Priorities?

So last week after my dog Lilly had been outside chasing a squirrel we noticed that she was limping on her back leg.  I looked at her foot and leg and couldn't find anything wrong.  So I did a bit of research on the net and found this full exam that you can do.  I did that and still couldn't figure out why my dog was limping.

So since she was still limping the following day, I took her to the vet.  $450 later I find out that she has torn her ACL (that's the ligament in the knee joint)...to get it fixed will cost between $1800 and $3200.  Depending on which type of surgery I choose.  So like any good doggy parent I did my research.

What I was trying to figure out was what would be the best surgery for Lilly that won't cause her problems later in life.  I mean if I get her the cheap surgery...will I just pay for it later with more medical bills for arthritis or something else?

My research showed that this type of injury typically happens in large breed dogs within the first two years of their lives...and if they "blow" one they'll typically blow the other back knee as well.  The other set of dogs that get this are smaller breeds who are overweight.  They don't blow the second knee though.  Lilly is neither type of dog though.

There are 4 types of surgery for dogs.  My vet only offered me 3 choices though...and the two more expensive versions aren't offered at my vet's office.  If I chose those I would be referred to other vets for them.  However, the two more expensive options are also for the larger breed dogs and are kind of dependent on the weight of the dog for the fix to work.  So I chose the cheaper option.

Lilly's surgery is scheduled for Nov 23rd.

Then yesterday I get an IM from my brother that my grandmother is in the hospital after taking a nasty fall.  Grandma is almost 91.  She lives with my Aunt & Uncle and they had left her at home.  When they returned she greeted them at the door with a huge bruise on her head, and her face & arms were all scratched up.  A quick check of the house found bloody spots in the sun room...it appeared that she had fallen twice.  Grandma couldn't remember it or anything that happened last week.

So Grandma got to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital while they run tests to try to figure out why she fell.

I tried to call my mom today but got no answer.

She called me back later AFTER she talked to my brother.  Who of course asked if I had called and she said no, because she didn't have her phone turned on and missed my two calls!

My mom was more concerned with my dog's surgery, her dog's food and other things than about her mom being in the hospital.  At least that is what she said.