Things are different, though, with a special needs dog. The first thing most people notice about Mr.
Muffin (“Finn”) is his disability. More
than any other question I am asked, everyone wants to know what is wrong with him. Why can’t he walk? What happened to him? Was he born that way?
I have to admit I had a lot of questions, too, when I first
encountered Mr. Muffin at the SLVAWS dog shelter.
The thing I noticed first about him was his wonderful energy. Mr. Muffin had this exuberance about
him. When spoken to, he would express great excitement. I saw a
deep soulfulness and yearning in Mr. Muffin’s eyes. I noted his mobility challenges, but not
until after he had thoroughly charmed me with his puppy-like spirit.
Over the past two months, since adopting Mr. Muffin, I have
gone in search of answers that will help me provide him with the best possible future. I still have lots of
questions, but let me share with you what I have discovered so far. You deserve to know because so many of you feel like Mr. Muffin's extended family. We treasure your involvement in his journey.
First, I would like to clarify that there is nothing wrong with Finn. He is right in every way
that matters. Because of
a birth defect, Finn crab walks in a crouched position. He cannot extend his rear legs due to a congenital condition that has resulted in bowed femur bones and badly deformed
knees (his knee caps are way out of alignment due to the shape of his femur
bones).
 |
| Dr. Michael Bauer with Mr. Muffin |
The surgery needed, a wedge osteotomy in both rear legs, has
the highest degree of difficulty in Finn’s case. Each leg would require a separate surgery
followed by eight weeks of crate rest and a minimum of three months of
rehabilitation. That adds up to at least
half a year of surgical procedures and rehab for Mr. Muffin.
Though monetary cost is not my primary consideration, you are
probably curious. Each procedure would
cost approximately $2,900, for a total of $5,800 (plus rehab
expenses, travel costs, etc.). So far,
$1,100 has been pledged in support of Mr. Muffin’s surgery, and we haven't even officially launched a fundraiser at this point.
I asked Dr. Bauer if he would opt for surgery if this was his dog. Dr. B. said he would
because Mr. Muffin is still young enough to enjoy the benefits of a higher quality of
life for several years. My only
hesitation has been about putting Finn through the intense rigors of all that
will be needed to potentially improve his situation.
It is gut-wrenching to inflict any kind of hardship on a dog that has
known nothing but hardship his entire life.
I know six months will go by quickly, and I am willing to do anything to ensure a better life for Mr. Muffin, but even so, it hurts to think about constraining him to a crate for four months. I am told Finn should not encounter much
pain. That is another key consideration. I would never want him to suffer in any way. To me, the true cost of this surgery is anything that causes Mr. Muffin anguish.
What is best for Mr. Muffin? Is the ability to walk more normally essential to his well-being? Can Mr. Muffin thrive without corrective surgery? Is he up for six months of stress at this time in his life? What is the true cost to Mr. Muffin? Would it be wrong to withhold something that could potentially improve his quality of life? What is the most humane thing to do? These are the questions on my heart and mind.
I am so sorry about your dog. Hopefully, everything turns out to be okay. Be strong!
ReplyDeleteThank you for caring and for your encouragement.
DeleteAnd, those are all excellent questions! It would truly be difficult to confine him to a crate for several months when he has so recently discovered freedom, thanks to you. I know I wouldn't want to make that decision. Just taking my pups in to have their teeth cleaned is traumatic to me. btw, it took me 2 months to decide a teeth cleaning for my 13 yr old really was in her best interest. Any procedure, even the annual checkup is stressful (for all of us). I'm a big chicken when it comes to surgery. Still, I would let the doctors advice weight heavily in my decision. It would simply take me a few months to wrap my own mind around it.
ReplyDeletePS: Do you have a link for donations to that precious pups surgery fund?
DeleteIt is good to know that I am not alone in needing to take some time to thoughtfully consider medical treatments. This feels like a really big decision. I have wrestled with it for a month now (ever since I learned that surgery was an option). Thank you for asking about the link for donations. Will share when the time is right.
DeleteEverything Cynthia said above is how I feel about the whole thing. I was always leery about anything that required anesthesia, because that is also hard on a dog (or even a person.) I know in the long run, Finn's physical condition is the foremost concern, but your caution about his mental condition is well noted. He has known freedom for such a short time, I can understand your reluctance to put him back into a cage. Will it break his spirit again? Maybe. But will he get that spirit back when he's able to walk again? Probably. I would donate to his surgery if you give us a link, because his freedom will be complete if he's able to walk and run again.
