Rolling Dog Farm Blog

I drove into Missoula this morning to meet the old, blind Cocker Spaniel and be there for her medical exam with our specialist, Dr. Dave Bostwick.  When I arrived at the clinic, I found a small, plump, almost oval-shaped little girl.  She had a long, thick black coat that is raggedy and clearly in need of grooming, but fortunately her hair wasn’t really matted.  She had a sweet face, and I could tell right away she couldn’t see a thing.

Although she’s blind from cataracts, Dave could actually see through one of them to the retina, so theoretically she should be able to see out through that cataract … but she is completely blind.  This means she must have some other ocular problem, most likely with the retina itself. 

In the first photo Dave is doing the ultrasound of her organs.  For part of this ‘survey’ we had her upside down on her back, but for the second part she was able to stand, as you see here.  Dave is moving the ultrasound probe across her shaved abdomen and watching the images as they appear on the screen.  In general her organs looked good, including her heart, although her liver was a bit larger than expected, as was one adrenal gland, but not significantly so.  Her bloodwork will tell us if there is anything to be concerned about there.  We’ll get those results back in a couple of days.

In the second photo you can tell this little dog was quite happy that the exam was finally over!  Traci, Dave’s vet tech, is holding her still for the camera. 

We always worry when we get old dogs that there may be something going on internally that can’t be detected by a routine physical exam or bloodwork — like heart problems, tumors, etc. — so we like to start with a comprehensive ultrasound evalution.  Although it’s expensive, we think ultimately it’s very cost-effective … we’d much rather find something early, when it’s treatable.

Speaking of cost, when I got to the clinic this morning I learned that a good part of the bill for her exam was already paid for.  A couple in Missoula who are wonderful friends of the sanctuary had seen our blog from last night, and stopped by the clinic to tell Dave they’d be making a donation to help cover the exam fees.  What a delightful surprise that was!  Thank you!

I brought this old girl back to the ranch this afternoon, and she’s doing fine.  She’s settled in and was already exploring the yard, plowing through the snow.

You may have noticed I haven’t used a name for her.  Well, she doesn’t have one yet.  Suggestions welcome!

(Click on photos for large image.)