Please allow me to introduce Jackson, our 10 month old lab mix. He joined our family just three days ago. We had been casually looking for a second dog for a while but none had really seemed to be the one. Our first dog, Molly a 2 year old lab mix, just seemed lonely. She loves playing with other dogs and enjoys the companionship but all the dogs of friends and family were much older and not interested in her style of play. Well last Monday I was browsing Petfinder.com and there he was staring at me. I showed my wife and kids his picture and Tuesday morning I was on the phone with the shelter setting up an appointment and by Wednesday we were adopting him. We brought Molly with us to the shelter to play with Jackson just to make sure they got along well. After a few sniffs they were playing like old friends, everything seemed perfect. He has the sweetest temperament and is so gentle, we fell in love with him immediately.
When we arrived home about an hour later Jackson and Molly went straight to the back yard and began playing and running. After about 15 minutes we noticed Jackson was limping and not putting much weight on his right hind leg. We were immediately concerned. At first we feared he had slipped in the snow or twisted it while running. We called the shelter and inquired about any previous occurrences, none were noted in his records. The following day we took Jackson to the vet for an exam. The doctor, who is a knee specialist, suspected a luxating patella so x-rays were scheduled for the following morning.
Late Friday morning I received a call from the Vet. Indeed he did have knee issues but it was inoperable. He proceeded to explain that at some point in Jackson’s first months he had incurred trauma to his femur causing a fracture. The fracture had obviously not been treated and therefore had heeled incorrectly. The right femur was about 25% shorter than his left and bowed inward. This was causing his knee problem and was the reason it was useless to operate. Our options were either a life of pain medicine everyday and his right leg basically withering away or amputation.
At first amputation seemed extreme and almost cruel. We could hardly bring ourselves to consider this as an option. After a good long talk with the Vet we were able to accept it and began to see the situation through Jackson’s eyes. What kind of life would it be to drag around a lame leg that only caused pain. As the Vet explained once the leg was removed so would the pain and Jackson would lead a normal pain free life.
So this is where we are now. Its Saturday, three days after we brought him home for the first time. He has found a permanent place in our hearts and home and nothing will change that. There is a reason he’s entered our life and us his. We have decided to go ahead with amputation and not look back. So this is Jackson’s story, so far. I will continue to update this blog through the days and months ahead as Jackson and his new family deal with the ups and downs of this journey. Please keep checking back and any word of encouragement are certainly welcome.
Jackson’s Dad