Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 7:49 am Post subject: March's 'Lab of the Month'
Our special award this month goes to a brave Labrador by the name of Lionel. Here his owner, Mel, tells us why she has nominated Lionel for the ''Lab of the Month'' Award.
Mel Writes:
I''m sure that lots of people know that December and January were a dreadful time for Lionel and me.
Since December 14th Lionel had been having trouble with his front right elbow. It started with a limp which suddenly appeared overnight and completely spiraled from there.
After Rimadyl, Xrays, confinement and a bit more Rimadyl Lionel was refered to a bone Specialists in Hitchin. We carted Lionel off to Hitchin for a consultation where we were told he would undergo an MRI Scan and then an operation to pin his leg. We left him there so they could do the best for our boy. All went well with the operation, and we collected him two days later.
A bouncey but very bald labby came to greet us, he was in high spirits and pain free. The pin in his leg was huge, but he was sorted. More crate confinement but the end was in sight. Our Lionel was close to being back to normal. After a week of crate rest, with only three days to go, Lionel developed a very severe limp again. Far worse than the original limp that had brought the problem to our attention.
His foot was tucked right under and he hobbled about like an old man, he struggled to rise from his bed, I had to hold his food bowl in the air because he couldn''t bend down to eat. His ears were so flat to his head and his eyes were pleading with me to help him. Off to the Specialists again, this time it turned out to be a severe post-op infection - quite rare this length of time after an op. He stayed in the vets again until the infection cleared. We collected an extremely happy boy after a five day stay, he was bandaged and had to wear a Buster Collar but otherwise all was well.
After one more week of crate confinement Lionel was able to re-discover his freedom and we have never looked back! Lionel was the bravest boy throughout the whole nightmare. He cried maybe twice in the whole 6 weeks of his confinement. He seemed to accept his fate with good labby nature and was content with chewing bones and toys to keep himself amused.
This has been a lot for us to deal with and his young age (he was 4 1/2 months when this all started) has made it seem more unreal. Two months on Lionel''s ''wall of death'' sprints that seemed an all too distant memory are now back in full swing. His walks are all back up to normal break-neck speed and the pain he suffered is completely gone. Even his scar has faded to nothing.
We always knew that Lionel was a lovely, good natured and handsome (I''m biased of course) boy. But now I think we can add courageous to that list too. It all seems a long time ago now and we can all look forward to a fun future with Lionel. We love him dearly. I want to nominate Lionel for dealing with all of this so well, when we haven''t been able to tell him what''s going on.
We love him lots. Mel
Well done Lionel - you are a brave little lab, well done to you & your lovely Mum Mel for dealing with it all so well. We wish you both all the best for the future.
A Well-deserved award for a special boy! Lionel you're a star and an inspiration.
((((((hugs)))))))))) and XXXXXXX from all of the Gang
Love Becs and the Gang
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