The Story of BB the Great Dane

 BB, 23 wks

Young master BB had his check up at the University of Missouri yesterday and it’s all good news for him. X-rays show the bones are fully healed, and there is no more deformity from the 1 ½ inches he’s grown in the past month! That is a miracle… Structurally, BB’s leg is sound, so it’s out of the pen and back to running about like a goofy puppy.

Come to find out, our little Beebster is an international celebrity: Dr. Fox presented his case at a Veterinary conference for angular limb deformities last week in Italy. No one thought his leg could be fixed, and were astounded that BB is now walking and bearing weight on his repaired leg. The little boy made a splash, that’s for sure. I’m just glad we didn’t have to take him for show and tell! That’s a really long flight…

Dr. Fox is over the moon about his progress and the lack of more bone changes as he’s grown. We told him, of course, about not following his directions for BB’s physical therapy, and he just didn’t care at all, since we’ve found what works. Treating BB like a stroke patient has really paid off: 1) moving the hind legs separately while he’s laying down, 2) making him push with the repaired leg to get up, 3) the “touch footie” game, 4) the frequent walks, and the 5) Tellington Touch are rebuilding the neural connections in his brain.

The rolling over of the foot as he walks is nerve damage from the surgery, but according to Dr. Fox, since BB is young and still growing, the nerves in the foot will repair or even replace themselves and be good as new soon. We’ve also been concerned about the state of his other hind leg, since he splays it out very badly to hold all that weight in the back. Doc says the sooner he uses his repaired leg normally, the sooner the old leg will be used normally as well.

With his bones fully healed, BB gets a clean bill to run and play. So it’s lots of exercise time for our stinker boy, now up to 60 pounds. If you walk BB fast, and he gets in a hurry, he will use his hind legs independently for a short time. And if you really aggravate him while he’s laying down, he forgets himself and tries shoving you away with all FOUR feet. I think we will try supporting him under the belly and lifting up his good leg to make the repaired leg hold his weight while standing. Talk about the unroyal treatment!

And next is lighting a fire under the pool guy’s shorts!! Can you faithful prayer folks pray we get a break from the rain and storms? Not a drought, please, but enough dry weather to get that darn pool done. At this rate, it’ll be July sometime before it’s ready to use. Swimming is the absolute best exercise for BB’s physical therapy: puppy paddles will be a new experience, and he never learned how to three leg paddle. So he’ll naturally use all four legs.

I’m thinking if Mom gets the little sweet brat enough exercise, and builds his stamina up, he could go to puppy obedience class soon. He really could use the socialization to mitigate his timidity, and Mom could use the instruction on how to work with him too. BB’s a lot higher energy and excitement than she’s ever had in a pup before, a lot more reactive, and it’s good for her! Hard, but good for forcing her out of the helpless old lady persona she’s trying to live in. Maybe the excellent veterinary report will inspire Mom to get him moving, and herself in the process.

What a boy… he’s sweet, he’s fun, he’s spoiled rotten enough to try bossing around his much bigger littermate…All in all, BB is a brat! But we love him by the bucketful, and with a little training he’ll settle down behaviorally. I still see that image of him running through the field with all the power and grace that Great Danes possess! He’ll get there.