Health exams
| Heart | Eyes | Knees | HD | ED | LTV | SP | VA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/2020 | OK (no murmur) | OK | 0/0 | C/C | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Genetests
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| PLL | CLEAR |
| NCL | CLEAR |
| PRA3 | CLEAR |
| RCD4 | CLEAR |
| CDPA | CLEAR |
Originally written to Facebook 22.04.2022 at 11.50
I never imagined that I would have to write this post so soon - I’ve been trying to deal with this, to deal with my own grief, anger, and confusion. And I know that nothing I say or do now will bring this dog back. Because in the dog world, rumors seem to be moving at fast speed, and have received some really strange messages about it already, I will now share my own information with you. I am not going to add to any drama that this case has entailed, but I will stay strictly to the facts. It has been an emotional journey with this dog either way.
First of all, the main diagnosis of the dog: hernia nuclei pulposi (spinal disc herniation) L3-4 from the right.
I ordered for “Sake” both MyDogDNA and CDDY / IVDD tests. Sake (like all its siblings) has been described as completely healthy in the past - whether it’s trauma-induced, genetic or bad luck - hard to say. I don’t know if the reason will ever be found, but I will definitely be updating the genetic test results when they arrive.
While I was in Sweden on Thursday 14.4 at 8.59, I received a text message that something had happened to Sake’s back while jumping. He trembles with pain and hind legs are not carrying. The co-owner said he would take him to the vet “at a suitable time”. She asked me to check in which countries his insurance is valid (I have been paying for dog insurance for over 2 years). I informed her that the insurance is valid when traveling abroad, in all EU countries, for a maximum of one year from the date of departure.
On the same day, I received a message at 3.14 pm, that Sake had been to a vetrinarian and x-rayed, nothing is reportedly fractured and there is nothing to be seen in the images. His back was badly jammed, “had practiced aerobatics (humping) during the week,” received relaxants. She expressed regret that Hungary (dog show) was had to be skipped. I replied that with relaxants, painkillers and rest, he is fortunately fairly easy to treat while travelling. And I wished them well.
On Friday at 10:17, I received a message that I needed to make a claim report for the insurance company. “On Monday, the dog woke up with hormones, and started humping air. The back had not recovered completely, was still looking stiff. The dog walked on its own feet on Wednesday, April 13, 22:00 at 4 p.m an hour’s walk. On Thursday morning, April 14, 22, the hind legs no longer carried. We are now in Lithuania, Panevysus. I took him to the animal hospital where he was x-rayed and the dog received more relaxants. I paid a taxi ride to the hospital for € 20 without a receipt, the hospital cost € 52, I have the receipt and x-rays. When I get to Slovenia, I will take him to the hospital tomorrow if the situation is no better. Please get a commitment from the insurance company ready. Next, I will look for a hospital in the Maribor area. ”
The next message I received was on Tuesday at 11:14: “Hi! I will take Sake tonight to Evidensia Finnoo. His condition deteriorated yesterday. He received antibiotics by injection, bowel & anals emptied. At least I will get blood tests done at Evidence Finnoo.” I replied that I had been thinking about them, and I asked her to keep me updated. I asked whether they had found any reason? ” The answer was, “Probably bacterial inflammation in the spine that progressed to the anus and anal glands. Has been already trying to get up, pushing his behind upwards. Fistulas appeared on either side of the anus yesterday morning in the size of a pin. I am watching him 24/7, I am exhausted. His care takes almost 24/7, apart from being to the the toilet, eating, brushing & washing Shakira for 2h during the whole trip. She received BOB and CACIB, on Saturday CIB. Won some top dogs e.g. Falamandus breeder’s “Victory”. Probably there will be a need for MRI for Sake. The vet will compare the earlier images from Thursday to the new ones taken in Finland. There was a bit of calcification as far as I can remember. I’ll have to stop to wash him again soon. He is urinating and soiling himself, with feces getting stuck and does not get completely twisted out. Fortunately, it feels pain which is probably a good sign. On the other hand, very sad. I will take a nap shortly after washing. And yeah, emptied his anal glands today already three times, the most restful day since Wednesday, so it seems that we are going towards a better direction already after starting antibiotics. Blood tests are best to be taken. They were not taken in Lithuania or Poland. In Lithuania, there was direct analgesic treatment of the vein and he was pretty “high”. In Poland, an antibiotic was injected into his muscle. ” I