Farewell for now

Miss Maddie continues to do well. She gets up off her bed just fine, runs and jumps and is full of life. We are VERY happy to have paid for the surgery on her knee. To see her happy and bouncing is the return gift.

I will probably not be posting much more on this blog, but will keep it up in case if helps other dog owners, and may give an occasional update. Perhaps on the one year anniversary of her surgery.

So farewell for now.

SWIMMING

Mom and dad went away for the weekend and I got to go to the "spa". Also known as the kennel, but they have a pool and I got to swim!!! I love to swim, but mom and dad, won't put a pool in the backyard for me. Mom said maybe next summer she'd get me a kiddie pool, but REALLY that is too shallow!

Oh well....

I Made it to the Kitchen!!!

Look at me.........

..........................and no one took me back down stairs!

We live in a split level and the kitchen is 6 steps up from the family room which I have been confined to for the last 16 weeks since it leads out to the back yard. I think I will hang out up here with mom and dad while they have breakfast!

Something is definitely a foot. Last night they took me out in the backyard WITHOUT a leash!! I was not sure what to make of this so I hung out with dad within leash length (they use a regular 6' leash not a retractable) but he let me trot ahead a little and trot back to him. Mom and dad even played the game where they stand apart and call me to each of them in turn. We did not play for long, they still seem worried about my leg, but I did not have any limp after my outdoor adventure.

I think my confinement days are winding down. Sure will be nice to have the rest of the house again and sleep in the same room as mom and dad! I think I heard them say they will keep me going slowly up and down the stairs and then close the bedroom door so I don't wander at night. But that is ok, I will be with my PEOPLE!!!

That's the report for now.

Feeling Happy!!

Yesterday I woke up in such a good mood, even mom commented on it. I did my happy dance (wiggling on my back) very fast and made happy noises. I was very excited to go on my walk too, mom says I had a bounce in my step. Life is good!!

I do hear something about freedom! Seems this Friday night I will be given a bit more freedom, but I think they are going to watch me too, to make sure I don't tear a muscle or something. I think I heard them say I can go upstairs and sleep int mom and dads room again! YIPPEE.

Today, my walk was extended and so far so good. Dad says the walks are doing him good too! That is about all for now.

Tomorrow is 14 weeks Post Op

Not much new here. Mom says I am doing fine and being a good girl. Had my annual exam and got a clean bill of health. So I am just hanging around waiting for freedom day which around here seems to be the evening of Aug. 31.

Mom used the red eye removal on the photo program and I look a bit silly, but what can you do??

Brief Update with photos

Well, dad has been taking me on morning walks for quite a while now and I no longer pant hard by the end of the walk, I guess my stamina is getting better. I got very nervous during a bad thunderstorm and mom invited me under her computer desk which is in the family room where I am confined. I really like it under there and go in all the time pushing past mom's legs. She tries not to kick me and I hear her complain about how much harder it is to type, but hey she showed me the place!

Note from mom: If I had only known the trouble it would cause! She takes up half the space, but I am such a softy and let her stay! I try not to roll the chair into her, but she puts her nose so close to the wheels sometimes!

July 4 and the following weekend

Best July 4th and days prior and after EVER!! None of those loud professional fireworks or goofy neighbors setting any off. I did not have to hide under the bed (which was a good thing since it is upstairs). Here I am lounging around that day, mom dressed me for the occasion.

You can see my left leg a little bit and can't tell it  had been shaved 8 weeks earlier. I still have my outer coat to grow back there, but the under coat has come in quite nicely -at least this is what mom thinks.

We did have some VERY loud thunderstorms this past weekend and I was not a happy camper, but mom let me lay down under her computer desk. I hear she had quite the time reaching the keyboard, but I felt much better and did not quiver at all over the storm, besides we needed the rain!

8 weeks post op

Well besides having the best 4th of July EVER and not having to hide under the bed, I have started walking more. I LOVE my walks with dad and so far he has only had to scold me once or twice about not paying attention to him. Those new smells are awful good and I just forget myself!

With all the fire danger around here they cancelled all professional fireworks shows and that was OK by me!

