Chuy has given us a bit of a scare the last couple of days.  It all started when he was limping (hard to tell on a frt. leg amp.) in the yard.  Then he just laid around more than normal.  I noticed he was laying on his left side instead of his right also.  He usually lays on his right as it is easier for him to get up that way.  He was constantly licking his right leg up above the elbow area also. 

Upon initial examination, I noticed an area that was extremely warm to the touch from the elbow all the way up thru the shoulder area.  OMG!  Please tell me he hasn't broken another bone.  We have seen Chuy get over-confident and rip out the back door to the yard and proceed to wipe out on the flagstone and land on his side, hitting his chin.  Being the tough-love mom, I just tell him to SLOW DOWN!!!, then give him a quick once over.  The last time he did this was about a week ago.

In case you don't know or remember, when Chuy had the FHO surgery, they discovered he has Legg-Calve Perthes disease.  This is a bone disease that causes the bones to grow improperly and his bones are very brittle.  He is prone to fractures and breaks, so please understand my worries.

This morning, instead of just calling the regular vet, I called the orthopedic directly.  They took him in at 10 a.m.  After examination and x-rays, they found that our 3 yr. old Chuy has Arthritis!  Yes!  Old Uncle Arthur is here on a permanent visit already.  We had already started him on Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM, keep his weight down and restrict his activity all due to his LCP.  The vet was pleased with that.  He started him on Rimadyl as needed, gave him some antibiotics to stop the hot spot from becoming infected and told me to use an e-collar to keep him from licking.

So now, our dear Tripawd Chuy is a donut head!  Mind you, not the kind of donut you can eat, one of those you can blow up and hang around their necks to keep them from eating themselves! 

We're hoping this will keep him from further problems, although we realize he's a dog, a Tripawd and a boy all rolled into one big ball of fur!

That's like asking for trouble isn't it?

Oh, Chuy – you're so young to have Uncle Arthur come to visit!  We hope you're feeling better, and that the meds are helping.  Holly's joined you with the e-collar, since she has some sores that she keeps licking and finally tried licking through the t-shirt we had her in.  So tonight she's a conehead (we don't have one of those donut thingies yet).  So, she'll commiserate with you!

Hugs,

Holly, Zuzu and Susan

I'm sorry to hear about the arthritis Chuy. And that bloody cone of shame must be a real pain. You're the "Tough Guy" Chuy and I just know that you won't let this keep you down. I hope the treatments help. 

I think an edible donut is in order once you get that cone removed

Fortis'Dad

Oh Chuy, I'm so sorry you have to wear a donut and don't get to eat it!  At least you have lots of toys to play with!