Jack Update

[bigfish1965]

Jack is improving each day. He's still hobbled down to three legs, but once he learned not to put the sore leg down, he started getting the hang of moving around. He did try and play today with our golden, Kelev, but that was quickly stopped. Both dogs looked quite annoyed at me for this.

I have no idea how Jack is going to take to being crated for six weeks after the surgery..not going to like it much I bet.

But his spirits are up and he is going for surgery Thursday AM in Scarborough. Going to be some sleepless nights after that and a long recovery, but I know he would put his life on the line for me, so the least I can do is lose some sleep for him.

Kelev isn't liking Jack getting all the attention and chewed up some socks to show me this. Have to remember to balance the loving.

I'll be sleeping on the couch for awhile (because I am a suck and I know Jack doesn't like not being near me at night).

Knowing that he will eventually be okay made it the best present ever.

Kelev is bouncing between being a nursemaid and being a PITA so if i use his judgment, I guess everything will be okay. Still a bit nervous about the surgery...actually more nervous about his than my two big surgeries combined.

I'm kinda glad I can't have kids cause if i get this neurotic over my dogs...I can't imagine what parents go through!

[irishfield]

Hey .. you've slept on the couch before bud ! LOL

 

All will be fine Rick..get some sleep.. santa be there soon !

[taper]

Rick glad to hear things are looking better for both of you. Have yourself a good Christmas.

[motv8tr]

Glad things are looking up for Jack, so get some sleep, and hey you're not a suck, you just love your best bud...nothing wrong with that

 

Maureen

[lunkerbasshunter]

good to hear he is doing better!

 

cheers!

[douG]

Thanks for the update, Rick. I hope that all turns out for the best.

[Rich Clemens]

Let us know how Jack makes out. My own girl is heading for something very similar on January 8. I do so share you're concerns and worry. It can be a nerve racking time, but we'll get through it and our family pets will be back running around and lifting our spirits in no time.

[DebS]

Hi Rick, Glad to hear you got good news about Jack. You're right; it's definitely the best Christmas gift to receive. I'm sure he'll be impatient with being confined but as long as he knows you're there with him, I'm sure he'll be OK.

Good luck on Thursday - I'll be thinking of him.

DebS

[Jeff R]

Good news for sure Rick...Alot of vets I've dealt with over the years are more humane than some of the doc's..He will be in very good hands, and it won't be long before it's a distant memory...best of luck with the surgery

[Big Cliff]

Thanks for the update Rick, we'll all be watching for progress reports. While I know it is hard for some people to understand, we do tend to love them every bit as much as a human member of our family. Who else gives you nothing but love and asks for so little in return?

 

Keep your spirits up cause Jack will sense if you are worried and he will worry about you.

 

I'm off for a few days, if there is anything I can do to help you in any way, just let me know.

[Whopper]

Just read the other thread that goes with this one, Rick we went through the same thing a few years back with our old family dog. She was fourteen at the time and we didn't think twice about having the knee repaired. The biggest discomfort ours had was the bell collar they made her wear so she didn't dig at her stiches. I think you'll find Jack will do just fine. Good Luck and hope everthing works out.

[JFR]

Thats great news Rick, happy for you that everything is going to work out, and shortly Jack will be back to his old self.

 

We all worry when our pets are sick or inured, you are not alone.

 

John

[mistyriver1]

Hope all goes well Rick.

[nofish4me]

Good to hear things are going well, but personally, I would have opted for the $35 needle and bought a new dog, or 4.

I'm truly sorry about Jack and you.

Before you know it ( probably not ), I'll probably be banned for my opinion.

Edited December 26, 2007 by nofish4me

[Daplumma]

Good to hear things are going well, but personally, I would have opted for the $35 needle and bought a new dog, or 4.

I'm truly sorry about Jack and you.

Before you know it ( probably not ), I'll probably be banned for my opinion.

Very nice comment.I think we have a new attention Ho here!Rick is and has always been a class act .Why dont you save us the drama of you trying to get banned and just leave on your own accord?

