Diamond, continued

Friday, Sept. 10, 2010



I took Diamond to the vet this morning to get shots and checked for heartworm. Dr. Bruce watched him walk and felt his hips and got down to business of telling me that if he were in charge, he would have him put down. Being pragmatic, which is what I love about him, he said his hips were really bad, probably from hip displaysia and being injured when he was young. I asked him if he was in pain, and he didn’t think so now, but there was definitely some discomfort. Said he is on a road of medication as he gets older and felt his quality of life would not be very good. Doc said no way he should have been used for breeding, because it was likely he passed it on to his puppies. Doc felt that an adopting family would get so attached to him, only to have to have heartbreak down the road with medication costs and possibly facing Diamond not being able to walk, he felt it was that bad. Wow. Do I get a second opinion on this?

I’ve never dealt with hip problems in my dogs before, but Paula, the office person said her collie had them and basically it was pain meds and anti-inflamatory meds. So, whoever adopts him, needs to be aware of this.
He is such a sweet dog and doesn’t appear to be in pain. You would think he’d be snarly and such. He’s doing the stairs all the time now, on his own and last night started drinking out of the toilet! I gave up a long time ago trying to keep my own dogs from drinking from the toilet. I had a big water bottle for them, the kind you tip over into a bowl so you don’t have to keep refilling the dish five times a day. Brett thought it was great fun to knock it over and play in the gushing water. I also tried keeping the lid to the toilet down. They just nose it up, stick their heads in, drink, then back out making a big clunk. So, raising the white flag on that.

So, moving back to Diamond, he weighs 58 pounds. He should weigh 80-100 pounds, and now knowing about his structural problems, it would be wise to keep him on the lean side. Many of the people who adopted one of his puppies has friended me on Facebook in order to see my early pictures of the big daddy. .

We will go ahead and get him neutered and I’m going to find out if the board approves xrays for him while he’s under for the neuter. They will show exactly what’s going on in his hips.

While at the vet, he let me use their clippers to shave the mats off Diamond’s back end. That was really nice of him. I forgot to get what’s left behind his ears, but my sister, Jane said she has clippers I can borrow. I’m sure he feels much better yet again. Doc told me to bathe him in Selsun Blue shampoo, because flea shampoo often irritates the dog’s skin.

While I was waiting an older couple was bringing in their dog to be put down. The woman was in tears. That makes me cry. The dog was immobile in the back of their truck on a sheet. A black lab. The woman said she couldn't watch them carry him in. So sad, but part of pet ownership.