Honey
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Re: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament!
Hi Cindy, Yuck...not the kind of X-Mas present you want to wake up to... The best resource I know of...and one that several surgeons refer people to...is Laurie Bryce's website, http://www.lauriebryce.com/tplo/ It was done and maintained by a Berner owner, right in MA as a matter of fact and the information on it is extensive and very credible. Laurie also maintains an active email list for people dealing with cruciate injury, HD, and ED. I believe it's the orthodogs list on Yahoo. To subscribe, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Actually, you might want to drop Laurie a note through the website as well...you might be right around the corner from each other. I'd expect both, especially the email list, would be helpful in considering your options...which may include trying a period of absolute rest before going the surgical route. I also have friends in central MA who've completed TPLO surgery on both knees of their boy between 1 and 2 years of age. I'm sure they'd be happy to share their experiences. Another thought...have you discussed this with your breeder yet? Cruciate injury used to be considered a 'middle age, out of shape, weekend warrior' type of injury but I'm now hearing repeatedly about young bernese being affected. Your breeder might have some valuable experience and guidance to offer...or just moral support. And beyond that...I'd expect a responsible breeder would want the information for her breeding program. Hope this helps, -Sherri Venditti
Re: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament!
Hi Cindy Our boy Bacchus was diagnosed with a partially torn ACL when he was 4. It came on very suddenly also, one day he was just laying there and moved and yelped. When he stood up he was holding his right rear leg up. After diagnosis from the vet, we kept him on leash walks and crate rest [when we weren't home, so he wasn't tempted to charge the doors or windows to protect the home from squirrels]. For the next couple of weeks, he would move wrong [oddly enough, usually while laying down] and yelp, but was okay 80% of the time. After about a month he was finehowever we did make some permanant changes. We were starting drafting and decided against it. Between the ACL injury and dysplasia in the left front elbow, we felt it was unwise to continue and tempt fate. We had taught him to come up for kisses sometimes [he would stand on his rear legs and look me square in the eyelol]. We had to stop that too. The up part didn't seem to bother him, but the going back down to all 4's caused him pain. Bacchus is now 7 and has not needed surgery [knock on wood]. He still does his cutting horse routine out in the backyard and continues to protect us from squirrels. I would be interested in hearing from others that have dealt with a partially torn ACL.how many have had to have surgery? Cathi with Bacchus and Ari - Original Message - From: Cindy Buhner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 11:11 PM Subject: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament! Major bummer. My ~1 year old Berner, Paws, has been diagnosed with a partially torn cruciate ligament on his left hind leg :
Re: BERNER-L digest 4201
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RE: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament!
Cindy- My Berner girl, Toga, suffered a partial tear of her left ACL in February of 2001 at the age of 3 1/2. It was a very minor tear and wasn't diagnosed until May (everyone thought her mildly dysplastic hip was bothering her). She had a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) the first week of June '01. Four hours after surgery she was standing on all four legs and wagging her tail. By the time she had her stitches removed two weeks later, she was full weight-bearing on the leg and I was already going crazy trying to figure out how I was going to keep her on complete bed rest for six more weeks! Needless to say, it was a very long summer for both of us. She got the final okay from the orthopedic surgeon to go back to being a dog the first week of October and was finally allowed to do the running, jumping and playing she had been doing for a month anyway! :o) Now, a year and a half post-op, she does have some arthritis in that knee joint (most likely from waiting so long to do the surgery), but she runs around like a maniac on it with no problems at all. Her knee angle was 30* prior to the surgery and the surgeon said they see tears and ruptures most often with angles greater than 22*. So, she has almost a 70% chance of tearing the other one at some point in life. Knock on wood, but so far, so good! I assisted on a traditional repair on a Golden Retriever that was about the same size as Toga (85 pounds back then) and six MONTHS after surgery he was still favoring that leg. I've heard similar experiences from numerous other owners. The traditional repair is almost half the price of the TPLO, but in my opinion the TPLO is the only way to go. The extra money spent at the outset repays itself tenfold in the faster and more complete recovery time. Best of luck to you and Paws!! Regards, Jessi Braga and Toga Anchorage, AK
