Griswalds' Story, Part 6

Dr. Clemmons,DVM examined Griswald 4/7/08.Dr. Clemmons is an Neurologist. He was examining  Griswald to determine if he was a candidate for surgery. Dr Clemmons' spent several hours evaluating Griswald and then he met with me to talk about Griswalds' options for treatment. He told me that he could operate on Griswald but he couldn't guarantee the results.  The surgery would be tough (several hours) and he would be in recovery for several days. There was a good chance that he wouldn't even survive the surgery and the surgery itself could cause paralysis. The operation would cost between 6 and 10 thousand dollars no matter what the outcome. Everything would depend on whether or not Griswald got an infection, needed blood transfusions or extended recovery room care.Dr. Clemmons thought that even if the operation and recovery were a success, Griswald would still only live an extra  year or two. He explained that Griswald was genetically very weak and as a result  he has a  short lifeline. In his opinion, Griswald will  probably only live to be around two years old. We both agreed that it wouldn't be fair to make Griswald endure the pain of a major operation just to extend his life an extra year or two. He suggested that I get another dog now as a transition for when I have to say goodbye to Griswald. I told him that I already have another dog, Kya, and that she never accepted Griswald.  I wouldn't even consider  getting another dog. Dr. Clemmons said that Kya probably senses there's something not quite right about Griswald and that's why she wants to attack him sometimes. He thought Kya might have been jealous/ territorial at first but Griswald might not be able to send the right dog signals to Kya. While we were talking, Griswald never tried to interact with me, Dr. Clemmons or the Intern. Instead, he was chewing the door hinges and that was typical behavior for him. Dr Clemmons said that he was sure that Griswald has hydrocephalus (brain damage) and that would explain Griswalds'  hyperactivity and other behaviors. The Hydrocephalus can be a deteriorating condition (if Griswald lives long enough). I wasn't prepared to hear that Griswald would die so young. I went to the appointment worrying about how much everything would cost and when they would  want to operate. Dr. Clemmons said he would do the surgery if I wanted him to. Alternately, he would prescribe  an anti -oxidant, a multi-vitamin and a brain stimulant. If these prescriptions helped I would see a change in about a month. Dr. Clemmons said they might improve his health or at least maintain his curent health status.  If they didn't work, we could try adjusting the formulas or we could re-think the surgery. In the meantime, we both agreed that instead of keeping Griswald confined, I shouldn't try to protect him. He has so much energy it would be kinder to  let him play like any other puppy. In addition to the supplements Dr. Clemmons thought Griswald would benefit from either a Prescription Joint Maintenance Diet or an Eastern Diet and Acupuncture. There wasn't any reason to leave Griswald overnight since there wasn't going to be any surgery so I said my goodbyes to everyone I met that day and headed back home with Griswald.