Fixing Finn

It’s never a dull moment at the Gilday household.

During a night of extreme rough housing last week, our Finnegan took a tumble down the stairs. A couple hours later, he tended to limp and not put any weight on his left back leg. We thought he pulled a muscle so we waited a couple days’ just see if he got better, which, didn’t happen. On Friday, Gilday and Finnegan took a field trip to see our vet to check it out, only to find out a couple X-rays later, that Mr. Finn had blown out his back knee. A ruptured Cranial Cruciate ligament, in medical terms.

There are two types of surgery that he is a candidate for. One is a basic CCL repair (like a human ACL), where they recreate the ligament with nylon (sort-of like fishing line) and let his own scar tissue grow around it. The second type is called a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), a good explanation is found here. Because of his size, I think the surgeon is going to recommend the TPLO, which of course is the most expensive. We’re hoping to get him scheduled for surgery the week before Christmas. We both have the Christmas week off so it will be easier to help him with the first week after surgery.

The recovery time is 1-2 months, so in order to keep him in a relaxed and placid state our little Riley is going to be spending the next couple months with my Mom. She’s actually really excited about having her. She’s already gone out and bought a doggie bed for her to use while she’s there. I just know that when we finally get her back, she’ll be 50lbs heavier from all the treats and leftovers my mom will give her. Or, my Mom won't want to give her back.

What are you going to do, you know? With big dogs you not only get bigger problems, but biggest dents in the pocketbook. Looks like its going to be a humble Christmas for the Gilday’s this year.