Thinking of you both xx

I hope you get some positive results.

Liverpool small animal teaching hospital is a lovely hospital. The staff there were so friendly and caring.

The vet examined benjis legs, watched him walk and asked me lots of questions about him. He said he didn't think benji has dwarfism. He thinks though that benjis legs are slightly more bowed than is acceptable for a spaniel, which he said could cause problems if his growth plates are closed. He said to find out if any surgery or leg braces are needed he would have to have a cat scan.

The scan was done today and poor benji had to be sedated. The vet has had a quick look at it and thinks it may be ok but wants to have a mOre detailed look at it so will phone me tomorrow to tell me the results.

Anyway feeling a little better about it all. Benji was not himself for a few hours after but he is almost back to his normal self now that he has had his dinner and played with his new fox toy.

Bit surprised at the price for a consultation and a cat scan £700 to £800. So glad I am insured.

Glad you are left feeling a bit better about the situation. Just hope it's something that won't cause him problems or require surgery even if he ends up not 'looking' quite as he should. Good luck with it.

Thanks. no they said they would never do surgery for cosmetic reasons and would only do it if It meant that he would be in pain by not having it done. I don't care if he is bow legged as long as it's not causing him pain. He is so gorgeous, and such a loving dog.

Edit: hadn't seen your responses!

You're dead right, in my humble opinion. So long as your dog is happy and healthy, who cares about beauty standards?

I'm so glad you're insured. Do keep up with that. In my experience, the one time I've had to say 'Do whatever you need to do; he has insurance', it was beyond worth it. Every. Single. Payment. For all of them.

Thanks , I know my last dog cost me thousands on cruciate operations on both legs and other things, I wouldn't risk not been insured nowadays as vet fees are so expensive for even some of the smallest things.

Insurance makes so much sense. I know it can seem expensive, but if you're smacked in the face with something like cruciate ligament repair (and you know the other one's going to go) or a serious emergency, having the cover is such a load off of you. You can plan for insurance payments, but you can't plan for illness or disasters. We've had a disaster. It would have been inconceivably awful if we hadn't had the insurance. Now that our remarkably-spry-for-13 eldest is getting on, even though he's never had a serious health problem in his life, I know if he gets arthritis or anything he and we will be OK: we have comprehensive insurance that won't drop them if they develop a chronic problem (this may be very important with the rescue Akita, who already shows signs of thyroid disorder). It's a seriously good investment. It's been my birthday present every year for the last 13 years and I'm grateful for every statement.

Just a quick update on this. Still waiting for results on the scan, have phoned several times and been told vet will ring me tomorrow but hasn't done. Then have been told vet is off Ill so a different vet will look at the results and will phone me but not heard from this one either. So me and benji are waiting patiently and will update you when we hear.