Xander is about 5 months old now, so we should be able to neuter him in another month. You may have seen in other posts that his front paw is paralyzed; the leg is atrophied, and the paw turns under when he walks so that he limps on the wrist joint. He can move the arm and even lift it over his head, and clean his face with that paralyzed paw.
I talked to the vet today about options for his arm (if we wanted to do any surgery at the same time) and asked about wrist fusion. The vet said he would be glad to refer me to the university vet surgery if I wanted, but he said I should try the POPSICLE TEST first, crazy as that sounds!
He said the problem is the radial nerve, which means odds are he won't be able to extend the paw even if the wrist is fused. Basically, he would still drag the leg, but it would get in his way even worse b/c the wrist would no longer bend and he'd have to drag the whole thing under him instead of lifting it up (running) / limping on the wrist joint (walking) as he does now.
But he said to put a splint on him and observe him to see what he does with the leg. So it's popsicle time for me!
I'll let you know how it turns out. If it turns out as the vet expects (actually worse for Xander's mobility), we will probably opt to do nothing to the leg as it doesn't seem to cause him any pain. Since we have carpet, he doesn't drag the wrist on any hard surfaces except in the kitchen, and he doesn't seem to be developing any sores or even callouses there.
I talked to the vet today about options for his arm (if we wanted to do any surgery at the same time) and asked about wrist fusion. The vet said he would be glad to refer me to the university vet surgery if I wanted, but he said I should try the POPSICLE TEST first, crazy as that sounds!
He said the problem is the radial nerve, which means odds are he won't be able to extend the paw even if the wrist is fused. Basically, he would still drag the leg, but it would get in his way even worse b/c the wrist would no longer bend and he'd have to drag the whole thing under him instead of lifting it up (running) / limping on the wrist joint (walking) as he does now.
But he said to put a splint on him and observe him to see what he does with the leg. So it's popsicle time for me!
I'll let you know how it turns out. If it turns out as the vet expects (actually worse for Xander's mobility), we will probably opt to do nothing to the leg as it doesn't seem to cause him any pain. Since we have carpet, he doesn't drag the wrist on any hard surfaces except in the kitchen, and he doesn't seem to be developing any sores or even callouses there.
he lost his leg up to his elbow..
