luvmycash Posted October 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I don't blame the breeder. She initially didn't even offer her. When I asked she said that she was the runt and thought I would prefer one of the other two. I remembered how many she said there were and she sent one less picture. We raise and train hunting labs, and I've seen plenty of runts grow up to be the biggest. The last time they bred this pair there was a runt. It's turned out fine. She showed me pictures of it. She's apologized profusely for giving me a "problem dog" and like I said, has already offered a replacement. Cricket DID look like a normal, albeit small, puppy. She's never given me the brush off and is always courteous. She is passionate about her dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Not to mention it's kind of par for the course. My house has always been home to odd animals lol. Three legged dogs, crippled dogs,one eyed cats, paralyzed cats, quirky horses... My dane mix hides under the bed whenever the furnace kicks on. I have a lab that spent his first 10 months in a wheelchair. I'm fostering two semi-feral cats (I'm convinced the one is evil). My mare I refer to as 1% evil, 99% hot gas... You get the idea lol. My mom always said that if it's warped in any way, it must be mine. Cricket fits right in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 She is indeed a severely cute puppy. If she's healthy that is all that matters. But don't put her into the movies (not that you were planning to, of course), because then everyone would want a dwarf border collie and people would start breeding them on purpose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I am glad to hear that the breeder is communicating with you. However, it sounds like this person knew something was when the pup was sold to you. I still find that upsetting as both a breeder and a veterinarian. So many puppy buyers come in with pups with obvious defects that were never pointed out by the breeder. One woman was so proud to have a show prospect. I had to point out that one of the pup's eyes was half the size of the other so he would never place in the breed ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Liz, The OP said that both the breeder's vet and her vet cleared the health of the puppy around the time of purchase. This really doesn't sound like a case of a breeder trying to put one over on the buyer. Â J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 She may be little, but she knows what her job will be! Excuse the blurriness, it was getting dark. I saw her watching them from her playpen, so I let her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 So... went to the vet and got some xrays. She believes there is a problem with the growth plates in the front legs. The growth plates in one bone (radius or ulna, I don't remember which) look normal, but the others do not. She wants the radiologist at the specialty hospital to take a look to make a determination for sure and a course of action. She also has a luxating patella in her left rear leg. She also suggested dwarfism, but stayed just shy of making a diagnosis, saying she was not a radiologist.Luckily I keep alcohol in the house for days like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aschlemm Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Does she think the problem in the growth plates in the front legs is from damage or a genetic problem? Or doesn't she know? There is a form of dwarfism (pituitary, I think) that is correctable if caught early and treated. I wonder how that is diagnosed. That wouldn't be too bad as it is treatable. That's weird about the luxating patella. That's usually a "little dog" problem. Does that go along with dwarfism? Maybe the radiologist will have more answers for you. Regardless, she is pain free, happy and very cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Border Collies can have luxating patellas. Any breed can. It can be caused by several different factors. In larger dogs it generally has to do with structure (incorrect angles in the legs). Â Just out of curiosity, do you have photos of your pup at 8 weeks old? Any younger photos (like 4 weeks old)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 She wouldn't give me a straight answer other than the one growth plate in each front leg "doesn't look right." I had a rescued pit bull that had a luxating patella, though much worse, and they said you most often see it in small breeds. She did say she suspects dwarfism, but didn't go in depth about it and gave me the specialty hospital's number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 I hope she doesn't have any problems that will cause her pain, because she is indeed the CUTEST dog in the world, and needs to have a long, happy, pain-free life. Â Honestly. Â I love my new (probably-not-a-border-collie) dog Cricket. She's adorable. And charming. So full of life and fun. But I see photos of border collies and think, "They are simply the most beautiful." And your Cricket - so, so, so, so, SO cute!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Well that didn't go well. The specialist confirmed what my vet thought she saw. The one growth plate in each front leg is closing/close while the other is still open and growing. So she has one bone growing and one not. It's causing the bowing and the elbow pain. It's only going to get worse. Even with surgery she'll probably have some arthritis in her elbows, but that could be managed. Time is of the essence. The sooner we get it fixed the better off she'll be. They want to do two surgeries. One to cut and pin the bone to allow it to sit in a normal position while it grows. Then a second in the lower part of her front legs to curb the twisting in her feet.The cost of this? $6000. PER LEG. That's a grand total of $12,000Her prognosis is poor without the surgery. I just don't have that kind of money. Neither does the breeder. I spoke to Glen HIghland Farm to get some ideas from them. Several people suggested crowdfunding. I'm skeptical, but being part of a group that pulls kill pen horses, I know that the $1 and $5 donations really save lives. So I started one. If 12,000 people donated $1 we'd be golden. Or if 6,000 people donated $2... you get the gist. I'm at a loss of what else to do. I don't want to have to put her down! I really don't care that she can't work. I'm tired of losing good dogs.If anyone can share this and get it circulation, I'd be forever grateful. No one expects to get new like this. I have a Care Credit card, but it's nowhere touching that amount and I still have a few charges lingering on it. I don't know what else to do.https://www.youcaring.com/cricket-4-month-old-border-collie-450454 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 What about a University Vet School? I know the one here in Missouri does things for a lot less. Â That's awful. I don't know anyone that could afford something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Yea, I'll be working with the phone glued to my ear today. Not giving up yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 I used to have a list of organizations that helped with things like this. I will dig around and see if I can find it. I'm so sorry for the prognosis and cost of surgery. I hope you can work things out to save her. Â J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Here's a site that has a list: http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/6603-resources-to-turn-to-if-you-are-having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care-for-your-dog#opMK0Fcoilqvh6hG.01 Â I wish you all the best in this heartbreaking, frustrating situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you for the links. I'll look into them. I made an appointment for Friday with a local orthopedic surgeon. I trust him and I want his opinion. If he thinks he can tackle a problem like this, I'd let him do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Thank you for the links. I'll look into them. I made an appointment for Friday with a local orthopedic surgeon. I trust him and I want his opinion. If he thinks he can tackle a problem like this, I'd let him do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aschlemm Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Good luck with the local orthopedic surgeon. Let us know how things go!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 So sorry to hear this news........hoping that you can find a way to fund the surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvmycash Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Had an interesting visit with our local ortho vet! He spent quite a bit of time going over Cricket and her xrays with me. He didn't say so, but didn't seem too impressed with the specialist's findings. He said the problem is that he couldn't conclusively say that her growth plates WERE closed. Abnormal, yes, but very typical of dwarfism. He said she'll have arthritis in her elbows no matter what we do. He said sometimes we get so concerned about making the picture pretty that we overlook what's best for the dog. She has a lot of issues and this surgery would be expensive, invasive, and not terribly beneficial if her growth plates aren't closed. He said her xrays look like every bassett and corgi's that he has seen. She does have luxating patellas in both back legs that may or may not get worse as she ages. He wants to take xrays of her pelvis and back legs soon. For now, he's sending her xrays off to a very good ortho surgeon that he greatly respects for another opinion. He showed me what he saw, but also what he didn't see that would steer him away from this surgery as necessary. (Why I love him!) I'll find out more next week. I'm greatly relieved for the time being. I was hoping for slightly less-bad bad news and I got it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 That sounds a bit more positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 Great. So much more positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 I hope this guy's right . . . and good that he's looking for another opinion. Â Keeping fingers and paws crossed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted October 17, 2015 Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 I hope he's right, too! No terrible, invasive surgery sounds way better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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