Feb 2009: 2 weeks post-op

Winston's staples were removed this week and while I was there, asked again about that pesky blue stitch that's still visible. They looked at it and said that it should flake off soon. They think that everything looks good and that he's using his leg well.

We started walking again (5 minutes per walk 3-5 times a day). Winston is happy to get off the property again for the first time in 2 weeks.

February 13, 2009: What a big dog!

I'm so used to being around Winston that I tend to think of him as "normal."  It's only occasionally that I'll see a picture or drive by and see him in the yard next to something else that gives me some perspective on his size that I say, "Wow -- that is a BIG dog!"  This picture was one of those moments and I thought I'd share.

Feb 2009: 1 week post-op

Winston is progressing well, just like last time. The bone in his left leg has fully healed, so the only thing slowing him down is his right leg. After a week he's using his leg well enough to (with support) go up and down the stairs again, so we moved his exercise pen up into the dining room so that he could be with us.

I'm doing the range-of-motion exercises and he's got full range of motion with this leg too.

Feb 4, 2009: 3 days post-op

Winston is definitely unhappy today. He's pretty much just keeping quiet and giving me those "why me" eyes that dogs do so well. He's got some razor rash on his butt this time that looks like it should bother him, but he doesn't seem to notice it. He hasn't pooped today, but he's eating and drinking just fine.

We've had some issues with his pills this time around. He's got a big enough mouth that I normally just open it wide and shove my hand in and put the pills in his throat. He has apparently learned how to block them and get them back up into his mouth where he chews them and then spits them out. I've been told that both the cephalexin and the trammadol taste foul, so I'm going to have to get better at this. I've been able to salvage them and shove them back down his throat again so far.

His incision oozed yesterday but has stopped today. The "middle incision (there are 3, the big one, a tiny one and one about 2 inches long for the "big" toggle on the inside of his lower leg) looks tighter than the same incision on the left leg did. As he bends the leg the skin sort of folds over it to form a hood over the top part of the incision, and in addition to the staples, I can see the end of a blue stitch. I called AMVS and asked whether I should be worried about it, and they said it's disolveable, so it will eventually flake off.

He's walking on the leg and seems to be getting around ok.

Feb 3, 2009: 1 day post-op

We did the same set up as last time -- his bed and a heater and the exercise pen set up in the "lobby" of our house. I also went prepared this time with several towels over the dog bed in the back of my car to sop up any urine leaks he had. I got lucky and the towels caught it all before it made it to the carpet in my car.

I received almost the same discharge instructions as last time, but this time they did a reverse black and white image of his face on the cover. Not my favorite! Just like the last leg, there was no damage to the meniscus, and everything went well for them.

His leg looks more swollen than the last one and it's oozing from the main incision. It was just two of us girls loading him this time and we had a bit of a struggle at the top of the ramp (that's a long way up to try to hold the sling up), so he sort of hopped into the car a little and squeaked when he flopped down. Hmmmm..... did he tear all his stitches out? It looked pretty scary to me, but the vet tech hopped into the car and took a good close look and said that it all looked ok to her. She knows better than me, so off we went carefully home. I was able to get him unloaded by myself. The sling they sent him home with has longer straps than the one that we originally bought. I'm able to actually sling it over my shoulder like a purse and hold his back legs off the ground if needed. Not that I needed to then, but it's good to know :)

He definitely wasn't as leaky (urine) this time. I think they'd done the surgery earlier in the day and then I picked him up later, so maybe that made a difference in how quickly the epidural wore off. He also didn't need to get up an pee as much. Maybe his leg hurts more this time, or he's really sorry that he's going through this again?

They had his pill schedule set up at "good" times for me this time, so I didn't have to get up during the night to give him anything, but I still slept on a thermarest down next to his bed so that I could take him out when he needed to go. During the last 7 weeks since we moved him upstairs, I've been sleeping on a cot in the living room for the same reason. He was only getting up about every 4 hours or so to pee.

February 2, 2009: Right leg Tightrope surgery

I dropped Winston off early this morning. I know what to expect this time. I'm working today, but I've taken the next two days off to take care of him. Don is still busy with work so he'll help out when he's home, but I'll be doing most of the care for the next few days. I learned from the first surgery that I won't get much sleep the first night so I won't be any good for work the next day.

They called this afternoon and surgery went well and I pick him up at 2pm tomorrow.