Hello Friends of Moxie Muncharelli,

As you know, Moxie and I have been settling into our new digs out here in beautiful Longmont, Colorado with my pal, Jenna, and her Shiba Inu pup, Kokoro. We set out right away on new walks and a fun hike up Rabbit Mountain, one of the Rocky Mountain foothills nearby. There is also a big backyard here at the house with lots of squirrel action for Moxie and Kokoro.

About a week and a half after we got here, Ms. Moxie began limping significantly, not wanting to use her back left leg. I had noticed in the past six months that she had been having trouble getting up with that leg, but our vet did tests that showed no health problems, and suggested it might just be the beginnings of arthritis. Moxie didn't seem any different than her usual "Let's Go!" self, so I started her on joint meds for older dogs and looked forward to increased daily exercise to strengthen her legs once I quit my job and moved out west. 

Moxie's new vet, last week, diagnosed her with a torn CCL -- essentially a blown hind knee ligament. For her mix of breeds, the best option, if the dog is healthy, is a knee surgery called, TLPO, where they re-set the tibia bone against the femur and add a plate, so there is no more tibial slippage (the slippage is a result of the cranial cruciate ligament no longer doing its job).

The surgery and the attendant costs come to close to $4000 -- a figure that gives me pause for a number of reasons. But my beautiful Moxie, while a senior dog at 10 years old, is so happy and vibrant that it just breaks my heart to see her hobbling around with something that will only get worse if something is not done. Additionally, she is overcompensating with her other leg, which could cause additional problems. So I set out doing a lot of research on line and with vets and dog-wise friends to learn about the options.  Also, I took Mox to a specialist this week for a second opinion. I had X-rays and blood tests done to determine the extent of damage and her overall health.

In her usual way, she immediately won hearts at the clinic, with the staff remarking on her vitality and her "big smile."  The x-rays confirmed that her left hind CCL is almost fully torn, and since she has no apparent signs of heart disease, cancer, arthritis (amazingly), or other health issues at all, the surgical vet says she's a "really good candidate" for the surgery and recovery process. The recovery process is very measured and strict -- 8-12 weeks of restricted exercise while the scar tissue forms a solid response to the tibial plate. No guarantees, of course, but after the positive test results, and from his assessment of her and the other options he and I discussed, this vet feels confident in recommending this approach for Moxie.

In my way of collecting info, I then discussed the full options with Moxie's California and Ohio vets, who both opined that the TPLO surgery is an ideal choice for Moxie. It really helped me to hear confirmation from Moxie's life history vets; this pup's got quite a team :)

As luck would have it, I have the time to attend to Moxie's healing process, since my time here is about settling in, taking art classes, enjoying time with Jenna, and deciding what happens next in my life. Interestingly enough, Jenna went through this surgery some years ago with her family dog, so she's knowledgeable as well. Seems like "the stars are lined up," as my mother says.  And I feel grateful that I'm available to help Moxie; she has been such a wonderful part of my life for this past decade.


A long sweet moment with Mox...

I know Moxie is well-loved, so I want to let you know what's going on with her. Please send good wishes for her surgery and recovery. She'll be in surgery on Tuesday, May 8 and will be staying overnight at the clinic. Her first two weeks after that will be bed-rest only. The surgeon says she'll likely want to be up and on her leg far sooner than we can allow, so she'll be a bummed pup stuck in a crate wearing one of those cones until her 2-week suture check.

If you'd like to donate to her fund, any donations would be so helpful to me. I've set up a credit card only for Moxie's vet costs. Also, the animal clinic has set up an account that can receive donations for Moxie's medical costs. The clinic staff are available 24 hours and can take credit card donations over the phone to put into Moxie's account, anonymous or named -- see info below. Or, if preferred, donations to me directly will help me pay off the costs as well -- please call or email for my new address. If an electronic funds transfer seems best, you can safely send a "Personal Gift" via PayPal to my account by using the email: christina@cappellettidesigns.com.

So I feel it's all systems go.  Here's to "imagining that everything will work out perfectly," (thanks for the perspective, Eva!) and Moxie will be her happy, adventuresome self in a few short months, just in time for late summer, early fall hikes in Big Sky Country.

If you'd like to see how it's going, I'll be posting about her progress on this blog, so just keep checking in.

Thanks for the puppy love!
Christina & Moxie

"Moxie Cappelletti"
Aspen Meadow Veterinary Specialists
104 S. Main Street,  Longmont, CO 80501
(303) 678-8844
info@aspenmeadowvet.com