RE: TV Berner sighting
Posted in plain text for Andrea: Hi all, I saw a tv commercial today for the company TD Waterhouse that has a Berner sitting beside an older man. Only the Berner's head was shown. Anyone we know?? Happy New Year!! Andrea Stefanac Chance CD NDD CGC TT Richmond, VA
Berner on Lizzie McGuire
This information comes from my daughter, Lucy, age 7: On Lizzie McGuire her father was yelling at the TV and saying that a Bernese Mountain Dog should have won something on a dog show, and I saw a picture of the Bernese Mountain Dog. And I thought it was cute. Lizzie McGuire is a series on the Disney Channel. Lucy was thrilled to see a Berner making an appearance, even on a TV within the TV! Martha Hoverson and Molly (who feels much better today) and Lucy, too! [EMAIL PROTECTED] Portland, Maine _ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
what Aeryn stole for Christmas
Happy New Year everyone! Aeryn certainly has been on a roll lately! Thanks to those who expressed concerns well wishes over her cut pad. 10 days later and it continues to be a nuisance. The gash was deeper than originally thought (at 2:00 a.m. I wasn't exactly seeing straight!). The pad is cut clean through, full thickness, but right along side the nail bed so that it was impossible to suture. Keeping the girl off of it has proven a challenge! After 6 days of daily bandage changes and each time finding the wound still open and oozing blood, I had to resort to splinting the leg. Now she's peg-legging it around like a pro. Not that it slows her down! Last night I noticed that she was walking far too normally ~ the little madam had managed to break the splint in 2! At re-splinting, the gash is finally showing good healing with a nice healthy bed of granulation tissue. Christmas Day afternoon I went into my bedroom and found an empty package on my bed (Aeryn always takes her stolen goods devours them in the comfort of my bed ~ makes for some interesting crumbs in the bed!). Oh great ~ the package had contained 1 lb. of black licorice. YIKES! we like to call that Christmas Rush. And sure enough, Boxing Day morning there were all kinds of gifts under my Christmas tree, and none of them pretty! I started my day with 2 hours of carpet scrubbing and still haven't gotten all the stains out. Bless her heart! She's been good since then, a whole week without an incident. Makes me a little scared to think of what she'll come up with next! just anoth chapter in the on-going Aeryn Chronicals! sue(Aeryn aka hoppy, with Devyn Rowyn who have been very good boys!)
Re: Rimadyl
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raw hide bones or Chew-ezee
I no longer EVER feed rawhide, in any form. Last year, just before Maddie's second birthday, I had received free (from the Montana Company, with my Raw Real order) a couple of natural rawhide chews (no chemical processing, yadda yadda yadda). So I gave her one for a birthday treat. About 10 minutes later, she got up and indicated anxiously that she had to go outside. On the way to the door, she whistled. Her eyes were wide, and she was very antsy. I bent to check on the strange sound, and yes, she was whistling as she breathed. I checked her mouth, but saw nothing. But she just wasn't right, so I wrenched her mouth open as wide as I could and reached back in her throat -- there was the stiff end of the rawhide chew, jammed tightly in her throat. The soft chewed end had gone in easily, but the stiff unchewed end had hung up in her throat. I did finally get it out, much to her relief. So based on this event, plus all I have read about these things sometimes causing internal obstructions, it's just something I will never allow again. As I feed my two raw ground meats, bones, and veggies for their regular meals, they get plenty of easy-to-chew and safe *RAW* rib and neck bones (beef, elk, deer, pork). Their teeth are clean and white with no plaque (no expensive vet teeth cleaning sessions, under anesthesia), no brushing necessary, sweet clean breath, and they're safe and happy doing what nature intended. Better safe than sorry! Vicky Whitney Bozeman, Montana
partial torn ACL
I would be interested in hearing from others that have dealt with a partially torn ACL.how many have had to have surgery? Cathi with Bacchus and Ari - Original Message - From: Cindy Buhner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 11:11 PM Subject: Help on a partially torn cruciate ligament! When my Maggie was about 6 years old, she started limping and was diagnosed with a partial ACL tear. My vet suggested rest -- and then went off to China for 6 weeks. When the limping got worse, I took her to a nearby orthopedic vet for surgery; the ligament was replaced with nylon. She healed well, but several months later turned up holding her leg up -- no weight bearing at all. By that time, my own vet was home, and his comment was that on a big dog (Maggie weighted 120, and she wasn't fat!) repair with nylon was a poor choice because the nylon often stretched. He used what he called an 'old fashioned' technique, which was to take a narrow strip of skin from the incision and use it to replace the ligament. The stem cells in the skin, when placed where a ligament was needed, 'became' ligament material. Maggie actually took quite a while to heal, because she reacted to the stainless steel clip used to hold the ligament in position (apparently, most dogs don't react to the inert material). We had to have it removed, after which she bounced back almost immediately and was just fine. Unfortunately, she tore the other ACL about a year later, as I'd been warned she might, showing up at the house with a familiar no-weight-bearing stance. The surgery was repeated, and she was once again fine. I'd guess everyone's story will be a bit different, but certainly good ACL repair is possible! Good luck. Susan
