Update: Gus has had his first 3 shots of Adequan (sp?) - one administered at the vet and the other two by me.  It's still much too early to tell whether he'll benefit, but his struggles have become more pronounced the last few weeks, so I took him in today to see if there isn't something more going on other than normal "wear and tear/arthritis".  Alas, the vet thinks he has a partially torn cruciate ligament along with crepitus and arthritis.  I chose not to have xrays done as they are tough on him and frankly, the treatment won't change much.  As you might expect, we're pretty upset.  Poor Gus can't catch a break!  

Anyway, in terms of 'next steps' - the vet did a blood test (results pending) to see if his liver/kidney numbers are the same (i.e., not good) as they were when we discontinued anti-inflammatory meds 2 months ago.  If they are still bad, then there's really no harm in putting him back on them.  In addition, he'll get both gabapentin and tramadol for pain management in addition to the adequan injections and glucosamine supplements.  

Here is where I'm struggling.  I don't want to be that owner that denies the inevitable at the expense of their beloved pet.  But Gus hasn't "quit" yet.  He still wants to go for walks, charges the door when we get home, eats, sleeps, etc.  I can't give up on him when he still has that zest for life that has carried him 9 years and counting.  I hope and pray that I'll know when he's ready. That day will come and when it does, it will be too soon, but that time isn't now.  

I'll keep the board updated in the hopes that someone might find something useful from this information.  

Update: We began Gus's 3rd week of Adequan shots on Monday.  He's still struggling with the back leg so I took him to a vet that does alternative/holistic treatments.  She suggested we add Traumeel to help with the inflammation.  I haven't started it yet. She also said that he's losing muscle in the hind leg so we're doing some basic exercises to hopefully build it back up. 

I'm so sad right now.  After all he's been through, fighting a deadly cancer, to get derailed by a ligament issue doesn't seem fair. When we put our last dog to sleep, we knew it was time.  The light was gone from his eyes, he was suffering, etc.  With Gus, he's got a sore knee and seems perfectly content to let me basically carry him from place to place.  

I'm now looking at orthopedic braces that might provide stability in the bad knee but I haven't found one yet that doesn't require the other leg - at least one that doesn't cost $1,000+.  

Max

Hi Katy, 

Thanks for sharing.  I'm not literally carrying him - he's 90+ lbs! - but I'm bearing almost his full weight getting him up stairs, in/out of the car, up from a prone position, etc.

He's moving - but it's more of a 'scoot'.  He seems reluctant to extend his hind leg fully.  Some days are worse than others.  After talking to his vet, I've scrapped the brace idea.  I'm now searching for a harness that is offers greater support towards his pelvis - which is where he needs support.  His Ruffwear harness served us well, but it is more of an even distribution of weight so it's not as much help now. The Help Em Up Harness got a poor review here but I'm thinking of trying it and hope that they've ironed out some of the issues. 

BTW - While I wear many different hats in our household, I'm the Dad!

jerry said
Max, hang in there, a recovery can take time. You are definitely on the best path there is for Gus, and I'm gonna bet the holistic practitioner can help him see improvement. Are you going to pursue acupuncture? It really has worked wonders for a lot of dogs in his situation.

If you do try the harness, please let us know how it goes. That review was a few years ago, we hope that it's improved by now because it's a great concept. We'd love your feedback.

Good luck and let us know how things are going OK?

Okay, his new harness arrived on Saturday so we've only had a few days with it.  I will say that the customer support - thus far - has been great.  I had a question before I ordered it so I left them a VM.  I got a call back within 10-15 minutes.  Also, the harness arrived within 2 days of ordering.

Initial thoughts are very positive.  It doesn't have as much material as the Ruffwear which for a Bernese Mountain Dog facing a long (we hope!), hot summer, is great.  The rear harness attachment is the reason we got it and it works perfectly.  I'm able to go for short walks and provide support for his remaining hind leg but not too much where he isn't working it.  Hopefully, this will help him gradually build strength back up and 'stretch things out' a bit. It's also MUCH easier getting him up/down stairs, in and out of the car, etc.  Rather than basically dead-lifting 90 lbs, he supports himself on his front legs and I handle the much lighter load in the back.  

Obviously, it's way to early to opine on it's durability, but in terms of form and function, I think it's superior to the Ruffwear harness for large breed rear amputees.  Hopefully, it doesn't fall apart! 

He's still struggling but I kind of think that this will be his/our new reality regardless of meds/treatments. As my vet pointed out - herself a Berner-owner - even on 4-legs, a 9-year old Berner would probably rather lounge around/sleep than chase tennis balls.  So it this means that I have to take some of the weight off his back leg with the help of the harness, and our dog park days are over, so be it.