Hi there… sorry for the delay in this last instalment of Sophie’s Run. Yes, we are home… Chuck, Lucy, CJ, Kathy, and even the Princess have arrived without any further ‘excitement’. We did have to wait out the weather. Just like cruising on a sailboat, we had to check the forecast each day (often twice or three times) and then adjust our plans accordingly. The major winter storm that swept across the coastal and mid-west US stopped us in our tracks.. but, after 3 days it finally swept by and the weekend (last) was very obviously the time to carry on. We knew it would be cold (down to 21 degrees overnight) but the path north was the only way home… so we bundled up and headed up the I 5 Saturday morning. Knowing there had been gusts of wind as high as 60+ MPH at ‘the Gorge’ (Columbia River running between Portland and Vancouver, Wa and our next destination) during the previous days, and that the winds were scheduled to pick up again by mid afternoon, we left early enough to arrive at the 99 RV Resort by early afternoon. It was cold, it was small, it was right beside the freeway… but it was a place to park for the night and we were grateful. The next day we were up early and on our way to our next (and last) RGV park for this journey. The Pacific Border RV Park just outside White Rock, BC was quite nice, although not particularly dog friendly (you have to walk your dog off the property to do their business). Again, we parked for the night and were on our way early the next day (Monday), caught the 1015 Duke Point Ferry and were home in Crofton/Duncan by early afternoon.
Now for the news of our little pal’s future. While there are lots of details I could rattle on about… I think I will just say the following.
We have an excellent Vet in Duncan and he has been ‘with us’ for most of this past ‘journey’ with Sophie. We’ve kept him up to date with respect to her injuries, the treatments and her condition. And, we’d asked him to confer with the Victoria-based orthopaedic surgeon and specialist with respect to the options for Sophie’s future. There were many, serious considerations in discussing both the injury, the success likelihood of a complicated surgery, and the less than stellar quality of life Sophie would most likely have to endure over the next year or so, should the repair of her knee be attempted.
The good news is (yes, there is good news) that Sophie will be happy, free of pain, and able to live out her life without continued visits to the vets and without the complications that would arise as the result of major complex surgeries. She will do well, and she will be able to continue with some of her favourite hobbies (like walking, playing, sailing, hanging out, and learning Spanish). The sad news is the vets agree that with the kind of damage she has suffered to her leg… the only surgery that might (and they stress might) work is a complete knee replacement (and that is still in the experimental stages)… and they agree that kind of surgery on an older dog could be fraught with problems and lead to ongoing follow-ups etc. The vet specialist said that while he has, in the past, done dog knee repairs in cases like Sophie’s(where all ligaments have been severed), they have not been successful and he doesn’t do them any more.
Discussions with our Vet, and our own research, have convinced us that dogs do get along quite well with three legs; dogs are not emotionally attached to limbs like we humans are; dogs make the best of each day as it arrives… and don’t worry about the past or the future… and Sophie has certainly proven she is capable of that. As well, she’s had over a month of practice at getting along on three legs and, in fact, her ‘not so good’ leg just gets in the way quite often. Our vet posed the option of amputation to us several days ago… and after some time in complete denial mode, we started to think about Sophie and what her life would be like dragging around a half-cured appendage, and the continuing visits to the vets offices.. etc. vs. a clean ‘break’ from the broken bit, a solid healing, and getting on with the rest of her life (no one can believe she is 13… and she apparently isn’t aware of that fact either.. carrying on like she does.. as if she was maybe 7. Who knows how many good years she has left). Once we got over our fears, and after speaking with the vet, our decision was pretty obvious, and has been made with Sophie’s best interests in mind.
Sophie will soon join a very special group. They call themselves tripawds… seriously. You can read about them at www.tripawds.com and please do. We’re going to take a lot of their advice to heart… about how to help her adjust and about how to support her in her new life. So friends, we hope you will join us in being ‘happy’ that Sophie will not suffer any more or any longer than necessary… and that she will continue to have a happy and healthy life. We remember all too well that we almost lost her completely.
So, that’s our news for now. The Princess was to have her surgery today… but we have just received a phone call to say the surgeon is ill… and so we wait, assuming there will be a delay of a few days. TV anyone? With the rain coming in, we’re going to hunker down on the couch and catch up on our movies…. aaaaah,,, ‘tis good to be home.
Adios for now… CJ
PS: In case you were wondering (and I know some of you are) between September 16th and November 17th, good old faithful Chuck added 13,007 kms to his resume. Phew!!
