Rufus is doing...OK. We took him in last week (Friday?) for a bandage check - his toes (where they were a little raw) are looking really really good - no inflammation or redness, just happy little scabs <---ew, gross, I know, but hey, they're nature's band-aids, LOL.
That's the good news.
The not-so-good news is that he's got some contracture going on with the muscles, ligaments, and tendons (because he's not moving the leg), which, if it keeps up, will limit his mobility, possibly permanently. Dr. Salloom says it's possible stretching and v-e-r-y careful PT once the cast is off will remedy this complication.
The other not-so-good-news is that the bone density in his broken leg is not what it should be - the vet told me that it should be a bright white on the x-rays, but on the films they took 4 weeks ago (upon his re-injury), they looked dull, which indicates calcium depletion...not due to a lack of calcium in his body, but due to non-use of the leg (he's not using it, so the bone doesn't think it needs to rebuild itself).
So...we're looking at once he gets out of the cast, his leg will be incredibly fragile, and the slightest wrong move could re-break his leg in a new location...
I have to say I'm pretty stressed out about all of this - and really concerned that once the rigid cast is off, he'll re-break his leg. He's already trying to run with the cast on, and when we let him out of the mosh pit to go potty (on-leash), he gets very excited and bounces around, even though I've got him on a 2' leash and am holding him.
1 comment:
I'm so sorry to hear about Rufus...what a challenging situation to be in - and just so hard for an active dog. My Hodgie sends him a big WOOF - saying, hang in there!
Post a Comment