| Golden Retriever | Born: January 2010 |
| Male | 75 lbs |
Status: Adopted
If it weren't so great to see how happy his new family is, we would be a little sad that Mitchell was adopted today. They have been waiting for years for the right time to get a dog, and now they got one of the sweetest dogs ever! We'll miss his handsome big head and sweet personality but so happy for another RAGOM success story and for this guy getting fixed up and on to a good golden life!
Mitchell got to go camping this weekend! His hip seems to be doing great! I was a little worried as he had started limping in it but the walks in the woods seemed to help strengthen it and he's using it a lot more and walking pretty normally. Hot spots have died down so he's looking good. He's terrified of thunderstorms, however. There was a huge storm and the rescue remedy and Benadryl had no effect, poor guy. (That was a sleepless night!) He had a great time, did well with other dogs and new people and now he's tuckered out! Perhaps a bath tomorrow and the a meeting with a family this week!
The patient continues to improve. Surprisingly, he is seeming to be having less trouble with the recovery from the hip surgery than he is with his hot spots, which keep spreading. We may have made some progress this week but we still pull out the e-collar if he's going to be left alone so he doesn't get at the inflamed areas. His hip is coming along well. He puts a little weight on it, has no trouble with the stairs or jumping on the bed or the couch. He still prefers to sit than stand but he does seem to be recovering well. He also seems a little perkier the past few days. Mitchell gets extremely nervous with thunderstorms; I was going to try a thundershirt with him the other day but couldn't find it so I tied a t-shirt on him and it seemed to help, along with some Rescue Remedy. It's great to see him with a little more spunk as the pain must be decreasing. He's still kind of on hold until the hot spots and the hip are a little more stable. He may be meeting a family next week and we're hoping that soon this sweet gold mine will be someone's treasure for good! Everyone who meets him remarks on what a good dog he is!
Well, the patient is home and resting after his big surgery today. He's doing good. First of all, Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital is a really great place. The clinic is great, the staff was great and big thanks to Dr. Rasmussen for taking care of Mitchell and all of the other RAGOM dogs. She guessed that Mitchell's hip had been dislocated for a long time, six months or more, due to some trauma. It was bone on bone with lots of arthritis so it's clear why he was in pain. The surgery went well, she removed the head of the femur and now a false joint will form. Mitchell should recover just fine and be able to do all of the things that goldens do, however, he may always have a bit of a funny gait as his muscles had adapted to his injury and he may never be able to get a full extension of his leg--no big deal, she says, and the rehab will help him get back to his normal. She also found that he had some kind of skin infection and his hotspots had spread so he's on antibiotics to take care of that. He's getting everything taken care of! Everyone at the clinic remarked what a sweet boy he is. When we got home, we did a little walk in the backyard and he took care of his business. He ate a little chicken, drank some broth, took his meds and zonked out for the evening. It'll be about 4-6 weeks for him to get back on his game, but he's on the way! He's such a good boy!
Well, Kinsey (who is now responding to Mitchell) is scheduled for his big hip surgery on Monday. His right hip is damaged, whether due to chronic hip dysplasia or a traumatic injury, so he is going to have an FHO (femoral head osteotomy). The ball portion of the joint of the hip is essentially removed and the muscles and scar tissue allow a new false joint to form. This will eliminate the pain that the poor guy is in from the bone-on-bone action that he has now.He may still have a bit of a limp as his leg may be a little shorter than the other one, but I read that in 80% of the surgeries, the dogs bounce right back. He'll be out of commission for a few weeks; he doesn't have to be limited in his activity but it'll take him a while to want to use his leg again. Even though this will be an ordeal for him, I can tell he's in pain with the leg right now--he won't stand for long, he sits as soon as he can and he favors the leg when he's walking. It'll be a relief to get this guy through this next adventure.
Mitchell truly is such a sweet, sweet dog. He's a real trooper, wearing the cone of shame to help heal his hot spot--he still finds ways to chew on a bone inside the cone, and will still roll around, rubbing his face into the carpet when he's happy. This morning, he had a few moments of freedom and he jumped up on the bed and was a total cuddle bug. He has the Golden "nudge" perfected, nudging my hand right off of the computer mouse in favor of petting him. He's started being a guard dog, barking at "intruders," but not in an excessive way. He's just feeling at home. He's a happy guy and I can't wait to see him get through this thing and blossom into the excellent dog that he is. He's totally housebroken, does fine with the cat and the other two dogs, and is fine with people. He's a five-star guy, so once he's recovered from the surgery, he's gonna be a keeper! More news after the Big Event on Monday..
Kinsey, whose name is kind of being changed to Mitchell in honor of his South Dakota heritage and the home of the Corn Palace, spent a week at Stacie's Spa while foster mom went on a road trip. He had a great time romping with the resident dog (also a RAGOM girl), learning his name, showing how nicely he can sit and take treats. With the thunderstorms and the 4th of July, it was discovered--no surprise!--that he's a little nervous with those things, but he survived with the help of a little Rescue Remedy and Stacie's loving. He came home last night and, sorry to say, he had to wear the cone of shame. He's developed a whopper of a hot spot on his cheek, and he was scratching it til it bled, so we had to rely on desperate measures. He doesn't like the cone much AT ALL, but he's such a sweet boy that he tolerates it just fine.
Several people have expressed interest in this handsome boy. We're waiting to find out the next steps with his hip surgery. Once we find out what's happening, he'll be actively hunting for a home, but right now we're trying to get that hip of his taken care of. We'll keep you posted right here!
Kinsey has settled into week #2 of his new life. And then he relaxed as he settled into his week stay at Stacie's Spa while we're out of town.
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