Winston is allowed anywhere in the house except for beds. He thinks this stinks. We figured if his leg bone was only 80% healed at 12 weeks, it's best to wait until at least 16 weeks before we risk him hopping off of one of the beds. He's still got a lot of muscle atrophy in his left back leg, and a little bit in his right hind leg, but with any luck and a little time and some more PT exercises that will get better.
I've started Winston (and Josie because whatever he does, she wants to do too -- especially when there's biscuits involved) back on some of his physical therapy exercises at home. Also when we encounter people (with or without dogs) on our walks, I'm asking both my dogs to sit while the other folks go by. I need some more practice with timing on that one. If I give them the biscuits too soon, they'll both stand up and bark or lunge. This is new behavior since Winston had all of his surgeries and Josie joined our family. I think it starts with her, but I could be wrong. I can tell that Winston isn't as trusting of people as he was before all of this. Anyway, distracting and bribing them with biscuits seems to be working, so hopefully with time they'll just focus on me instead of whatever's going on around them.
After our afternoon walk, Winston gets some off-leash time in the back yard. I take him out on the leash and wait until Josie has run around looking for any stray bunnies that might be in the yard, and then I let him off the leash. So far so good with this. He has done a few trots and a little gentle run from time to time but so far not a lot of activity and no full-out "get the bunny" running. I won't let him in the front yard until he's built up his leg muscles a bit more.
March 9, 2010
March 4, 2010
March 4, 2010: Things that go bump in the night still scare me
I happened to wake up at 4:00am this morning and while I was dozing trying to fall back asleep, I thought I heard a noise downstairs. It wasn't loud and I kept listening and didn't hear anything more. I guess I fell back asleep because next thing I knew, the "cat alarm" was going off at 6:15. Our cat, Tyler's internal clock is a little off and he starts each day by loudly complaining that we haven't fed him his canned breakfast treat. Sometimes he starts this behavior at 3:00am. Lately he's been closer to the correct time, but that could have something to do with me chasing him down the hall telling him that it's not time, and he needs to be quiet.
Anyway, my first thought after being slightly annoyed with Tyler, was about Winston. Was that noise I heard him falling somewhere? We gave him full stair privileges last week, and since then both of us have been really worried that he's going to fall down them again, or that he's going to hurt himself coming upstairs to let us know that he needs to go potty (Winston likes to spend the night on the couch downstairs since he's still not allowed on the beds). Don's been leaving a light on so that the stairs aren't completely dark.
When I got up to check on them, I found both dogs downstairs on the couch together, so I have no idea what the noise was. I'm just thankful that it wasn't Winston.
He's doing really well, and having an easier time walking. He still doesn't totally engage the pad on that foot when he's standing, but he's getting closer. I tried a little off leash time in the yard after a long walk this week for the first time, but he wanted to run so I put his leash back on and we went back into the house. I'll try it again soon, but maybe without Josie out in the yard.
Anyway, my first thought after being slightly annoyed with Tyler, was about Winston. Was that noise I heard him falling somewhere? We gave him full stair privileges last week, and since then both of us have been really worried that he's going to fall down them again, or that he's going to hurt himself coming upstairs to let us know that he needs to go potty (Winston likes to spend the night on the couch downstairs since he's still not allowed on the beds). Don's been leaving a light on so that the stairs aren't completely dark.
When I got up to check on them, I found both dogs downstairs on the couch together, so I have no idea what the noise was. I'm just thankful that it wasn't Winston.
He's doing really well, and having an easier time walking. He still doesn't totally engage the pad on that foot when he's standing, but he's getting closer. I tried a little off leash time in the yard after a long walk this week for the first time, but he wanted to run so I put his leash back on and we went back into the house. I'll try it again soon, but maybe without Josie out in the yard.
February 19, 2010
February 19, 2010, 11 weeks post TPLO, good news again
Winston seemed almost back to normal this morning. He is standing up much easier than he has in the past few days. The rest appears to be helping him. I debated calling AMVS and rescheduling our appointment for next week since I know they're shorthanded this week, but then I thought if something happens this weekend that I'd regret changing the appointment, so we went as scheduled.
Dr Flynn did an exam and said that everything felt good and as he would expect. They did x-rays and said that while he's still not fully healed, he's at 80% and everything looks good. We're to keep doing what we're doing (letting him rest with some 5 minute walks) until Monday when we can return to 25 minute walks, and then if he does ok with that, we can try increasing to 30 minutes on schedule at 12 weeks.
I got the impression that little blips like this aren't unusual. It was just a bit shocking to me how quickly the pain seemed to get really bad, and then how quickly he seemed to get over it.
Dr Flynn did an exam and said that everything felt good and as he would expect. They did x-rays and said that while he's still not fully healed, he's at 80% and everything looks good. We're to keep doing what we're doing (letting him rest with some 5 minute walks) until Monday when we can return to 25 minute walks, and then if he does ok with that, we can try increasing to 30 minutes on schedule at 12 weeks.
I got the impression that little blips like this aren't unusual. It was just a bit shocking to me how quickly the pain seemed to get really bad, and then how quickly he seemed to get over it.
February 18, 2010
February 18, 2010, 11 weeks post TPLO, a little better
Winston seemed better though he was still slow getting up. I left the baby gate up and we didn't walk other than potty breaks during my work day. I called AMVS to see what they thought and they suggested that I come in this week for a check instead of waiting until next week for his 12 week check. We go tomorrow morning.
