Bracken's Story
Ellen writes:
We got Bracken, and his brother Brandy, as 6 week old rescue puppies. This is Brackens story.
Bracken is the baby of the family. His brother beats him up, then licks his ear as only brothers can do! He developed canine symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy, where the body attacks the nails, when he was 3 and a half, and we constantly keep his nails short and give him tablets to make the nails stronger. He had a surrogate mum, Sheba the Alsatian, when she died at 15, he developed epilepsy. We came to Northumberland Greyhound Rescue, and adopted Catcher to be his new "mum". He (and we) know every vet, nurse and reception staff member, personally, at our vets.
 BRACKEN | When Bracken was only 6, in March last year, he got off the sofa one evening, and began to limp, we naturally assumed he'd just banged himself, but as the days went on, he continued to limp on his left front leg. So off to the vets we went, and they noticed a slight swelling on the knuckle of his left front leg. Painkillers and anti biotics followed. It eased a bit but never totally went and the lump was still there. The vets kept an eye on things, and then took x-rays, all the time saying it could be an infection, or many other things, but we had to consider it could be cancer. We didn't even want to think of that. After all Bracken has been through, we didn't think life could throw anymore at him. |
As the months progressed, Bracken had good days and bad days, some days hardly a limp, and he was always first to the couch! But in December last year, we noticed the lump had increased in size and he was beginiing to drag the foot. Back to the vets to see the lovely Frances Allen, who knows greyhounds inside and out. Bracken, she said, was in pain and beginning to lose weight with the stress, and we had to prepare to lose him over Christmas; or had we thought about amputation? She went through it with us, informing us that they DO cope, it is not a major operation, indeed had it not been for Brackens epilepsy, she could do it that afternoon! As it was, we spent 3 days dosing him up on diazepam, to calm him before surgery.
Bracken went in on my birthday, 22nd December. The vets did x-rays on his lungs to see if the suspected - and likely - cancer had spread. It hadn't. Then they removed the leg and kept an eye on him in recovery, informing us all of the time as to how he was doing. At 7pm we could collect him. He came out, wobbly but coping, the hardest part was that we had thick snow, and ice, and we slipped and slid trying to hold him gently upright, aim him for the car and manouevre him in without touching his very sore stump. He slumped in the car, and at home, wouldn't get out, so we gently manouevred the blanket he was on, until he had to slide out and put his front foot down. With that he charged into the house, onto the couch and stayed there all night, apart from to get up and pee in the lounge!!!
The following days were amazing. Bracken managed with everything, no walks at this stage, but he could get out and about in the garden, even with the snow, and somehow still beat Brandy and Catcher to the couch! Just after Christmas he had a check up, and everything was fantastic. and just 10 days after surgery, the stitches came out.
Since then we, and he have never looked back. Bracken is now pain free, no longer takes lots of painkillers and the like, and lives a normal life. He goes for long walks with the others, he is a happy, healthy, and pain free dog, which is the main thing. He still managed to get into the bread bin last week and help himself to the contents!!! Occasionally he forgets and you see him try to put down the missing leg, then he remembers and adjusts.
He did so well, he was chosen as Gilmoor vets first ever "pet of the month" and last month, Brackens story was on their notice board for all to see. Everyone fusses over him, and he gets loads of sympathy for only having 3 legs, which he laps up - maybe we should bring him to the meet and greets??
We are so pleased that Frances Allen suggested amputation and that we chose that path for Bracken. Hopefully he can have another shot at life, as a cancer survivor.