Run Free Bracken, see you at the rainbow bridge 💖

Heartbroken is an understatement, I had to sadly let Bracken go yesterday 💔

As you all know, well those that have followed my blog, I started this back in 2007 after Bracken had her accident with a car. The aim of the blog was to document her treatment for radial nerve damage. Bracken was treated for several months after the accident in an attempt to get her nerve regenerated and her leg working again. Unfortunately time ran out for us but I wanted to be sure I documented it so that anyone else that suffered a similar misfortune would find help within my blog and that I believe I achieved.

Bracken has continued as a tripod dog for 11 years following her accident. She did this with amazing courage and even managed to chase the odd rabbit or two on the way to old age.

Sadly yesterday I broke my heart and that of my wife's, Son's and daughters too when the unenviable decision had to be made to let Bracken go. I look upon this as the greatest act of kindness I have ever given, she was old, tired and beginning to fail.

Our lives and those of our closest family and friends have Bracken's paw prints on our hearts forever, she was the best K9 friend anyone could ever have asked for. 

She will be deeply missed in our family, but I know shes just there, waiting, and I look forward to the day she comes running. 

RIP my friend

Jeez, 4 years since I last posted on here, how time flies.....

Here she is, shes getting old now but she still loves her hikes in the country or to the seaside.

I'm not sure I will still have followers on here but for those of you that may be, Bracken is still doing fine as a "Tripod". It didn't stop her back in 2007 and doesn't stop her to this day. We did have a trip to the vet about 4 weeks ago for an MOT and she passed with flying colours. She was recommended some lubrication in the form of Loxicom, an anti inflammatory and pain relief, and since she began her regular daily dose, there is no stopping our Bracken....!
An amazing little dog who has brought no ends of love to our family which extended since the beginning of this blog with the arrival of my daughter Connie. Connie and Bracken have become the best of buddies and its has been amazing to watch the friendship grow, Connie calls Bracken her sister.......

It has been sometime now since my last post and I am not sure when the next will be, but I will leave you with a couple of photos taken around Bracken and her sisters 12th Birthday and when the two were mere pups...

 


I hope that this blog is still serving its purpose and that was to give some reference to "Radial Nerve" damage in dogs. When the accident happened in 2007, I couldn't find anything in the internet to help me come to terms with it nor give my ideas on what to do next. Granted I was not successful to get her leg operational again, but as you can see we tried as there was hope.
I/we wish everyone the very best and if you are in the position I was in back then, good luck and keep the hope.

Craig

Jaxson's Journey

Check out this little guy's story.
His owner found my blog and is now treating Jax in the same way I did Bracken.
My blog has also inspired her to record the events for future reference, please feel free to give your support as you did with myself and Bracken during our plight, click the link below.

http://jaxsonman.wordpress.com/

Hi Everyone!

I really am getting lazy now when it comes to posting updates, can't believe it's nearly 2 years since! but then again there's not really much to update. Bracken is still doing well on her 3 legs. Yes, she still has the 4th, tucked up under her stomach out of the way. We still take her to ARC for hydrotherapy, however not as regular and often as we were, again laziness! She's getting old and slowing down, but hey aren't we all LOL!
AS for our family, we've had a new addition to the family! Yes, I now have a daughter, Connie, whom Bracken has taken well to. Connie's 9 weeks old now and arrived on the 31st Dec 2010. Bracken is loving it really as my wife goes walking daily for approx 4 to 5 miles a day out in the country and Bracken toddles up along with her. We reckon 3 legged bracken can still stick in a 10 mile daily treck!

So I guess that's all for me for now, take care everyone.

A Long Awaited Update

Hi All,

Just a short update to let you know bracken is doing well on her 3 legs. She still has her paralysed one, we still haven't removed and to be honest, she is happy as Larry with.

I will not go over and over old ground, we still take her to the hydrotherapy pool at ARC every other week and will do for as long as she is with us, It keeps her supple.

Below are a few recent pictures of her:

I hope that for all of you who follow this blog, all is well and that you are of good health, Slim, Jaida, Dillon, Sheena, Pat and Mark to name but a few.

Nearly Christmas Again!

Hello All,
Just thought I would take some time out to update the blog a little now that I never seem to have time. Bracken is doing great on her 3 legs. There's not stopping her at all, Lesley dad has now retired and is walking Bracken nearly every day for us and when I say Walking I mean Walking, a 3 hour hike seem nothing to him and Bracken is loving every minute of it. She hates it if I work from home as Lesley's Dad sees that as his day off and doesn't go for a walk with Bracken, Bracken then ignores me for the whole day and takes a strop. If I take her out for a walk, its never far enough for her.
We still take Bracken to Arthurshiels Rescue Centre every fortnight for her Hydrotherapy Treatment, She loves that and its good for her, quite often I hear Tom popping her good shoulder back into place, she's never in pain with it, but we feel she needs to go every fortnight and it keeps her supple and fit.
Nearly Christmas again, which means come February it will be 2 years since her accident, how time fly's. I am just glad she's still with us and she is as happy as can be.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year.

