Plan of Action? Wait and see...

We took Stella to see the orthopedic surgeon today.  Dr. G. examined her and confirmed that she has a partial tear in her left ACL.  He observed the way she walked, sat and her overall physical behavior and stated that she “looked good”.  Upon physical manipulation however he discovered a possible secondary issue – of course.  We’ve had this type of maneuver done with our dogs in the past; while in a standing position the dog’s paws are individually flipped knuckle side down.  Most dogs will immediately flip the paw right side up or will pull their paw away from the person.  Stella flipped her paws back, except the back right paw took about 5 seconds.  Dr. G. let her walk around a bit more and then re-flipped each paw; the back right took 5 seconds again.  As I said, we’ve had this happen before so we knew what it indicated; confirmed by Dr. G, a neurological issue, specifically an issue somewhere along her spine.

We described to Dr. G. the seizure episode that Stella had last week.  He told us that the seizure activity is unrelated and is a THIRD concern.

Because of the possible glaucoma issue mentioned by our regular vet the other day, Dr. G. wants Stella to see her ophthalmologist to rule that out as the cause for some of the unusual behavior; perhaps her equilibrium was off.  Assuming her eyes are fine he wants to proceed with a conservative approach. Because Stella is almost 9 years old, is not super-active, is a couch potato, not limping, walking well, has a good appetite, etc. we will wait and see what presents itself first, if anything.  If she should start limping or show signs of pain with walking we are to bring her back to him for a possible MRI and/or surgery.  If she has another seizure we are to make an appointment with the neurologist – if necessary, we will make an appointment with the neurologist at this same facility to keep the continuity of Stella’s specialized care under one roof.

Incidentally, Dr. G. said Stella’s ACL will not heal itself.  The goal is to not let it get worse.  In the state that it is in now it may be tolerable to her; we also have no idea how long it has been this way.  He also stated that the neurological deficit could heal itself if it is something minor in nature.  He told us to watch Stella for pain or injury but let her decide if she wants to go for walkies, if she wants to take the little doggy steps up to the couch or would rather be lifted, if she wants her bowl elevated, etc.  She will be our guide as to what steps to take next.

So to sum up the current events, Stella has:

• a torn ACL
• a possible neurological deficit
• had one seizure that we’re aware of
• a possible glaucoma issue
• had a third Mast Cell Tumor removed a few weeks ago

We were able to get an appointment today to see Stella’s ophthalmologist and drove there after our appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.  We were told that Stella’s eyes look fine – well, as fine as Stella’s eyes can look.  Dr. S. told us that her eyes are exactly what he expected and unchanged from her last appointment less than a year ago.  He also informed us that there is no such thing as “borderline glaucoma” for dogs – there is for people but not for dogs.  He said dogs either have it or they don’t, period.  Their eye pressures are either normal or through the roof.  Being a defined specialty we certainly can’t fault our regular vet for being concerned and suggesting we get Stella’s eyes checked.  At least we now know her eyes did not play into any of the odd behavior.  ONE thing to scratch off our list.

We tried to schedule Stella’s abdominal ultrasound for today to save a trip but was unable to coordinate this with the oncology section.  After her 3^rd MCT removal a few weeks ago we discussed with the oncologist having her ultrasound sooner rather than waiting the full year (August).  Dr. F. is fine with this as it does not require anesthesia and is of no harm to Stella.  We recalled the conversation from 2011 - that if an MCT appears on one of her organs Stella would start chemo immediately.  I can’t stand the thought that something may be growing inside her and we wouldn’t know for 4 more months.  The ultrasound is scheduled for April 15.