Mom saw me walking back from my extended walk today (on Thursday they started to walk me a tad farther) and she said I looked good, maybe a little tired and my back left leg was not quite as straight in the walk, so now they keep watching me!! Also I noticed I only got the one big round pill this am. I guess they are not giving me the rimadyl to see if I still need it. I don't do a great job of letting them know I am in pain, but limping will be the first clue!

That is all for now, cooler temps this weekend, house already open to get fresh air, seems like a great weekend could be in the works. Hope yours is too.

My Horizons are expanding!!

It seems that my healing has progressed enough that I can go out on short walks! WOW!! What fun. All those new smells and people to see. Plus rabbits! Dad takes me out after breakfast since it is a tad warm later in the day and we walk to the end of the block and around the corner a little bit. I hear him tell mom I am doing better on the leash. They seem to have some problem with me pulling and mom is considering a harness for me because I just get so so excited when I am with her I bounce around and try to play tug o war with the leash. She can't figure out why I don't do this with dad and I ain't talkin!

So far no limping after the walks, so I think starting this Thursday I get to go on longer walks. Also if it cools down maybe some afternoon walks too. Oh boy!!!!

6 Week Post Op X-ray - UPDATED

Well Miss Maddie has been cleared for Phase 2 of her recovery. The x-ray looked good, but healing was a little slow, so for phase 2 we will walk her for 5 - 7 days at  1/4 to 1/2 mile before increasing the length, rather than increasing at 3-5 days. The surgeon and our vet is happy with the results so far.

It has been VERY hot upper 90s to 102 degrees so we have yet to walk her outside. We will start soon and walk her at a slow pace to the end of the block and back. If she shows no signs of pain or limping after doing this for 5 - 7 days we can walk farther, gradually increasing the length up to the 16 week post op date. Then she should be fully healed and muscles developed, etc. and she will be free to do stairs and go out in the back yard without a leash and have free reign of the house again. She will be soooo happy!!

UPDATE: I decided to add a photo or two.

Here is Miss Maddie lying with here left rear leg (surgery knee) behind here. Undercoat seems to have grown in and she is now working on the outer layer. They shaved her rear end curls off on one side too! I noticed some are coming in gray, but I told here she could just sit on them!

Why I love my dad by Maddie M.

I love my dad (and mom too)  because he gives me lots of head rubs and belly rubs, he calls me a good girl, gives me milkbones (although I notice since my surgery I only get half a bone) he is just a nice human. Now the big reason I love my dad is that he forgets to close the baby gate that keeps me in the family room!! Sunday I made it into the kitchen (up 6 steps) and this morning I made it into the master bedroom (up another 6 steps). Boy was mom surprised when she came out of the bathroom to see me greeting her. I gave her my best wiggley butt greeting and tried to stay non-chalant so she'd think this was the new norm, but noooo. She said, as she grabbed my collar, "Why Maddie what are you doing up here?"

She got me safely downstairs despite my trying to run down them like a shot, and watched me walk around to see if I had a limp again. I did not, and did not cry as I went down so we hope all is well.

I wonder what nice thing dad will do next???

I made it into the Kitchen!!

Yesterday while dad was not looking and had left the gate open, I went up stairs (6 steps) into the kitchen!!!! If it was not for those darned wooden steps and kitchen floor I could have been more sneaky, but dad heard me and got me back safe and sound into the family room.

Mom is sometimes a messy cook and I find all kinds of goodies along the baseboards. I was so close to checking things out!

Yesterday for some unknown reason they decided to move my crate closer to the fireplace and more out of the traffic zone. That is ok, but it is sitting on one of my favorite places to sleep (out in the open). I heard them mention that dad's mom was coming for a visit and this would allow more room for (ALL of ) us to get around and for her to sit in the lazyboy. I like it when we have company, more people to forget to close the gates!!

Note from mom: Maddie's little trip up and down the stairs does not seem to have hurt her any. She walks and sits like she did before. Not much news here on the recovery front, just waiting for the 6 week x-ray to see how much healing there is so far. June 21 is the 6 week mark so I hope to have a good report then.

