Katie With Frisbee : 4 Aug 2011

I need an OT category. :-)

About 10 days ago, Katie exhibited signs of lameness, pain and possible dysentery, but we fairly quickly worked out that the problem wasn’t intestinal. It was her back.

I just got the results of the radiologist report. She has a narrowing of the spine at the lumbosacral junction. It’s not “definitive” but there appears to be some spondylosis as well.

She is responding to anti-inflammatories (vetprofen) and pain meds (tramadol). We started that routine on Monday. We’ve slowly decreased the pain meds, and today she ran up the stairs even though this morning she was not able to jump up into bed. (Yes, I know I need to discourage exertion – she took me by surprise.)

We knew she had started feeling better yesterday (Wednesday) because she was chasing her tail. Mike and I didn’t realize how long it had been since she’d done that… until she did and and we started laughing. Also, I pointed out that over the summer she had stopped running downstairs to greet him when he came home from work; now we wonder if that wasn’t an early sign of discomfort.

Learning about this disease:

Lumbrosacral stenosis goes by many names, including cauda equina syndrome (emphasis added).

Cauda equina syndrome (degenerative lumbosacral stenosis) is caused by compression of the nerve roots (cauda equina) coursing through the lumbosacral spinal canal in the lower back. Nerve root entrapment and pressure can result from an arthritic process, infection, a degenerative disc rupture, or tumors. Most dogs affected by lumbosacral degeneration are middle aged or older large, athletic breeds…

The prognosis depends on the severity and chronicity of clinical signs before surgery. Dogs with pain, reluctance to jump, or tenderness upon getting up as their only symptoms will usually improve rapidly and dramatically. Some patients may have an occasional, transient, painful episode. Dogs with chronic neurologic dysfunction will take much longer to improve, and they may never return to completely normal function. However, at the very least they will return to a pain free lifestyle.

For what it’s worth, Katie’s tail is set “low” relative to the breed standard.

Here’s a bit more, from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine:

Bony bridging underneath the vertebrae, called spondylosis, is a common aging change not indicative of lumbosacral disease. Since compression of the nerve roots cannot be visualized on x-rays, advanced imaging with a CT or MRI must be performed to truly diagnose this condition…

Either a steroid or a non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication may be prescribed in order to decrease the swelling of the nerve roots. Additionally, a muscle relaxant or pain reliever may be used. The most important aspect of conservative treatment includes exercise restriction. Although the anti-inflammatory medication will help to relieve pain, exercise restriction is necessary to alleviate the clinical signs.

Affected breeds:

Short-legged and long-backed breeds, commonly known as chondrodystrophoid breeds, are at higher risk for IVD (intervertebral disk disease) … Examples of disproportionate chondrodystrophoid breeds include Dachshund, Basset Hound, Bulldog, Pug, Beagle, Pekingese, Lhasa Apso, Welsh Corgi, Scottish Terrier, Cairn Terrier and Munchkin cats. [But Cairn's are not listed in this PDF of hereditary diseases.]

Other resources:

• Canine Intervertebral Disk Disease
• Cauda Equina Syndrome
• Cauda Equina Syndrome (pdf)
• Degenerative lumbosacral stenosis in dogs
• Lumbosacral Syndrome

The Avon Gripsters have lots of tread, so no need to replace the rubber. We just needed to pull the rear tire so we can take it in to get the tube changed. I’d never done this before. On any bike!

How to remove the rear tire on an 1990 Honda Transalp

(1) Put the bike on a stand

(2) Mark the position of the chain adjuster so you can return the axel to its original position. (Tip from Tom Dietrich, Harley mechanic extraordinaire!)

(3) Loosen the chain adjuster (12mm), brake adjusting rod (wingnut) and brake rod (11mm).

(4) Remove the motorcycle axel nut. Tap the axel lightly with a rubber mallet if the axle doesn’t move easily.

(5) Once the axel sticks out the left side, brace the tire with your foot and then pull/wiggle the axel the rest of the way. With the axel removed, the wheel will “sink” to the ground, held in place by brake and chain.

(6) Slide/push the wheel forward to remove the chain and brake. I removed the chain first (rotate it to the left, it can rest on the swing arm), then the brake slid out easily.

(7) Remove the wheel. Be sure to catch any spacers that fall out.

More on removing rear tires at:

• DansMC
• DoItYourself

To put the wheel back on:

We wanted more, and discovered Kavanah Q.C., where Thaw plays barrister James Kavanagh. As with most BBC drama, each episode is punctuated with stories from Thaw’s life (wife and two children, who become adults during the course of the series) as well as the lives of his fellow barristers (particularly Jeremy).

Organizing our viewing of “Inspector Morse” was straightforward because each disk was numbered. Not the case for Kavanagh Q.C. (1995-2001), where John Thaw plays a barrister. For anyone else who wants to watch these in order on Netflix, here’s the mapping. Note that two sets are not available on Netflix.

Review episode synopses on IMDB.

If you like John Thaw, you might also like the BBC series A Year in Provence, although it was not a well-received as Morse and Kavanagh.

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• 1992 F150 Heater Core Replacement – step-by-step
• 1997 F150 Heater Core Replacement (pdf) – via this Forum link – amazingly detailed (20 pages with diagrams and pix)
• AllDataDIY.com – we have a subscription

“Vintage” motorcycles on display include:

• 1903 Harley Davidson
• 1913 Californian
• 1922 Ner-A-Car
• 1948 Indian (from the Daytona 200)
• 1959 Cushman Eagle
• 1970 Jawa Speedway
• 1979 Honda CBX
• 2000 Custom Harley Chopper
• 2008 MV Agusta

Celebrity motorcycles include those ridden by Steve McQueen, Joe Jonas, Dan Gurney and Keith Carradine.

Movie motorcycles include:

• The 1920 Indian Scout ridden by Anthony Hopkins from “The World’s Fastest Indian”
• Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1991 Indian from “The Terminator”
• Space Bike ridden by Adam Sandler in “Bedtime Stories”
• Motorized bicycle ridden by Will Smith and Kevin Kline in “Wild, Wild West”
• The Batgirl and Robin motorcycles ridden by Alicia Silverstone and Chris O’Donnell in “Batman and Robin”
• Motorcycle ridden by Chris Pine as Captain Kirk in “Star Trek”

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