test blog #10

For any of you who are following the Tala saga in detail, I now have a clearer picture of the diagnosis. (I certainly don't expect the majority of wmtc readers to follow this closely, but since some friends are, it's easier to post it here.) Tala does not have canine degenerative disc disease. She has a more specific condition - also chronic, progressive, and degenerative - called cauda equina syndrome , or lumbrosacral disease . German Shepherds are prone to this. Although Tala's personality and her size run much more to her Husky side, she clearly has strong Shepherd genetics, too. Apparently her disinclination to climb stairs was a huge clue. Our regular vets agree that our conservative approach is wise, at least for now. There are several different types of drugs we can try, which can be used in combination, with a possibly positive synergistic effect. The folks at OVC in Guelph are incredibly skilled, caring, and thorough, and it's a state of the art facility. But ...

I recently read a few unrelated items that dealt with racism, equality and civil rights in the US, which raised some thoughts I want to share. This time I'm purposely burying the lede, putting the easy stuff up front. In this essay and review , author and filmmaker Nelson George reviews "The Help," the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's popular novel about a white woman from the US South and her two African American maids. I vowed long ago never to see another Hollywood movie putting a heroic, uplifting gloss on American racism, and I will have no trouble skipping this one. But George uses the release of "The Help" to look at how the civil rights movement has been portrayed in film. In comments on an earlier movie-related post , we discussed the Hollywood trend of depicting white people as the agents of African American emancipation, allowing white audiences to feel good about themselves and their country's history. George writes: To protect viewers, ...

Brian McFadden , New York Times , August 6, 2011. Click to enlarge.

Privatization frenzy threatens and destroys our quality of life in so many ways. Health care, public transit, libraries, sanitation, day care, recreation, parks - these are services that should always be managed publicly. These services are the backbones of our quality of life, whether that life be urban, suburban, exurban, or rural. They do not generate profit, nor should they. This is why we pay taxes. This is why we should pay taxes, and why corporations must pay their fair share. Dismantling and privatizing public services hurts all of us. But for some creatures, it is a literal death sentence. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will try to privatize Toronto Animal Services. We must do everything we can to prevent that from happening. It’s “cheaper to euthanize an animal than keep it in an animal shelter or find it a home.” And that’s why no municipality should consider contracting out shelters to for-profit companies, says Nicholas Gilman, Montreal SPCA executive director. “I hope that peo...

Riots are the voice of the unheard. Martin Luther King, Jr. A comrade and friend posted this on Facebook: I just watched BBC coverage of [Edward] Miliband, leader of the British Labour Party, blaming the social unrest in England on "poor parenting" and a breakdown in family values. He said he stood shoulder to shoulder with Tory Prime Minister David Cameron--the man who is laying waste to the remnants of the social safety net in the UK--in his quest to hunt down and punish the so-called "perpetrators". I am well and truly sickened. Miliband says the UK hasn't done enough "to tackle inequality and not paid enough attention to morality". He gives lip service to equality, but his emphasis on so-called morality is a giveaway: Miliband claims the culprit is the "me first culture". He's right, if by "me first," he means the banking industry first, the stock traders first, multinational corporations first, stock markets first, and eve...

I hate being away from wmtc for so long! Between Tala and my mom's visit, it's been quite the week. Yesterday we went back to the OVC in Guelph for a consult with a neurologist. He feels the most likely diagnosis is degenerative disc disease , which secondarily is causing compression on spinal nerves. This confirms the earlier diagnosis from the orthopedist, and adds information. The specialists always caution that a completely accurate diagnosis is impossible without an MRI, but this is where everything is pointing. They did some x-rays and it turns out there is already some deterioration in Tala's spine. The condition has been building silently, likely for years. (I believe a wmtc reader, also a member of the JoS community, has a dog with the same condition.) We haven't made any decisions yet about surgery. If the risks were lower and the results higher, we wouldn't let the $6,000 (!) price tag stop us. After all, what are retirement savings for? But the surgery...

This week is the annual Mom Visit, which I greatly look forward to. I have a special surprise planned, but just in case my mom is peeking in, it will remain a surprise. Tala's rehab did not go as well as we had hoped. She seemed to be doing well on total exercise restriction, so we stepped up her exercise the tiniest bit and stepped down her pain meds. But with only five minutes on-leash walking, three times a day, the pain and lameness returned. So today we went back to the OVC in Guelph for another consult with orthopedists. They also suggested a consult with the neurology department, so we'll be there yet again later this week, with my mom. It looks like we have two options, medical and surgical. The medical option is a full month of total exercise restriction, anti-inflammatory meds and a medication that targets nerve pain, after which we try again to gradually increase her exercise and decrease her meds. The surgical option is intense. First, an MRI, then surgery to decom...