Good News at 3 Weeks post op

Yesterday was 3 weeks post op and Maddie has been doing GREAT. She has resigned herself to being cooped up and only out on leash for potty breaks - but we still keep our guard up!!

Last night I noticed when she sat her left knee did not splay out like it did pre-surgery and a bit post surgery. That seems to be very good news indeed. So I tried to get her picture, but she started to lay down just as I took it! Darn dog! But you can still see how straight her left leg is.

Happy days to you all!

What did I do??

Would someone please get me paroled???

20 days post op and still in the crate while we are not in the room with her. She really is taking it quite well now and does not bark at night, except once in a while she gives a bark or two at the wee hours!

She is doing quite well, walks on her leg without a limp except when first getting up, so we are very happy we had the surgery done.

Two Weeks Post Op

Well we successfully got Maddie in and out of the car using the sling to support her instead of her leg. All the staples were taken out and the vet said her incision looked great, she was doing great too. She tried to run down the hall and the vet tech had to us the sling as a brake for her return back to us.

We were told we could taper off the Tramadol based on how she reacts, but suggested we continue the Rimadyl until the 6 week x-ray which will show how well the bone is healing.

So now we are on Maddie watch to keep her from jumping up on things and she still can't use stairs. She remains on strict confinement because the bone needs to heal. She of course thinks nothing is wrong and wants to go out on her own, etc. She will be much happier without the need for the e-collar, but she still will have to be confined to the family room and the large crate when we are not in the room with her.

She remains a very happy dog and did not mind going back to the vet. She just loves people no matter what!

That is about all for now.

Not a Sound was Heard

Last night I decided to give mom and dad a break and not bark and whine and wake them up. Amazing what a better disposition they have in the am! They are not much on mornings, but I LOVE them! I am bouncy and full of energy and excitement, but they won't let me jump around or run any! I just do not understand, but being a lab, I forgive them and am still a happy girl.

Mom tells me my staples continue to look good, some hair is growing back and soon the e-collar will be put in the closet! But I fear I still will be confined to the family room when they are home and the crate when they are gone or are asleep. Oh well, I know they love me and they keep feeding me, so life is good!

Here is a lovely flower that is in our back yard, that I thought you might enjoy seeing.

At least mom thinks it is lovely, it is just a bunch of gray to me. My favorite stuff in the yard is the grass! Mom calls me Bessie the Cow sometimes, but the stuff is so tasty I don't care!

Remember bark less and wag more!!

Second Post Op Weekend

This weekend wend pretty well, Maddie continues to put weight on the leg, but seems to think she is all better now and has jumped up on the leash a bit. She is very much an morning dog in a non morning human household. This morning was no exception she was full of energy! I even caught her nosing the cardboard blocking her access to the stairs and kitchen! Her incision/staples continue to look good and we are scheduled to have them removed this Thursday. Oh joy, no more e-collar!!! Not sure how long we will be using the sling and need to ask the vet. also this morning I gave her the last Rimadyl and I have more Tramadol left, so need to find out how long to give that to her, maybe start to taper it off to one before bedtime or something.

She still will need to be on strict confinement until the 6 week x-ray which will check for healing and if progressing well we will start short walks which will progressively get longer until the 16 week final x-ray to see if the bone has totally healed. So updates may not be a frequent now, but when anything significant happens I will post.

Maybe the next post will have a before and after the e-collar!

OOPS at 8 days TPLO Post Op

Well, last night I almost made it to the "promised land"  - the master bedroom. I woke mom up from a sound sleep at 11:45pm with my serious, I mean business bark. I had to go #2! After this we came inside I got some water and noticed the gate to the stairs was OPEN! Woo Hoo!! I headed up the 6 stairs, which are wood so mom heard me real good. I did not know the old lady could move so fast!!  I had just turned the corner and had my eyes on the next set of stairs which would take me to the bedroom, when mom got me by the collar. Oh, so close!!

