Dr Smith confirmed Dr Herrmann's original findings of the base of the skull and spinal gap in his neck creating neuro issues for Scout. He has very little motor skills in his back legs and cannot hold up his head. He also cannot tell when his feet flip over to tops, he does not try to correct, he continues walking until he falls. Dr Smith put Scout through some tests in motor skills. Her comments were, 'He did not win the genetics lottery!' My sentiments exactly. For on top of the neuro issues, he may have patella issues in one leg.
Scout has better response on the left side of his body. Which actually is good. It shows there maybe a little connection with the nerves. Dr Smith pointed out that while this condition is rare, it is not as rare for the breed. Another reason that points us back to 'bad breeding' by the Puppy Mill. Both parents had a bad gene that pointed to this birth defect. The parents may have come from the same litter, or linage. Scout really does make a wonderful poster dog for the dangers of BUYING PUPPIES ONLINE. There is legislation underway now in the State of Ohio to ban online retailers. More about that later...
Scout was given another medicine to take in addition to his Metacam daily. He was prescribed Metacam by Dr Herrmann but being given once a day did not seem to help little Scout as much as something he could take that would have a longer lasting effect. I spoke to Dr Smith about how Scout's pain came in bouts during the day. On a good day, he usually woke up with whining due to pain, by the end of the day, he would go into a very large pain bout..whining, rubbing his snout on the rug, clawing at his mouth, biting his feet, etc. The Metacam did not have a long lasting effect for him and it was very frustrating for me to have pain relief but not able to give it to him because of possible kidney damage.
Dr Smith started Scout on Tramadol. Tramadol is used in patients with Neuropathic pain. It changes the patients perception of pain. It is a narcotic pain reliever and I will have to monitor Scout closely but his quality of life has again improved so much! No longer am I waiting for the pain bout when he just can't stand the level of pain. Tramadol was prescribed to him for 3x daily, but I am only giving it now as needed..he is only taking 2x daily and seems to be doing very well at that dosage. If he gets to where he needs more, we can always increase. I am a fan of 'less is better'!
Scout is being referred to a Neurosurgeon for a more complete idea of what we can expect for him and surgery. I also received the very best information ever during his visit! Scout has gained 2oz! This may not seem like a lot to some, but for a little guy who did not lose or gain weight for 6mo, it is a major advancement and one in the right direction! I have been trying to get him to gain weight. This small baby step is exactly what is needed. He cannot gain too much, his legs are not ready, but just enough to give him a good body weight to help him to be healthy. He only weighed in at 8.3oz...he is rather boney under all the long fur. His backbone is very prominent and his hips are sharp. He needs to be right at around 9lbs to give him good weight.
Scout also had his distemper booster and a blood panel completed. The blood panel is so very needed to establish a baseline for him. As of this date, we did not have any medical knowledge of any other diseases he might suffer...
One step closer to surgery!