Craig.

More Than A year Since......

Saturday 6th Sep 2008

Oh my, does time fly!
Sorry folks, it's been a day and an age since I was last logged on here and actually has the time to sit and update my blog. As I said previously, my new job is taking me from one end of the UK to the other and finding the time to stop and take time to update the blog is getting harder every week, month.....

"Bracken" I hear you all say, Bracken is doing fine, she, sad to say, is still no further forward as to using her paralysed leg albeit confirmed that the feeling is back and that she can independently move it. Looks like she will never use the leg again, but, as you all now from the dilemma I previously had, she still has it, tucked up under her chest, just in case as I say!

We still take her swimming every 2 weeks, she needs the swim in the hydrotherapy pool to relax the stress being put on her good leg, She tends to keep popping her shoulder out which Tom at the pool relentlessly keeps popping back in for her.

I received an email this week from Betsy's mom, Hi Betsy's mom, I am so glad this blog has given you hope since Betsy's accident and is I suppose one of the main reasons I am sat her tonight updating it. It gives me great pleasure in writing this blog when I know it is reaching people in the same boat as I. Day by Day, this is ho0w it has been, the ups and the downs, sadly I as said earlier, it looks like Bracken will never regain the use of her leg, in the end the muscle wasted so bad in the shoulder etc. that it was going to be impossible to get it back.


Time is what is required, and god knows, had I had buckets of it, I would have worked on that leg every hour of every day, to keep the muscle from wasting away. It would have been worth it too knowing now that the nerves and feeling have regenerated, but, hey ho so the story goes.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position that myself and Bracken were in, please like myself, never give up, keep all hope, we were just unfortunate that the nerve regeneration took a long long time, and by the time it had, the muscle had gone.



"Radial Nerve Paralysis" Now we know what it is and I sure hope this blog can help anyway out there with advice and treatment suggetions.

I'll be back with more updates as and when I can, take care all and good luck to anyone unfortuante enough to have to take my advise!

Craig

Nearly a year Since.....

Thursday 7th Feb 2008 Wow,

I have 2 days off, a short break from work, and I suddenly realised the date. It’s almost a year since Brackens 'Bump' with our neighbour’s car. I didn't realise that so many people have been following our story, Thank you all for your kind emails and comment posts; I now know I have achieved what I set out to do and help others in the same predicament as us with advice and experiences.

I have been hanging off from posting our latest news, been hoping to try and getting some short video of it, but, Bracken can move her leg....! Yes, she can actually move her leg. I am however stemming my excitement as I am still not convinced she will begin to use it again fully.

Here's how it goes........

About 3 weeks ago I was sat on my couch watching TV relaxing after a hectic day, Bracken was lying on the floor in front of me, we had just been for a walk and she was tired and sound asleep. She started to dream as dogs do and was obviously running around in her dream chasing rabbits or pheasants.
All her legs and muscles were twitching back and forth and to my amazement, so was the paw of her paralysed leg. It lasted all of 30 seconds. I never at that point told anyone except Tom and Shona at ARC where we go for hydrotherapy.
I, like them was sceptic about it, there could be all sorts of reasons for it, muscle spasms etc......BUT. Just last Friday and for the first time ever, Bracken again was lying on the rug in front of me, Awake....! And was moving her paralysed paw back and forth quite freely and at her own will. I saw it, Lesley Saw it and my neighbour saw it.

It definitely was moving and it was no twitch, she was moving it. Were still keeping our excitement at bay though, I'm concerned, she may be able to move it a little, but I'm not sure she'll ever use it again. The muscle atrophy has been too great I fear and we will struggle to get it back to a condition that could sustain her weight.

The ligaments are all still in working order as you can see in my earlier posts where Tom got the leg movement back again. It’s just gone on too long, had she started to get slight movement 6 months ago, yes, she probably would have been able to get use of it again. There’s also the old Learnt behaviour, Bracken has learned to run, Walk and chase anything that moves on 3 legs and is happy with that. I think we would have trouble getting her to use the leg again.

Anyway, I do hope to get some video shots of the leg moving soon and will post it as soon as. I am still optimistic and ever hopeful that we may still see, well, what would be nothing short of a miracle and have Bracken back on all fours, but, my aim was, what may come, I hope this dairy has gone some way to helping others with the same problem or similar and can be used as a reference. I only wish I had been able to find similar information back in Feb 07, I know now if I had, I would have gave 1000% to keeping that muscle mass live.

Please remeber to read the comments left by others, there is also some real helpfull information contained in there comments.

Anyway, good luck to all, further posts too come soon, I promise.

Craig.

P.S. Good luck to Mark and Dillon in Colorado, Dillon is in the same boat as Bracken with radial nerve damage after a bump with a car. Also good luck to Susan and her 10 month old Lab, her pup had a bump just last Thursday and has nerve damage too. Please keep in touch and let me know how you get on.