Rogan Having His Toe Amputated Tomorrow - Update Post 24 :-(

[MaryJane]

Good to hear that Rogan is healing and he looks great in the video - his little prance to kick off the booties is too much ...

[gryhndsr4us]

How is Rogan doing?

[racindog]

Just seen this. Oh God how HORRIBLE. Sue them! I'm telling you from experience get a lawyer now or you will regret it latter. Once again it proves they just don't care about our dogs-that's why this stuff happens so much. I have learned that you just can't trust them but then sometimes you are forced to and then look what happens. Your poor baby! Somebody should take a toe off each one of that vets feet and she how he likes it! They griveously injured my Minny's hip when he was there at the evet. Then the vet told me that "Its not about compassion", then realized what he said and tried to backpaddle but that truth was already obvious. All they really care about is the $$$$. My Minny crossed over after a great deal of additonal suffering from the injury THEY did to him because they were too incompetent and too lazy to properly move a large dog and I was so upset(I had just lost Cash only 4 days earlier and now Minny had to go too) that I didn't pursue it. I have regretted it eversince as I now realize that I should have done it to get justice for Minny's suffering they put him through and to maybe help prevent them from doing it to more dogs. And to think they had the gall to tell you everything was OK when you called to check! God I'm so sorry they mutilated him like that. Absolutely NO EXCUSE. GET A LAWYER ASAP. Get him some justice for what they did to him. THEN maybe they'll care a little about him!!!

Edited August 30, 2012 by racindog

[MP_the4pack]

Rogan is really going to build up some nice butt muscles if he keeps walking like that!

 

As far as the sutures...if the site is healed just remove them. Snip and pull. I do it all the time. If he's a wiggle butt have someone hold him. They might stick a little but for the most part I found they just slide right out.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Hi all,

 

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been busy with auction stuff. Thanks to everyone for the advice and good thoughts. Special thanks goes out to JJNg and 3Greytjoys for their advice the past few weeks.

 

I had Rogan into the vet week before last and they removed the rest of the sutures. I had removed most of them myself, but some knotted ones I left for the vet to do. The left foot seemed a bit irritated, so it's good they are out instead of waiting for them to dissolve. The vet examined his remaining toes and said they have normal range of motion, no pain, and we did x-rays of both back feet and she said everything looks good.

 

Once the little wounds healed up all the way from the suture removal I started letting him walk outside without the boots. This week I left him off-leash for the first time in the yard. He came up limping a few times after running, but it did go away after he walked it off. I'm not sure if he's bumping the feet and freaking himself out or what. I might bring him for a physical therapy consult if his gait doesn't improve (still favoring right leg). But he doesn't limp every time, and has run around okay most of the time. He seems fine on our walks.

 

Now the not so great news. His bloodwork came back all wonky, with low WBC's and elevated liver values. His WBC's were low enough that the vet felt it was not just "Greyhound" low, and we started him on some Clavamox. He's acting fine though. I'm hoping the liver values were just from the Rimadyl (I stopped giving it once I saw that bloodwork). Sophie's liver values were also off at that recheck (she goes in every 6 months because of her seizure meds), but she's actually symptomatic (soft stool, inappetance), so we're in limbo while we figure this out. Both of them had more bloodwork today, so I eagerly await those results.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[EllenEveBaz]

Congreytulations to Rogan on being boot-free, and keeping all paws crossed here on his and Sophie's blood values.

[carronstar]

Keeping Rogan and Sophie in my thoughts.

[gryhndsr4us]

Glad to hear Rogan is doing better. Keeping him and Sophie in my thoughts. Hope both their bloodwork comes back better!

[galgrey]

Glad Rogan's walking better after this terrible ordeal. Keeping him and Sophie in my thoughts.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Rogan's liver values were about the same over the weekend. They might take a few weeks to go back to normal since stopping the Rimadyl, so we'll recheck again later. He dislocated another toe on Monday. In to the vet today for x-rays. He's not going to have any toes left.

 

When I get a chance I'll start another thread about Sophie.

[PrairieProf]

Oh geez, MORE toe troubles?? Just when you could begin getting back to normal activity? Poor Rogan, poor you!

 

[racindog]

Please give Rogan a hug and kiss for me! Also I was surfing today and stopped by the Therapaw website. In the bottom slideshow they show a hound wearing a dorsi flex boot that looked interesting. At any rate they do a lot of custom support work etc. also and you know maybe they have an idea to help him protect his remaining toes. Even regular Therapaws dissipate concussion real good. They were critical for Slim. Without them his toes would literally tear open to the bone as the ligaments and supporting structures had withered away due to dislocations etc. Board certified vet said only treatment was amputation and since multiple toes were affected that wasn't an option.Just a thought.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Some boots might be an option in the future. Thanks.

 

Right now we're dealing with the inner toe on the left foot (the oops amp) dislocating and going flat. "Dropped toe" I believe it's called. Vet says the ligament is stretched or torn. They want to go in and suture the joint capsule to prevent further dislocations. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. I just can't believe this.