ReplyDeleteFinn has definitely shown an amazing resilience. That is very much in his favor. Thank you for your desire to support his freedom. I will let you know when I have a link to share.
DeleteHow has Mr. Muffin gotten around in the past? You mention the crab-walk movement. Also, I've read through following Finn since he came to live with you of the wheeled apparatus (K9-cart) you are using in aid of his mobility and the swimming and social experiences you have introduced him to. These, in combination with the love and attention you have been giving him at home with you, have obviously already improved his life far beyond what it was before his rescue. If I had to make the decision facing you now with regard to surgery, I would opt out of surgery due to the long-term confinement required for healing. It seems to me that Finn would spend 6 months living in a cage like many non-rescued pups at shelters, and that seems cruel. Instead, I would continue to improve Mr. Muffin's life in other ways -- with shared experiences and lots of love. He looks so happy these days in the pictures you've been sharing, and there is no guarantee that increased mobility would make him any happier. That's my opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your thoughtful response and very much respect your perspective. You ask how Mr. Muffin currently gets around. He can crab walk about 20 steps at a time before he needs to stop and rest for a bit. If we are going very far, Finn likes to ride in his dog stroller. That works well if we are somewhere with a paved surface. The terrain is very rough out where we live in the country, so the stroller doesn't work. So far, Finn has not really taken to his wheelchair. I am still hoping he will adapt to using a K9 cart. The surgery could be bypassed if Finn became even mildly enthusiastic about using his cart (and skillful in rolling it along under his own power). The thing about how Finn scoots along right now is that it wears on his back paws and knees. I have to be careful about protecting his rear legs and feet from damage. I'm looking for the right kind of dog boots to protect his paws (as they kind of drag on the ground due to his abnormal gait). Boots don't protect his knees, however. With winter coming on, I am searching for exercise alternatives for Finn. We don't live near the kind of facilities that offer indoor swimming, etc., for dogs. The swimming has been very good for Finn, but it is now too cold for him to do that outdoors. As you have shared, his happiness is my true priority (along with his quality of life and overall well-being). Thanks for weighing in. All of this helps me get closer to making a decision regarding Finn's immediate future.
DeleteI've never had to make such a decision for a pet, and I'm glad I don't have to make this one. As the others have already pointed out, there are many competing quality of life factors to consider. It's not like you can explain it Finn and ask for his input. If you opt for the surgery he won't understand why this is happening to him, why he has to be in the cage again, or how it will improve his life when it's all over. He might even think it's because of something he did that you didn't like. I think not being able to explain it to him would be one of the hardest parts of this. I'm guessing you will be able to read his puzzlement in his eyes. I will be praying for you as you think this through. I know God loves you both.
DeleteWe do have to communicate on a whole different level with our animal companions. I often wish I could read their minds and that they could fully understand what it is I am communicating with them. I'm sure our human actions are often puzzling to them. I always hope my four-legged family members can sense the love in my actions. Thanks for your prayers. Always appreciated.
DeleteHe is just such a cutie! Love him and love how well you take care of him too! You are amazing.
ReplyDeleteLots of questions to be answered as far as how his prognosis may take him. Surgery for our pets is always a difficult thing to ponder. I just had to take my mother's 18.5 year old cat to the vet and she suggested that we could put him on meds for the rest of his life, but my mother could not manage that and I live too far away for daily meds to be given. Plus the expected age for a cat had already been reached.....in his case, we opted for a one way trip over the Rainbow Bridge, because we could not ease his suffering. Sad, sad choices we sometimes have to make.
DeleteThank you for your kind comments. Being merciful when our animal companions need us to be is perhaps the highest form of love. Those are almost always painful decisions even when we know we are putting the beloved animal's best interests above our own desire to remain with him or her for a while longer. As for Mr. Muffin's prognosis, I read that for most dogs with grades 1-3 MPL the post-op prognosis is good. Unfortunately, my guy is a grade 4, so the prognosis may not be as certain. In the best case scenario, a dog with MPL is treated not long after the symptoms appear. It seems that MPL often presents by six months of age. I don't know Mr. Muffin's exact age, but he obviously did not get the vet care he needed when he was younger. I have great faith in the surgeon, but there are always unknowns when it comes to difficult medical procedures.
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