Well she woke up dad for help and got the sling. He sounded a bit groggy and I hoped he would not topple  down the stairs! Dad had the sling end, mom my collar and they made me go back downstairs without using my back leg. I was  a bit confused at first, but we all made it back down in one piece. I heard mom tell dad, that it looked like I was not limping and that I was walking as before, so maybe all was ok.  I am not sure what all the fuss is about, I just know I almost made it out of this room!

Unfortunately the sprint up the stairs woke mom up real well, and when she put me back in the crate she did remember that darn e-collar. I heard her tell  me only 5 more nights of the cone. That sounds pretty good, but I am too short to see the calendar.

Note: from mom - In dog years, Maddie is the old lady!!
I have been reading posts on the yahoo group orthodogs and it seems oops do happen and since she is walking ok, probably not a big deal. I had just been hoping our first oops would be farther along in her recover than 8 days post op!!  Her incision/staples continue to look good and I have scheduled them to be removed on May 24. We ALL will be happy to put the e-collar back in the closet!

For what ever reason dad and I were SOUND asleep when Maddie felt the need. When I called for help, dad was so sound asleep he thought it was morning and I needed help with feeding her. He started to get dressed for the day and saw the clock and thought what???

That is the update for now.

Day 5 Post Op TPLO Surgery

Hello! I am feeling spunky and sassy and no one will let me run or play! Mom keeps telling me to slow down when she walks me to go potty and seems overly concerned about my pooping! She does let me graze and eat the yummy grass I like and the pumpkin was kind of good too, but she has not given me any of that again.

Day 5 (Tues May 15) post surgery I was in the crate all day while mom and dad finally went to work. Unfortunately they put that darn e-collar on me again! They wonder why I bark and cry at night - it is this darn rotten fashion statement! I hear mom and dad say I am doing well, and my staples are looking good still, no signs of infection, but they scold me when I try and lick them. Can't have any fun around here! I have been trying out my leg and putting weight on it and so far so good, but mom says no stairs or jumping - what spoil sports.

That is about all the news from here!

TPLO Post Surgery Day 4

Well the big news of yesterday was that Maddie finally pooped after 38 hours and two doses of canned pumpkin. So now I know for sure that her crying at night is because she does not like being left alone. I do find this interesting since before the surgery she was quite happy to be left alone. I guess she likes it better when it is HER idea!

She has started to get spunky and sassy, so now we need to be on guard to keep her from using the leg more than she should - no jumping, stairs, walks other for potty breaks and to change sleeping spots. When we are home she is gated in the family room with us and has two beds to sleep in (one is in the crate which she basically ignores). She is being quite good and not messing with the stitches much. We have caught her liking at them, but not vigorously and she mostly leaves them alone. I suspect this could change as they heel and maybe get itchy. She has about 24 staples down her knee and two inside her ankle. One of the two ankle stitches is coming out, but the skin around it is still sealed and looks clean and good. Vet said we could just watch it or bring her in for repair. So far we are just watching it since getting her in and out is tricky.

She is starting to put weight on the leg, especially when on soft surfaces like the carpet or lawn. Still some three legged dog, but not so much. Her personality is returning too, she has to have a stuffed toy (duck) to go out and the trotted (three legged) to get it. So I took all but two toys out and leave them close to the door to avoid too much trotting. She also is getting nosey about the baby gated areas and I think she is getting tired of the family room and would like to check out those areas she is banned from.

Can't think of more to say, so here is a photo of what she is doing best right now!

You can see her shaved leg and staples here a bit, also her new red collar. We got tired of taking her old green collar in and out of the e-collar loops and bought her a new one. Makes changes much easier!

TPLO Post Op Weekend

Miss Maddie still is crying at night about being left alone in the crate downstairs. :(

She has not pooped since Friday afternoon, so off to the store I will go for some pumpkin. One tablespoon   to provide fiber. The Vet said it takes 72 hours for the surgery drugs to leave her system and these same drugs can cause constipation.