replied with a sad-face emoji, and I asked, “is Finnoo the best place to take care of him? The Viikki Small Animal Clinic would sound much better. ” (I assumed the dog had gotten better after Friday as I hadn’t heard anything, and when I read her earlier report I was thinking that probably a little bigger care is already needed here. I hadn’t seen the dog or received pictures / videos of it, so that’s why I asked for her opinion). Answer: “I’m not going to Viikki at 01.00 at night… wrong direction and a not such great care. There is no difference in the price either” I replied: “I don’t favor the Evidensia-chain. They are expensive and they do a lot of unnecessary research. But you decide. For me, that distance is not an decisive factor, but the level of care. Cheers to Sake, sounds wild. ” Answer: “The level of care is precisely the most important, secondly the distance. Think where you would like him to have his MRI. Surely it will be recommended. So, obviously you want to do a price comparison? ” I replied, “As I said, when comparing myself, the quality of care is paramount, not the distance, or the price. It doesn’t matter to me, as I said, you decide. Or, did you mean I would be paying for this? ” (Well, I paid for the dog’s last dentist appointment in full, wasn’t quite sure if I was expected to pay this as well in full…). Answer: “What exactly are you saying? The dog has a serious defect. Have I even asked for all the costs from Lithuania and Poland? It is clear that MRI is coming. Based on that, we need to decide if surgery is best. Insurance is used for this. ” My answer: “The insurance you haven’t even paid me for two years? So that dog has been in a lot of pain and medicated for almost a week and you haven’t taken him for treatment while travelling or after returning to Finland ? ” Answer: “That is totally unnecessary. He has received sufficient relaxants and painkillers. Yesterday his condition deteriorated. I have taken him in Poland and Lithuania to the vet when the situation started. You’ve got pictures of the visits. What on earth is this???? ”. I replied: “I haven’t received any pictures actually… if on Thursday the dog’s legs didn’t even carry and he was trembling from pain, and the situation only got worse then I wonder why he is not being treated, but rather been dragged all over Europe. So, I couldn’t have influenced that, as I have not been on the spot. I hope the cause clears up and he gets better. ” Answer: “I sent them to you by email. C’mon. I already told you that the situation got worse yesterday. There is no point arguing. ” She sent me another visit report (from the vet) in which the medical case summary reads: “problem with his legs, need antibiotics”. And that’s it. I also got the message that “Fortunately, Sake is resting for the first time since Wednesday. And today has been trying to get up again. He shakes his back like a healthy dog. ”
I got a message at 09.04: “Sake was at Evidensia at Finno. Referred to “Aisti” for an MRI. There is no neurologist at the University Small Animal’s Clinic and there are no MRI’s there, when a neurologist is not present. ” I asked, “What does he have?” She replied, “What do you mean, what does he have? Blood test crp 50.2, nothing else is known. ” I replied, “So, they must have some idea, or have ruled out something?” I did not receive a reply to this message. At 10:04, I received a call from the vet from Aisti, telling that the dog has a spinal disc herniation, and because it has been untreated for so long, and the back end has been paralyzed for a week, the prognosis is very poor. I interrupted my meeting and set off to drive to Aisti. 15 minutes later I arrived and saw Sake. Sake was brisk and happy but dragged himself on the floor with his forelegs. His crotch was completely red and irritated, and he had feces and urine on his coat, also all over the floor and carpets of the treatment room. I asked Sake’s co-owner when had he walked or used its back last. She replied, on Wednesday. That is, a week ago, on Wednesday. There really was no way I could have imagined the situation to be so bad. If the dog is not able to walk at all, and his back is paralyzed, then personally, I would automatically take the dog to a vet… and, he had been taken, as far as I understand, on Thursday and Monday. However, meanwhile, there had been a long weekend, with a dog unable to walk, running at dog shows. That’s when I first saw the co-owner’s conversations with the vet guides (Agria) saying that the dog had mated with a bitch the weekend before the show (I didn’t know anything about that either). And I read further that the inactivity of the back end has also started the previous weekend, which is already on 8 – 10 April. She had also stated that the situation, with regard to movement, was a little better. (How is the situation better if the dog is unable to walk? I haven’t, of course, been there, but these are my own thoughts. Whatever has actually happened, and when, may never be revealed to me, I only