I just got back from UW getting Willie measured for his Hobbles, designed to restrict his shoulder movement after his surgery for his ripped up bicepital tendon. I’m not positive that it looks exactly like this, but the photos on this link from DogLeggs are a close replicate. We also worked through some pre-surgical PT, including teaching him to balance on an exercise ball. He seemed to think it was great fun.. photos to come as soon as we can get them.
I’m curious: Has anyone out there used a similar kind of ‘hobble’ after surgery on their dog? Would love to hear your experiences.
Today’s post will be short, you’ll understand why as you continue to read.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: It’s a beautiful, sunny spring day outside, but it’s been a challenge to enjoy it. Many of you have thoughtfully asked how Jim’s sister is doing, and so I felt it was best to say right away that Barbara passed away last night, age 57, of ovarian cancer. Her last two weeks especially were a challenge for all the family, and it is a blessing that she is now at peace. Off you go, Xena warrior girl, time to rest now that the long battle is over.
I should mention that I regret not being more active responding to comments on the last posts: I have read everything that has been written but been unable to comment due to the need to help Jim and his family. But thank you all so much for such an interesting discussion.
I’m sorry also to report that Willie, after looking great for 2 days on Panacur, has diarrhea again. One of my ewes, Brittany Spears, is very ill, and me and the vet are doing all we can to save her and her 2 three week old lambs. Life on the farm . . . what can I say?
Here’s a photo I took last night. I had moved the flock into a pasture they’ve been out of all winter (after worming them to try to fight a nasty worm that is resistant to medicine now), and the sky was so pretty I ran back down the hill to get a photo. (The sick ewe is the one on the far right.) A good time to savor the beauty of life.
Chris from Boise says
Oh Trish and Jim – Death, even when expected, even when a blessing, is so hard. My deepest sympathies to you both and your family. Godspeed to your Xena warrior girl. And may the everyday farm ailments ease up. We send hugs all around.
Suzanne says
Gee whiz, sometimes it all just comes crashing down, eh? Hoping things will brighten for you very soon, sending good juju your way.
suzanne
Beth says
Ah, sorry there is so much sadness and worry in your life right now. Sometimes life can overwhelm a bit. May you find comfort in your loved ones– two-legged and four — and in the land and sky.
Marguerite says
Please accept my deepest sympathies on Barbara’s passing. And my best wishes for Willie and Ms. Spears the ewe and her family as well. May Spring bring all of you hope and health.
Megan says
So sorry for the loss of Jim’s sister Barbara. Death is always hard, especially when someone dies so young. I took my school aged children to their first funeral this past weekend (their kindergarten teacher, also cancer) and our conversations have been full of questions on their part and struggling answers on mine. Life is so complex and yet so direct. Hard to understand and hard to explain. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. And please don’t apologize about responding to a blog… time is precious indeed and there are more important things to do!
Gretchen Dietz says
My thoughts are with you and yours in this time of loss and perpetual and tender sunsets.
Debbie says
I’m so sorry for your loss and Jim’s loss.
FuzzySlippers8 says
My boy had recovery with use of the hobbles too. Although they look cumbersome my dog adjusted to it pretty well along with the physical therapy. However, the better he felt the more difficult it became to keep the contraption on (even with the interactive toys to keep boredom at bay). We did use a boys small compression t-shirt over the hobbles, and even with that my dog was able to chew the hobble strap off three times along with the elbow/wrist piece. Much Later toward the end of recovery he learned to roll on his back and by twisting (never saw this first hand though) he managed to get a leg out of the elbow portion somehow. If your dog is anything near houdini in his antics it is advisable to have some extra straps and extra compression shirts on hand to re-position and replace anything that gets damaged. For reordering and replacements the company is super to work with! Overall the use of the hobbles was pretty helpful as muscle/bicep mass did not atrophy too much since the equipment allows for some weight bearing, even if it restricts range of motion. The equipment certainly did not alter drive and we were able to get back to a normal regime with little fuss by keeping up with the standard re-hab exercise plan once the equipment came off. One more tip, if a dog has issue with bees buzzing be sure to place tape over the red logo over the shoulder area on the black strap, for some reason the bees and wasps were attracted to that spot.
Roberta Beach says
Wow. Some photo – send it into a contest. My prayers for all of you, Barbara and the family. Tough times for sure. I hope the ewe pulls through and Willie remembers how to balance on the ball after his surgery. I have never used a hobble as is described. Sorry.
Kat says
My deepest sympathy on your loss. You’re all in my thoughts and prayers. Maybe some day someone will figure out why everything has to happen at once. Best wishes for Willie and Brittany and her lambs.
