My mother’s dog, Shylo, is Henry’s best friend. He is a chow/basenji mix. Shylo and Henry act like littermates, although look nothing alike and have a two year age difference, Shylo being Henry’s senior. This last year has been a hard year, full of difficult, expensive surgeries. Shylo is a very active dog that loves to run. He has always been the fastest dog at the park and a game of being chased by one or more dogs can not be beat.
Five years ago, Shylo went running through the field near our houses. While running at top speed, with his foot practically flush to the ground, something small like a shard of glass or blackberry thorn severed his Achilles tendon within a split second. A startled Shylo broke his full speed sprint in the following split second. He stood still on three legs with one raised, limp foot just dangling.
We took him to the vet. This vet, highly recommended and a specialist in the area, reattached the tendon with the help of a graft to the tune of $3000. Five years ago, we thought this was outrageous, but certain that our beloved Shylo must keep the leg and continue his passion for running, the $3000 was forked over, without hesitation and assuming it would be a permanent solution as long as the graft would take. The graft took and for five years, although not quite as fast as before, Shylo would run circles around the field and other dogs time and time again.
Earlier this year, while on a walk, at a different park (Albany Bulb), Shylo was chasing ground squirrels over slippery rocks. A quick slip off one of the rocks and Shylo stood again on three legs. Same foot dangling beneath a bewildered dog, who was more concerned about the squirrel that got away (even though they always get away).
We headed back to the same vet, who preformed the original surgery, to find out the surgery failed. The vet found this odd, as he told us he didn’t know these grafts to fail after they had successfully taken. So, he suggested we have the same surgery again and the price now, five years later, being $5000.
Concerned about a 11 year old dog going through this same painful surgery, we were offered no guarantees. This didn’t do much to ease the financial reservations we were having either. So, my mother took him to Davis, the best vet school, on the cutting edge of vet procedures, techniques, medicines, etc.. Here, we were told that this same procedure would not be a good idea, the graft would unlikely hold and that we should consider fusing the ankle. He would be able to walk on all four legs and even run a bit. However, he would not be able to pick up much speed on his runs. This was one of our only options other than leaving the foot to dangle, which seemed to bother him, or take the leg off completely, which we were told is easier for a younger dog to assimilate. So, not including an extra $500 already spent on xrays at more than one vet office who all seem to have different digital systems set up, making it impossible for them to look at each other’s xrays, thus having to take their own and each charging the unsuspecting client, the price for fusing the ankle was $2500.
Little Shylo, not having had a drink, a bite or walk, could barely get his shaking three legs to keep up with a tight leash pulling him in through the door of next surgery room. Once out of surgery, we were to begin another painful period of keeping a highly energetic dog from running or even walking for a few months. I did what I had done five years earlier. I went to the local thrift shop and bought a baby stroller to place him in so I could get him out the door with Henry to take in whatever he could smell and get a change of scenery.
I knew what came next, the disapproving looks and multiple choice questions; “Is your dog really old or just really spoiled?”. I explained post surgery to some and let the others think whatever they wanted. Henry’s attempts to get Shylo to play and wrestle, from a stroller, slowly subsided.
Soon Shylo was able to walk again, only on leash for 15 minute increments. But something was wrong. He put his leg down for a week or two, but began to hold it up again. Mom took him back to the vet.
A mangled foot with a steel plate screwed to it, held the ankle together while the bone healed and fused. The vets looked at the progress. It did not look good. Shylo seemed to be rejecting the steel plate in his leg and an infection around the plate and through the bone formed. They needed to take the plate out. Unfortunately, it could not be taken out until Shylo’s bone has healed. So, his infection and pain got worse, while his bone was to heal.
A new day, a new surgery…again my mother would travel to Davis to bring an incredibly reluctant dog into surgery to get his steel plate removed. For a mere $2000, we could have the steel plate removed and the bone infection would heal. We were looking at more stroller time and sutures.
Yesterday, mom took Shylo back to Davis for the check up we assumed would have glowing reviews. The diagnosis: not good. The esteemed vets suggested that because the bone infection is getting worse, we schedule Shylo for three more operations. The first operation would be to implant antibiotic beads directly into/on the leg. The second operation would be to take them out. The third operation they suggest would be to put the steel plate back in his foot. Now how’s a person to see straight at this point?!
Feeling defeated and overwhelmed, my mother has brought Shylo over for me to look after, while she enjoys a weekend of rest and relaxation, bless her. A gimpy Shylo and happy Henry will enjoy a sleep over until the next leg (pun intended) of this journey commences.
Although Shylo regularly visits the doggy chiropractor, who has probably been the most helpful of all, but can do nothing for a bone infection. I think I will try a local Elephant Pharmacy where they offer advice in homeopathy treatments and herbal remedies. Or perhaps I should call a Michael Moore about my Sicko Shylo and the Sicko vet bills that make us feel Sicko. Too bad I don’t have his number.
