Patient has improved clinically

Gracie and I saw Dr. Gustafson on Monday for the 8-week post operative Xrays. He said the bones were healing well, the implants were in good position and the patella was stable in the trochlear groove.

We left the office with a bounce in our step. Well...I did anyway. Poor Gracie had been sedated for the Xrays and was still a bit wobbly. We now continue with rehab and start increasing our walking time. I've added a 5 minute evening walk to our daily ritual. Dr. Moore, the vet rehab specialist in Corvallis recommends increasing the walking tiem by 5 minutes each week. Our goal is to walk 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. Hills are now permited so we can extend our neighborhood strolls to the surrounding blocks.

I thanked Dr. G for his excellent surgical skills and care of Gracie and told him: "I hope we never see you again." He smiled and said, he felt the same.

Walk the dog

Gracie and I have been enjoying our morning walks again. Last Friday we were treated to a spectacular red sunrise. Mt. Hood was in perfect silhouette. This is what I've missed most about our morning walks - being outside, seeing the changes to nature and the neighborhood.

Our walks, by necessity, have been cautious. Memories of her dislocated patella three weeks post TPLO are still fresh in my mind. I am probably too cautious for this stage in her recovery, but I fall easily for the "my leg hurts" look. With recovery comes some amount of discomfort. The challenge with dogs is knowing them well enough to know when it is pain and when it is simply not wanting to.

Living on a hill has presented some challenges. The vet advised the walking should be done on flat ground. There is some flat ground about a half block from my house. I must then weigh the risks: a slow, careful walk to the flatter ground, or loading her in and out of the Escape. The extra long, extra wide ramp I ordered for the SUV is in route. It should be here by Tuesday. Once we've had a chance to practice using it, I'll feel more comfortable (and there will be less risk) in taking her to a nearby park that has nice flat trails. For now, though, we do a couple of "warm up" laps by walking along side the house on the brick sidewalk. Then we walk slowly the half block up the hill to the flatter sidewalk. This stretch is about a block long. We will do two or three laps.

The deconditioning for both of us is apparent. After the second lap, Gracie starts to pant a little. Even though the temperatures are very mild, I feel a bead of sweat on my forehead. We then head back to the house for a "cool down" lap along side the house. Then it's back to the kennel for a drink of water and a nap.

The Sound of Freedom

Gracie and I sat out front yesterday evening just as the sun was setting over the west hills of Salem. The sounds of Oregon firecrackers began popping and whistling throughout the neighborhood. As mentioned in my last posting, this noise does not seem to bother Grace. True to form, she rested at my feet. Her concern was less for the noise echoing off the hills, than for the neighbor cat Romeo who was sauntering across the street.

It was early. Still light enough to see the crossword puzzle I was working on, but the anxious kids (young and old) could wait no longer and fireworks were exploding all around me. I could hear them, not see them. No one on my block was setting off fireworks...yet. (My neighbor, Jenn was busy preparing for her show, which she informed me would take place in 1 hour.) As dusk turned to dark, people were becoming more bold. Illegal fireworks purchased in neighboring Washington were now lighting up the sky. I'm fascinated by these roman candle type fireworks - first the flares brightening the sky and then a percussive bomb.

As I sat in my chair enjoying the Washington products and listening to the rat-a-tat of the legal fireworks, I began to wonder about the people in far away places from whom these sounds were not joyful or fun. People who hear these sounds more than once a year. People who hear these sounds, not as marks of freedom, but of klaxons of destruction. I thought about our marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Just then a nearby burst of firecrackers went off. Is that what machine gun fire sounds like? That whomph sound as one of those illegal roman candles is launched - is that what mortar fire sounds like? The percussive bomb as the sky lights up with red, green and white flares - what does that mimic?

To say that I'm glad to be able to celebrate American freedom would be an understatement. But I can't help but wonder about, and worry about all the people in the world for whom these sounds are not happy. Who do not oooh and aah at the pretty colors and loud noises. Christmas is usually the time we all hope for peace on earth. I guess I'll just start hoping a little earlier this year.

The rockets red glare

Gracie was about 3 months old when July 4 rolled around. I had heard stories about dogs coming unglued at the sound of fireworks. Grace and I were already beginning some challenges as puppy and clueless companion. I had to wonder what the 4th might bring.

