After 6 weeks of rest (loosely defined more recently as keeping her to a dull roar) to heal injuries sustained when a truck ran over her, Jade had her first non-emergency vet appointment on Friday. She got vaccinated and had some blood work done (all normal and heartworm negative). But the main attraction was determining how well her fractured pelvis had healed. I brought my vet an image of the x-ray taken at the emergency clinic on the day of the accident and she found 3 fractures on it (I had only been advised of 2 at the time). She did a physical exam and took a new x-ray. This is a photo of that x-ray:
My vet explained that, while her fractures had healed, she had (and I’m paraphrasing here) healed crooked. Specifically, the ball of the right hip was no longer sitting as it should in the socket. I remember the emergency vet had warned me about the possibility that she may not heal as good as new so although I was prepared, I admit I had been hoping to hear that everything was perfect. My vet said it’s possible she might go through life just fine, simply managing the right hip condition as-is or she may require a femoral head ostectomy at some point. I will monitor her for any signs of pain, particularly on that right side. But the very good news was that the vet gave the all-clear to let Jade rough house, run wild and generally act like a normal 9 month old pitbull puppy.
This weekend, Jade got to play with Schroeder, the dog closest to her in age here at home, whom she has been playing bitey face with through baby gates and across barriers for the past several weeks. This was her first time off leash in the large part of the yard and her first time being able to play with another dog.
Thank you again to everyone who donated to help pay for Jade’s care. She has an appointment to be spayed and chipped next month and thanks to your generous donations, I’ve already paid for that. Between now and then, she will definitely be enjoying more running wild time with Schroeder.
woo hoo that does a heart good
The second video is great! They’re having so much fun. So are planning to keep Jade?
The vet said she knew someone who might like Jade but added that she thought that person just recently got a puppy. So we’ll see if anything develops from that. Otherwise, the adoption queue has been rather short.
They both look so happy — that’s awesome!
It is great to see Jade being a puppy with Schroeder. I look forward.to her Sunday updates. .
I figured this would be the last one because I honestly didn’t think people would be interested in weekly updates anymore once she’d recovered. But if even one person is interested, I am happy to continue posting about the prettiest and sweetest pitbull in the world…
You could start her on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, just to be on the safe side. She looks great. It is wonderful o see her joy at being able to play with a dog buddy.
That seems like a reasonable plan.
Wonderful to see! And hey, considering the fact that she was run over with a truck, I’d have to say that she’s come out of it pretty damn good!
Now – is Schroeder really that big or is Jade on the smaller side? Because he looks HUGE!
Jade weighed approximately 42 pounds at her vet appointment. Although I haven’t weighed Schroeder recently, I’m sure he weighs significantly more. He is bigger than she is.
Oops, you dropped a phrase from this sentence, so I’ve spliced it in for you:
“She has an appointment to be spayed and chipped next month and *then she’ll return home for good;* and thanks to your generous donations, I’ve already paid for that.
lol… we’ll see.
How wonderful to see Jade playing with Schroeder and having so much fun. It really makes me happy to see that she has had such a good outcome after her run in with the truck. She’s a beautiful girl and so lucky to have ended up with you.
I want to put a comment about her hip (I’m a vet that deals with a lot of working dogs). It hurts, it hurts now. The sooner you get the FHO done the less muscle mass she will lose. The less muscle she loses the easier it is for her to recover.
Bless you for giving her a second chance. She looks wonderful! About the FHO – I’m with the person who commented above that sooner is better than later. Bone grinding on bone has to hurt.
My vet said nothing about her being in pain or that her bone was grinding on bone. After the x-ray and a physical exam to determine if she was in any pain, the vet said she didn’t appear to be. I will talk with her more about it at the spay appointment.
I had a Flatcoat once who required FHO and saw the post op evidence that in fact he had bone grinding on bone. That dog exhibited obvious indications of pain, which is why I had him checked by the vet. While I appreciate that every dog is an individual, I’m not seeing the slightest hint at this time that Jade is in any pain.
Judging from my cat with an FHO, it’s also got to be balanced out with the inevitable wear-and-tear on the opposite side. Poor exasperating beastie, she can’t jump much any more … and I don’t know whether to be relieved or sorry.
Another vote for continuing the updates. Jade’s such a happy dog.
She is lovely – and finally getting to be a puppy. Bless you for taking her on.
I DITTO Elaine’s comment!!! Keep, keep, keep!
It’s not that I don’t love the snot out of her, it’s just that we have so many others already – and several of them have issues. I’m sure many of you can relate. But I hafta say that it’s been super nice to come home from work and be greeted by a “normal” dog every day and to have her keep me company around the house. I could get used to normal. But then I might want more of them!
Awww! I didn’t get to the computer over the weekend, so seeing these videos is a lovely way to start my week. Thank you (and Billy, and Schroeder and Jade) for that!
As far as the ‘normal’ thing – there ain’t no such thing. They’re all a mix of lovely and wacky in different proportions and intensities. I think you must mean that it’s nice to have a playful, sane(r) dog, with a small medical issue. Those are just about the best to have, in that they are less difficult on your head, heart, house, and budget, but as we ALL know – there’s no such thing as perfect and no such thing as free. Luckily, factoring in the happiness provided by a dog (even the really difficult ones), often gets them into the plus column more often than not. We had a difficult, slightly nuts Lab mix, and we always said it was helpful that she made us laugh five times a day, because she also made us want to wave a magic wand and make her disappear 3 to 5 times a week. She had some excellent qualities, but also some really pita ones. It’s been raining a lot here (and will all this week too), and we remember her excellent quality of being able to go out and pee AND poop in 60 seconds before we remember that she also liked to roll in the mud. We miss her a lot.
I too was away from the computer all weekend so this is a fantastic way to start my day. I echo the sentiment-we love Jade updates. Thanks Shirley, Billy, Schroeder & Jade. I am so happy for her. She looks happy and I believe you’d see it if she was in pain after all that running and rough housing. I am sure it will be a lifelong thing but you will monitor etc. So happy that donations helped. I think she is so happy & content where she is, but understand other dogs with issues. If the right situation comes along you will know it! Please keep up the updates and thank you!!
Those videos are so cute! I’ll bet those 2 keep you laughing all day long. BTW: I LOVE the silvery grey Pitties. If I didn’t have a house full of cats, I would seriously consider adopting one.