Rosalyn
Updated: 4/19/10
Rosalyn is recuperating nicely from her hip surgery. She is climbing stairs to strengthen her muscles, stealing tennis balls from her younger sister, and generally enjoying her cushy new life. And speaking of cushy… Mom and Dad went to Costco and purchased a couple of big, round, squashy dog beds. Rosalyn has claimed one for her very own. She hops on, sinks into that “surround sound” luxury, and… “Aah, I could stay here all day!” Whenever this sprightly girl isn’t otherwise engaged, you’ll find her ensconced in her new bed, looking downright smug.
More news as Rosalyn prepares for her next challenge – heartworm treatment.
Rosalyn is doing wonderfully! She has come so far since she first arrived. Her very severe skin problems have totally resolved. She had three surgeries on July 22: the vet spayed her, removed a low-grade melanoma from her mouth, and fixed her dislocated hip. The staples were removed today, August 3, but Ros has been using her “bad” leg since very shortly after surgery. Now we will move on to rehab: stretching the repaired leg daily, just for 5 to 10 seconds at a time, five to 10 times daily. Three slow 5-minute walks per day, increasing to 10-minute walks after one week, and then getting a bit longer each week for two more weeks. We’ll add in gradual slopes and stairs in two weeks. Swimming once or twice a week would be good, if Rosalyn enjoys water.
Her energy level has improved dramatically since she first arrived, and she is happy & smiley. She is sweet, calm, relaxed, and she loves to follow me around. She nudges me for affection & massages. She likes to hold hands. She gets along with every dog she meets. She reminds me of Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind—gracious & ladylike & only seeing the best in others. Once in a while, I see her crazy kiddo side pop out -- when she dances a jig across the patio, or when she shakes a stuffed animal, or when she swipes Caroline’s tennis ball. I expect her silly side to emerge even more, as she continues to regain mobility & health. Note: every single vet & vet tech who has interacted with Rosalyn has talked about how sweet & wonderful she is! She gets waaaay more kisses from people than anyone else (canine or human!) I know. (:
Wow! What a difference 6 weeks of loving care have already made. The frightened girl who hid in the corner of the vet’s office, bit at her sore, bare, itchy skin, and hurt too much even to get up has been replaced by a bright-eyed charmer with a million-dollar smile, smooth & clear skin, and plenty of spunk to snatch the tennis ball right out from under the noses of her younger sister and brother! Little Ros is a petite gal, just the right size for cuddling up. The handfuls of loose skin above her tail (doubtless the result of massive weight loss) are slowly tightening up, the infection has resolved, and the surgeon announced that a skin tuck won’t be necessary after all! But plenty more DOES remain to be done. Ros’s big day is July 22, when she’ll head to the surgeon for:
1. FHO surgery for her dislocated right hip. Good care, good food, and medications have improved her mobility already (excellent news for a girl who likes to shadow her people from room to room), but that hip really needs repair: bone is rubbing on bone (OUCH). The vet estimates the dislocation happened anywhere from 2 to 12 months ago—maybe Ros was hit by a car? Happily, all her other joints, including the left hip, are in fine shape.
2) Removal of a tumor in her mouth. When foster mom Margo took Rosalyn to see the vet for an intake check-up, he found a suspicious growth on the inside of her cheek. It turned out to be a melanoma (bad), but the pathologist commented that, if completely excised, it’s unlikely to have serious consequences (excellent!).
3) Spay surgery. Ros has had more than one litter in her day and it’s past time to close up shop.
Total for Ros’s “package deal” surgery: about $1,500. And THEN we’ll address the heartworms. Meanwhile, everyone send positive energy for Radiant Ros this Wednesday, July 22. More updates to come as she continues on her path to perfect health!
Update 7/25: Rosalyn’s surgery went great! The doctor was really glad we did the FHO hip surgery, as when she got in there, the bone & cartilage had turned to mush from rubbing bone on bone. She says Rosalyn will feel sooo much better now. She did the spay & removed the growth in Rosalyn’s mouth at the same time. We’ll delay HW treatment at least 6 weeks, so Ros can do a month of rehab exercise (walks & play type movement) starting in 2 weeks. We did not need to do the skin tuck for the loose folds of skin, because the skin had improved so much!
If ever there was a
dog who needed rescue…
The shelter’s website snapshot showed an elderly Golden crouched in the corner
of the cage, too tired or too painful to stand up. “Senior male, possible hip
injury,” read the kennel card. Our volunteer headed out to meet “Roy” and said,
“I could tell he didn’t feel good. I didn’t force him to get up, just checked
what I could with him lying down. My recommendation is to get him to a vet for
evaluation ASAP.” Roy was bailed out the next morning—but as soon as we got him
on his feet, he was promptly renamed “Rosalyn.” That’s right— “he” turned out to
be a she!
One thing stayed the same, though: this old dog was in bad shape. Eye
infections, skin infections, heartworms, a dislocated hip (revealed by X-ray). A
skinny old gal now, Rosalyn was at one point morbidly obese, and her drastic
weight loss has left her with literally handsful of loose skin. The excess skin
is contributing to the infections: the area between the folds, which tends to
stay moist, was raw and red and rashy.
In foster care, Ros is already feeling so much better. Shampoos and a battery of
meds are helping to heal her infections, and she is acting much perkier and
wagging her tail whenever anyone meets her eye, as if to say “Thanks! It sure is
nice here!” The hip won’t get better on its own, though, so Ros has already
visited the orthopedist. In about 2 weeks, if the infections continue to
improve, she’ll have a one-stop-shop surgery day, featuring:
(a) FHO surgery. FHO stands for femoral head ostectomy, a procedure in which the
ball of the femur is simply removed, and the bone then smoothed off so that
there’s no bone-to-bone contact between the pelvis and the remaining part of the
thighbone. As Ros heals, she’ll form a “false” fibrous joint made up of muscle
tissue to hold thighbone and pelvis snugly together.
(b) Spay surgery.
(c) Plastic surgery to remove much of the excess skin.
And after that, we’ll decide what to do about the heartworms! No matter what, we
know that Ros’s “after” will be a thousand times better than her “before.” We’ll
keep everyone posted on her progress.