3-Weeks Post-Op...No more Staples!!!

Baylie got her staples out on October 25th and her hair is starting to grow back after being shaved for surgery! We once again got 2 new radiographs (x-rays)...both of which proved that all her screws, pins, plates, and bones are still right where the surgery placed them...all of which is good news!!! She is finally off all the medication except for the glucosemine (that's for life) and the anti-inflammatory/pain meds are only to be given as needed. Sadly though, she still has to be crated during the day when she can't be monitored because running, jumping and playing are still be NO-NOs! She does get to have a bit more freedom in the evenings when I'm home and is able to roam around the house plus we get to add in short 5 minute walks to start re-building her muscles! That of-course is much easier said than done! On our walks Baylie is still supposed to go slow (not in Bay's vocabulary!) and I'm supposed to support her hind half with the sling. The problem is that she pulls away from me (because she doesn't like to be controlled) and I worry that when she's walking essentially sideways that she's gonna hurt herself! The second walk we did I used her harness and wrapped the sling through it instead of a leash and it kept her right at my side in the "heal" position which eliminated her ability to walk sideways! I'm new at this whole rehabilitation thing but I think it was better that she used her leg more naturally?! I'm excited that this is the first weekend since the 10th of October that I don't have to drive down south for one of Baylie's check-ups! We go back for her 4-week post-op check-up next weekend on the 8th of November. Until then, the docs. say to keep up the good work...and again, 1/2 of the "good work" props have to go to Mom and Leah because it is them who are getting us through the day!!! Thanks again--totally owe you guys!

Baylie's 1-Week Post-Op. Check-up...No more Cast!!!

Well, we've made it through the first week without wrecking her cast with dirt or wetness by recycling lots of grocery bags! We've spent each afternoon sitting outside on the grass watching the neighborhood kids play just to give Baylie some "get outta jail" time and I've gotten used to sleeping on the floor next to Baylie's crate. It has been a challenge always being on the lookout for movement because Baylie has to have assistance walking with a sling under her hind-half and when I'm at home I don't have the heart to lock her inside the crate. I figure if she's laying down resting and not moving then it really shouldn't matter if she does that in a crate or not especially when she's had to be in one all day long already! It seems as though we just got home from the vet's office and it's already time to go in for our one week check-up to get x-rays and cast removal. Baylie and I drove back down south on Saturday the 17th and Mom again was kind enough to keep Ginger for me so I didn't have to leave her in my backyard alone all day! We arrived at our 12:30 appointment and I was surprised that she'd actually lost a few pounds! I mean she hasn't gotten to hardly move in a week but I was told to reduce her food amount by 20-25% so I guess I did that right! The doctors took her back to get the radiographs and sent me back to wait in the admitting room until they were ready to go over her films with me. Finally about 30-45 minutes later I got called and the doctor and I looked over the x-rays together and they showed that everything was still in the proper locations and he said there is still minor bruising and swelling but other than that things looked really good! I was very happy to hear the good news! The doctor did however say that week two is "MY" week...meaning that now that the cast is off she'll appear better and will move with less obstruction and not to be fooled by such things! I still have to severely limit her activity, walking only to eat, drink, potty etc. and nothing more...she also has to wear a cone now instead of her "donut ring" because she is trying to lick her staples. If she does lick them he said it would not only prolong her healing time but could also cause infection so the incision must still be kept clean and dry. With hopes that we make it through week two without incident then she should get her staples removed by this weekend the 24th/25th of October! In weeks 3-4 we should be able to start some light physical therapy like short walks and such--something to really look forward to...fingers Crossed!!!

Just Ginger...

Ginger quietly keeping watch of the neighborhood (and me) while I do yard work.

Ginger kills a rat!!!

My mom has been fighting a few rats that have been living in either her palm trees or her sagos and she has caught one in her rat zapper about a month ago but she hasn't seen once since. About a week or two ago, I had taken the girls over for a swim on a Friday. Mom was working late that day for a football game and it had been really windy so I knew the pool would be a mess and that she'd be home too late to clean it up so while they swam I swept and skimmed the pool. Usually when Ginger is tired of swimming she roams the yard sniffing around the sagos no doubt searching for the elusive rats, until today to no avail. Today however...she scared one out of the sagos and it took off running and hid under the spa steps. She pinned it under there and then she dove under to get him...drug him out and continued to "play" with him until he was pretty much limp...it was gross and of-course I had to deal with the carnage! O-well...one less in the rat population I guess...nature hard at work...Go Ginger! :)

Baylie's ACL Knee Surgery...

