GINNY
February 6,2002
February 14, 2002
2/21/02
We had a bit of a set back today with Ginny!
Ginny visited Dr. Munjar today for her 2 week check up. I guess it's hard to keep a good girl down - because three of the six screws were not as they should be. Sooooooo, Ginny got to stay at the clinic and have more surgery!
She was quite a trooper and as a matter of fact, so was Dr. Munjar. When I saw Dr. Munjar later in the day for another of our dog's hip check, he stuck his head in the door and said, "You know why I am running late." As it was he was supposed to have a relatively calm day but that just didn't happen.
I was able to see Ginny this afternoon.
She was resting well, coming out of the anesthetic and looking
around.
The surgery consisted of the screws being put back in the correct
position and wire being added to keep everything in place. She
may be walking around in a sling after this so there will be no
pressure put on the leg. But of course, all will be fine because
we are in the capable hands of Dr. Munjar.
So back to the laundry room for Ginny with only bathroom breaks. No more laying in her pen outside in the sun. But then there isn't much sun these days so it probably won't be missed.
If this has been a set back for anyone, other than Ginny, it is for Anita, her foster mom, who has come to love her dearly. Actually husband, Rick, loves her just as much too. When I was on the phone relaying to Anita how Ginny was doing, Rick kept asking, "Can I go get her and bring her home tonight?" So our dear girl is still at the vet but will be home tomorrow and back in the loving arms and home of Anita and Rick.
We are so fortunate to have Anita and Rick as the foster parents of Ginny. No one could love her more than they do. Of course, all of the Golden Bond family has come to love her dearly too.
We do tend to take these dogs into our loving arms and surround them with the best of care and love that would be difficult to find elsewhere. This love exists and continues, even when they are placed in the homes of adopters, who have proven they can care and love these Goldens as much as we do.
Our Ginny is a great example of this. We will continue to keep tabs on her long after she has been released to an adoptive family.
We are all pulling for you Ginny!
Above- Ginny in imobilization contraption,
below with Rohan.
March 7, 2002
As you can see from the pictures, Ginny has moved to a new home. She is living with Patsy and Howard and is adjusting very nicely and in fact moves well between her inside pen, in the family room, to her outside pen on the deck. When it is sunny that is !
Ginny had her ten day check up yesterday and all looked very good. Dr. Munjar wants to wait another ten days before scheduling surgery on the other leg as she still walks tentatively on the right leg. There really isn't a huge hurry for the second hip surgery as it is the stronger of the two.
As you can see from these pictures, Henry, our black Lab, is our therapy dog, and has welcomed Ginny into the fold. When she first arrived he even joined her in her pen to keep her company and plays very gently with her.
A little training is also going on for her when she is walked in the yard as she has not been on a leash very much, so leash training 101 is definitely appropriate. Ginny's world is quite small right now, but once these hips are corrected she will be ready for the big, wide, wonderful world of dogs and people and she loves both.
Patsy
I'm getting to know Henry and playing.
See how well I'm healing? More about how I'm doing later.
March 25, 2002
Ginny made another visit to Dr. Munjar's office for a check up to see how everything was going on March 14th. At that point, Ginny was where she should have been two weeks after the February 6th original surgery. We were glad she was making improvements after the "fix up" surgery, but it was a little discouraging.
At this point we decided it would be very beneficial for Ginny to have therapy. Back on Track is a veterinary rehabilitation center located in the same building as Dr. Munjar's offices so a noon appointment was made for that same day.
As you can see from the 1st picture, Dr. Shaw spent quite a bit of time checking Ginny's current condition, measuring muscle mass (almost none in the surgical leg), range of motion etc. so a program could be developed. Ginny definitely had a way to go before the second hip could be operated on.
As you can see from the all wet Ginny, it was not bath day but rather underwater treadmill day. Dr. Shaw has a warm water pool and a underwater treadmill so water therapy is easily done. Ginny uses the treadmill rather than the swimming pool and is doing well.
Ginny has now had three session with Dr. Shaw and of Thursday, Mar. 21, there has been a great deal of progress. Ginny's muscle mass has improved, as has her range of motion. She is putting more pressure on the surgical leg and not limping quite as much. Dr. Shaw is very pleased with her progress and feels she is doing better than expected.
Ginny gets some work out at home also to improve the range of motion and stretching the muscles of the hip and hock. Ginny also now gets to roam the backyard when the other dogs are inside so she walks around sniffing everything, just like a puppy. She is allowed out of her pen in the evenings for a while if she remains quiet but then that is not easy for a 9 month old puppy, so back she goes when she starts to play too much. Very soon we will start leash training, this is almost nonexistent.
Ginny has been signed up for ten therapy sessions in all and the second surgery, as of now, is scheduled for April 16th. Dr. Shaw feels that Ginny's first hip should be ready to take the majority of weight by that time.
Our next check in with you all will be after the April 4th check up with Dr. Munjar. We will also be looking for a new foster home for Ginny's second hip surgery which should go a lot smoother than the first. Ginny is a wonderful puppy, very gentle and sweet and not at all demanding. She readily goes into her pen with her toys and dog bag. She is a real love and one day will make a very special dog for her forever family.
Patsy
Update 4/4/02
Ginny has completed all but one of her therapy sessions with Dr. Bianca Shaw. She was an excellent patient and you can bet that we can be proud of this little girl. There is absolutely nothing we put in her path that she doesn't adjust to and happily at that!
