$538 vet bill and I got nothin'

Hawky had x-rays done today. I had a $538 vet bill today. And, as of today, I still have no actual diagnosis as to what is causing the front limb lameness he's been displaying for months now.

Here is what I do know...

He is showing mild arthritis in his elbow, shoulder, hips and most of his joints but nothing that would cause lameness.

The IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) he was diagnosed with three years ago has become worse in his lumbar and hip area but the effected vertebrae in his shoulder and front end are not the source of his lameness. However, the loss of mobility he is showing in his hind end is a result of IVDD.

His right hip show very mild displasia.

He has fantastic "knees". Or so I was told.

So... the diagnosis is that he has an "itis" of some sort (inflammation)... possibly tendinitis in his shoulder. The treatment?

Well, he's recommending drugs for his "bad" days and Pulse Signal Therapy or K Laser Therapy for long term reduction in pain and swelling as well as physiotherapy and exercise such as swimming (Yay! He LOVES to swim). However, he doesnt feel that I can expect Hawk to ever be fully "sound".

Do my question to the blogger sphere is:

Has anyone had any experience with pulse signal or laser therapy?

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PS- I had the chance to meet a "blogger buddy" for the first time today. Natarojo and her sister were both so warm and friendly... It was truly a pleasure! I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people I've met through blogging and for the great sense of community we share:)

I ♥ Hawky-dog

(note: Hawky would never growl at his sister! Bitty is biting his whiskers:)

Hawky says, "Houston, we have a problem!"

One evening DB and I returned home from supper expecting to be greeted at the door by Hawky, as usual, but as we entered the house there came no clip clip clip of doggy nails across the linoleum, no body jiggling, fierce doggy waggling, no exuberant sneezes of pleasure! Oh no! Instead all we could hear was Hawk's high pitched whine coming from somewhere within the house. Fearing the worst I quickly ran to see what was the matter but to my surprise I found Hawk standing stock still in the middle of the hallway, his ears pricked forward and his whole body preening with an inarticulate whine that expressed nothing but acute frustration! Of course I talked to him as if he were human and asked,

"What is it? What's wrong!!?? Has Timmy fallen in the well?"

Hawky's body quivered and he yelped impatiently before turning and trotting into the bathroom.

Curious as to what he could possibly have him in such a tizzy, I followed.

When I flicked on the bathroom light I was surprised to find Hawky sitting intently before the toilet staring in to the recesses of the bowl as if the proverbial Timmy really were lost within it's recesses.

What was it?





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I believe Hawky's impatient and high pitched whine could be interpreted as, "OMG!! It's my ball! My ball!! It's drowning!! DROoooooWNING!!! Hurry! *he calls like a Curler* Hurry and save it!!" And I swear he was actually trying to put get his leg over the lip in an effort to paw it out!

I wish my dog loved me as much as he loves his ball. When or if I fell in the toilet (ehem! Men! Seat DOWN please) I bet Hawky wouldnt lift a paw to save me:)

*no balls were harmed in the making of this post*

Dirty Bunny

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Wow! The comments made on my post "Breed Profiling" is the perfect example of why I love to blog! I am grateful to have such reasonable, intelligent and sincere people to reflect ideas off of and with whom to debate the endless questions, concerns and controversies of the crazy world of horses!

It seems the overwhelming sentiment of our collective comments was that a horse must be judged and treated as an individual.

While I agree, absolutely, that one should never count or discount a horse because of his breed, I believe that those stereotypes exist for a reason and can be used to our advantage.

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Is it our resistance to racism and (human) prejudice, stereotyping and profiling that makes us feel defensive about applying negative qualities to a breed? I too have actually taken (mild) offense to a strangers comment that they "hate" a particular breed. I too feel the need to defend such statements with examples of those horses who have proved the exception. Even if it is my own biases! Why, just recently I considered leasing an Appaloosa! and even once made an offer to purchase one despite my (generally) ill-favored opinion of the breed. I am always willing to consider and find merit in the individual but that certainly doesn't mean that I'd go seeking an Appaloosa if were in the market to purchase!

For example, I own a lazy Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler). I've known other lazy Blue Heelers. But when my Mom, a mildly active and over worked mother and wife, went looking for a dog I didnt recommend she look for a Blue Heeler, despite my experience with those dogs that defied the the reputation of their breed.

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Breeds- by definition- are collective stereotypes...our human effort to selectively reproduce animals that are homozygous (alike) in qualities.

Have you ever had an experience with a horse, dog or any kind of animal that turned you off of a breed or species- even though it was the faults of the individual, not a common fault of their breed?

For me it is Poodles. I know they are smart, athletic and amazing dogs but when I was a child my Grandmother's friend had a poodle that used to harrass and bite me (until one I day I bit it back!) and my Aunt had one that would pee while standing on it's front legs (I found this disturbing for some reason). To this day I cant seem to get past my poodle prejudice ... then there was that thing I saw that time with the (aptly named) "Dirty" bunny and the cat... cant shake that one either... but I'll leave that story for another day!

Any animal prejudices of your own?

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Be sure to vote on my bizarre (but not creep, promise!) poll question!
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Today's pictures are inspired by Pioneer Woman's "sunset" photo contest! Which is your favorite (1,2, 3 or 4)?