Re: partial torn ACL
Emma went lame suddenly about 18 months ago and the diagnosis was a torn ACL. They wanted to do surgery but I opted for crate rest for two weeks. The chances of that working were slim, I was told, but it seemed worthwhile since I could do the surgery at a later date if needed. She was fine after two weeks and has not had any problems since. Was it really a torn ACL? Who knows -- I do know that was the diagnosis, she did not have surgery and she is still fine -- at almost nine. Mary-Ann Bowman Utah
Re: berners life expectancy: breeding versus spayed
- Original Message - From: Sharon Montville [EMAIL PROTECTED] The downside to early spaying is I believe some on this list have had bitches with urinary incontinence as a result. Most of the female pups I have placed were spayed by age 6 months and have not had this problem. They are also all alive, from the 7-year-old batch and the 2-year-old-batch. The percentage of bitches with spay incontinence is exactly the same for dogs spayed at mature ages (after a few heats, average age of dogs in study 2 yrs) and before the first heat (average 7 months) according to a study done on spay incontinence. I believe the % is about 12% of spayed bitches have this problem; the larger breeds are more likely to develop spay incontinence than smaller breeds. Eileen Morgan The Mare's Nest http://www.enter.net/~edlehman --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.431 / Virus Database: 242 - Release Date: 12/17/2002
1st time doggie owner - with 1st time problems!
Hello, list -- Just got us a lovely new Berner, Sasha, who's three months old. As neither my wife nor I are experienced with owning a dog, we're having a few problems which I'm sure some of you (all of you?) have gone through. Some background first. Both of us work, although not so crazy hours as to leave the dog alone for huge periods at a time. We keep her out during the day but we leave her in at night. She sleeps in the living room (the non-carpeted area of the house) with all her toys and her beanbag. We move the toys outside in the morning, with a nice fresh bone, and she's generally happy to go out. If I'm up early enough (we both leave the house at around 7:30) I'll take her for a 30 minute walk, as she's pretty active in the morning. She hasn't been to obedience training yet - she starts on the 19th. 1. Fortunately we got her from the breeder already paper-trained. There are newspapers placed on the floors in strategic spots, and she was pretty good for the first three weeks (we got her almost a month ago) but the last week or so she's been ignoring the paper and going wherever she wants. We've been trying to catch her doing it but these little guys are a bit too fast for us. How do we correct this? 2. I'm sure this is a general puppy problem, but when she first sees us in the morning she gets so excited she pees. I'm guessing this is simply because she's got a fairly small tank to begin with. This morning however it posed a problem as the naughty girl got up on the couch. Pee on the floor is one thing to deal with... 3. Boy, does this dog howl. Is this something she'll grow out of? I know the breed is most happy with human presence but we obviously can't be there for her 24/7 (although we'd love to, but we do need to make money to feed her) (incidentally, I wanted to name her Kelvinator - Kellie for short - but my wife didn't go for it). 4. And about leaving her alone at night - does this breed get unhappy about staying out at night? (obviously we can't do that now or all the neighbours will be calling the council) Any comments would be greatly appreciated... Ari Maidenberg Melbourne
Research Report - Post CCL Surgery Rehab
