The surgeon and vet tech that did the surgery on Lucy have left VCA to start their own clinic, so when I called VCA to ask some questions, I was in for a shock. "No, they're no longer here." Luckily VCA still has a neurosurgeon, Dr. Jessica Snyder, who looked over Lucy's file and called me.
My questions were twofold. One, Lucy continues to trip and drag her feet. As often? I don't think so, but it does happen every walk, sometimes more than others. Dr. Snyder said to give her another month. To be honest, I don't think that will do it. I think this is what we can expect from Lucy and I'm disappointed for her. None the less, she is so much happier. Dr. Snyder also said that the nerves may not come back depending on how compromised they may have become prior to surgery, that Lucy's age or other extenuating circumstances (weight, arthritis, etc.) may also contribute. Well, Lucy isn't overweight—in fact, we've been trying to put weight on her, and she doesn't have arthritis (those tests were done prior to surgery). But she is 10 and who knows what genetic issues she inherited.
Dr. Snyder also said in some circumstances, the screws they used to stabilize Lucy can sometimes work loose and that may be why she's tripping. She immediately said that she doubted this. Whew!
My second question was can we let Lucy dictate her own activity level. What I mean by that is if she wants to run, can we let her? Dr. Snyder said no, not yet. Wait another month or so.
Like all aging creatures, my guess is Lucy is not going to be able to run (for any length). Because she continues to trip, running probably isn't good for her as that could mean a broken leg. And that's the last thing we want to have happen in the tooleyberries! Can she still enjoy camping and the woods? Absolutely! Hikes may be her new mountain biking!
I finally was able to locate Dr. Sanders, the surgeon. I put a call into him last week and we'll see how long it takes for a return call...
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