Nicola says
Trisha, I’m so sorry to hear all your troubles. My aunt died just before Easter after a long illness, so I can appreciate how hard it is to cope now Barbara has gone. Be gentle with yourself (and Jim, of course).
Best wishes for poor Willie and your sick ewe – it never rains, but it pours!
Sue says
Brittany looks like she’s not well. It is time–anytime–to savor what is good in life. You will experience much of that savoring in the days to come as you mourn and celebrate Barbara’s passing and her life. My prayer is that you all find the peace captured by this photo.
Will anticipate seeing the ‘hobbles’ photos. Sounds like a wonderful device. How neat Willie likes his exercise ball–new challenges!
Best to you,
Sue
D says
My deepest sympathies go out to you, Jim and your family. May the loving memories of Barbara bring you peace.
Carmen says
Trisha, I’m so very sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and Jim during this difficult time.
Chris Shaughness says
I’m so very sorry for your loss and will keep you in my thoughts that everything you have going on turns out well. I’ve heard it said that God only gives the big burdens to those who are truly able to handle them.
Frances says
My thoughts are with you – if the kindness of strangers can help, know that it is all around you.
Susan says
So sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. I have been thinking of you with Willie’s upcoming surgery and all of the other things you have had to deal with these last months. All the best to you and your family.
Alexandra says
I’m so sorry to hear of Barbara’s passing. My condolences to you and your family. It seems you have more than your share of sad news lately, and I wish that better days come soon.
orietta siri says
I’m near you and Jim with all my heart, I’ve lost my father of pancreatic cancer and I deeply understand what all of you have been through. May Barbara rest in peace.
Hope Willie and troubled ewe and her family will soon be better.
JJ says
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your good friend and family.
It always seems like troubles comes in groups. I figure that that just means you are due some uninterrupted peace and happiness in the hopefully near future.
I’m think good thoughts for Willie and your farm animals.
Debby says
Jim and Trisha I am sorry for your loss. I know this has been a tough time for all concerned.
Michy says
Our deepest sympathies to you and yours in your loss. Even an expected death that is a blessing is still tough to deal with.
We also send our best to Brittany and Willie, and hope they heal quickly and fully. That is a lovely picture, and I think you for sharing it with us.
I’m certain that nobody is going to be upset with you for not responding more, or faster, whatever, as we all understand how life can get in the way at times. Wishing you all the best.
Laurie Higgins says
I worked for a rehab vet for over four years. She had several patients that needed to be in hobbles for various reasons. The dogs do quite well in them and it certainly helps to prevent re-injury. Best of luck to you and be sure to do your homework exercises! And my condolences to you and Jim on the loss of his sister.
Tina E says
Love & friendship are the best remedies and based on the first 20 responses so far, you are not in short supply. May all the good thoughts & wishes we have for you bring comfort to you and your family.
Karissa says
I’m terribly sorry for your loss, as well as all the troubles you are experiencing at this unfortunate time. May things start to look brighter for you soon! Really, I know the sun will find its way to Wisconsin one of these days. 🙂 Keeping you, your family & Willie in my thoughts!
Leonore says
re: “ripped up bicepital tendon” not sure what the exact injury is? I have an agility BC (now rising 11) with a bicep tendon injury. treated with prolotherapy and rehab, NOT surgery. he returned to competition and ran another 5+ years. if the procedure hasn’t been done on your dog yet, I encourage you to check out my sports vet: http://veterinarypainsolutions.com/Services.html and contact him if interested in his work. good luck to you both!
Barb says
Trish, My sympathies to you and Jim. May Barbara rest in Peace. When my husband was ill with cancer (he is a survivor) I came across a line that helped me a lot. It said “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”
Hopefully things will turn around for Willie soon. He seems to be such a trouper.
Dena (Izzee's Mom) says
Hugs and peaceful vibes for you and Jim and all the rest of Barbara’s family. She was fortunate to have loving family around her. And good health vibes to Willie, Brittany Spears, and her lambkins.
Angel Stambaugh says
So sorry to hear of your loss. My sympathies to you, Jim and the family. Sorry also to hear of all the other troubles right now. It is hard when our plates are so full. I think that although hard, it can be good to have all the bad stuff happen together. Better to get it all out the way more quickly, so the good times can shine even brighter.
Positive energy being sent to Brittany and her babies, Willie, and of course to you and Jim.
trisha says
Thanks Lenore, but we’ve been working on this injury with rehab, western, chinese & homeopathic medicine, along with PT now for over 3 years. I finally am going to bite the bullet!
And thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to write your wishes. I’m wrapping myself in all the good energy.
Liz M. says
So very sorry for your loss. Sending healing thoughts to you, Jim, Will, Brittany and her babies.
em says
My deepest condolences to you and Jim for your loss, and best wishes for Willie and Brittany and the lambs.
