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After nine long months Cindy is finally back to normal! 😀

For those who’ve recently wandered my way, Cindy is our 14 year old Border Collie mix. And since hubby and I are “empty nesters”, she’s the “kid” here in the house and gets treated as such.

For the last year and a half the poor dear has had one issue after another. First was trying to get the worsening arthritis in her back and hips under control (we’re using acupuncture and Chinese herb blends) so we could have a tumor removed from her front left leg … that was removed in June 2010. Then it was radiation treatments to keep the tumor from coming back. That effort consumed the entire month of July 2010. Then, two-thirds of the way through the radiation she got bitten by a spider (probably a Brown Recluse) which caused a huge wound that was eventually stitched up … two days before we went on vacation. (worst vacation ever for mom)

We thought we were done with major medical issues by the time winter 2010 rolled around, but in February 2011 Cindy took off after a neighborhood cat that was in our her backyard and partially tore the main ligament in her left knee. It eventually tore all the way and we ended up doing surgery to rebuild the knee in late April. But with her arthritis and being overweight due to a thyroid problem, she really couldn’t get around like most dogs will with a damaged leg so she was dependent upon one of us to cart her around with a sling. The muscles had atrophied pretty badly after not being used for months.

Once we got the surgeon’s blessing, we started working with her to rebuild the muscles. And to try and get some more of the weight off. She’s lost 17 pounds since she messed up her knee and is finally (mostly) able to get around on her own. We still need to help with the sling occasionally, but for the last week or so, she’s been able to get around without it at least 75% of the time … including going up and down the steps at the back door. She’s happy she can stand, walk, and sit without help. I’m happy we don’t have to constantly be on guard to help her when she needs it.

She’s back to being underfoot and a total pain in the ass when I’m in the kitchen … and I’m loving it! 😀

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