A Week & A Day

So I worked late today, but got to stay home this morning. Winni and I did some passive range of motion work, some "parlor trick" training, some paw and leg massage, and lots of hanging out.

Even after all that work and attention, she was still not putting any weight on her foot this morning. We went out walking a little in the yard, nothing. We worked inside, nothing. I know it is early, but I still wanted her to be the exception to the rule.

Well, when I got home tonight we went outside and she was putting weight on her foot some. Sometimes it was just to use it as a crutch, but about 15% of the time it was real walking! Yahoo!

I wonder if David worked with her this afternoon. I'll have to ask him when he gets home.

Day 6 Post-TPLO (or as I call it, the return of squeeker, squeeker)

So Winni has always used squeeker toys as her "voice box." She loves to go find her toys when we get home and tell us all about her day, squeeking the living daylights out of any toy she gets. Her pack mates seem to be annoyed by this, and therefore rip any squeeking toy to shreds. It seems toys around here only last about a week. The Survivor of "Squeeker Island 3368" has been a cow pirate that Matina gave the dogs. It lasted a few months, but the last time I saw it, it was half under the refridgerator and literally inside out. So sad.

But, Winni has now found a plus side to her confinement...



No one will shred her Milkbone pig friend. She has Mr. Piggy all to herself for 12 weeks. YAHOO!!

All seems to be going well today, with a little more "toe-touching" or tapping the top of the foot to the ground when walking. Baby steps, that is how we will make it through 12 weeks.

Day 5 Post-TPLO

So I jinxed her. I woke up this morning to Winni licking her incision. As much as I hated to do it, I put the e-collar on her this morning before I went to work. David worked a half day today, so she only had it to wear it for a little while. (On a side note... of course I have to be the mean one that puts on the e-collar and David gets to be the nice one that takes it off. Oh well!) She seemed no worse for wearing it, so it will be her fashion accessory until the staples come out. I doubt that I'll take her picture in it, because I'm not a mean mama, but I might.

Her recovery is still progressing well, with only one "issue." Her paw on her surgery foot seems to curl up. David says that he has felt her flex all of her foot muscles, but I haven't. It makes me nervous, so I think I'll call the vet or the physical therapist tomorrow to make sure it is normal and not some strange neurological craziness. In the mean time, I think I'll ask over at the orthodogs yahoo group, which has a wealth of information about all kinds of othopedic maladies in dogs.

No pics today... sorry. The only thing I have is a picture of her incision, and I think I'll spare you all that.

Day 4 Post-TPLO and rose shopping

Winni is doing well today. She is moving her leg with good range of motion by herself, but still isn't putting any weight on it. Her insision looks good. Thankfully she hasn't been licking at it much at all (no stupid lampshade for her), so the healing is going well.

Winni enjoyed sitting in the yard for pictures today.
The weather was much prettier today than it has been, so she really soaked up the sun. I think she would have stayed out there all afternoon.

In other news, my friend Jennifer and I were talking about my want for roses at my house. She emailed me some suggestions from The Antique Rose Emporium, including the Lamarque, a white rose, and the Buff Beauty, an apricot rose. I think that both of those would look nice in front of the house. I'd like to add a color as well, so I will have to continue shopping. I'm really excited to try my hand at growing some roses, and my start this season so that we will have some blooms in the summer.

Day 3 Post-TPLO

I hope that y'all don't mind all of the TPLO posts, but I find the information from other blogs helpful, so thought I'd add my own two cents, in case anyone wants to know. I will return to regularly scheduled programming in a week or so. Perhaps there will be a multi-post in the next day or so. Who knows?

But without further ado, may I present the Phillip Rivers of Irondale.



His was on the right knee, but Rivers, the qb for the San Diego Chargers, had ACL surgery on the same day as Winni. The picture above is one of Winni's four icing sessions daily. I've been doing 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off for 20-30 minutes.

I was also instructed to do passive range of motion exercises on/with her two to four times daily. The instruction sheet says to perform a "bicycle motion" with the effected leg. We will be working up to that. Right now it is only me pressing up on her paw and the down on her knee very gently. I only push until she resists, which isn't very far right now. Oddly enough, it seems easier to manipulate her leg while she is standing, so we worked a little in the yard this morning.

However, this is the look I get when I sit down on the floor with the ice pack.