rely on the information I receive). Sake was MRI’d, and a spinal disc herniation was found. The vet called me about the results, and said that because the hind leg has been paralyzed for so long and the spine has already begun to mortify, there is a high probability that the dog will ever walk 0%. He said he does disc herniation surgeries routinely, and if the dog had been brought in the previous week, he would have walked a couple of hours later home from the clinic. None of us knows this for certain, we don’t have a crystal ball to say that the dog wouldn’t have died, hadn’t had a heart attack or complications during the surgery, but at least his chances would have been much better if he had received the treatment he needed in time. Whose fault is this? No-one’s - and everyone’s. I wonder greatly about these two veterinarians who was shown this dog during the trip, whether they examined the dog, and if so, how well? I have contacted the clinics to ask for more information. Whose fault is it? A dog’s owner, who has dragged a paralyzed dog across Europe for a week and was not able to demand care for her dog, even though she is a breeder herself. The travel companions - I wonder very much how a bell didn’t ring, or a light bulb didn’t switch on for anyone who accompanied them on the trip at any stage - that a dog who is paralyzed for several days and soils himself constantly, should be receiving medical help? As for me - why didn’t I ask more, why didn’t I ask for videos, why did I trust that the dog would always be cared for and made sure that his health and well-being was a priority? Why didn’t I ask every day if there was any news, if he had been treated, demanded to see all the papers, even though I know that it would certainly have resulted in a fight, but even so… Finally, as I reached home from the clinic, I sat in the car in our yard staring at the wall of our house for a couple of hours. The feeling I should have had, would be sadness. But I wasn’t so much saddened by the dog’s fate, or the fact that he had to be euthanized, but about the way he had to leave this world. His rear end paralyzed, riding along at dog shows across Europe. Sake would have deserved a better ending.
Edit 1/22 April 22 at 1:03 PM: The first veterinarian (Poland, 18 April 2022) replied to my questionnaire that the dog co-owner had said that she would take him elsewhere for treatment and specifically requested the medicine only for anal wounds. The co-owner also said that she would take the dog elsewhere for further examination and had said that she had painkillers, and therefore did not prescribe to him anything other than antibiotics for his anal wound which would last until, or wherever he would go for further examination. I assumed she was going straight there, and not more than a day later. The vet was sorry about the situation. The vet also spoke / wrote very poor English.
Edit 2/22 April 22 at 2:22 p.m. In order to avoid a language barrier and the resulting misunderstandings, I still asked my vet friend in Poland to call the clinic and ask why a dog, who was clearly paralyzed, was only prescribed an antibiotic. Here is the answer: “The lady came with the dog and specifically asked to take care only of wound he had near his rectum. She said the dog will be treated in Helsinki where he is going to be operated on. That is why the vet only gave antibiotics for the wound, as she didn’t want to mess already the treatment for paralysis. She said the dog looked very bad. The entire rear was paralyzed. Looked even too late for a possible operation. ”
Edit3 / 05 May 22 at 7:59 p.m. I finally got an answer from a Lithuanian veterinarian. So here’s what I was told on Thursday, 14 April: >I got a message at 3.14 pm that the co-owner had taken Sake to a veterinarian and that x-rays were taken, nothing is reportedly fractured and there is nothing wrong to be found in the images. His back was badly jammed, “practiced humping for a week,” received relaxants.
Reality: A direct translation from the medical report: “The dog was on its way from Finland to Slovenia. A planned mating the day before. After mating, the dog started to show pain in his hips. The dog no longer had control over his hind legs and defecated himself. Ate in the morning. The dog does not have fever. Mucous membranes are pink, KGP 2 seconds. His hid legs are warm but do not react to the pain reflex. Discomfort in the waist area. Sent urgently to a neurosurgical veterinary hospital (Kaunas, Vilnius). Because only emergency treatment is necessary during the trip, the dog is given Rimadly 50 mg and Trametol 50 mg. The dog owner confirmed that she will be going to Kaunas. -> I asked the tour operator about it, and according to him, the dog was not taken to Kaunas for further treatment, nor to the vet again during the outing.
Eli kaikki puheet vääristä diagnooseista ja muista osoittautuivat valheellisiksi, koira oli viety torstaina lääkäriin, josta se oli ohjattu kiireellisenä jatkohoitoon, jonne koiraa ei ikinä viety.