Because she has not pooped every time she barks at night I think, maybe she has to poop! NOT!! I slept with her last night (I in the lazyboy, she in her crate) and she made a few little sounds and then not a peep out of her! My main concern right now is the constipation though

She has started to put some weight on her left leg if she is on the grass or the carpet. Still three legs or toe touching on hard surfaces. Drinking, eating, sleeping, wanting out of the room all normal. Sutures (staples) still looking clean and good. Have caught her licking them, so e-collar is a must when not supervised.

Currently she is snoring away and that is the report for now.

TPLO Surgery Morning of day 3

Report from mom:
Well, we all settled down for bed around 9:30. Maddie in her cone and in the giant dog crate. Along 12:00 mom heard barking and went down to make sure she was not in any pain. She had turned around in the crate and was laying there just wagging her tail - wide awake. No evidence of being in pain, just lonely I guess. I went back to bed.

Two hours later I hear a whining sound, so go to check. There she is wagging her tail and wide awake. So I wonder, maybe she has to pee. So I let her out of the crate (cage) and she gets some water and we head out the door. She had mild interest and did pee. Dad came down to check on us and decided to sleep in the lazy boy chair by her. I went back to bed and finally fell asleep. I think with all the drug induced sleeping she has her day and night confused. Hopefully we can get her back on track here soon.

Around 4 am dad comes back to bed reporting that Maddie seemed fine and put her head back down to sleep as he was leaving. We woke up at 6 am to feed her and keep on her medication schedule. She had not barked or whined since the second check or after dad left. She is now snoozing on the floor here in the room with me and still has not tried to mess with the stitches, so no cone right now. I have noticed a bit of swelling and the vet. tech said we could ice it for 10 - 15 minutes one or two times a day, so I may do that soon.

Maddie says: I am so confused as to what day it is! But happy to be HOME!!

TPLO Surgery Day 2

Yesterday I had my left knee repaired. Spent the night on a morphine derivative and was in a happy place most of the time. I have been taken out for potty breaks, but still don't feel I can put weight on my left leg and I am trying the three legged approach for a while. I hear a rumor that my family will be picking me up later today and I can't wait to get home!

Owners note: we can't wait to get Maddie home either! We bought a largest crate in the store and put her very soft bed inside. The Vet. Tech said a soft bed is good since she will probably be laying on her right side a lot for while. We wanted a large crate so she could move around a little with the cone on and then if that was her home while we were a way for the next few months we though she'd be happier and less cramped.

Here Maddie is waiting to get out the door. There was a lady with two dogs outside and we did not want any distractions so we waited. Plus she was parked next to us and when she left there was more room to open the car door and put Maddie in the back seat.

The pink thingy is a sling they made us to help support her. We do not use it to lift her, but have as a support in case she slips and we would keep her from landing on her repaired knee. She went potty outside the vets and again when we got home. She also pooped once home (having eaten some in the morning) all looked good so far. She stuck her nose in the water dish right away and later had some dinner (half rations while less active). The vet said she was a very good patient and so far she has been good here. We have her on Rimadyl, Tramadol and Cephalexin. She has shown no interest in her stitches and so no e-collar on yet, but when we leave her alone in the crate it will go on for sure! Not taking any chances. She wandered a bit here and there in the family room we have gated off and finally we got her to settle in the large crate with the soft bed. So far mostly three legged, but has started to toe tap. We closed the door to the crate while we ate dinner with her still in eye shot and she has not seemed to mind it. The big test will be when we go to bed and leave her there with the collar on!

Maddie's note:

I was so happy to see my owners when they took me out of the cage at the hospital, I wagged and wiggled and then I licked them all the way home. Well, I mostly licked mom since she was in the back seat with me and I laid my head on her lap for the ride home. So far I have seen that stupid e-collar, but no one has put it on me yet. I hear if I am good I won't need to wear it - oh boy! For now I have been doing a lot of sleeping (mom keeps checking to make sure I am breathing, so I think I will start snoring now so she can tell I am sound asleep)!

That is about all for day two!

New Blog - New Knee

My slave owner decided to start this blog to chronicle my experience with TPLO surgery to maybe help others. Today was the surgery and I come home tomorrow afternoon. Surgery went well. It turns out I did indeed tear my meniscus.

That is about all for now.