The Big Day!

We are on our way to MSU right now am I am feeling incredibly calm. I have the van all packed, Lucky is napping in the back and my Mom is driving so hopefully I can rest. Getting up at 5 a.m. is horrible and Lucky was not to fond of it either, laying in bed until I made him get up to eat. Gotta go now and say my prayers

rain rain go away

The night before the big trip to MSU, its raining and I am feeling so nervous but so blessed that I am able to do this for Lucky. I have been preparing for three years and I still feel completely unprepared. I know for certain that everything will be okay because it has to be. I received the most amazing card yesterday and it gave me so much faith that this is in Gods hands and those are very trustworthy hands to be in. I still am having trouble with the thought of being away from him for minimum 2 nights. I have never been so sad to have the whole bed to myself. Until tomorrow I must go and spend time with my baby. Good night

Pre-Op Vet Check

Today we went and seen our vet for a quick check to clear him before going down to MSU for the operation. Happily our wonderful vet said, " he's clean as a whistle"! While there I ran some of my never ending concerns by him. It easy to not notice how incredibly strong our dogs our. My vet informed me that they are "glass half full people". What a great way to be! So although Lucky runs and plays, it doesn't mean he is pain free. He is doing the best with what he has. I asked once again if the Total Hip Replacement was necessary, if this was the only good option and to my comfort he said they wouldn't do it if it wasn't absolutely needed. After exposing all my fears about the procedure my vet said to me, "You know your vet at MSU is one of the best". "Yes he is amazing", I said. " No he really is one of the best. One of the best in the world." How could you ask for more? We left feeling for the first time in days certain that we were going in the right direction and that direction was right to the organic food store. We got some good stuff, cell food, peanut butter and yogurt for his bones and many other things I didn't need. Tonight we are going to boil the bones so they can be filled with peanut butter and froze and then hopefully relax and think about nothing, absolutely nothing....

Oh and Lucky got a haircut so he doesn't look all funny with his back leg shaved, yes leg not even legs!!

The Daily Dog

Woo hoo!! Our first post! So we are about a week pre-op and I am so nervous, scared, excited and sadly sad. A little background would probably be nice so here goes... After putting pictures of Golden Retrievers all over my house, throwing a few temper tantrums and begging like a pro, Lucky was the best (19th) birthday present in the world. He is amazing, I love him soooo much and he is truly my best friend. At the age of three he was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. I cried for weeks. With loads of poor guidance from some not so good vets I didn't think getting a hip replacement was the best choice. Lucky has been on Cosequin Ds since the age of three and it has made a world of difference. Around the age of five I started to notice him having more difficultly getting up when laying down and his front legs started to "click". After a period of lameness and a false diagnosis of a torn ACL I took him to a ortho specialist. He said Lucky needed to go to MSU and if he didnt have a Total Hip Replacement in two years he would be immobile. My heart broke again. Before leaving the office the vet said, "And no more fetch". Well that was it, Lucky's most favorite game is fetch and without it his quality of life would start diminishing. We went to MSU and here we are a year later preparing for the operation that will take place in less than one week. I see Lucky run, play and even jump to catch the ball (yes I know he shouldn't) and then I see him struggle to get up from laying down, his legs shaking and him barely making it up the stairs. People always say wait until the pain is unbearable before resorting to surgery. That way you know that no matter what happens you in a better state then you were before. Well I don't know if that is all true. Why should I let him suffer, wait until he cant get up before I help him? I know the 10% risk all to well and I am not okay with the chance of infection, bone splinters or the other that i refuse to acknowledge out loud. I just know it has to be okay. So for today and the next couple days I am going to remember there is a 10% chance you could get hit by a car crossing the street (thank you to my brother for the piece of mind).