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Hand Engraving by Sarah Ladd - Fine art engraving, pure gold inlay, diamond setting

Sorry updates are slow. My collie has some health stuff going on and I'm not taking it well. In the meantime here's some of the jewelry stuff I've been forced to do

Watercolor and ink on dot paper, designs for a large solid lightning ridge black opal (I'm making "unnamed deep" from this page in platinum with white diamonds)

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Setting for a large expensive tourmaline and cadillac diamonds in 18k

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Sarah:
I am sorry about your Collie having health issues. I am a dog lover and generally prefer animals to people. Dogs are the best of us. I hope things settle down and get better. You have talents most people can only dream of, but we admire them greatly. If you ever need to vent, do not hesitate. Stay safe and strong.
 
Thanks guys. The left side of her body is failing her and she's starting to stumble and decline stairs, in my split foyer filled with stairs. The vet isn't sure what's wrong but they want to do an MRI, and quoted me $6k, saying she likely has a brain tumor or cancer on her spine or something of that ilk. I lost my corgi to degenerative myelopathy, and it was such a horrible thing to go through, that when I got my collie I had her blood tested at the University of Washington for the genes that cause it, which was a groundbreaking new test available to scan for it. She was negative for both copies and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing she would not have to experience end of life the way my corgi did. Unfortunately, the human experience has seen fit to bless me with it anyway, uniquely again this time. I'm not ready for what this means, she's 60 lbs and I am small. DM takes the legs from the back toward the front, whatever my collie has is disabling one whole side of her body, and a wheelchair is unlikely to help. I'm not sure what to do. It's way more money than I have had in a long time and I don't even know what the implications are. Treatment I can't afford too.

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Sarah:
My Tosa Inu (Japanese mastiff) developed a brain tumor at age 11 and deteriorated quickly. It was devastating to see him stumble and then quit eating. I was closer to him than any dog I ever had. Putting him to sleep was so painful, but not as painful as what he was going through. Pets are the best parts of us, but we have the responsibility to provide the best life for them. Spending a career in critical care, I can say that there is a huge difference between living and being alive. Quality of life is more important than trying to extend it. I am truly sorry you and your dog are going through this.
 
Dogs have a limited life span and it is hard. We had an Aussie that had seizures and one day, ours just didn't come out. He was 10 years old.
My advise? giver her the love you can, while you can. But at some point, it isn't a life for her, or you.
 
SarahLadd said:
Thanks guys. The left side of her body is failing her and she's starting to stumble and decline stairs, in my split foyer filled with stairs. The vet isn't sure what's wrong but they want to do an MRI, and quoted me $6k, saying she likely has a brain tumor or cancer on her spine or something of that ilk. I lost my corgi to degenerative myelopathy, and it was such a horrible thing to go through, that when I got my collie I had her blood tested at the University of Washington for the genes that cause it, which was a groundbreaking new test available to scan for it. She was negative for both copies and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing she would not have to experience end of life the way my corgi did. Unfortunately, the human experience has seen fit to bless me with it anyway, uniquely again this time. I'm not ready for what this means, she's 60 lbs and I am small. DM takes the legs from the back toward the front, whatever my collie has is disabling one whole side of her body, and a wheelchair is unlikely to help. I'm not sure what to do. It's way more money than I have had in a long time and I don't even know what the implications are. Treatment I can't afford too.

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I'm so sorry to hear this. $6K for an MRI is ridiculous, as they should cost between $1500-4000 for people, depending on the size of the area being imaged.

Our Sheltie (who passed in 2016 at 16 yr old) had developed weakness of the back legs that they felt was due to an issue with her spine and/or spinal cord; and 3 treatments with laser therapy helped fix her up and get her walking again for another year, before she passed from a pulmonary embolism following surgery for a dog bite to her head. Of course this is not the same situation.

But, thinking back to before I retired as a pediatrician, and as a pet owner, the vet should be able to narrow down the location of the issue somewhat, based on her exam and the areas with neurological deficits (trunk involvement, distal extremities, proximal extremities, facial nerves involvement, etc). Maybe you should consult with another Vet, maybe at a local veterinarian university hospital?
 
DocJekl said:
I'm so sorry to hear this. $6K for an MRI is ridiculous, as they should cost between $1500-4000 for people, depending on the size of the area being imaged.

Our Sheltie (who passed in 2016 at 16 yr old) had developed weakness of the back legs that they felt was due to an issue with her spine and/or spinal cord; and 3 treatments with laser therapy helped fix her up and get her walking again for another year, before she passed from a pulmonary embolism following surgery for a dog bite to her head. Of course this is not the same situation.

But, thinking back to before I retired as a pediatrician, and as a pet owner, the vet should be able to narrow down the location of the issue somewhat, based on her exam and the areas with neurological deficits (trunk involvement, distal extremities, proximal extremities, facial nerves involvement, etc). Maybe you should consult with another Vet, maybe at a local veterinarian university hospital?
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AFAIK, it's because they have to put the dog under anesthesia, because you can't tell them to "lay very very still".
 
SarahLadd said:
AFAIK, it's because they have to put the dog under anesthesia, because you can't tell them to "lay very very still".
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Sarah:
I was going to post just to check on you. I know how hard it is dealing with sick pets, but please make sure to stay hydrated and use food for fuel. Very easy to not take care of ourselves when looking after another, but you still need to stay strong and healthy yourself. Hang in there.
 
beeinak said:
Sarah:
I just wanted to see how you and your pup are doing.
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I'm okay. Her mouth is healing. We had a minor setback opening sutures on a chew toy she shouldn't have had, my fault for not taking the hard toys away :( But she is back to barking at everything that makes an unusual sight or sound. Her coordination continues to decline and I'm looking at harnesses with handles to fit her. I'm taking on an extra day of work. Thursdays I will be doing cad modeling for the jewelry store.

I kind of wanted to just sit and draw something relaxing so I did. this is my rooster and my favorite hen.

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I am glad she is feeling well enough to be chewing toys and being on alert. Just an fyi- when I helped 3 big dogs with knee surgery recovery, and another mastiff with slipped disc- I used a bath towel loosely rolled up under the belly just in front of back legs to allow support for them and I could adjust the length just by overlapping the towel in my hand. It isn’t perfect, but works well, is easy, and can get put to use quickly if they need to do their business.

I am very glad you are drawing! That is beautiful!

Hang in there and know that people you have never met are thinking of y’all.
 
SarahLadd SarahLadd I have been meaning to ask what you'd think of a scrollwork commission on a pistol slide?

This one already had Bertram Edmonston re-engrave Colt's rollmarks. Colt does kinda crummy 'rollmarks' with a laser now. But I thought it might be interesting to some fairly minor scrollwork added.
 
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