Dear So and So

[tulip]

I took Shiloh to the vet today for shots and heartworm preventative and a general checkup. He was not happy to be there! The vet confirmed that he's most likely Border Collie and Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler). He's healthy, but he has a funky hip. The fosterer told me that he has a broken leg when she found him at a shelter as a 6 or 7 month old pup. The vet today wanted to know more about the hip, so I asked the fosterer. Interesting story.

Just after he left the shelter, he had a FHO--a Femoral Head Ostectomy. That is, they removed the ball of the ball-and-socket joint of his pelvis. The vet who did the surgery several years ago said that he had been living with this broken pelvis for a few months when he was brought into the shelter.

I have to keep him lean and trim, and can't do anything that might hurt his hip, like flyball or crazy frisbee flips. He can, and likes, to do agility, but I have to keep the heights very low. He loves to swim, and that's good for him. He doesn't limp, but he does sit funny, as is apparent in that photo of me and him in the Meet Shiloh thread.

I guess this should be in the Pets thread or the Thread Drift, but with Russo's tail tale, it just seemed like the right place.

Dear Shiloh's rescuer--thank you for taking such good care of my future pup when you found him!