new stress to add to the old stress...

 

so when i am stressed i blog. gotta clear the brain out somehow.

I woke early and got Ivy Rose over to the Vets office. i do miss the aspect of being a vet tech where i have the inside line on vets and vet cares. i don't like being on the outside. not that i don't like or trust my vet, but liking and trusting are not always the same as having knowledge and assurance.  

Ivy really doesn't limp out on the trails, but after the walk she is sore.  

how much do you do and when? 

with myself i'm still nursing my sore knee from months ago, but it's getting better.  i nursed my sore shoulder for months and over time it is nearly back to baseline. i  just am not someone who believes you cut first. i tend to be a cut last person.  

if she wasn't able to do her walks, if she wasn't weight bearing i might be more eager to get her to surgery.  is that terrible. i always feel this pressure and guilt from vets to rush to cut.  i had it with the last vet as well.  

at this moment she is managing fairly well. now with the pain meds to try, should i just be cautious about the walks and the amount of tennis ball tossing she will get. 

keeping a highly active dog quiet for 2 months is no easy task.  i could screw up the surgery if she and Tusker get to wrestling. the cost is over $4000!  i'd love to say that isn't a factor but that is a factor.  i suspect even if i had a load of cash at the ready though, she isn't really limping and according to the Dr she doesn't appear to have a fully torn cruciate, it's strained/injured but not torn.

ice is coming...is this a good time to get it done before the ice comes...but that could be sooner than later. do i wait until the joint is trashed and then do the surgery.  there is a risk either way of the other knee going out.  then we are talking $8000 total. i have dog insurance so i'd get some back but i tend to be realistic on these things. i don't like hardware...how many hardware infections do we deal with in the hospital. i did find an article that was saying rest and pain meds first. 

with Rio Catalina i found a place that made braces.  she was blind, less active and again, i don't think it was totally torn.  vets cut...i suspect in many cases with time we all heal more than we allow our bodies time the time to do. 

so i'm a bit stressed about this. i always want to do what i can to make my pets lives long and healthy, but i have to balance that with reasonable health care. what is best for Ivy Rose at this moment? 

all the articles about TPLO (the name of the surgery) are speaking of a fully torn cruciate that gets repaired. hers is not. do you do this before it gets worse or do you wait until it gets worse? 

it was a sad morning not having Ivy Rose with us.  she is the life of this party.  she has so much personality.  Tusker and i headed to the dog park.  he chased the tennis ball a few times then seemed to wonder why he was getting so many turns at it.  i took a few turns retrieving the ball and then just held it.  he was happy to run through the woods looking for squirrels. 

when i picked her up she was groggy...but kept trying to jump up to say hello...how will i be able to manage her jumping tendencies post op...?

yesterday we started out walking at Potters Creek.  i planned to go a ways past the look out, but there was a black bear at the look out.  the trail talk was that it appeared to be heading down the hill.  i am never keen on being on the other side of the bear and trying to get back to the car.  that could put me headed towards McHugh and then trying to hitch a ride back with two dogs. not really appealing.

so we cut it a bit shorter and headed out towards Portage.  stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to check in on the animals.  always fun.  

the colors on the arm are pretty nice still. Portage was abit past prime.  it's hit and miss.  

love the strange color changes.  check out this yellow and red leaf. what happens there?

then we headed over to the trail of blue ice for a second walk. flat easy.  

i'm enjoying our extended fall. 

the colors of fall are just always so amazing. 

on this side of town it's past prime, on the west side of town it's still pretty good in places. 

never made it that far on this stretch off. i head back for three tomorrow. 

