Sunday, May 31, 2009
Stick with the plan
Monday, May 25, 2009
Letting sleeping dogs lie
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Is the sedative ready?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Slow and easy
As you can see, she is not lacking for comfort. Her precious Pig is near by. Several times yesterday as I sat by her, she would reach forward and pull Pig close. I often find her asleep with her head on Pig.
Here's a close up of the incision site. Her TPLO was done on the inside her leg. Dr. Gustafson said had he done both procedures together, the incision would be on the inside, but with it being done separately, it was better to do the femoral osteotomy on the outside of the leg. He closed the wound with internal sutures that will dissolve over time. The incision site is closed with surgical glue. Dr. G recommends icing 3 times a day for the first three days. I have worked in about 4 times each day. She has not had near the swelling or bruising she had with the TPLO.
Better living through chemicals. This time around I asked for a mild sedative to help keep her more calm during recovery. Between the pain meds and the twice daily sedative, she is resting comfortably but doesn't seem to be "out of it." With the help of the belly sling we've made a couple of trips to the backyard to go potty. For some reason she is adamant about not going in the front yard. Most likely the result of those puppy training techniques that tell you to train your dog to go potty in one area of the yard. Unlike some of the other lessons she learned, she is consistent and firm on following this one.
I'm feeling better equipped to handle this recovery than I did with the TPLO. I was frantic all the time with her after the first surgery. I'm still concerned about her, but having gone through this once, I know more what to expect. It's OK if she doesn't go potty like her usual clock-work pre-surgery.
We still have a long row to hoe, but we'll get there. We're going to take it slow and easy this time.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thankful Thursday
The vet seemed pleased with the surgery and placement of the new implant in her femur. We go back in three weeks to see how the bone is healing. Some dogs, he says, will have good healing progress in three weeks, others take up to eight weeks for the healing to begin. Her level of future activity is based on the healing process.
Right now she is sleeping in her kennel. When I got her home she was ready for her afternoon pills and ice pack. I sat next to her icing her leg and then just to sit with her. We are using a sedative this time around to help curb her enthusiasm a bit. At least until we get further along in the healing process.
Right now I'm thankful she is home.
Monday, May 18, 2009
A set back
Today I got the news: her patella was dislocated with a probable tear of the ligament that holds it in place.
And the rest of the news: additional surgery, scheduled for Wednesday, to straighten her femur and correct the patellar luxation.
Prior to the TPLO, the vet surgeon explained to me about Gracie's anatomy. Her femurs are bowed, making her look bow-legged from behind. The curvature of the femur was problematic. In some instances, not only is a TPLO done, but also an osteotomy of the femur to reduce the curve. He could do it in Gracie's case, but he felt the angle was not too bad, so we opted to just do the TPLO. That was the wrong decision in hind-sight.
So Gracie is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. The vet surgeon will perform the osteotomy of her femur to reduce the curve and deepen the patellar groove so that the patella doesn't slip out of place.
I'm struggling with this one. Did I push her too hard, too soon? Did I let her get away with being zany Gracie too soon? Did my desire to have her close to me in the evenings put her at greater risk of injury? It's hard to know. Maybe this could have been prevented, or maybe not. I do know that I'll be more strict this go around. She will be spending time in her "garage apartment" and not in the house. Walks will be to the potty area and back, only. And because she is such a strong and energetic dog, I may have to opt for the mild sedatives to keep her calm.
And we are back to square one.
Monday, May 11, 2009
A stitch...and some time
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thankful Thursday
- Dad only has 4 treatments left. He'll be done on Wednesday May 13.
- Gracie's surgery went well. She seems to be healing well. The swelling is markedly down. She still makes me laugh every day.
- The sun is shining...for now.
- Mom & Dad paid for Gracie's surgery. I think they are finally resigned to the fact that my sister and I will produce no grandchildren for them other than dogs and cats. They will dote on them accordingly.
- My sister's visit and care of Mom and Dad timed perfectly with Gracie's need for surgery and initial recovery. I couldn't have done it without her here.
- Good friends and good co-workers who share my heartache over an injured, albeit recovering, dog and who help me keep everything in perspective.
- A faith firmly rooted in the ultimate display of love, sacrifice and forgiveness.
I like this notion of Thankful Thursday and will try to carry it forward - if not in the blog world, at least in my heart.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Back on track
I talked with the vet surgeon on Friday. He said he was not concerned about her walking around during her potty breaks. He said her main risk was spraining the fragile tendons and ligaments in leg, but he felt certain that the bone was in a good position and the plate firmly implanted.
The sun made a brief appearance today. Gracie laid on the deck for about 15 minutes soaking in the warm rays. It must have felt good on her injured leg. She was really good about allowing me to place cold compresses on her leg for the first 3 days. The instructions then advised to follow the next 3 days with warm compresses. She has not liked that process at all. Happily, though, the swelling is much reduced and the bruising is fading.
Tomorrow we can cross 1 week off our recovery time. Now that she and I are getting a rhythm, I'm hopeful the next weeks will go well (and pass quickly!).