After work I took the pups out for a potty break and they both stood at the front door and really really really wanted to go for a walk. I took them for a short walk up the street and back, for about 5 minutes total. I gave Winston some Tramadol before bedtime since he seemed a little uncomfortable.
After work I took the pups out for a potty break and they both stood at the front door and really really really wanted to go for a walk. I took them for a short walk up the street and back, for about 5 minutes total. I gave Winston some Tramadol before bedtime since he seemed a little uncomfortable.
February 17, 2010
February 17, 2010: 11 weeks post-TPLO, had a scare
Moving up to 25 minute walks has been more of a struggle than when we moved to 20 minute walks. We started by just changing the time on one walk, and after a few days we did two longer walks and then after a few days we did all three walks at 25 minutes. After a day or two of that, Winston was really sore and limpy so we dropped back down.
Last Wednesday was 10 weeks after surgery and two weeks after we found out that the bones hadn't fully healed, and it was the earliest that the surgeon wanted us to give Winston some more stair privileges. Up to this point, he's only been allowed to do the half-flight when one of us is with him. We decided not to push the healing, so we didn't just take the baby-gate down all the time, but starting this past weekend, we've been taking it down for limited amounts of times. Sometimes after we come back in from a walk or going potty, Winston wants to lie down in "his room". Now we can start letting him stay down there and come upstairs or go downstairs on his own. We still leave the gate up overnight, and if I expect someone, or think he might run down the stairs, I put the gate up. So far he's been very good about going up and down at a reasonable speed, but he has definitely been doing more stairs than he has in months.
Monday was a sore day so Tuesday we dropped back down to 20 minutes each walk. On Wednesday Winston seemed better so I thought we'd try for at least one 25 minute walk and the morning was nice (sunny and pretty warm), so we went for our long walk then. He seemed like he felt fine and was enjoying life.
At lunch Winston was really slow to get up when we went out for a potty break, and seemed really subdued. When he got up for our afternoon walk, he struggled to stand up and once he was standing, he had his head hung down like he thought he was in trouble. I thought it was weird, but didn't really put two and two together. We got about 3 houses down the street before I realized that he still had his head hung down near the ground and it wasn't because he was sniffing. I think he was trying to keep as much weight off his back legs as he could. We turned around and headed back home and I gave him some Tramadol. By dinnertime three hours later he seemed better and was no longer hanging his head down. He wanted to go for a walk, so we tried again and went for a 20 minute walk. I am sooooo STOOOOOPID!
I think the pain pills started wearing off or he just got that much more sore that by 9pm he was panting and pacing and was really a very unhappy camper, so I gave him 4 more Tramadol. An hour later he was still pacing and panting and was velcroed to me so that if I tried to hide in the bedroom, he stood outside the door panting and whining. I thought I'd have to take him into the emergency clinic. When he was getting Tramadol after surgery he was getting up to 8 pills at a time (yep, he's a big boy), so I figured I'd give him 4 more so that he would have a full dose and then we'd decide whether to head to the emergency clinic. Within an hour the rest of the pills kicked in and he seemed comfortable and we both got to go to sleep.
Last Wednesday was 10 weeks after surgery and two weeks after we found out that the bones hadn't fully healed, and it was the earliest that the surgeon wanted us to give Winston some more stair privileges. Up to this point, he's only been allowed to do the half-flight when one of us is with him. We decided not to push the healing, so we didn't just take the baby-gate down all the time, but starting this past weekend, we've been taking it down for limited amounts of times. Sometimes after we come back in from a walk or going potty, Winston wants to lie down in "his room". Now we can start letting him stay down there and come upstairs or go downstairs on his own. We still leave the gate up overnight, and if I expect someone, or think he might run down the stairs, I put the gate up. So far he's been very good about going up and down at a reasonable speed, but he has definitely been doing more stairs than he has in months.
Monday was a sore day so Tuesday we dropped back down to 20 minutes each walk. On Wednesday Winston seemed better so I thought we'd try for at least one 25 minute walk and the morning was nice (sunny and pretty warm), so we went for our long walk then. He seemed like he felt fine and was enjoying life.
At lunch Winston was really slow to get up when we went out for a potty break, and seemed really subdued. When he got up for our afternoon walk, he struggled to stand up and once he was standing, he had his head hung down like he thought he was in trouble. I thought it was weird, but didn't really put two and two together. We got about 3 houses down the street before I realized that he still had his head hung down near the ground and it wasn't because he was sniffing. I think he was trying to keep as much weight off his back legs as he could. We turned around and headed back home and I gave him some Tramadol. By dinnertime three hours later he seemed better and was no longer hanging his head down. He wanted to go for a walk, so we tried again and went for a 20 minute walk. I am sooooo STOOOOOPID!
I think the pain pills started wearing off or he just got that much more sore that by 9pm he was panting and pacing and was really a very unhappy camper, so I gave him 4 more Tramadol. An hour later he was still pacing and panting and was velcroed to me so that if I tried to hide in the bedroom, he stood outside the door panting and whining. I thought I'd have to take him into the emergency clinic. When he was getting Tramadol after surgery he was getting up to 8 pills at a time (yep, he's a big boy), so I figured I'd give him 4 more so that he would have a full dose and then we'd decide whether to head to the emergency clinic. Within an hour the rest of the pills kicked in and he seemed comfortable and we both got to go to sleep.
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