Not the most excited look, huh. I am happy to report that Winni's constant brow furrow of the Christmas season is almost gone. I hope you are pleased, Victor!

Today was better. I think she feels much better, and is getting more steady on her feet. I'll update again soon!

Day 2 Post-TPLO

Today was a good day. I stayed home with Winni who hung out like this most of the day...



All swaddled in fleecy (and staticy) blankets. She really seemed to be more comfortable if I was near her, so I spent most of the day behind the desk, barricaded in with her.

She slept most of the day, most likely because she just groaned and moaned all night last night. I don't think she could get comfortable at all.

We made her a little fort on my side of the bed by tying a sheet up to deter her from leaping to her normal sleeping spot.




She like the location, but just was up and down all night. Hopefully tonight will be a more restful night for everyone. I'll let you know. She continues to eat well and her spirits are much improved. Let's just hope she continues to improve.

I'm home...

Hi everyone. Winni here. I wanted to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers while I had trivial plato legoing ice-cremotomy. (I don't think I spelled it right, but my mom has a link a few posts down.)

Here are some pictures of my x-rays.



Yikes, my mom needs a better camera phone... those are terrible. I heard Dr. Ballaga saying that they were fixing my shin bone and making it flatter on top. What you can't really see all that well in those pictures is the metal plate and six screws that hold my shin bone together.

Maybe you'll hear more from me later, but right now I'm going to lie on the floor and moan some more. Hopefully I'll feel better soon, because I miss my friends.

And ps, why they had to shave ALL the hair off my entire leg I don't know. Now I'm in pain AND cold AND look silly.

And pps, Happy Birthday to my Grandma. I'm sorry your dearest darling daughter couldn't make the movie, but I feel better if she is here with me.

Winni must be doing better...

She ate dinner tonight, which is a great sign. I talked to the vet tech at 8:15 and she said that Winni ate dinner but wasn't quite ready to walk around yet. Hopefully we'll get more good news in the morning. I'll let you know.

Elin

News...

They just called from the clinic and Winni made it through surgery just fine. What a relief! We can call tonight and check on her around 8:00, and then we can call around 8:30 in the morning to see if she will be okay to be released.

Thanks for your prayers.

Elin (and Winni)

Please send Winni your good thoughts...

Many of you know that Winni has been limping lately. Her vets have told me in the past that it is artritis, which I wasn't too sure about. I took her back to Kidd Animal Clinic on Monday and we saw Dr. Cobb. She sent us to see Dr. Ballagas at the Emergency and Specialty Clinic on Acton Road. Sure enough... it isn't arthritis. It is a blown ACL, or it's equivalent in the canine world. She is having a Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO for short). They went ahead and did it today. (I was a bit of a basket case when they brought her in to see me before I left.)

She will spend the night at the clinic tonight, and I'll pick her up around lunch tomorrow. Then it is six weeks of confinement at home (that should go well, ha ha) and the six weeks of rehab. Then she'll be back to this...



Please keep her and Dr. Ballagas in your thoughts and prayers this afternoon. We'd appreciate it, a lot.

WINTER STORM 2008!!

Well, that seems a bit of an overstatement now doesn't it. We do have snow, but not as much as the weather-guessers assumed it would be. David took some pictures of the snow.

Snowy house

Calvin, trying to decide whether to brave the yard or stay under the eaves.

Chica, the sentinel, standing guard.

Winni, eating grass... frozen grass is the best.

Ginny, sporting her suade sherpa vest.

I was wearing my muppet socks and drinking coffee.


Chica making snow angels

Y'all be safe and have a good day!

All done!

Just kidding! This is really where we are.



I put the top picture together in photoshop to show what the house will look like when it is finished. Well, it will sort of look like that, only less computer generated. Also, working with the image in photoshop let me take the Christmas lights down without getting on the roof!

Anyway, we are weather-tight except for the hallway between the old and new house. David is working on that right now.

I'm putting together a to-do list to post on the left. Everyone keeps asking what is next, so that should be up soon!

I heard on the news that there might be snow this week. Don't everyone rush out and buy milk and bread, yet. I'll believe it when I see it.

No pics but...

GOOD NEWS! The addition weathered the rain and storms last night just fine. All of the tar paper is on the roofs. We lack one wall of exterior sheathing (and it's tyvec). YAHOO!