Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 -- Mattie died 548 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. As you can see, Mattie was playing with this police car using his left leg. His left leg was given the name... Curious George. Because this leg and foot acted like an arm and hand. It was the only limb that wasn't operated on and Mattie used it beautifully. 


Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed: 184,183
• number of people who died: 3,721

Sunny isn't improving, he continues to limp and won't put weight on his back right leg. So I called the vet this morning and got him a 1:30pm appointment. Mind you because of the coronavirus, NO pet parents are allowed in the building and we have no personal contact with the doctor. 

Peter and I went for a walk today through Georgetown. Typically a very vibrant part of town with shoppers and diners. 

This was what Georgetown looked like today! Basically NO cars and few to no pedestrians. 

There were even stores boarded up to prevent people from potentially breaking glass to steal items. This is a sight totally unheard of in Georgetown. 

Meanwhile, we learned today that Sunny has completely torn his ACL. Which explains his pain and his inability to use his back right leg. 

Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL, other wise known as the Cranial Cruciate Ligament or CCL when referring to pets is a vital support structure of the knee. This ligament’s primary role is to provide and maintain stability to the knee. 

The knee’s anatomy in the most simple of descriptions contains two cruciate ligaments that cross inside the knee joint and provide stability of the upper femur and lower tibia while cartilage cushions called medial and lateral menisci rest between the tibia and femur to create a soft barrier between the two bones. A support bone called the Fabellae flanks the tibia on the side while the knee cap or patella slides up and down the front of the knee during flexion and extension. The anterior cruciate ligament prevents the tibia from sliding forward out from under the femur.


Our vet doesn't perform this surgery. Sunny has to see an orthopedic specialist. Given the coronavirus, there is only one practice in our region still seeing dogs and supporting such emergency procedures. Sunny will be seeing the surgeon on Monday and having the surgery in the afternoon. This won't be easy for him and recovery will minimally be three months. 

After seeing the vet, we started the car! Guess what? It wouldn't start. The battery died. The ironic part is our car just went in for its inspection and checks not long ago. So I wouldn't expect the battery to die. Thankfully AAA came within 20 minutes, started our car, and we found a Ford dealership open who would replace our battery! That was the easiest fix of the day. I wish everything else we were dealing with had a tangible and quick solution. 

In the midst of a day of chaos, I cooked an eggplant parmesan tonight. This is a dish my grandmother used to make and I learned the technique from her. 

The tasty highlight of the day.