 

I had a foster with a dropped toe before and it never seemed to bother him, he came that way from the track. Rogan seems to be in serious pain. (Limping, panting, etc). I don't care what his toes look like, but I want him pain-free and as mobile as possible. I'm so frustrated by this.

[Guest freightsmom]

Freightliner had a toe amputed recently due to Hemangiopericytoma and shortly after had a toe on the same foot "drop". It does not seem to cause him pain but I thought it was really coincidental that the dropped toe happended on the same foot his amp was on. Hugs to you and poor Rogan.

[Jenbo]

Oh poor Rogan, I hope this ordeal is over SOONEST for him.

[Batmom]

Worth wrapping the toe for 3-4 weeks (with support from underneath, see thread about Zema's), rather than going straight to surgery?

 

Hugs and hopes all goes well.

[TheFullHouse]

My goodness. This ordeal seems never ending. Poor guy, hope they get him fixed up soon so he's not in pain any more.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Worth wrapping the toe for 3-4 weeks (with support from underneath, see thread about Zema's), rather than going straight to surgery?

That was the plan at first. I wrapped it the same day I saw it, and the vet sent me home from the appointment with a wrap on and a recheck in 4 weeks. We would look to a surgery option if the wrapping didn't work. But then she spoke with their orthopedic surgeon that said this conservative approach rarely works with "sighthounds or working dogs", in his experience if you don't do the surgery in the first 10 days the ends shrink up and the surgery is often not successful. I don't know what to think. We did wraps for 3 months with the other toe and that didn't work, which is why we amputated. I do NOT want him going under anesthesia again, but I also don't want to lose our 10 day "window".

 

 

Did Freightliner ever limp? Rogan is limping and panting when he walks, and that's with Tramadol on board. (Some of the pain/limping might be from the wrap, he hates it. He didn't seem to be limping much pre-wrap). How does Freightliner get around on that foot?

Edited September 8, 2012 by LindsaySF

[tbhounds]

Lindsay--why don't you shoot Dr Dyce an e-mail (ortho Dr at Ohio State). He is known to have magic hands with tons of GH experience here in the States and across the pond. I'm sure he will be more than glad to give you a suggestion on how to approach further treatment.

[Guest freightsmom]

Worth wrapping the toe for 3-4 weeks (with support from underneath, see thread about Zema's), rather than going straight to surgery?

That was the plan at first. I wrapped it the same day I saw it, and the vet sent me home from the appointment with a wrap on and a recheck in 4 weeks. We would look to a surgery option if the wrapping didn't work. But then she spoke with their orthopedic surgeon that said this conservative approach rarely works with "sighthounds or working dogs", in his experience if you don't do the surgery in the first 10 days the ends shrink up and the surgery is often not successful. I don't know what to think. We did wraps for 3 months with the other toe and that didn't work, which is why we amputated. I do NOT want him going under anesthesia again, but I also don't want to lose our 10 day "window".

 

 

Did Freightliner ever limp? Rogan is limping and panting when he walks, and that's with Tramadol on board. (Some of the pain/limping might be from the wrap, he hates it. He didn't seem to be limping much pre-wrap). How does Freightliner get around on that foot?

 

 

No, he did not limp when it first happened and still does not limp today. Freight lost the outside toe on his front right foot and the toe that went flat is the inside one. The surgeon amputated the outside toe back into the foot so when I noticed the flat toe I started to worry about that toe needing to come off. That would leave Freight with only two toes on a front foot. He never did a lot of zoomies even when he was young so today he does not do more than a gallop around the yard. Hope Rogan finds some comfort soon

[racindog]

Praying for Rogan.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I emailed Dr Dyce but did not hear back yet. Thank you for the recommendation!

 

I talked to my vet some more today. I'm not convinced his toe ever did dislocate completely, he might have just had a flat toe due to hyperextension of that ligament. His inner toes are bending in all sorts of funky ways as his gait and balance have changed since the outer toe amputations. It could have dislocated, but I didn't hear or feel any popping, and it fixed itself. It was warm and he was painful that night though. At his exam the vet did not want to manipulate it too much, but it did not dislocate there, he was walking ok, but she did feel laxity in that joint compared to the other foot.

 

They are going to go in tomorrow with the intention of suturing the joint capsule to prevent further dislocations. If the joint capsule is intact then they'll just leave it alone. The vet thinks the surgery is worth it because if the joint capsule is damaged/ruptured, it will likely cause further problems down the road, and he really needs this toe. And we don't want to lose that 10 day window. His foot will be wrapped with a splint for several weeks after the surgery, and hopefully any strained ligaments will tighten up. They are going to scale his teeth while he's under.

 

I'm paranoid about him going under anesthesia again so soon, and I hate to do anything that can cause him pain, but after talking to the vet she thinks this is the best chance to make sure this toe has some stability over the long-term. I will be a nervous wreck tomorrow. Please think good thoughts for my boy.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest undergreysspell]

Good healing thoughts for your boy...keep us updated.

[racindog]

Praying for Rogan to have super successful surgery!

[sweetdogs]

Very, very best wishes for Rogan. I can't believe you have to go through all this again. But a nice big, fat settlement from your prior vet would be helpful...