Ivy would not get in this box with Tusker so he got his own photo op.

these are again a combo of Independence Mine, Matanuska Glacier, Arctic Valley and various town walks. 

probably a great time to do less strenuous hikes and rest Ivy. 

as much as anyone can rest a dog like Ivy.

hit costco today for more glucosamine.  not impressed that helped much so we shall see what the rimadyl does...looks like a generic brand of it. 

reading about the TPLO and thinking about it all was getting me all anxious...

she really just doesn't seem that uncomfortable to merit surgery right now.  i'll just keep re-evaluating that i guess. i'd rather wait for a more stable snow cover, time to add to savings for this. i just don't think i feel a need to rush it...that may change in a week if her condition deteriorates.  

it was just a lot to take in.  the price is also a lot to take in.  

we are not in stable times economically with this administration.  i do not trust them.  what will happen with this virus.  will i get it? how sick will i get.  i could get her surgery and then become sick myself.  after care is 2 months and there is a good possibility that work could become crazy busy.  

more changes, right now, just seems a bit tough to swallow. i guess i feel like i at least have to try conservative treatment.  it wasn't given as an option.  it wouldn't be the first time i've declined surgery.  i declined it on the super thin Mufasa.  he was old and exploratory...what was the point? i wasn't going to treat a cancer. he lived perfectly happy several years after that.  Rio got the brace and never needed surgery on her knee.  later i was convinced to do a gi surgery on her...there was nothing wrong and so therefore it was an unnecessary surgery actually. we did the bloat surgery but she passed away within 6 months. 

none of these choices are as clear cut as the experts want you to believe.  they do seem to always want to cut...like you are a crappy dog owner if you don't just take that option. 

still more to ponder, more to investigate, my old vet friend to chat with. 

in the end she may end up with it.  if that is what is really needed then i would do it for her.  but it's not just the surgery one has to consider it's all the care after the surgery.  

swim therapy at the matanuska glacier

watched the VP debates.  both had their cagey moments.  Pence just lies so easily.  he's very good at not answering questions, moving it to a totally different topic.  dude just paints an alternative reality and owns it.  who can lie so easily like that?  crazy to watch.  

also crazy to watch was the fly that landed on her super hair sprayed hair and stayed there for over 2 minutes.  the fly won the debate i think.  pence spoke over his time repeatedly, did a fair share of attempting to mansplain and speak down to Harris.  man i hate the mansplaining.  

he had something going on with his one eye.  i thought something looked odd but others saw it too.  pink eye can be a symptom of covid...there are so many things that can be, but that is actually on the list. is he nursing a + covid...so many others in this administration and around this administration have tested +.  they are, of course, being cagey about that.  so many likes out of this administration....there is just no way to trust them.  

was secretly happy to see that Stephen Miller tested +...hate to wish ill but if any of them deserve it.  he's the guy behind family separations and children being locked up.  he's got a history with white supremacists.  despite being born/raised Jewish oddly. that guy is just a bit scary. no word from how Christie is doing since he was hospitalized several days back.  hmm.  

they are all  back to acting like it's no big deal.  easily defeated, despite the over 200,000 deaths.  

cases of Covid are picking up again in Europe. they are calling it Covid fatigue.  people slack off on the restrictions.  it is a long time to have behavior change.  it's hard to see that doing stuff now can make things easier later. 

i know our Anchorage hospitals are always on the edge of hospital beds.  some elective surgeries getting cancelled would open up more beds...that is elective heart surgeries and things like that...can't really be put off for that long though.  elective then turns to emergent. 

i know it's difficult and frustrating but actually the mask wearing is really not that big deal so all these anti masker "patriots" to me just seem silly.  also so many say all is back to normal in the mat su Valley. Palmer has like 7500 people, Wasilla just over 10,000. the borough covers area up to Talkeetna and over to Sutton, so the burough apparently has nearly 100,00 people.  Anchorage has around 300,000 people. it's all a matter of population density...many do not understand that.  many just are in the trump loop of excuses and conspiracies and pre-programmed spin. 

it is what it is...that will be one of Trumps legacy comments.  so many horrible ones to choose from.  nothing inspirational comes from him.  

thankful for A.  options, even if i have to feel guilty and like a terrible owner if i see them as options B.  feeling more normal..i did wear a mask at the dog park because of my little barky cough  C. the fly distraction... i was yelling at Pence as he went over time...shut up, shut up, shut up....