Dog portrait

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg

On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.

On 1/15/09 11:53 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.
You know, the more I look at that picture, I am beginning to think it isn't
that unusual if it is a cervical (neck) disc, where they do go in ventrally.
At first I thought it was a thoracic entry, but the loose skin deceived me.

Even though there is no picture as in the original post and this isn't a
binary group, I thought you might like this:


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++

The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord.

He's huge - part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at
200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because
he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to
duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he
did. Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in
Iraq . His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents.
Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the
signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me'. The Iraqis paid no
attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of
one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped
against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old
warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all
escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor. If he knows you're ok,
he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats.

K-9 Congressional Medal of Honor Winner

Remember that they can't do a lot of things for themselves and that they
depend on you to make their life a quality life!

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS.........

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely
to be painful.


2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.


3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.


4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You
have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.


5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your
voice when speaking to me.


6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.


7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you,
and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if
something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I
have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you
can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for
me if you are there, because I love you so.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:53:39 -0500, Cynicor
wrote:

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.

I'm no doctor (or vet) but if you know how the spine is arranged, the
discs are on the "inside" of the spine, that is, facing toward the
front. The spinal cord is behind that and then the boney protrusions
protecting the cord. So maybe it's easier to get to the discs from
the front (moving everything out of the way) then going from the back,
having to go around the spine and risk damaging the spinal cord.

Steve

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:27:15 GMT, TheRealSteve wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:53:39 -0500, Cynicor
wrote:

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.

I'm no doctor (or vet) but if you know how the spine is arranged, the
discs are on the "inside" of the spine, that is, facing toward the
front. The spinal cord is behind that and then the boney protrusions
protecting the cord. So maybe it's easier to get to the discs from
the front (moving everything out of the way) then going from the back,
having to go around the spine and risk damaging the spinal cord.

Steve

My laminectomy, 5th lumbar, was performed from the back,
in the 1970s, has been great ever since.

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:08:02 -0800, Irwell wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:27:15 GMT, TheRealSteve wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:53:39 -0500, Cynicor
wrote:

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.

I'm no doctor (or vet) but if you know how the spine is arranged, the
discs are on the "inside" of the spine, that is, facing toward the
front. The spinal cord is behind that and then the boney protrusions
protecting the cord. So maybe it's easier to get to the discs from
the front (moving everything out of the way) then going from the back,
having to go around the spine and risk damaging the spinal cord.

Steve

My laminectomy, 5th lumbar, was performed from the back,
in the 1970s, has been great ever since.

Ouch. But down there, there's more in the way. Same with thoracic,
you wouldn't want to crack open a chest just to get to the back. But
looks like that was in the cervical area. There, you just have what's
in the neck. Easier to get around that.

Steve

On 1/15/09 10:08 PM, in article ,
"Irwell" wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:27:15 GMT, TheRealSteve wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:53:39 -0500, Cynicor
wrote:

George Kerby wrote:


On 1/15/09 7:28 AM, in article , "Cynicor"
wrote:

My poor dog got a ruptured disk and couldn't move without pain. We got
him operated on, and he's feeling almost completely better now. Shortly
after the surgery I took a portrait of him that's, well, sort of stark.
He's got a temporary chest zipper. (This isn't a Rita troll, and he's
actually fairly happy in the photo.)

http://trupin.smugmug.com/photos/448673981_3yz2Z-X2.jpg
They cracked the chest to fix a ruptured spinal disc?!?

Now THAT is a new procedure!

I don't understand it either. We're getting his staples taken out
tomorrow and I'll ask more.

I'm no doctor (or vet) but if you know how the spine is arranged, the
discs are on the "inside" of the spine, that is, facing toward the
front. The spinal cord is behind that and then the boney protrusions
protecting the cord. So maybe it's easier to get to the discs from
the front (moving everything out of the way) then going from the back,
having to go around the spine and risk damaging the spinal cord.

Steve

My laminectomy, 5th lumbar, was performed from the back,
in the 1970s, has been great ever since.
When I was a younger man, I was a vet tech. Dachshunds are notorious for
back problems and I would assist in surgery and with thoracic and mostly
lumbar, we always went in dorsally (back). There was always a long recovery
period because of the various muscles involved, but, at that time, it was
the accepted procedure.

On 1/15/09 10:51 PM, in article
, "BigDog1"
wrote:

On Jan 15, 5:59*pm, George Kerby wrote:

[snip}
Even though there is no picture as in the original post and this isn't a
binary group, I thought you might like this:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++

The K9 above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord.

He's huge - part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at
200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because
he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to
duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he
did. Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in
Iraq . His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents.
Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the
signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me'. The Iraqis paid no
attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of
one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped
against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old
warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all
escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor. If he knows you're ok,
he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats.

K-9 Congressional Medal of Honor Winner

[snip]

Compelling, but totally fabricated story. It's been circulating on
the internet for many months.

The truth, including the identity and real history of the dog can be
found at:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/brutus.asp
Damn! And I usually run stuff through Snopes. I got suckered. But the Ten
Commandments are still true as far as I'm concerned...