because of a luxated patella.



Sometimes I'm told, these things right themselves with time but Stella's sadly, did not. Our walks went from four miles a day to zero over a period of four weeks and it became clear that she would have to have surgery or face chronic pain and (eventual) lameness at such a tender age. A couple of people I discussed this with naturally assumed I'd have her put down. Before anyone gets enraged over this sort of thinking, I should say in their defense, that they were people who generally don't have too many options. I don't have a vast supply of them myself, but putting her down was never an option. To make a long story short, she had the surgery on Wednesday and was released from the hospital this morning. I asked the vet staff if their itemized surgical estimate included any Xanax for owners, but was told that it didn't. I spent two days carrying the phone around and thankfully, working.

Not surprisingly, she was happy to see me this morning and I her. I was stunned when her doctor offered to walk her to the car. So far, the prognosis is good. The next four weeks however, are critical to her future quality of life, the idea being the nine and a half month old puppy isn't allowed to play or have any fun at all. I hope for her sake, that it all becomes a distant memory wherein I get to tease her occasionally about that day she came home dressed as a satellite dish.