Tuesday, May 4, 2010

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.

5 comments:

  1. Sorry to see the news BUT you will find others 'here' with the same khondition -

    You'll be able to find support and assistance!

    Fur now, taking it easy AND one day at a time is the prudent khourse!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra and Her Mom

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  2. We are sorry to hear this, we don't know anything about the condition but it sounds like something quite common reading Khyra's comments. We hope you find help with it through your bloggie pals here. We send good thoughts and prayers for Sage to get better soon.

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  3. Awwwwwww poor Sagey!! I hope she will be okay!!

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  4. Hawk and Lady will be thinking about Sage. They love her and hope she is OK.

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  5. Paws crossed for a good ending to this story!!!!

    Thoughts are with you

    Koda and Mum

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