She is an incredibly happy and sweet little girl. For a nine month old puppy, she is unbelievably calm with impeccable house manners. Leash walking is another story but that is always being worked on, she is better.
Ginny had her final appointment with Dr. Munjar on Thursday, April 4th. This was to check that all is well with the first hip before her second surgery, which is scheduled for Friday, April 12th.
X-rays were taken and Ginny has done very well as all is in place on her first hip and now we can go on to the second. Both Dr. Munjar and Dr. Shaw are just delighted with her progress and look forward to seeing the second hip repaired so she can look forward to a normal happy life to match her delightful personality.
It is nice that Ginny has been able to have a few weeks where she is allowed out of her pen to calmly engage in activities with the other dogs while in the house. She loves to play with her toys and poke them in the face of any person or dog who will tolerate her. She is so sweet that is impossible to find anyone who won't.
So our next report to you all will be after her surgery on Friday. So just know that she is enjoying this week of less restrictions and a little activity. Of course this will all come to a screeching half on Friday but it is good to enjoy it, and her, while it lasts.
Patsy
4-12-02
The latest update is that Ginny did not have her surgery today, Friday, as she was supposed to.
Dr. Munjar called very apologetically, saying that his assistant had quit quite suddenly and therefore the surgery could not be done. It is rescheduled for Wednesday, April 17th.
In the meantime, Ginny is doing very well having a great week of somewhat unrestricted activity. She is able to have some puppy time.
So I will write again when the surgery
is complete.Patsy
Above-Ginny enjoys her water exercise
sessions!
4-18-02 My Second New Hip-Soon I'll be
running around like a puppy again.
April 18, 2002
Well, Ginny has had a month of being a puppy and just enjoying life. So she went into the second hip surgery with a great attitude and well healed first hip. She continues to be an excellent patient and delightful puppy. She is really quite remarkable!
Ginny had her second hip repaired yesterday. This was the best of the two hips so we are in hopes that this one will go more smoothly than the first. The actual surgery went just fine. Dr. Munjar called last night to report that all was well and he was quite pleased with the outcome of the surgery. He is not going to put a pain patch on her this time as that might have been part of what caused her to feel too good and therefore too active causing the first hip to be repaired. So this time she will be sent home with just pain meds and acepromazine to keep her quiet.
Julie Melfi and I will be picking up Ginny this afternoon and after a consultation with Dr. Munjar, Ginny will be fostered for the second hip with Julie. Of course, I won't be able to not visit her fairly often to keep tabs on her progress and keep you all updated.
We will again set up the two pens for her so she is not only confined in the house but can be outside on nice days in a confined space. For the first 10 days to two weeks, her only time out of the pens will be on leash to go to the bathroom. She probably won't feel like much more than that anyway.
But now Ginny knows what she can look forward to; a life of no pain in her hips. It is very obvious that there is no pain at all in the first hip as she walks, and wants to run, with no limp at all. Again, we can thank Dr. Bianca Shaw for that, after all of her great therapy work on Ginny. She, by the way, was there at the clinic to greet Ginny when she checked in and was also going to keep an eye on her throughout the day.
So Ginny will be home this afternoon and back once again in the loving arms of Golden Bond volunteers. What would we do without all of our volunteers? There is no way that Ginny's surgery could have been done without everyone's help. A lot of people have pitched in to help Ginny and a lot have offered. Thank you to all of our volunteers for all the love and concern shown Ginny during this difficult time in her young life.
We also want to thank the thoughtful and giving people who have contributed to Ginny's surgery fund. We did not do a fund raising campaign, as we did for Jessie when he had his hip replacements, as we did not feel it was fair to ask our supporters again to contribute, but we certainly thank those of you who have once again come to the aid of one of our sweet Goldens in need.
Ginny has been and continues to be worth
every dollar and minute of time we all have spent on her. She
is a joy and will be a joy and delight to the lucky family who
is the right match for her forever home. We love you Ginny! Patsy
evening
4-18-02
Ginny is home with Julie tonight as I write this and she is doing just great! She is not even limping on the hip that had surgery.
We set up the pen in the living room where all the activity is in Julie's house and Ginny will have lots to watch. There are the three cats who loved parading by the pen, and then their sweet dog, Cali. So when I left, Ginny was just bug eyed with what all was going on. Actually her eyes were getting a little heavy as it has been a big day.
But the main thing is that once again,
she is a little trooper. The x-rays look great and she is one
lucky little girl. I think the Golden Bond love has sustained
her through all of this.Patsy
May 1, 2002
It has been 1 1/2 weeks since Ginny's surgery on the right hip and she definitely has all of her energy back! She wants to run and play with the other dogs, chase the cats and anything else she sees moving. She is an incredibly sweet girl and does her best to behave when we take her out in the yard. She has been off of her pain medication for quite some time but we are still giving her sedatives to help her relax.
We are currently watching Beau while his new owner is in Japan. Beau and Ginny love to look at each other through the pen and Ginny barks and growls because she wants to play soooo bad! Cali and Beau are doing a great job of keeping Ginny company and look forward to the day they can all romp and play in the yard.
Ginny will see Dr. Munjar on this Friday to have her sutures removed and x-rays. We will keep our fingers crossed that everything looks good!
Julie
Ginny getting some sun and company after her second hip surgery.