Yesterday morning we dropped Tucker off at the Vet to have some x-rays done on the leg that has been plaguing him for months now. We have never been able to exactly pinpoint when/how the injury started, but we are pretty sure he hurt it while trying to heal a hurt bad on his opposite back leg. While he was avoiding-over using his sore pad, he must have injured the other leg during one of his many silly wrestling matches. He has been walking on it funny, on and off, for the past couple of months, despite our best efforts to keep him down and let it heal, and our Vet suggested to have some pictures taken to find out exactly what the root of the problem is to determine the best treatment.

We dropped him off at 8:30 am, and were told that it would be about an hour to an hour to ninety minutes before the pictures would be done and read by the vet. We reluctantly put the standard-issue Vet leash on him, and handed him over to the technicians. He pretty much refused to move to go in the back with them, and once he could no longer see us, he relieved himself a little on the floor, and let out a scared growl directed toward the young girl that was trying to coerce him into going with her to the scary back room. Butterfinger went back and led him into the back room to let him know it was ok, and it was at this point that they tried to tell us that “given his size and the way he was just acting right there, we are going to have to put him to sleep”.

We made it very clear at our visit last week with the Vet that under no circumstances was putting him to sleep ok with us, and the Vet even offered for us to come into the x-ray suite to assist with getting the pictures done if he was not cooperating. Now the technicians (with the backing of their manager) were telling us that it was illegal for one of us to go back there because of the exposure to radiation, and even if we did sign a waiver accepting responsibility for any injury from the radiation or otherwise, we would still not be able to calm Tucker down for his pictures. We unwillingly accepted this legal ridiculousness, and made it clear that they were NOT to use Dormitor to put him to sleep.

After 2 and a half hours had elapsed we decided to head back to the office to check in and see how our little spotty patient was doing. We were quickly told that they still had not been able to get the x-rays done because someone had called in sick that day, and they did not have enough people available to restrain him to get the positions that were needed (we were made to feel that it happened this way because we were being difficult and did not want him injected with sleeping poison). So all this time my little 90 pound puppy had been sitting in the back, waiting on the cold floor, thinking that his mom and dad left him, leashed to the wall with a leash so short that he probably could not even put his head down to lay comfortably, and no one called to let us know that there would be a delay. Apparently a volunteer, a Vet School student, was more qualified to come in and help to get our four-legged family member to cooperate with the testing (wtf?).

Again we were sent off without our beloved canine, and headed to get our car smogged. Typically getting emissions testing done is a painless process, you drive up to any gas station/mechanic/test only location, they hook it up to a computer, rev the engine really high, burn out your clutch in an attempt to return the car to you, and you get a little printout telling the world you passed. Nothing is ever as it seems, however, and this is especially true when Butterfinger and I try to get something done. After driving for about 25 minutes to find a place to get the car smogged, we ended up at a place run by the KGB ,where they could not get the computer to work to save their lives. They wasted our time for about an hour and returned the car to us with all kinds of warning lights illuminated, which, lucky for them, disappeared once the car was restarted and driven for a bit. We ended up finding a test only station run by a Vietnamese family and they had everything done in about 10 minutes.

While the smogger with superpowers was working his magic, I decided to call the Vet’s office, as I had not yet heard any word on Tucker and it was approaching 1:30 pm. Finally we got word that he was all done and ready to come home, they had been able to do the x-rays with no problem and the Vet would be able to review the films with us when we arrived. Then, not 5 minutes later, I got a call from someone at the Vet’s office (not the same person I had just spoken to), calling to let me know that Tucker was done and ready to be picked up. She then proceeded to tell me that his x-rays had showed some arthritic changes in the knee, and the x-rays of the hip were inconclusive, and they wanted the other doctor to take a look at them when he came in on Monday. Ok… I am not just going to come in and pick up my dog that you have held captive all day without being able to take a look at the films for myself and talking to the Vet.

We showed up at the vet’s office and as soon as Tucker came out and saw us he was the same little wild maniac we had met that first day at the shelter when we picked him up. We got crazy kisses and hugs while we waited for the Vet to show us the results. All of the technicians were telling us how wonderful he had been in the back, that he calmed down within a couple minutes of us leaving, and he was welcome to come back and hang out any time he wanted - pretty sure we are not going to be doing that any time soon.

Finally, it is about 2:15 pm at this point, we were in a room with the Vet looking at the xrays and her initial suspicions were confirmed - there is some obvious inflammation in the knee. She also seemed a little concerned about the way his hip looked (she had mentioned hip dysplasia at our previous visit) and wants the orthopaedic specialist to look at them when he comes in on Monday. So again we play the waiting game. With her vague diagnosis I am left not really knowing where we stand at this point, but at least Tucker has shown some improvement with the anti-inflammatory medicine we have been squirting down his throat for the past week. The research I have been doing kinda freaks me out, as surgery is indicated ad nauseum for both knee injuries and hip dysplasia. We will see… I am just glad he is back home, and is not mad at us anymore for leaving him in a strange place. If only people could be as forgiving as dogs.

September 30th, 2007 | Adventures with Dogs