Just over a week ago, Bentley quit walking. He went from infinite progress to limited movement overnight. We took him for x-rays and there was nothing obviously wrong with him. Our assumption was that the pin in his leg was causing him pain or discomfort. Without certainty, we were left with a big decision. As you know, at that time, the Dr. was hoping to keep the pin in his leg for another thirty days due to the x-rays which showed at least one part of his bone was still healing. Obviously, this leg is all he has left. Truth in lending, if he loses this leg, without help, we can't afford to go on. We can't afford to start over, and I don't think we could stomach a situation in which Bentley lacked the ability to move under his own power. After consulting with Dr. Davis in Aiken, I made another call to Dr. Runnels in Augusta on Monday the 27th of March. I conveyed to him that Bentley was still not able to walk and inquired about our options. Dr. Runnels decided that we should remove the pin. He figured the danger of muscle atrophy from not walking was equal to or greater than the danger of removing the extra support.
On Tuesday the 28th of March Bentley made his way back to AAE for his pin removal. As you can see by the look on his face, he was thrilled. If I haven't shared it before, I'll just tell you that Bentley gets car sick like no other. He starts drooling as soon as he gets in the car and more often than not, he throws up. That's WITH medicine. He just can't do it. For whatever reason, on this day Bentley sat up for the whole ride. I guess he knew this was a milestone that he didn't want to miss.
Bentley was brought into the back for surgery immediately upon his arrival. We hoisted him up on the table and one of his best buddies (Crystal) kept him calm while his anesthesia was administered. As you can see, he was enjoying some sweet dreams almost instantly. Dr. Runnels went to work and got the pin removed. I am still amazed at how skilled these people are.
So this is the pin that came out of Bentley's leg. Sorry about the visual, but it was hard for me to believe how big that thing was. If you go all the way back to the first blog entry and look at the initial (post Op) x-rays, you can truly appreciate the significance of this stainless steel. You may have also noticed that it appears to be bent. I can't fathom how much stress he is generating on his leg in order to bend steel. That's also a little scary because now he doesn't have that. All the stress is now on his bone. Truly unbelievable.
Bentley was out the door and on his way home a two hours after he arrived. He was still drugged so most of the day was spent recovering. They sent us home with a antibiotic just to ensure we aren't worrying about another infection. That would be devastating. So he slept and slept and slept. At dinner time I woke him up and he didn't really have an appetite. He didn't show any interest in food or water, and wasn't trying to go outside to do the nature thing. He did manage to crawl over enough to protect his food from the Huskies. You can see him sleep guarding his food.
At around 11pm, Krysta and I decided to try to make him use the bathroom. It was terrifying because we didn't know how his leg would respond. We harnessed him outside and sure enough, his leg looked like Jello. It was super wobbly and he couldn't stand at all. My heart absolutely sunk and honestly, Krysta and I just exchanged a few looks of disappointment because we were without words. We left him sleeping, back in his cone of shame, and hoping that something would go our way.
Fortunately, that was today. This morning Bentley seemed a little more chipper. I harnessed him outside to get him to go potty. He planted his foot and stood firmly. I couldn't believe it honestly. Slowly, I released tension from the harness to see if he could stand. Not only did he stand, but he took off. He left me in his dust and scooted across the yard. I was finally able to get him back under control and harnessed him back inside even though he didn't need me to. The plan now is to take it slowly and ensure that he doesn't overdue it. Tonight we are counting our blessings and hoping that the next 30 days go quickly and quietly. We will continue his exercises in home, and will hopefully have him back in Aiken for rehab within a week or two.
For now, Bentley is feeling a lot better and seems a lot more comfortable. He's back to nub wagging and house guarding. All is well for now. Hope to bring you more good news shortly. Thanks for following.
On the night of 20 March, almost exactly four months after his accident, Bentley has had his first major setback. To be honest, we really don't know what's going on. On Monday night Bentley was resting on his bed. My intention was take him outside one more time and I called his name. He rose to a sitting position but didn't stand up. It's not completely unusual because sometimes he is a little stiff after laying in place for a period of time. This time was a little different because he laid back down. I called him again and he took a few hops forward. He clearly wasn't walking. I was hoping it was a mild irritation and gave him some pain medicine. It wasn't until the following morning that I became truly concerned. He barely made it outside to use the bathroom and I had to carry him back in. A few hours later we were back at Augusta Animal Emergency to see Dr. Runnels. Bentley had X-rays done but we still don't know how serious this is. He still isn't walking. The plate on his leg is coming apart. One screw is broken and another is severely bent. I believe there are two screws left. He Dr. doesn't think that plate is functional anymore. It also appears that the pin is now further into his hip. That being said, the pin still can't come out because there is at least one area that still needs time to calcify and we don't see that happening for at least another 30 days. It's a double edge sword. If he isn't able to walk, we risk throwing away all of the rehabilitation we have done. 8 weeks of it. I expect the muscle to atrophy quickly if we can't get him up for rehab. On the other side, further stress on the leg could be a disaster. Anyway, he isn't walking at all. We are back to the sling and moving him between potty breaks and his bed. The good news is that he doesn't seem to be in pain and his mood is generally good. We are cycling his medicine and hoping that whatever is preventing him from walking will work itself out. All options are still on the table, but we know we have to save this leg one way or another. We're consulting with both his surgeon and his rehab specialist. I am also considering a trip to Columbia SC for consultation with a Orthopedic Surgeon. Anyway, it's stressful but we're certainly not in panic mode yet. Hope to bring you better news soon. Down but not out.
It's been a little over three months since Bentley was hit by a car and almost two months since I posted about him. In that time I have a shared a few pictures and a few videos that capture his progress. Still, it doesn't do it justice. It's just time, but time is valuable. I'll get right to the point. Bentley is winning.