The question on Rimidyl reminded me of a an article on CCL surgery rehab summaized in the current issue of AKC Gazette. A study published in May in the Journal of Am Vet. Medical Association reports on the effects of early post-operative rehabilitation after repair of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in dogs. (This is similar to the ACL in humans). The study looked at 51 dogs, half of which had restricted excercise and the other half had physical therapy/exercise following cruciate surgery. Gait analysis techniques and comparison of the repaired limb to the opposite leg revealed obvious differences between the group. The dogs who received post operative physical therapy had no significant differences between the repaired leg and its counterpart. Dogs whose exercise was restricted still demonstrated significantly less function in the repaired leg compared to its counterpart six months after the operation Earlier studies in dogs have demonstrated that low-impact exercises, such as swimming and walking, maintain muscle strength, joint mobility and function, while not worsening the arthritis. Other studies have also shown that appropriate exercise is not only beneficial for proper healing of transplanted tissues for CCL repair, it is actually necessary Also, overweight dogs are at increased risk of developing arthritis, so weight loss may have to be included in their post-operative care. The moral of the story on this one is to take your vet's post-op exercise protocol seriously. My Hannah had CCL surgery last April (rehabing at the specialty). We took seriously the 3 month exercise program that the vet gave us. It is very hard to tell which leg she had surgery. So far she has beat the statistics (60% will need surgery on the other leg in 6 months; 85% for Rotties). The best thing was my husband and I also lost weight by our early morning walk routine...which ultimately became a 4 mile walk for the entire family! Nancy Melone Mars, PA
Re: dremel question
- Original Message - From: Andrea Brin [EMAIL PROTECTED] woofit and chi now have a dremel. it is cordless and has two speeds. it comes with a collet on it and some accessories. can you use the collet alone? what should we ideally use for their nails. this is a lot more complicated than i thought it would be. their groomer just grinds! thanks andrea, woofit and chi RESPONSE: Andrea and others interested in using a dremel on your dogs' nails, go to http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merenski/doberdawn/index.html A friend who wanted me to show her how to dremel her dog's nails happened on this website, and it has everything you ever wanted to know about why, how, and when to do this. She gives some excellent advice on how to start doing this -- which I wish I had known about before I started doing my dogs. After my big blowup with Major a couple of months ago over dremeling his nails, I've taken the advice of several people on this list and Major and I have come to a good compromise. He allows me to do two nails a night, 2 or 3 times a week, without a problem. I wanted to do four, he wanted me to do NONE, I promised more treats, and he agreed to two. And he's been a very good boy about it, tolerating it quietly without fighting. He does quickly remind me if I try to sneak in a third, so I think this is going to be our routine. I do like my rechargeable battery-operated dremel, as it is much quieter than the electric models, and very convenient to use. Vicky Whitney Bozeman, Montana
RE: TV Berner sighting
And in an Animal Precinct episode today (they were running an Animal Precinct marathon), they showed a dog park in New York, and there were, among all the other dogs, a Berner and a Landseer Newfie! Liz Caldwell Lawrence At 2:19 PM -0500 1/1/03, Pat Long Paul Dangel wrote: Posted in plain text for Andrea: Hi all, I saw a tv commercial today for the company TD Waterhouse that has a Berner sitting beside an older man. Only the Berner's head was shown. Anyone we know?? Happy New Year!! Andrea Stefanac Chance CD NDD CGC TT Richmond, VA
Teeth question
It seems like my berner girl has cavities, little brown holes, in her teeth. My question is, are they bothered by that? She seems to eat fine, no problems there and also chewing bones doesn't seem to be a problem. Can that be fixed? Does anyone have any experience with that who can tell me what the procedure could be? Thanks, Judith Johnson Kennesaw, GA Owned by 'the girls' April, Claudia, Puck, Hailey, Angel, Kyra and Daisy
Re: TV Berner sighting
And...in a commercial for progress soup at the end you see a couple walking away from home in the snow with a beautiful berner running ahead of them! Judith Johnson Kennesaw, GA Owned by 'the girls' April, Claudia, Puck, Hailey, Angel, Kyra and Daisy on 1/1/03 4:08 PM, Liz Caldwell at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: And in an Animal Precinct episode today (they were running an Animal Precinct marathon), they showed a dog park in New York, and there were, among all the other dogs, a Berner and a Landseer Newfie! Liz Caldwell Lawrence
Re: Rimadyl
Has anyone had any issues with side effects using Rimadyl in the short term, in this case after tpo surgery? - I guess I'm in the minority here. I have used rimadyl on Gunner with no problems at all, in fact, it works great on him. Gunner doesn't have the best joints. About 14 months ago I took him to the vet because he was limping I couldn't get it to go away. When he over does it he will limp sometimes. The vet gave me a bottle of rimadyl to use for 2 weeks. After two doses Gunner stopped limping and I didn't give him anymore, but I kept the rimadyl. When Gunner would limp, which isn't often and aspirin wouldn't help I'd give Gunner 1 1/2 rimadyl and the limp goes away. I definitely don't give it to him often, in fact, from that bottle 14 months ago I still have 2 doses left. When Gunner had his lump taken out a month or so ago he had a 12 inch incision