Checked by the vet

Winston has been in pain off and on since my last blog.  I tried taking him off the pain pills but every time I do and then walk him farther than around the block (about a 15 minute walk), he ends up on three legs again.  It's a little depressing.

Today we went to AMVS to get his leg checked.  Without doing surgery it's hard to say exactly what is going on, but they suspect that he's torn his meniscus.  We're to continue with pain pills and continue resting him while we consider our options.  The best option for Winston is to remove the TPLO plate, and check/repair the meniscus.  It sounds like the recovery from surgery isn't as bad as having the TPLO done in the first place.

We're expecting a tax refund this year.  I guess it's going to Winston.

Another setback?

For the past month, Winston's been getting some limited free time in the back yard.  First we walk and then he gets some time to be loose in the yard while I pick up poop and small branches that the tree has dropped.  We don't have any toys back there for him to play with so he thinks it's a little boring, but I don't want him running a lot yet.

The foxes have taken up residence in the neighbor's old pool shed next door, so there are times that Winston has run along the fence, and he seems to do ok with that.  Josie is so excited to see him run that she's been trying to get him to join her running around the yard.  Sometimes he does, but not always.  

Yesterday I let them into the side/front yard (we live on a corner) and that's where Winston's big (horse sized) jolly ball has been sitting for over a year waiting for him.  He was so excited to see it and get to play with it that of course he did.  He didn't run hard, just an easy trot, and then he lay down and squeezed it a bunch.  After awhile I called them back to the back yard and shut the gate between the yards.

All seemed well until last night before bed.  When I called the dogs to go potty before bedtime Winston was on 3 legs.  He wasn't using his left hind leg.  Hmmmmm..... I guess he overused it today?  I gave him some pain pills and we all went to bed.

This morning he was extremely limpy but at least was using his leg again.  I've continued the pain pills and he doesn't get to walk or play today.

4 month update

Winston is doing well, and our walks are getting longer.  We get to walk through the neighborhood to the east of ours in addition to ours to make our longest loop and the walk takes about 50-60 minutes depending on how fast or slow we are.  Both dogs are loving the extra time and sights.

I've been loading them into the car and taking them with me when I run errands so that Winston learns that not all car rides end at the vet.  Sometimes we'll park and walk in a different area, but it's been so long since we've been out in "public" that the dogs need a refresher course on manners around other people.  I'm working on it.

March 9, 2010: Week 14 and all is well

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 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.