Wednesday 24 June 2015

Molly's humans' View of Pain and Suffering

(Molly is temporarily unavailable for comment, so we, her humans, have stepped in to tell you what's been happening.)

We have a dog. A marvellous, magnificent, one of a kind dog. Her name is Molly. But you know that. 

What you may not know is that she has been in pain since we got her 2 years ago. We didn't know. Until about 6 months ago, we were unaware of the constant suffering she was in. As her behaviour started to change from one of bouncy joy to periodically mellow recalcitrance, a trip to the vet (or Molly's personal physician) confirmed that she had problems with her spine and hip - although which and what were not specified. A protracted period of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and other painkillers, including a course of natural joint remedies eased the pain, but not the symptoms. 

On Tuesday last week we took her for a consultation to a specialist surgical veterinary practice, Dick White's Referrals, in Newmarket* where she had x-rays and an MRI which confirmed she had a slipped disc where the hips and spine join. This was putting pressure on her spine and hip joints as well as trapping nerves, causing her tremendous pain. It also appears that she may have a congenitally deformed spine - there are all sorts of reasons - which had been steadily worsening over time. 

The only real option was surgical. So, on Thursday, she went under the knife to have the problem remedied as far as was possible. 

The results are fantastic! She has gone through the sickness and diarrhoea phases, has been eating properly again and is responding brilliantly to physiotherapy. So much so, that now that her scars have healed and there is no infection, she can come home. 

On Thursday, the 25th June 2015, the Moo-sized hole in our living room will be replaced by a recuperating Molly. We are ecstatic.

Thank you to everyone who has been so fabulously supportive. It is very clear that Molly is a firm favourite with many people - this now includes everyone who has dealt with her at Dick White's Referrals, too - and that her story has been followed with concern and applause. We are supremely grateful and Molly would be extremely upset if I didn't pass on her waggy tailed appreciation. 

We will allow Moo to detail her own recovery, in her own way, over the coming months. It's going to be hard, we know, but we also know that she'll be back to herself and then some soon. 

Love and waggy licking to you all. 

*- a place where there many people, most of them like humans only much, much smaller.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

The Niggle That Wasn't

Molly's eye view

A long time ago, where I was before was a bit "not nice." I was very thin and had some "issues." I don't really remember it, but it was a bit painful and I had to go somewhere else. That's when I was with lots of other dogs in a big house that Paul O'Grady goes to sometimes. They were very nice but it was all a bit noisy and full.

2 years ago, my humans came to see me and brought me home and let me sleep and gave me cuddles. They got me toys and let me sleep on a soft floor that wasn't a floor; "Bed" they call it. Sometimes I go to it for sleeping and sometimes I go to it because they're going to go away for a little while and sometimes I go to it because they tell me to - that's when I've made the cat cry or put my nose on the table in the kitchen. It doesn't happen much.

I like to run. That's good because my humans like me to. They throw the ball and I steal other dogs' toys and run with them while they chase me and I chase them and we laugh and shout at each other. But I can't do it for very long. Actually, at first it wasn't too bad. It was great fun to be out in the fields and in the trees running and bouncing. There are so many overs to run. Many overs.

And then I got to play with the big humans in their bright orange jackets. They gave me a uniform and when I wear my jacket and my Mars Human says "Go find!" I look for another human who you can't see. And when I find them I get PATE! or CHICKEN! It's awesome. I am, too. I like searching.

But sometimes I need to stop. Just sit down. Because it hurts. It started a long time ago, maybe before I met my humans. But since the party time with all the presents and carols and turkey and the trips in the car to see the Norfolk and Northern humans and their dogs, going on long walks has been a bit hard. Some days I felt great and could run and run and run. But there were days when I just didn't feel right. I didn't feel hungry and it hurt to run much. I stopped playing with my friends on Hilly Fields and at Honor Oak Rec. I couldn't really run up One Tree Hill or chase the squirrels.

That's when my humans took me to the clean and smelly place. I only go there once a year so the nice man in the Hawaiian Shirt can look at me and say things that make my humans go all smiley and cuddly. Only this time I was a bit sore. And when the nice man pushed my hips and my shoulders I told him that was wrong and I didn't like it. I'd never seen a human run away from me that fast!!!!! But he came back and did it again, only this time my Mars Human was there and he held my head and told me nice noises. And I told Hawaiian Shirt to get off, but it was better this time because I wasn't on my own. And I got CHICKEN! I really, really, like CHICKEN!

Then my humans were all cuddly again, but they weren't smiley. And my Claud Human and my Mars Human looked at each other like they do when the brown letters come in the post when they gave the lady behind the desk a piece of plastic and made a machine go beep beep beep beep. And then they had boxes that rattled; lots of them.

And then I got treats! Lots and lots of treats. They tasted a bit funny at first but they were much better after a little while. And every time I had food, my humans opened all the boxes and made treats with what was in them. I would feel sleepy then. But the pain wasn't as bad so I could lie down and not be sore.

When I went back to see Hawaiian Shirt, he made it all go dark. I don't know how long for, but I was very floppy for a while. My humans kept laughing and I tried to laugh, too, but I was too floppy and they laughed even more. So sometimes I would go floppy to make them laugh. I like it when my humans are laughing.

But then my humans came back with even more boxes and I got even more treats!!!!! And the pain wasn't there, so I ran and jumped and played. But I still couldn't do it very much. Because sometimes the pain would come back. So I would stop if it was too much. And my humans would scratch my ears and cuddle me and we would walk slowly back to home field and I would have food and treats and a little playtime and then sleep.

I don't like stopping. I like playing and running and chasing and catching. But I can't do it very well because I get sore. And sometimes I can't lie down and find soft places that make me not hurt.

We went to see Hawaiian Shirt again today. I was a bit grumbly because, even with all the treats, there is still quite a lot of pain in my hip and my back. I don't want the pain any more. It's what I've had every day for a long time, but I don't want it any more.

I wonder how I can make that happen.


Mars' View

It appears that our beautiful, spectacular, calm, gentle Molly has been in a lot of pain, pretty much since we got her from Battersea 2 years ago; which makes her unbelievably calm, trusting and gentle demeanour all the more incredible. The pain is centred on her back and left hip and x-rays have now shown that she has "moderate" hip displaysia and was suffering a swelling on her spine. After a very successful course of pain management, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories we're going to see a specialist, recommended by our vet, to discuss whether or not it would be right for Molly to receive a hip replacement. In our desperately passionate, utterly unbiased, loving, "considered" opinion we just want her to be pain free and active, just as a young (4 year old) rottweiler should be. A hip replacement should give her exactly that.

We'll see the specialist as soon as possible and should be able to update in the very near future.

The thing is, where Molly or Slim are concerned, Claudia and I are JCBs. We will genuinely move mountains.

As will all our family and friends. Thank you for your support. I'll keep you updated.

More power to the Moo!