From my deck, I can see a fairly spectacular fireworks show put on by a private golf club two miles south. That first 4th I stood on the deck with a puppy Gracie sleeping - head on my foot. I had leashed her just in case. The first boom echoed acrossed the hills. I glanced down. She didn't even budge. She slept through the whole show. And for all the July 4ths since, she has barely mustered a half-hearted glance in the direction of the noise.

This year will be much the same. I'll stand on the deck and watch the fireworks...and, occasionally, nudge Gracie lest she miss the whole thing.

Walking on water

Editor note: I didn't have my camera with me for our first hydrotherapy, so this is from the vet's website.

Gracie had her first hydrotherapy appointment last Thursday in Corvallis. Trina, Gracie's new BFF and vet technician at the West Hills Animal clinic, helped her into the hydrotherapy tank. As the warm water started to fill the tank, Trina said "Dogs will do one of three things: start walking normally - very few do this; try to swim; or simply refuse to move at all." Gracie is not always the most compliant of dogs, so I feared she would opt for the third option. But no. Much to my pleasant surprise, when Trina turned the treadmill on, Gracie started walking as if she had done this all her life.

The process was simple. She walked on the treadmill for about 5 minutes. Then the treadmill was stopped and Gracie relaxed as the warm water swirled around her. Then she did another 5 minutes. And then we were done.

Yes, I suppose it's a long drive from Salem to Corvallis for 15 minutes of treatment, but I'm feeling optimistic that this therapy will help Gracie regain the muscle mass in her left leg and get her back into shape. We will also continue our home exercises and increasing our daily walking time at home. We are now 5 weeks post the femoral osteotomy and 8 weeks post the TPLO. Each day brings us closer to our goals.

Father's Day

"Just as we were reaching the car, we heard a commotion from the woods. Something was crashing through the brush - and breathing very heavily. It sounded like what you might hear in a slasher film. And it was coming our way. We froze, staring into the darkness. The sound grew louder and closer. Then in a flash the thing burst into the clearing and came charging in our direction, a yellow blur. A very big yellow blur. As it galloped past, not stopping, not even seeming to notice us, we could see it was a large Labrador retriever. But nothing like the sweet Lilly we had just cuddled with inside. This one was soaking wet and covered up to its belly in mud and burrs. Its tongue hung out wildly to one side, and froth flew off its jowls as it barreled past. In the split-second glimpse I got, I detected an odd, slightly crazed, yet somehow joyous gaze in its eyes. 'I think,' I said, a slight queasiness rising in my gut, 'we just met Dad.'"

When I first read these words in John Grogan's wildly popular book, Marley & Me, I experienced a sense of deja vu. Gracie's father is a black lab named Chopper. He was named after the popular TLC TV series Orange County Cycle, which follows the dysfunctional family antics of Paul, Sr., Paul, Jr., and Mikey, as they establish themselves as one of the nation's premiere custom motorcycle fabricators.

Chopper had that same slightly crazed, yet joyous look in his eye when I first met him. Of course, he was a new father with not one, but two litters of puppies yappying and dancing around him. When I lifted a squirming Gracie out of her bed, I was hoping she would grow to be like her mom -- quiet, gentle and subdued. After four years, I can see that she really is a daddy's girl.

So Chopper, wherever you are, Happy Father's Day.

Dog is my co-pilot

Gracie and I both have been experiencing cabin fever. So Wednesday evening after work, I carefully loaded Grace into the back of the car and we hit the road. With the windows rolled down, and the fresh air and smells of the surrounding farms, Gracie sat with her nose pointed high, taking it all in.

Gracie has always been a great traveler, for which I've been most grateful. I enjoy road trips and long drives. Gracie is a great partner. She sits calmly in the back of the Escape. While I watch the road ahead, she watches the road behind. I love having her in the car with me - whether running errands around town or hitting the road to the beach. She's a great companion and I've missed our drives. Wednesday was one of those "first time since..." moments.

Wednesday we drove down to Corvallis as a trial run for a vet appointment we have today. I found a clinic in Corvallis that offers physical therapy for dogs. West Hills Animal Hospital has full rehab services including an underwater treadmill for dogs with leg injuries. I'm hoping in addition to helping Gracie, the rehab specialists will be able to give me some direction on exercises we can do at home. The downside to most of these specialized clinics is their work hours - 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. And to date, the Family Medical Leave Act has yet to extend to our canine and feline companions.

With each day, Gracie's bones heal a bit more. The key is not rushing things, even when it seems like she is doing well. But I still look forward to the day that she and I can hit the road, stop when and where we'd like and resume our great adventures.