Hello...We're back!

Well, hello! I know some of you may have forgotten about us. But let me assure you, we are back! The MCAT is now behind us and we're ready ready ready for summer. It's going to be a great summer too! I can't wait to fill you in with the happenings over the past two weeks. In the mean time, we're glad to be back. Oh, and happy summer!

Home Stretch

 Well, school is almost over and I can taste summer. All the stuff in my house is almost completely gone and scattered all over my parent's house in Houston, which they are not thrilled about, I can assure you! Construction has begun on the lot next door which was completely barren all year. I know this because of the absence of the fence that once stood between that lot and Sage's backyard, and the hammer pounding at 7 a.m. So, I was forced to ban Sage to my parent's house with her friend Izzy. It's really quiet here without her and as I look around my room I see the lines in the carpet where her kennel and toy basket used to be. The backyard no longer houses her baby pool or her dogloo. 
 

So as I study here in College Station for my last final, I can't help but miss my wiggly, happy dog. However, I know she'll be doing a lot of playing until I get home.

Thank you to all of your kind words about Sage's luxating patella. She is doing fine. I have been documenting the times when she begins to limp or hold her foot up and it seems to be becoming more frequent. With that said, she doesn't seem to be in any pain. I feel that it is just more of a bother than anything because she doesn't yelp or cry when it happens. I'm planning on calling the vet again and seeing whether surgery is the best option. She still runs and plays like nothing is wrong, but then all the sudden freezes while holding her foot off the ground. I guess we'll see what happens.

Heavy Heart for Sage

I come to you with a sad heart today. Yesterday Sage and I went to the vet for her 1-year-old checkup expecting a clean bill of health...unfortunately that was not the case.  Recently I've noticed Sage holding up her left leg and limping occasionally. I didn't think too much of it because shortly after she would run and play like nothing was wrong. I mentioned this to the vet yesterday, thinking it was nothing serious. The vet thought it might be hip dysplasia, which is a common problem with labs. However, while she was checking Sage's hips, she felt Sage's knee cap pop medially out of joint. "Oh, she has a luxating patella," the vet said with a sigh. She informed me that luxating patellas are a common problem in miniature dog breeds, but are rare in large breed dogs like Labradors. Fortunately Sage is a grade 1 (out of 4) which means her symptoms are minor right now. Last night I did a lot of researching online and read up on the general information and treatment options, then today I called another vet to ask some more educated questions. From him I found out that surgery was probably inevitable and that Sage's symptoms would mostly likely get worse. As I drafted this blog post, I got pretty emotional about the whole situation. She's my baby, and she's hurting. It's my responsibility to make these tough decisions and watch her go through this. I hate it. No one said choosing to be a dog owner (I feel more like a parent) would be easy.

So in the mean time, Sage and I will be taking it a little easier than we're used to. I will be watching her closely and recording how often her patella seems to come out of joint. We'll see what happens...keep Sage in your thoughts and prayers.