Bark! The Blog

Week 2 - Sling

Week Two of the TPLO recovery signifies the mastery of routine.  BJ, Kaz, and I have all adjusted to our new daily schedule and it has really made our lives a lot easier.  We started leaving her alone for a couple hours each day to see how she would do in her pen without supervision.  Each day we increased her time left alone and she seems to be doing just fine.

I am shocked at how quickly she is recovering.  Her incision is almost completely healed and there is absolutely no sign of swelling or bruising anymore.  She continues to use the leg more and more each day and is looking stronger and stronger.

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A week ago today, Kaz was under anesthesia and getting her tibia voluntarily broken by the surgeons at Northwest Vet Specialists.  We’ve had some rough days but her leg is significantly improving each day and I feel more and more confident about the decision to have this invasive surgery.

Kaz seems to be in great spirits, all things considered.  She loves hanging out in the living room with us and she divides her time between chewing her bones, watching out the window, and sleeping.  Of course, she is always up for a belly rub.  She does seem to tire more quickly when chewing on her bone or sitting up to watch outside the window.  I’m so grateful she’s always been a mellow dog because the next 5 weeks will be much easier to keep her cooped up inside.

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Wow.  Kaz’s leg looks so much better.  Days 4 and 5 Post TPLO made us feel much more optimistic.  Even though we were reducing her heavy duty narcotics (Tramadol), she seemed to be in less pain.  The swelling and bruising had gone down drastically.  Her overall attitude seemed more normal.  She started chewing her Nylabone again (one of her favorite activities) and acted more social and interested in what BJ and I were doing.  She’s had a better appetite and initiating her own potty breaks 2-3 times a day.  It is such a relief to visually see her improving.   Since the reduction of her pain pills, she seems to baby her bad leg a little more, but the vet reassures me that’s a good thing, because she will be forced to be more cautious with that leg while it heals.

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Day 3 was much easier.  We slept in and I finally got her feeding and pill intake on the right schedule to agree with her stomach.  She seemed a little more sore and slower moving around, but I think that was due to a little too much activity the previous day.  The swelling was the same, but her bruising looked much better.  Due to gravity and the extra activity, a large fluid sac has formed around her lower leg joint.  Dr. Lozier has assured me that this is normal since they inject a lot of fluids into the body when performing surgery.  He said that it’s not painful at all and should decrease in size in a few days.

We spent the majority of the day watching a Heroes Season 2 Marathon with the occasional potty break.  She is a little resistant to go outside.  I think it’s because we have to use the sling to help her get down the step and out the front door.  Once she’s out there she stares desperately towards the sidewalk, the direction we take to go for our daily walks.  It will be another six weeks before we can go for a walk.  With a little persuasion she eventually sniffs around the yard and does her business with relative ease.

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