Saturday, October 1, 2022

Ian and George

It's a gorgeous, blue-sky kind of day to begin the month of October! This is one of my favorite months of the year. The weather is usually as close to perfect as it gets around here in October.

Hurricane Ian coming through yesterday was a real surprise. Until late in the afternoon on Wednesday we had no idea the track was changing to bring it right over our heads here in South Carolina. Of course, it was a much-weakened category 1 hurricane when it made landfall (around 2pm in Georgetown) and was only a tropical storm by the time it went through Florence. We had gusty winds and rain all afternoon, but nothing really concerning. Our power flickered a couple of times, and we lost internet access for a few hours, but that was the extent of what we had to deal with. Of course, nearer the coast they had more damage. Three piers were damaged and had portions swept away, and speaking of swept away...


A shrimping boat was washed ashore in Myrtle Beach. And here's a shot of a big chunk of the Cherry Grove pier drifting south after it broke off during the storm.



All in all, though, South Carolina was very lucky. Of course, school was canceled yesterday so I got to stay home, and it's also the start of our fall break. I don't have to go back to work until October 10th! I have all of next week off. How good is that?

Several of you asked about George. He went to the vet last week and after examining him, she determined that he has arthritis in his left knee that's causing his limp. She said that she can't tell if he tore the cruciate ligament or not (without going in surgically and looking) but he certainly didn't completely tear it because he's putting weight on that leg. The arthritis in his knee joint is the more immediate concern. She prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine and six weeks of reduced activity (no twice daily walks!) so that a possible tear can heal, and so the inflamed joint can rest. Well, that's easier said than done! George wants to walk and run and play with Poppy, sore knee be damned. But at least it looks like he's going to be okay

In addition to the anti-inflammatory medicine, I've started him on fish oil and glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. They might or might not help, but they won't hurt. Thank you to everyone who asked about him or left nice comments about the situation! We were (and still are) worried about him, but I think he's going to be okay. 

27 comments:

  1. glad the storm missed you and that George is ok..fucking arthritis

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  2. I am so glad that you didn't get the full brunt of Ian.
    And it is good to know that sweet George is going to be okay. It's not easy to keep a dog from being active, is it?

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    1. No, especially when said dog has a pesky, WILD little sister egging him on!

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  3. I thought of you when I followed the news. I'm glad everything is fine.

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    1. Thank you for thinking of me, Yael. It's good to hear from you.

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  4. I wonder if George might benefit from expert massage. Mind you, you could probably learn how to do it yourself by looking at some instructional videos.

    I saw that there were a few trees down in Florence after my son Ian marauded through. Sorry about that.

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    1. Massage might be a possibility, and we're also looking at knee brace/compression bands to give that knee some extra support.

      As for the trees down in Florence, in my neighborhood it was only a few branches and lots of leaves. I thought about your son having the same name as the storm! Haha.

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  5. In my house, Biggie's the one with the arthritis. Both he and Lily have been on supplements for years. He also takes carprofen (puppy nsaid) twice a day for the inflammation, as well as 900 mg of gabapentin, which is a pain blocker. His arthritis is in one knee and both hips. With his meds, he practically brand new.

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    1. How old is Biggie, Dave? George is 9 years old (which seems unbelievable to me).

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  6. Such good news about the storm. Sorry about George with arthritis. it is hard to keep such a active gud dug down.



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    1. It is hard! We're going to do our best to help him with the arthritic knee. :)

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  7. Seeing all those beautiful smashed-up boats in Florida was dreadful.

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    1. In some places, everything got smashed up. Dreadful is the perfect word for it.

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  8. Good and not perfect news about Hurricane George. Glad the worst of the storm missed you. Enjoy the week!

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    1. I plan to enjoy the week as much as possible! I do want to get some house cleaning and organizing done, because the holidays will be upon us in no time. Thanks Mitchell!

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  9. I was worried about you when the main news on German TV mentioned that Ian was passing through SC now, and am really glad to read that it did not cause any damage to your house but instead provided you with an extra day off!
    Also good to hear George won't need surgery. Arthritis is not nice but I guess it is not unusual when a dog gets older, similar to people.

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    1. I'm really surprised that the news in Germany mentioned the track of the hurricane. We don't get that kind of detailed news about the rest of the world over here, and that's a shame. Thank you for checking in on me!

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  10. Well george - I know how you feel - my knee ligament has gone for ever and I have severe arthritis in both knees. But we soldier on.

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    1. Getting older isn't for wimps, is it? :) Thank you Weave.

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  11. I'm hoping the supplements will help a little bit. The anti-inflammatory pills will undoubtedly help the most.

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  12. Glad you are safe from the storm.

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  13. Good news about George! We had Olga on fish oil supplements for a while and they seemed to help her. For some reason we stopped them and she hasn't seemed to need them since ... maybe they built up in her system?! (Probably not.)

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  14. what amazing photos! Good luck, George.

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  15. Glad you are safe from the storm, Jennifer. Having an extra day off work is not the most horrible thing to happen, is it? Good luck with George. Some dogs remain puppies at heart, and I guess that George is one.

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  16. I am glad you and your family are safe. A few months ago I blogged about my pup Bounce and a condition related to George's, involving him being 10, arthritis in the left rear leg, and a dislocated knee. We did the anti-inflamatory medicine too, and I bought glucosamine and Mr. B recovered quickly. I hope George heals quickly too. I give him and my kitty salmon oil every morning. They are our fur babies aren't they!

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  17. Enjoy every minute of your week off. I'm glad George is feeling better. You've reminded me I need to purchase glucosamine/chondroitin supplements for our dog. The vet recommended them on our last visit.

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