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.