Rose T. says
Trish, so sorry to hear of Barbara’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Jim.
Rose
Robin Layton says
I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you’ve had a full plate on top of the grief. Here’s wishing good health and better times.
My dog Mitzi had strained her shoulder very badly, creating too much sideways range of motion and needed to wear hobbles as well as do physical therapy. We used the Dogg Leggs too. She wore the hobbles for about two months and we did a lot of exercises at home with check-ins at the vet’s office with our canine PT. Mitzi got out of the straps a couple of times. The hardest part of course is keeping an active BCx dog happy when they can’t run or fetch ball. I just remembered another hard part i had forgotten! The velcro on the straps is a pain to keep clean. Out here we have a lot of nasty sticker weeds as it is mostly a dry climate and the Dogg Leggs and straps were like magnets for the sticker weeds. The good news is Mitzi had a good recovery. If you can go to a place with the big therapy pool then water exercises are good for exercise during recovery. I used our irrigation canal for Mitzi’s water exercises.
Robin
Beckmann says
My condolences to you and your family.
Sandy says
My Aussie girl had shoulder surgery in 2007 to repair the equivalent to a rotator cuff tear. She wore hobbles for 13 weeks and did just fine with them.
Debra says
Hi Trisha,
Hope and I send our best wishes to you. You are in my thoughts and I am so sorry for your and Jim’s loss.
Debra
Heidi N says
Sunset at the farm, indeed. May you feel at peace.
Ellen Pepin says
Trish & Jim,
I am so sorry to hear about Jim’s sister. I know just how tough it is to lose a loved one to this awful disease. Many of my friends and relatives have gone because of cancer. I wish you and the rest of your family the best, and Willi, too. Time will help somewhat.
Ellen
Bonnie H. says
Saw this video and thought of you! Has totally nothing to do with the current subject… but then again, it should bring a smile to your face so maybe it does!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8DiOthAKek&feature=player_embedded
I really like how the dog keeps trying to engage the ‘man’ on the bench. It’s like the dog’s way of speaking s-l-o-w-l-y and clearly to someone who just doesn’t understand…! 🙂
Academic2 says
It is so hard to lose friends and family. I am hopeful you and yours have a peaceful time with it.
Gin says
So sorry for your loss.
mungobrick says
I’m sorry for your loss – may your memories of happy times together with Barbara comfort you and Jim.
Best wishes to Willy and Brittney – hopefully it’s just a spring thing…
liz says
My condolences to all.
May you keep each other in heart and spirit.
Janice says
I am sorry for your loss. I have lost two friends this last year to cancer, both in their early 50s and both incredible, energetic, effervescent personalities that it was almost unbelievable to have the rug yanked out from beneath them like that. It sounds like Barbara, aka Xena the warrior, was like them, and her loss similarly hard to fathom. I wish you all healing.
heather siessel says
I am so sorry to hear about your loss — you and your family are in our thoughts.
Lynn says
My deepest sympathies to you and Jim!
Hope Brittany manages to pull through. Tough timing on this, but I know she’s in the best of hands.
On Willie: my Border collie went through similar symptoms – intermittent diarrhea, sometimes bloody, sometimes mucousy. All the tests (including a rectal biopsy) came back negative. Metronidazole made him vomit profusely. I finally put him on a five-day course of Panacur, with a repeat after a couple of weeks. (The vet suggested I wait until after the worst of the diarrhea had abated, so as not to stress his system). That did the trick, and I’m convinced it was Giardia and that the tests were just producing false negatives. Best of luck to Willie; I’m sure you don’t need this with surgery imminent!
DebC says
Deepest sympathy to you and Jim.
It seems you have had a very long week!
Sorry to hear about Brittany, but sounds like it was for the best.
Good luck with her lambs –
Sending healing thoughts to all!
mg says
I had a senior dog who had constant diarrhea for several months, even after discovering and eliminating worms. We tested for EVERYTHING and tried EVERYTHING! Finally, as a last ditch effort, we tried accupuncture. To my absolute amazement, he was much improved after the 1st treatment! I think we only had a total of 4 or 5 treatments. I was not a believer in accupuncture before then, but dogs are not subject to the “placebo effect”, and there was no arguing with the results in my yard!
Rusty says
Boy, when it rains it pours. Sorry to hear of your difficulties. 🙁
Donna Brown says
I’m so sorry, Trish, for what you are going through…better times are ahead! Hello from Donna and Wolfhounds in NC!
German Shepherd Dog says
Not that particular hobble, but from body leash to dog wheelchair and everything between 🙁
What breed is Willie?