The Good Doctor

It was a little shy of two weeks before we could get in to see Dr. Shelley for a consult about Rogue's knees. In that time Rogue managed to remove all of his stitches by himself (less one which I removed for him) in-spite of the cone he had been sporting. Rogue's handy work saved us a dreaded follow up appointment to the clinic where he had been neutered. On Friday 4/29, Rogue and I made the 40 minute drive to Bradford Park Veterinary Hospital to see Dr. Shelley. It was pouring down rain which honestly paired well with my mood, I was a ball of nerves and anxiety after the experiences of the past month.

From the moment we arrived at Bradford Park, I was impressed... This two story veterinary hospital is beautiful with its own in house lab and state of the art medical equipment, it is truly a human grade hospital. We were seen by the Doctor very quickly, he was AMAZING! Dr. Shelley not only examined Rogue but interacted with him, speaking to and playing with him. He went out of his way to answer questions before I even had a chance to ask them, bringing out medical text books to show me what specifically he was talking about.

He said that Rogue would indeed need not one, but both of his knees corrected. He will need to shave away portions of bone to make a new tibial crest, deepen the patellar groove, relocate the tibia into the correct position, and secure it all with pins. This will be a two surgery process focusing on one knee at a time. Dr. Shelley noted during the examination that Rogue seemed more tender in the hips than his knees, though the x-rays do not indicate any hip issues, he wants to see him back in a month to re-evaluate his hips to see if an issue is beginning to present itself, or if he is simply sore from his recent surgery.

Rogue will be 9 months old on 5/10, and closer to 10 months at the time of his next appointment. By this time his growth plates will be nearing closure, and I would not be surprised if his first surgery is scheduled soon there after. Dr. Shelley advised me that for three months following each knee surgery, Rogue will need to refrain from running and jumping. We have already been working on the use of a ramp instead of jumping on furniture at home, but he is young and feisty and not the best listener. For that reason I contacted a local dog trainer and told them of our situation, and asked if they could give him a crash course in obedience coupled with some commands to keep him calm.

On Monday 5/2 at 2pm we go for a session where they believe they can teach him one command that will help greatly with our needs. I would love to send him through their entire obedience class, but we don't have the time right now as it can take up to 6 months. We have been so blessed in the last couple of weeks to find the right people in our community to provide answers, reassurance, and help in a time when we need it most! After meeting Dr. Shelley I have a lot more peace about the entire situation, I know he will be in the most skilled hands he could possibly be in when he has surgery.