So on Monday October 12th, 2009...after a very long, unexpected, shocking, emotional, and expensive weekend I woke up in my hotel room, put on my recently acquired Target lounge clothes and waited anxiously for the doctors to call and tell me that Baylie is ready to go home. I finally got the call around 8:30am and Dr. Hazlette told me Baylie was doing well and once they got the paperwork in order she'd be ready to be discharged (I assumed around 10am like I was originally told) but she said she'd be ready anytime after noon. Well, CRAP...that meant more waiting!!! I decided to go get some breakfast before I checked out of my room so that I could come back one last time to pee, figuring that once I had Baylie in the car we'd have to go strait home. I got restless around 11am so I decided to check out and head back to the hospital...I got there around 11:30 hoping I could have all of Baylie's discharge papers completed, bills paid, and medications picked so by noon I'd actually get Baylie and go home! I was shocked to see how busy discharge was, it was literally standing room only and I didn't even get up to the counter until 12:15!!! Then by the time I paid and consulted with the pharmacist regarding all 5 of Baylie's meds. and met with the doctor one last time to get post-op instructions Baylie wasn't actually released until almost 1:45! The tech. helped me get Baylie in the car but we didn't so much drive around the corner when she started whining...I asked her if she needed to go pee and she barked! I pulled over tied a bag around her cast so it wouldn't get wet or dirty like I was instructed then lifted her outta the car. Almost immediately she peed and then I had to get her back in the car and convince her to lay down because she shouldn't be trying to balance in the car on three legs! I ended up having to pull over 4 times throughout the drive home to help her lay back down...she just couldn't maneuver the bulky cast on her own. I arrived home around 4:30pm and found Ginger roaming around my FRONT yard!!! My mom had babysat Ginger all weekend with no issues but then she dropped her off in my backyard Monday morning before she went to work...and by the looks of my destroyed backyard I know Ginger wasn't out front all day but she'd actually figured out how to unlatch the gate to get out...obviously it is now pad-locked!!! Darn dog is too smart and anxiety filled for her own good! Once they both had dinner they crashed until it was time to actually go to bed. I ended up taking off on Tuesday as well so that I could have time to "train" my mom and Leah how to deal with Baylie after I have to go back to work. You see, the worst part of all of this is the recovery restrictions...Baylie has to be crated for the first month! So thank God for Leah being willing to come over mid-morning everyday to take Baylie outside to pee and drink and then a few hours later Mom comes by whenever she gets a lunch break to let her out again...then I jam home as soon as possible after work! This would never work without a group effort because I only get a 35 minute lunch and work almost 30 minutes away from home...so I'm indebted for the help! Thank you guys! By the end of the week I can already tell that Baylie is feeling a bit better because she's trying to move too fast and she keeps picking up balls and dropping them at my feet...this is going to be a LONG recovery!

Baylie's Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) Surgery...

Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is a very common injury in the dog. The cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments help to stabilize the stifle (knee) as the joint moves through a normal range of motion. The CCL can rupture due to trauma or as a result of degeneration of its structure. The meniscal cartilages also help to provide stability and act as shock absorbers in the joint. When the CCL is injured the femur is free to slide down the tibial slope and push the tibia forward or cranial. This results in pain, inflammation, increased joint fluid (effusion) and eventually arthritis in the joint. The medial meniscus can often be injured if the femur crushes it. Surgery is required to inspect for meniscal injury, stabilize the joint and return the limb back to function. Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) stabilizes the CCL deficient stifle by altering the biomechanical forces in the joint. It effectively transfers the stabilizing function of the CCL to its counterpart the caudal cruciate ligament. TPLO radiographs are obtained prior to surgery and the Tibial Plateau Slope (TPS) is found. The Tibial Plateau Angle (TPA) is the
angle between the TPS and a line that is drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal tibial functional axis. The TPA is usually between 20 and 30 degrees. A semicircular cut (osteotomy) is made in the tibia preserving the attachment of the patellar tendon. The bone segment is rotated a pre-determined number of degrees to “level” the tibial slope to approximately 6.5 degrees. The bone is then stabilized using a TPLO bone plate and screws. After surgery the patient is able to return to weightbearing on the leg in a few days. Physical therapy during this time helps to maintain and strengthen the muscles. The bone must heal completely though before resuming full activity. Off-leash activity, running and jumping must be avoided until the bone is healed (~10-16 weeks). Physical therapy is encouraged during this period. TPLO can return the majority of dogs back to full activity. It can be most beneficial for medium or large breeds and active dogs who hunt, field trial, run agility, or those who just love to run and play.

