When we met Emma, she was only 4 weeks old. At this point, puppies are just learning how to hold their head up and walk around (so they kind of look drunk wobbling from side to side). They sleep for most of the day and haven't really had a chance to show off their little personality too much. One area of concern for us is that Emma would turn out to be an alpha female. This is a personality trait that some breeds exhibit where a female (rather than a male) has the chance of having a dominant and aggressive personality. Severity of this personality trait can vary from growling to literally killing other female dogs that invade an alpha female's territory. Chad and I will have other dogs while we have Emma, so having a dog with an alpha personality was not an option.
About 2 1/2 weeks after we picked her out, I got a call from Ree (the breeder). She told be they had noticed a problem with Emma. I thought, "Oh [crap]. She's an alpha. We can't bring her home." Ree continued to tell me they had noticed that Emma didn't walk quite right. Instead of walking, she hopped. "Like a bunny," Ree said. She told me she was going to take Emma to the vet the following Monday and would let me know what he said, but that this could be a very serious thing that could affect her life. She also let me know that if we no longer wanted the puppy that she would be happy to refund our money and give us the option of choosing another puppy from an upcoming litter.
After I hung up, I was really disheartened. I had to keep a smile on my face because I was keeping our nephews for the weekend, but I just wanted to cry! I called Chad and he was just as upset about it as I was. There were really only two reasons why we wouldn't take this puppy. One would be if we couldn't give her the best life possible. This was why we chose a smaller sized dog as opposed to a large one. This would also cover and surgeries Emma would need that we couldn't afford. The second reason would be if her "condition" were permanent. Chad and I both get very attached to animals and neither of us could handle the thought of having to put her down six months into her life.
I waited as long as humanly possible to call Ree that Monday. She told me the x-ray the vet took showed absolutely nothing wrong with her leg. At least nothing wrong with her bones. X-rays do not show soft tissue. Puppies have something called growth plates. These are areas in their joints where bones form and they show up as empty spaces on and x-ray. If Emma had a growth plate injury, it would be permanent and nothing could be done to fix it. Ree invited us to come out that Thursday to see Emma and help us talk about everything.
We arrived on Thursday and picked Emma up out of the pin. It was easy to spot her because she was the only one with a serious limp. We brought her and her brother inside to play and observe her walking. Here's what we saw...
Seriously, watching these videos takes me back. She's so tiny!
We all concluded that it was her front left leg. You'll notice that she falls over when she tries to walk over a foot. You'll also notice that she is not in any pain. To this day, she has never seemed to be in pain what so ever. In fact, she had this attitude of "why doesn't everyone walk like this? Oh, I guess they're not special enough." She still has this attitude...
In this picture, You can actually see her left leg turned in (it's the all-white one).
After thinking and praying long and hard, we (obviously) decided to bring Emma home. Our rationale was that if this were a child, we wouldn't say, "Oh, we'll just wait for the next one." You love that child for everything they are. Yes, I realize Emma is not a human, but I still wouldn't reject her just because she has a handicap.
As it turns out, the problem lies within both of her legs. I took her to the vet several weeks ago for a round of vaccinations and the vet noticed her limping (she rarely limps and is still never in pain when she does) and waned to look at her legs a little closer. He tried to bend her legs back and NEITHER of them would! While her right leg does seem a little less tight, it is just as much a part of the problem as her left leg is. We haven't done any x-rays since her first ones were taken at 6 weeks, but are planning to.
Every now and then, well notice her left leg turned in completely or limping after a long nap. She hops rather than runs. But as I look at her sleep beside me (in the most awkward position possible) while I write this post, I cannot believe we ever thought about not keeping this dog.
Thanks for reading and God Bless!
-Shelley
I hope things go well in the future with her. I can't imagine it would "require" surgery if she is still mobile and it doesn't cause her pain. I guess only time will tell. I agree with you that sure a pet isn't the same to some as a person, but you care and love it just the same as you would a human. I know I do mine. I think you and chad were meant to be emma's parents!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a difficult decision to make. But it sounds as if you're giving her the home she needed, and I know you'll be amazed at what she gives back.
ReplyDeleteOur corgi mix puppy had similar issuisces, and it ended up being what is called.angular limb deformity. We had to get him surgery on the one leg -not cheap but oh so worth it - and the other will probably need it too.down the road. Keep an eye on yours and definitely get xrays done again! Our boy didn't show it on xray until almost a year old. Good luck!
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