Our Second Bernese and Another Hard Lesson.
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Husheen Baccarat “Hannah Too” 15/08/87 to 08/12/90 |
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We researched widely before deciding to ask
a breeder for one of her pups and were delighted when she
invited us to look at her latest litter. She offered us a
wee bitch and we brought Hannah Too home just before the Big
Storm in October 1987.
Her temperament was excellent, her appetite
normal and she settled in well.
We were therefore shocked in January 1988
when she went lame on her left front leg – the vet found a
swollen wrist joint and prescribed gentle exercise and a tub of
bonemeal (!)
By the end of March, Hannah Too was still
lame, by now both front legs were affected and she was x-rayed to
see if the vet could determine the cause. There was
apparently no sign of OCD in the shoulder joints (I don’t
know if they checked the elbow); her hips were also given the all
clear.
According to my old vet bills, she was still
on pain killers two years later; in fact she was x-rayed again in
March 1990, this time to check her left shoulder, both elbows and
hips. Signs of joint damage were present and she was put on
permanent pain relief.
In October 1990, she became extremely lame
and was in pain that was difficult to control. She was referred
to University of Glasgow Veterinary Hospital where they started
on tests and x-rays to see if her OCD could be operated on.
At the end of November, she started to
rapidly lose muscle mass on her left shoulder and the pain was
uncontrollable. My vet rang Dr Andrew Millar who was
in charge of her case; he would not believe that the pain was so
bad, he said she must be panting and crying because she was hot…
However he agreed to see her as a matter of urgency.
I took her back to Glasgow on December 3rd, they sedated her while various tests were carried out, but they couldn’t control the pain, so she was euthanased on 8th December 1990 and Post Mortem showed she was suffering from Malignant Histiocytosis – the first case Andrew Millar had seen.
(Tale not yet finished)