Monthly Archive for April, 2010

Most animals dislike, even hate, going to the vets, but our 8-year-old retired greyhound, Max, absolutely loves it! He loves saying hello to the receptionists (cue gravy bone), & will work his way around every person in the waiting room, charming them by placing his head on their lap & giving them ‘that look’ (cue more gravy bones!). Once he gets into the consultation itself he thinks he’s hit the jackpot – he will allow our vet to poke & prod him any which way she likes (cue lots & lots of gravy bones)! It’s a good thing he is so good natured about it all really, as he has become something of a regular at our local surgery…

Our vet’s large stash of Pedigree ‘Gravy Bones’ may have something to do with why Max loves his trips there so much!

We adopted Max in May 2008 & he spent much of his first year with us with one or other of his limbs in bandages! He had a histiocytoma surgically removed from one of his forepaws, then, following traumatic dislocation, one of the toes on his right hindleg was surgically amputated.

Max following removal of the histiocytoma in June 2008

More recently, Max has developed a prounounced limp, avoiding putting weight through his right hind leg whenever he breaks from walking to trotting. After consultation with a specialist orthopaedic vet in Fife, it seems that Max’s limp is multifactorial in causation, with both contracting scar tissue in his thigh (a likely result of an untreated internal bleed due to muscle trauma during his racing days) & unbalanced weight distribution through his remaining 3 toes (& possibly the stump of the amputated toe) playing a part. Whilst neither of these are treatable, they are also not sinister & (likely) not progressive, so it is fine for Max to continue ‘hopping’ along as he does as he is not in any pain.

Max enjoyed a walk at Braid Burn Valley Park just last weekend, limp & all

One thing that was picked up in the battery of tests Max underwent to try & determine a treatable cause for his limp, was a small lump in his buttocks (separate to the scar tissue mentioned above). This was biopsied & the result indicates that it is a potentially aggressive tumour (a mesenchymal sarcoma). This is completely unrelated to his limp & is just an incidental finding, but quite a shock.

After a long chat with our own vet, we decided that it’s best for Max if we just leave the lump be – it is not bothering him at all & because of it’s position (a few cm from his anus – poor boy) resection would be very traumatic. We are just going to look after the rest of his health & leave it be unless it starts to cause him any distress. It’s a tough call, & I think especially because he’s insured it’s very easy to think ‘we’ll just go ahead with whatever investigations & treatment are available’ without stopping to consider what’s actually best from the animal’s point of view.

Max

Max lives in the moment, & I think we’re just going to try & keep that moment happy & pain-free for as long as possible. He already has his limp & his digestive problems to deal with, so invasive surgical / chemical treatment is the last thing I want to put him through. It’s a very small lump, & I hope it’s a very long time before it gets any bigger…