Frankendog is set up to chronicle my dog's progress after surgery for a malformation of the optical bone in the back of his head (optical bone dysplasia). This kind of malformation usually leads to syringomyelia, which Dante doesn't have (no syrinx — more on this later.)
The reason I thought to blog about it is because nearly 50% of Cavelier dogs have it and when I accidentally signed up for a Yahoo group for humans who have this problem, I became acutely aware of how devastating this problem is and how painful it is.
In Dante's case, looking back on his medical history, I realize that he has exhibited symptoms from day one. I'm lucky this hasn't progressed (it is a progressive condition) to SM.
Going through this I realize that there is treatment for these dogs beyond pain killers that may cure them, at least for a while, and give them a good life. It's not inordinately expensive compared to a life on drugs to alleviate the pain and more should be known about it.
There is a great Yahoo group that provided a great education about the condition. All of this I will provide in link form as I develop this blog. There are very talented vets out there who can help these dogs. I will talk about that also as I develop the blog.
So, what about the handle? It's because my dog looks like Frankenstein right now, minus the bolts on the side of the head.
I will upload his MRI shots and pictures of this great dog from puppyhood to his current condition.
I'm not sure this will be useful to anyone besides me, but WordPress is free and it's easier than creating a journal for all of this on my hard drive!
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Comment by Mr WordPress — May 19, 2006 @ 10:56 pm