This "You Tube" video explains how vets diagnose a ruputred ACL in dogs probably much more clearly than I could! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jg9E2nBt_E The next video shows dogs after the TPLO surgery and the metal plate that Baylie now has holding her knee together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1pxxX4TXko

Baylie's consult for ACL knee surgery...

So...for a little over a month now Baylie has been having good days and bad days when it comes to her back leg. Some days it was as if there was nothing wrong and she would run, jump, play, swim just as she always has but usually later that night she'd be very stiff and at first I thought nothing of it. I just figured it happens to people when you work out too hard at the gym or something so why couldn't it just be sore muscles? I finally got worried when she stopped playing like normal, stopped jumping in my car to "go" and the final straw was when she wouldn't eat a "cookie" in the morning like they always do before I leave for work. I took her into my local vet and they gave me some anti-inflammatories and told me to give her Glucosamine...then wait a couple of weeks to see if things improve. I waited and with the meds. she did seem to improve, but about 5 days after the meds were gone she got progressively worse and so I took her back for a re-check and the vet ordered to x-rays of her hips and knee. I was relieved to hear that her hips were "above-average, especially for a lab" but they could tell there was swelling around the knee which usually accompanies a torn or ruptured ACL. The next step was a consult with an orthopedic specialist...the nearest one was in Fountain Valley at VCA-All Care near Long Beach. So I booked the appointment for Saturday 10-10-09 at 12:30 (thank God they are open 7-days a week!). Everyone was crazy nice when I went in...seriously, all the doctors and nurses would bend down and pet Baylie even before greeting me (which was comforting to me!). The offices were also spacious and comfortable with plenty of credentials and awards on the walls! I was still hoping that the doctor would tell me that it was a minor injury but of-course not! Instead, he told me she's already building up scar tissue that is going to make surgery even more difficult and could add to arthritis later in life. He said I needed to schedule her for surgery as soon as possible and if I delayed that Baylie wouldn't be able to play anyway because she'd need to remain on a leash always talk about torture...oh, and the longer I wait the more chances she has to blow out the other knee! So after a full tour of the hospital to see exactly where she'll be throughout the surgery and recovery process and without foreseeing another option, I booked her for surgery! So scary...but she didn't have to be admitted until 10pm Saturday so I left the office around 3pm in search of a hotel...booked one for two nights (which was cheaper than driving home after she was admitted, back to pick her up on Monday then home again)! We got dinner and I snuck her into the room so we could hang out and eat dinner together by her 6pm food and water cut off time...then we took a nap together and I finally drove her back to the hospital around 9:30. The WORST part was giving her to the nurse when she was coherent, feeling otherwise fine and didn't understand why I was leaving her. It ripped my heart out knowing she'd have surgery early the next morning and wake up alone and in pain with a cast on! Anyways, I dropped her off...cried a while then went to a 24 hour Walgreens to get some basics like toothbrush, paste, deodorant etc. because I of-course did not plan to stay the weekend! The next day I killed some time moseying through Target looking for a spare change of clothes I could buy (I figured wearing the same thing two days in a row wasn't too bad, but three days was pushing it!). Then I found a Kinkos to buy Internet time to make substitute lesson plans and officially take off on Monday so that I could be there to pick up Baylie after she's released on Monday morning. All of that only got me to mid-afternoon...and going back to the hotel was out of the question because I would only worry, so instead I wandered aimlessly through IKEA, waiting to hear how Baylie's surgery went. Finally around 2:30 the doctor called to say that the surgery went well and that Baylie came out of anesthesia but was still on the IV. By the evening they'd offer her food and if she accepted then they'd take her off the IV and transfer her to oral pain meds. with hopes of being released after 10am Monday. Now that I could relax a little I spent some time talking on the phone giving updates to friends and family and planning how to take care of her during the work week, got a full tank of gas at the Costco I found near my hotel and and then finally got some food for lunch/dinner around 6pm and headed "home" to my rented room...rented a movie that was added to my bill and called it a night! I'll keep you posted once I pick her up Monday!