Here you can see Bentley eating his food. No big deal right? Wrong, huge deal. This didn't happen without work. Even once Bentley started walking again, it wasn't pretty. It's not perfect now, but it most certainly wasn't pretty in the beginning. Bentley figured out he could put most of his weight on his front legs and plow forward in a mostly uncontrolled fashion. It got him moving, but that's a lot of forward momentum and there wasn't a whole lot of agility. Getting him to stand and use all three limbs has been the challenge. It was many weeks watching that back leg quiver and watching him shift that weight forward to avoid using it. He's using it now. How do you fix that? If you said "under water treadmill", you're right.
This contraption is like a huge aquarium with a treadmill on the bottom. When Bentley first started on it, he was only able to walk for about five minutes, harnessed, with enough water under him to keep him fairly buoyant. Now, he walks for nearly 20 minutes and the water level is down far enough that he is virtually doing it by himself. He is assisted by some sweet ladies who towel him off after each workout. In other words, it's not all bad. Today his workout was cut a little short because his right shoulder was bothering him. Before each treadmill session he practices his stability on a balance board, walks over some hurdles and does a figure eight drill through some obstacles. Today he tried to go up the "ramp of doom" but only made it half way. It's not really called the "ramp of doom", but that's probably what he calls it. We just started outdoor walks this week. He walks the road in front of the house which has a good incline. That forces him to push off his back leg and build some muscle. He needs that if he is ever going to conquer the ramp.
Here you can see Bentley getting those front legs elevated, forcing weight onto his back leg. Dr. Davis keeps his back straight, leg in position and rocks him on it to increase stress. I thought I would explain that so you didn't think he was doing step aerobics. He's not quite there yet.
We always finish up with some laser therapy and stretching before we jump in the big fish tank treadmill thingy. This is Bentley's favorite part because he has to do exactly nothing and he gets fed treats while people massage him. I have considered standing in for him during this portion on several occasions.
Since my last post we have gone to Aiken every week but one. I'm not sure how long we can keep that up as it's very time consuming. I think we will move to a bimonthly model soon and try to do more at home. Bentley still has a pin running from his hip to his knee. We had an x-ray done about a month ago in hopes that it would be removed, but the doctor noticed that one of his screws had broken and the decision was to leave it in until the bone calcified more. We are hoping to get another look at it soon. It's not really bothering him too much but Dr. Davis felt some fluid built up in his hip and I think his comfort level will go up enormously once that's out.
Bentley still hangs out near his favorite Myrtle and enjoys a good nap on the patio. He has resumed his couch naps too.
And his post workout dog bed naps :)
There is still a lot of work to do but we are making progress every day. No more cone of shame and when dad is up to the task, he even gets carried upstairs for a good night's sleep in the big bed. Thanks for all the love. Bentley has a lot of fans and I don't get though a whole day without someone asking about him. From Augusta Animal Emergency to Aiken Pet Fitness and Rehabilitation, and everyone in between, we are forever grateful.
Just over a week ago, Bentley quit walking. He went from infinite progress to limited movement overnight. We took him for x-rays and there was nothing obviously wrong with him. Our assumption was that the pin in his leg was causing him pain or discomfort. Without certainty, we were left with a big decision. As you know, at that time, the Dr. was hoping to keep the pin in his leg for another thirty days due to the x-rays which showed at least one part of his bone was still healing. Obviously, this leg is all he has left. Truth in lending, if he loses this leg, without help, we can't afford to go on. We can't afford to start over, and I don't think we could stomach a situation in which Bentley lacked the ability to move under his own power. After consulting with Dr. Davis in Aiken, I made another call to Dr. Runnels in Augusta on Monday the 27th of March. I conveyed to him that Bentley was still not able to walk and inquired about our options. Dr. Runnels decided that we should remove the pin. He figured the danger of muscle atrophy from not walking was equal to or greater than the danger of removing the extra support. 
On Tuesday the 28th of March Bentley made his way back to AAE for his pin removal. As you can see by the look on his face, he was thrilled. If I haven't shared it before, I'll just tell you that Bentley gets car sick like no other. He starts drooling as soon as he gets in the car and more often than not, he throws up. That's WITH medicine. He just can't do it. For whatever reason, on this day Bentley sat up for the whole ride. I guess he knew this was a milestone that he didn't want to miss.
Bentley was brought into the back for surgery immediately upon his arrival. We hoisted him up on the table and one of his best buddies (Crystal) kept him calm while his anesthesia was administered. As you can see, he was enjoying some sweet dreams almost instantly. Dr. Runnels went to work and got the pin removed. I am still amazed at how skilled these people are. 
So this is the pin that came out of Bentley's leg. Sorry about the visual, but it was hard for me to believe how big that thing was. If you go all the way back to the first blog entry and look at the initial (post Op) x-rays, you can truly appreciate the significance of this stainless steel. You may have also noticed that it appears to be bent. I can't fathom how much stress he is generating on his leg in order to bend steel. That's also a little scary because now he doesn't have that. All the stress is now on his bone. Truly unbelievable. 
Bentley was out the door and on his way home a two hours after he arrived. He was still drugged so most of the day was spent recovering. They sent us home with a antibiotic just to ensure we aren't worrying about another infection. That would be devastating. So he slept and slept and slept. At dinner time I woke him up and he didn't really have an appetite. He didn't show any interest in food or water, and wasn't trying to go outside to do the nature thing. He did manage to crawl over enough to protect his food from the Huskies. You can see him sleep guarding his food. 
For now, Bentley is feeling a lot better and seems a lot more comfortable. He's back to nub wagging and house guarding. All is well for now. Hope to bring you more good news shortly. Thanks for following. 