Joe

[Whopper]

Well said Joe!

[bigfish1965]

Good to hear things are going well, but personally, I would have opted for the $35 needle and bought a new dog, or 4.

I'm truly sorry about Jack and you.

Before you know it ( probably not ), I'll probably be banned for my opinion.

I thought long and hard about what I would say to this. Knowing you will never be able to respond kind of pleases me on some level.

There are many of us that view dogs and other pets as more than just animals or livestock. They are our companions and friends. People who have dogs have lower blood pressure and live much longer than those who don't.

My old dog (a golden retriever) saved my life when he alerted me to my cancer. It's a long story.

I'm not a big fan of cats, but i respect that people may have the same affection for their cats/hamster or whatever that I do for my dogs.

Since my cancer has left me unable to have children, my dogs are as close as i will get.

Dogs are caring and non-judgmental. They have recently been found to have a much greater range of emotions than previously believed.

An animal is not a thing to be discarded when it is no longer convenient. Like our resources, if you treat it with respect, you will always reap the rewards. I've always told my niece...find a man who treats his dog with love and respect and you have found a man that will do the same for you.

I also read the other comments you made that were deleted. Please..do the world a favour and never get a dog. It wasn't offending me that is getting you placed on permanent mod queue, I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. It is that you are the anti-thesis of what a community like this is supposed to be. I don't mind that you have a different opinion, its just that you showed it in a truly classless and pathetic way.

But the one thing you failed to understand or even try and get, is that most guys and gals here are dog lovers. In fact I prefer my dogs to most people I meet....certainly more than I do you.

And how you somehow believe that me being willing to sacrifice for a friend is what lead me to getting a divorce?? You haven't got a clue. So I get into some debt and so that new HDTV has to wait a few more months or a few bills are late...I don't care, that's what I do for friends.

Like I said before, i know Jack would lay his life on the line for me without hesitation. He has been there for me and been a great comfort. He is also the best bud of my other dog, and I know without him, we would both be miserable.

So,yes, I love my dog and would do anything for him. Perhaps one day, you will find that and perhaps then you will know what I am talking about. I highly doubt it.

You aren't welcome here anymore, so go away.

[lew]

Very well said, Rick

[2 tone z71]

Rick Im glad the ole fellas gettin better,I went thru this early this summer with my baby girl,my 8 yr old Rottweiler ,she out of the blue stopped eating which was unusual she loved to eat she was 140 pds,after a few days I brought her in and got the wonderfull news,I was a mess,I still have a very hard time even writing this,the vet weighed my options gave me some meds for a week to see if maybe a miracle may happen ,toughest week I ever had ,I took 3 days off work to be with her ,she dident wanna be alone and I had to keep up with a large supply of ice water,needless to say 7 days later it was no better and farther worse,and the deed had to be done,that has got to be the hardest day in any dog lovers life,I consider myself a very Abrasive and TOUGH man,that day I had to get my mom to come with me as I couldent keep it together very long,long story short I had her cremated,and blew up my fav pic of her,so now she sits in the family room in her own spot over looking everything/everyone keeping an eye on things as she loved to do ,I couldent take being without her for long ,was about a week later I got another pup from a breeder,she will never replace Diesel but shes got a personality of her own that starts the cycle all over again,Take care of him Rick I know where you are with this right now ,it will get better give him a pat on the head for me

[Rich Clemens]

My best for Jack today .... please do keep us posted.

 

You must have thought long and hard about responding to that post ... you handled it better than I would have. Good to see you keeping the highest standards for this site.

 

Give Jack an ear scratch for me too.

[FishFinder]

I thought long and hard about what I would say to this. Knowing you will never be able to respond kind of pleases me on some level.

There are many of us that view dogs and other pets as more than just animals or livestock. They are our companions and friends. People who have dogs have lower blood pressure and live much longer than those who don't.

My old dog (a golden retriever) saved my life when he alerted me to my cancer. It's a long story.