and was in a lot of pain the first day or so even though he had an injection of pain killers. The vet gave me rimadyl, enough for a week. After 4 days I stopped because Gunner was doing so good. I just keep the rimadyl in case I need one for Gunner. I give Gunner gloucosamine and chondroitin every day but every so often he needs an extra something and the rimadyl has done it for him. I wouldn't want Gunner to take it or any drug on a daily basis unless absolutely necessary. After one dose he doesn't need another and he has shown no side effects at all. There is a lady where I work that has an old Golden who is very arthritic. The Golden does take rimadyl on a daily basis and it has no side effects. I always ask how it is doing being on rimadyl like that and she always says the dog is doing great. My Gunner and the Golden are the only two experiences I've had with rimadyl. Kathy Schmitz, Woodstock, Georgia Gunner Brighteye Meine Liebe Greta CGC Mattie Matterhorn Princess CD, NA, CGC (in loving memory, always the light of my life)
Re: Rimadyl
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I guess I'm in the minority here. I have used rimadyl on Gunner with no problems at all, in fact, it works great on him. Rimadyl extended the life of my elderly, displastic Akita by about two years. Nothing else gave him the kind of relief which would make his life quality worth having. He experienced no problems. Like any powerful drug, it has a range of efficacies and range of effects which are not desirable. For some dogs, it is a killer--but for some people, so is something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich. Heck, one of my best friends cannot eat a PB J sandwich for lunch and kiss her spouse when she comes home from work without putting him in the emergency room with an allergic reaction. He once ended up in the hospital after someone at a restaurant cut his dessert with the same knife used to cut another dessert with peanut butter as a main ingredient. We must not take drugs for granted, and even simple and common safe remedies should be monitored carefully. Rimadyl has helped many, many dogs. Eileen Morgan The Mare's Nest http://www.enter.net/~edlehman --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.431 / Virus Database: 242 - Release Date: 12/17/2002
RE: Rimadyl
Something things that are important to remember; 1. all drugs have side effects in some patients. Aspirin can cause gastric bleeding, but it is still one of the most effective and important pain relievers. Ever. It is also one of the few things for which we have no antidote if someone overdoses on it. No drug is entirely safe to all. 2. things occur after other things happen. But if I put my jacket on and then it rains, the simple act of putting my jacket on did not necessarily cause it to rain. I gave my Hannibal water, and the next day he died of histiocytosis. I am not convinced that the water had anything to do with the histiocytosis. But I can also guarantee that every single solitary Berner that has died of histiocytosis - drank water at some time before their death. This still, however, does not convince me that the water had anything to do with the histiocytosis. I am not trying to make fun of something serious, but I am trying to make an important point. 3. Some medical conditions can cause more severe reactions to medications. If a patient has kidney problems to begin with, then certain medications can cause borderline function to become critical. Do a blood workup to help identify problems before any long term drug therapy is given, and monitor changes closely. It does not mean that the drug caused the failure of the kidneys, but perhaps overloaded a system already headed for a crisis. 4. Just because something is in writing does not make it true. People can pass along incorrect information with the best of intentions. People can also pass along misinformation intentionally. Question any source carefully. Was it from someone trying to share carefully gathered information? From a drug manufacturer trying to make their drug seem safer? trying to make a competitor's drug seem less safe? How was the information derived? None of this makes it any easier to make informed decisions. But please don't be quick to assume either the best or the worst. Penicillin is one of the most important drugs to come out of the last 100 years. But if someone is allergic, it can kill them. That does not change the fact that penicillin has saved a great many more lives than it has harmed. Sulfa drugs have the same sort of track record. Be cautious, but try to be careful about being WELL informed. http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html Many people have dogs that lived much longer pain free because of rimadyl. How many dogs has it helped versus how many have had bad side effects? I haven't seen any sort of data that would give us a clue other than what the drug manufacturer reports, which is 1 to 3 cases with bad side effects per 10,000 dogs treated. If I have a dog in pain severe enough to consider euthanasia, and I didn't have any other good choice, then that's a risk I would happily take. But I'd be careful! Pat Long ( Luther) Berwyn PA