I'm not a big fan of cats, but i respect that people may have the same affection for their cats/hamster or whatever that I do for my dogs.

Since my cancer has left me unable to have children, my dogs are as close as i will get.

Dogs are caring and non-judgmental. They have recently been found to have a much greater range of emotions than previously believed.

An animal is not a thing to be discarded when it is no longer convenient. Like our resources, if you treat it with respect, you will always reap the rewards. I've always told my niece...find a man who treats his dog with love and respect and you have found a man that will do the same for you.

I also read the other comments you made that were deleted. Please..do the world a favour and never get a dog. It wasn't offending me that is getting you placed on permanent mod queue, I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. It is that you are the anti-thesis of what a community like this is supposed to be. I don't mind that you have a different opinion, its just that you showed it in a truly classless and pathetic way.

But the one thing you failed to understand or even try and get, is that most guys and gals here are dog lovers. In fact I prefer my dogs to most people I meet....certainly more than I do you.

And how you somehow believe that me being willing to sacrifice for a friend is what lead me to getting a divorce?? You haven't got a clue. So I get into some debt and so that new HDTV has to wait a few more months or a few bills are late...I don't care, that's what I do for friends.

Like I said before, i know Jack would lay his life on the line for me without hesitation. He has been there for me and been a great comfort. He is also the best bud of my other dog, and I know without him, we would both be miserable.

So,yes, I love my dog and would do anything for him. Perhaps one day, you will find that and perhaps then you will know what I am talking about. I highly doubt it.

You aren't welcome here anymore, so go away.

 

 

Im sorry but I have to ask how your dog alerted you to your cancer???

[huey graphite]

Hey Rick,

Good luck with the surgery. It's difficult watching a best friend suffer in pain like that. I have a 9 year old female yellow lab who very recently suffered the same injury, a cruciate tear in her left hind leg. Our vet suggested we try an anti-inflammatory and although it's relieved her pain somewhat, I know the surgery is inevitable. To complicate things, her right hind leg has given her trouble since she was 6 when she had a partial tear of her Achilles tendon.

 

I've got to say that your surgeons quote seems awfully high. Our vet quoted us at $800 for the surgery and an additional $800 for after care. I'm going to be contacting another vet in the Simcoe region that can do it for around $700 total from what I've been told.

 

Seeing how today is the date of surgery and it's too late to get another quote, you may want to discuss these rates with the surgeon.

 

Good Luck to Jack and please keep us all updated with the progress of his recovery.

[bigfish1965]

Well Jack is off to Scarborough. He has a complete tear of the ACL and the MCL and the internal ligaments and cartilage as well. Essentially the entire knee structure is shot. So he will need to have the ligaments repaired and a stabilizing plate put in...at least this is the initial diagnosis and hence the high cost. It would be nice to hear it wasn't quite all that bad, but the two vets who saw him weren't optimistic.

The good thing is that given his overall age and health they expect a near complete recovery as long as I do what I am supposed to for his post operative care. He will be tended to quite well.

To answer your question, Skelz..

I had testicular cancer in the late 90's. My dog 'Cory' became rather emphatic with the all popular dog greeting of nose-to-crotch. In fact I couldn't get him to stop it with me. It was constant. Finally, one day, he gave me an extra good 'headbut' and scored a full strike. In the ensuing pain, I noticed a testicular lump which later that day was diagnosed as Stage 2 cancer. I had at first thought my dog 'broke' my teste. The doctor told me many golden retrievers have been found to be able to smell cancer cells and it was likely the dog was alerting me to this. After I had the package removed, he never did it again. Had he not hit me like that I likely wouldn't have noticed until it was too late.

[mistyriver1]

Had he not hit me like that I likely wouldn't have noticed until it was too late.

 

Rick, I knew you had the cancer but I never knew that's how you discovered it.

WOW.

[lew]

Hey Rick, best of luck with Jack today , please give us an update when it becomes available.